ticker,date,open,high,low,close,news
FAST,1987-08-20,0.0,0.07,0.06,0.06,
FAST,1987-08-21,0.0,0.06,0.06,0.06,
FAST,1987-08-24,0.0,0.06,0.06,0.06,
FAST,1987-08-25,0.0,0.07,0.07,0.07,
FAST,1987-08-26,0.0,0.07,0.07,0.07,
FAST,1987-08-27,0.0,0.07,0.07,0.07,
FAST,1987-08-28,0.0,0.07,0.07,0.07,
FAST,1987-08-31,0.0,0.07,0.07,0.07,
FAST,1987-09-01,0.0,0.07,0.07,0.07,
FAST,1987-09-02,0.0,0.07,0.06,0.06,
FAST,1987-09-03,0.0,0.07,0.06,0.06,
FAST,1987-09-04,0.0,0.07,0.06,0.07,
FAST,1987-09-08,0.0,0.07,0.06,0.06,
FAST,1987-09-09,0.0,0.07,0.06,0.07,
FAST,1987-09-10,0.0,0.07,0.06,0.07,
FAST,1987-09-11,0.0,0.07,0.06,0.07,
FAST,1987-09-14,0.0,0.07,0.07,0.07,
FAST,1987-09-15,0.0,0.08,0.07,0.07,
FAST,1987-09-16,0.0,0.08,0.07,0.07,
FAST,1987-09-17,0.0,0.08,0.07,0.07,
FAST,1987-09-18,0.0,0.08,0.07,0.07,
FAST,1987-09-21,0.0,0.08,0.07,0.08,
FAST,1987-09-22,0.0,0.08,0.07,0.08,
FAST,1987-09-23,0.0,0.08,0.07,0.08,
FAST,1987-09-24,0.0,0.08,0.08,0.08,
FAST,1987-09-25,0.0,0.08,0.08,0.08,
FAST,1987-09-28,0.0,0.08,0.08,0.08,
FAST,1987-09-29,0.0,0.08,0.08,0.08,
FAST,1987-09-30,0.0,0.08,0.08,0.08,
FAST,1987-10-01,0.0,0.08,0.08,0.08,
FAST,1987-10-02,0.0,0.09,0.08,0.09,
FAST,1987-10-05,0.0,0.09,0.09,0.09,
FAST,1987-10-06,0.0,0.09,0.09,0.09,
FAST,1987-10-07,0.0,0.09,0.09,0.09,
FAST,1987-10-08,0.0,0.09,0.09,0.09,
FAST,1987-10-09,0.0,0.09,0.09,0.09,
FAST,1987-10-12,0.0,0.09,0.09,0.09,
FAST,1987-10-13,0.0,0.09,0.08,0.08,
FAST,1987-10-14,0.0,0.08,0.08,0.08,
FAST,1987-10-15,0.0,0.08,0.08,0.08,
FAST,1987-10-16,0.0,0.08,0.08,0.08,
FAST,1987-10-19,0.0,0.08,0.06,0.07,
FAST,1987-10-20,0.0,0.07,0.06,0.06,
FAST,1987-10-21,0.0,0.07,0.06,0.07,
FAST,1987-10-22,0.0,0.07,0.07,0.07,
FAST,1987-10-23,0.0,0.07,0.07,0.07,
FAST,1987-10-26,0.0,0.07,0.06,0.06,
FAST,1987-10-27,0.0,0.06,0.05,0.05,
FAST,1987-10-28,0.0,0.06,0.05,0.06,
FAST,1987-10-29,0.0,0.06,0.05,0.06,
FAST,1987-10-30,0.0,0.07,0.06,0.07,
FAST,1987-11-02,0.0,0.07,0.06,0.07,
FAST,1987-11-03,0.0,0.07,0.07,0.07,
FAST,1987-11-04,0.0,0.07,0.07,0.07,
FAST,1987-11-05,0.0,0.07,0.07,0.07,
FAST,1987-11-06,0.0,0.07,0.07,0.07,
FAST,1987-11-09,0.0,0.07,0.07,0.07,
FAST,1987-11-10,0.0,0.06,0.06,0.06,
FAST,1987-11-11,0.0,0.07,0.06,0.07,
FAST,1987-11-12,0.0,0.07,0.07,0.07,
FAST,1987-11-13,0.0,0.07,0.07,0.07,
FAST,1987-11-16,0.0,0.07,0.07,0.07,
FAST,1987-11-17,0.0,0.07,0.06,0.06,
FAST,1987-11-18,0.06,0.06,0.06,0.06,
FAST,1987-11-19,0.06,0.06,0.06,0.06,
FAST,1987-11-20,0.06,0.06,0.06,0.06,
FAST,1987-11-23,0.0,0.07,0.07,0.07,
FAST,1987-11-24,0.0,0.07,0.07,0.07,
FAST,1987-11-25,0.07,0.07,0.07,0.07,
FAST,1987-11-27,0.07,0.07,0.07,0.07,
FAST,1987-11-30,0.0,0.07,0.07,0.07,
FAST,1987-12-01,0.0,0.07,0.07,0.07,
FAST,1987-12-02,0.0,0.07,0.07,0.07,
FAST,1987-12-03,0.0,0.07,0.06,0.07,
FAST,1987-12-04,0.0,0.07,0.06,0.06,
FAST,1987-12-07,0.0,0.06,0.06,0.06,
FAST,1987-12-08,0.0,0.07,0.06,0.06,
FAST,1987-12-09,0.0,0.07,0.06,0.07,
FAST,1987-12-10,0.0,0.07,0.07,0.07,
FAST,1987-12-11,0.0,0.07,0.07,0.07,
FAST,1987-12-14,0.0,0.07,0.07,0.07,
FAST,1987-12-15,0.0,0.07,0.07,0.07,
FAST,1987-12-16,0.0,0.07,0.07,0.07,
FAST,1987-12-17,0.0,0.08,0.07,0.07,
FAST,1987-12-18,0.0,0.07,0.07,0.07,
FAST,1987-12-21,0.0,0.08,0.08,0.08,
FAST,1987-12-22,0.0,0.08,0.07,0.07,
FAST,1987-12-23,0.0,0.08,0.08,0.08,
FAST,1987-12-24,0.0,0.08,0.08,0.08,
FAST,1987-12-28,0.0,0.08,0.07,0.07,
FAST,1987-12-29,0.0,0.07,0.07,0.07,
FAST,1987-12-30,0.0,0.08,0.07,0.08,
FAST,1987-12-31,0.0,0.08,0.07,0.08,
FAST,1988-01-04,0.0,0.08,0.07,0.08,
FAST,1988-01-05,0.0,0.08,0.08,0.08,
FAST,1988-01-06,0.0,0.08,0.08,0.08,
FAST,1988-01-07,0.0,0.08,0.08,0.08,
FAST,1988-01-08,0.0,0.08,0.08,0.08,
FAST,1988-01-11,0.0,0.08,0.08,0.08,
FAST,1988-01-12,0.0,0.08,0.08,0.08,
FAST,1988-01-13,0.0,0.08,0.08,0.08,
FAST,1988-01-14,0.0,0.08,0.08,0.08,
FAST,1988-01-15,0.0,0.08,0.08,0.08,
FAST,1988-01-18,0.0,0.08,0.08,0.08,
FAST,1988-01-19,0.0,0.08,0.08,0.08,
FAST,1988-01-20,0.0,0.08,0.08,0.08,
FAST,1988-01-21,0.0,0.08,0.08,0.08,
FAST,1988-01-22,0.0,0.08,0.08,0.08,
FAST,1988-01-25,0.0,0.08,0.08,0.08,
FAST,1988-01-26,0.0,0.08,0.08,0.08,
FAST,1988-01-27,0.0,0.08,0.08,0.08,
FAST,1988-01-28,0.0,0.08,0.08,0.08,
FAST,1988-01-29,0.0,0.08,0.08,0.08,
FAST,1988-02-01,0.0,0.09,0.08,0.08,
FAST,1988-02-02,0.0,0.08,0.08,0.08,
FAST,1988-02-03,0.0,0.08,0.08,0.08,
FAST,1988-02-04,0.0,0.08,0.08,0.08,
FAST,1988-02-05,0.0,0.08,0.08,0.08,
FAST,1988-02-08,0.0,0.08,0.08,0.08,
FAST,1988-02-09,0.0,0.08,0.08,0.08,
FAST,1988-02-10,0.0,0.08,0.08,0.08,
FAST,1988-02-11,0.0,0.08,0.08,0.08,
FAST,1988-02-12,0.0,0.08,0.08,0.08,
FAST,1988-02-16,0.0,0.08,0.08,0.08,
FAST,1988-02-17,0.0,0.09,0.08,0.09,
FAST,1988-02-18,0.0,0.09,0.08,0.08,
FAST,1988-02-19,0.0,0.09,0.09,0.09,
FAST,1988-02-22,0.0,0.09,0.08,0.09,
FAST,1988-02-23,0.09,0.09,0.09,0.09,
FAST,1988-02-24,0.0,0.09,0.09,0.09,
FAST,1988-02-25,0.0,0.09,0.09,0.09,
FAST,1988-02-26,0.0,0.09,0.09,0.09,
FAST,1988-02-29,0.0,0.09,0.09,0.09,
FAST,1988-03-01,0.0,0.09,0.09,0.09,
FAST,1988-03-02,0.0,0.09,0.09,0.09,
FAST,1988-03-03,0.0,0.09,0.09,0.09,
FAST,1988-03-04,0.0,0.09,0.08,0.09,
FAST,1988-03-07,0.0,0.09,0.08,0.08,
FAST,1988-03-08,0.0,0.09,0.08,0.08,
FAST,1988-03-09,0.0,0.09,0.08,0.09,
FAST,1988-03-10,0.0,0.09,0.08,0.08,
FAST,1988-03-11,0.0,0.08,0.08,0.08,
FAST,1988-03-14,0.0,0.08,0.08,0.08,
FAST,1988-03-15,0.0,0.08,0.08,0.08,
FAST,1988-03-16,0.0,0.08,0.08,0.08,
FAST,1988-03-17,0.0,0.08,0.08,0.08,
FAST,1988-03-18,0.0,0.08,0.08,0.08,
FAST,1988-03-21,0.0,0.08,0.08,0.08,
FAST,1988-03-22,0.0,0.08,0.08,0.08,
FAST,1988-03-23,0.0,0.08,0.08,0.08,
FAST,1988-03-24,0.0,0.09,0.08,0.09,
FAST,1988-03-25,0.0,0.09,0.08,0.09,
FAST,1988-03-28,0.0,0.09,0.08,0.08,
FAST,1988-03-29,0.0,0.08,0.08,0.08,
FAST,1988-03-30,0.0,0.08,0.08,0.08,
FAST,1988-03-31,0.0,0.08,0.08,0.08,
FAST,1988-04-04,0.0,0.08,0.08,0.08,
FAST,1988-04-05,0.0,0.08,0.08,0.08,
FAST,1988-04-06,0.0,0.08,0.08,0.08,
FAST,1988-04-07,0.0,0.08,0.08,0.08,
FAST,1988-04-08,0.0,0.08,0.08,0.08,
FAST,1988-04-11,0.0,0.08,0.08,0.08,
FAST,1988-04-12,0.0,0.1,0.08,0.1,
FAST,1988-04-13,0.0,0.1,0.09,0.1,
FAST,1988-04-14,0.0,0.1,0.1,0.1,
FAST,1988-04-15,0.0,0.1,0.1,0.1,
FAST,1988-04-18,0.0,0.1,0.1,0.1,
FAST,1988-04-19,0.0,0.1,0.1,0.1,
FAST,1988-04-20,0.0,0.11,0.1,0.11,
FAST,1988-04-21,0.0,0.11,0.1,0.11,
FAST,1988-04-22,0.0,0.11,0.11,0.11,
FAST,1988-04-25,0.0,0.12,0.11,0.11,
FAST,1988-04-26,0.0,0.12,0.11,0.11,
FAST,1988-04-27,0.0,0.12,0.11,0.11,
FAST,1988-04-28,0.0,0.11,0.1,0.11,
FAST,1988-04-29,0.0,0.11,0.1,0.11,
FAST,1988-05-02,0.0,0.11,0.1,0.1,
FAST,1988-05-03,0.0,0.11,0.1,0.11,
FAST,1988-05-04,0.0,0.11,0.11,0.11,
FAST,1988-05-05,0.0,0.11,0.11,0.11,
FAST,1988-05-06,0.0,0.11,0.11,0.11,
FAST,1988-05-09,0.0,0.11,0.11,0.11,
FAST,1988-05-10,0.0,0.12,0.11,0.11,
FAST,1988-05-11,0.0,0.12,0.11,0.11,
FAST,1988-05-12,0.0,0.11,0.11,0.11,
FAST,1988-05-13,0.0,0.11,0.11,0.11,
FAST,1988-05-16,0.0,0.11,0.11,0.11,
FAST,1988-05-17,0.0,0.11,0.11,0.11,
FAST,1988-05-18,0.0,0.11,0.11,0.11,
FAST,1988-05-19,0.0,0.11,0.11,0.11,
FAST,1988-05-20,0.0,0.11,0.11,0.11,
FAST,1988-05-23,0.0,0.11,0.11,0.11,
FAST,1988-05-24,0.0,0.11,0.11,0.11,
FAST,1988-05-25,0.0,0.11,0.11,0.11,
FAST,1988-05-26,0.0,0.11,0.11,0.11,
FAST,1988-05-27,0.0,0.11,0.11,0.11,
FAST,1988-05-31,0.0,0.11,0.11,0.11,
FAST,1988-06-01,0.0,0.11,0.11,0.11,
FAST,1988-06-02,0.0,0.11,0.11,0.11,
FAST,1988-06-03,0.11,0.11,0.11,0.11,
FAST,1988-06-06,0.0,0.11,0.11,0.11,
FAST,1988-06-07,0.0,0.11,0.11,0.11,
FAST,1988-06-08,0.0,0.11,0.11,0.11,
FAST,1988-06-09,0.0,0.11,0.11,0.11,
FAST,1988-06-10,0.0,0.11,0.11,0.11,
FAST,1988-06-13,0.0,0.11,0.11,0.11,
FAST,1988-06-14,0.0,0.11,0.11,0.11,
FAST,1988-06-15,0.0,0.11,0.11,0.11,
FAST,1988-06-16,0.0,0.11,0.11,0.11,
FAST,1988-06-17,0.0,0.11,0.11,0.11,
FAST,1988-06-20,0.0,0.11,0.11,0.11,
FAST,1988-06-21,0.0,0.11,0.11,0.11,
FAST,1988-06-22,0.0,0.11,0.11,0.11,
FAST,1988-06-23,0.0,0.11,0.1,0.11,
FAST,1988-06-24,0.0,0.11,0.11,0.11,
FAST,1988-06-27,0.0,0.11,0.11,0.11,
FAST,1988-06-28,0.0,0.11,0.11,0.11,
FAST,1988-06-29,0.0,0.11,0.11,0.11,
FAST,1988-06-30,0.0,0.11,0.11,0.11,
FAST,1988-07-01,0.0,0.12,0.11,0.12,
FAST,1988-07-05,0.0,0.12,0.12,0.12,
FAST,1988-07-06,0.0,0.12,0.11,0.12,
FAST,1988-07-07,0.0,0.13,0.12,0.13,
FAST,1988-07-08,0.0,0.14,0.13,0.13,
FAST,1988-07-11,0.0,0.13,0.13,0.13,
FAST,1988-07-12,0.0,0.13,0.13,0.13,
FAST,1988-07-13,0.0,0.13,0.13,0.13,
FAST,1988-07-14,0.0,0.13,0.13,0.13,
FAST,1988-07-15,0.0,0.13,0.13,0.13,
FAST,1988-07-18,0.0,0.13,0.13,0.13,
FAST,1988-07-19,0.0,0.14,0.13,0.13,
FAST,1988-07-20,0.0,0.14,0.14,0.14,
FAST,1988-07-21,0.0,0.14,0.13,0.14,
FAST,1988-07-22,0.0,0.13,0.13,0.13,
FAST,1988-07-25,0.0,0.14,0.13,0.14,
FAST,1988-07-26,0.0,0.14,0.13,0.13,
FAST,1988-07-27,0.0,0.14,0.13,0.13,
FAST,1988-07-28,0.0,0.13,0.13,0.13,
FAST,1988-07-29,0.0,0.13,0.13,0.13,
FAST,1988-08-01,0.0,0.13,0.13,0.13,
FAST,1988-08-02,0.0,0.13,0.13,0.13,
FAST,1988-08-03,0.0,0.13,0.13,0.13,
FAST,1988-08-04,0.0,0.13,0.13,0.13,
FAST,1988-08-05,0.0,0.13,0.13,0.13,
FAST,1988-08-08,0.0,0.13,0.13,0.13,
FAST,1988-08-09,0.0,0.13,0.13,0.13,
FAST,1988-08-10,0.0,0.13,0.13,0.13,
FAST,1988-08-11,0.0,0.13,0.13,0.13,
FAST,1988-08-12,0.0,0.13,0.13,0.13,
FAST,1988-08-15,0.0,0.13,0.13,0.13,
FAST,1988-08-16,0.0,0.13,0.13,0.13,
FAST,1988-08-17,0.0,0.13,0.13,0.13,
FAST,1988-08-18,0.0,0.13,0.13,0.13,
FAST,1988-08-19,0.0,0.13,0.13,0.13,
FAST,1988-08-22,0.0,0.13,0.13,0.13,
FAST,1988-08-23,0.0,0.13,0.12,0.12,
FAST,1988-08-24,0.0,0.12,0.12,0.12,
FAST,1988-08-25,0.0,0.12,0.12,0.12,
FAST,1988-08-26,0.0,0.12,0.12,0.12,
FAST,1988-08-29,0.0,0.12,0.12,0.12,
FAST,1988-08-30,0.0,0.12,0.12,0.12,
FAST,1988-08-31,0.0,0.12,0.12,0.12,
FAST,1988-09-01,0.0,0.12,0.12,0.12,
FAST,1988-09-02,0.0,0.12,0.12,0.12,
FAST,1988-09-06,0.0,0.12,0.12,0.12,
FAST,1988-09-07,0.0,0.12,0.12,0.12,
FAST,1988-09-08,0.0,0.12,0.12,0.12,
FAST,1988-09-09,0.0,0.13,0.12,0.12,
FAST,1988-09-12,0.0,0.13,0.13,0.13,
FAST,1988-09-13,0.0,0.13,0.13,0.13,
FAST,1988-09-14,0.0,0.13,0.13,0.13,
FAST,1988-09-15,0.0,0.13,0.13,0.13,
FAST,1988-09-16,0.0,0.13,0.13,0.13,
FAST,1988-09-19,0.0,0.14,0.13,0.14,
FAST,1988-09-20,0.0,0.15,0.14,0.14,
FAST,1988-09-21,0.0,0.15,0.14,0.15,
FAST,1988-09-22,0.0,0.15,0.14,0.15,
FAST,1988-09-23,0.0,0.15,0.15,0.15,
FAST,1988-09-26,0.0,0.15,0.15,0.15,
FAST,1988-09-27,0.0,0.15,0.15,0.15,
FAST,1988-09-28,0.0,0.15,0.15,0.15,
FAST,1988-09-29,0.0,0.15,0.15,0.15,
FAST,1988-09-30,0.0,0.16,0.15,0.15,
FAST,1988-10-03,0.0,0.16,0.15,0.16,
FAST,1988-10-04,0.0,0.16,0.15,0.15,
FAST,1988-10-05,0.0,0.16,0.15,0.15,
FAST,1988-10-06,0.0,0.16,0.15,0.16,
FAST,1988-10-07,0.0,0.16,0.15,0.15,
FAST,1988-10-10,0.0,0.15,0.15,0.15,
FAST,1988-10-11,0.0,0.15,0.15,0.15,
FAST,1988-10-12,0.0,0.15,0.15,0.15,
FAST,1988-10-13,0.0,0.15,0.15,0.15,
FAST,1988-10-14,0.0,0.15,0.15,0.15,
FAST,1988-10-17,0.0,0.15,0.15,0.15,
FAST,1988-10-18,0.0,0.16,0.15,0.15,
FAST,1988-10-19,0.0,0.16,0.15,0.15,
FAST,1988-10-20,0.0,0.16,0.15,0.15,
FAST,1988-10-21,0.0,0.15,0.15,0.15,
FAST,1988-10-24,0.0,0.15,0.15,0.15,
FAST,1988-10-25,0.0,0.15,0.15,0.15,
FAST,1988-10-26,0.0,0.15,0.15,0.15,
FAST,1988-10-27,0.0,0.14,0.14,0.14,
FAST,1988-10-28,0.0,0.14,0.14,0.14,
FAST,1988-10-31,0.0,0.14,0.14,0.14,
FAST,1988-11-01,0.0,0.14,0.14,0.14,
FAST,1988-11-02,0.0,0.14,0.14,0.14,
FAST,1988-11-03,0.0,0.14,0.14,0.14,
FAST,1988-11-04,0.0,0.14,0.14,0.14,
FAST,1988-11-07,0.0,0.14,0.13,0.14,
FAST,1988-11-08,0.0,0.14,0.13,0.14,
FAST,1988-11-09,0.0,0.14,0.13,0.14,
FAST,1988-11-10,0.0,0.14,0.13,0.14,
FAST,1988-11-11,0.0,0.14,0.14,0.14,
FAST,1988-11-14,0.0,0.15,0.14,0.15,
FAST,1988-11-15,0.0,0.15,0.14,0.15,
FAST,1988-11-16,0.0,0.15,0.14,0.15,
FAST,1988-11-17,0.0,0.15,0.14,0.14,
FAST,1988-11-18,0.0,0.14,0.14,0.14,
FAST,1988-11-21,0.0,0.14,0.14,0.14,
FAST,1988-11-22,0.0,0.14,0.14,0.14,
FAST,1988-11-23,0.0,0.14,0.14,0.14,
FAST,1988-11-25,0.14,0.14,0.14,0.14,
FAST,1988-11-28,0.0,0.14,0.14,0.14,
FAST,1988-11-29,0.0,0.14,0.14,0.14,
FAST,1988-11-30,0.0,0.15,0.14,0.15,
FAST,1988-12-01,0.0,0.15,0.15,0.15,
FAST,1988-12-02,0.0,0.15,0.15,0.15,
FAST,1988-12-05,0.0,0.15,0.15,0.15,
FAST,1988-12-06,0.0,0.16,0.15,0.15,
FAST,1988-12-07,0.0,0.15,0.15,0.15,
FAST,1988-12-08,0.0,0.15,0.15,0.15,
FAST,1988-12-09,0.0,0.15,0.15,0.15,
FAST,1988-12-12,0.0,0.15,0.15,0.15,
FAST,1988-12-13,0.0,0.15,0.15,0.15,
FAST,1988-12-14,0.0,0.15,0.15,0.15,
FAST,1988-12-15,0.0,0.15,0.15,0.15,
FAST,1988-12-16,0.0,0.15,0.15,0.15,
FAST,1988-12-19,0.0,0.15,0.15,0.15,
FAST,1988-12-20,0.0,0.15,0.15,0.15,
FAST,1988-12-21,0.0,0.15,0.15,0.15,
FAST,1988-12-22,0.0,0.15,0.14,0.15,
FAST,1988-12-23,0.0,0.15,0.15,0.15,
FAST,1988-12-27,0.0,0.15,0.15,0.15,
FAST,1988-12-28,0.0,0.15,0.14,0.15,
FAST,1988-12-29,0.0,0.15,0.14,0.15,
FAST,1988-12-30,0.0,0.15,0.14,0.15,
FAST,1989-01-03,0.0,0.15,0.14,0.15,
FAST,1989-01-04,0.0,0.15,0.15,0.15,
FAST,1989-01-05,0.0,0.15,0.15,0.15,
FAST,1989-01-06,0.0,0.15,0.15,0.15,
FAST,1989-01-09,0.0,0.15,0.15,0.15,
FAST,1989-01-10,0.0,0.15,0.15,0.15,
FAST,1989-01-11,0.0,0.15,0.15,0.15,
FAST,1989-01-12,0.0,0.16,0.15,0.16,
FAST,1989-01-13,0.0,0.16,0.15,0.16,
FAST,1989-01-16,0.0,0.16,0.16,0.16,
FAST,1989-01-17,0.0,0.16,0.16,0.16,
FAST,1989-01-18,0.0,0.16,0.16,0.16,
FAST,1989-01-19,0.0,0.16,0.16,0.16,
FAST,1989-01-20,0.0,0.16,0.15,0.16,
FAST,1989-01-23,0.0,0.16,0.15,0.16,
FAST,1989-01-24,0.0,0.16,0.16,0.16,
FAST,1989-01-25,0.0,0.17,0.16,0.17,
FAST,1989-01-26,0.0,0.17,0.16,0.17,
FAST,1989-01-27,0.0,0.18,0.17,0.17,
FAST,1989-01-30,0.0,0.17,0.17,0.17,
FAST,1989-01-31,0.0,0.17,0.17,0.17,
FAST,1989-02-01,0.0,0.17,0.17,0.17,
FAST,1989-02-02,0.0,0.17,0.17,0.17,
FAST,1989-02-03,0.0,0.17,0.17,0.17,
FAST,1989-02-06,0.0,0.17,0.17,0.17,
FAST,1989-02-07,0.0,0.17,0.17,0.17,
FAST,1989-02-08,0.0,0.17,0.17,0.17,
FAST,1989-02-09,0.0,0.17,0.17,0.17,
FAST,1989-02-10,0.0,0.17,0.17,0.17,
FAST,1989-02-13,0.0,0.17,0.16,0.16,
FAST,1989-02-14,0.0,0.16,0.15,0.16,
FAST,1989-02-15,0.0,0.17,0.16,0.16,
FAST,1989-02-16,0.0,0.17,0.16,0.17,
FAST,1989-02-17,0.0,0.17,0.16,0.16,
FAST,1989-02-21,0.0,0.17,0.16,0.16,
FAST,1989-02-22,0.0,0.17,0.16,0.16,
FAST,1989-02-23,0.0,0.16,0.16,0.16,
FAST,1989-02-24,0.0,0.16,0.16,0.16,
FAST,1989-02-27,0.0,0.17,0.16,0.16,
FAST,1989-02-28,0.0,0.16,0.16,0.16,
FAST,1989-03-01,0.0,0.16,0.16,0.16,
FAST,1989-03-02,0.0,0.16,0.16,0.16,
FAST,1989-03-03,0.0,0.16,0.16,0.16,
FAST,1989-03-06,0.0,0.16,0.16,0.16,
FAST,1989-03-07,0.0,0.17,0.16,0.17,
FAST,1989-03-08,0.0,0.17,0.17,0.17,
FAST,1989-03-09,0.0,0.17,0.17,0.17,
FAST,1989-03-10,0.0,0.17,0.17,0.17,
FAST,1989-03-13,0.0,0.17,0.17,0.17,
FAST,1989-03-14,0.0,0.17,0.17,0.17,
FAST,1989-03-15,0.0,0.19,0.17,0.18,
FAST,1989-03-16,0.0,0.19,0.18,0.19,
FAST,1989-03-17,0.0,0.18,0.18,0.18,
FAST,1989-03-20,0.0,0.18,0.18,0.18,
FAST,1989-03-21,0.0,0.18,0.18,0.18,
FAST,1989-03-22,0.0,0.18,0.18,0.18,
FAST,1989-03-23,0.0,0.18,0.18,0.18,
FAST,1989-03-27,0.0,0.18,0.18,0.18,
FAST,1989-03-28,0.0,0.18,0.18,0.18,
FAST,1989-03-29,0.0,0.19,0.18,0.19,
FAST,1989-03-30,0.0,0.19,0.18,0.19,
FAST,1989-03-31,0.0,0.19,0.18,0.19,
FAST,1989-04-03,0.0,0.19,0.19,0.19,
FAST,1989-04-04,0.0,0.19,0.18,0.18,
FAST,1989-04-05,0.0,0.18,0.17,0.18,
FAST,1989-04-06,0.0,0.18,0.18,0.18,
FAST,1989-04-07,0.0,0.18,0.18,0.18,
FAST,1989-04-10,0.0,0.18,0.18,0.18,
FAST,1989-04-11,0.0,0.18,0.18,0.18,
FAST,1989-04-12,0.0,0.19,0.18,0.18,
FAST,1989-04-13,0.0,0.18,0.18,0.18,
FAST,1989-04-14,0.0,0.18,0.18,0.18,
FAST,1989-04-17,0.0,0.18,0.17,0.17,
FAST,1989-04-18,0.0,0.18,0.17,0.18,
FAST,1989-04-19,0.0,0.19,0.18,0.18,
FAST,1989-04-20,0.0,0.19,0.18,0.19,
FAST,1989-04-21,0.0,0.19,0.18,0.18,
FAST,1989-04-24,0.0,0.18,0.18,0.18,
FAST,1989-04-25,0.0,0.18,0.18,0.18,
FAST,1989-04-26,0.0,0.18,0.18,0.18,
FAST,1989-04-27,0.0,0.18,0.18,0.18,
FAST,1989-04-28,0.0,0.19,0.18,0.18,
FAST,1989-05-01,0.0,0.18,0.18,0.18,
FAST,1989-05-02,0.0,0.18,0.18,0.18,
FAST,1989-05-03,0.0,0.18,0.18,0.18,
FAST,1989-05-04,0.0,0.19,0.18,0.19,
FAST,1989-05-05,0.0,0.19,0.18,0.18,
FAST,1989-05-08,0.0,0.19,0.18,0.19,
FAST,1989-05-09,0.0,0.19,0.18,0.18,
FAST,1989-05-10,0.0,0.19,0.18,0.19,
FAST,1989-05-11,0.0,0.19,0.18,0.19,
FAST,1989-05-12,0.0,0.19,0.18,0.18,
FAST,1989-05-15,0.0,0.19,0.18,0.19,
FAST,1989-05-16,0.0,0.19,0.19,0.19,
FAST,1989-05-17,0.0,0.19,0.19,0.19,
FAST,1989-05-18,0.0,0.2,0.19,0.2,
FAST,1989-05-19,0.0,0.2,0.19,0.2,
FAST,1989-05-22,0.0,0.2,0.19,0.19,
FAST,1989-05-23,0.0,0.2,0.19,0.19,
FAST,1989-05-24,0.0,0.2,0.19,0.2,
FAST,1989-05-25,0.0,0.2,0.19,0.19,
FAST,1989-05-26,0.0,0.2,0.19,0.2,
FAST,1989-05-30,0.0,0.2,0.19,0.19,
FAST,1989-05-31,0.0,0.2,0.19,0.19,
FAST,1989-06-01,0.0,0.2,0.19,0.2,
FAST,1989-06-02,0.0,0.2,0.19,0.19,
FAST,1989-06-05,0.0,0.2,0.19,0.2,
FAST,1989-06-06,0.0,0.2,0.2,0.2,
FAST,1989-06-07,0.0,0.2,0.2,0.2,
FAST,1989-06-08,0.0,0.2,0.2,0.2,
FAST,1989-06-09,0.0,0.2,0.2,0.2,
FAST,1989-06-12,0.0,0.2,0.2,0.2,
FAST,1989-06-13,0.0,0.2,0.2,0.2,
FAST,1989-06-14,0.0,0.2,0.2,0.2,
FAST,1989-06-15,0.0,0.21,0.2,0.2,
FAST,1989-06-16,0.0,0.21,0.2,0.2,
FAST,1989-06-19,0.0,0.21,0.2,0.21,
FAST,1989-06-20,0.0,0.21,0.2,0.2,
FAST,1989-06-21,0.0,0.21,0.2,0.2,
FAST,1989-06-22,0.0,0.21,0.2,0.2,
FAST,1989-06-23,0.0,0.21,0.21,0.21,
FAST,1989-06-26,0.0,0.21,0.2,0.2,
FAST,1989-06-27,0.0,0.21,0.2,0.2,
FAST,1989-06-28,0.0,0.21,0.2,0.2,
FAST,1989-06-29,0.0,0.21,0.2,0.2,
FAST,1989-06-30,0.0,0.2,0.2,0.2,
FAST,1989-07-03,0.0,0.2,0.2,0.2,
FAST,1989-07-05,0.0,0.2,0.2,0.2,
FAST,1989-07-06,0.0,0.21,0.2,0.2,
FAST,1989-07-07,0.0,0.21,0.2,0.2,
FAST,1989-07-10,0.0,0.21,0.2,0.2,
FAST,1989-07-11,0.0,0.21,0.2,0.21,
FAST,1989-07-12,0.0,0.21,0.21,0.21,
FAST,1989-07-13,0.0,0.21,0.21,0.21,
FAST,1989-07-14,0.0,0.21,0.21,0.21,
FAST,1989-07-17,0.0,0.21,0.21,0.21,
FAST,1989-07-18,0.0,0.21,0.2,0.21,
FAST,1989-07-19,0.0,0.21,0.2,0.2,
FAST,1989-07-20,0.0,0.21,0.2,0.2,
FAST,1989-07-21,0.0,0.21,0.2,0.21,
FAST,1989-07-24,0.0,0.21,0.2,0.21,
FAST,1989-07-25,0.0,0.21,0.2,0.21,
FAST,1989-07-26,0.0,0.21,0.2,0.21,
FAST,1989-07-27,0.0,0.21,0.2,0.21,
FAST,1989-07-28,0.0,0.21,0.2,0.2,
FAST,1989-07-31,0.0,0.21,0.21,0.21,
FAST,1989-08-01,0.0,0.21,0.21,0.21,
FAST,1989-08-02,0.0,0.21,0.21,0.21,
FAST,1989-08-03,0.0,0.21,0.21,0.21,
FAST,1989-08-04,0.0,0.21,0.21,0.21,
FAST,1989-08-07,0.0,0.21,0.21,0.21,
FAST,1989-08-08,0.0,0.21,0.21,0.21,
FAST,1989-08-09,0.0,0.21,0.21,0.21,
FAST,1989-08-10,0.0,0.21,0.21,0.21,
FAST,1989-08-11,0.0,0.21,0.21,0.21,
FAST,1989-08-14,0.0,0.21,0.21,0.21,
FAST,1989-08-15,0.0,0.21,0.21,0.21,
FAST,1989-08-16,0.0,0.21,0.21,0.21,
FAST,1989-08-17,0.0,0.22,0.21,0.22,
FAST,1989-08-18,0.0,0.22,0.22,0.22,
FAST,1989-08-21,0.0,0.22,0.22,0.22,
FAST,1989-08-22,0.0,0.22,0.22,0.22,
FAST,1989-08-23,0.0,0.23,0.22,0.23,
FAST,1989-08-24,0.0,0.23,0.22,0.23,
FAST,1989-08-25,0.0,0.23,0.23,0.23,
FAST,1989-08-28,0.0,0.23,0.23,0.23,
FAST,1989-08-29,0.0,0.23,0.23,0.23,
FAST,1989-08-30,0.0,0.23,0.23,0.23,
FAST,1989-08-31,0.0,0.23,0.23,0.23,
FAST,1989-09-01,0.0,0.24,0.23,0.23,
FAST,1989-09-05,0.0,0.24,0.23,0.24,
FAST,1989-09-06,0.0,0.24,0.24,0.24,
FAST,1989-09-07,0.0,0.24,0.24,0.24,
FAST,1989-09-08,0.0,0.24,0.24,0.24,
FAST,1989-09-11,0.0,0.24,0.24,0.24,
FAST,1989-09-12,0.0,0.24,0.24,0.24,
FAST,1989-09-13,0.0,0.24,0.23,0.23,
FAST,1989-09-14,0.0,0.23,0.23,0.23,
FAST,1989-09-15,0.0,0.23,0.23,0.23,
FAST,1989-09-18,0.0,0.23,0.22,0.23,
FAST,1989-09-19,0.0,0.23,0.22,0.22,
FAST,1989-09-20,0.0,0.23,0.22,0.22,
FAST,1989-09-21,0.0,0.23,0.22,0.23,
FAST,1989-09-22,0.0,0.23,0.22,0.22,
FAST,1989-09-25,0.0,0.23,0.22,0.23,
FAST,1989-09-26,0.0,0.23,0.22,0.22,
FAST,1989-09-27,0.0,0.22,0.22,0.22,
FAST,1989-09-28,0.0,0.22,0.22,0.22,
FAST,1989-09-29,0.0,0.22,0.22,0.22,
FAST,1989-10-02,0.0,0.23,0.22,0.23,
FAST,1989-10-03,0.0,0.23,0.22,0.23,
FAST,1989-10-04,0.0,0.23,0.23,0.23,
FAST,1989-10-05,0.0,0.23,0.23,0.23,
FAST,1989-10-06,0.0,0.23,0.23,0.23,
FAST,1989-10-09,0.0,0.23,0.23,0.23,
FAST,1989-10-10,0.0,0.23,0.23,0.23,
FAST,1989-10-11,0.0,0.23,0.23,0.23,
FAST,1989-10-12,0.0,0.24,0.23,0.24,
FAST,1989-10-13,0.0,0.24,0.22,0.22,
FAST,1989-10-16,0.0,0.22,0.21,0.21,
FAST,1989-10-17,0.0,0.21,0.21,0.21,
FAST,1989-10-18,0.0,0.21,0.21,0.21,
FAST,1989-10-19,0.0,0.22,0.21,0.22,
FAST,1989-10-20,0.0,0.22,0.21,0.21,
FAST,1989-10-23,0.0,0.22,0.21,0.21,
FAST,1989-10-24,0.0,0.22,0.21,0.21,
FAST,1989-10-25,0.0,0.22,0.21,0.22,
FAST,1989-10-26,0.0,0.22,0.21,0.21,
FAST,1989-10-27,0.0,0.22,0.21,0.22,
FAST,1989-10-30,0.0,0.22,0.21,0.22,
FAST,1989-10-31,0.0,0.22,0.21,0.22,
FAST,1989-11-01,0.0,0.22,0.22,0.22,
FAST,1989-11-02,0.0,0.22,0.22,0.22,
FAST,1989-11-03,0.0,0.22,0.22,0.22,
FAST,1989-11-06,0.22,0.22,0.22,0.22,
FAST,1989-11-07,0.0,0.23,0.22,0.23,
FAST,1989-11-08,0.0,0.23,0.23,0.23,
FAST,1989-11-09,0.0,0.23,0.23,0.23,
FAST,1989-11-10,0.0,0.23,0.23,0.23,
FAST,1989-11-13,0.0,0.23,0.23,0.23,
FAST,1989-11-14,0.0,0.23,0.23,0.23,
FAST,1989-11-15,0.0,0.23,0.23,0.23,
FAST,1989-11-16,0.0,0.23,0.23,0.23,
FAST,1989-11-17,0.0,0.23,0.23,0.23,
FAST,1989-11-20,0.0,0.23,0.22,0.22,
FAST,1989-11-21,0.0,0.23,0.22,0.23,
FAST,1989-11-22,0.0,0.23,0.22,0.22,
FAST,1989-11-24,0.0,0.23,0.23,0.23,
FAST,1989-11-27,0.0,0.23,0.22,0.23,
FAST,1989-11-28,0.0,0.23,0.22,0.22,
FAST,1989-11-29,0.0,0.22,0.22,0.22,
FAST,1989-11-30,0.0,0.23,0.22,0.22,
FAST,1989-12-01,0.0,0.23,0.23,0.23,
FAST,1989-12-04,0.0,0.23,0.22,0.22,
FAST,1989-12-05,0.0,0.23,0.22,0.23,
FAST,1989-12-06,0.0,0.23,0.23,0.23,
FAST,1989-12-07,0.0,0.23,0.23,0.23,
FAST,1989-12-08,0.0,0.23,0.23,0.23,
FAST,1989-12-11,0.0,0.23,0.23,0.23,
FAST,1989-12-12,0.0,0.23,0.23,0.23,
FAST,1989-12-13,0.0,0.23,0.23,0.23,
FAST,1989-12-14,0.0,0.23,0.23,0.23,
FAST,1989-12-15,0.0,0.23,0.22,0.23,
FAST,1989-12-18,0.0,0.23,0.22,0.22,
FAST,1989-12-19,0.0,0.22,0.22,0.22,
FAST,1989-12-20,0.0,0.22,0.22,0.22,
FAST,1989-12-21,0.0,0.23,0.22,0.22,
FAST,1989-12-22,0.0,0.22,0.22,0.22,
FAST,1989-12-26,0.22,0.22,0.22,0.22,
FAST,1989-12-27,0.0,0.23,0.22,0.23,
FAST,1989-12-28,0.0,0.24,0.23,0.23,
FAST,1989-12-29,0.0,0.24,0.23,0.23,
FAST,1990-01-02,0.0,0.24,0.23,0.24,
FAST,1990-01-03,0.0,0.24,0.24,0.24,
FAST,1990-01-04,0.0,0.25,0.24,0.25,
FAST,1990-01-05,0.0,0.25,0.24,0.24,
FAST,1990-01-08,0.0,0.25,0.24,0.24,
FAST,1990-01-09,0.0,0.24,0.24,0.24,
FAST,1990-01-10,0.0,0.24,0.23,0.23,
FAST,1990-01-11,0.0,0.24,0.23,0.24,
FAST,1990-01-12,0.0,0.24,0.23,0.23,
FAST,1990-01-15,0.0,0.23,0.23,0.23,
FAST,1990-01-16,0.0,0.22,0.22,0.22,
FAST,1990-01-17,0.0,0.23,0.22,0.23,
FAST,1990-01-18,0.0,0.23,0.22,0.22,
FAST,1990-01-19,0.0,0.23,0.23,0.23,
FAST,1990-01-22,0.0,0.24,0.23,0.23,
FAST,1990-01-23,0.0,0.24,0.24,0.24,
FAST,1990-01-24,0.0,0.24,0.24,0.24,
FAST,1990-01-25,0.0,0.25,0.24,0.24,
FAST,1990-01-26,0.0,0.24,0.23,0.23,
FAST,1990-01-29,0.0,0.23,0.23,0.23,
FAST,1990-01-30,0.0,0.23,0.22,0.23,
FAST,1990-01-31,0.0,0.23,0.22,0.23,
FAST,1990-02-01,0.0,0.23,0.22,0.23,
FAST,1990-02-02,0.0,0.23,0.23,0.23,
FAST,1990-02-05,0.0,0.23,0.22,0.23,
FAST,1990-02-06,0.0,0.23,0.22,0.23,
FAST,1990-02-07,0.0,0.24,0.23,0.23,
FAST,1990-02-08,0.0,0.24,0.24,0.24,
FAST,1990-02-09,0.0,0.25,0.24,0.25,
FAST,1990-02-12,0.0,0.25,0.24,0.24,
FAST,1990-02-13,0.0,0.25,0.24,0.24,
FAST,1990-02-14,0.0,0.25,0.24,0.25,
FAST,1990-02-15,0.0,0.25,0.24,0.24,
FAST,1990-02-16,0.0,0.25,0.24,0.25,
FAST,1990-02-20,0.0,0.25,0.24,0.24,
FAST,1990-02-21,0.0,0.25,0.24,0.25,
FAST,1990-02-22,0.0,0.27,0.25,0.26,
FAST,1990-02-23,0.0,0.26,0.26,0.26,
FAST,1990-02-26,0.0,0.26,0.25,0.26,
FAST,1990-02-27,0.0,0.27,0.26,0.27,
FAST,1990-02-28,0.0,0.27,0.26,0.27,
FAST,1990-03-01,0.0,0.27,0.26,0.27,
FAST,1990-03-02,0.0,0.27,0.26,0.27,
FAST,1990-03-05,0.0,0.28,0.27,0.28,
FAST,1990-03-06,0.0,0.28,0.28,0.28,
FAST,1990-03-07,0.0,0.29,0.28,0.28,
FAST,1990-03-08,0.0,0.29,0.28,0.28,
FAST,1990-03-09,0.0,0.29,0.26,0.28,
FAST,1990-03-12,0.0,0.28,0.27,0.27,
FAST,1990-03-13,0.0,0.29,0.27,0.28,
FAST,1990-03-14,0.0,0.29,0.28,0.29,
FAST,1990-03-15,0.0,0.29,0.28,0.29,
FAST,1990-03-16,0.0,0.3,0.29,0.29,
FAST,1990-03-19,0.0,0.3,0.29,0.29,
FAST,1990-03-20,0.0,0.3,0.29,0.29,
FAST,1990-03-21,0.0,0.3,0.29,0.3,
FAST,1990-03-22,0.0,0.3,0.29,0.29,
FAST,1990-03-23,0.0,0.3,0.3,0.3,
FAST,1990-03-26,0.224911,0.230537,0.223055,0.230537,
FAST,1990-03-27,0.230537,0.239825,0.228593,0.230537,
FAST,1990-03-28,0.223055,0.236074,0.223055,0.230537,
FAST,1990-03-29,0.236074,0.236074,0.230537,0.230537,
FAST,1990-03-30,0.230537,0.236074,0.228593,0.232333,
FAST,1990-04-02,0.230537,0.236074,0.224911,0.236074,
FAST,1990-04-03,0.236074,0.24174,0.230537,0.24174,
FAST,1990-04-04,0.24174,0.247257,0.236074,0.236074,
FAST,1990-04-05,0.24174,0.24174,0.236074,0.24174,
FAST,1990-04-06,0.24174,0.24174,0.236074,0.239825,
FAST,1990-04-09,0.24174,0.2509,0.239825,0.245333,
FAST,1990-04-10,0.245333,0.247257,0.245333,0.247257,
FAST,1990-04-11,0.247257,0.2509,0.245333,0.245333,
FAST,1990-04-12,0.247257,0.247257,0.245333,0.247257,
FAST,1990-04-16,0.24174,0.262083,0.24174,0.252825,
FAST,1990-04-17,0.260218,0.269565,0.252825,0.252825,
FAST,1990-04-18,0.252825,0.260218,0.252825,0.256466,
FAST,1990-04-19,0.252825,0.260218,0.252825,0.260218,
FAST,1990-04-20,0.252825,0.260218,0.245333,0.247257,
FAST,1990-04-23,0.247257,0.247257,0.239825,0.245333,
FAST,1990-04-24,0.245333,0.247257,0.24174,0.245333,
FAST,1990-04-25,0.245333,0.252825,0.24174,0.247257,
FAST,1990-04-26,0.252825,0.252825,0.247257,0.252825,
FAST,1990-04-27,0.252825,0.252825,0.247257,0.2509,
FAST,1990-04-30,0.2509,0.2509,0.247257,0.2509,
FAST,1990-05-01,0.2509,0.256466,0.247257,0.2509,
FAST,1990-05-02,0.256466,0.256466,0.2509,0.256466,
FAST,1990-05-03,0.256466,0.262083,0.252825,0.256466,
FAST,1990-05-04,0.256466,0.262083,0.256466,0.262083,
FAST,1990-05-07,0.262083,0.271302,0.256466,0.265863,
FAST,1990-05-08,0.271302,0.276998,0.262083,0.275172,
FAST,1990-05-09,0.269565,0.275172,0.265863,0.275172,
FAST,1990-05-10,0.275172,0.278824,0.269565,0.273217,
FAST,1990-05-11,0.276998,0.293748,0.271302,0.284381,
FAST,1990-05-14,0.284381,0.28823,0.282604,0.284381,
FAST,1990-05-15,0.28823,0.28823,0.284381,0.28823,
FAST,1990-05-16,0.284381,0.28823,0.284381,0.28823,
FAST,1990-05-17,0.284381,0.293748,0.284381,0.28823,
FAST,1990-05-18,0.293748,0.293748,0.28823,0.290007,
FAST,1990-05-21,0.290007,0.290007,0.284381,0.284381,
FAST,1990-05-22,0.284381,0.290007,0.284381,0.28823,
FAST,1990-05-23,0.284381,0.28823,0.282604,0.282604,
FAST,1990-05-24,0.282604,0.28823,0.275172,0.275172,
FAST,1990-05-25,0.275172,0.278824,0.252825,0.262083,
FAST,1990-05-29,0.262083,0.265863,0.260218,0.265863,
FAST,1990-05-30,0.262083,0.282604,0.262083,0.276998,
FAST,1990-05-31,0.282604,0.282604,0.265863,0.265863,
FAST,1990-06-01,0.271302,0.271302,0.252825,0.256466,
FAST,1990-06-04,0.260218,0.260218,0.247257,0.249025,
FAST,1990-06-05,0.247257,0.256466,0.247257,0.256466,
FAST,1990-06-06,0.256466,0.256466,0.2509,0.256466,
FAST,1990-06-07,0.256466,0.260218,0.252825,0.260218,
FAST,1990-06-08,0.262083,0.262083,0.252825,0.256466,
FAST,1990-06-11,0.256466,0.260218,0.256466,0.258422,
FAST,1990-06-12,0.265863,0.265863,0.256466,0.262083,
FAST,1990-06-13,0.262083,0.262083,0.256466,0.256466,
FAST,1990-06-14,0.260218,0.260218,0.252825,0.256466,
FAST,1990-06-15,0.252825,0.252825,0.245333,0.245333,
FAST,1990-06-18,0.247257,0.247257,0.236074,0.236074,
FAST,1990-06-19,0.236074,0.245333,0.236074,0.236074,
FAST,1990-06-20,0.236074,0.239825,0.232333,0.236074,
FAST,1990-06-21,0.236074,0.24174,0.236074,0.236074,
FAST,1990-06-22,0.24174,0.24174,0.236074,0.236074,
FAST,1990-06-25,0.236074,0.239825,0.232333,0.239825,
FAST,1990-06-26,0.239825,0.245333,0.239825,0.245333,
FAST,1990-06-27,0.245333,0.2509,0.24174,0.2509,
FAST,1990-06-28,0.2509,0.265863,0.245333,0.256466,
FAST,1990-06-29,0.262083,0.269565,0.256466,0.265863,
FAST,1990-07-02,0.269565,0.269565,0.262083,0.269565,
FAST,1990-07-03,0.269565,0.282604,0.260218,0.276998,
FAST,1990-07-05,0.276998,0.278824,0.276998,0.276998,
FAST,1990-07-06,0.276998,0.278824,0.275172,0.275172,
FAST,1990-07-09,0.278824,0.278824,0.275172,0.278824,
FAST,1990-07-10,0.275172,0.282604,0.275172,0.275172,
FAST,1990-07-11,0.282604,0.282604,0.275172,0.275172,
FAST,1990-07-12,0.282604,0.282604,0.275172,0.275172,
FAST,1990-07-13,0.282604,0.28823,0.275172,0.278824,
FAST,1990-07-16,0.278824,0.284381,0.278824,0.282604,
FAST,1990-07-17,0.282604,0.290007,0.282604,0.282604,
FAST,1990-07-18,0.282604,0.28823,0.269565,0.271302,
FAST,1990-07-19,0.276998,0.276998,0.262083,0.265863,
FAST,1990-07-20,0.262083,0.269565,0.260218,0.262083,
FAST,1990-07-23,0.260218,0.262083,0.256466,0.256466,
FAST,1990-07-24,0.262083,0.262083,0.256466,0.260218,
FAST,1990-07-25,0.262083,0.262083,0.252825,0.260218,
FAST,1990-07-26,0.260218,0.260218,0.2509,0.2509,
FAST,1990-07-27,0.2509,0.256466,0.2509,0.256466,
FAST,1990-07-30,0.247257,0.252825,0.245333,0.2509,
FAST,1990-07-31,0.252825,0.252825,0.245333,0.252825,
FAST,1990-08-01,0.252825,0.252825,0.245333,0.245333,
FAST,1990-08-02,0.247257,0.247257,0.239825,0.245333,
FAST,1990-08-03,0.245333,0.245333,0.219284,0.224911,
FAST,1990-08-06,0.224911,0.224911,0.217498,0.224911,
FAST,1990-08-07,0.223055,0.232333,0.223055,0.232333,
FAST,1990-08-08,0.236074,0.24174,0.232333,0.236074,
FAST,1990-08-09,0.245333,0.245333,0.239825,0.245333,
FAST,1990-08-10,0.245333,0.245333,0.236074,0.236074,
FAST,1990-08-13,0.239825,0.239825,0.230537,0.230537,
FAST,1990-08-14,0.230537,0.232333,0.228593,0.230537,
FAST,1990-08-15,0.232333,0.232333,0.228593,0.228593,
FAST,1990-08-16,0.228593,0.228593,0.219284,0.219284,
FAST,1990-08-17,0.217498,0.219284,0.200796,0.211861,
FAST,1990-08-20,0.213787,0.213787,0.200796,0.20441,
FAST,1990-08-21,0.20441,0.20441,0.193305,0.198941,
FAST,1990-08-22,0.20441,0.213787,0.195191,0.2082,
FAST,1990-08-23,0.206354,0.206354,0.200796,0.20441,
FAST,1990-08-24,0.211861,0.213787,0.20441,0.213787,
FAST,1990-08-27,0.217498,0.223055,0.211861,0.223055,
FAST,1990-08-28,0.223055,0.230537,0.217498,0.230537,
FAST,1990-08-29,0.228593,0.236074,0.228593,0.232333,
FAST,1990-08-30,0.230537,0.232333,0.230537,0.232333,
FAST,1990-08-31,0.230537,0.236074,0.230537,0.236074,
FAST,1990-09-04,0.236074,0.256466,0.232333,0.256466,
FAST,1990-09-05,0.2509,0.260218,0.24174,0.24174,
FAST,1990-09-06,0.24174,0.24174,0.232333,0.234149,
FAST,1990-09-07,0.232333,0.236074,0.232333,0.236074,
FAST,1990-09-10,0.239825,0.24174,0.239825,0.24174,
FAST,1990-09-11,0.236074,0.24174,0.236074,0.24174,
FAST,1990-09-12,0.236074,0.245333,0.236074,0.245333,
FAST,1990-09-13,0.247257,0.252825,0.24174,0.247257,
FAST,1990-09-14,0.247257,0.262083,0.247257,0.262083,
FAST,1990-09-17,0.256466,0.262083,0.252825,0.252825,
FAST,1990-09-18,0.260218,0.260218,0.2509,0.252825,
FAST,1990-09-19,0.252825,0.252825,0.2509,0.252825,
FAST,1990-09-20,0.2509,0.2509,0.236074,0.239825,
FAST,1990-09-21,0.236074,0.239825,0.232333,0.239825,
FAST,1990-09-24,0.232333,0.236074,0.230537,0.230537,
FAST,1990-09-25,0.230537,0.236074,0.230537,0.236074,
FAST,1990-09-26,0.230537,0.236074,0.228593,0.230537,
FAST,1990-09-27,0.228593,0.232333,0.224911,0.230537,
FAST,1990-09-28,0.228593,0.236074,0.217498,0.234149,
FAST,1990-10-01,0.239825,0.24174,0.232333,0.24174,
FAST,1990-10-02,0.245333,0.2509,0.239825,0.239825,
FAST,1990-10-03,0.236074,0.239825,0.232333,0.232333,
FAST,1990-10-04,0.224911,0.230537,0.224911,0.228593,
FAST,1990-10-05,0.219284,0.228593,0.219284,0.22119,
FAST,1990-10-08,0.224911,0.228593,0.219284,0.219284,
FAST,1990-10-09,0.22119,0.22119,0.198941,0.200796,
FAST,1990-10-10,0.198941,0.20441,0.189594,0.198941,
FAST,1990-10-11,0.20441,0.20441,0.195191,0.195191,
FAST,1990-10-12,0.195191,0.206354,0.195191,0.200796,
FAST,1990-10-15,0.20441,0.20441,0.150516,0.182112,
FAST,1990-10-16,0.182112,0.182112,0.161719,0.170997,
FAST,1990-10-17,0.16542,0.17844,0.16542,0.170997,
FAST,1990-10-18,0.174769,0.174769,0.16542,0.167246,
FAST,1990-10-19,0.16542,0.170997,0.16542,0.167246,
FAST,1990-10-22,0.167246,0.170997,0.16542,0.167246,
FAST,1990-10-23,0.170997,0.172863,0.167246,0.172863,
FAST,1990-10-24,0.172863,0.17844,0.172863,0.17844,
FAST,1990-10-25,0.17844,0.17844,0.172863,0.174769,
FAST,1990-10-26,0.174769,0.17844,0.170997,0.174769,
FAST,1990-10-29,0.16542,0.172863,0.156173,0.156173,
FAST,1990-10-30,0.156173,0.161719,0.143074,0.158018,
FAST,1990-10-31,0.158018,0.161719,0.152421,0.156173,
FAST,1990-11-01,0.156173,0.158018,0.150516,0.152421,
FAST,1990-11-02,0.158018,0.161719,0.152421,0.158018,
FAST,1990-11-05,0.161719,0.174769,0.161719,0.174769,
FAST,1990-11-06,0.17844,0.182112,0.174769,0.182112,
FAST,1990-11-07,0.182112,0.182112,0.167246,0.174769,
FAST,1990-11-08,0.174769,0.182112,0.172863,0.174769,
FAST,1990-11-09,0.172863,0.187728,0.172863,0.182112,
FAST,1990-11-12,0.182112,0.189594,0.180316,0.183978,
FAST,1990-11-13,0.189594,0.198941,0.183978,0.195191,
FAST,1990-11-14,0.198941,0.20441,0.195191,0.200796,
FAST,1990-11-15,0.198941,0.206354,0.198941,0.200796,
FAST,1990-11-16,0.206354,0.211861,0.20441,0.211861,
FAST,1990-11-19,0.211861,0.211861,0.20441,0.206354,
FAST,1990-11-20,0.20441,0.211861,0.20441,0.20441,
FAST,1990-11-21,0.211861,0.211861,0.206354,0.206354,
FAST,1990-11-23,0.206354,0.211861,0.206354,0.211861,
FAST,1990-11-26,0.211861,0.211861,0.20441,0.211861,
FAST,1990-11-27,0.213787,0.224911,0.211861,0.219284,
FAST,1990-11-28,0.219284,0.223055,0.213787,0.217498,
FAST,1990-11-29,0.211861,0.213787,0.20441,0.206354,
FAST,1990-11-30,0.20441,0.206354,0.20441,0.20441,
FAST,1990-12-03,0.206354,0.213787,0.20441,0.206354,
FAST,1990-12-04,0.206354,0.219284,0.206354,0.219284,
FAST,1990-12-05,0.223055,0.228593,0.219284,0.228593,
FAST,1990-12-06,0.230537,0.236074,0.224911,0.224911,
FAST,1990-12-07,0.224911,0.228593,0.217498,0.219284,
FAST,1990-12-10,0.219284,0.219284,0.217498,0.219284,
FAST,1990-12-11,0.219284,0.219284,0.206354,0.211861,
FAST,1990-12-12,0.206354,0.213787,0.206354,0.211861,
FAST,1990-12-13,0.206354,0.213787,0.206354,0.213787,
FAST,1990-12-14,0.206354,0.206354,0.200796,0.20441,
FAST,1990-12-17,0.198941,0.206354,0.198941,0.198941,
FAST,1990-12-18,0.20441,0.206354,0.198941,0.200796,
FAST,1990-12-19,0.206354,0.206354,0.200796,0.206354,
FAST,1990-12-20,0.200796,0.211861,0.200796,0.206354,
FAST,1990-12-21,0.206354,0.211861,0.206354,0.211861,
FAST,1990-12-24,0.206354,0.206354,0.206354,0.206354,
FAST,1990-12-26,0.206354,0.211861,0.206354,0.2082,
FAST,1990-12-27,0.206354,0.211861,0.20441,0.20441,
FAST,1990-12-28,0.206354,0.206354,0.187728,0.193305,
FAST,1990-12-31,0.187728,0.189594,0.187728,0.187728,
FAST,1991-01-02,0.191459,0.193305,0.187728,0.189594,
FAST,1991-01-03,0.189594,0.195191,0.189594,0.193305,
FAST,1991-01-04,0.195191,0.195191,0.187728,0.195191,
FAST,1991-01-07,0.195191,0.198941,0.189594,0.193305,
FAST,1991-01-08,0.193305,0.198941,0.189594,0.193305,
FAST,1991-01-09,0.189594,0.198941,0.189594,0.197026,
FAST,1991-01-10,0.193305,0.195191,0.183978,0.193305,
FAST,1991-01-11,0.187728,0.193305,0.187728,0.193305,
FAST,1991-01-14,0.187728,0.189594,0.183978,0.189594,
FAST,1991-01-15,0.183978,0.193305,0.183978,0.193305,
FAST,1991-01-16,0.193305,0.20441,0.187728,0.198941,
FAST,1991-01-17,0.20441,0.213787,0.200796,0.211861,
FAST,1991-01-18,0.20441,0.213787,0.20441,0.2082,
FAST,1991-01-21,0.20441,0.213787,0.20441,0.206354,
FAST,1991-01-22,0.206354,0.217498,0.206354,0.213787,
FAST,1991-01-23,0.211861,0.217498,0.211861,0.211861,
FAST,1991-01-24,0.211861,0.232333,0.211861,0.224911,
FAST,1991-01-25,0.228593,0.236074,0.228593,0.228593,
FAST,1991-01-28,0.232333,0.232333,0.224911,0.228593,
FAST,1991-01-29,0.228593,0.230537,0.224911,0.226766,
FAST,1991-01-30,0.230537,0.230537,0.224911,0.230537,
FAST,1991-01-31,0.230537,0.230537,0.224911,0.224911,
FAST,1991-02-01,0.224911,0.230537,0.217498,0.224911,
FAST,1991-02-04,0.217498,0.224911,0.217498,0.219284,
FAST,1991-02-05,0.217498,0.236074,0.217498,0.228593,
FAST,1991-02-06,0.236074,0.260218,0.228593,0.260218,
FAST,1991-02-07,0.252825,0.269565,0.252825,0.262083,
FAST,1991-02-08,0.262083,0.269565,0.262083,0.262083,
FAST,1991-02-11,0.269565,0.271302,0.262083,0.269565,
FAST,1991-02-12,0.265863,0.276998,0.265863,0.275172,
FAST,1991-02-13,0.269565,0.284381,0.269565,0.282604,
FAST,1991-02-14,0.284381,0.290007,0.282604,0.282604,
FAST,1991-02-15,0.28823,0.28823,0.276998,0.276998,
FAST,1991-02-19,0.276998,0.282604,0.275172,0.275172,
FAST,1991-02-20,0.275172,0.282604,0.275172,0.275172,
FAST,1991-02-21,0.275172,0.282604,0.275172,0.278824,
FAST,1991-02-22,0.276998,0.297202,0.276998,0.286059,
FAST,1991-02-25,0.293748,0.297202,0.282604,0.282604,
FAST,1991-02-26,0.278824,0.28065,0.271302,0.271302,
FAST,1991-02-27,0.269565,0.276998,0.269565,0.271302,
FAST,1991-02-28,0.276998,0.276998,0.265863,0.271302,
FAST,1991-03-01,0.265863,0.269565,0.252825,0.252825,
FAST,1991-03-04,0.252825,0.26383,0.252825,0.26383,
FAST,1991-03-05,0.26383,0.284381,0.256466,0.284381,
FAST,1991-03-06,0.282604,0.291784,0.282604,0.282604,
FAST,1991-03-07,0.282604,0.284381,0.278824,0.278824,
FAST,1991-03-08,0.278824,0.284381,0.278824,0.284381,
FAST,1991-03-11,0.282604,0.28823,0.276998,0.276998,
FAST,1991-03-12,0.271302,0.276998,0.269565,0.269565,
FAST,1991-03-13,0.265863,0.275172,0.265863,0.275172,
FAST,1991-03-14,0.271302,0.276998,0.269565,0.275172,
FAST,1991-03-15,0.278824,0.278824,0.275172,0.276998,
FAST,1991-03-18,0.278824,0.284381,0.275172,0.278824,
FAST,1991-03-19,0.271302,0.276998,0.271302,0.271302,
FAST,1991-03-20,0.271302,0.291784,0.271302,0.291784,
FAST,1991-03-21,0.291784,0.291784,0.284381,0.284381,
FAST,1991-03-22,0.282604,0.28823,0.282604,0.282604,
FAST,1991-03-25,0.282604,0.28823,0.282604,0.282604,
FAST,1991-03-26,0.28823,0.302977,0.282604,0.302977,
FAST,1991-03-27,0.297202,0.323488,0.297202,0.317891,
FAST,1991-03-28,0.317891,0.330802,0.312246,0.325235,
FAST,1991-04-01,0.323488,0.330802,0.323488,0.330802,
FAST,1991-04-02,0.323488,0.328976,0.312246,0.31418,
FAST,1991-04-03,0.31418,0.328976,0.31418,0.321573,
FAST,1991-04-04,0.321573,0.323488,0.31418,0.31418,
FAST,1991-04-05,0.31418,0.323488,0.308603,0.312246,
FAST,1991-04-08,0.306777,0.312246,0.284381,0.297202,
FAST,1991-04-09,0.291784,0.302977,0.291784,0.297202,
FAST,1991-04-10,0.297202,0.302977,0.291784,0.302977,
FAST,1991-04-11,0.297202,0.304763,0.297202,0.304763,
FAST,1991-04-12,0.308603,0.308603,0.239825,0.252825,
FAST,1991-04-15,0.252825,0.260218,0.24174,0.247257,
FAST,1991-04-16,0.24174,0.247257,0.24174,0.247257,
FAST,1991-04-17,0.247257,0.260218,0.24174,0.252825,
FAST,1991-04-18,0.2509,0.275172,0.2509,0.265863,
FAST,1991-04-19,0.26383,0.269565,0.26383,0.26383,
FAST,1991-04-22,0.265863,0.265863,0.252825,0.256466,
FAST,1991-04-23,0.252825,0.26383,0.252825,0.252825,
FAST,1991-04-24,0.252825,0.260218,0.2509,0.252825,
FAST,1991-04-25,0.252825,0.256466,0.2509,0.2509,
FAST,1991-04-26,0.247257,0.252825,0.247257,0.252825,
FAST,1991-04-29,0.252825,0.252825,0.245333,0.245333,
FAST,1991-04-30,0.245333,0.247257,0.236074,0.24174,
FAST,1991-05-01,0.239825,0.245333,0.236074,0.245333,
FAST,1991-05-02,0.247257,0.247257,0.24174,0.247257,
FAST,1991-05-03,0.247257,0.247257,0.24174,0.24174,
FAST,1991-05-06,0.247257,0.2509,0.24174,0.245333,
FAST,1991-05-07,0.247257,0.247257,0.236074,0.236074,
FAST,1991-05-08,0.239825,0.239825,0.232333,0.239825,
FAST,1991-05-09,0.239825,0.245333,0.232333,0.245333,
FAST,1991-05-10,0.247257,0.247257,0.232333,0.236074,
FAST,1991-05-13,0.236074,0.236074,0.232333,0.236074,
FAST,1991-05-14,0.234149,0.236074,0.230537,0.232333,
FAST,1991-05-15,0.228593,0.239825,0.228593,0.236074,
FAST,1991-05-16,0.230537,0.239825,0.230537,0.239825,
FAST,1991-05-17,0.232333,0.239825,0.232333,0.232333,
FAST,1991-05-20,0.239825,0.247257,0.236074,0.239825,
FAST,1991-05-21,0.247257,0.269565,0.247257,0.260218,
FAST,1991-05-22,0.269565,0.275172,0.269565,0.269565,
FAST,1991-05-23,0.275172,0.275172,0.26383,0.269565,
FAST,1991-05-24,0.271302,0.271302,0.260218,0.26383,
FAST,1991-05-28,0.271302,0.271302,0.2509,0.256466,
FAST,1991-05-29,0.256466,0.256466,0.2509,0.252825,
FAST,1991-05-30,0.256466,0.271302,0.256466,0.271302,
FAST,1991-05-31,0.265863,0.276998,0.265863,0.276998,
FAST,1991-06-03,0.271302,0.278824,0.271302,0.271302,
FAST,1991-06-04,0.271302,0.276998,0.269565,0.269565,
FAST,1991-06-05,0.275172,0.275172,0.269565,0.275172,
FAST,1991-06-06,0.269565,0.276998,0.269565,0.269565,
FAST,1991-06-07,0.275172,0.275172,0.269565,0.269565,
FAST,1991-06-10,0.269565,0.275172,0.269565,0.275172,
FAST,1991-06-11,0.275172,0.28823,0.269565,0.284381,
FAST,1991-06-12,0.278824,0.284381,0.278824,0.278824,
FAST,1991-06-13,0.278824,0.284381,0.278824,0.28065,
FAST,1991-06-14,0.284381,0.284381,0.278824,0.284381,
FAST,1991-06-17,0.284381,0.28823,0.278824,0.28823,
FAST,1991-06-18,0.282604,0.284381,0.282604,0.282604,
FAST,1991-06-19,0.282604,0.28823,0.278824,0.278824,
FAST,1991-06-20,0.28823,0.28823,0.278824,0.284381,
FAST,1991-06-21,0.278824,0.28823,0.278824,0.278824,
FAST,1991-06-24,0.278824,0.284381,0.275172,0.276998,
FAST,1991-06-25,0.271302,0.276998,0.256466,0.26383,
FAST,1991-06-26,0.26383,0.26383,0.247257,0.256466,
FAST,1991-06-27,0.256466,0.262083,0.2509,0.256466,
FAST,1991-06-28,0.252825,0.26383,0.2509,0.256466,
FAST,1991-07-01,0.256466,0.265863,0.2509,0.265863,
FAST,1991-07-02,0.269565,0.271302,0.26383,0.26383,
FAST,1991-07-03,0.26383,0.265863,0.26383,0.265863,
FAST,1991-07-05,0.36,0.36,0.36,0.36,
FAST,1991-07-08,0.269565,0.269565,0.26383,0.26383,
FAST,1991-07-09,0.269565,0.275172,0.26383,0.269565,
FAST,1991-07-10,0.275172,0.275172,0.269565,0.269565,
FAST,1991-07-11,0.275172,0.275172,0.275172,0.275172,
FAST,1991-07-12,0.269565,0.276998,0.269565,0.269565,
FAST,1991-07-15,0.269565,0.275172,0.269565,0.269565,
FAST,1991-07-16,0.269565,0.275172,0.265863,0.269565,
FAST,1991-07-17,0.265863,0.276998,0.265863,0.276998,
FAST,1991-07-18,0.276998,0.278824,0.271302,0.275172,
FAST,1991-07-19,0.275172,0.282604,0.275172,0.276998,
FAST,1991-07-22,0.275172,0.282604,0.275172,0.275172,
FAST,1991-07-23,0.282604,0.282604,0.275172,0.278824,
FAST,1991-07-24,0.275172,0.278824,0.275172,0.275172,
FAST,1991-07-25,0.275172,0.278824,0.275172,0.275172,
FAST,1991-07-26,0.275172,0.275172,0.269565,0.273217,
FAST,1991-07-29,0.275172,0.276998,0.271302,0.276998,
FAST,1991-07-30,0.273217,0.282604,0.271302,0.278824,
FAST,1991-07-31,0.278824,0.278824,0.275172,0.275172,
FAST,1991-08-01,0.282604,0.291784,0.276998,0.28823,
FAST,1991-08-02,0.291784,0.291784,0.282604,0.28823,
FAST,1991-08-05,0.28823,0.28823,0.282604,0.282604,
FAST,1991-08-06,0.282604,0.282604,0.276998,0.282604,
FAST,1991-08-07,0.284381,0.284381,0.276998,0.284381,
FAST,1991-08-08,0.276998,0.284381,0.276998,0.276998,
FAST,1991-08-09,0.276998,0.282604,0.276998,0.276998,
FAST,1991-08-12,0.276998,0.284381,0.276998,0.278824,
FAST,1991-08-13,0.284381,0.284381,0.278824,0.278824,
FAST,1991-08-14,0.28823,0.291784,0.275172,0.275172,
FAST,1991-08-15,0.28823,0.28823,0.282604,0.282604,
FAST,1991-08-16,0.278824,0.282604,0.278824,0.278824,
FAST,1991-08-19,0.269565,0.276998,0.26383,0.269565,
FAST,1991-08-20,0.276998,0.278824,0.271302,0.275172,
FAST,1991-08-21,0.284381,0.28823,0.276998,0.276998,
FAST,1991-08-22,0.28823,0.302977,0.282604,0.301121,
FAST,1991-08-23,0.293748,0.312246,0.293748,0.312246,
FAST,1991-08-26,0.312246,0.31418,0.306777,0.308603,
FAST,1991-08-27,0.308603,0.312246,0.306777,0.306777,
FAST,1991-08-28,0.31418,0.323488,0.308603,0.323488,
FAST,1991-08-29,0.31418,0.323488,0.31418,0.31418,
FAST,1991-08-30,0.323488,0.325235,0.31418,0.325235,
FAST,1991-09-03,0.317891,0.323488,0.317891,0.317891,
FAST,1991-09-04,0.317891,0.321573,0.317891,0.317891,
FAST,1991-09-05,0.317891,0.321573,0.317891,0.321573,
FAST,1991-09-06,0.321573,0.323488,0.317891,0.321573,
FAST,1991-09-09,0.323488,0.325235,0.317891,0.325235,
FAST,1991-09-10,0.321573,0.323488,0.312246,0.31418,
FAST,1991-09-11,0.312246,0.321573,0.312246,0.321573,
FAST,1991-09-12,0.31418,0.321573,0.31418,0.31418,
FAST,1991-09-13,0.317891,0.317891,0.308603,0.312246,
FAST,1991-09-16,0.308603,0.312246,0.306777,0.306777,
FAST,1991-09-17,0.306777,0.317891,0.306777,0.312246,
FAST,1991-09-18,0.308603,0.312246,0.308603,0.312246,
FAST,1991-09-19,0.312246,0.312246,0.308603,0.308603,
FAST,1991-09-20,0.308603,0.312246,0.308603,0.312246,
FAST,1991-09-23,0.312246,0.312246,0.308603,0.308603,
FAST,1991-09-24,0.312246,0.312246,0.308603,0.312246,
FAST,1991-09-25,0.308603,0.312246,0.308603,0.308603,
FAST,1991-09-26,0.306777,0.306777,0.299305,0.302977,
FAST,1991-09-27,0.299305,0.302977,0.28823,0.28823,
FAST,1991-09-30,0.293748,0.293748,0.28823,0.293748,
FAST,1991-10-01,0.28823,0.293748,0.28823,0.28823,
FAST,1991-10-02,0.28823,0.293748,0.28823,0.291784,
FAST,1991-10-03,0.291784,0.291784,0.28065,0.284381,
FAST,1991-10-04,0.278824,0.293748,0.278824,0.293748,
FAST,1991-10-07,0.293748,0.299305,0.28823,0.297202,
FAST,1991-10-08,0.291784,0.297202,0.291784,0.297202,
FAST,1991-10-09,0.291784,0.297202,0.28823,0.28823,
FAST,1991-10-10,0.284381,0.28823,0.26383,0.271302,
FAST,1991-10-11,0.269565,0.269565,0.23791,0.26383,
FAST,1991-10-14,0.260218,0.271302,0.260218,0.271302,
FAST,1991-10-15,0.271302,0.284381,0.265863,0.284381,
FAST,1991-10-16,0.28823,0.28823,0.282604,0.284381,
FAST,1991-10-17,0.282604,0.28823,0.282604,0.28823,
FAST,1991-10-18,0.28823,0.28823,0.282604,0.282604,
FAST,1991-10-21,0.28823,0.28823,0.276998,0.276998,
FAST,1991-10-22,0.282604,0.284381,0.278824,0.278824,
FAST,1991-10-23,0.28823,0.28823,0.284381,0.284381,
FAST,1991-10-24,0.282604,0.28823,0.282604,0.28823,
FAST,1991-10-25,0.282604,0.28823,0.282604,0.28823,
FAST,1991-10-28,0.28823,0.28823,0.282604,0.284381,
FAST,1991-10-29,0.28823,0.28823,0.282604,0.28823,
FAST,1991-10-30,0.293748,0.293748,0.28823,0.293748,
FAST,1991-10-31,0.28823,0.297202,0.28823,0.297202,
FAST,1991-11-01,0.297202,0.297202,0.28823,0.297202,
FAST,1991-11-04,0.28823,0.312246,0.28823,0.312246,
FAST,1991-11-05,0.306777,0.325235,0.306777,0.323488,
FAST,1991-11-06,0.323488,0.323488,0.317891,0.317891,
FAST,1991-11-07,0.317891,0.321573,0.317891,0.317891,
FAST,1991-11-08,0.321573,0.321573,0.31418,0.31418,
FAST,1991-11-11,0.31418,0.321573,0.308603,0.312246,
FAST,1991-11-12,0.312246,0.312246,0.299305,0.306777,
FAST,1991-11-13,0.302977,0.302977,0.299305,0.299305,
FAST,1991-11-14,0.306777,0.306777,0.299305,0.306777,
FAST,1991-11-15,0.306777,0.308603,0.299305,0.299305,
FAST,1991-11-18,0.297202,0.302977,0.293748,0.302977,
FAST,1991-11-19,0.299305,0.299305,0.28823,0.291784,
FAST,1991-11-20,0.28823,0.293748,0.28823,0.28823,
FAST,1991-11-21,0.293748,0.293748,0.28823,0.293748,
FAST,1991-11-22,0.297202,0.297202,0.291784,0.291784,
FAST,1991-11-25,0.297202,0.297202,0.291784,0.293748,
FAST,1991-11-26,0.293748,0.293748,0.28823,0.28823,
FAST,1991-11-27,0.293748,0.293748,0.290007,0.293748,
FAST,1991-11-29,0.293748,0.293748,0.293748,0.293748,
FAST,1991-12-02,0.293748,0.297202,0.28823,0.297202,
FAST,1991-12-03,0.293748,0.299305,0.282604,0.293748,
FAST,1991-12-04,0.293748,0.293748,0.282604,0.282604,
FAST,1991-12-05,0.284381,0.291784,0.284381,0.284381,
FAST,1991-12-06,0.291784,0.291784,0.284381,0.291784,
FAST,1991-12-09,0.282604,0.293748,0.282604,0.282604,
FAST,1991-12-10,0.291784,0.293748,0.284381,0.284381,
FAST,1991-12-11,0.284381,0.293748,0.284381,0.28823,
FAST,1991-12-12,0.293748,0.293748,0.293748,0.293748,
FAST,1991-12-13,0.293748,0.299305,0.291784,0.291784,
FAST,1991-12-16,0.291784,0.299305,0.291784,0.291784,
FAST,1991-12-17,0.299305,0.308603,0.291784,0.302977,
FAST,1991-12-18,0.31418,0.31418,0.302977,0.302977,
FAST,1991-12-19,0.302977,0.31418,0.302977,0.31418,
FAST,1991-12-20,0.31418,0.321573,0.308603,0.321573,
FAST,1991-12-23,0.31418,0.330802,0.31418,0.330802,
FAST,1991-12-24,0.328976,0.355054,0.328976,0.345746,
FAST,1991-12-26,0.345746,0.366109,0.345746,0.358587,
FAST,1991-12-27,0.358587,0.366109,0.358587,0.360631,
FAST,1991-12-30,0.358587,0.36985,0.358587,0.364194,
FAST,1991-12-31,0.364194,0.380944,0.364194,0.379247,
FAST,1992-01-02,0.371725,0.379247,0.371725,0.379247,
FAST,1992-01-03,0.371725,0.379247,0.371725,0.371725,
FAST,1992-01-06,0.371725,0.379247,0.371725,0.371725,
FAST,1992-01-07,0.366109,0.375417,0.353277,0.358587,
FAST,1992-01-08,0.355054,0.36985,0.355054,0.360631,
FAST,1992-01-09,0.36985,0.390331,0.360631,0.38659,
FAST,1992-01-10,0.379247,0.392207,0.379247,0.390331,
FAST,1992-01-13,0.392207,0.392207,0.371725,0.380944,
FAST,1992-01-14,0.380944,0.394201,0.371725,0.394201,
FAST,1992-01-15,0.394201,0.41255,0.390331,0.397635,
FAST,1992-01-16,0.397635,0.397635,0.371725,0.379247,
FAST,1992-01-17,0.38659,0.38659,0.379247,0.38282,
FAST,1992-01-20,0.38659,0.390331,0.379247,0.380944,
FAST,1992-01-21,0.38659,0.38659,0.360631,0.36985,
FAST,1992-01-22,0.364194,0.371725,0.364194,0.371725,
FAST,1992-01-23,0.375417,0.40343,0.375417,0.392207,
FAST,1992-01-24,0.397635,0.423822,0.394201,0.414475,
FAST,1992-01-27,0.421946,0.421946,0.36985,0.38282,
FAST,1992-01-28,0.380944,0.390331,0.371725,0.38282,
FAST,1992-01-29,0.38282,0.392207,0.38282,0.38282,
FAST,1992-01-30,0.38659,0.390331,0.371725,0.379247,
FAST,1992-01-31,0.375417,0.379247,0.36985,0.371725,
FAST,1992-02-03,0.380944,0.38659,0.36985,0.36985,
FAST,1992-02-04,0.379247,0.379247,0.364194,0.364194,
FAST,1992-02-05,0.371725,0.371725,0.364194,0.371725,
FAST,1992-02-06,0.371725,0.380944,0.364194,0.37364,
FAST,1992-02-07,0.379247,0.379247,0.366109,0.371725,
FAST,1992-02-10,0.366109,0.371725,0.366109,0.371725,
FAST,1992-02-11,0.371725,0.375417,0.36985,0.36985,
FAST,1992-02-12,0.375417,0.390331,0.36985,0.390331,
FAST,1992-02-13,0.380944,0.40716,0.380944,0.40343,
FAST,1992-02-14,0.40343,0.40343,0.397635,0.401515,
FAST,1992-02-18,0.40343,0.40343,0.394201,0.397635,
FAST,1992-02-19,0.392207,0.397635,0.38282,0.38282,
FAST,1992-02-20,0.38659,0.390331,0.38282,0.38282,
FAST,1992-02-21,0.384854,0.390331,0.38282,0.38282,
FAST,1992-02-24,0.38659,0.38659,0.38282,0.384854,
FAST,1992-02-25,0.36985,0.36985,0.358587,0.358587,
FAST,1992-02-26,0.36985,0.36985,0.358587,0.360631,
FAST,1992-02-27,0.360631,0.36985,0.360631,0.366109,
FAST,1992-02-28,0.366109,0.366109,0.360631,0.366109,
FAST,1992-03-02,0.364194,0.390331,0.364194,0.380944,
FAST,1992-03-03,0.380944,0.390331,0.379247,0.379247,
FAST,1992-03-04,0.380944,0.380944,0.371725,0.379247,
FAST,1992-03-05,0.36985,0.375417,0.368084,0.36985,
FAST,1992-03-06,0.36985,0.36985,0.364194,0.366109,
FAST,1992-03-09,0.364194,0.36985,0.364194,0.364194,
FAST,1992-03-10,0.36985,0.375417,0.368084,0.375417,
FAST,1992-03-11,0.375417,0.375417,0.366109,0.366109,
FAST,1992-03-12,0.366109,0.366109,0.353277,0.355054,
FAST,1992-03-13,0.355054,0.358587,0.349438,0.355054,
FAST,1992-03-16,0.358587,0.366109,0.349438,0.364194,
FAST,1992-03-17,0.366109,0.375417,0.358587,0.366109,
FAST,1992-03-18,0.36985,0.379247,0.36985,0.36985,
FAST,1992-03-19,0.375417,0.375417,0.36985,0.36985,
FAST,1992-03-20,0.375417,0.375417,0.36985,0.375417,
FAST,1992-03-23,0.375417,0.38282,0.375417,0.380944,
FAST,1992-03-24,0.380944,0.38659,0.379247,0.379247,
FAST,1992-03-25,0.379247,0.38659,0.379247,0.379247,
FAST,1992-03-26,0.38659,0.401515,0.38282,0.392207,
FAST,1992-03-27,0.392207,0.399629,0.380944,0.380944,
FAST,1992-03-30,0.380944,0.380944,0.371725,0.375417,
FAST,1992-03-31,0.380944,0.38659,0.353277,0.353277,
FAST,1992-04-01,0.358587,0.375417,0.353277,0.371725,
FAST,1992-04-02,0.380944,0.380944,0.358587,0.358587,
FAST,1992-04-03,0.364194,0.364194,0.340101,0.345746,
FAST,1992-04-06,0.353277,0.353277,0.345746,0.353277,
FAST,1992-04-07,0.353277,0.358587,0.345746,0.358587,
FAST,1992-04-08,0.345746,0.353277,0.334632,0.334632,
FAST,1992-04-09,0.340101,0.36985,0.340101,0.358587,
FAST,1992-04-10,0.364194,0.375417,0.358587,0.36985,
FAST,1992-04-13,0.375417,0.399629,0.364194,0.38659,
FAST,1992-04-14,0.410813,0.421946,0.399629,0.399629,
FAST,1992-04-15,0.399629,0.414475,0.399629,0.414475,
FAST,1992-04-16,0.414475,0.414475,0.399629,0.399629,
FAST,1992-04-20,0.392207,0.399629,0.36985,0.36985,
FAST,1992-04-21,0.380944,0.380944,0.364194,0.375417,
FAST,1992-04-22,0.375417,0.375417,0.364194,0.364194,
FAST,1992-04-23,0.375417,0.375417,0.360631,0.364194,
FAST,1992-04-24,0.36985,0.36985,0.364194,0.364194,
FAST,1992-04-27,0.364194,0.36985,0.358587,0.358587,
FAST,1992-04-28,0.364194,0.364194,0.345746,0.345746,
FAST,1992-04-29,0.345746,0.364194,0.345746,0.353277,
FAST,1992-04-30,0.364194,0.375417,0.353277,0.364194,
FAST,1992-05-01,0.375417,0.375417,0.358587,0.358587,
FAST,1992-05-04,0.36985,0.375417,0.358587,0.375417,
FAST,1992-05-05,0.380944,0.399629,0.375417,0.380944,
FAST,1992-05-06,0.380944,0.399629,0.380944,0.38659,
FAST,1992-05-07,0.399629,0.399629,0.380944,0.392207,
FAST,1992-05-08,0.392207,0.392207,0.380944,0.38659,
FAST,1992-05-11,0.380944,0.392207,0.380944,0.392207,
FAST,1992-05-12,0.392207,0.399629,0.380944,0.38659,
FAST,1992-05-13,0.38659,0.399629,0.38659,0.392207,
FAST,1992-05-14,0.392207,0.392207,0.371725,0.375417,
FAST,1992-05-15,0.375417,0.375417,0.358587,0.364194,
FAST,1992-05-18,0.364194,0.375417,0.358587,0.364194,
FAST,1992-05-19,0.375417,0.375417,0.364194,0.375417,
FAST,1992-05-20,0.375417,0.380944,0.364194,0.36985,
FAST,1992-05-21,0.380944,0.380944,0.36985,0.36985,
FAST,1992-05-22,0.380944,0.380944,0.375417,0.375417,
FAST,1992-05-26,0.380944,0.38282,0.375417,0.380944,
FAST,1992-05-27,0.38659,0.395849,0.375417,0.38659,
FAST,1992-05-28,0.380944,0.399629,0.380944,0.380944,
FAST,1992-05-29,0.380944,0.410813,0.380944,0.392207,
FAST,1992-06-01,0.40343,0.40343,0.392207,0.399629,
FAST,1992-06-02,0.399629,0.40343,0.392207,0.392207,
FAST,1992-06-03,0.399629,0.40343,0.38659,0.38659,
FAST,1992-06-04,0.40343,0.40343,0.392207,0.40343,
FAST,1992-06-05,0.401515,0.40343,0.38659,0.399629,
FAST,1992-06-08,0.38659,0.427514,0.38659,0.410813,
FAST,1992-06-09,0.40343,0.421946,0.38659,0.38659,
FAST,1992-06-10,0.38659,0.392207,0.36985,0.375417,
FAST,1992-06-11,0.380944,0.380944,0.36985,0.379247,
FAST,1992-06-12,0.36985,0.380944,0.358587,0.358587,
FAST,1992-06-15,0.358587,0.364194,0.358587,0.358587,
FAST,1992-06-16,0.358587,0.380944,0.358587,0.375417,
FAST,1992-06-17,0.380944,0.380944,0.36985,0.36985,
FAST,1992-06-18,0.380944,0.380944,0.36985,0.36985,
FAST,1992-06-19,0.380944,0.410813,0.36985,0.392207,
FAST,1992-06-22,0.392207,0.40343,0.36985,0.371725,
FAST,1992-06-23,0.36985,0.375417,0.36985,0.371725,
FAST,1992-06-24,0.375417,0.375417,0.364194,0.364194,
FAST,1992-06-25,0.371725,0.371725,0.364194,0.36985,
FAST,1992-06-26,0.364194,0.36985,0.364194,0.36985,
FAST,1992-06-29,0.36985,0.38659,0.36985,0.375417,
FAST,1992-06-30,0.380944,0.38659,0.375417,0.375417,
FAST,1992-07-01,0.38659,0.38659,0.375417,0.38659,
FAST,1992-07-02,0.38659,0.392207,0.380944,0.38659,
FAST,1992-07-06,0.390331,0.399629,0.38659,0.38659,
FAST,1992-07-07,0.399629,0.40343,0.38659,0.392207,
FAST,1992-07-08,0.38659,0.392207,0.38659,0.392207,
FAST,1992-07-09,0.392207,0.399629,0.38659,0.38659,
FAST,1992-07-10,0.38659,0.399629,0.38659,0.392207,
FAST,1992-07-13,0.399629,0.410813,0.38659,0.399629,
FAST,1992-07-14,0.399629,0.410813,0.399629,0.399629,
FAST,1992-07-15,0.410813,0.421946,0.40343,0.41255,
FAST,1992-07-16,0.410813,0.421946,0.410813,0.410813,
FAST,1992-07-17,0.421946,0.421946,0.40343,0.410813,
FAST,1992-07-20,0.414475,0.414475,0.410813,0.414475,
FAST,1992-07-21,0.421946,0.421946,0.410813,0.421946,
FAST,1992-07-22,0.421946,0.427514,0.410813,0.414475,
FAST,1992-07-23,0.414475,0.427514,0.410813,0.414475,
FAST,1992-07-24,0.410813,0.421946,0.410813,0.410813,
FAST,1992-07-27,0.410813,0.414475,0.410813,0.41255,
FAST,1992-07-28,0.410813,0.421946,0.410813,0.414475,
FAST,1992-07-29,0.40343,0.414475,0.399629,0.401515,
FAST,1992-07-30,0.40343,0.410813,0.399629,0.40343,
FAST,1992-07-31,0.399629,0.410813,0.399629,0.410813,
FAST,1992-08-03,0.40716,0.410813,0.399629,0.410813,
FAST,1992-08-04,0.410813,0.410813,0.399629,0.410813,
FAST,1992-08-05,0.410813,0.410813,0.40343,0.40343,
FAST,1992-08-06,0.410813,0.410813,0.40343,0.40343,
FAST,1992-08-07,0.40343,0.410813,0.40343,0.40716,
FAST,1992-08-10,0.410813,0.410813,0.399629,0.40716,
FAST,1992-08-11,0.410813,0.421946,0.40343,0.40716,
FAST,1992-08-12,0.40343,0.414475,0.40343,0.410813,
FAST,1992-08-13,0.40343,0.414475,0.40343,0.40343,
FAST,1992-08-14,0.410813,0.410813,0.40343,0.40716,
FAST,1992-08-17,0.410813,0.421946,0.40343,0.418068,
FAST,1992-08-18,0.421946,0.427514,0.410813,0.418068,
FAST,1992-08-19,0.414475,0.427514,0.414475,0.414475,
FAST,1992-08-20,0.427514,0.427514,0.414475,0.427514,
FAST,1992-08-21,0.427514,0.427514,0.40343,0.40343,
FAST,1992-08-24,0.40343,0.40343,0.38659,0.392207,
FAST,1992-08-25,0.392207,0.399629,0.38282,0.38659,
FAST,1992-08-26,0.392207,0.392207,0.380944,0.392207,
FAST,1992-08-27,0.392207,0.392207,0.380944,0.380944,
FAST,1992-08-28,0.380944,0.392207,0.380944,0.38282,
FAST,1992-08-31,0.392207,0.392207,0.380944,0.380944,
FAST,1992-09-01,0.380944,0.392207,0.380944,0.380944,
FAST,1992-09-02,0.392207,0.392207,0.380944,0.380944,
FAST,1992-09-03,0.392207,0.392207,0.380944,0.38659,
FAST,1992-09-04,0.38659,0.392207,0.38659,0.38659,
FAST,1992-09-08,0.392207,0.392207,0.38659,0.38659,
FAST,1992-09-09,0.38659,0.392207,0.38659,0.38659,
FAST,1992-09-10,0.38659,0.399629,0.38659,0.395849,
FAST,1992-09-11,0.392207,0.399629,0.392207,0.399629,
FAST,1992-09-14,0.392207,0.427514,0.392207,0.421946,
FAST,1992-09-15,0.410813,0.421946,0.410813,0.410813,
FAST,1992-09-16,0.40343,0.414475,0.40343,0.40343,
FAST,1992-09-17,0.40343,0.414475,0.399629,0.40716,
FAST,1992-09-18,0.410813,0.410813,0.40343,0.40343,
FAST,1992-09-21,0.410813,0.421946,0.40343,0.40343,
FAST,1992-09-22,0.40343,0.421946,0.40343,0.40343,
FAST,1992-09-23,0.414475,0.414475,0.392207,0.392207,
FAST,1992-09-24,0.399629,0.399629,0.392207,0.399629,
FAST,1992-09-25,0.38659,0.399629,0.36985,0.36985,
FAST,1992-09-28,0.375417,0.375417,0.36985,0.375417,
FAST,1992-09-29,0.375417,0.380944,0.36985,0.375417,
FAST,1992-09-30,0.380944,0.380944,0.36985,0.375417,
FAST,1992-10-01,0.36985,0.380944,0.36985,0.375417,
FAST,1992-10-02,0.36985,0.375417,0.353277,0.358587,
FAST,1992-10-05,0.345746,0.358587,0.323488,0.345746,
FAST,1992-10-06,0.345746,0.353277,0.334632,0.340101,
FAST,1992-10-07,0.345746,0.358587,0.334632,0.353277,
FAST,1992-10-08,0.353277,0.36985,0.345746,0.364194,
FAST,1992-10-09,0.36985,0.36985,0.358587,0.358587,
FAST,1992-10-12,0.364194,0.36985,0.360631,0.364194,
FAST,1992-10-13,0.36985,0.380944,0.358587,0.36985,
FAST,1992-10-14,0.364194,0.392207,0.364194,0.380944,
FAST,1992-10-15,0.38659,0.40343,0.375417,0.38659,
FAST,1992-10-16,0.38659,0.399629,0.380944,0.38659,
FAST,1992-10-19,0.399629,0.414475,0.399629,0.40343,
FAST,1992-10-20,0.414475,0.414475,0.399629,0.399629,
FAST,1992-10-21,0.399629,0.410813,0.399629,0.399629,
FAST,1992-10-22,0.410813,0.410813,0.399629,0.40343,
FAST,1992-10-23,0.410813,0.410813,0.399629,0.410813,
FAST,1992-10-26,0.399629,0.414475,0.399629,0.40343,
FAST,1992-10-27,0.40343,0.414475,0.40343,0.40343,
FAST,1992-10-28,0.40343,0.449891,0.40343,0.438726,
FAST,1992-10-29,0.449891,0.449891,0.432992,0.432992,
FAST,1992-10-30,0.449891,0.449891,0.432992,0.432992,
FAST,1992-11-02,0.432992,0.438726,0.427514,0.432992,
FAST,1992-11-03,0.444136,0.444136,0.432992,0.432992,
FAST,1992-11-04,0.432992,0.444136,0.432992,0.444136,
FAST,1992-11-05,0.444136,0.449891,0.432992,0.449891,
FAST,1992-11-06,0.449891,0.449891,0.438726,0.438726,
FAST,1992-11-09,0.444136,0.444136,0.432992,0.432992,
FAST,1992-11-10,0.444136,0.444136,0.432992,0.432992,
FAST,1992-11-11,0.432992,0.444136,0.432992,0.438726,
FAST,1992-11-12,0.444136,0.444136,0.432992,0.438726,
FAST,1992-11-13,0.444136,0.444136,0.432992,0.432992,
FAST,1992-11-16,0.432992,0.457175,0.432992,0.438726,
FAST,1992-11-17,0.457175,0.457175,0.438726,0.438726,
FAST,1992-11-18,0.457175,0.490597,0.438726,0.471872,
FAST,1992-11-19,0.471872,0.490597,0.460827,0.460827,
FAST,1992-11-20,0.468467,0.468467,0.449891,0.457175,
FAST,1992-11-23,0.460827,0.460827,0.457175,0.457175,
FAST,1992-11-24,0.460827,0.471872,0.457175,0.457175,
FAST,1992-11-25,0.457175,0.471872,0.457175,0.468467,
FAST,1992-11-27,0.468467,0.479522,0.457175,0.468467,
FAST,1992-11-30,0.479522,0.479522,0.468467,0.468467,
FAST,1992-12-01,0.471872,0.471872,0.468467,0.468467,
FAST,1992-12-02,0.471872,0.471872,0.449891,0.468467,
FAST,1992-12-03,0.449891,0.468467,0.449891,0.457175,
FAST,1992-12-04,0.457175,0.468467,0.457175,0.457175,
FAST,1992-12-07,0.457175,0.468467,0.457175,0.468467,
FAST,1992-12-08,0.468467,0.496194,0.468467,0.485069,
FAST,1992-12-09,0.490597,0.490597,0.468467,0.471872,
FAST,1992-12-10,0.470342,0.471872,0.457175,0.460827,
FAST,1992-12-11,0.457175,0.460827,0.457175,0.457175,
FAST,1992-12-14,0.460827,0.471872,0.457175,0.460827,
FAST,1992-12-15,0.460827,0.471872,0.460827,0.468467,
FAST,1992-12-16,0.479522,0.479522,0.468467,0.468467,
FAST,1992-12-17,0.479522,0.479522,0.468467,0.468467,
FAST,1992-12-18,0.479522,0.485069,0.468467,0.468467,
FAST,1992-12-21,0.468467,0.490597,0.468467,0.479522,
FAST,1992-12-22,0.479522,0.490597,0.479522,0.485069,
FAST,1992-12-23,0.479522,0.490597,0.479522,0.479522,
FAST,1992-12-24,0.490597,0.490597,0.479522,0.479522,
FAST,1992-12-28,0.490597,0.490597,0.479522,0.479522,
FAST,1992-12-29,0.490597,0.501819,0.479522,0.501819,
FAST,1992-12-30,0.496194,0.501819,0.485069,0.485069,
FAST,1992-12-31,0.496194,0.507545,0.471872,0.479522,
FAST,1993-01-04,0.471872,0.479522,0.460827,0.468467,
FAST,1993-01-05,0.460827,0.471872,0.460827,0.460827,
FAST,1993-01-06,0.471872,0.471872,0.460827,0.464647,
FAST,1993-01-07,0.460827,0.468467,0.460827,0.460827,
FAST,1993-01-08,0.460827,0.460827,0.449891,0.449891,
FAST,1993-01-11,0.449891,0.460827,0.449891,0.460827,
FAST,1993-01-12,0.457175,0.460827,0.438726,0.438726,
FAST,1993-01-13,0.444136,0.444136,0.438726,0.438726,
FAST,1993-01-14,0.444136,0.449891,0.438726,0.438726,
FAST,1993-01-15,0.449891,0.449891,0.438726,0.449891,
FAST,1993-01-18,0.449891,0.449891,0.438726,0.449891,
FAST,1993-01-19,0.438726,0.471872,0.438726,0.460827,
FAST,1993-01-20,0.460827,0.479522,0.460827,0.460827,
FAST,1993-01-21,0.479522,0.485069,0.460827,0.468467,
FAST,1993-01-22,0.485069,0.496194,0.468467,0.485069,
FAST,1993-01-25,0.490597,0.537156,0.490597,0.514948,
FAST,1993-01-26,0.507545,0.526002,0.501819,0.501819,
FAST,1993-01-27,0.501819,0.514948,0.490597,0.490597,
FAST,1993-01-28,0.507545,0.516822,0.496194,0.501819,
FAST,1993-01-29,0.514948,0.531728,0.501819,0.518501,
FAST,1993-02-01,0.526002,0.526002,0.514948,0.514948,
FAST,1993-02-02,0.526002,0.526002,0.514948,0.514948,
FAST,1993-02-03,0.526002,0.526002,0.514948,0.514948,
FAST,1993-02-04,0.526002,0.526002,0.514948,0.514948,
FAST,1993-02-05,0.526002,0.526002,0.518501,0.526002,
FAST,1993-02-08,0.518501,0.526002,0.514948,0.526002,
FAST,1993-02-09,0.514948,0.526002,0.501819,0.501819,
FAST,1993-02-10,0.514948,0.516822,0.496194,0.514948,
FAST,1993-02-11,0.518501,0.526002,0.507545,0.526002,
FAST,1993-02-12,0.518501,0.526002,0.514948,0.514948,
FAST,1993-02-16,0.514948,0.518501,0.490597,0.490597,
FAST,1993-02-17,0.490597,0.496194,0.479522,0.479522,
FAST,1993-02-18,0.486885,0.501819,0.486885,0.496194,
FAST,1993-02-19,0.490597,0.507545,0.490597,0.496194,
FAST,1993-02-22,0.507545,0.507545,0.479522,0.479522,
FAST,1993-02-23,0.490597,0.490597,0.473935,0.479522,
FAST,1993-02-24,0.485069,0.503793,0.485069,0.490597,
FAST,1993-02-25,0.503793,0.503793,0.490597,0.490597,
FAST,1993-02-26,0.496194,0.526002,0.496194,0.507545,
FAST,1993-03-01,0.518501,0.518501,0.507545,0.518501,
FAST,1993-03-02,0.518501,0.518501,0.507545,0.507545,
FAST,1993-03-03,0.507545,0.518501,0.507545,0.507545,
FAST,1993-03-04,0.518501,0.531728,0.507545,0.514948,
FAST,1993-03-05,0.514948,0.531728,0.514948,0.518501,
FAST,1993-03-08,0.531728,0.531728,0.518501,0.529852,
FAST,1993-03-09,0.526002,0.537156,0.526002,0.531728,
FAST,1993-03-10,0.537156,0.542783,0.531728,0.531728,
FAST,1993-03-11,0.531728,0.542783,0.531728,0.531728,
FAST,1993-03-12,0.531728,0.542783,0.531728,0.531728,
FAST,1993-03-15,0.542783,0.542783,0.531728,0.531728,
FAST,1993-03-16,0.542783,0.542783,0.531728,0.542783,
FAST,1993-03-17,0.537156,0.57269,0.537156,0.548211,
FAST,1993-03-18,0.56509,0.56509,0.548211,0.561339,
FAST,1993-03-19,0.561339,0.576145,0.561339,0.574467,
FAST,1993-03-22,0.56509,0.57269,0.554134,0.56509,
FAST,1993-03-23,0.554134,0.56509,0.542783,0.548211,
FAST,1993-03-24,0.548211,0.561339,0.542783,0.548211,
FAST,1993-03-25,0.548211,0.561339,0.548211,0.548211,
FAST,1993-03-26,0.561339,0.56509,0.548211,0.548211,
FAST,1993-03-29,0.576145,0.576145,0.561339,0.56509,
FAST,1993-03-30,0.56509,0.583844,0.56509,0.56509,
FAST,1993-03-31,0.583844,0.600426,0.57269,0.589372,
FAST,1993-04-01,0.589372,0.600426,0.583844,0.589372,
FAST,1993-04-02,0.600426,0.600426,0.589372,0.589372,
FAST,1993-04-05,0.589372,0.594701,0.576145,0.576145,
FAST,1993-04-06,0.583844,0.594701,0.561339,0.561339,
FAST,1993-04-07,0.57269,0.57269,0.561339,0.561339,
FAST,1993-04-08,0.57269,0.57269,0.561339,0.57269,
FAST,1993-04-12,0.561339,0.576145,0.561339,0.56509,
FAST,1993-04-13,0.576145,0.576145,0.56509,0.576145,
FAST,1993-04-14,0.576145,0.583844,0.56509,0.56509,
FAST,1993-04-15,0.576145,0.576145,0.56509,0.56509,
FAST,1993-04-16,0.576145,0.576145,0.554134,0.554134,
FAST,1993-04-19,0.554134,0.561339,0.548211,0.554134,
FAST,1993-04-20,0.548211,0.554134,0.537156,0.537156,
FAST,1993-04-21,0.542783,0.542783,0.518501,0.531728,
FAST,1993-04-22,0.542783,0.542783,0.531728,0.531728,
FAST,1993-04-23,0.542783,0.542783,0.526002,0.526002,
FAST,1993-04-26,0.537156,0.537156,0.514948,0.514948,
FAST,1993-04-27,0.526002,0.526002,0.514948,0.514948,
FAST,1993-04-28,0.514948,0.526002,0.514948,0.514948,
FAST,1993-04-29,0.526002,0.526002,0.514948,0.514948,
FAST,1993-04-30,0.526002,0.526002,0.514948,0.514948,
FAST,1993-05-03,0.52235,0.526002,0.514948,0.526002,
FAST,1993-05-04,0.514948,0.531728,0.514948,0.516822,
FAST,1993-05-05,0.531728,0.537156,0.518501,0.518501,
FAST,1993-05-06,0.542783,0.561339,0.531728,0.548211,
FAST,1993-05-07,0.554134,0.554134,0.548211,0.548211,
FAST,1993-05-10,0.554134,0.554134,0.542783,0.548211,
FAST,1993-05-11,0.542783,0.554134,0.542783,0.542783,
FAST,1993-05-12,0.554134,0.554134,0.542783,0.542783,
FAST,1993-05-13,0.542783,0.554134,0.537156,0.537156,
FAST,1993-05-14,0.548211,0.548211,0.537156,0.537156,
FAST,1993-05-17,0.537156,0.554134,0.537156,0.542783,
FAST,1993-05-18,0.554134,0.576145,0.548211,0.56509,
FAST,1993-05-19,0.56509,0.57269,0.56509,0.57269,
FAST,1993-05-20,0.57269,0.605756,0.56509,0.594701,
FAST,1993-05-21,0.594701,0.618983,0.594701,0.594701,
FAST,1993-05-24,0.605756,0.605756,0.589372,0.589372,
FAST,1993-05-25,0.600426,0.605756,0.589372,0.589372,
FAST,1993-05-26,0.605756,0.605756,0.589372,0.589372,
FAST,1993-05-27,0.594701,0.605756,0.594701,0.594701,
FAST,1993-05-28,0.600426,0.600426,0.561339,0.561339,
FAST,1993-06-01,0.561339,0.576145,0.554134,0.554134,
FAST,1993-06-02,0.548211,0.57269,0.548211,0.561339,
FAST,1993-06-03,0.57269,0.57269,0.561339,0.561339,
FAST,1993-06-04,0.57269,0.57269,0.561339,0.561339,
FAST,1993-06-07,0.56509,0.57269,0.561339,0.561339,
FAST,1993-06-08,0.57269,0.57269,0.561339,0.56509,
FAST,1993-06-09,0.57269,0.583844,0.561339,0.57269,
FAST,1993-06-10,0.583844,0.600426,0.576145,0.594701,
FAST,1993-06-11,0.600426,0.600426,0.589372,0.589372,
FAST,1993-06-14,0.600426,0.600426,0.583844,0.583844,
FAST,1993-06-15,0.583844,0.594701,0.583844,0.583844,
FAST,1993-06-16,0.583844,0.594701,0.583844,0.583844,
FAST,1993-06-17,0.594701,0.594701,0.583844,0.589372,
FAST,1993-06-18,0.583844,0.594701,0.56509,0.583844,
FAST,1993-06-21,0.583844,0.583844,0.56509,0.56509,
FAST,1993-06-22,0.583844,0.583844,0.561339,0.56509,
FAST,1993-06-23,0.57269,0.57269,0.537156,0.537156,
FAST,1993-06-24,0.554134,0.554134,0.537156,0.537156,
FAST,1993-06-25,0.548211,0.56509,0.548211,0.563115,
FAST,1993-06-28,0.56509,0.56509,0.548211,0.561339,
FAST,1993-06-29,0.56509,0.57269,0.561339,0.561339,
FAST,1993-06-30,0.583844,0.583844,0.57269,0.57269,
FAST,1993-07-01,0.56509,0.576145,0.561339,0.574467,
FAST,1993-07-02,0.576145,0.576145,0.56509,0.56509,
FAST,1993-07-06,0.561339,0.576145,0.554134,0.554134,
FAST,1993-07-07,0.57269,0.57269,0.542783,0.542783,
FAST,1993-07-08,0.554134,0.554134,0.507545,0.531728,
FAST,1993-07-09,0.531728,0.548211,0.531728,0.537156,
FAST,1993-07-12,0.548211,0.548211,0.537156,0.537156,
FAST,1993-07-13,0.548211,0.548211,0.518501,0.518501,
FAST,1993-07-14,0.514948,0.537156,0.503793,0.526002,
FAST,1993-07-15,0.526002,0.554134,0.526002,0.542783,
FAST,1993-07-16,0.542783,0.561339,0.542783,0.554134,
FAST,1993-07-19,0.554134,0.554134,0.542783,0.542783,
FAST,1993-07-20,0.554134,0.554134,0.542783,0.542783,
FAST,1993-07-21,0.554134,0.554134,0.542783,0.554134,
FAST,1993-07-22,0.554134,0.554134,0.542783,0.546434,
FAST,1993-07-23,0.542783,0.554134,0.542783,0.542783,
FAST,1993-07-26,0.554134,0.554134,0.542783,0.548211,
FAST,1993-07-27,0.554134,0.554134,0.548211,0.548211,
FAST,1993-07-28,0.554134,0.554134,0.548211,0.548211,
FAST,1993-07-29,0.554134,0.554134,0.548211,0.554134,
FAST,1993-07-30,0.554134,0.56509,0.548211,0.554134,
FAST,1993-08-02,0.554134,0.56509,0.554134,0.554134,
FAST,1993-08-03,0.56509,0.56509,0.554134,0.554134,
FAST,1993-08-04,0.554134,0.56509,0.554134,0.56509,
FAST,1993-08-05,0.554134,0.56509,0.554134,0.554134,
FAST,1993-08-06,0.554134,0.56509,0.554134,0.557489,
FAST,1993-08-09,0.554134,0.56509,0.554134,0.554134,
FAST,1993-08-10,0.554134,0.56509,0.554134,0.554134,
FAST,1993-08-11,0.554134,0.56509,0.554134,0.554134,
FAST,1993-08-12,0.554134,0.56509,0.554134,0.554134,
FAST,1993-08-13,0.56509,0.56509,0.554134,0.554134,
FAST,1993-08-16,0.554134,0.56509,0.554134,0.554134,
FAST,1993-08-17,0.554134,0.56509,0.554134,0.561339,
FAST,1993-08-18,0.56509,0.57269,0.554134,0.561339,
FAST,1993-08-19,0.56509,0.576145,0.56509,0.56509,
FAST,1993-08-20,0.576145,0.576145,0.56509,0.56509,
FAST,1993-08-23,0.576145,0.576145,0.56509,0.576145,
FAST,1993-08-24,0.57269,0.576145,0.57269,0.57269,
FAST,1993-08-25,0.57269,0.576145,0.57269,0.57269,
FAST,1993-08-26,0.57269,0.589372,0.57269,0.579895,
FAST,1993-08-27,0.576145,0.583844,0.576145,0.576145,
FAST,1993-08-30,0.583844,0.594701,0.576145,0.583844,
FAST,1993-08-31,0.583844,0.594701,0.583844,0.589372,
FAST,1993-09-01,0.594701,0.594701,0.583844,0.583844,
FAST,1993-09-02,0.594701,0.594701,0.583844,0.583844,
FAST,1993-09-03,0.583844,0.594701,0.583844,0.583844,
FAST,1993-09-07,0.594701,0.594701,0.583844,0.583844,
FAST,1993-09-08,0.583844,0.589372,0.576145,0.576145,
FAST,1993-09-09,0.583844,0.589372,0.576145,0.583844,
FAST,1993-09-10,0.583844,0.589372,0.583844,0.583844,
FAST,1993-09-13,0.589372,0.589372,0.583844,0.589372,
FAST,1993-09-14,0.583844,0.589372,0.576145,0.583844,
FAST,1993-09-15,0.583844,0.589372,0.583844,0.583844,
FAST,1993-09-16,0.589372,0.589372,0.583844,0.583844,
FAST,1993-09-17,0.583844,0.596577,0.583844,0.589372,
FAST,1993-09-20,0.589372,0.600426,0.589372,0.589372,
FAST,1993-09-21,0.589372,0.600426,0.589372,0.594701,
FAST,1993-09-22,0.600426,0.600426,0.589372,0.589372,
FAST,1993-09-23,0.600426,0.600426,0.589372,0.589372,
FAST,1993-09-24,0.600426,0.600426,0.589372,0.589372,
FAST,1993-09-27,0.589372,0.600426,0.589372,0.589372,
FAST,1993-09-28,0.600426,0.600426,0.589372,0.589372,
FAST,1993-09-29,0.600426,0.605756,0.589372,0.600426,
FAST,1993-09-30,0.605756,0.605756,0.594701,0.594701,
FAST,1993-10-01,0.600426,0.611481,0.594701,0.600426,
FAST,1993-10-04,0.600426,0.605756,0.600426,0.600426,
FAST,1993-10-05,0.605756,0.611481,0.600426,0.611481,
FAST,1993-10-06,0.60398,0.611481,0.600426,0.605756,
FAST,1993-10-07,0.611481,0.635861,0.600426,0.618983,
FAST,1993-10-08,0.635861,0.665473,0.618983,0.646916,
FAST,1993-10-11,0.652345,0.652345,0.646916,0.652345,
FAST,1993-10-12,0.646916,0.665473,0.646916,0.665473,
FAST,1993-10-13,0.665473,0.665473,0.652345,0.665473,
FAST,1993-10-14,0.665473,0.720946,0.665473,0.704462,
FAST,1993-10-15,0.704462,0.720946,0.704462,0.709989,
FAST,1993-10-18,0.709989,0.720946,0.709989,0.709989,
FAST,1993-10-19,0.720946,0.720946,0.709989,0.709989,
FAST,1993-10-20,0.715714,0.720946,0.704462,0.720946,
FAST,1993-10-21,0.720946,0.720946,0.698836,0.698836,
FAST,1993-10-22,0.698836,0.715714,0.698836,0.698836,
FAST,1993-10-25,0.715714,0.715714,0.698836,0.711667,
FAST,1993-10-26,0.715714,0.720946,0.709989,0.709989,
FAST,1993-10-27,0.720946,0.720946,0.709989,0.709989,
FAST,1993-10-28,0.709989,0.720946,0.709989,0.709989,
FAST,1993-10-29,0.720946,0.720946,0.709989,0.709989,
FAST,1993-11-01,0.709989,0.720946,0.704462,0.704462,
FAST,1993-11-02,0.715714,0.715714,0.685905,0.685905,
FAST,1993-11-03,0.685905,0.698836,0.665473,0.665473,
FAST,1993-11-04,0.665473,0.674653,0.657873,0.657873,
FAST,1993-11-05,0.657873,0.693308,0.652345,0.674653,
FAST,1993-11-08,0.693308,0.693308,0.674653,0.674653,
FAST,1993-11-09,0.693308,0.7321,0.682352,0.715714,
FAST,1993-11-10,0.728743,0.728743,0.715714,0.715714,
FAST,1993-11-11,0.715714,0.7321,0.715714,0.715714,
FAST,1993-11-12,0.7321,0.7321,0.715714,0.720946,
FAST,1993-11-15,0.720946,0.7321,0.720946,0.720946,
FAST,1993-11-16,0.720946,0.7321,0.715714,0.715714,
FAST,1993-11-17,0.715714,0.7321,0.682352,0.698836,
FAST,1993-11-18,0.698836,0.704462,0.669323,0.669323,
FAST,1993-11-19,0.685905,0.685905,0.652345,0.657873,
FAST,1993-11-22,0.657873,0.674653,0.657873,0.665473,
FAST,1993-11-23,0.674653,0.693308,0.665473,0.682352,
FAST,1993-11-24,0.682352,0.698836,0.682352,0.693308,
FAST,1993-11-26,0.682352,0.693308,0.682352,0.682352,
FAST,1993-11-29,0.693308,0.704462,0.682352,0.685905,
FAST,1993-11-30,0.704462,0.704462,0.685905,0.685905,
FAST,1993-12-01,0.704462,0.720946,0.685905,0.704462,
FAST,1993-12-02,0.720946,0.720946,0.698836,0.709989,
FAST,1993-12-03,0.709989,0.720946,0.709989,0.709989,
FAST,1993-12-06,0.720946,0.720946,0.709989,0.715714,
FAST,1993-12-07,0.704462,0.715714,0.704462,0.715714,
FAST,1993-12-08,0.715714,0.715714,0.704462,0.704462,
FAST,1993-12-09,0.709989,0.709989,0.704462,0.704462,
FAST,1993-12-10,0.709989,0.709989,0.685905,0.685905,
FAST,1993-12-13,0.698836,0.698836,0.682352,0.682352,
FAST,1993-12-14,0.693308,0.693308,0.674653,0.685905,
FAST,1993-12-15,0.685905,0.693308,0.674653,0.693308,
FAST,1993-12-16,0.693308,0.693308,0.674653,0.682352,
FAST,1993-12-17,0.693308,0.73052,0.682352,0.709989,
FAST,1993-12-20,0.720946,0.728743,0.709989,0.709989,
FAST,1993-12-21,0.709989,0.7321,0.709989,0.715714,
FAST,1993-12-22,0.715714,0.7321,0.715714,0.715714,
FAST,1993-12-23,0.715714,0.7321,0.715714,0.715714,
FAST,1993-12-27,0.715714,0.728743,0.709989,0.709989,
FAST,1993-12-28,0.728743,0.73052,0.709989,0.709989,
FAST,1993-12-29,0.709989,0.728743,0.709989,0.709989,
FAST,1993-12-30,0.728743,0.728743,0.709989,0.709989,
FAST,1993-12-31,0.709989,0.728743,0.709989,0.715714,
FAST,1994-01-03,0.715714,0.750755,0.715714,0.728743,
FAST,1994-01-04,0.745326,0.808596,0.728743,0.775135,
FAST,1994-01-05,0.782439,0.802871,0.775135,0.780564,
FAST,1994-01-06,0.797443,0.797443,0.780564,0.797443,
FAST,1994-01-07,0.797443,0.797443,0.784413,0.784413,
FAST,1994-01-10,0.784413,0.797443,0.784413,0.784413,
FAST,1994-01-11,0.784413,0.797443,0.775135,0.775135,
FAST,1994-01-12,0.775135,0.784413,0.775135,0.775135,
FAST,1994-01-13,0.775135,0.784413,0.775135,0.780564,
FAST,1994-01-14,0.775135,0.784413,0.775135,0.775135,
FAST,1994-01-17,0.784413,0.784413,0.775135,0.784413,
FAST,1994-01-18,0.775135,0.797443,0.775135,0.780564,
FAST,1994-01-19,0.780564,0.814223,0.780564,0.797443,
FAST,1994-01-20,0.797443,0.814223,0.797443,0.797443,
FAST,1994-01-21,0.814223,0.814223,0.797443,0.797443,
FAST,1994-01-24,0.814223,0.814223,0.797443,0.808596,
FAST,1994-01-25,0.808596,0.808596,0.797443,0.797443,
FAST,1994-01-26,0.808596,0.808596,0.797443,0.797443,
FAST,1994-01-27,0.797443,0.797443,0.775135,0.780564,
FAST,1994-01-28,0.789842,0.789842,0.780564,0.780564,
FAST,1994-01-31,0.789842,0.789842,0.780564,0.789842,
FAST,1994-02-01,0.789842,0.789842,0.780564,0.784413,
FAST,1994-02-02,0.784413,0.789842,0.780564,0.780564,
FAST,1994-02-03,0.784413,0.789842,0.780564,0.780564,
FAST,1994-02-04,0.780564,0.802871,0.780564,0.780564,
FAST,1994-02-07,0.775135,0.784413,0.767634,0.775135,
FAST,1994-02-08,0.784413,0.784413,0.767634,0.767634,
FAST,1994-02-09,0.780564,0.780564,0.767634,0.767634,
FAST,1994-02-10,0.780564,0.780564,0.767634,0.767634,
FAST,1994-02-11,0.767634,0.784413,0.767634,0.775135,
FAST,1994-02-14,0.784413,0.784413,0.775135,0.782439,
FAST,1994-02-15,0.775135,0.789842,0.775135,0.775135,
FAST,1994-02-16,0.775135,0.789842,0.775135,0.789842,
FAST,1994-02-17,0.775135,0.808596,0.775135,0.793692,
FAST,1994-02-18,0.808596,0.826956,0.789842,0.826956,
FAST,1994-02-22,0.826956,0.830904,0.814223,0.81975,
FAST,1994-02-23,0.830904,0.85864,0.81975,0.843933,
FAST,1994-02-24,0.843933,0.849263,0.81975,0.826956,
FAST,1994-02-25,0.826956,0.826956,0.814223,0.815901,
FAST,1994-02-28,0.814223,0.81975,0.808596,0.808596,
FAST,1994-03-01,0.81975,0.81975,0.789842,0.802871,
FAST,1994-03-02,0.784413,0.802871,0.775135,0.799219,
FAST,1994-03-03,0.808596,0.808596,0.784413,0.791718,
FAST,1994-03-04,0.808596,0.830904,0.791718,0.826956,
FAST,1994-03-07,0.821428,0.843933,0.808596,0.830904,
FAST,1994-03-08,0.843933,0.849263,0.830904,0.830904,
FAST,1994-03-09,0.849263,0.860614,0.830904,0.860614,
FAST,1994-03-10,0.849263,0.866043,0.849263,0.866043,
FAST,1994-03-11,0.866043,0.873643,0.849263,0.85864,
FAST,1994-03-14,0.849263,0.881145,0.849263,0.855087,
FAST,1994-03-15,0.855087,0.881145,0.849263,0.849263,
FAST,1994-03-16,0.866043,0.881145,0.849263,0.877295,
FAST,1994-03-17,0.877295,0.895951,0.866043,0.895951,
FAST,1994-03-18,0.877295,0.895951,0.877295,0.88302,
FAST,1994-03-21,0.895951,0.912731,0.866043,0.869893,
FAST,1994-03-22,0.866043,0.866043,0.849263,0.85864,
FAST,1994-03-23,0.873643,0.890423,0.855087,0.873643,
FAST,1994-03-24,0.866043,0.88302,0.855087,0.860614,
FAST,1994-03-25,0.873643,0.877295,0.860614,0.860614,
FAST,1994-03-28,0.860614,0.873643,0.826956,0.843933,
FAST,1994-03-29,0.843933,0.843933,0.763883,0.780564,
FAST,1994-03-30,0.767634,0.775135,0.745326,0.775135,
FAST,1994-03-31,0.775135,0.775135,0.720946,0.750755,
FAST,1994-04-04,0.715714,0.720946,0.674653,0.687682,
FAST,1994-04-05,0.693308,0.7397,0.687682,0.728743,
FAST,1994-04-06,0.7397,0.750755,0.720946,0.7321,
FAST,1994-04-07,0.750755,0.750755,0.711667,0.711667,
FAST,1994-04-08,0.720946,0.720946,0.669323,0.674653,
FAST,1994-04-11,0.693308,0.720946,0.693308,0.71374,
FAST,1994-04-12,0.711667,0.720946,0.704462,0.711667,
FAST,1994-04-13,0.715714,0.728743,0.711667,0.711667,
FAST,1994-04-14,0.720946,0.756578,0.704462,0.7321,
FAST,1994-04-15,0.745326,0.745326,0.728743,0.728743,
FAST,1994-04-18,0.745326,0.780564,0.728743,0.763883,
FAST,1994-04-19,0.780564,0.791718,0.704462,0.7321,
FAST,1994-04-20,0.720946,0.7397,0.669323,0.674653,
FAST,1994-04-21,0.682352,0.7397,0.682352,0.719366,
FAST,1994-04-22,0.720946,0.720946,0.704462,0.715714,
FAST,1994-04-25,0.715714,0.715714,0.704462,0.704462,
FAST,1994-04-26,0.711667,0.720946,0.704462,0.711667,
FAST,1994-04-28,0.720946,0.7321,0.711667,0.720946,
FAST,1994-04-29,0.728743,0.756578,0.728743,0.7397,
FAST,1994-05-02,0.7397,0.808596,0.7397,0.791718,
FAST,1994-05-03,0.797443,0.802871,0.791718,0.797443,
FAST,1994-05-04,0.802871,0.802871,0.780564,0.780564,
FAST,1994-05-05,0.791718,0.791718,0.767634,0.775135,
FAST,1994-05-06,0.775135,0.780564,0.763883,0.775135,
FAST,1994-05-09,0.780564,0.780564,0.7397,0.756578,
FAST,1994-05-10,0.763883,0.763883,0.728743,0.7397,
FAST,1994-05-11,0.743747,0.750755,0.698836,0.715714,
FAST,1994-05-12,0.715714,0.720946,0.674653,0.693308,
FAST,1994-05-13,0.687682,0.698836,0.669323,0.687682,
FAST,1994-05-16,0.687682,0.698836,0.682352,0.693308,
FAST,1994-05-17,0.698836,0.711667,0.682352,0.704462,
FAST,1994-05-18,0.711667,0.743747,0.711667,0.728743,
FAST,1994-05-19,0.7397,0.756578,0.728743,0.745326,
FAST,1994-05-20,0.750755,0.756578,0.7321,0.750755,
FAST,1994-05-23,0.756578,0.763883,0.745326,0.750755,
FAST,1994-05-24,0.745326,0.763883,0.745326,0.748978,
FAST,1994-05-25,0.756578,0.763883,0.7397,0.750755,
FAST,1994-05-26,0.745326,0.763883,0.745326,0.763883,
FAST,1994-05-27,0.763883,0.763883,0.745326,0.750755,
FAST,1994-05-31,0.756578,0.763883,0.745326,0.750755,
FAST,1994-06-01,0.750755,0.763883,0.750755,0.75263,
FAST,1994-06-02,0.756578,0.767634,0.750755,0.756578,
FAST,1994-06-03,0.756578,0.775135,0.756578,0.775135,
FAST,1994-06-06,0.763883,0.775135,0.763883,0.775135,
FAST,1994-06-07,0.775135,0.775135,0.763883,0.775135,
FAST,1994-06-08,0.775135,0.780564,0.763883,0.780564,
FAST,1994-06-09,0.775135,0.780564,0.775135,0.780564,
FAST,1994-06-10,0.784413,0.791718,0.775135,0.775135,
FAST,1994-06-13,0.763883,0.780564,0.763883,0.765857,
FAST,1994-06-14,0.767634,0.775135,0.763883,0.767634,
FAST,1994-06-15,0.775135,0.775135,0.7397,0.763883,
FAST,1994-06-16,0.756578,0.775135,0.750755,0.771286,
FAST,1994-06-17,0.775135,0.797443,0.767634,0.782439,
FAST,1994-06-20,0.780564,0.784413,0.745326,0.750755,
FAST,1994-06-21,0.7397,0.756578,0.7397,0.750755,
FAST,1994-06-22,0.745326,0.763883,0.745326,0.756578,
FAST,1994-06-23,0.763883,0.763883,0.750755,0.750755,
FAST,1994-06-24,0.750755,0.756578,0.743747,0.745326,
FAST,1994-06-27,0.745326,0.791718,0.745326,0.776912,
FAST,1994-06-28,0.780564,0.780564,0.767634,0.775135,
FAST,1994-06-29,0.767634,0.797443,0.767634,0.780564,
FAST,1994-06-30,0.784413,0.791718,0.780564,0.780564,
FAST,1994-07-01,0.784413,0.791718,0.775135,0.791718,
FAST,1994-07-05,0.780564,0.802871,0.780564,0.797443,
FAST,1994-07-06,0.802871,0.802871,0.791718,0.791718,
FAST,1994-07-07,0.802871,0.826956,0.802871,0.808596,
FAST,1994-07-08,0.802871,0.834556,0.797443,0.826956,
FAST,1994-07-11,0.836531,0.836531,0.826956,0.830904,
FAST,1994-07-12,0.830904,0.836531,0.826956,0.826956,
FAST,1994-07-13,0.836531,0.860614,0.826956,0.849263,
FAST,1994-07-14,0.849263,0.88302,0.849263,0.855087,
FAST,1994-07-15,0.860614,0.860614,0.814223,0.814223,
FAST,1994-07-18,0.821428,0.836531,0.797443,0.830904,
FAST,1994-07-19,0.830904,0.836531,0.821428,0.830904,
FAST,1994-07-20,0.836531,0.836531,0.814223,0.826956,
FAST,1994-07-21,0.814223,0.826956,0.814223,0.817973,
FAST,1994-07-22,0.814223,0.826956,0.791718,0.791718,
FAST,1994-07-25,0.802871,0.808596,0.775135,0.799219,
FAST,1994-07-26,0.797443,0.843933,0.797443,0.830904,
FAST,1994-07-27,0.830904,0.843933,0.821428,0.823501,
FAST,1994-07-28,0.830904,0.830904,0.814223,0.821428,
FAST,1994-07-29,0.821428,0.836531,0.821428,0.836531,
FAST,1994-08-01,0.843933,0.866043,0.836531,0.855087,
FAST,1994-08-02,0.866043,0.866043,0.855087,0.860614,
FAST,1994-08-03,0.866043,0.873643,0.860614,0.866043,
FAST,1994-08-04,0.866043,0.866043,0.814223,0.826956,
FAST,1994-08-05,0.814223,0.830904,0.802871,0.821428,
FAST,1994-08-08,0.821428,0.843933,0.821428,0.843933,
FAST,1994-08-09,0.843933,0.873643,0.836531,0.862292,
FAST,1994-08-10,0.877295,0.890423,0.860614,0.875519,
FAST,1994-08-11,0.873643,0.877295,0.873643,0.877295,
FAST,1994-08-12,0.873643,0.877295,0.866043,0.866043,
FAST,1994-08-15,0.866043,0.875519,0.866043,0.866043,
FAST,1994-08-16,0.866043,0.873643,0.849263,0.855087,
FAST,1994-08-17,0.855087,0.866043,0.849263,0.855087,
FAST,1994-08-18,0.849263,0.860614,0.836531,0.855087,
FAST,1994-08-19,0.849263,0.860614,0.849263,0.860614,
FAST,1994-08-22,0.85864,0.88302,0.855087,0.866043,
FAST,1994-08-23,0.866043,0.895951,0.866043,0.877295,
FAST,1994-08-24,0.877295,0.890423,0.877295,0.890423,
FAST,1994-08-25,0.890423,0.901478,0.877295,0.901478,
FAST,1994-08-26,0.901478,0.936716,0.890423,0.936716,
FAST,1994-08-29,0.923786,0.94254,0.923786,0.936716,
FAST,1994-08-30,0.923786,0.946093,0.923786,0.923786,
FAST,1994-08-31,0.918258,0.929313,0.907105,0.907105,
FAST,1994-09-01,0.901478,0.907105,0.890423,0.895951,
FAST,1994-09-02,0.901478,0.901478,0.895951,0.901478,
FAST,1994-09-06,0.901478,0.901478,0.895951,0.901478,
FAST,1994-09-07,0.901478,0.907105,0.895951,0.901478,
FAST,1994-09-08,0.912731,0.968302,0.907105,0.968302,
FAST,1994-09-09,0.936716,0.953299,0.918258,0.946093,
FAST,1994-09-12,0.94254,0.953299,0.923786,0.929313,
FAST,1994-09-13,0.929313,0.929313,0.912731,0.918258,
FAST,1994-09-14,0.918258,0.94254,0.918258,0.933163,
FAST,1994-09-15,0.94254,0.970178,0.936716,0.964749,
FAST,1994-09-16,0.94254,0.953299,0.936716,0.936716,
FAST,1994-09-19,0.94254,0.94254,0.929313,0.936716,
FAST,1994-09-20,0.936716,0.936716,0.918258,0.918258,
FAST,1994-09-21,0.923786,0.936716,0.912731,0.929313,
FAST,1994-09-22,0.936716,0.958925,0.929313,0.95172,
FAST,1994-09-23,0.958925,0.970178,0.94254,0.958925,
FAST,1994-09-26,0.964749,0.983305,0.958925,0.983305,
FAST,1994-09-27,0.983305,0.983305,0.964749,0.970178,
FAST,1994-09-28,0.970178,0.983305,0.964749,0.977679,
FAST,1994-09-29,0.970178,0.979456,0.953299,0.953299,
FAST,1994-09-30,0.958925,0.958925,0.953299,0.955272,
FAST,1994-10-03,0.958925,0.958925,0.936716,0.94254,
FAST,1994-10-04,0.94254,0.94254,0.901478,0.907105,
FAST,1994-10-05,0.901478,0.907105,0.877295,0.907105,
FAST,1994-10-06,0.923786,0.923786,0.901478,0.908881,
FAST,1994-10-07,0.918258,0.936716,0.907105,0.936716,
FAST,1994-10-10,0.936716,0.953299,0.936716,0.94254,
FAST,1994-10-11,0.953299,0.979456,0.94254,0.970178,
FAST,1994-10-12,0.964749,1.00019,0.958925,1.00019,
FAST,1994-10-13,1.01677,1.01677,0.988932,0.99061,
FAST,1994-10-14,0.992188,0.992188,0.964749,0.975705,
FAST,1994-10-17,0.964749,0.975705,0.946093,0.973928,
FAST,1994-10-18,0.970178,0.975705,0.960998,0.960998,
FAST,1994-10-19,0.970178,0.970178,0.946093,0.946093,
FAST,1994-10-20,0.946093,0.958925,0.94254,0.946093,
FAST,1994-10-21,0.946093,0.958925,0.94254,0.95172,
FAST,1994-10-24,0.946093,0.983305,0.946093,0.970178,
FAST,1994-10-25,0.970178,0.983305,0.964749,0.973928,
FAST,1994-10-26,0.983305,0.988932,0.975705,0.983305,
FAST,1994-10-27,0.988932,1.01677,0.975705,1.00196,
FAST,1994-10-28,1.01123,1.03552,1.00019,1.02209,
FAST,1994-10-31,1.02209,1.06306,1.02209,1.03749,
FAST,1994-11-01,1.03552,1.0446,1.02209,1.03907,
FAST,1994-11-02,1.0446,1.0446,1.02782,1.03907,
FAST,1994-11-03,1.02782,1.03907,1.01123,1.02782,
FAST,1994-11-04,1.02782,1.03907,1.01677,1.02051,
FAST,1994-11-07,1.01677,1.03552,1.01123,1.02209,
FAST,1994-11-08,1.02209,1.03749,1.01123,1.01301,
FAST,1994-11-09,1.01677,1.02782,1.01123,1.01469,
FAST,1994-11-10,1.00551,1.01123,0.988932,0.988932,
FAST,1994-11-11,0.988932,0.992188,0.988932,0.988932,
FAST,1994-11-14,0.992188,1.00551,0.992188,1.00551,
FAST,1994-11-15,0.992188,1.00551,0.988932,0.996333,
FAST,1994-11-16,1.00019,1.00019,0.988932,0.99061,
FAST,1994-11-17,1.00019,1.00019,0.983305,0.99061,
FAST,1994-11-18,0.983305,0.992188,0.970178,0.979456,
FAST,1994-11-21,0.975705,1.00019,0.975705,0.983305,
FAST,1994-11-22,0.99061,0.99061,0.946093,0.946093,
FAST,1994-11-23,0.929313,0.94254,0.918258,0.936716,
FAST,1994-11-25,0.94254,0.94254,0.938592,0.94254,
FAST,1994-11-28,0.94254,0.953299,0.929313,0.946093,
FAST,1994-11-29,0.946093,0.958925,0.938592,0.946093,
FAST,1994-11-30,0.958925,0.985279,0.946093,0.975705,
FAST,1994-12-01,0.975705,0.975705,0.958925,0.964749,
FAST,1994-12-02,0.964749,0.968302,0.946093,0.946093,
FAST,1994-12-05,0.953299,0.958925,0.946093,0.946093,
FAST,1994-12-06,0.953299,0.953299,0.929313,0.929313,
FAST,1994-12-07,0.936716,0.936716,0.907105,0.907105,
FAST,1994-12-08,0.912731,0.912731,0.873643,0.877295,
FAST,1994-12-09,0.873643,0.890423,0.860614,0.88302,
FAST,1994-12-12,0.890423,0.901478,0.873643,0.890423,
FAST,1994-12-13,0.890423,0.918258,0.890423,0.908881,
FAST,1994-12-14,0.918258,0.94254,0.907105,0.936716,
FAST,1994-12-15,0.936716,0.94254,0.929313,0.933163,
FAST,1994-12-16,0.94254,0.94254,0.929313,0.933163,
FAST,1994-12-19,0.936716,0.936716,0.918258,0.918258,
FAST,1994-12-20,0.923786,0.929313,0.912731,0.912731,
FAST,1994-12-21,0.918258,0.918258,0.912731,0.912731,
FAST,1994-12-22,0.92191,0.923786,0.912731,0.912731,
FAST,1994-12-23,0.923786,0.929313,0.912731,0.918258,
FAST,1994-12-27,0.918258,0.953299,0.918258,0.94254,
FAST,1994-12-28,0.94254,0.953299,0.94254,0.953299,
FAST,1994-12-29,0.953299,0.970178,0.946093,0.970178,
FAST,1994-12-30,0.970178,0.970178,0.944218,0.944218,
FAST,1995-01-03,0.94254,0.946093,0.929313,0.933163,
FAST,1995-01-04,0.929313,0.936716,0.918258,0.929313,
FAST,1995-01-05,0.929313,0.936716,0.918258,0.936716,
FAST,1995-01-06,0.923786,0.929313,0.923786,0.923786,
FAST,1995-01-09,0.923786,0.929313,0.923786,0.923786,
FAST,1995-01-10,0.936716,0.958925,0.936716,0.946093,
FAST,1995-01-11,0.953299,0.983305,0.946093,0.98143,
FAST,1995-01-12,0.983305,0.988932,0.970178,0.983305,
FAST,1995-01-13,0.983305,0.983305,0.970178,0.983305,
FAST,1995-01-16,0.983305,1.02209,0.964749,1.02209,
FAST,1995-01-17,1.02782,1.0446,1.01677,1.0446,
FAST,1995-01-18,1.03907,1.06878,1.03552,1.05763,
FAST,1995-01-19,1.05763,1.05763,1.02782,1.02782,
FAST,1995-01-20,1.03552,1.03907,1.01677,1.02782,
FAST,1995-01-23,1.02209,1.0446,1.01123,1.03157,
FAST,1995-01-24,1.0521,1.05763,1.00019,1.00019,
FAST,1995-01-25,1.00551,1.01123,0.988932,1.00196,
FAST,1995-01-26,1.00196,1.01123,1.00019,1.00354,
FAST,1995-01-27,1.01123,1.01123,0.992188,0.992188,
FAST,1995-01-30,0.99831,1.00019,0.975705,0.983305,
FAST,1995-01-31,0.975705,1.01123,0.975705,0.992188,
FAST,1995-02-01,1.00019,1.00019,0.983305,0.992188,
FAST,1995-02-02,0.992188,0.992188,0.975705,0.983305,
FAST,1995-02-03,0.988932,1.00019,0.975705,0.992188,
FAST,1995-02-06,1.00019,1.00019,0.983305,0.988932,
FAST,1995-02-07,0.988932,1.00019,0.988932,0.992188,
FAST,1995-02-08,1.00019,1.00551,0.988932,1.00551,
FAST,1995-02-09,1.00551,1.02209,0.992188,1.01677,
FAST,1995-02-10,1.01677,1.02782,1.01123,1.02427,
FAST,1995-02-13,1.02209,1.03907,1.02209,1.03907,
FAST,1995-02-14,1.02782,1.03907,1.02782,1.03552,
FAST,1995-02-15,1.03907,1.0521,1.02782,1.0521,
FAST,1995-02-16,1.0521,1.0521,1.03552,1.03907,
FAST,1995-02-17,1.0521,1.0521,1.03552,1.03552,
FAST,1995-02-21,1.03907,1.03907,1.02782,1.03552,
FAST,1995-02-22,1.03552,1.03552,1.01677,1.02051,
FAST,1995-02-23,1.01677,1.03907,1.01677,1.03157,
FAST,1995-02-24,1.02209,1.0446,1.02209,1.0446,
FAST,1995-02-27,1.03552,1.06878,1.03552,1.06306,
FAST,1995-02-28,1.06306,1.08517,1.06306,1.07984,
FAST,1995-03-01,1.08517,1.08517,1.06878,1.06878,
FAST,1995-03-02,1.07431,1.07431,1.06878,1.07431,
FAST,1995-03-03,1.06878,1.09306,1.06878,1.08359,
FAST,1995-03-06,1.07984,1.09306,1.06878,1.08517,
FAST,1995-03-07,1.08517,1.08517,1.0521,1.06306,
FAST,1995-03-08,1.06306,1.06878,1.0446,1.0521,
FAST,1995-03-09,1.0446,1.05763,1.0446,1.04825,
FAST,1995-03-10,1.0521,1.06878,1.0446,1.06681,
FAST,1995-03-13,1.06878,1.07984,1.06306,1.07066,
FAST,1995-03-14,1.07984,1.10788,1.06306,1.10788,
FAST,1995-03-15,1.10788,1.1208,1.09306,1.11528,
FAST,1995-03-16,1.1134,1.11528,1.10214,1.10788,
FAST,1995-03-17,1.10214,1.10788,1.10214,1.10214,
FAST,1995-03-20,1.10214,1.10788,1.07431,1.08517,
FAST,1995-03-21,1.08517,1.09306,1.07431,1.07984,
FAST,1995-03-22,1.07984,1.08517,1.06878,1.06878,
FAST,1995-03-23,1.07984,1.09306,1.06878,1.09306,
FAST,1995-03-24,1.10214,1.13758,1.09306,1.12633,
FAST,1995-03-27,1.13758,1.18387,1.12633,1.16354,
FAST,1995-03-28,1.16699,1.18387,1.14508,1.14508,
FAST,1995-03-29,1.13758,1.14854,1.1208,1.13008,
FAST,1995-03-30,1.13196,1.15417,1.10214,1.13758,
FAST,1995-03-31,1.13196,1.15417,1.10788,1.13758,
FAST,1995-04-03,1.14508,1.17835,1.13196,1.14854,
FAST,1995-04-04,1.16699,1.19137,1.14508,1.18209,
FAST,1995-04-05,1.19137,1.21388,1.16699,1.20075,
FAST,1995-04-06,1.20075,1.22493,1.16699,1.19137,
FAST,1995-04-07,1.19137,1.19137,1.16699,1.17282,
FAST,1995-04-10,1.19137,1.19137,1.16699,1.17282,
FAST,1995-04-11,1.19137,1.19137,1.14508,1.14854,
FAST,1995-04-12,1.14854,1.20075,1.14508,1.17282,
FAST,1995-04-13,1.19543,1.21388,1.17282,1.19543,
FAST,1995-04-17,1.21388,1.27142,1.20075,1.24162,
FAST,1995-04-18,1.26382,1.26382,1.22493,1.23056,
FAST,1995-04-19,1.23589,1.24724,1.22493,1.24724,
FAST,1995-04-20,1.24162,1.24162,1.20075,1.20825,
FAST,1995-04-21,1.21388,1.22493,1.19137,1.21388,
FAST,1995-04-24,1.21388,1.24724,1.20075,1.23234,
FAST,1995-04-25,1.24724,1.26018,1.21388,1.23056,
FAST,1995-04-26,1.23056,1.23589,1.20075,1.22493,
FAST,1995-04-27,1.22493,1.24724,1.21388,1.23056,
FAST,1995-04-28,1.23589,1.24724,1.21911,1.22493,
FAST,1995-05-01,1.22493,1.28248,1.22493,1.27142,
FAST,1995-05-02,1.26382,1.28248,1.26018,1.27696,
FAST,1995-05-03,1.27696,1.29384,1.24724,1.26018,
FAST,1995-05-04,1.26382,1.27142,1.24724,1.24724,
FAST,1995-05-05,1.27142,1.27142,1.22493,1.251,
FAST,1995-05-08,1.26382,1.26382,1.24724,1.25445,
FAST,1995-05-09,1.26018,1.26018,1.24724,1.24724,
FAST,1995-05-10,1.24724,1.26382,1.24724,1.24724,
FAST,1995-05-11,1.26382,1.29384,1.24724,1.28248,
FAST,1995-05-12,1.2881,1.2881,1.27142,1.2881,
FAST,1995-05-15,1.2881,1.37369,1.27696,1.35305,
FAST,1995-05-16,1.36233,1.40902,1.35701,1.39787,
FAST,1995-05-17,1.37369,1.40902,1.37369,1.37369,
FAST,1995-05-18,1.38651,1.38651,1.34023,1.34023,
FAST,1995-05-19,1.35701,1.38651,1.34023,1.35305,
FAST,1995-05-22,1.38651,1.39787,1.36233,1.37369,
FAST,1995-05-23,1.39787,1.39787,1.37369,1.38651,
FAST,1995-05-24,1.39787,1.39787,1.36233,1.36233,
FAST,1995-05-25,1.37369,1.37369,1.3344,1.35305,
FAST,1995-05-26,1.34585,1.34585,1.28248,1.29384,
FAST,1995-05-30,1.30686,1.31594,1.29384,1.29384,
FAST,1995-05-31,1.29384,1.31594,1.29384,1.31594,
FAST,1995-06-01,1.31594,1.31594,1.21388,1.27142,
FAST,1995-06-02,1.26018,1.27142,1.23589,1.25445,
FAST,1995-06-05,1.21388,1.24724,1.20825,1.22493,
FAST,1995-06-06,1.23056,1.23056,1.14508,1.16699,
FAST,1995-06-07,1.16157,1.19137,1.14508,1.15417,
FAST,1995-06-08,1.16699,1.16699,1.06306,1.1208,
FAST,1995-06-09,1.1208,1.16699,1.1208,1.16699,
FAST,1995-06-12,1.14508,1.19137,1.14508,1.17835,
FAST,1995-06-13,1.19137,1.20075,1.16699,1.18387,
FAST,1995-06-14,1.20075,1.22493,1.17835,1.20075,
FAST,1995-06-15,1.22493,1.23589,1.20075,1.21388,
FAST,1995-06-16,1.21911,1.23589,1.20075,1.21911,
FAST,1995-06-19,1.22493,1.26018,1.20075,1.24724,
FAST,1995-06-20,1.26018,1.32917,1.24724,1.30094,
FAST,1995-06-21,1.30094,1.35305,1.30094,1.35305,
FAST,1995-06-22,1.32917,1.39787,1.32917,1.36233,
FAST,1995-06-23,1.38651,1.39787,1.36233,1.37921,
FAST,1995-06-26,1.38651,1.38651,1.32917,1.32917,
FAST,1995-06-27,1.32917,1.35305,1.31594,1.3196,
FAST,1995-06-28,1.31594,1.34023,1.2881,1.30834,
FAST,1995-06-29,1.2881,1.31594,1.2881,1.30094,
FAST,1995-06-30,1.29384,1.31042,1.26018,1.26185,
FAST,1995-07-03,1.24724,1.27696,1.24724,1.25445,
FAST,1995-07-05,1.27696,1.30686,1.24724,1.29384,
FAST,1995-07-06,1.29384,1.34023,1.27142,1.34023,
FAST,1995-07-07,1.32917,1.37369,1.30686,1.36993,
FAST,1995-07-10,1.34023,1.38651,1.34023,1.38651,
FAST,1995-07-11,1.38651,1.38651,1.34023,1.34585,
FAST,1995-07-12,1.36233,1.38651,1.34023,1.38089,
FAST,1995-07-13,1.36233,1.38651,1.36233,1.37369,
FAST,1995-07-14,1.36233,1.44436,1.36233,1.40902,
FAST,1995-07-17,1.40902,1.40902,1.38651,1.38651,
FAST,1995-07-18,1.40902,1.40902,1.38651,1.4031,
FAST,1995-07-19,1.38651,1.39787,1.34023,1.37369,
FAST,1995-07-20,1.35305,1.38651,1.35305,1.37369,
FAST,1995-07-21,1.35305,1.41998,1.35305,1.39205,
FAST,1995-07-24,1.38651,1.40902,1.37369,1.39787,
FAST,1995-07-25,1.37369,1.52589,1.37369,1.5018,
FAST,1995-07-26,1.5018,1.69902,1.4796,1.55965,
FAST,1995-07-27,1.57248,1.59479,1.49056,1.56133,
FAST,1995-07-28,1.55965,1.58373,1.55965,1.56133,
FAST,1995-07-31,1.58373,1.58373,1.54829,1.54829,
FAST,1995-08-01,1.55965,1.55965,1.5018,1.54277,
FAST,1995-08-02,1.55965,1.55965,1.5018,1.50556,
FAST,1995-08-03,1.51296,1.58373,1.49056,1.55205,
FAST,1995-08-04,1.54829,1.57248,1.54829,1.54829,
FAST,1995-08-07,1.58373,1.59479,1.54829,1.57435,
FAST,1995-08-08,1.59479,1.59479,1.57248,1.59479,
FAST,1995-08-09,1.57248,1.60584,1.57248,1.58373,
FAST,1995-08-10,1.60584,1.60584,1.53714,1.53714,
FAST,1995-08-11,1.53714,1.55965,1.51296,1.51691,
FAST,1995-08-14,1.52589,1.53714,1.5018,1.51296,
FAST,1995-08-15,1.52589,1.60584,1.52589,1.57435,
FAST,1995-08-16,1.57248,1.59479,1.55965,1.55965,
FAST,1995-08-17,1.58373,1.58373,1.55965,1.56133,
FAST,1995-08-18,1.58373,1.60584,1.55965,1.57248,
FAST,1995-08-21,1.57248,1.59479,1.55965,1.57613,
FAST,1995-08-22,1.59479,1.59479,1.53714,1.57248,
FAST,1995-08-23,1.54829,1.57248,1.51296,1.52026,
FAST,1995-08-24,1.52589,1.54829,1.51296,1.51296,
FAST,1995-08-25,1.53714,1.54829,1.51296,1.53714,
FAST,1995-08-28,1.54277,1.54829,1.51296,1.54277,
FAST,1995-08-29,1.52589,1.54829,1.4796,1.51296,
FAST,1995-08-30,1.51296,1.54829,1.49056,1.52964,
FAST,1995-08-31,1.53714,1.53714,1.51296,1.52589,
FAST,1995-09-01,1.51691,1.53714,1.51296,1.51296,
FAST,1995-09-05,1.51296,1.55965,1.51296,1.54829,
FAST,1995-09-06,1.54829,1.54829,1.52589,1.54829,
FAST,1995-09-07,1.52589,1.54829,1.52589,1.53714,
FAST,1995-09-08,1.54829,1.59479,1.52589,1.57248,
FAST,1995-09-11,1.59479,1.67652,1.55965,1.65786,
FAST,1995-09-12,1.6392,1.67652,1.63012,1.67089,
FAST,1995-09-13,1.65244,1.68609,1.65244,1.68016,
FAST,1995-09-14,1.69902,1.72123,1.66348,1.69902,
FAST,1995-09-15,1.69902,1.70997,1.67652,1.69902,
FAST,1995-09-18,1.70997,1.70997,1.67652,1.70997,
FAST,1995-09-19,1.70997,1.70997,1.67652,1.67652,
FAST,1995-09-20,1.70997,1.73219,1.67652,1.70997,
FAST,1995-09-21,1.70997,1.75647,1.70997,1.72123,
FAST,1995-09-22,1.73219,1.74333,1.70997,1.73219,
FAST,1995-09-25,1.74333,1.74333,1.70997,1.70997,
FAST,1995-09-26,1.73219,1.73219,1.66348,1.66566,
FAST,1995-09-27,1.66348,1.67652,1.58373,1.61907,
FAST,1995-09-28,1.63012,1.73219,1.60584,1.70997,
FAST,1995-09-29,1.72123,1.72123,1.67652,1.68609,
FAST,1995-10-02,1.68935,1.70997,1.68609,1.68609,
FAST,1995-10-03,1.68609,1.70997,1.67652,1.68609,
FAST,1995-10-04,1.67652,1.68609,1.65244,1.66348,
FAST,1995-10-05,1.67652,1.73219,1.65244,1.7156,
FAST,1995-10-06,1.69902,1.75647,1.69902,1.74137,
FAST,1995-10-09,1.74333,1.74333,1.6392,1.67652,
FAST,1995-10-10,1.6392,1.67652,1.61907,1.6542,
FAST,1995-10-11,1.68609,1.68609,1.6392,1.65244,
FAST,1995-10-12,1.66348,1.69902,1.6392,1.66902,
FAST,1995-10-13,1.68609,1.68609,1.60584,1.6392,
FAST,1995-10-16,1.59479,1.63378,1.59479,1.61137,
FAST,1995-10-17,1.62282,1.62282,1.60584,1.62282,
FAST,1995-10-18,1.61907,1.6468,1.61907,1.63012,
FAST,1995-10-19,1.6468,1.66348,1.61907,1.65244,
FAST,1995-10-20,1.6392,1.66348,1.63012,1.63012,
FAST,1995-10-23,1.60584,1.63012,1.59479,1.60584,
FAST,1995-10-24,1.60584,1.66348,1.60584,1.63012,
FAST,1995-10-25,1.65244,1.65244,1.63012,1.63012,
FAST,1995-10-26,1.63012,1.65244,1.54829,1.59479,
FAST,1995-10-27,1.55965,1.60584,1.55965,1.60031,
FAST,1995-10-30,1.59479,1.61907,1.58373,1.59479,
FAST,1995-10-31,1.60584,1.63012,1.58373,1.60782,
FAST,1995-11-01,1.59479,1.65244,1.59479,1.65244,
FAST,1995-11-02,1.65244,1.70997,1.63012,1.68609,
FAST,1995-11-03,1.70997,1.72123,1.67652,1.6929,
FAST,1995-11-06,1.70997,1.74333,1.67652,1.73613,
FAST,1995-11-07,1.73219,1.74333,1.69902,1.72656,
FAST,1995-11-08,1.70997,1.77867,1.70997,1.76209,
FAST,1995-11-09,1.77867,1.80296,1.75647,1.79911,
FAST,1995-11-10,1.77867,1.84915,1.76762,1.79003,
FAST,1995-11-13,1.80296,1.80296,1.74907,1.75647,
FAST,1995-11-14,1.74333,1.76762,1.73999,1.73999,
FAST,1995-11-15,1.75647,1.75647,1.70997,1.70997,
FAST,1995-11-16,1.74333,1.76762,1.70997,1.74907,
FAST,1995-11-17,1.76762,1.80868,1.74333,1.79003,
FAST,1995-11-20,1.80296,1.84214,1.77867,1.81401,
FAST,1995-11-21,1.81401,1.83652,1.80296,1.82132,
FAST,1995-11-22,1.83652,1.83652,1.80296,1.80296,
FAST,1995-11-24,1.80296,1.81974,1.80296,1.80868,
FAST,1995-11-27,1.81401,1.82526,1.77867,1.79546,
FAST,1995-11-28,1.76762,1.79546,1.76762,1.79003,
FAST,1995-11-29,1.88281,1.98704,1.88281,1.91242,
FAST,1995-11-30,1.9293,1.94243,1.88281,1.91825,
FAST,1995-12-01,1.91825,1.91825,1.8605,1.86623,
FAST,1995-12-04,1.87176,1.87718,1.83652,1.86623,
FAST,1995-12-05,1.84915,1.89584,1.84915,1.88281,
FAST,1995-12-06,1.89584,1.89584,1.84915,1.8605,
FAST,1995-12-07,1.88281,1.88281,1.80296,1.82526,
FAST,1995-12-08,1.83652,1.84915,1.82526,1.82526,
FAST,1995-12-11,1.84915,1.87176,1.82526,1.87176,
FAST,1995-12-12,1.87176,1.9293,1.86623,1.90719,
FAST,1995-12-13,1.90719,1.9293,1.90719,1.9293,
FAST,1995-12-14,1.90719,1.9293,1.89584,1.9293,
FAST,1995-12-15,1.92397,1.9293,1.88281,1.89584,
FAST,1995-12-18,1.89584,1.89584,1.82526,1.83652,
FAST,1995-12-19,1.83652,1.8605,1.81401,1.82912,
FAST,1995-12-20,1.82526,1.84915,1.81974,1.81974,
FAST,1995-12-21,1.84915,1.84915,1.77867,1.79003,
FAST,1995-12-22,1.77867,1.80296,1.76762,1.77147,
FAST,1995-12-26,1.76762,1.79003,1.76762,1.77147,
FAST,1995-12-27,1.76762,1.84915,1.76762,1.83652,
FAST,1995-12-28,1.84915,1.88281,1.81401,1.86623,
FAST,1995-12-29,1.8605,1.97569,1.8605,1.95358,
FAST,1996-01-02,1.96286,1.96286,1.93493,1.94243,
FAST,1996-01-03,1.80296,1.82526,1.65244,1.75647,
FAST,1996-01-04,1.75647,1.78608,1.63012,1.6392,
FAST,1996-01-05,1.63012,1.70997,1.59479,1.60584,
FAST,1996-01-08,1.61907,1.63012,1.60031,1.61137,
FAST,1996-01-09,1.63378,1.65786,1.55965,1.57248,
FAST,1996-01-10,1.56675,1.60031,1.55965,1.57248,
FAST,1996-01-11,1.59479,1.60584,1.57248,1.60584,
FAST,1996-01-12,1.60584,1.60584,1.52589,1.52589,
FAST,1996-01-15,1.54829,1.54829,1.32917,1.34023,
FAST,1996-01-16,1.36233,1.37369,1.34023,1.37369,
FAST,1996-01-17,1.37369,1.40902,1.35305,1.37369,
FAST,1996-01-18,1.39787,1.43301,1.37369,1.39205,
FAST,1996-01-19,1.39787,1.44969,1.39205,1.44969,
FAST,1996-01-22,1.45512,1.61137,1.43301,1.55767,
FAST,1996-01-23,1.59479,1.6392,1.55965,1.62282,
FAST,1996-01-24,1.66348,1.69902,1.65244,1.68609,
FAST,1996-01-25,1.69902,1.74333,1.65244,1.65244,
FAST,1996-01-26,1.66348,1.66348,1.58373,1.59479,
FAST,1996-01-29,1.60584,1.60584,1.58373,1.60031,
FAST,1996-01-30,1.59479,1.60031,1.56675,1.58373,
FAST,1996-01-31,1.58373,1.58373,1.53714,1.56675,
FAST,1996-02-01,1.57613,1.57613,1.54829,1.57248,
FAST,1996-02-02,1.57248,1.60584,1.55965,1.58719,
FAST,1996-02-05,1.59479,1.60584,1.57613,1.60584,
FAST,1996-02-06,1.60584,1.61907,1.57248,1.57248,
FAST,1996-02-07,1.59479,1.59479,1.52589,1.53714,
FAST,1996-02-08,1.52589,1.55965,1.51296,1.54829,
FAST,1996-02-09,1.55965,1.58373,1.53714,1.57248,
FAST,1996-02-12,1.57248,1.57248,1.54829,1.54829,
FAST,1996-02-13,1.55965,1.55965,1.53714,1.55205,
FAST,1996-02-14,1.54829,1.57248,1.53714,1.57248,
FAST,1996-02-15,1.52964,1.56675,1.52964,1.54277,
FAST,1996-02-16,1.52589,1.55393,1.52589,1.52964,
FAST,1996-02-20,1.51296,1.52589,1.4719,1.4719,
FAST,1996-02-21,1.4719,1.55965,1.4719,1.54829,
FAST,1996-02-22,1.57248,1.75647,1.53714,1.70997,
FAST,1996-02-23,1.69902,1.77867,1.67652,1.70997,
FAST,1996-02-26,1.68609,1.70997,1.6392,1.6392,
FAST,1996-02-27,1.6392,1.6929,1.6392,1.66348,
FAST,1996-02-28,1.68609,1.70997,1.66348,1.67266,
FAST,1996-02-29,1.66348,1.67652,1.63012,1.65786,
FAST,1996-03-01,1.64128,1.67652,1.61907,1.61907,
FAST,1996-03-04,1.61907,1.68609,1.61907,1.65786,
FAST,1996-03-05,1.65244,1.68016,1.63012,1.65244,
FAST,1996-03-06,1.65244,1.70465,1.65244,1.68016,
FAST,1996-03-07,1.67652,1.76762,1.67652,1.73219,
FAST,1996-03-08,1.69902,1.73999,1.65244,1.67652,
FAST,1996-03-11,1.65244,1.70997,1.65244,1.68609,
FAST,1996-03-12,1.68016,1.73219,1.66902,1.72311,
FAST,1996-03-13,1.75647,1.76762,1.73219,1.74531,
FAST,1996-03-14,1.73219,1.75647,1.73219,1.75647,
FAST,1996-03-15,1.76209,1.76762,1.72311,1.72311,
FAST,1996-03-18,1.72311,1.76762,1.72311,1.76762,
FAST,1996-03-19,1.75093,1.80296,1.74531,1.74531,
FAST,1996-03-20,1.77867,1.77867,1.74531,1.76209,
FAST,1996-03-21,1.77867,1.77867,1.74531,1.75093,
FAST,1996-03-22,1.76762,1.76762,1.74531,1.74531,
FAST,1996-03-25,1.74531,1.76762,1.74531,1.75647,
FAST,1996-03-26,1.74531,1.80296,1.74531,1.78608,
FAST,1996-03-27,1.77867,1.84915,1.77867,1.83652,
FAST,1996-03-28,1.83652,1.87176,1.74531,1.79546,
FAST,1996-03-29,1.79003,1.81401,1.77867,1.77867,
FAST,1996-04-01,1.77867,1.79003,1.76762,1.76762,
FAST,1996-04-02,1.76762,1.81401,1.76762,1.79378,
FAST,1996-04-03,1.79546,1.83652,1.79003,1.81401,
FAST,1996-04-04,1.81401,1.81401,1.77867,1.80296,
FAST,1996-04-08,1.73219,1.75647,1.69902,1.7156,
FAST,1996-04-09,1.7156,1.73219,1.66348,1.68609,
FAST,1996-04-10,1.6929,1.6929,1.63012,1.63012,
FAST,1996-04-11,1.63012,1.67652,1.60584,1.67652,
FAST,1996-04-12,1.64128,1.72311,1.61907,1.70465,
FAST,1996-04-15,1.68609,1.79003,1.68609,1.70465,
FAST,1996-04-16,1.70997,1.70997,1.69902,1.70465,
FAST,1996-04-17,1.70465,1.7156,1.69902,1.70465,
FAST,1996-04-18,1.69902,1.80296,1.69902,1.75647,
FAST,1996-04-19,1.75647,1.76762,1.66348,1.66348,
FAST,1996-04-22,1.61907,1.66902,1.60584,1.62282,
FAST,1996-04-23,1.58373,1.64128,1.58373,1.62282,
FAST,1996-04-24,1.61907,1.70997,1.61907,1.68609,
FAST,1996-04-25,1.68609,1.74531,1.68609,1.70997,
FAST,1996-04-26,1.70997,1.82526,1.70997,1.81401,
FAST,1996-04-29,1.80296,1.80296,1.72311,1.76209,
FAST,1996-04-30,1.76209,1.80296,1.76209,1.76762,
FAST,1996-05-01,1.79003,1.84915,1.76762,1.81401,
FAST,1996-05-02,1.81401,1.82526,1.70997,1.73219,
FAST,1996-05-03,1.7156,1.75647,1.70997,1.73219,
FAST,1996-05-06,1.74531,1.76762,1.72311,1.73999,
FAST,1996-05-07,1.73219,1.76762,1.73219,1.74531,
FAST,1996-05-08,1.76762,1.77867,1.74531,1.77867,
FAST,1996-05-09,1.75647,1.85518,1.74531,1.84915,
FAST,1996-05-10,1.8605,1.88281,1.83652,1.83652,
FAST,1996-05-13,1.83652,1.94243,1.83652,1.93493,
FAST,1996-05-14,1.91825,1.98892,1.91825,1.96464,
FAST,1996-05-15,1.94243,1.99978,1.91825,1.98892,
FAST,1996-05-16,1.96464,2.08525,1.94243,2.05574,
FAST,1996-05-17,2.08525,2.09295,1.96464,2.0742,
FAST,1996-05-20,2.04636,2.11517,2.04636,2.09295,
FAST,1996-05-21,2.07993,2.09848,2.03324,2.04636,
FAST,1996-05-22,2.03886,2.07993,2.02208,2.05574,
FAST,1996-05-23,2.07993,2.11517,2.05574,2.09295,
FAST,1996-05-24,2.11517,2.14872,2.09295,2.10973,
FAST,1996-05-28,2.10223,2.11517,2.06857,2.09295,
FAST,1996-05-29,2.09295,2.12631,2.09295,2.10223,
FAST,1996-05-30,2.10223,2.10223,2.07993,2.09848,
FAST,1996-05-31,2.07993,2.10223,2.07993,2.07993,
FAST,1996-06-03,2.07993,2.173,2.07993,2.15593,
FAST,1996-06-04,2.14872,2.15998,2.11517,2.13737,
FAST,1996-06-05,2.13737,2.13737,2.10223,2.10223,
FAST,1996-06-06,2.10223,2.13737,2.07993,2.07993,
FAST,1996-06-07,2.06857,2.11517,2.03324,2.09848,
FAST,1996-06-10,2.09295,2.15593,2.09295,2.14872,
FAST,1996-06-11,2.173,2.173,2.06857,2.09295,
FAST,1996-06-12,2.09295,2.11517,2.09295,2.09295,
FAST,1996-06-13,2.09295,2.11517,2.05574,2.06857,
FAST,1996-06-14,2.07993,2.11517,2.05574,2.08525,
FAST,1996-06-17,2.07993,2.10223,2.05574,2.06857,
FAST,1996-06-18,2.05574,2.06857,2.03324,2.03324,
FAST,1996-06-19,2.03324,2.04636,2.03324,2.04636,
FAST,1996-06-20,2.04636,2.04636,1.90719,1.94243,
FAST,1996-06-21,1.95358,1.98892,1.95358,1.95901,
FAST,1996-06-24,1.94598,1.96464,1.9293,1.95901,
FAST,1996-06-25,1.94598,1.97569,1.94243,1.95901,
FAST,1996-06-26,1.95358,1.96464,1.89584,1.89584,
FAST,1996-06-27,1.89584,1.9293,1.88281,1.9293,
FAST,1996-06-28,1.9293,2.03324,1.90719,2.00926,
FAST,1996-07-01,1.99978,2.09295,1.99978,2.05574,
FAST,1996-07-02,2.04636,2.06857,2.00926,2.04636,
FAST,1996-07-03,2.00926,2.04636,1.98892,2.03324,
FAST,1996-07-05,2.0278,2.0278,1.97569,1.97757,
FAST,1996-07-08,1.97036,1.97569,1.94243,1.94598,
FAST,1996-07-09,1.94598,2.07993,1.94598,2.0742,
FAST,1996-07-10,2.05574,2.11517,2.05574,2.09848,
FAST,1996-07-11,2.09848,2.10973,2.00926,2.08525,
FAST,1996-07-12,1.9293,2.00926,1.91825,1.94243,
FAST,1996-07-15,1.94243,1.94243,1.81401,1.81401,
FAST,1996-07-16,1.81974,1.87176,1.61907,1.75647,
FAST,1996-07-17,1.77867,1.81401,1.75647,1.79003,
FAST,1996-07-18,1.79003,1.89584,1.77867,1.85112,
FAST,1996-07-19,1.83652,1.91825,1.83652,1.87718,
FAST,1996-07-22,1.90719,1.90719,1.84915,1.8605,
FAST,1996-07-23,1.8605,1.88281,1.82526,1.83266,
FAST,1996-07-24,1.74531,1.84915,1.72311,1.80868,
FAST,1996-07-25,1.84915,1.8605,1.82526,1.84915,
FAST,1996-07-26,1.83652,1.88281,1.83652,1.85112,
FAST,1996-07-29,1.84915,1.94243,1.84915,1.89584,
FAST,1996-07-30,1.9293,1.95901,1.88863,1.94243,
FAST,1996-07-31,1.9293,1.98892,1.91825,1.98892,
FAST,1996-08-01,1.98892,2.07993,1.96464,2.04824,
FAST,1996-08-02,2.07993,2.09295,2.03324,2.03324,
FAST,1996-08-05,2.03324,2.05574,2.00194,2.00194,
FAST,1996-08-06,1.99978,2.06857,1.97569,2.04636,
FAST,1996-08-07,2.06857,2.06857,2.03324,2.04636,
FAST,1996-08-08,2.04636,2.06857,2.02208,2.02208,
FAST,1996-08-09,2.00926,2.03324,1.98892,1.99978,
FAST,1996-08-12,1.99978,2.00926,1.97569,1.9907,
FAST,1996-08-13,1.97569,1.98892,1.94243,1.94243,
FAST,1996-08-14,1.95358,1.98892,1.94243,1.98892,
FAST,1996-08-15,1.95358,2.03324,1.95358,2.00926,
FAST,1996-08-16,2.0056,2.06324,1.99978,2.06324,
FAST,1996-08-19,2.06857,2.09295,2.03324,2.07993,
FAST,1996-08-20,2.05574,2.07993,2.02208,2.0668,
FAST,1996-08-21,2.04636,2.06857,2.04636,2.05574,
FAST,1996-08-22,2.04636,2.12631,2.04636,2.10223,
FAST,1996-08-23,2.09295,2.12631,2.09295,2.10579,
FAST,1996-08-26,2.10223,2.11517,2.09295,2.11517,
FAST,1996-08-27,2.11517,2.22502,2.09295,2.20814,
FAST,1996-08-28,2.2194,2.31218,2.19512,2.20814,
FAST,1996-08-29,2.19512,2.20814,2.12631,2.15998,
FAST,1996-08-30,2.14872,2.173,2.11517,2.15998,
FAST,1996-09-03,2.14872,2.173,2.12631,2.13195,
FAST,1996-09-04,2.15998,2.2194,2.13195,2.20814,
FAST,1996-09-05,2.18386,2.23045,2.173,2.19512,
FAST,1996-09-06,2.19512,2.25286,2.19512,2.23045,
FAST,1996-09-09,2.23045,2.25286,2.2194,2.2194,
FAST,1996-09-10,2.2194,2.23045,2.18386,2.19512,
FAST,1996-09-11,2.19512,2.26569,2.173,2.25286,
FAST,1996-09-12,2.24713,2.27517,2.20814,2.23045,
FAST,1996-09-13,2.2416,2.28819,2.23045,2.28819,
FAST,1996-09-16,2.27517,2.31218,2.2416,2.27517,
FAST,1996-09-17,2.2416,2.25286,2.173,2.19512,
FAST,1996-09-18,2.1654,2.173,2.12631,2.14319,
FAST,1996-09-19,2.13737,2.15998,2.11517,2.11517,
FAST,1996-09-20,2.14872,2.18386,2.11517,2.173,
FAST,1996-09-23,2.15593,2.19512,2.15593,2.18386,
FAST,1996-09-24,2.173,2.2194,2.173,2.2194,
FAST,1996-09-25,2.20814,2.25286,2.20814,2.23795,
FAST,1996-09-26,2.23045,2.26569,2.20814,2.23045,
FAST,1996-09-27,2.2416,2.31218,2.23045,2.28819,
FAST,1996-09-30,2.27517,2.31218,2.2416,2.28819,
FAST,1996-10-01,2.29935,2.29935,2.23045,2.25829,
FAST,1996-10-02,2.2416,2.25286,2.2194,2.2194,
FAST,1996-10-03,2.23045,2.2416,2.2118,2.2194,
FAST,1996-10-04,2.23618,2.25829,2.20814,2.20814,
FAST,1996-10-07,2.19512,2.28819,2.19512,2.26569,
FAST,1996-10-08,2.26569,2.28819,2.23045,2.24713,
FAST,1996-10-09,2.25829,2.28819,2.23045,2.25286,
FAST,1996-10-10,2.2194,2.27517,2.2194,2.25286,
FAST,1996-10-11,2.10223,2.173,1.99978,2.00926,
FAST,1996-10-14,2.02208,2.08525,2.00926,2.07993,
FAST,1996-10-15,2.10223,2.10223,1.98892,1.99257,
FAST,1996-10-16,1.98112,2.08525,1.97569,2.07055,
FAST,1996-10-17,2.07993,2.10973,2.06857,2.10973,
FAST,1996-10-18,2.0742,2.12631,2.0742,2.11517,
FAST,1996-10-21,2.11517,2.12631,2.07993,2.07993,
FAST,1996-10-22,2.09295,2.11517,2.05574,2.10973,
FAST,1996-10-23,2.10973,2.10973,2.06857,2.07993,
FAST,1996-10-24,2.09295,2.15998,2.06857,2.14319,
FAST,1996-10-25,2.12631,2.1654,2.11517,2.14319,
FAST,1996-10-28,2.13737,2.14872,2.11517,2.11517,
FAST,1996-10-29,2.10223,2.12631,2.0742,2.07993,
FAST,1996-10-30,2.07993,2.10223,2.06857,2.09295,
FAST,1996-10-31,2.06857,2.1654,2.06857,2.13737,
FAST,1996-11-01,2.13737,2.14872,2.0742,2.0742,
FAST,1996-11-04,2.07993,2.07993,2.05574,2.06324,
FAST,1996-11-05,2.05574,2.0742,2.03324,2.05574,
FAST,1996-11-06,2.03324,2.12631,2.03324,2.08525,
FAST,1996-11-07,2.07993,2.08525,2.05574,2.06857,
FAST,1996-11-08,2.03886,2.06857,2.0278,2.0518,
FAST,1996-11-11,2.06324,2.10223,2.03324,2.09848,
FAST,1996-11-12,2.06857,2.10973,2.06857,2.08525,
FAST,1996-11-13,2.0742,2.11517,2.0742,2.07993,
FAST,1996-11-14,2.07993,2.10973,2.0742,2.10223,
FAST,1996-11-15,2.07993,2.10223,2.06857,2.06857,
FAST,1996-11-18,2.06857,2.07993,2.0278,2.0278,
FAST,1996-11-19,2.0278,2.0278,1.98892,1.99978,
FAST,1996-11-20,1.99978,2.00926,1.97036,1.9907,
FAST,1996-11-21,2.00926,2.00926,1.98892,1.98892,
FAST,1996-11-22,2.00926,2.00926,1.98892,2.00926,
FAST,1996-11-25,2.00926,2.03324,1.98892,2.0278,
FAST,1996-11-26,2.01686,2.03324,1.98892,1.99257,
FAST,1996-11-27,1.99257,1.99978,1.99257,1.99257,
FAST,1996-11-29,1.99257,1.99978,1.98892,1.98892,
FAST,1996-12-02,1.99978,1.99978,1.97569,1.98517,
FAST,1996-12-03,1.97569,2.02208,1.97569,2.00926,
FAST,1996-12-04,1.99978,2.00926,1.96464,1.97036,
FAST,1996-12-05,1.97036,2.02208,1.97036,1.99978,
FAST,1996-12-06,1.97569,2.00926,1.95901,1.99257,
FAST,1996-12-09,1.97569,2.05574,1.97569,2.03324,
FAST,1996-12-10,2.03324,2.11517,2.03324,2.09295,
FAST,1996-12-11,2.0518,2.09295,2.01686,2.0518,
FAST,1996-12-12,2.06857,2.07993,2.03324,2.04636,
FAST,1996-12-13,2.04636,2.05574,2.02208,2.03324,
FAST,1996-12-16,2.02208,2.07993,2.00926,2.03886,
FAST,1996-12-17,2.00926,2.04636,1.98892,2.0278,
FAST,1996-12-18,2.04636,2.04636,2.00926,2.01686,
FAST,1996-12-19,2.03324,2.03324,1.99978,2.0278,
FAST,1996-12-20,1.99978,2.0278,1.99978,2.02208,
FAST,1996-12-23,2.00926,2.03324,1.99978,2.0056,
FAST,1996-12-24,1.99978,2.03324,1.99978,1.99978,
FAST,1996-12-26,2.0278,2.05574,2.0056,2.05574,
FAST,1996-12-27,2.02208,2.10223,2.02208,2.06857,
FAST,1996-12-30,2.08525,2.08525,2.04636,2.07993,
FAST,1996-12-31,2.0742,2.1654,2.05574,2.11517,
FAST,1997-01-02,2.09848,2.11517,2.05574,2.10223,
FAST,1997-01-03,2.09848,2.13737,2.09295,2.13737,
FAST,1997-01-06,2.15593,2.2194,2.14319,2.18011,
FAST,1997-01-07,2.173,2.30467,2.15998,2.28819,
FAST,1997-01-08,2.28819,2.28819,2.23618,2.26954,
FAST,1997-01-09,2.26954,2.28819,2.24713,2.26954,
FAST,1997-01-10,2.2416,2.27517,2.2194,2.25829,
FAST,1997-01-13,2.24713,2.26954,2.17834,2.18948,
FAST,1997-01-14,2.18948,2.25286,2.18386,2.24713,
FAST,1997-01-15,2.23045,2.24713,2.20272,2.2194,
FAST,1997-01-16,2.2194,2.2416,2.19512,2.2118,
FAST,1997-01-17,2.19512,2.20272,2.173,2.173,
FAST,1997-01-20,2.17478,2.20272,2.173,2.17834,
FAST,1997-01-21,2.18386,2.18386,2.14319,2.15998,
FAST,1997-01-22,2.1654,2.1654,2.09848,2.12631,
FAST,1997-01-23,2.09848,2.12631,2.09848,2.10223,
FAST,1997-01-24,1.94243,2.01686,1.76209,1.78608,
FAST,1997-01-27,1.78608,1.83652,1.70997,1.72656,
FAST,1997-01-28,1.75647,1.78608,1.7156,1.72311,
FAST,1997-01-29,1.7156,1.74531,1.66902,1.67652,
FAST,1997-01-30,1.70997,1.70997,1.60584,1.66902,
FAST,1997-01-31,1.68609,1.82526,1.66348,1.74531,
FAST,1997-02-03,1.75093,1.78608,1.73219,1.74531,
FAST,1997-02-04,1.74531,1.83652,1.74531,1.81401,
FAST,1997-02-05,1.83652,1.84915,1.74531,1.75647,
FAST,1997-02-06,1.75647,1.76762,1.72311,1.73999,
FAST,1997-02-07,1.73219,1.74531,1.70997,1.7156,
FAST,1997-02-10,1.7156,1.72656,1.66902,1.66902,
FAST,1997-02-11,1.68609,1.69902,1.60031,1.64128,
FAST,1997-02-12,1.64128,1.6929,1.64128,1.68016,
FAST,1997-02-13,1.68609,1.77867,1.66902,1.75093,
FAST,1997-02-14,1.77305,1.80296,1.73219,1.77867,
FAST,1997-02-18,1.77867,1.77867,1.74531,1.75647,
FAST,1997-02-19,1.75647,1.80296,1.73999,1.76762,
FAST,1997-02-20,1.75647,1.76209,1.7156,1.7156,
FAST,1997-02-21,1.72656,1.75647,1.69902,1.69902,
FAST,1997-02-24,1.70997,1.70997,1.67652,1.68016,
FAST,1997-02-25,1.68016,1.70997,1.66348,1.68609,
FAST,1997-02-26,1.68767,1.75647,1.68767,1.70465,
FAST,1997-02-27,1.6929,1.7156,1.67652,1.70997,
FAST,1997-02-28,1.7156,1.7156,1.66566,1.67652,
FAST,1997-03-03,1.66566,1.69902,1.63012,1.66902,
FAST,1997-03-04,1.68016,1.68767,1.66566,1.68767,
FAST,1997-03-05,1.68767,1.70997,1.66566,1.70781,
FAST,1997-03-06,1.70997,1.77867,1.6929,1.75093,
FAST,1997-03-07,1.76959,1.76959,1.72311,1.76209,
FAST,1997-03-10,1.73999,1.76209,1.73219,1.76209,
FAST,1997-03-11,1.76209,1.76959,1.73999,1.75093,
FAST,1997-03-12,1.75647,1.76959,1.72656,1.72656,
FAST,1997-03-13,1.72311,1.73219,1.63012,1.63012,
FAST,1997-03-14,1.64128,1.64128,1.61907,1.63575,
FAST,1997-03-17,1.63575,1.64128,1.55965,1.61324,
FAST,1997-03-18,1.61907,1.61907,1.46646,1.53161,
FAST,1997-03-19,1.54829,1.64128,1.52589,1.63575,
FAST,1997-03-20,1.64128,1.64128,1.57248,1.60584,
FAST,1997-03-21,1.62282,1.65244,1.62282,1.64128,
FAST,1997-03-24,1.64128,1.68767,1.63012,1.65786,
FAST,1997-03-25,1.65786,1.68767,1.65786,1.66566,
FAST,1997-03-26,1.65786,1.69902,1.65786,1.67652,
FAST,1997-03-27,1.65786,1.69902,1.65244,1.65244,
FAST,1997-03-31,1.65244,1.66902,1.61907,1.61907,
FAST,1997-04-01,1.62282,1.64128,1.61907,1.63012,
FAST,1997-04-02,1.63575,1.65244,1.60584,1.62282,
FAST,1997-04-03,1.60584,1.61907,1.58926,1.60584,
FAST,1997-04-04,1.60584,1.61324,1.58373,1.58926,
FAST,1997-04-07,1.60584,1.61324,1.57248,1.58926,
FAST,1997-04-08,1.57248,1.58926,1.52026,1.55965,
FAST,1997-04-09,1.54829,1.56675,1.52589,1.53714,
FAST,1997-04-10,1.53714,1.54277,1.4796,1.49638,
FAST,1997-04-11,1.43301,1.65786,1.42195,1.61907,
FAST,1997-04-14,1.61324,1.82526,1.61324,1.81974,
FAST,1997-04-15,1.81401,1.84915,1.70997,1.73999,
FAST,1997-04-16,1.73219,1.80296,1.68016,1.7919,
FAST,1997-04-17,1.77867,1.90147,1.77867,1.81974,
FAST,1997-04-18,1.82526,1.82526,1.77867,1.77867,
FAST,1997-04-21,1.76209,1.80296,1.75093,1.76959,
FAST,1997-04-22,1.75647,1.83652,1.74531,1.80296,
FAST,1997-04-23,1.81401,1.82526,1.76209,1.77305,
FAST,1997-04-24,1.78243,1.81401,1.76959,1.80296,
FAST,1997-04-25,1.7919,1.80296,1.77867,1.7919,
FAST,1997-04-28,1.7919,1.79743,1.77305,1.7919,
FAST,1997-04-29,1.80296,1.83652,1.7919,1.80296,
FAST,1997-04-30,1.81401,1.84214,1.78608,1.80296,
FAST,1997-05-01,1.78608,1.80296,1.76209,1.76959,
FAST,1997-05-02,1.76209,1.92565,1.76209,1.91825,
FAST,1997-05-05,1.91825,2.10579,1.90719,2.05752,
FAST,1997-05-06,2.03521,2.06117,1.99978,1.99978,
FAST,1997-05-07,1.97569,2.0056,1.94243,1.94243,
FAST,1997-05-08,1.94243,2.07993,1.94243,2.01102,
FAST,1997-05-09,2.02208,2.04636,1.98112,1.99257,
FAST,1997-05-12,1.98892,2.03886,1.97569,2.03521,
FAST,1997-05-13,2.03886,2.03886,1.99257,2.02208,
FAST,1997-05-14,2.02208,2.0742,2.02208,2.05752,
FAST,1997-05-15,2.04636,2.07993,2.03521,2.07993,
FAST,1997-05-16,2.0742,2.14487,2.05752,2.12631,
FAST,1997-05-19,2.11517,2.173,2.11517,2.13935,
FAST,1997-05-20,2.13935,2.2416,2.13935,2.22295,
FAST,1997-05-21,2.23045,2.25286,2.173,2.20814,
FAST,1997-05-22,2.19512,2.19512,2.12631,2.15593,
FAST,1997-05-23,2.14487,2.23045,2.14487,2.20814,
FAST,1997-05-27,2.20814,2.2118,2.16728,2.20272,
FAST,1997-05-28,2.20272,2.20272,2.19146,2.19344,
FAST,1997-05-29,2.19146,2.19512,2.14872,2.14872,
FAST,1997-05-30,2.13935,2.19146,2.13195,2.15998,
FAST,1997-06-02,2.15998,2.18386,2.14872,2.18386,
FAST,1997-06-03,2.16728,2.20272,2.14872,2.18771,
FAST,1997-06-04,2.18386,2.25088,2.18386,2.24901,
FAST,1997-06-05,2.2416,2.26569,2.2416,2.25661,
FAST,1997-06-06,2.23618,2.27309,2.23045,2.25286,
FAST,1997-06-09,2.23045,2.26204,2.23045,2.24526,
FAST,1997-06-10,2.23045,2.26569,2.23045,2.25088,
FAST,1997-06-11,2.2416,2.27685,2.2416,2.27685,
FAST,1997-06-12,2.26569,2.43309,2.26569,2.40516,
FAST,1997-06-13,2.39964,2.44967,2.39214,2.42559,
FAST,1997-06-16,2.42559,2.43862,2.34584,2.39214,
FAST,1997-06-17,2.36242,2.44967,2.35867,2.41246,
FAST,1997-06-18,2.40516,2.44395,2.32353,2.35867,
FAST,1997-06-19,2.32906,2.34011,2.28819,2.33459,
FAST,1997-06-20,2.36795,2.36795,2.31218,2.32906,
FAST,1997-06-23,2.31218,2.33459,2.2416,2.25286,
FAST,1997-06-24,2.26569,2.26569,2.16343,2.26569,
FAST,1997-06-25,2.23045,2.35136,2.23045,2.32906,
FAST,1997-06-26,2.32353,2.38128,2.32353,2.36242,
FAST,1997-06-27,2.36795,2.39786,2.35136,2.38128,
FAST,1997-06-30,2.38128,2.38128,2.25286,2.26569,
FAST,1997-07-01,2.26569,2.34939,2.26569,2.34011,
FAST,1997-07-02,2.33459,2.47939,2.31949,2.42362,
FAST,1997-07-03,2.40516,2.44967,2.39214,2.42559,
FAST,1997-07-07,2.41838,2.43862,2.36637,2.39964,
FAST,1997-07-08,2.39214,2.46113,2.37526,2.40516,
FAST,1997-07-09,2.41444,2.41444,2.34011,2.36242,
FAST,1997-07-10,2.36242,2.39964,2.34011,2.39006,
FAST,1997-07-11,2.35867,2.53713,2.34584,2.52223,
FAST,1997-07-14,2.54246,2.54246,2.44967,2.51837,
FAST,1997-07-15,2.50169,2.53713,2.49054,2.53338,
FAST,1997-07-16,2.50732,2.54246,2.49617,2.54246,
FAST,1997-07-17,2.52598,2.54818,2.51837,2.53713,
FAST,1997-07-18,2.51837,2.54246,2.50169,2.53713,
FAST,1997-07-21,2.50732,2.53713,2.50732,2.52598,
FAST,1997-07-22,2.50732,2.5465,2.50169,2.53713,
FAST,1997-07-23,2.52598,2.54246,2.52598,2.53713,
FAST,1997-07-24,2.52598,2.5317,2.46113,2.48501,
FAST,1997-07-25,2.48501,2.48501,2.46113,2.47939,
FAST,1997-07-28,2.46113,2.53713,2.43675,2.46813,
FAST,1997-07-29,2.46813,2.50001,2.41838,2.42914,
FAST,1997-07-30,2.43862,2.53713,2.41444,2.53713,
FAST,1997-07-31,2.51502,2.65241,2.50169,2.5855,
FAST,1997-08-01,2.58164,2.61136,2.55924,2.58914,
FAST,1997-08-04,2.5781,2.62813,2.5781,2.593,
FAST,1997-08-05,2.58914,2.59497,2.57226,2.58164,
FAST,1997-08-06,2.58914,2.70443,2.58164,2.64117,
FAST,1997-08-07,2.67097,2.72862,2.65241,2.69901,
FAST,1997-08-08,2.67097,2.77501,2.63554,2.69901,
FAST,1997-08-11,2.72862,2.7452,2.69901,2.738,
FAST,1997-08-12,2.75102,2.79524,2.72862,2.75102,
FAST,1997-08-13,2.75102,2.77501,2.71539,2.72862,
FAST,1997-08-14,2.72122,2.7452,2.71539,2.72862,
FAST,1997-08-15,2.71539,2.78409,2.68223,2.69121,
FAST,1997-08-18,2.68223,2.69121,2.60583,2.63731,
FAST,1997-08-19,2.64709,2.65795,2.64117,2.65241,
FAST,1997-08-20,2.65241,2.69121,2.64117,2.68223,
FAST,1997-08-21,2.67443,2.72122,2.67443,2.70621,
FAST,1997-08-22,2.68223,2.70443,2.6153,2.64117,
FAST,1997-08-25,2.63554,2.65795,2.62813,2.64294,
FAST,1997-08-26,2.65795,2.69901,2.63554,2.68223,
FAST,1997-08-27,2.67443,2.69121,2.66357,2.69121,
FAST,1997-08-28,2.67097,2.68765,2.63554,2.68223,
FAST,1997-08-29,2.65795,2.67443,2.55924,2.66357,
FAST,1997-09-02,2.65795,2.70996,2.65795,2.70443,
FAST,1997-09-03,2.69901,2.70996,2.68223,2.69901,
FAST,1997-09-04,2.70246,2.72122,2.67443,2.69693,
FAST,1997-09-05,2.67097,2.69901,2.48501,2.51837,
FAST,1997-09-08,2.51837,2.64709,2.49054,2.64709,
FAST,1997-09-09,2.65241,2.65241,2.57434,2.6001,
FAST,1997-09-10,2.58914,2.58914,2.52598,2.56496,
FAST,1997-09-11,2.54246,2.67097,2.54246,2.58164,
FAST,1997-09-12,2.5781,2.58914,2.54818,2.55924,
FAST,1997-09-15,2.54818,2.58914,2.50001,2.51502,
FAST,1997-09-16,2.53713,2.53713,2.44967,2.49617,
FAST,1997-09-17,2.49617,2.50732,2.43862,2.50732,
FAST,1997-09-18,2.49054,2.58914,2.49054,2.56496,
FAST,1997-09-19,2.56496,2.5781,2.554,2.554,
FAST,1997-09-22,2.55924,2.58164,2.51117,2.51502,
FAST,1997-09-23,2.51502,2.51837,2.47237,2.49617,
FAST,1997-09-24,2.50732,2.5317,2.4553,2.46113,
FAST,1997-09-25,2.48501,2.48501,2.42559,2.43497,
FAST,1997-09-26,2.43309,2.46113,2.33459,2.43862,
FAST,1997-09-29,2.35867,2.51502,2.35867,2.47237,
FAST,1997-09-30,2.47237,2.50169,2.40516,2.46113,
FAST,1997-10-01,2.47237,2.58914,2.43309,2.56892,
FAST,1997-10-02,2.52598,2.54818,2.49617,2.51117,
FAST,1997-10-03,2.54246,2.56496,2.4553,2.49617,
FAST,1997-10-06,2.51502,2.54246,2.51502,2.5317,
FAST,1997-10-07,2.52598,2.52598,2.44967,2.46113,
FAST,1997-10-08,2.49617,2.49617,2.46113,2.47603,
FAST,1997-10-09,2.48501,2.53713,2.47939,2.5317,
FAST,1997-10-10,2.40881,2.44395,2.40516,2.42559,
FAST,1997-10-13,2.44967,2.49617,2.40881,2.47237,
FAST,1997-10-14,2.4553,2.47237,2.43862,2.43862,
FAST,1997-10-15,2.44967,2.4553,2.35867,2.3864,
FAST,1997-10-16,2.40881,2.41444,2.30103,2.32353,
FAST,1997-10-17,2.31218,2.44967,2.28819,2.44967,
FAST,1997-10-20,2.44395,2.4553,2.40516,2.40516,
FAST,1997-10-21,2.39786,2.43309,2.3864,2.39214,
FAST,1997-10-22,2.40516,2.41444,2.3864,2.40881,
FAST,1997-10-23,2.31603,2.39786,2.28819,2.37526,
FAST,1997-10-24,2.42559,2.42559,2.34011,2.36242,
FAST,1997-10-27,2.35867,2.36242,2.2194,2.2416,
FAST,1997-10-28,2.19512,2.32353,2.12631,2.27685,
FAST,1997-10-29,2.32353,2.35136,2.28819,2.30103,
FAST,1997-10-30,2.24526,2.28247,2.2194,2.22502,
FAST,1997-10-31,2.26569,2.28247,2.23618,2.26569,
FAST,1997-11-03,2.28247,2.38128,2.26569,2.34584,
FAST,1997-11-04,2.33459,2.35867,2.30103,2.35136,
FAST,1997-11-05,2.33459,2.46113,2.33459,2.43309,
FAST,1997-11-06,2.43309,2.49617,2.41444,2.45935,
FAST,1997-11-07,2.39214,2.46813,2.38128,2.39006,
FAST,1997-11-10,2.40516,2.42184,2.36242,2.3864,
FAST,1997-11-11,2.38128,2.40516,2.37526,2.39786,
FAST,1997-11-12,2.35867,2.41444,2.35867,2.36795,
FAST,1997-11-13,2.38128,2.39214,2.34011,2.36795,
FAST,1997-11-14,2.35867,2.3864,2.35472,2.35867,
FAST,1997-11-17,2.35867,2.51837,2.35867,2.50169,
FAST,1997-11-18,2.49617,2.49617,2.42559,2.46813,
FAST,1997-11-19,2.46113,2.47237,2.40516,2.42559,
FAST,1997-11-20,2.4553,2.50732,2.42184,2.50732,
FAST,1997-11-21,2.51837,2.5317,2.4553,2.48501,
FAST,1997-11-24,2.50169,2.50169,2.46113,2.48501,
FAST,1997-11-25,2.47237,2.48501,2.44967,2.48501,
FAST,1997-11-26,2.46113,2.48501,2.41444,2.46813,
FAST,1997-11-28,2.43862,2.47237,2.40881,2.44967,
FAST,1997-12-01,2.44967,2.49617,2.44967,2.47939,
FAST,1997-12-02,2.49617,2.49617,2.39214,2.41444,
FAST,1997-12-03,2.41444,2.43862,2.39786,2.42559,
FAST,1997-12-04,2.41444,2.43862,2.40516,2.41444,
FAST,1997-12-05,2.41444,2.42559,2.39214,2.42559,
FAST,1997-12-08,2.40516,2.43862,2.39214,2.42559,
FAST,1997-12-09,2.40516,2.42559,2.32353,2.32353,
FAST,1997-12-10,1.84915,1.90344,1.77867,1.89584,
FAST,1997-12-11,1.89584,1.89584,1.82912,1.85704,
FAST,1997-12-12,1.87176,1.88281,1.82526,1.84214,
FAST,1997-12-15,1.8605,1.8605,1.7919,1.79743,
FAST,1997-12-16,1.79743,1.84915,1.79743,1.84915,
FAST,1997-12-17,1.84915,1.85518,1.81401,1.82339,
FAST,1997-12-18,1.82526,1.82526,1.77305,1.78795,
FAST,1997-12-19,1.77305,1.81974,1.66566,1.77305,
FAST,1997-12-22,1.80868,1.81401,1.74709,1.76575,
FAST,1997-12-23,1.76959,1.79743,1.73999,1.74531,
FAST,1997-12-24,1.77867,1.78608,1.74333,1.74907,
FAST,1997-12-26,1.73219,1.76209,1.73219,1.76209,
FAST,1997-12-29,1.76959,1.81401,1.75647,1.77147,
FAST,1997-12-30,1.76959,1.81974,1.75647,1.79743,
FAST,1997-12-31,1.80868,1.82526,1.70997,1.76959,
FAST,1998-01-02,1.80868,1.89584,1.77305,1.88281,
FAST,1998-01-05,1.87176,1.99257,1.87176,1.97401,
FAST,1998-01-06,1.97036,1.97401,1.88093,1.89584,
FAST,1998-01-07,1.88281,1.88863,1.82526,1.84915,
FAST,1998-01-08,1.8605,1.8605,1.78243,1.80473,
FAST,1998-01-09,1.79378,1.79378,1.61324,1.61324,
FAST,1998-01-12,1.62282,1.70997,1.58373,1.66152,
FAST,1998-01-13,1.66566,1.73219,1.65786,1.70997,
FAST,1998-01-14,1.73219,1.73219,1.69902,1.7156,
FAST,1998-01-15,1.73219,1.76959,1.70465,1.76959,
FAST,1998-01-16,1.74531,1.83266,1.74531,1.78608,
FAST,1998-01-20,1.83266,1.93493,1.80296,1.90719,
FAST,1998-01-21,1.90147,1.96464,1.88863,1.91825,
FAST,1998-01-22,1.87176,1.91242,1.87176,1.91084,
FAST,1998-01-23,1.93493,1.96464,1.90719,1.94983,
FAST,1998-01-26,1.97036,1.99978,1.91084,1.91084,
FAST,1998-01-27,1.92565,1.99257,1.89584,1.97934,
FAST,1998-01-28,1.95358,2.0668,1.95358,2.04636,
FAST,1998-01-29,2.0518,2.08525,2.04636,2.08525,
FAST,1998-01-30,2.05377,2.06857,2.03166,2.03166,
FAST,1998-02-02,2.03708,2.03708,1.98892,1.99257,
FAST,1998-02-03,1.99978,2.0278,1.98892,2.0278,
FAST,1998-02-04,2.03521,2.0742,2.01102,2.05752,
FAST,1998-02-05,2.0742,2.08525,2.05752,2.06117,
FAST,1998-02-06,2.08525,2.12631,2.06324,2.10973,
FAST,1998-02-09,2.13935,2.19512,2.10973,2.15593,
FAST,1998-02-10,2.15998,2.18386,2.13935,2.17093,
FAST,1998-02-11,2.173,2.20814,2.14872,2.20814,
FAST,1998-02-12,2.20814,2.23618,2.173,2.2118,
FAST,1998-02-13,2.2118,2.25286,2.14872,2.15998,
FAST,1998-02-17,2.18386,2.18386,2.07993,2.10579,
FAST,1998-02-18,2.08525,2.14872,2.08525,2.10973,
FAST,1998-02-19,2.10973,2.18011,2.09295,2.13935,
FAST,1998-02-20,2.13935,2.15593,2.12631,2.13017,
FAST,1998-02-23,2.13195,2.20814,2.13195,2.18386,
FAST,1998-02-24,2.19512,2.20814,2.15593,2.15998,
FAST,1998-02-25,2.173,2.18594,2.14122,2.15998,
FAST,1998-02-26,2.16728,2.16728,2.02208,2.02613,
FAST,1998-02-27,2.0518,2.05752,2.02208,2.0278,
FAST,1998-03-02,2.03886,2.03886,2.01102,2.02613,
FAST,1998-03-03,2.04636,2.04636,2.0056,2.0056,
FAST,1998-03-04,2.01686,2.01686,1.95901,1.99257,
FAST,1998-03-05,1.95358,2.01102,1.95358,1.98112,
FAST,1998-03-06,2.01102,2.01102,1.98112,2.01102,
FAST,1998-03-09,2.01102,2.0278,1.98112,2.01686,
FAST,1998-03-10,2.0056,2.06324,2.0056,2.05752,
FAST,1998-03-11,2.06857,2.14872,2.0518,2.13559,
FAST,1998-03-12,2.14872,2.14872,2.10973,2.11517,
FAST,1998-03-13,2.12454,2.173,2.10381,2.173,
FAST,1998-03-16,2.17834,2.17834,2.12631,2.16165,
FAST,1998-03-17,2.16728,2.17834,2.13935,2.13935,
FAST,1998-03-18,2.15593,2.15593,2.12454,2.13935,
FAST,1998-03-19,2.11517,2.11517,2.06857,2.07815,
FAST,1998-03-20,2.09295,2.09295,2.0278,2.03521,
FAST,1998-03-23,2.03886,2.04636,2.02208,2.03166,
FAST,1998-03-24,2.04636,2.07815,2.02208,2.0518,
FAST,1998-03-25,2.0818,2.13017,2.05377,2.09295,
FAST,1998-03-26,2.08525,2.13935,2.06324,2.12079,
FAST,1998-03-27,2.11517,2.12631,2.01686,2.03521,
FAST,1998-03-30,2.03521,2.04636,1.92565,1.93493,
FAST,1998-03-31,1.96464,2.06857,1.94243,2.0056,
FAST,1998-04-01,2.02613,2.02613,1.91825,1.95901,
FAST,1998-04-02,1.95901,1.98112,1.95358,1.96099,
FAST,1998-04-03,1.95901,1.95901,1.91242,1.92733,
FAST,1998-04-06,1.92565,1.9293,1.88281,1.88863,
FAST,1998-04-07,1.89584,1.95536,1.87906,1.88656,
FAST,1998-04-08,1.88656,1.88863,1.83266,1.87176,
FAST,1998-04-09,1.87176,1.91242,1.85518,1.88281,
FAST,1998-04-13,2.03521,2.17834,1.99978,2.13935,"[""Movers & Shakers Bank and brokerage stocks swelled Monday amid a wave of bank mergers and positive earnings. (See our, and )"", ""Earnings Surprises -- 04-13-98 By Barbara C. Costanza, CBS MarketWatch""]"
FAST,1998-04-14,2.13195,2.33459,2.12631,2.32353,Movers & Shakers Stocks to Watch
FAST,1998-04-15,2.31218,2.5317,2.30467,2.52598,
FAST,1998-04-16,2.50169,2.51837,2.43309,2.48709,
FAST,1998-04-17,2.4553,2.54818,2.4553,2.53338,
FAST,1998-04-20,2.51502,2.5781,2.47237,2.53713,
FAST,1998-04-21,2.51502,2.539,2.49617,2.53338,
FAST,1998-04-22,2.52598,2.52598,2.39214,2.42362,
FAST,1998-04-23,2.39214,2.47939,2.35867,2.42737,
FAST,1998-04-24,2.42184,2.48501,2.40516,2.45165,
FAST,1998-04-27,2.38128,2.47237,2.36054,2.44059,
FAST,1998-04-28,2.4553,2.47237,2.42184,2.46113,
FAST,1998-04-29,2.45935,2.539,2.43862,2.51117,
FAST,1998-04-30,2.51502,2.61896,2.50732,2.5855,
FAST,1998-05-01,2.5855,2.62813,2.56122,2.5781,
FAST,1998-05-04,2.5781,2.6001,2.45165,2.4553,
FAST,1998-05-05,2.45165,2.54246,2.38128,2.49054,
FAST,1998-05-06,2.47939,2.50169,2.46813,2.46813,
FAST,1998-05-07,2.4553,2.47939,2.39786,2.40881,
FAST,1998-05-08,2.42737,2.46813,2.40516,2.45935,
FAST,1998-05-11,2.46113,2.46113,2.36972,2.37526,
FAST,1998-05-12,2.35867,2.39786,2.35867,2.38128,
FAST,1998-05-13,2.37348,2.42737,2.37348,2.39598,
FAST,1998-05-14,2.38305,2.47939,2.38128,2.42737,
FAST,1998-05-15,2.42737,2.43862,2.37348,2.37348,
FAST,1998-05-18,2.36972,2.38128,2.31218,2.33073,
FAST,1998-05-19,2.35867,2.35867,2.2416,2.30103,
FAST,1998-05-20,2.31218,2.33459,2.28819,2.31791,
FAST,1998-05-21,2.32906,2.32906,2.29531,2.31791,
FAST,1998-05-22,2.31791,2.33459,2.31218,2.31395,
FAST,1998-05-26,2.31218,2.32353,2.25829,2.25829,
FAST,1998-05-27,2.25829,2.27685,2.24901,2.26569,
FAST,1998-05-28,2.27685,2.31218,2.26569,2.30103,
FAST,1998-05-29,2.28819,2.30103,2.28819,2.28819,
FAST,1998-06-01,2.29531,2.29531,2.23045,2.25286,
FAST,1998-06-02,2.26569,2.27685,2.24901,2.24901,
FAST,1998-06-03,2.2416,2.25286,2.21358,2.21358,
FAST,1998-06-04,2.21358,2.25286,2.21358,2.24901,
FAST,1998-06-05,2.23045,2.28069,2.23045,2.28069,
FAST,1998-06-08,2.26569,2.34011,2.26569,2.32353,
FAST,1998-06-09,2.31791,2.32353,2.31791,2.31791,
FAST,1998-06-10,2.31791,2.32353,2.28819,2.28819,
FAST,1998-06-11,2.28819,2.29175,2.23795,2.25829,
FAST,1998-06-12,2.26569,2.30467,2.23795,2.25829,
FAST,1998-06-15,2.23045,2.25829,2.14872,2.173,
FAST,1998-06-16,2.19512,2.21358,2.15593,2.18594,
FAST,1998-06-17,2.18948,2.23045,2.18771,2.2194,
FAST,1998-06-18,2.20814,2.21358,2.14872,2.15237,
FAST,1998-06-19,2.16165,2.16728,2.12631,2.12631,
FAST,1998-06-22,2.11517,2.14872,2.09295,2.12631,
FAST,1998-06-23,2.10381,2.13935,2.09503,2.10045,
FAST,1998-06-24,2.10045,2.22502,2.09848,2.20272,
FAST,1998-06-25,2.22502,2.23045,2.173,2.20814,
FAST,1998-06-26,2.20272,2.21358,2.18594,2.19512,
FAST,1998-06-29,2.173,2.19512,2.16165,2.17834,
FAST,1998-06-30,2.173,2.19146,2.13195,2.14685,
FAST,1998-07-01,2.14487,2.234,2.14487,2.22295,
FAST,1998-07-02,2.2266,2.23795,2.19512,2.21752,
FAST,1998-07-06,2.19866,2.20272,2.15593,2.19512,
FAST,1998-07-07,2.19512,2.23795,2.18771,2.20272,
FAST,1998-07-08,2.19512,2.32906,2.19512,2.30843,
FAST,1998-07-09,2.32353,2.36972,2.31218,2.36972,
FAST,1998-07-10,2.11703,2.173,2.01686,2.02208,"[""Earnings Surprises - 07-10-98 Applied Materials Inc. (AMAT) shares could get hit Monday after the biggest maker of computer chip manufacturing equipment warned it expects its third-quarterearnings to be below estimates.Applied expects to make between 15 and 18 cents a share compared to the consensus estimate of 21 cents a share. The company said customers are delaying orders, rescheduling equipment deliveries and reducing spending on wafer fabrication equipment . Shares closed up 1/2 to 29 1/2. See related story."", ""Snap 7-10-98 Next week: Earnings downpourU.S.stocks in dull session"", ""Movers and Shakers 7-10-98 U.S. stocks to watch""]"
FAST,1998-07-13,2.02208,2.11517,2.02208,2.06857,
FAST,1998-07-14,2.0818,2.09295,2.06857,2.06857,
FAST,1998-07-15,2.0818,2.09848,2.01102,2.0818,
FAST,1998-07-16,2.08525,2.08525,2.05752,2.0818,
FAST,1998-07-17,2.08525,2.09848,2.06857,2.08525,
FAST,1998-07-20,2.0742,2.10973,2.0742,2.08525,
FAST,1998-07-21,2.09295,2.09295,2.0742,2.08348,
FAST,1998-07-22,2.08348,2.08348,2.01686,2.04636,
FAST,1998-07-23,2.06324,2.06324,1.94243,1.96839,
FAST,1998-07-24,1.9907,2.01102,1.96099,1.98892,
FAST,1998-07-27,1.99257,1.99257,1.90719,1.94243,
FAST,1998-07-28,1.91242,1.97934,1.91084,1.97036,
FAST,1998-07-29,1.98517,2.05377,1.97569,2.01102,
FAST,1998-07-30,2.02208,2.05752,1.99257,2.05752,
FAST,1998-07-31,2.06324,2.06324,2.01686,2.01872,
FAST,1998-08-03,2.04636,2.04636,1.89584,1.90719,
FAST,1998-08-04,1.91825,1.95358,1.81598,1.84758,
FAST,1998-08-05,1.84392,1.87906,1.82526,1.83652,
FAST,1998-08-06,1.84915,1.88281,1.83266,1.87176,
FAST,1998-08-07,1.90719,1.92565,1.87176,1.89396,
FAST,1998-08-10,1.91825,1.93493,1.85518,1.86623,
FAST,1998-08-11,1.82526,1.85518,1.82526,1.84758,
FAST,1998-08-12,1.88281,1.88281,1.84915,1.86623,
FAST,1998-08-13,1.88281,1.88281,1.83266,1.85704,
FAST,1998-08-14,1.87176,1.88281,1.77867,1.79743,
FAST,1998-08-17,1.80868,1.81598,1.77867,1.78608,
FAST,1998-08-18,1.80296,1.89584,1.78608,1.85518,
FAST,1998-08-19,1.88281,1.89584,1.81974,1.84392,
FAST,1998-08-20,1.83652,1.85518,1.75093,1.75093,
FAST,1998-08-21,1.66566,1.71165,1.55569,1.66902,
FAST,1998-08-24,1.6929,1.71165,1.66566,1.66902,
FAST,1998-08-25,1.6929,1.6929,1.6468,1.66566,
FAST,1998-08-26,1.66566,1.66566,1.53714,1.55017,
FAST,1998-08-27,1.50388,1.53714,1.49056,1.51839,
FAST,1998-08-28,1.50388,1.55017,1.42195,1.43301,
FAST,1998-08-31,1.46292,1.46646,1.34023,1.34921,
FAST,1998-09-01,1.36421,1.49056,1.34921,1.46508,
FAST,1998-09-02,1.47378,1.47378,1.40902,1.40902,
FAST,1998-09-03,1.39402,1.41623,1.36421,1.38089,
FAST,1998-09-04,1.35701,1.38651,1.29384,1.33243,
FAST,1998-09-08,1.39975,1.50388,1.39402,1.41623,
FAST,1998-09-09,1.45512,1.4796,1.28248,1.28248,
FAST,1998-09-10,1.22493,1.32344,1.17835,1.26018,
FAST,1998-09-11,1.26018,1.35701,1.25622,1.34023,
FAST,1998-09-14,1.35305,1.37547,1.32917,1.34407,Off-Wall Street Baudelaire French-literature scholar Mark Roberts' short-sales ideas made moneyright through a roaring bull market. And now he has the wind at hisback.
FAST,1998-09-15,1.35305,1.40902,1.31792,1.36065,
FAST,1998-09-16,1.36806,1.36993,1.32917,1.35305,
FAST,1998-09-17,1.29384,1.36421,1.29384,1.35305,
FAST,1998-09-18,1.38651,1.38651,1.32917,1.33835,
FAST,1998-09-21,1.34023,1.34023,1.24724,1.26018,
FAST,1998-09-22,1.27696,1.31792,1.27142,1.29384,
FAST,1998-09-23,1.31792,1.35483,1.29384,1.35483,
FAST,1998-09-24,1.35701,1.36421,1.27142,1.28624,
FAST,1998-09-25,1.27142,1.27696,1.19137,1.20825,
FAST,1998-09-28,1.22493,1.26018,1.17835,1.21013,
FAST,1998-09-29,1.20075,1.21388,1.17835,1.18595,
FAST,1998-09-30,1.19543,1.19543,1.1134,1.15614,
FAST,1998-10-01,1.1281,1.13196,1.08517,1.10955,
FAST,1998-10-02,1.13196,1.13196,1.08517,1.08517,
FAST,1998-10-05,1.09484,1.10788,1.03907,1.07619,
FAST,1998-10-06,1.10955,1.13571,1.08172,1.1281,
FAST,1998-10-07,1.13196,1.13196,0.94787,1.00551,
FAST,1998-10-08,0.964749,1.02969,0.953299,1.01123,
FAST,1998-10-09,1.05763,1.16157,1.03907,1.15614,
FAST,1998-10-12,1.22493,1.22493,1.19137,1.19897,
FAST,1998-10-13,1.21911,1.24724,1.16917,1.20075,
FAST,1998-10-14,1.22493,1.35305,1.18595,1.32917,
FAST,1998-10-15,1.32344,1.45512,1.32344,1.44634,
FAST,1998-10-16,1.4796,1.4796,1.39402,1.39402,
FAST,1998-10-19,1.39027,1.39975,1.37547,1.39402,
FAST,1998-10-20,1.39975,1.50388,1.38651,1.44969,
FAST,1998-10-21,1.45512,1.4796,1.43301,1.46646,
FAST,1998-10-22,1.49056,1.52026,1.46292,1.50556,
FAST,1998-10-23,1.48157,1.54277,1.48157,1.52787,
FAST,1998-10-26,1.52589,1.60584,1.51296,1.58926,
FAST,1998-10-27,1.60584,1.71165,1.53714,1.54089,
FAST,1998-10-28,1.52787,1.55569,1.50388,1.55569,
FAST,1998-10-29,1.53714,1.61907,1.53714,1.57435,
FAST,1998-10-30,1.57248,1.67652,1.56675,1.66902,
FAST,1998-11-02,1.67652,1.67652,1.63012,1.66902,
FAST,1998-11-03,1.65244,1.66152,1.55017,1.58373,
FAST,1998-11-04,1.59479,1.71165,1.59479,1.70465,
FAST,1998-11-05,1.70781,1.76959,1.66566,1.73811,
FAST,1998-11-06,1.72311,1.84392,1.72311,1.80868,
FAST,1998-11-09,1.82526,1.82526,1.75647,1.80296,
FAST,1998-11-10,1.81598,1.81974,1.76209,1.80868,
FAST,1998-11-11,1.80296,1.84392,1.80296,1.81974,
FAST,1998-11-12,1.80296,1.84915,1.7919,1.84758,
FAST,1998-11-13,1.84915,1.90344,1.83652,1.87176,
FAST,1998-11-16,1.87176,1.95901,1.87176,1.93305,
FAST,1998-11-17,1.90719,1.98892,1.88863,1.96464,
FAST,1998-11-18,1.98112,1.98112,1.89584,1.96099,
FAST,1998-11-19,1.96099,1.96099,1.89584,1.92733,
FAST,1998-11-20,1.90719,1.94785,1.90719,1.91825,
FAST,1998-11-23,1.91825,1.95358,1.91825,1.94785,
FAST,1998-11-24,1.94785,1.99978,1.91825,1.98892,
FAST,1998-11-25,1.97569,2.0056,1.97036,2.0056,
FAST,1998-11-27,1.98892,2.0056,1.98892,2.00372,
FAST,1998-11-30,1.99978,2.01102,1.89584,1.90719,
FAST,1998-12-01,1.88863,1.90147,1.79743,1.88863,
FAST,1998-12-02,1.87176,1.87176,1.79743,1.80473,
FAST,1998-12-03,1.80296,1.81786,1.76959,1.76959,
FAST,1998-12-04,1.76959,1.7919,1.69132,1.73425,
FAST,1998-12-07,1.72311,1.7919,1.72311,1.78243,
FAST,1998-12-08,1.78608,1.84915,1.75093,1.75093,
FAST,1998-12-09,1.75647,1.77867,1.75093,1.77867,
FAST,1998-12-10,1.75093,1.81974,1.75093,1.77867,
FAST,1998-12-11,1.777,1.83652,1.75093,1.80108,
FAST,1998-12-14,1.76959,1.84392,1.76959,1.82339,
FAST,1998-12-15,1.80296,1.83652,1.75647,1.78608,
FAST,1998-12-16,1.76959,1.82526,1.76959,1.81974,
FAST,1998-12-17,1.81046,1.85518,1.79743,1.85518,
FAST,1998-12-18,1.83652,1.94243,1.81598,1.94243,
FAST,1998-12-21,1.94243,2.05752,1.93493,2.03886,
FAST,1998-12-22,2.01102,2.03886,1.95358,1.96464,
FAST,1998-12-23,1.96099,2.0742,1.94243,2.06324,
FAST,1998-12-24,2.06324,2.09295,2.03886,2.08525,
FAST,1998-12-28,2.05752,2.0742,2.01102,2.0278,
FAST,1998-12-29,2.02208,2.05377,1.99642,2.03886,
FAST,1998-12-30,2.05752,2.12631,1.99978,2.11339,
FAST,1998-12-31,2.11339,2.14685,2.0278,2.03521,
FAST,1999-01-04,2.09848,2.09848,2.0056,2.09295,
FAST,1999-01-05,2.05752,2.09295,2.03521,2.0668,
FAST,1999-01-06,2.05752,2.0742,1.98892,1.99642,
FAST,1999-01-07,1.99978,1.99978,1.9293,1.99257,
FAST,1999-01-08,1.99978,1.99978,1.92733,1.96099,
FAST,1999-01-11,1.96099,1.96464,1.93493,1.94243,
FAST,1999-01-12,1.94243,1.97569,1.94243,1.97569,
FAST,1999-01-13,1.8605,1.94983,1.83266,1.88863,
FAST,1999-01-14,1.90147,1.91242,1.8605,1.90147,
FAST,1999-01-15,1.88863,1.95901,1.87906,1.95358,
FAST,1999-01-19,1.96464,1.98892,1.92565,1.98892,
FAST,1999-01-20,1.97036,1.98892,1.93493,1.93493,
FAST,1999-01-21,1.96464,1.96464,1.91439,1.9293,
FAST,1999-01-22,1.90719,2.05752,1.88281,2.03521,
FAST,1999-01-25,2.03521,2.03521,1.90147,1.94421,
FAST,1999-01-26,1.9293,1.94421,1.81598,1.85518,
FAST,1999-01-27,1.84915,1.86623,1.77305,1.81598,
FAST,1999-01-28,1.82526,1.84915,1.76959,1.80296,
FAST,1999-01-29,1.79378,1.80868,1.76959,1.78243,
FAST,1999-02-01,1.76959,1.81046,1.73811,1.80868,
FAST,1999-02-02,1.7919,1.84915,1.7919,1.81974,
FAST,1999-02-03,1.81974,1.86988,1.81974,1.85518,
FAST,1999-02-04,1.84392,1.8605,1.84392,1.84392,
FAST,1999-02-05,1.84915,1.84915,1.80296,1.80473,
FAST,1999-02-08,1.80296,1.81598,1.74709,1.77305,
FAST,1999-02-09,1.76959,1.79743,1.71165,1.71165,
FAST,1999-02-10,1.70781,1.75093,1.68767,1.72656,
FAST,1999-02-11,1.71165,1.76575,1.70465,1.75647,
FAST,1999-02-12,1.75093,1.77305,1.73425,1.74333,
FAST,1999-02-16,1.73999,1.74531,1.69507,1.69902,
FAST,1999-02-17,1.6468,1.69132,1.62074,1.62282,
FAST,1999-02-18,1.61324,1.71165,1.60397,1.69507,
FAST,1999-02-19,1.68214,1.73811,1.66152,1.7008,
FAST,1999-02-22,1.68767,1.74531,1.68767,1.73999,
FAST,1999-02-23,1.74531,1.82526,1.73425,1.80868,How to clean up in the markets SAN FRANCISCO (CBS.MW) -- It was a dark and stormy night.
FAST,1999-02-24,1.80473,1.82704,1.78075,1.79378,
FAST,1999-02-25,1.7919,1.79743,1.75281,1.76575,
FAST,1999-02-26,1.75835,1.76575,1.73425,1.75835,
FAST,1999-03-01,1.71165,1.84392,1.68767,1.80868,
FAST,1999-03-02,1.80473,1.81786,1.7919,1.7919,
FAST,1999-03-03,1.7919,1.80473,1.7156,1.71925,
FAST,1999-03-04,1.72311,1.77512,1.68767,1.73425,
FAST,1999-03-05,1.73999,1.78075,1.72853,1.75281,
FAST,1999-03-08,1.73425,1.75835,1.71165,1.72311,
FAST,1999-03-09,1.73425,1.73425,1.67464,1.67464,
FAST,1999-03-10,1.67089,1.70613,1.66566,1.69902,
FAST,1999-03-11,1.69902,1.73425,1.66566,1.72853,
FAST,1999-03-12,1.69902,1.81974,1.66566,1.77512,
FAST,1999-03-15,1.76959,1.82704,1.76959,1.777,
FAST,1999-03-16,1.77512,1.7919,1.70613,1.73425,
FAST,1999-03-17,1.74531,1.74531,1.68767,1.70613,
FAST,1999-03-18,1.6929,1.75835,1.68767,1.71925,
FAST,1999-03-19,1.73999,1.75281,1.70613,1.70613,
FAST,1999-03-22,1.69902,1.73425,1.63752,1.67652,
FAST,1999-03-23,1.64128,1.64128,1.59291,1.60229,
FAST,1999-03-24,1.60584,1.60584,1.55569,1.58373,
FAST,1999-03-25,1.60584,1.65244,1.58175,1.65244,
FAST,1999-03-26,1.65244,1.66566,1.63012,1.64128,
FAST,1999-03-29,1.66566,1.66566,1.61907,1.64483,
FAST,1999-03-30,1.64128,1.68767,1.63012,1.63575,
FAST,1999-03-31,1.63575,1.66566,1.59834,1.62074,
FAST,1999-04-01,1.63012,1.65244,1.57248,1.63378,
FAST,1999-04-05,1.64128,1.80473,1.59834,1.80473,
FAST,1999-04-06,1.75835,1.81598,1.71165,1.80473,
FAST,1999-04-07,1.81598,1.81598,1.75835,1.78608,
FAST,1999-04-08,1.77512,1.80473,1.72853,1.79378,
FAST,1999-04-09,1.79743,1.82704,1.75835,1.80473,
FAST,1999-04-12,1.80868,2.03521,1.78075,1.97214,
FAST,1999-04-13,1.96464,2.01102,1.81974,1.89396,
FAST,1999-04-14,1.89396,1.97569,1.84392,1.84392,
FAST,1999-04-15,1.8532,2.03521,1.83998,1.98892,
FAST,1999-04-16,2.0278,2.03521,1.93699,1.97569,
FAST,1999-04-19,1.97214,2.06857,1.97214,2.0278,
FAST,1999-04-20,1.99978,2.12079,1.98892,2.10381,
FAST,1999-04-21,2.10973,2.12839,2.06857,2.12839,
FAST,1999-04-22,2.11517,2.26401,2.11517,2.1968,
FAST,1999-04-23,2.19344,2.25453,2.17636,2.19146,
FAST,1999-04-26,2.20814,2.2416,2.1968,2.22295,
FAST,1999-04-27,2.20982,2.23983,2.18594,2.21752,
FAST,1999-04-28,2.21358,2.25453,2.18594,2.21752,
FAST,1999-04-29,2.2194,2.24526,2.19344,2.24526,
FAST,1999-04-30,2.2194,2.26016,2.1968,2.20814,
FAST,1999-05-03,2.21752,2.23795,2.18594,2.20646,
FAST,1999-05-04,2.21358,2.26569,2.17478,2.23213,
FAST,1999-05-05,2.2416,2.31218,2.22502,2.31218,
FAST,1999-05-06,2.28631,2.31603,2.27881,2.30103,
FAST,1999-05-07,2.28819,2.31041,2.2194,2.26401,
FAST,1999-05-10,2.27517,2.28069,2.26016,2.27151,
FAST,1999-05-11,2.27151,2.30103,2.26016,2.29747,
FAST,1999-05-12,2.26569,2.31041,2.26016,2.30281,
FAST,1999-05-13,2.31041,2.38838,2.29531,2.32353,
FAST,1999-05-14,2.30103,2.34386,2.27881,2.30655,
FAST,1999-05-17,2.30103,2.36972,2.26954,2.35867,
FAST,1999-05-18,2.33459,2.41632,2.32353,2.33073,
FAST,1999-05-19,2.34189,2.35314,2.27151,2.33261,
FAST,1999-05-20,2.34939,2.42184,2.31791,2.39964,
FAST,1999-05-21,2.40131,2.40131,2.33073,2.34386,
FAST,1999-05-24,2.34386,2.36637,2.30281,2.33261,
FAST,1999-05-25,2.30103,2.34189,2.2416,2.25286,
FAST,1999-05-26,2.25453,2.27151,2.2194,2.25286,
FAST,1999-05-27,2.23795,2.30655,2.22502,2.29175,
FAST,1999-05-28,2.29531,2.38128,2.29531,2.36972,
FAST,1999-06-01,2.35867,2.37526,2.31218,2.31791,
FAST,1999-06-02,2.33073,2.3941,2.30655,2.38453,
FAST,1999-06-03,2.3793,2.41246,2.3645,2.3941,
FAST,1999-06-04,2.3941,2.42737,2.38128,2.42016,
FAST,1999-06-07,2.41632,2.43862,2.38128,2.42362,
FAST,1999-06-08,2.42737,2.49459,2.40881,2.40881,
FAST,1999-06-09,2.40881,2.47939,2.3941,2.45165,
FAST,1999-06-10,2.44247,2.45165,2.39786,2.42184,
FAST,1999-06-11,2.41632,2.43497,2.3941,2.41632,
FAST,1999-06-14,2.40516,2.46813,2.40516,2.42737,
FAST,1999-06-15,2.42737,2.43862,2.41078,2.42184,
FAST,1999-06-16,2.42184,2.49054,2.42184,2.48709,
FAST,1999-06-17,2.47603,2.52025,2.45165,2.49054,
FAST,1999-06-18,2.46626,2.46813,2.29175,2.30103,
FAST,1999-06-21,2.31791,2.31791,2.25453,2.27151,
FAST,1999-06-22,2.27151,2.33261,2.25453,2.30103,
FAST,1999-06-23,2.31218,2.3645,2.29175,2.3645,
FAST,1999-06-24,2.34189,2.36637,2.28435,2.28819,
FAST,1999-06-25,2.32353,2.43675,2.30103,2.40516,
FAST,1999-06-28,2.39786,2.47425,2.38128,2.43112,
FAST,1999-06-29,2.43112,2.45165,2.41632,2.44247,
FAST,1999-06-30,2.43112,2.44395,2.40516,2.42362,
FAST,1999-07-01,2.44395,2.44395,2.34584,2.3941,
FAST,1999-07-02,2.37526,2.39598,2.34189,2.34584,
FAST,1999-07-06,2.34584,2.3941,2.32353,2.33261,
FAST,1999-07-07,2.33073,2.36972,2.32718,2.36972,
FAST,1999-07-08,2.35314,2.38838,2.32353,2.36637,
FAST,1999-07-09,2.3645,2.38128,2.34189,2.36637,
FAST,1999-07-12,2.40516,2.5317,2.38453,2.50732,"Stocks to watch: Flower Industries set to fall; Intel to report. SCREAMER: Caere Corp. shares screamed down 20 percent Monday after the company, which makes software and hardware used to scan text into a machine-readable form, warned that second-quarter earnings will miss the consensus estimate of 18 to 20 cents a share. Analysts polled by First Call currently expect a profit of 22 cents. Shares fell 2 7/8 to close at 10 7/8. See Screamers."
FAST,1999-07-13,2.49814,2.54078,2.43862,2.52598,
FAST,1999-07-14,2.48709,2.554,2.48709,2.55223,
FAST,1999-07-15,2.54453,2.59102,2.54453,2.57986,
FAST,1999-07-16,2.56122,2.66169,2.54453,2.64709,
FAST,1999-07-19,2.59497,2.64501,2.59102,2.63554,
FAST,1999-07-20,2.63021,2.63021,2.57226,2.57226,
FAST,1999-07-21,2.58362,2.65795,2.49814,2.64501,
FAST,1999-07-22,2.62439,2.68223,2.58362,2.63554,
FAST,1999-07-23,2.61136,2.70443,2.58362,2.6841,
FAST,1999-07-26,2.67097,2.72862,2.65055,2.70078,
FAST,1999-07-27,2.70443,2.80097,2.69328,2.78626,
FAST,1999-07-28,2.77501,2.78626,2.72862,2.75832,
FAST,1999-07-29,2.72299,2.73987,2.71727,2.71727,
FAST,1999-07-30,2.71371,2.74886,2.71204,2.73414,
FAST,1999-08-02,2.71727,2.72299,2.59102,2.64501,
FAST,1999-08-03,2.65795,2.69693,2.63919,2.67641,
FAST,1999-08-04,2.67641,2.70443,2.66555,2.66891,
FAST,1999-08-05,2.66555,2.69693,2.65795,2.69328,
FAST,1999-08-06,2.65409,2.68223,2.63021,2.65409,
FAST,1999-08-09,2.65409,2.65587,2.63554,2.63554,
FAST,1999-08-10,2.64501,2.65409,2.59102,2.6078,
FAST,1999-08-11,2.63021,2.63554,2.57226,2.62241,
FAST,1999-08-12,2.61896,2.73987,2.61896,2.63021,
FAST,1999-08-13,2.65055,2.68765,2.63919,2.66169,
FAST,1999-08-16,2.68223,2.68765,2.59102,2.59102,
FAST,1999-08-17,2.56892,2.63554,2.554,2.56892,
FAST,1999-08-18,2.57226,2.59102,2.54818,2.56122,
FAST,1999-08-19,2.56122,2.57226,2.50169,2.52598,
FAST,1999-08-20,2.54453,2.554,2.51502,2.52963,
FAST,1999-08-23,2.49054,2.52963,2.38838,2.49814,
FAST,1999-08-24,2.49814,2.49814,2.30655,2.3793,
FAST,1999-08-25,2.37526,2.49054,2.34584,2.46813,
FAST,1999-08-26,2.44395,2.49814,2.41632,2.42184,
FAST,1999-08-27,2.41632,2.42737,2.39786,2.39786,
FAST,1999-08-30,2.39786,2.40131,2.3645,2.37526,
FAST,1999-08-31,2.37526,2.38128,2.29747,2.31791,
FAST,1999-09-01,2.31218,2.38838,2.31218,2.35867,
FAST,1999-09-02,2.34189,2.3568,2.29747,2.33073,
FAST,1999-09-03,2.34189,2.43862,2.33459,2.38128,
FAST,1999-09-07,2.38128,2.45165,2.36242,2.41078,
FAST,1999-09-08,2.41078,2.47603,2.41078,2.45165,
FAST,1999-09-09,2.45363,2.45737,2.3941,2.43862,
FAST,1999-09-10,2.45363,2.47425,2.40516,2.45737,
FAST,1999-09-13,2.45935,2.46813,2.42184,2.4479,
FAST,1999-09-14,2.45165,2.45165,2.40516,2.43675,
FAST,1999-09-15,2.43675,2.49054,2.3941,2.39598,
FAST,1999-09-16,2.3941,2.42184,2.3645,2.37526,
FAST,1999-09-17,2.38128,2.49459,2.36972,2.43497,
FAST,1999-09-20,2.43862,2.51502,2.43112,2.44593,
FAST,1999-09-21,2.43862,2.47425,2.34386,2.38128,
FAST,1999-09-22,2.3645,2.39598,2.34939,2.3793,
FAST,1999-09-23,2.37526,2.37526,2.28819,2.28819,
FAST,1999-09-24,2.29175,2.31218,2.16165,2.16165,
FAST,1999-09-27,2.16343,2.26569,2.16343,2.25286,
FAST,1999-09-28,2.25286,2.25286,2.11901,2.21752,
FAST,1999-09-29,2.20814,2.2194,2.16165,2.17093,
FAST,1999-09-30,2.18594,2.20064,2.16165,2.17834,
FAST,1999-10-01,2.16728,2.20272,2.1504,2.18386,
FAST,1999-10-04,2.20814,2.31041,2.17636,2.28819,
FAST,1999-10-05,2.28435,2.29747,2.2416,2.24901,
FAST,1999-10-06,2.26401,2.26401,2.18771,2.20064,
FAST,1999-10-07,2.1968,2.20814,2.17636,2.1968,
FAST,1999-10-08,2.19146,2.24526,2.17636,2.1968,
FAST,1999-10-11,2.15593,2.15593,1.8532,1.94243,"[""Market Snapshot: Stocks in aimless drift NEW YORK (CBS.MW) -- U.S. stocks couldn't stray too far from the unchanged line Monday amid thin, holiday-related trading conditions and a barren backdrop of fundamental events."", ""Stocks to watch: Calpine. Novellus, Rite Aid and more SCREAMER: Tokheim shares tumbled 34 percent after the retail gasoline pump maker warned that third-quarter earnings won't meet expectations. The company expects to lose 31 to 33 cents a share, excluding items. Analysts surveyed by First Call expected the company to make 7 cents a share. Shares fell 2 3/8 to close at 4 5/8. See Screamers.""]"
FAST,1999-10-12,1.90897,1.91617,1.67652,1.7156,Market Snapshot: Stocks look soggy NEW YORK (CBS.MW) -- U.S. shares are set to open on a lower note Tuesday as bond prices faltered and the dollar stumbled.
FAST,1999-10-13,1.72311,1.81214,1.7156,1.75835,
FAST,1999-10-14,1.76012,1.76209,1.64128,1.69132,
FAST,1999-10-15,1.66566,1.67464,1.59656,1.61907,
FAST,1999-10-18,1.65984,1.67652,1.60584,1.65244,
FAST,1999-10-19,1.66152,1.6929,1.6169,1.65244,
FAST,1999-10-20,1.66566,1.67089,1.60979,1.6245,
FAST,1999-10-21,1.61907,1.68767,1.58373,1.68214,
FAST,1999-10-22,1.72853,1.78608,1.67464,1.68402,
FAST,1999-10-25,1.67089,1.73999,1.66566,1.72311,
FAST,1999-10-26,1.74531,1.76959,1.67652,1.67652,
FAST,1999-10-27,1.69902,1.69902,1.66566,1.67652,
FAST,1999-10-28,1.70613,1.70613,1.68016,1.6929,
FAST,1999-10-29,1.6929,1.72853,1.67652,1.67652,
FAST,1999-11-01,1.67652,1.68767,1.64128,1.65244,
FAST,1999-11-02,1.65244,1.66152,1.57248,1.62074,
FAST,1999-11-03,1.61324,1.66566,1.61324,1.6245,
FAST,1999-11-04,1.65244,1.66744,1.64128,1.66152,
FAST,1999-11-05,1.68214,1.71165,1.68214,1.69902,
FAST,1999-11-08,1.70613,1.71925,1.68767,1.71165,
FAST,1999-11-09,1.70613,1.71165,1.62805,1.65056,
FAST,1999-11-10,1.65244,1.68402,1.6245,1.63378,
FAST,1999-11-11,1.68767,1.75835,1.63575,1.74531,
FAST,1999-11-12,1.79743,1.80473,1.68214,1.70613,
FAST,1999-11-15,1.69132,1.76209,1.68402,1.75281,
FAST,1999-11-16,2.38,2.39,2.31,2.34,
FAST,1999-11-17,1.6929,1.78075,1.66744,1.777,
FAST,1999-11-18,1.78075,1.89584,1.75835,1.89584,
FAST,1999-11-19,1.89584,1.96464,1.85518,1.94035,
FAST,1999-11-22,1.91825,1.92733,1.87906,1.91825,
FAST,1999-11-23,1.93699,1.94243,1.85518,1.88459,
FAST,1999-11-24,1.89584,1.90897,1.85853,1.89584,
FAST,1999-11-26,1.89584,1.89752,1.87176,1.89584,
FAST,1999-11-29,1.87176,1.89584,1.81598,1.81974,
FAST,1999-11-30,1.82132,1.82704,1.71165,1.78075,
FAST,1999-12-01,1.7156,1.80661,1.71165,1.80473,
FAST,1999-12-02,1.80868,1.80868,1.78608,1.80661,
FAST,1999-12-03,1.78608,1.80868,1.78075,1.80661,
FAST,1999-12-06,1.79743,1.83089,1.75281,1.78608,
FAST,1999-12-07,1.78608,1.78795,1.72853,1.73425,
FAST,1999-12-08,1.72853,1.73425,1.68767,1.68767,
FAST,1999-12-09,1.71165,1.7156,1.66744,1.69132,
FAST,1999-12-10,1.6929,1.69902,1.65984,1.66566,
FAST,1999-12-13,1.66152,1.74333,1.61907,1.7156,
FAST,1999-12-14,1.69902,1.75281,1.68767,1.6929,
FAST,1999-12-15,1.70613,1.76959,1.68767,1.75469,
FAST,1999-12-16,1.75281,1.76209,1.73425,1.74531,
FAST,1999-12-17,1.8384,1.8456,1.70613,1.7844,
FAST,1999-12-20,1.78795,1.81214,1.76959,1.7919,
FAST,1999-12-21,1.7919,1.8384,1.7919,1.8384,
FAST,1999-12-22,1.8384,1.88656,1.81786,1.86623,
FAST,1999-12-23,1.8679,1.98892,1.86623,1.93305,
FAST,1999-12-27,1.94983,2.0202,1.9293,2.00748,
FAST,1999-12-28,1.99425,2.11517,1.99425,2.03521,
FAST,1999-12-29,2.03708,2.09848,1.99642,2.0742,
FAST,1999-12-30,2.06857,2.10776,2.06857,2.0742,
FAST,1999-12-31,2.06857,2.14487,2.03708,2.07815,
FAST,2000-01-03,2.06857,2.0818,1.94243,1.96286,
FAST,2000-01-04,1.94785,1.96464,1.84758,1.84915,
FAST,2000-01-05,1.84758,1.94035,1.8384,1.92733,
FAST,2000-01-06,1.93699,1.95901,1.90897,1.92733,
FAST,2000-01-07,1.92733,1.95358,1.91825,1.92565,
FAST,2000-01-10,1.9293,1.9293,1.87176,1.8755,
FAST,2000-01-11,1.87176,1.90897,1.87176,1.89041,
FAST,2000-01-12,1.87906,1.89584,1.84392,1.8532,
FAST,2000-01-13,1.8532,2.25286,1.8532,2.13935,
FAST,2000-01-14,2.13935,2.1504,2.0742,2.07815,
FAST,2000-01-18,2.0742,2.10381,2.0518,2.05377,
FAST,2000-01-19,2.10776,2.31041,2.09848,2.21358,
FAST,2000-01-20,2.26401,2.33073,2.23213,2.25661,
FAST,2000-01-21,2.25453,2.28631,2.23213,2.26569,
FAST,2000-01-24,2.26016,2.26569,2.10381,2.13017,
FAST,2000-01-25,2.13935,2.20272,2.12079,2.17636,
FAST,2000-01-26,2.17834,2.27881,2.17636,2.27151,
FAST,2000-01-27,2.25453,2.31791,2.1968,2.27881,
FAST,2000-01-28,2.27881,2.27881,2.16165,2.16916,
FAST,2000-01-31,2.1968,2.1968,2.00748,2.02208,
FAST,2000-02-01,2.0278,2.16728,2.0278,2.0893,
FAST,2000-02-02,2.09295,2.2416,2.0893,2.2118,
FAST,2000-02-03,2.20064,2.30103,2.20064,2.2416,
FAST,2000-02-04,2.22502,2.29175,2.20982,2.27517,
FAST,2000-02-07,2.27151,2.28435,2.22502,2.26954,
FAST,2000-02-08,2.27881,2.29531,2.20982,2.26954,
FAST,2000-02-09,2.25661,2.26569,2.21358,2.21358,
FAST,2000-02-10,2.20272,2.20272,2.13195,2.17636,
FAST,2000-02-11,2.16728,2.17636,2.14487,2.1504,
FAST,2000-02-14,2.15435,2.18218,2.14487,2.17478,
FAST,2000-02-15,2.17478,2.17478,2.11517,2.12454,
FAST,2000-02-16,2.09295,2.11339,2.06857,2.06857,
FAST,2000-02-17,2.06857,2.10776,2.0056,2.0742,
FAST,2000-02-18,2.0742,2.09848,2.04084,2.04291,
FAST,2000-02-22,2.03521,2.04084,1.93699,1.95901,
FAST,2000-02-23,1.94243,2.02208,1.93305,2.00926,
FAST,2000-02-24,2.02208,2.02208,1.94243,1.94785,
FAST,2000-02-25,1.94785,2.00372,1.94243,1.94243,
FAST,2000-02-28,1.93699,1.94785,1.8679,1.93699,
FAST,2000-02-29,1.94983,2.0742,1.92733,2.04291,
FAST,2000-03-01,2.01102,2.11901,1.9907,2.10045,
FAST,2000-03-02,2.09671,2.10045,1.96464,1.96464,
FAST,2000-03-03,1.98112,2.05752,1.96464,2.0518,
FAST,2000-03-06,2.03521,2.04084,1.96464,2.00372,
FAST,2000-03-07,2.0056,2.01102,1.89041,1.89752,
FAST,2000-03-08,1.90147,1.91825,1.88093,1.90147,
FAST,2000-03-09,1.91825,1.91825,1.89041,1.89752,
FAST,2000-03-10,1.89752,1.89752,1.75835,1.75835,
FAST,2000-03-13,1.76209,1.76959,1.68767,1.74531,
FAST,2000-03-14,1.75835,1.78075,1.65056,1.65056,
FAST,2000-03-15,1.68214,1.8384,1.65608,1.81974,
FAST,2000-03-16,1.89041,2.05752,1.89041,2.03708,
FAST,2000-03-17,1.94243,2.07815,1.90147,2.0202,
FAST,2000-03-20,2.05022,2.05377,1.97214,1.98892,
FAST,2000-03-21,1.98892,2.12839,1.96464,2.12079,
FAST,2000-03-22,2.12079,2.18594,2.09848,2.17834,
FAST,2000-03-23,2.13935,2.17834,2.06857,2.12079,
FAST,2000-03-24,2.13017,2.18594,2.12839,2.17834,
FAST,2000-03-27,2.20814,2.2194,2.0818,2.0818,
FAST,2000-03-28,2.10973,2.1968,2.0818,2.15593,
FAST,2000-03-29,2.15593,2.17478,2.1504,2.16343,
FAST,2000-03-30,2.16728,2.19146,2.14487,2.16728,
FAST,2000-03-31,2.1504,2.24901,2.14685,2.21358,
FAST,2000-04-03,2.20814,2.23213,2.0818,2.0893,
FAST,2000-04-04,2.10776,2.15435,2.06857,2.10381,
FAST,2000-04-05,2.10381,2.10381,1.94421,2.0742,
FAST,2000-04-06,2.08348,2.21752,2.0818,2.14487,
FAST,2000-04-07,2.158,2.23983,2.14487,2.234,
FAST,2000-04-10,2.2194,2.42362,2.2194,2.33459,
FAST,2000-04-11,2.34584,2.36242,2.27881,2.3568,
FAST,2000-04-12,2.39786,2.67097,2.39786,2.61136,"Earnings Surprises: Altera, AMD, Goodyear, Seagate and more Positive surprises"
FAST,2000-04-13,2.56308,2.71727,2.54453,2.68765,
FAST,2000-04-14,2.65795,2.73987,2.58362,2.68765,
FAST,2000-04-17,2.64709,2.68223,2.554,2.67285,
FAST,2000-04-18,2.66891,2.67443,2.57612,2.6001,
FAST,2000-04-19,2.61136,2.61136,2.49814,2.50732,
FAST,2000-04-20,2.49814,2.52963,2.47425,2.48709,
FAST,2000-04-24,2.43862,2.75102,2.43497,2.68223,
FAST,2000-04-25,2.70443,2.73414,2.65409,2.66555,
FAST,2000-04-26,2.65795,2.71727,2.47425,2.55223,
FAST,2000-04-27,2.48709,2.65409,2.46251,2.65409,
FAST,2000-04-28,2.62439,2.72299,2.62439,2.70246,
FAST,2000-05-01,2.71204,2.95337,2.70443,2.88823,
FAST,2000-05-02,2.88497,2.94784,2.86799,2.90145,
FAST,2000-05-03,2.84933,2.9666,2.83265,2.92732,
FAST,2000-05-04,2.87905,3.03717,2.86039,3.01111,
FAST,2000-05-05,2.9666,3.05197,2.9666,3.04625,
FAST,2000-05-08,3.04093,3.09294,3.02425,3.05385,
FAST,2000-05-09,3.09837,3.12442,3.05761,3.11298,
FAST,2000-05-10,3.08712,3.10607,2.98318,3.01111,
FAST,2000-05-11,2.96068,3.18039,2.91646,3.10024,
FAST,2000-05-12,3.13943,3.30674,3.10982,3.20793,
FAST,2000-05-15,3.18187,3.31789,3.16164,3.27505,
FAST,2000-05-16,3.24899,3.39015,3.24899,3.29006,
FAST,2000-05-17,3.25472,3.27318,3.18592,3.25472,
FAST,2000-05-18,3.2787,3.28246,3.18937,3.21385,
FAST,2000-05-19,3.16904,3.18937,3.04093,3.09294,
FAST,2000-05-22,3.06135,3.07626,2.8214,3.02937,
FAST,2000-05-23,3.00549,3.13746,2.87361,2.87361,
FAST,2000-05-24,2.87361,2.97755,2.77501,2.95337,
FAST,2000-05-25,2.97025,3.09837,2.8979,2.9201,
FAST,2000-05-26,2.8903,2.9051,2.72862,2.74708,
FAST,2000-05-30,2.75832,3.00549,2.74708,2.91063,
FAST,2000-05-31,2.88823,2.9739,2.87539,2.9201,
FAST,2000-06-01,2.9201,3.05761,2.9201,3.02425,
FAST,2000-06-02,3.06303,3.08712,3.02937,3.02937,
FAST,2000-06-05,3.03519,3.05197,2.90145,2.95742,
FAST,2000-06-06,3.00549,3.00549,2.83265,2.84579,
FAST,2000-06-07,2.84745,2.93688,2.75832,2.76376,
FAST,2000-06-08,2.75448,2.76376,2.65795,2.69328,
FAST,2000-06-09,2.69328,2.71727,2.5317,2.5781,
FAST,2000-06-12,2.58362,2.58362,2.09295,2.20272,
FAST,2000-06-13,2.23795,2.56122,2.23213,2.55223,
FAST,2000-06-14,2.52025,2.57612,2.38128,2.4479,
FAST,2000-06-15,2.43112,2.50169,2.36972,2.49814,
FAST,2000-06-16,2.49251,2.50001,2.42016,2.42362,
FAST,2000-06-19,2.43675,2.45935,2.2416,2.36637,
FAST,2000-06-20,2.38453,2.3941,2.31218,2.34584,
FAST,2000-06-21,2.35867,2.35867,2.30103,2.31041,
FAST,2000-06-22,2.32353,2.33459,2.26569,2.26569,
FAST,2000-06-23,2.26401,2.31791,2.1968,2.28435,
FAST,2000-06-26,2.27151,2.39786,2.26569,2.3645,
FAST,2000-06-27,2.36242,2.52025,2.35867,2.47939,
FAST,2000-06-28,2.47939,2.5465,2.45935,2.54078,
FAST,2000-06-29,2.52598,2.54078,2.49814,2.52223,
FAST,2000-06-30,2.52025,2.53338,2.31791,2.34189,
FAST,2000-07-03,2.37526,2.49814,2.36242,2.45165,
FAST,2000-07-05,2.45165,2.46813,2.38128,2.38128,
FAST,2000-07-06,2.41632,2.50732,2.41632,2.45737,
FAST,2000-07-07,2.46439,2.65795,2.46251,2.63218,
FAST,2000-07-10,2.593,2.76376,2.59102,2.71371,
FAST,2000-07-11,2.69693,2.79524,2.68223,2.76376,
FAST,2000-07-12,2.75832,2.93688,2.75832,2.9201,
FAST,2000-07-13,2.93688,2.97025,2.9051,2.94606,
FAST,2000-07-14,2.96068,2.96068,2.89573,2.93866,
FAST,2000-07-17,2.91428,3.05197,2.91428,3.04625,
FAST,2000-07-18,3.01674,3.04625,2.97025,2.98683,
FAST,2000-07-19,2.9666,2.99423,2.9666,2.98318,
FAST,2000-07-20,2.98318,3.01674,2.96068,3.00361,
FAST,2000-07-21,2.96068,3.03519,2.96068,3.02937,
FAST,2000-07-24,2.98318,3.02937,2.84371,2.85309,
FAST,2000-07-25,2.86799,2.90145,2.8214,2.86799,
FAST,2000-07-26,2.83837,2.86799,2.82713,2.86799,
FAST,2000-07-27,2.86799,2.87905,2.8214,2.87539,
FAST,2000-07-28,2.87905,2.87905,2.77501,2.814,
FAST,2000-07-31,2.79722,2.90688,2.79722,2.85683,
FAST,2000-08-01,2.84371,2.86039,2.8214,2.83265,
FAST,2000-08-02,2.82713,2.91428,2.82713,2.89207,
FAST,2000-08-03,2.86799,2.94784,2.86799,2.93688,
FAST,2000-08-04,2.90145,3.06135,2.89573,3.05761,
FAST,2000-08-07,3.02937,3.09837,3.01674,3.07626,
FAST,2000-08-08,3.07063,3.14318,3.05385,3.11298,
FAST,2000-08-09,3.11702,3.11702,3.04447,3.04625,
FAST,2000-08-10,3.04093,3.07626,2.97025,2.99621,
FAST,2000-08-11,2.97025,3.07833,2.97025,3.04093,
FAST,2000-08-14,3.03519,3.07626,2.9889,3.04093,
FAST,2000-08-15,3.05001,3.05197,2.98318,2.99621,
FAST,2000-08-16,2.9889,3.0965,2.9889,3.02937,
FAST,2000-08-17,3.01674,3.1337,3.01674,3.10024,
FAST,2000-08-18,3.07971,3.16904,3.07626,3.1189,
FAST,2000-08-21,3.10607,3.11298,3.03519,3.05385,
FAST,2000-08-22,3.05197,3.12246,3.00914,3.05197,
FAST,2000-08-23,3.03519,3.07448,3.01111,3.02937,
FAST,2000-08-24,3.03519,3.07063,3.00549,3.06135,
FAST,2000-08-25,3.05197,3.08712,3.02425,3.07833,
FAST,2000-08-28,3.08712,3.104,3.07833,3.07971,
FAST,2000-08-29,3.0965,3.104,3.05197,3.09294,
FAST,2000-08-30,3.07971,3.18039,3.07261,3.15236,
FAST,2000-08-31,3.18039,3.18592,2.95337,2.95337,
FAST,2000-09-01,2.96068,3.02937,2.94212,3.01477,
FAST,2000-09-05,3.02937,3.02937,2.94606,2.94606,
FAST,2000-09-06,2.94784,2.97755,2.86799,2.86987,
FAST,2000-09-07,2.88823,2.91428,2.7677,2.82713,
FAST,2000-09-08,2.8291,2.84371,2.77501,2.79189,
FAST,2000-09-11,2.8214,2.91428,2.79722,2.81785,
FAST,2000-09-12,2.8214,2.86433,2.79524,2.85861,
FAST,2000-09-13,2.85861,2.85861,2.77501,2.77886,
FAST,2000-09-14,2.77886,2.79722,2.75102,2.76583,
FAST,2000-09-15,2.72862,2.76583,2.65795,2.66891,
FAST,2000-09-18,2.66555,2.66555,2.6153,2.63021,
FAST,2000-09-19,2.63554,2.66555,2.52025,2.6153,
FAST,2000-09-20,2.61136,2.70443,2.52963,2.56714,
FAST,2000-09-21,2.55223,2.59497,2.51502,2.53338,
FAST,2000-09-22,2.50555,2.61136,2.50169,2.61136,
FAST,2000-09-25,2.6078,2.72862,2.6078,2.61896,S&P STARS Twenty-eight issues that should let investors sleep at night.
FAST,2000-09-26,2.6153,2.73414,2.59497,2.71204,
FAST,2000-09-27,2.72299,2.72862,2.65795,2.69328,
FAST,2000-09-28,2.69328,2.73414,2.64709,2.72862,
FAST,2000-09-29,2.72862,2.72862,2.63554,2.66555,
FAST,2000-10-02,2.64709,2.68765,2.61136,2.6153,
FAST,2000-10-03,2.6001,2.64117,2.47939,2.48313,
FAST,2000-10-04,2.45165,2.5855,2.34939,2.55223,
FAST,2000-10-05,2.56714,2.6001,2.52025,2.593,
FAST,2000-10-06,2.63554,2.72862,2.54453,2.56714,
FAST,2000-10-09,2.59102,2.61136,2.54818,2.59497,
FAST,2000-10-10,2.59102,2.68588,2.56714,2.66891,
FAST,2000-10-11,2.554,2.554,2.40516,2.41078,
FAST,2000-10-12,2.39786,2.40516,2.08525,2.14487,
FAST,2000-10-13,2.14487,2.2416,2.14487,2.20272,
FAST,2000-10-16,2.20814,2.34189,2.17834,2.28631,
FAST,2000-10-17,2.33261,2.35314,2.25453,2.26954,
FAST,2000-10-18,2.20646,2.32353,2.20646,2.30281,
FAST,2000-10-19,2.30281,2.35314,2.29175,2.32353,
FAST,2000-10-20,2.33459,2.35314,2.33073,2.33261,
FAST,2000-10-23,2.34189,2.3941,2.33073,2.35867,
FAST,2000-10-24,2.38128,2.38128,2.26954,2.28435,
FAST,2000-10-25,2.26747,2.33073,2.26569,2.28819,
FAST,2000-10-26,2.36972,2.40516,2.32353,2.3645,
FAST,2000-10-27,2.3645,2.44395,2.3645,2.43862,
FAST,2000-10-30,2.42737,2.56122,2.38838,2.5317,
FAST,2000-10-31,2.56308,2.73414,2.5317,2.65587,
FAST,2000-11-01,2.64501,2.72487,2.58362,2.62241,
FAST,2000-11-02,2.68223,2.68223,2.58362,2.67097,
FAST,2000-11-03,2.69328,2.69328,2.63554,2.63554,
FAST,2000-11-06,2.63919,2.68765,2.61136,2.64501,
FAST,2000-11-07,2.64709,2.70443,2.63554,2.68765,
FAST,2000-11-08,2.67641,2.70799,2.65587,2.6841,
FAST,2000-11-09,2.68223,2.68943,2.50169,2.5465,
FAST,2000-11-10,2.54453,2.57226,2.41078,2.41246,
FAST,2000-11-13,2.45165,2.50732,2.39598,2.48887,
FAST,2000-11-14,2.50001,2.63554,2.49814,2.59102,
FAST,2000-11-15,2.58362,2.61136,2.52025,2.52598,
FAST,2000-11-16,2.52025,2.56122,2.45737,2.48887,
FAST,2000-11-17,2.52025,2.56892,2.49054,2.49617,
FAST,2000-11-20,2.48887,2.58914,2.43675,2.52223,
FAST,2000-11-21,2.5317,2.59102,2.5317,2.5781,
FAST,2000-11-22,2.5781,2.62813,2.49054,2.61136,
FAST,2000-11-24,2.59832,2.64709,2.52025,2.63554,
FAST,2000-11-27,2.68223,2.77501,2.65587,2.7603,
FAST,2000-11-28,2.77116,2.78626,2.72862,2.77501,
FAST,2000-11-29,2.77688,2.90145,2.75832,2.89958,
FAST,2000-11-30,2.87905,2.90145,2.75448,2.84933,
FAST,2000-12-01,2.84579,2.84933,2.60405,2.71371,
FAST,2000-12-04,2.71204,2.86987,2.71204,2.81203,
FAST,2000-12-05,2.81035,2.814,2.70443,2.70621,
FAST,2000-12-06,2.70799,2.72862,2.63021,2.64709,
FAST,2000-12-07,2.64501,2.66555,2.5781,2.5855,
FAST,2000-12-08,2.5855,2.72862,2.57612,2.67641,
FAST,2000-12-11,2.67641,2.67641,2.61136,2.66555,
FAST,2000-12-12,2.63554,2.73987,2.62439,2.68765,
FAST,2000-12-13,2.70621,2.72862,2.67097,2.68765,
FAST,2000-12-14,2.66169,2.70443,2.65795,2.67827,
FAST,2000-12-15,2.62439,2.62439,2.45165,2.53713,
FAST,2000-12-18,2.52025,2.53713,2.42737,2.44395,
FAST,2000-12-19,2.44593,2.49814,2.32353,2.34939,
FAST,2000-12-20,2.23795,2.35867,2.23213,2.25661,
FAST,2000-12-21,2.2416,2.49459,2.2416,2.41632,
FAST,2000-12-22,2.4479,2.51502,2.38838,2.3941,
FAST,2000-12-26,2.38128,2.41078,2.32353,2.36242,
FAST,2000-12-27,2.40881,2.46813,2.33073,2.45165,
FAST,2000-12-28,2.46251,2.54453,2.43497,2.51315,
FAST,2000-12-29,2.51502,2.5781,2.51502,2.53713,
FAST,2001-01-02,2.53713,2.53713,2.3793,2.40881,
FAST,2001-01-03,2.36242,2.45165,2.2416,2.41246,
FAST,2001-01-04,2.37526,2.38128,2.2416,2.24526,
FAST,2001-01-05,2.25661,2.30103,2.23795,2.26401,
FAST,2001-01-08,2.25453,2.28819,2.19344,2.26401,
FAST,2001-01-09,2.26016,2.31218,2.17478,2.18771,
FAST,2001-01-10,2.17636,2.30655,2.17478,2.24526,
FAST,2001-01-11,2.26569,2.33459,2.24526,2.30281,
FAST,2001-01-12,2.28631,2.41078,2.26401,2.27517,
FAST,2001-01-16,2.22848,2.2416,2.17093,2.23983,Dow Rallies; Nasdaq Fails to SustainMomentum A report on the performance of stocks in this week's Barron's.
FAST,2001-01-17,2.18594,2.3645,2.18218,2.24526,
FAST,2001-01-18,2.25286,2.3941,2.2194,2.34189,
FAST,2001-01-19,2.34189,2.36242,2.28819,2.33459,
FAST,2001-01-22,2.33459,2.35867,2.26016,2.28069,
FAST,2001-01-23,2.28435,2.3941,2.28247,2.3864,
FAST,2001-01-24,2.39006,2.43112,2.33459,2.34386,
FAST,2001-01-25,2.34584,2.46813,2.34189,2.42184,
FAST,2001-01-26,2.39786,2.43497,2.3645,2.39598,
FAST,2001-01-29,2.39006,2.52598,2.39006,2.5166,
FAST,2001-01-30,2.50347,2.67641,2.49054,2.63218,
FAST,2001-01-31,2.66169,2.68765,2.5781,2.6153,
FAST,2001-02-01,2.6001,2.63021,2.57226,2.62636,
FAST,2001-02-02,2.59102,2.68223,2.59102,2.65587,
FAST,2001-02-05,2.65587,2.72487,2.64501,2.68223,
FAST,2001-02-06,2.68588,2.72862,2.66555,2.66891,
FAST,2001-02-07,2.65409,2.72862,2.63021,2.69328,
FAST,2001-02-08,2.68765,2.69693,2.6078,2.63554,
FAST,2001-02-09,2.62241,2.75102,2.59497,2.67641,
FAST,2001-02-12,2.66555,2.67827,2.62439,2.67641,
FAST,2001-02-13,2.64709,2.74342,2.64709,2.69328,
FAST,2001-02-14,2.70078,2.76376,2.70078,2.72862,
FAST,2001-02-15,2.74342,2.87905,2.72299,2.8291,
FAST,2001-02-16,2.8214,2.82337,2.7677,2.77501,
FAST,2001-02-20,2.77116,2.78064,2.69693,2.70246,
FAST,2001-02-21,2.69901,2.69901,2.63396,2.63731,
FAST,2001-02-22,2.62813,2.63396,2.56496,2.59102,
FAST,2001-02-23,2.56308,2.59832,2.56308,2.57986,
FAST,2001-02-26,2.58914,2.6841,2.5705,2.6841,
FAST,2001-02-27,2.68765,2.73227,2.64501,2.72684,
FAST,2001-02-28,2.7304,2.79524,2.70078,2.77886,
FAST,2001-03-01,2.72122,2.80492,2.67443,2.78409,
FAST,2001-03-02,2.7527,2.814,2.7527,2.78409,
FAST,2001-03-05,2.65241,2.76583,2.64117,2.75832,
FAST,2001-03-06,2.738,2.80097,2.71371,2.78804,
FAST,2001-03-07,2.78409,2.92376,2.78064,2.88823,
FAST,2001-03-08,2.86611,2.90342,2.86611,2.89207,
FAST,2001-03-09,2.85861,2.87707,2.80847,2.84025,
FAST,2001-03-12,2.81785,2.81963,2.76208,2.78409,
FAST,2001-03-13,2.76208,2.87707,2.75448,2.82525,
FAST,2001-03-14,2.75448,2.85121,2.738,2.81963,
FAST,2001-03-15,2.85861,2.93304,2.80492,2.89207,
FAST,2001-03-16,2.87184,2.9666,2.84025,2.85506,
FAST,2001-03-19,2.85506,2.85683,2.69506,2.75448,
FAST,2001-03-20,2.77886,2.80097,2.63021,2.63021,
FAST,2001-03-21,2.63021,2.65241,2.51315,2.54453,
FAST,2001-03-22,2.5317,2.54246,2.44593,2.47021,
FAST,2001-03-23,2.48887,2.55924,2.48887,2.50555,
FAST,2001-03-26,2.50555,2.59497,2.50347,2.593,
FAST,2001-03-27,2.59102,2.60583,2.54818,2.57434,
FAST,2001-03-28,2.54818,2.57434,2.5242,2.55223,
FAST,2001-03-29,2.54818,2.61708,2.54818,2.61136,
FAST,2001-03-30,2.60948,2.61136,2.51837,2.5242,
FAST,2001-04-02,2.53545,2.56714,2.53545,2.54453,
FAST,2001-04-03,2.50169,2.5166,2.41444,2.42362,
FAST,2001-04-04,2.34742,2.43497,2.26954,2.34939,
FAST,2001-04-05,2.36242,2.48887,2.36242,2.45165,
FAST,2001-04-06,2.43112,2.46113,2.40881,2.43862,
FAST,2001-04-09,2.42184,2.48117,2.3645,2.3716,
FAST,2001-04-10,2.39006,2.52775,2.39006,2.48313,
FAST,2001-04-11,2.48313,2.58718,2.48313,2.55924,
FAST,2001-04-12,2.53545,2.57612,2.5242,2.554,
FAST,2001-04-16,2.54818,2.59497,2.54818,2.56308,
FAST,2001-04-17,2.55924,2.59832,2.54818,2.56714,
FAST,2001-04-18,2.57434,2.87184,2.57434,2.85861,
FAST,2001-04-19,2.82337,3.02227,2.79919,2.9813,
FAST,2001-04-20,2.92938,2.9739,2.86433,2.95337,
FAST,2001-04-23,2.88684,2.90145,2.86433,2.86987,
FAST,2001-04-24,2.87361,2.90895,2.83837,2.83837,
FAST,2001-04-25,2.87184,2.9051,2.83837,2.84745,
FAST,2001-04-26,2.85309,2.96472,2.84745,2.9442,
FAST,2001-04-27,2.94784,3.05761,2.94784,2.97588,
FAST,2001-04-30,2.97755,3.01477,2.97755,3.00361,
FAST,2001-05-01,3.00006,3.10982,2.96068,3.104,
FAST,2001-05-02,3.07626,3.09837,3.01111,3.03145,
FAST,2001-05-03,2.97755,2.98496,2.84579,2.87361,
FAST,2001-05-04,2.87184,2.959,2.7603,2.94606,
FAST,2001-05-07,2.93688,2.93866,2.84183,2.90145,
FAST,2001-05-08,2.8903,2.91823,2.82713,2.82713,
FAST,2001-05-09,2.82337,2.87184,2.8214,2.85861,
FAST,2001-05-10,2.84025,2.93304,2.84025,2.88082,
FAST,2001-05-11,2.88497,2.9201,2.82525,2.85506,
FAST,2001-05-14,2.85506,2.85506,2.80669,2.81785,
FAST,2001-05-15,2.81785,2.88289,2.80097,2.81785,
FAST,2001-05-16,2.81597,2.90342,2.76583,2.83641,
FAST,2001-05-17,2.82713,3.04625,2.82713,3.02937,
FAST,2001-05-18,3.01111,3.05197,2.99423,3.04279,
FAST,2001-05-21,3.06481,3.32144,3.05761,3.27318,
FAST,2001-05-22,3.25837,3.38126,3.25837,3.30862,
FAST,2001-05-23,3.26952,3.2714,3.14516,3.21751,
FAST,2001-05-24,3.21563,3.2564,3.16361,3.20063,
FAST,2001-05-25,3.18937,3.26192,3.18592,3.25995,
FAST,2001-05-29,3.17654,3.20615,3.0965,3.14674,
FAST,2001-05-30,3.14318,3.15611,3.07448,3.11298,
FAST,2001-05-31,3.11702,3.15038,3.10024,3.10982,
FAST,2001-06-01,3.10774,3.12996,3.06303,3.09837,
FAST,2001-06-04,3.08346,3.14318,3.02227,3.12442,
FAST,2001-06-05,3.10024,3.12442,3.01111,3.01279,
FAST,2001-06-06,3.01111,3.09837,2.98683,3.0965,
FAST,2001-06-07,3.05385,3.05385,3.00549,3.00746,
FAST,2001-06-08,3.00746,3.07448,3.00006,3.04447,
FAST,2001-06-11,3.04447,3.04447,2.9516,2.9739,
FAST,2001-06-12,2.94044,2.98683,2.88823,2.88823,
FAST,2001-06-13,2.88823,2.94044,2.87539,2.91063,
FAST,2001-06-14,2.88289,2.91646,2.85861,2.88289,
FAST,2001-06-15,2.68765,2.80097,2.68588,2.76376,
FAST,2001-06-18,2.75102,2.82525,2.75102,2.79189,
FAST,2001-06-19,2.80097,2.8214,2.77886,2.79524,
FAST,2001-06-20,2.79376,2.82713,2.78064,2.79722,
FAST,2001-06-21,2.79722,2.82337,2.78064,2.79376,
FAST,2001-06-22,2.79189,2.80097,2.76948,2.80097,
FAST,2001-06-25,2.73227,2.78409,2.73227,2.73227,
FAST,2001-06-26,2.73414,2.738,2.68223,2.69121,
FAST,2001-06-27,2.69693,2.7304,2.66555,2.69121,
FAST,2001-06-28,2.69693,2.83443,2.69121,2.78064,
FAST,2001-06-29,2.77886,2.87184,2.77501,2.87184,
FAST,2001-07-02,2.84933,2.92732,2.82525,2.9201,
FAST,2001-07-03,2.89385,2.91823,2.87184,2.8979,
FAST,2001-07-05,2.8979,2.9051,2.87361,2.8903,
FAST,2001-07-06,2.88684,2.8903,2.80669,2.82337,
FAST,2001-07-09,2.82525,2.89385,2.79722,2.85121,
FAST,2001-07-10,2.86987,2.88289,2.84183,2.85683,
FAST,2001-07-11,2.85861,2.88289,2.80294,2.85861,
FAST,2001-07-12,2.84745,2.94044,2.84745,2.9051,
FAST,2001-07-13,2.8979,2.92732,2.88684,2.92208,
FAST,2001-07-16,2.91823,2.94044,2.91063,2.94044,
FAST,2001-07-17,2.92208,2.93866,2.90145,2.90895,
FAST,2001-07-18,2.90145,2.97193,2.8903,2.96828,
FAST,2001-07-19,2.97193,3.03145,2.96828,2.99058,
FAST,2001-07-20,3.02937,3.03333,2.98683,3.02029,
FAST,2001-07-23,3.03333,3.04625,3.00193,3.00361,
FAST,2001-07-24,2.99621,3.00746,2.9442,2.96068,
FAST,2001-07-25,2.9666,3.01674,2.9442,2.96828,
FAST,2001-07-26,2.96472,3.03333,2.96472,3.01477,
FAST,2001-07-27,3.03333,3.03333,2.98318,3.02029,
FAST,2001-07-30,3.02425,3.04625,2.98318,3.04447,
FAST,2001-07-31,3.05385,3.07833,3.01477,3.03333,
FAST,2001-08-01,3.02227,3.06135,3.00193,3.01674,
FAST,2001-08-02,3.02425,3.02425,2.9739,3.01674,
FAST,2001-08-03,2.99058,2.99058,2.9126,2.94044,
FAST,2001-08-06,2.94212,2.959,2.9201,2.92938,"Making the Grade A quantitative analyst finds 65 stocks rated A-plus by Standard &Poor's that sell at a discount to the S&P 500. Companies like UST,Comerica and Sysco boast steady and growing earnings and dividends. It'stime people noticed."
FAST,2001-08-07,2.93116,2.96472,2.91823,2.95337,
FAST,2001-08-08,2.9516,2.96472,2.91646,2.91823,
FAST,2001-08-09,2.91823,2.96472,2.91428,2.92208,
FAST,2001-08-10,2.9201,2.94962,2.91823,2.94606,
FAST,2001-08-13,2.94044,2.94044,2.90342,2.92732,
FAST,2001-08-14,2.91823,2.94606,2.91823,2.92376,
FAST,2001-08-15,2.91428,2.93304,2.88684,2.9201,
FAST,2001-08-16,2.90895,2.9739,2.90895,2.95742,
FAST,2001-08-17,2.94606,2.96472,2.93492,2.9442,
FAST,2001-08-20,2.93492,3.03333,2.93492,3.01111,
FAST,2001-08-21,3.00006,3.09294,3.00006,3.05958,
FAST,2001-08-22,3.05761,3.09116,3.04625,3.06135,
FAST,2001-08-23,3.05385,3.08712,3.02425,3.02937,
FAST,2001-08-24,3.05385,3.11505,3.03333,3.11298,
FAST,2001-08-27,3.07971,3.14516,3.07971,3.13943,
FAST,2001-08-28,3.1262,3.15038,3.11702,3.12442,
FAST,2001-08-29,3.13943,3.14674,3.08346,3.104,
FAST,2001-08-30,3.08909,3.104,3.01111,3.03333,
FAST,2001-08-31,3.02029,3.07626,3.01111,3.04625,
FAST,2001-09-04,3.05761,3.1262,3.02425,3.07063,
FAST,2001-09-05,3.05761,3.09294,3.00746,3.04279,
FAST,2001-09-06,3.01111,3.03717,2.92554,2.9516,
FAST,2001-09-07,2.93866,2.94212,2.82713,2.86799,
FAST,2001-09-10,2.87361,2.87361,2.71204,2.7603,
FAST,2001-09-17,2.68765,2.68765,2.55766,2.62636,
FAST,2001-09-18,2.62439,2.71371,2.59655,2.61333,
FAST,2001-09-19,2.63919,2.68765,2.48313,2.56308,
FAST,2001-09-20,2.56308,2.56308,2.41246,2.4553,
FAST,2001-09-21,2.40516,2.47781,2.33626,2.43112,
FAST,2001-09-24,2.43675,2.55924,2.42016,2.53338,
FAST,2001-09-25,2.54818,2.63554,2.53338,2.5855,
FAST,2001-09-26,2.58914,2.60948,2.51315,2.54818,
FAST,2001-09-27,2.54818,2.57434,2.46813,2.50555,
FAST,2001-09-28,2.51117,2.65587,2.50169,2.63919,
FAST,2001-10-01,2.63218,2.63919,2.5317,2.58164,
FAST,2001-10-02,2.59102,2.60583,2.54818,2.60583,
FAST,2001-10-03,2.56122,2.79524,2.56122,2.75448,
FAST,2001-10-04,2.77501,2.85309,2.7304,2.738,
FAST,2001-10-05,2.73414,2.76208,2.68765,2.73987,
FAST,2001-10-08,2.70443,2.79524,2.66357,2.7304,
FAST,2001-10-09,2.7677,2.7677,2.66357,2.68943,
FAST,2001-10-10,2.62241,2.67285,2.57434,2.57986,
FAST,2001-10-11,2.60583,2.68223,2.554,2.67285,
FAST,2001-10-12,2.68588,2.68943,2.56122,2.66357,
FAST,2001-10-15,2.67285,2.72122,2.65055,2.69121,
FAST,2001-10-16,2.68025,2.72122,2.65991,2.69693,
FAST,2001-10-17,2.67443,2.7603,2.67443,2.68588,
FAST,2001-10-18,2.68765,2.74342,2.67285,2.68765,
FAST,2001-10-19,2.67443,2.71924,2.63021,2.70799,
FAST,2001-10-22,2.69121,2.74886,2.66357,2.73227,
FAST,2001-10-23,2.74708,2.82337,2.738,2.76583,
FAST,2001-10-24,2.79919,2.82337,2.74886,2.76583,
FAST,2001-10-25,2.75448,2.82525,2.68765,2.81203,
FAST,2001-10-26,2.81035,2.84579,2.77688,2.78804,
FAST,2001-10-29,2.77116,2.77116,2.7304,2.7304,
FAST,2001-10-30,2.73414,2.73414,2.70246,2.70621,
FAST,2001-10-31,2.73414,2.79011,2.7304,2.73414,
FAST,2001-11-01,2.72122,2.79524,2.68943,2.76376,
FAST,2001-11-02,2.7452,2.82525,2.7452,2.76948,
FAST,2001-11-05,2.78064,2.8214,2.75448,2.76583,
FAST,2001-11-06,2.75832,2.77688,2.69901,2.75448,
FAST,2001-11-07,2.7527,2.79919,2.70799,2.75102,
FAST,2001-11-08,2.77688,2.79919,2.72862,2.7304,
FAST,2001-11-09,2.75102,2.75102,2.69901,2.70246,
FAST,2001-11-12,2.70246,2.70443,2.65241,2.68943,
FAST,2001-11-13,2.69901,2.76948,2.69693,2.74708,
FAST,2001-11-14,2.76208,2.81203,2.7527,2.79376,
FAST,2001-11-15,2.79189,2.79189,2.75832,2.79011,
FAST,2001-11-16,2.78804,2.79524,2.73414,2.75448,
FAST,2001-11-19,2.75448,2.77886,2.72122,2.73592,
FAST,2001-11-20,2.738,2.738,2.71204,2.72299,
FAST,2001-11-21,2.72684,2.72684,2.68223,2.69328,
FAST,2001-11-23,2.70078,2.7452,2.69328,2.7304,
FAST,2001-11-26,2.73414,2.77116,2.71727,2.75102,
FAST,2001-11-27,2.73414,2.7603,2.70078,2.7527,
FAST,2001-11-28,2.75832,2.75832,2.70246,2.72299,
FAST,2001-11-29,2.72487,2.78409,2.72299,2.78241,
FAST,2001-11-30,2.78064,2.82525,2.74155,2.79376,
FAST,2001-12-03,2.77886,2.78064,2.67285,2.68765,
FAST,2001-12-04,2.70078,2.73227,2.67097,2.72299,
FAST,2001-12-05,2.70621,2.8214,2.70621,2.814,
FAST,2001-12-06,2.814,3.02779,2.79189,2.91428,
FAST,2001-12-07,2.91428,2.91823,2.87361,2.87539,
FAST,2001-12-10,2.87184,2.90895,2.82525,2.85309,
FAST,2001-12-11,2.85506,2.89207,2.78626,2.80669,
FAST,2001-12-12,2.82337,2.84745,2.78064,2.83641,
FAST,2001-12-13,2.81597,2.85683,2.76948,2.79722,
FAST,2001-12-14,2.80847,2.87184,2.78064,2.86039,
FAST,2001-12-17,2.85309,2.98683,2.85309,2.96275,
FAST,2001-12-18,2.98683,3.01477,2.97193,3.01477,
FAST,2001-12-19,3.01477,3.04447,2.99058,3.01111,
FAST,2001-12-20,3.00746,3.03333,2.95742,2.99423,
FAST,2001-12-21,3.00746,3.04625,2.98683,2.98683,
FAST,2001-12-24,2.98318,3.00914,2.97193,3.00006,
FAST,2001-12-26,3.00006,3.07626,2.99423,3.04803,
FAST,2001-12-27,3.05761,3.104,3.04625,3.07971,
FAST,2001-12-28,3.07063,3.12442,3.06659,3.11298,
FAST,2001-12-31,3.11298,3.13746,3.07626,3.07626,
FAST,2002-01-02,3.1262,3.13192,3.03717,3.05197,
FAST,2002-01-03,3.03519,3.104,3.02937,3.05385,
FAST,2002-01-04,3.05385,3.15996,3.05385,3.15996,
FAST,2002-01-07,3.15996,3.18187,3.13943,3.16361,
FAST,2002-01-08,3.16361,3.16529,3.08346,3.11298,
FAST,2002-01-09,3.10982,3.17654,3.104,3.15038,
FAST,2002-01-10,3.15414,3.18187,3.12996,3.15611,
FAST,2002-01-11,3.15996,3.15996,3.1337,3.15236,
FAST,2002-01-14,3.14516,3.15611,3.05385,3.05761,
FAST,2002-01-15,3.05385,3.05761,2.99058,3.00746,
FAST,2002-01-16,3.00193,3.04093,2.93116,2.95742,
FAST,2002-01-17,2.95742,3.00746,2.9516,3.00361,
FAST,2002-01-18,2.97025,3.01279,2.97025,2.98318,
FAST,2002-01-22,3.01111,3.12246,2.99256,3.07626,
FAST,2002-01-23,3.06659,3.15799,3.06659,3.13943,
FAST,2002-01-24,3.14318,3.18039,3.11702,3.13192,
FAST,2002-01-25,3.14851,3.14851,3.08346,3.10607,
FAST,2002-01-28,3.11505,3.12088,3.06481,3.10024,
FAST,2002-01-29,3.09837,3.13943,3.08909,3.10982,
FAST,2002-01-30,3.11298,3.15038,3.09837,3.14851,
FAST,2002-01-31,3.11702,3.13746,3.09837,3.10024,
FAST,2002-02-01,3.11298,3.16904,3.104,3.12442,
FAST,2002-02-04,3.11298,3.16361,3.10607,3.1189,
FAST,2002-02-05,3.10982,3.24899,3.08346,3.23607,
FAST,2002-02-06,3.2714,3.31216,3.21001,3.23241,
FAST,2002-02-07,3.23419,3.28798,3.21001,3.24899,
FAST,2002-02-08,3.24741,3.27318,3.16361,3.25995,
FAST,2002-02-11,3.20615,3.30278,3.20251,3.29914,
FAST,2002-02-12,3.28246,3.31592,3.24741,3.30278,
FAST,2002-02-13,3.31216,3.35866,3.2862,3.35283,
FAST,2002-02-14,3.34198,3.36616,3.30278,3.3252,
FAST,2002-02-15,3.30862,3.31947,3.23952,3.2564,
FAST,2002-02-19,3.23774,3.26952,3.23774,3.25294,
FAST,2002-02-20,3.27505,3.30486,3.24899,3.29193,
FAST,2002-02-21,3.2714,3.30862,3.26192,3.27318,
FAST,2002-02-22,3.27505,3.29726,3.24327,3.29006,
FAST,2002-02-25,3.28798,3.38451,3.26192,3.36616,
FAST,2002-02-26,3.38451,3.4851,3.36616,3.47374,
FAST,2002-02-27,3.47572,3.50178,3.45174,3.46466,
FAST,2002-02-28,3.46852,3.50178,3.45174,3.46664,
FAST,2002-03-01,3.46852,3.4775,3.42163,3.44798,
FAST,2002-03-04,3.44581,3.48124,3.42577,3.47572,
FAST,2002-03-05,3.46852,3.57057,3.45529,3.4775,
FAST,2002-03-06,3.47197,3.51096,3.47029,3.5075,
FAST,2002-03-07,3.51846,3.55567,3.4923,3.54442,
FAST,2002-03-08,3.54817,3.58755,3.48894,3.52409,
FAST,2002-03-11,3.52409,3.52409,3.43505,3.5075,
FAST,2002-03-12,3.4923,3.4923,3.47197,3.48124,
FAST,2002-03-13,3.48322,3.50178,3.47029,3.4851,
FAST,2002-03-14,3.50572,3.52409,3.46259,3.47374,
FAST,2002-03-15,3.42163,3.52221,3.42163,3.49438,
FAST,2002-03-18,3.50178,3.53889,3.46092,3.4923,
FAST,2002-03-19,3.4851,3.57443,3.48322,3.56307,
FAST,2002-03-20,3.54442,3.60404,3.54442,3.57611,
FAST,2002-03-21,3.58755,3.60404,3.53534,3.54639,
FAST,2002-03-22,3.55567,3.5687,3.5149,3.54264,
FAST,2002-03-25,3.52044,3.55212,3.45894,3.4775,
FAST,2002-03-26,3.4775,3.51668,3.44798,3.48322,
FAST,2002-03-27,3.48124,3.48894,3.46852,3.47197,
FAST,2002-03-28,3.46466,3.51846,3.46466,3.49438,
FAST,2002-04-01,3.48894,3.50178,3.41827,3.46852,
FAST,2002-04-02,3.46852,3.48124,3.41265,3.42933,
FAST,2002-04-03,3.42163,3.42577,3.35283,3.36616,
FAST,2002-04-04,3.36616,3.42933,3.35481,3.41433,
FAST,2002-04-05,3.41827,3.53336,3.40673,3.45894,
FAST,2002-04-08,3.46852,3.4851,3.4313,3.48124,
FAST,2002-04-09,3.48698,3.61519,3.48698,3.59101,
FAST,2002-04-10,3.62812,3.82721,3.61519,3.80263,"Stocks to watch: Cognos, E-Trade, Yahoo and more Stocks making significant moves in Wednesday's U.S. equity trading, plus stocks to watch Thursday."
FAST,2002-04-11,3.75081,3.80658,3.73798,3.77155,
FAST,2002-04-12,3.77331,3.77865,3.69524,3.73226,
FAST,2002-04-15,3.72851,3.78063,3.68034,3.73976,
FAST,2002-04-16,3.75644,3.84754,3.74341,3.81971,
FAST,2002-04-17,3.82316,3.86038,3.75644,3.76729,
FAST,2002-04-18,3.75644,3.79365,3.71538,3.75081,
FAST,2002-04-19,3.75279,3.79,3.73611,3.77155,
FAST,2002-04-22,3.76729,3.77865,3.70975,3.74153,
FAST,2002-04-23,3.70077,3.82316,3.70077,3.79592,
FAST,2002-04-24,3.83057,3.94595,3.7974,3.9198,
FAST,2002-04-25,3.90904,4.00577,3.88416,4.00399,
FAST,2002-04-26,3.99215,4.0113,3.92691,3.92907,
FAST,2002-04-29,3.93293,3.95731,3.8663,3.88248,
FAST,2002-04-30,3.87746,3.89552,3.81971,3.87913,
FAST,2002-05-01,3.8738,3.90321,3.81971,3.82316,
FAST,2002-05-02,3.81971,3.91052,3.81971,3.89009,
FAST,2002-05-03,3.89423,3.90321,3.84014,3.89552,
FAST,2002-05-06,3.90124,3.94595,3.87746,3.88248,
FAST,2002-05-07,3.90746,3.97577,3.88634,3.95029,
FAST,2002-05-08,4.00399,4.02255,3.84399,3.88416,
FAST,2002-05-09,3.88248,3.94043,3.85288,3.8809,
FAST,2002-05-10,3.89423,3.89423,3.78852,3.81221,
FAST,2002-05-13,3.86254,3.86412,3.74687,3.78063,
FAST,2002-05-14,3.80263,3.90539,3.80105,3.89009,
FAST,2002-05-15,3.89009,3.92691,3.83422,3.87746,
FAST,2002-05-16,3.89423,3.91654,3.86254,3.91052,
FAST,2002-05-17,3.89552,3.94595,3.89552,3.94595,
FAST,2002-05-20,3.89956,3.95731,3.89552,3.89739,
FAST,2002-05-21,3.89552,3.90539,3.82178,3.83234,
FAST,2002-05-22,3.83422,3.89423,3.80263,3.81043,
FAST,2002-05-23,3.80658,3.84754,3.78063,3.80105,
FAST,2002-05-24,3.7974,3.86038,3.76729,3.77331,
FAST,2002-05-28,3.80105,3.82178,3.72456,3.74687,
FAST,2002-05-29,3.71755,3.77331,3.6449,3.67076,
FAST,2002-05-30,3.70077,3.70077,3.55755,3.61677,
FAST,2002-05-31,3.62072,3.70975,3.61885,3.66544,
FAST,2002-06-03,3.68754,3.68754,3.52794,3.53534,
FAST,2002-06-04,3.55399,3.57611,3.40879,3.44423,
FAST,2002-06-05,3.43505,3.55943,3.42725,3.54817,
FAST,2002-06-06,3.55212,3.64135,3.53534,3.55212,
FAST,2002-06-07,3.54442,3.65053,3.53534,3.62644,
FAST,2002-06-10,3.67442,3.7136,3.65053,3.68932,
FAST,2002-06-11,3.68408,3.72456,3.6449,3.64688,
FAST,2002-06-12,3.6449,3.68754,3.57057,3.59663,
FAST,2002-06-13,3.59821,3.59821,3.52409,3.52794,
FAST,2002-06-14,3.52794,3.54087,3.44798,3.50376,
FAST,2002-06-17,3.53534,3.60779,3.47572,3.55755,
FAST,2002-06-18,3.55212,3.58755,3.54442,3.55755,
FAST,2002-06-19,3.5687,3.65418,3.52221,3.59457,
FAST,2002-06-20,3.59457,3.64135,3.57443,3.59457,
FAST,2002-06-21,3.63543,3.64688,3.57611,3.58755,
FAST,2002-06-24,3.60404,3.62259,3.53534,3.59457,
FAST,2002-06-25,3.57975,3.63365,3.45529,3.48322,
FAST,2002-06-26,3.45529,3.57057,3.42725,3.46466,
FAST,2002-06-27,3.47197,3.59663,3.44581,3.53336,
FAST,2002-06-28,3.53139,3.63365,3.52409,3.57245,
FAST,2002-07-01,3.54817,3.65053,3.54817,3.57245,
FAST,2002-07-02,3.54442,3.61341,3.45894,3.47029,
FAST,2002-07-03,3.4923,3.57611,3.40879,3.55755,
FAST,2002-07-05,3.61519,3.77707,3.57807,3.72298,
FAST,2002-07-08,3.70442,3.73611,3.65211,3.6912,
FAST,2002-07-09,3.7062,3.73798,3.59821,3.61144,
FAST,2002-07-10,3.6375,3.87746,3.6375,3.74519,
FAST,2002-07-11,3.74341,3.78063,3.61341,3.66346,
FAST,2002-07-12,3.60404,3.7213,3.50178,3.63928,
FAST,2002-07-15,3.61677,3.63543,3.50572,3.5687,
FAST,2002-07-16,3.5687,3.6375,3.50572,3.60404,
FAST,2002-07-17,3.60404,3.64135,3.50898,3.59457,
FAST,2002-07-18,3.60779,3.64135,3.51846,3.54087,
FAST,2002-07-19,3.46852,3.54817,3.38451,3.41097,
FAST,2002-07-22,3.30092,3.36803,3.05197,3.14111,
FAST,2002-07-23,3.14318,3.19727,3.01111,3.07626,
FAST,2002-07-24,3.05001,3.40879,2.97755,3.40139,
FAST,2002-07-25,3.39981,3.62259,3.36803,3.58755,
FAST,2002-07-26,3.49438,3.61519,3.4923,3.52409,
FAST,2002-07-29,3.52409,3.6599,3.49052,3.62812,
FAST,2002-07-30,3.62467,3.68754,3.53534,3.61519,
FAST,2002-07-31,3.58153,3.61677,3.50572,3.53139,
FAST,2002-08-01,3.55212,3.55212,3.37149,3.37149,
FAST,2002-08-02,3.38126,3.40879,3.21385,3.2564,
FAST,2002-08-05,3.24741,3.26952,2.94784,2.98318,
FAST,2002-08-06,3.03717,3.19727,2.99256,3.17279,
FAST,2002-08-07,3.19155,3.23053,3.05001,3.11702,
FAST,2002-08-08,3.12996,3.24741,3.07626,3.23607,
FAST,2002-08-09,3.23774,3.24741,3.1262,3.1337,
FAST,2002-08-12,3.12996,3.16904,3.06659,3.104,
FAST,2002-08-13,3.104,3.14674,3.06659,3.07448,
FAST,2002-08-14,3.07626,3.21751,3.06135,3.18592,
FAST,2002-08-15,4.31,4.41,4.29,4.39,
FAST,2002-08-16,3.26192,3.32914,3.24741,3.30862,
FAST,2002-08-19,3.2862,3.46852,3.26192,3.42577,
FAST,2002-08-20,3.42725,3.42725,3.29193,3.35481,
FAST,2002-08-21,3.37149,3.40879,3.29006,3.35866,
FAST,2002-08-22,3.36616,3.41265,3.3402,3.38274,
FAST,2002-08-23,3.38274,3.38274,3.2787,3.29006,
FAST,2002-08-26,3.3252,3.42163,3.25087,3.41265,
FAST,2002-08-27,3.40879,3.45351,3.34928,3.36981,
FAST,2002-08-28,3.36616,3.39577,3.30862,3.31216,
FAST,2002-08-29,3.31216,3.35283,3.23053,3.28246,
FAST,2002-08-30,3.2787,3.3327,3.26577,3.26745,
FAST,2002-09-03,3.26192,3.26192,3.12442,3.13943,
FAST,2002-09-04,3.15414,3.20793,3.11702,3.18592,
FAST,2002-09-05,3.18395,3.20615,3.1337,3.16361,
FAST,2002-09-06,3.15414,3.33802,3.15414,3.32717,
FAST,2002-09-09,3.3252,3.40673,3.29193,3.38274,
FAST,2002-09-10,3.38827,3.45174,3.32144,3.36981,
FAST,2002-09-11,3.38451,3.4313,3.30278,3.3252,
FAST,2002-09-12,3.31592,3.31592,3.13943,3.16361,
FAST,2002-09-13,3.15414,3.15414,3.04803,3.07063,
FAST,2002-09-16,4.12,4.2,4.09,4.11,
FAST,2002-09-17,3.08712,3.12246,3.00746,3.04447,
FAST,2002-09-18,3.04447,3.08712,2.96828,3.00549,
FAST,2002-09-19,3.03145,3.05761,2.89385,2.8979,
FAST,2002-09-20,2.92554,2.97755,2.83265,2.87361,
FAST,2002-09-23,2.83078,2.89573,2.78626,2.83265,
FAST,2002-09-24,2.81963,2.82525,2.73592,2.79524,
FAST,2002-09-25,2.81785,2.95742,2.81785,2.93688,
FAST,2002-09-26,2.93688,3.05761,2.93688,3.01477,
FAST,2002-09-27,2.99058,3.04279,2.93688,2.94044,
FAST,2002-09-30,2.9666,2.96828,2.80847,2.92938,
FAST,2002-10-01,2.89385,2.98496,2.84025,2.93304,
FAST,2002-10-02,2.93492,3.01279,2.86433,2.9051,
FAST,2002-10-03,2.90688,2.98318,2.84183,2.97025,
FAST,2002-10-04,2.96828,3.02227,2.52025,2.7527,"Lab Corp., InFocus, Mentor and more Alexion Pharmaceuticals fell almost 5 percent after reporting fiscal fourth quarter losses were less than consensus analyst expectations, but were much wider than year earlier levels due to a decrease in sales from lower research and support payments, lower market interest rates and higher payroll costs. The net loss for the quarter ending July was $20.8 million, or $1.15 a share, an increase over last year's loss of 37 cents but less that the average analyst forecast as compiled by Thomson First Call of $1.30 a share. Revenue fell 77 percent to $760,000. The company noted that it had revised the pexelizumab collaboration with Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals in December 2001."
FAST,2002-10-07,2.73592,2.75832,2.52223,2.52963,
FAST,2002-10-08,2.52963,2.62813,2.48709,2.62083,
FAST,2002-10-09,2.6153,2.6153,2.50555,2.56308,
FAST,2002-10-10,2.52223,2.68943,2.46813,2.67097,
FAST,2002-10-11,2.76208,2.99423,2.7603,2.89385,"Knight Ridder, IBM, GE, and more Stocks making significant moves in Friday's U.S. equity trading. Stocks to keep an eye on Monday."
FAST,2002-10-14,2.87184,2.95742,2.814,2.87184,
FAST,2002-10-15,2.90895,3.09837,2.89385,3.05001,
FAST,2002-10-16,3.03333,3.03519,2.94962,2.98683,
FAST,2002-10-17,3.03333,3.07971,3.03333,3.06303,
FAST,2002-10-18,3.05958,3.05958,2.99423,3.02029,
FAST,2002-10-21,3.00549,3.06135,2.9666,3.05001,
FAST,2002-10-22,3.03717,3.06135,2.97755,2.99256,
FAST,2002-10-23,3.01477,3.08712,2.97588,3.08712,
FAST,2002-10-24,3.0965,3.13943,3.07448,3.1116,
FAST,2002-10-25,3.12088,3.22313,3.08544,3.20251,
FAST,2002-10-28,3.18937,3.21909,3.05761,3.12246,
FAST,2002-10-29,3.0965,3.20063,3.02425,3.18937,
FAST,2002-10-30,3.15996,3.19885,3.08346,3.11298,
FAST,2002-10-31,3.1189,3.19885,3.07063,3.15038,
FAST,2002-11-01,3.12996,3.16727,3.04279,3.15611,
FAST,2002-11-04,3.16904,3.19885,3.1337,3.13746,
FAST,2002-11-05,3.12996,3.18592,3.09492,3.16164,
FAST,2002-11-06,3.14111,3.18592,3.08346,3.1189,
FAST,2002-11-07,3.1262,3.1262,3.01477,3.03915,
FAST,2002-11-08,3.05197,3.13558,2.97755,3.00006,
FAST,2002-11-11,2.98683,2.99058,2.83837,2.85309,
FAST,2002-11-12,2.87184,2.92208,2.85309,2.89207,
FAST,2002-11-13,2.89207,3.10607,2.87539,2.99058,
FAST,2002-11-14,3.01477,3.09294,2.99058,3.07626,
FAST,2002-11-15,3.07063,3.15414,3.06135,3.15038,
FAST,2002-11-18,3.15414,3.19885,3.09837,3.11702,
FAST,2002-11-19,3.12246,3.15038,3.05001,3.07063,
FAST,2002-11-20,3.05197,3.06303,3.00746,3.02937,
FAST,2002-11-21,3.02937,3.08346,3.01111,3.08346,
FAST,2002-11-22,3.09492,3.19727,3.06659,3.15799,
FAST,2002-11-25,3.15038,3.18187,3.04803,3.08909,
FAST,2002-11-26,3.08346,3.13746,3.06303,3.06303,
FAST,2002-11-27,3.08712,3.30862,3.06135,3.30862,
FAST,2002-11-29,3.30862,3.36803,3.28246,3.31384,
FAST,2002-12-02,3.34405,3.37356,3.29006,3.3327,
FAST,2002-12-03,3.33082,3.40495,3.29193,3.35866,
FAST,2002-12-04,3.33438,3.47572,3.32914,3.41827,
FAST,2002-12-05,3.4923,3.52409,3.40139,3.49802,
FAST,2002-12-06,3.47572,3.61677,3.4313,3.54817,
FAST,2002-12-09,3.50178,3.52952,3.46466,3.47572,
FAST,2002-12-10,3.47197,3.5613,3.45174,3.48894,
FAST,2002-12-11,3.46852,3.54442,3.46259,3.52221,
FAST,2002-12-12,3.53534,3.54087,3.4775,3.51096,
FAST,2002-12-13,3.46852,3.52221,3.46092,3.50898,
FAST,2002-12-16,3.50572,3.65418,3.46259,3.61144,
FAST,2002-12-17,3.61341,3.63187,3.54442,3.57057,
FAST,2002-12-18,3.54817,3.5613,3.4851,3.50898,
FAST,2002-12-19,3.50898,3.6449,3.4775,3.55399,
FAST,2002-12-20,3.61677,3.61677,3.45529,3.52794,
FAST,2002-12-23,3.52409,3.6375,3.52409,3.62812,
FAST,2002-12-24,3.58913,3.60591,3.55755,3.57057,
FAST,2002-12-26,3.55005,3.61677,3.51846,3.55567,
FAST,2002-12-27,3.5149,3.5613,3.48124,3.4851,
FAST,2002-12-30,3.4775,3.5149,3.39785,3.47374,
FAST,2002-12-31,3.44029,3.5149,3.42933,3.46852,
FAST,2003-01-02,3.46664,3.60967,3.40139,3.59663,
FAST,2003-01-03,3.59101,3.60404,3.52794,3.54817,
FAST,2003-01-06,3.55212,3.59457,3.4851,3.49438,
FAST,2003-01-07,3.48124,3.48124,3.40495,3.4313,
FAST,2003-01-08,3.40495,3.42163,3.31947,3.32914,
FAST,2003-01-09,3.32914,3.38827,3.29548,3.33596,
FAST,2003-01-10,3.31038,3.34572,3.26192,3.31592,
FAST,2003-01-13,3.36616,3.36616,3.24741,3.2787,
FAST,2003-01-14,3.29006,3.3475,3.26192,3.34572,
FAST,2003-01-15,3.34928,3.35866,3.22847,3.23607,
FAST,2003-01-16,3.23774,3.31216,3.18592,3.24149,
FAST,2003-01-17,3.24524,3.29914,3.17279,3.18937,
FAST,2003-01-21,3.20615,3.21909,3.08346,3.15236,
FAST,2003-01-22,3.17654,3.26192,3.11298,3.17279,
FAST,2003-01-23,3.19885,3.21909,3.12246,3.1951,
FAST,2003-01-24,3.17654,3.17654,3.08346,3.1337,
FAST,2003-01-27,3.104,3.15611,3.04093,3.05761,
FAST,2003-01-28,3.06135,3.1189,3.05761,3.07833,
FAST,2003-01-29,3.07448,3.17279,2.99256,3.12996,
FAST,2003-01-30,3.13558,3.16361,3.02779,3.03145,
FAST,2003-01-31,3.01279,3.12996,2.99058,3.07261,
FAST,2003-02-03,3.06135,3.08712,2.99621,3.07626,
FAST,2003-02-04,3.04803,3.05761,2.9813,3.02425,
FAST,2003-02-05,3.07626,3.15611,3.01477,3.06481,
FAST,2003-02-06,3.06303,3.07971,2.9666,2.99423,
FAST,2003-02-07,2.96828,3.01477,2.94962,2.95524,
FAST,2003-02-10,2.97193,3.00193,2.91063,2.96275,
FAST,2003-02-11,2.96828,3.02425,2.90342,2.92554,
FAST,2003-02-12,2.9201,2.94606,2.88497,2.90342,
FAST,2003-02-13,2.9051,2.92208,2.84183,2.91646,
FAST,2003-02-14,2.9201,2.96472,2.88289,2.94606,
FAST,2003-02-18,2.96828,3.03333,2.9666,3.02779,
FAST,2003-02-19,2.9739,3.02937,2.96275,3.00361,
FAST,2003-02-20,3.01111,3.02937,2.96472,2.99058,
FAST,2003-02-21,2.99621,3.04625,2.93688,3.04093,
FAST,2003-02-24,3.02937,3.03915,2.99256,3.00193,
FAST,2003-02-25,2.98683,3.02029,2.89385,3.01111,
FAST,2003-02-26,2.98683,3.05001,2.96472,2.97193,
FAST,2003-02-27,2.9442,3.08179,2.90895,3.03717,
FAST,2003-02-28,3.05761,3.16904,3.03915,3.09116,
FAST,2003-03-03,3.10024,3.11298,2.9739,2.98683,
FAST,2003-03-04,2.97755,2.98683,2.82713,2.84745,
FAST,2003-03-05,2.8291,2.83265,2.69121,2.78064,
FAST,2003-03-06,2.78241,2.78241,2.66723,2.67443,
FAST,2003-03-07,2.70078,2.70078,2.61333,2.67097,
FAST,2003-03-10,2.67097,2.67097,2.55766,2.60583,
FAST,2003-03-11,2.58914,2.64501,2.58914,2.59497,
FAST,2003-03-12,2.58362,2.63218,2.5781,2.62636,"Bear Slayers: 30 of Nasdaq 100 stocks up since collapse NEW YORK (CBS.MW) -- The Nasdaq’s monumental collapse since its peak three years ago belies a surprising development. Thirty of its 100 largest current members -- as represented by the Nasdaq 100 -- saw their share price rise in the three years ended Monday, while the tech-heavy index overall fell by 75 percent."
FAST,2003-03-13,2.67443,2.7452,2.65055,2.73592,
FAST,2003-03-14,2.76583,2.79189,2.71371,2.7304,
FAST,2003-03-17,2.73592,2.84745,2.62636,2.84579,
FAST,2003-03-18,2.85121,2.9442,2.84745,2.9442,
FAST,2003-03-19,2.94784,2.9739,2.80492,2.83641,
FAST,2003-03-20,2.80669,2.85309,2.72684,2.77688,
FAST,2003-03-21,2.79722,2.87361,2.73227,2.85309,
FAST,2003-03-24,2.814,2.83078,2.65795,2.66723,
FAST,2003-03-25,2.67285,2.78626,2.63554,2.76583,
FAST,2003-03-26,2.75832,2.78626,2.71727,2.74155,
FAST,2003-03-27,2.72862,2.78804,2.71727,2.74886,
FAST,2003-03-28,2.74342,2.74886,2.71539,2.72684,
FAST,2003-03-31,2.71204,2.71204,2.6001,2.62083,
FAST,2003-04-01,2.62439,2.65409,2.58362,2.62813,
FAST,2003-04-02,2.66723,2.78804,2.66723,2.7677,
FAST,2003-04-03,2.79524,3.03333,2.78804,2.9739,
FAST,2003-04-04,2.9889,3.04093,2.9739,3.01111,
FAST,2003-04-07,3.03717,3.18187,3.02425,3.06481,
FAST,2003-04-08,3.11298,3.11298,2.96472,2.97025,
FAST,2003-04-09,2.96068,3.03333,2.9201,2.93866,
FAST,2003-04-10,2.9126,3.05385,2.88684,3.04447,
FAST,2003-04-11,3.01674,3.10202,3.00193,3.06659,
FAST,2003-04-14,3.08909,3.20251,3.06303,3.19303,
FAST,2003-04-15,3.19885,3.23053,3.15038,3.16904,
FAST,2003-04-16,3.20615,3.20615,3.07626,3.09492,
FAST,2003-04-17,3.09492,3.24149,3.05761,3.1875,
FAST,2003-04-21,3.18187,3.20615,3.12996,3.18039,
FAST,2003-04-22,3.18039,3.26577,3.12838,3.24149,
FAST,2003-04-23,3.26577,3.26577,3.15611,3.20251,
FAST,2003-04-24,3.17279,3.20063,3.12442,3.15611,
FAST,2003-04-25,3.15236,3.15611,3.06659,3.10982,
FAST,2003-04-28,3.11298,3.26577,3.11298,3.22481,
FAST,2003-04-29,3.23952,3.24327,3.14318,3.19727,
FAST,2003-04-30,3.18395,3.23607,3.10024,3.20793,
FAST,2003-05-01,3.18187,3.18187,3.06659,3.1337,
FAST,2003-05-02,3.13746,3.25294,3.11505,3.17447,
FAST,2003-05-05,3.17654,3.31592,3.16727,3.264,
FAST,2003-05-06,3.25294,3.34928,3.24327,3.29726,
FAST,2003-05-07,3.27505,3.27505,3.18187,3.21385,
FAST,2003-05-08,3.18937,3.23607,3.15611,3.16361,
FAST,2003-05-09,3.14318,3.25294,3.12246,3.24524,
FAST,2003-05-12,3.25472,3.35481,3.19303,3.34572,
FAST,2003-05-13,3.32914,3.32914,3.21909,3.25294,
FAST,2003-05-14,3.23952,3.29193,3.19155,3.20428,
FAST,2003-05-15,3.21385,3.2564,3.20251,3.25294,
FAST,2003-05-16,3.25294,3.26192,3.18592,3.18592,
FAST,2003-05-19,3.18187,3.20251,3.07626,3.07626,
FAST,2003-05-20,3.08712,3.10024,2.97755,3.00361,
FAST,2003-05-21,3.01111,3.01111,2.88823,2.93688,
FAST,2003-05-22,2.93688,3.00006,2.89958,2.94784,
FAST,2003-05-23,2.93688,2.97193,2.87905,2.96275,
FAST,2003-05-27,3.02029,3.05385,2.92554,3.00746,
FAST,2003-05-28,3.01674,3.09294,3.00006,3.06856,
FAST,2003-05-29,3.06481,3.104,2.9739,3.03519,
FAST,2003-05-30,3.03915,3.14318,3.02029,3.10607,
FAST,2003-06-02,3.11298,3.30486,3.104,3.17862,
FAST,2003-06-03,3.17862,3.19885,3.15414,3.18937,
FAST,2003-06-04,3.21001,3.26192,3.17092,3.22659,
FAST,2003-06-05,3.21001,3.22097,3.15799,3.19303,
FAST,2003-06-06,3.21563,3.264,3.14674,3.14851,
FAST,2003-06-09,3.14318,3.17279,3.07626,3.07971,
FAST,2003-06-10,3.07971,3.20063,3.07626,3.19727,
FAST,2003-06-11,3.19727,3.2787,3.1337,3.27505,
FAST,2003-06-12,3.27683,3.31216,3.25294,3.30674,
FAST,2003-06-13,3.29914,3.32914,3.19303,3.23774,
FAST,2003-06-16,3.23774,3.39981,3.23774,3.38827,
FAST,2003-06-17,3.41985,3.45174,3.34572,3.40495,
FAST,2003-06-18,3.39015,3.39211,3.30278,3.3327,
FAST,2003-06-19,3.3327,3.34198,3.23241,3.25087,
FAST,2003-06-20,3.27505,3.29341,3.23053,3.27505,
FAST,2003-06-23,3.23952,3.26192,3.21563,3.24899,
FAST,2003-06-24,3.25087,3.31384,3.22659,3.23607,
FAST,2003-06-25,3.23053,3.29548,3.19303,3.23952,
FAST,2003-06-26,3.19303,3.22847,3.15038,3.20793,
FAST,2003-06-27,3.18395,3.25472,3.15236,3.18039,
FAST,2003-06-30,3.15996,3.21563,3.15236,3.16727,
FAST,2003-07-01,3.15236,3.21385,3.05761,3.18592,
FAST,2003-07-02,3.19303,3.36261,3.15414,3.31216,
FAST,2003-07-03,3.2787,3.32914,3.21909,3.2564,
FAST,2003-07-07,3.25995,3.34572,3.24524,3.33082,
FAST,2003-07-08,3.3252,3.37524,3.26952,3.34198,
FAST,2003-07-09,3.3327,3.36261,3.28423,3.30862,
FAST,2003-07-10,3.30862,3.30862,3.23419,3.28423,
FAST,2003-07-11,3.26952,3.36063,3.20615,3.29548,
FAST,2003-07-14,3.29548,3.43318,3.28246,3.32332,
FAST,2003-07-15,3.32717,3.38274,3.24149,3.26192,
FAST,2003-07-16,3.264,3.2787,3.1875,3.21563,
FAST,2003-07-17,3.21385,3.21385,3.13746,3.18187,
FAST,2003-07-18,3.19727,3.26192,3.1262,3.22847,
FAST,2003-07-21,3.20251,3.21385,3.12246,3.21001,
FAST,2003-07-22,3.22097,3.29726,3.21385,3.25294,
FAST,2003-07-23,3.25294,3.264,3.16904,3.22659,
FAST,2003-07-24,3.26192,3.29006,3.16361,3.18592,
FAST,2003-07-25,3.17279,3.37524,3.17092,3.37149,
FAST,2003-07-28,3.37356,3.4775,3.35481,3.43683,
FAST,2003-07-29,3.46664,3.52221,3.40495,3.48894,
FAST,2003-07-30,3.47572,3.4851,3.42371,3.45706,
FAST,2003-07-31,3.4851,3.60236,3.47572,3.52221,
FAST,2003-08-01,3.50898,3.53889,3.42577,3.51846,
FAST,2003-08-04,3.52409,3.55212,3.44798,3.50898,
FAST,2003-08-05,3.50572,3.52409,3.45529,3.46466,
FAST,2003-08-06,3.45529,3.52952,3.43841,3.45351,
FAST,2003-08-07,3.46092,3.49052,3.39785,3.48698,
FAST,2003-08-08,3.47197,3.53139,3.46852,3.49052,
FAST,2003-08-11,3.48322,3.57807,3.46852,3.52221,
FAST,2003-08-12,3.50898,3.56495,3.47948,3.5613,
FAST,2003-08-13,3.54442,3.58351,3.4851,3.54817,
FAST,2003-08-14,3.55399,3.57807,3.5149,3.53139,
FAST,2003-08-15,3.52409,3.55212,3.50178,3.53712,
FAST,2003-08-18,3.53712,3.61144,3.53534,3.60029,
FAST,2003-08-19,3.57443,3.65418,3.57245,3.65211,
FAST,2003-08-20,3.6375,3.64688,3.57807,3.62812,
FAST,2003-08-21,3.64135,3.71755,3.62467,3.71538,
FAST,2003-08-22,3.72643,3.72643,3.59457,3.62812,
FAST,2003-08-25,3.62467,3.70442,3.58153,3.68932,
FAST,2003-08-26,3.67076,3.67274,3.53712,3.65053,
FAST,2003-08-27,3.6449,3.67274,3.59821,3.66158,
FAST,2003-08-28,3.67274,3.71755,3.66158,3.71755,
FAST,2003-08-29,3.71755,3.76009,3.70442,3.75644,
FAST,2003-09-02,3.77331,3.85702,3.71755,3.8512,
FAST,2003-09-03,3.83836,3.90124,3.79592,3.88811,
FAST,2003-09-04,3.8809,3.89956,3.83422,3.84754,
FAST,2003-09-05,3.8663,3.87746,3.76729,3.79898,
FAST,2003-09-08,3.79365,3.89552,3.75279,3.84399,
FAST,2003-09-09,3.82178,3.85514,3.76207,3.76385,
FAST,2003-09-10,3.74687,3.78063,3.71755,3.71972,
FAST,2003-09-11,3.68932,3.77331,3.68576,3.77331,
FAST,2003-09-12,3.73028,3.76729,3.66158,3.70788,
FAST,2003-09-15,3.7136,3.77331,3.70077,3.75644,
FAST,2003-09-16,3.76385,3.94595,3.76385,3.92345,
FAST,2003-09-17,3.8809,4.04072,3.8809,4.03854,
FAST,2003-09-18,4.02255,4.0649,3.97409,4.03006,
FAST,2003-09-19,4.03726,4.03854,3.88634,3.96105,
FAST,2003-09-22,3.90321,3.94043,3.82721,3.8738,
FAST,2003-09-23,3.85702,3.96481,3.85702,3.9425,
FAST,2003-09-24,3.90321,3.92493,3.79197,3.83422,
FAST,2003-09-25,3.82889,3.83057,3.64688,3.66158,
FAST,2003-09-26,3.63365,3.6449,3.51846,3.55005,
FAST,2003-09-29,3.58153,3.59101,3.53139,3.57807,
FAST,2003-09-30,3.58153,3.59101,3.42577,3.51096,
FAST,2003-10-01,3.51096,3.59821,3.51096,3.55399,
FAST,2003-10-02,3.55399,3.65418,3.53139,3.58153,
FAST,2003-10-03,3.62812,3.83639,3.61677,3.83057,
FAST,2003-10-06,3.81971,3.95879,3.81971,3.95879,
FAST,2003-10-07,3.92493,4.01268,3.86412,3.9961,
FAST,2003-10-08,3.9961,4.00004,3.90321,3.96105,
FAST,2003-10-09,3.9961,4.04604,3.88248,3.97744,
FAST,2003-10-10,4.02422,4.05552,3.90539,3.97744,
FAST,2003-10-13,3.98287,4.16933,3.95365,4.1561,
FAST,2003-10-14,4.14978,4.2326,4.14159,4.22826,
FAST,2003-10-15,4.27849,4.27849,4.14465,4.21542,
FAST,2003-10-16,4.19538,4.27099,4.17298,4.21128,
FAST,2003-10-17,4.21128,4.2252,3.9961,4.02798,
FAST,2003-10-20,4.04288,4.10813,4.0339,4.10289,
FAST,2003-10-21,4.08513,4.12985,4.07615,4.12589,
FAST,2003-10-22,4.08947,4.15353,3.99215,4.13587,
FAST,2003-10-23,4.13201,4.18591,4.08947,4.15185,
FAST,2003-10-24,4.14771,4.18186,4.0948,4.18186,
FAST,2003-10-27,4.16518,4.18393,4.13587,4.1636,
FAST,2003-10-28,4.18591,4.20111,4.12589,4.18926,
FAST,2003-10-29,4.20111,4.20288,4.13765,4.18926,
FAST,2003-10-30,4.19538,4.20417,4.09845,4.11119,
FAST,2003-10-31,4.10289,4.16933,4.04604,4.13201,
FAST,2003-11-03,4.14771,4.18926,4.13201,4.18186,
FAST,2003-11-04,4.18186,4.19538,4.10991,4.14465,
FAST,2003-11-05,4.1711,4.2252,4.1561,4.22085,
FAST,2003-11-06,4.19904,4.25856,4.16695,4.21344,
FAST,2003-11-07,4.21936,4.30119,4.21542,4.27099,
FAST,2003-11-10,4.29685,4.33101,4.26162,4.27455,
FAST,2003-11-11,4.26576,4.32883,4.25322,4.30307,
FAST,2003-11-12,4.30831,4.45824,4.28254,4.4458,
FAST,2003-11-13,4.46179,4.52822,4.39842,4.4458,
FAST,2003-11-14,4.43534,4.46959,4.34235,4.34235,
FAST,2003-11-17,4.34611,4.37335,4.27849,4.37049,
FAST,2003-11-18,4.37236,4.40612,4.30495,4.31285,
FAST,2003-11-19,4.35085,4.35262,4.26971,4.33427,
FAST,2003-11-20,4.27455,4.41382,4.24523,4.36851,
FAST,2003-11-21,4.36851,4.41984,4.29922,4.37049,
FAST,2003-11-24,4.40464,4.56691,4.40464,4.53671,
FAST,2003-11-25,4.54421,4.60324,4.46495,4.56691,
FAST,2003-11-26,4.5914,4.66709,4.53069,4.63551,
FAST,2003-11-28,4.64351,4.64706,4.60324,4.61696,
FAST,2003-12-01,4.61696,4.70757,4.59948,4.70135,
FAST,2003-12-02,4.70135,4.70135,4.64104,4.64706,
FAST,2003-12-03,4.64706,4.67302,4.55694,4.57086,
FAST,2003-12-04,4.56691,4.57086,4.34611,4.46179,
FAST,2003-12-05,4.45222,4.46179,4.25717,4.32083,
FAST,2003-12-08,4.32083,4.46959,4.30831,4.46179,
FAST,2003-12-09,4.44994,4.5827,4.4308,4.45222,
FAST,2003-12-10,4.47275,4.52822,4.43306,4.52822,
FAST,2003-12-11,4.52111,4.74014,4.48321,4.64568,
FAST,2003-12-12,4.63749,4.64568,4.52319,4.58814,
FAST,2003-12-15,4.62189,4.66927,4.47729,4.50907,
FAST,2003-12-16,4.46179,4.51884,4.37236,4.51795,
FAST,2003-12-17,4.51795,4.52319,4.39842,4.43534,
FAST,2003-12-18,4.46495,4.55003,4.46495,4.54016,
FAST,2003-12-19,4.55329,4.57619,4.38016,4.41806,
FAST,2003-12-22,4.39882,4.46959,4.377,4.46495,
FAST,2003-12-23,4.46959,4.47926,4.41026,4.45824,
FAST,2003-12-24,4.42221,4.50671,4.38638,4.50551,
FAST,2003-12-26,4.50671,4.55003,4.49002,4.51795,
FAST,2003-12-29,4.52111,4.61696,4.51105,4.61508,
FAST,2003-12-30,4.60778,4.62367,4.52654,4.5914,
FAST,2003-12-31,4.61508,4.65199,4.54421,4.62367,
FAST,2004-01-02,4.66167,4.71852,4.58636,4.63749,
FAST,2004-01-05,4.62367,4.64706,4.54233,4.60324,
FAST,2004-01-06,4.59948,4.69305,4.58044,4.68033,
FAST,2004-01-07,4.66167,4.73599,4.65199,4.72287,
FAST,2004-01-08,4.73047,4.73047,4.66345,4.69671,
FAST,2004-01-09,4.62594,4.73599,4.58044,4.5827,
FAST,2004-01-12,4.58468,4.5978,4.51105,4.56257,
FAST,2004-01-13,4.58044,4.66522,4.54016,4.6594,
FAST,2004-01-14,4.66167,4.74932,4.6594,4.70629,
FAST,2004-01-15,4.70629,4.77588,4.64706,4.68397,
FAST,2004-01-16,4.7205,4.81022,4.69128,4.74014,
FAST,2004-01-20,4.6594,4.8272,4.65792,4.73047,
FAST,2004-01-21,4.72642,4.84447,4.69671,4.79294,
FAST,2004-01-22,4.7661,4.83312,4.72287,4.73185,
FAST,2004-01-23,4.72642,4.7971,4.68901,4.73047,
FAST,2004-01-26,4.75238,4.76808,4.62021,4.69128,
FAST,2004-01-27,4.70323,4.72287,4.62594,4.63956,
FAST,2004-01-28,4.6137,4.66345,4.49801,4.49801,
FAST,2004-01-29,4.53069,4.56918,4.4308,4.49002,
FAST,2004-01-30,4.48321,4.51105,4.42576,4.45222,
FAST,2004-02-02,4.46041,4.61696,4.37463,4.47501,
FAST,2004-02-03,4.44353,4.55003,4.40464,4.5297,
FAST,2004-02-04,4.46959,4.52822,4.43988,4.50373,
FAST,2004-02-05,4.48825,4.58814,4.45222,4.46495,
FAST,2004-02-06,4.47729,4.61834,4.46179,4.60324,
FAST,2004-02-09,4.6137,4.67677,4.56691,4.56691,
FAST,2004-02-10,4.59948,4.63018,4.55191,4.62594,
FAST,2004-02-11,4.5978,4.64568,4.5827,4.64568,
FAST,2004-02-12,4.60176,4.65101,4.57254,4.61696,
FAST,2004-02-13,4.5978,4.64706,4.54608,4.55329,
FAST,2004-02-17,4.56069,4.69128,4.56069,4.64706,
FAST,2004-02-18,4.63749,4.64568,4.54016,4.58468,
FAST,2004-02-19,4.58468,4.66709,4.53266,4.53266,
FAST,2004-02-20,4.53069,4.56494,4.46179,4.50671,
FAST,2004-02-23,4.48647,4.50671,4.40612,4.45824,
FAST,2004-02-24,4.50373,4.56257,4.45222,4.50373,
FAST,2004-02-25,4.47729,4.50197,4.43988,4.48647,
FAST,2004-02-26,4.55329,4.56257,4.48321,4.54608,
FAST,2004-02-27,4.48647,4.58044,4.45587,4.50197,
FAST,2004-03-01,4.51579,4.55694,4.48647,4.53453,
FAST,2004-03-02,4.52516,4.56691,4.47926,4.51105,
FAST,2004-03-03,4.48321,4.55329,4.44175,4.46771,
FAST,2004-03-04,4.44807,4.46959,4.39486,4.42428,
FAST,2004-03-05,4.38865,4.55694,4.38233,4.49979,
FAST,2004-03-08,4.49801,4.54016,4.44353,4.47729,
FAST,2004-03-09,4.44807,4.48103,4.41382,4.41382,
FAST,2004-03-10,4.39486,4.40098,4.24523,4.24523,
FAST,2004-03-11,4.2326,4.2474,4.13971,4.1636,
FAST,2004-03-12,4.16933,4.18926,4.07615,4.15185,
FAST,2004-03-15,4.15965,4.39664,4.13587,4.38016,
FAST,2004-03-16,4.39664,4.49002,4.38865,4.44807,
FAST,2004-03-17,4.45824,4.54016,4.42981,4.53069,
FAST,2004-03-18,4.51105,4.54233,4.42981,4.48103,
FAST,2004-03-19,4.49002,4.50373,4.42744,4.4458,
FAST,2004-03-22,4.42744,4.46179,4.377,4.42744,
FAST,2004-03-23,4.44353,4.48647,4.3847,4.438,
FAST,2004-03-24,4.42576,4.52111,4.38865,4.46495,
FAST,2004-03-25,4.49002,4.6594,4.48509,4.65101,
FAST,2004-03-26,4.65585,4.68033,4.5827,4.62791,
FAST,2004-03-29,4.64104,4.77588,4.61834,4.74014,
FAST,2004-03-30,4.7282,4.81437,4.71852,4.7971,
FAST,2004-03-31,4.98168,5.04899,4.86599,4.98947,
FAST,2004-04-01,4.99095,5.00477,4.82404,4.85473,
FAST,2004-04-02,4.91268,4.97042,4.75475,4.92166,
FAST,2004-04-05,4.95492,5.05679,4.95068,5.05215,
FAST,2004-04-06,5.04267,5.07229,5.00112,5.02787,
FAST,2004-04-07,5.0102,5.07229,5.0102,5.03951,
FAST,2004-04-08,5.05679,5.08926,5.01425,5.03951,
FAST,2004-04-12,5.02787,5.11108,5.02609,5.08314,
FAST,2004-04-13,5.13792,5.27878,5.09686,5.12746,
FAST,2004-04-14,5.09686,5.19083,5.07416,5.14474,
FAST,2004-04-15,5.1621,5.16546,4.99095,5.04495,
FAST,2004-04-16,5.02037,5.1549,4.99776,5.12992,
FAST,2004-04-19,5.11295,5.18609,5.06053,5.18609,
FAST,2004-04-20,5.20919,5.29328,5.14346,5.1621,
FAST,2004-04-21,5.16951,5.16951,5.0024,5.1166,
FAST,2004-04-22,5.07732,5.26703,5.07732,5.22685,
FAST,2004-04-23,5.1777,5.19734,5.11108,5.1549,
FAST,2004-04-26,5.1239,5.20682,5.09499,5.11927,
FAST,2004-04-27,5.14928,5.25429,5.13378,5.22271,
FAST,2004-04-28,5.22685,5.29328,5.13604,5.18836,
FAST,2004-04-29,5.20485,5.28065,5.1016,5.1393,
FAST,2004-04-30,5.15254,5.19734,5.08926,5.09923,
FAST,2004-05-03,5.09361,5.17128,5.01799,5.05491,
FAST,2004-05-04,5.04089,5.10496,4.96322,5.02037,
FAST,2004-05-05,5.05491,5.08502,4.96558,5.03438,
FAST,2004-05-06,5.00477,5.00477,4.88198,4.93291,
FAST,2004-05-07,4.91751,4.95492,4.7731,4.7816,
FAST,2004-05-10,4.76808,4.80588,4.70629,4.7731,
FAST,2004-05-11,4.75238,4.81022,4.71852,4.75662,
FAST,2004-05-12,4.72287,4.84447,4.69453,4.83776,
FAST,2004-05-13,4.85237,4.85237,4.70323,4.72287,
FAST,2004-05-14,4.68033,4.74152,4.64706,4.65585,
FAST,2004-05-17,4.67302,4.70323,4.56069,4.63018,
FAST,2004-05-18,4.69128,4.7205,4.6137,4.62367,
FAST,2004-05-19,4.63749,4.66345,4.50373,4.51795,
FAST,2004-05-20,4.53671,4.57619,4.50907,4.54421,
FAST,2004-05-21,4.56691,4.59732,4.52516,4.59732,
FAST,2004-05-24,4.62021,4.68033,4.57086,4.5914,
FAST,2004-05-25,4.60324,4.7583,4.57442,4.75475,
FAST,2004-05-26,4.72642,4.75662,4.64104,4.67489,
FAST,2004-05-27,4.7282,4.89935,4.7205,4.77588,
FAST,2004-05-28,4.78584,4.85009,4.7743,4.81022,
FAST,2004-06-01,4.81683,4.98168,4.7731,4.92788,
FAST,2004-06-02,4.94782,5.01602,4.89935,4.99776,
FAST,2004-06-03,5.00112,5.08176,4.95256,4.9568,
FAST,2004-06-04,5.00112,5.01799,4.90863,4.90863,
FAST,2004-06-07,4.93291,5.08502,4.91435,5.08502,
FAST,2004-06-08,5.08926,5.08926,5.02787,5.06794,
FAST,2004-06-09,5.05215,5.09133,4.88652,4.93479,
FAST,2004-06-10,4.92166,5.02787,4.92166,5.02787,
FAST,2004-06-14,5.01247,5.03635,4.92166,4.95256,
FAST,2004-06-15,4.99776,5.10772,4.9948,5.06991,
FAST,2004-06-16,5.08502,5.09133,5.0102,5.08176,
FAST,2004-06-17,5.06794,5.10861,5.01425,5.08314,
FAST,2004-06-18,5.06053,5.16764,5.05117,5.11108,
FAST,2004-06-21,5.09923,5.15066,5.06281,5.07949,
FAST,2004-06-22,5.05215,5.10338,4.92551,5.06991,
FAST,2004-06-23,5.03635,5.17385,5.01247,5.16764,
FAST,2004-06-24,5.18007,5.23426,5.1239,5.14928,
FAST,2004-06-25,5.13792,5.21107,5.1016,5.12746,
FAST,2004-06-28,5.18313,5.25429,5.14928,5.1933,
FAST,2004-06-29,5.22103,5.22103,5.14474,5.18491,
FAST,2004-06-30,5.16546,5.28065,5.14168,5.28065,
FAST,2004-07-01,5.26022,5.28825,5.1315,5.1777,
FAST,2004-07-02,5.21738,5.2312,5.14474,5.16349,
FAST,2004-07-06,5.18007,5.20485,5.09923,5.09923,
FAST,2004-07-07,5.10772,5.23751,5.06053,5.08502,
FAST,2004-07-08,5.08502,5.08926,4.9717,5.00842,
FAST,2004-07-09,5.02441,5.13604,4.9717,5.08739,
FAST,2004-07-12,5.10338,5.15254,5.01425,5.05491,
FAST,2004-07-13,5.20919,5.60489,5.20919,5.5436,"BAC, JNJ, MER, FCEL, QCOM, RHAT U.S. stock futures were stepping higher, setting the stage for a solid start as a $1.4 billion financial services acquisition surfaced. Bank of America it is paying $26.60 a share to acquire National Processing, creating the nation's second largest bancard merchant. A strong profits report at Philips , the largest electronics maker in Europe, also emerged, but tech stock trading was mixed. Johnson & Johnson , a Dow industrials stock, beat the forecast as sales rose 11 percent to $11.5 billion. Wall Street's Merrill Lynch missed the per share average estimate from analysts for the June quarter. The U.S. trade deficit narrowed by 4.5 percent in May to $46.0 billion; it marked the first narrowing of the trade deficit in six months."
FAST,2004-07-14,5.49978,5.64073,5.46513,5.61881,
FAST,2004-07-15,5.66946,5.70962,5.58229,5.67261,
FAST,2004-07-16,5.67902,5.70962,5.62207,5.65267,
FAST,2004-07-19,5.6655,5.73519,5.63115,5.69876,"[""Something Truly Special Citizens Communications announces a one-time $2 bonus."", ""Charting The Market A graphic look at selected stock activity for the week ended July 16,2004.""]"
FAST,2004-07-20,5.7114,5.77911,5.65475,5.72769,
FAST,2004-07-21,5.73391,5.78771,5.57233,5.57233,
FAST,2004-07-22,5.57499,5.60619,5.46109,5.52208,
FAST,2004-07-23,5.49248,5.53393,5.41301,5.48527,
FAST,2004-07-26,5.50195,5.55535,5.37748,5.42032,
FAST,2004-07-27,5.44865,5.78119,5.43957,5.76569,
FAST,2004-07-28,5.76391,5.77171,5.59967,5.72562,
FAST,2004-07-29,5.74526,5.9094,5.74526,5.88246,
FAST,2004-07-30,5.89214,5.89816,5.76174,5.79727,
FAST,2004-08-02,5.80626,5.81563,5.65623,5.75019,
FAST,2004-08-03,5.76993,5.76993,5.62977,5.67261,
FAST,2004-08-04,5.70064,5.80626,5.67261,5.75937,
FAST,2004-08-05,5.76174,5.76174,5.63569,5.63757,
FAST,2004-08-06,5.62573,5.62573,5.43681,5.43957,
FAST,2004-08-09,5.47461,5.59325,5.43957,5.55821,
FAST,2004-08-10,5.57923,5.73983,5.56867,5.73154,
FAST,2004-08-11,5.7114,5.79727,5.64863,5.77171,
FAST,2004-08-12,5.74526,5.81731,5.50472,5.52208,
FAST,2004-08-13,5.50798,5.59739,5.4833,5.51182,
FAST,2004-08-16,5.51182,5.681,5.50984,5.64201,
FAST,2004-08-17,5.61023,5.82324,5.59739,5.68682,
FAST,2004-08-18,5.71604,5.71604,5.61971,5.67902,
FAST,2004-08-19,5.6503,5.65267,5.55673,5.57233,
FAST,2004-08-20,5.58457,5.76993,5.53393,5.75207,
FAST,2004-08-23,5.76391,5.76747,5.64863,5.71792,
FAST,2004-08-24,5.75207,5.79541,5.72434,5.77171,
FAST,2004-08-25,5.80813,5.81909,5.74792,5.75809,
FAST,2004-08-26,5.77714,5.77911,5.68514,5.71604,
FAST,2004-08-27,5.7198,5.7421,5.69038,5.71792,
FAST,2004-08-30,5.70064,5.77171,5.69442,5.73391,
FAST,2004-08-31,5.79087,5.87704,5.72562,5.83518,
FAST,2004-09-01,5.79541,5.87704,5.79541,5.8642,
FAST,2004-09-02,5.86864,5.96923,5.84505,5.93467,
FAST,2004-09-03,5.91967,5.9939,5.85078,5.8642,
FAST,2004-09-07,5.79313,5.82709,5.61517,5.6503,
FAST,2004-09-08,5.65475,5.68801,5.57233,5.60619,
FAST,2004-09-09,5.59967,5.69038,5.46316,5.48724,
FAST,2004-09-10,5.46632,5.50294,5.43957,5.48724,
FAST,2004-09-13,5.50294,5.56867,5.46632,5.52988,
FAST,2004-09-14,5.5436,5.55535,5.42032,5.42753,
FAST,2004-09-15,5.37748,5.50294,5.32082,5.45299,
FAST,2004-09-16,5.4833,5.61704,5.45723,5.47115,
FAST,2004-09-17,5.48724,5.5436,5.46632,5.4833,
FAST,2004-09-20,5.48527,5.50698,5.36968,5.39939,
FAST,2004-09-21,5.42397,5.44638,5.37334,5.37748,
FAST,2004-09-22,5.37886,5.37886,5.28065,5.3299,
FAST,2004-09-23,5.31046,5.38084,5.26347,5.34471,
FAST,2004-09-24,5.36968,5.37334,5.22103,5.30138,
FAST,2004-09-27,5.29328,5.29328,5.17128,5.22103,
FAST,2004-09-28,5.22459,5.34056,5.18609,5.32794,
FAST,2004-09-29,5.3233,5.3605,5.26703,5.30632,
FAST,2004-09-30,5.29575,5.38183,5.2772,5.3534,
FAST,2004-10-01,5.42397,5.42753,5.27167,5.29773,
FAST,2004-10-04,5.27355,5.48724,5.27167,5.35744,
FAST,2004-10-05,5.41301,5.59325,5.3838,5.44499,
FAST,2004-10-06,5.45497,5.50472,5.40167,5.50294,
FAST,2004-10-07,5.52208,5.57499,5.46632,5.47461,
FAST,2004-10-08,5.4833,5.50472,5.3534,5.37521,
FAST,2004-10-11,5.34471,5.41114,5.31895,5.38084,
FAST,2004-10-12,4.99914,5.12992,4.77588,4.79472,"CompuDyne, Intel, Yahoo, and more Stocks to watch"
FAST,2004-10-13,4.96114,5.00112,4.85829,4.95916,
FAST,2004-10-14,4.97594,4.97594,4.75238,4.89738,
FAST,2004-10-15,4.92551,4.99776,4.86975,4.88849,
FAST,2004-10-18,4.90162,5.14928,4.82058,5.1471,"Charting The Market A graphic look at selected stock activity for the week ended October 15,2004."
FAST,2004-10-19,5.1549,5.18609,5.10338,5.17533,
FAST,2004-10-20,5.1549,5.20139,5.14168,5.18313,
FAST,2004-10-21,5.14168,5.15806,4.98168,5.08502,
FAST,2004-10-22,5.06439,5.13792,5.03438,5.06053,
FAST,2004-10-25,5.05867,5.1239,4.99618,5.11295,
FAST,2004-10-26,5.11927,5.15806,5.06053,5.11927,
FAST,2004-10-27,5.12144,5.16764,4.9717,5.05867,
FAST,2004-10-28,5.03201,5.14168,5.0102,5.14168,
FAST,2004-10-29,5.12558,5.1777,5.05491,5.1315,
FAST,2004-11-01,5.15717,5.21383,5.07416,5.20485,
FAST,2004-11-02,5.18106,5.29773,5.18106,5.2312,
FAST,2004-11-03,5.27355,5.32646,5.22933,5.30355,
FAST,2004-11-04,5.31046,5.45299,5.26703,5.40937,
FAST,2004-11-05,5.45723,5.48004,5.32646,5.3605,
FAST,2004-11-08,5.33218,5.40937,5.31895,5.38567,
FAST,2004-11-09,5.40305,5.44865,5.34471,5.40769,
FAST,2004-11-10,5.39752,5.51182,5.39752,5.49425,
FAST,2004-11-11,5.49425,5.62573,5.48004,5.61201,
FAST,2004-11-12,5.60825,5.68514,5.57233,5.66946,
FAST,2004-11-15,5.6503,5.70608,5.62573,5.67261,
FAST,2004-11-16,5.67261,5.68801,5.57499,5.62977,
FAST,2004-11-17,5.61881,5.75207,5.61881,5.70064,
FAST,2004-11-18,5.68801,5.73391,5.62375,5.70608,
FAST,2004-11-19,5.74792,5.75385,5.57499,5.60243,
FAST,2004-11-22,5.59325,5.71604,5.57233,5.681,
FAST,2004-11-23,5.71368,5.77319,5.59325,5.77319,
FAST,2004-11-24,5.77911,5.85255,5.74526,5.79087,
FAST,2004-11-26,5.73391,5.80813,5.72434,5.79087,
FAST,2004-11-29,5.75809,5.79915,5.67488,5.71604,
FAST,2004-11-30,5.70282,5.75207,5.66412,5.68337,
FAST,2004-12-01,5.68801,5.86252,5.68801,5.84505,
FAST,2004-12-02,5.80813,5.94465,5.76174,5.88444,
FAST,2004-12-03,5.8642,5.9632,5.81731,5.87259,
FAST,2004-12-06,5.71792,5.82867,5.61881,5.73983,
FAST,2004-12-07,5.74526,5.78947,5.63905,5.69876,
FAST,2004-12-08,5.74526,5.78119,5.70064,5.73519,
FAST,2004-12-09,5.70608,5.84505,5.64636,5.79541,
FAST,2004-12-10,5.71604,5.84505,5.66946,5.70962,
FAST,2004-12-13,5.75019,5.75809,5.66037,5.7421,
FAST,2004-12-14,5.7114,5.86666,5.70282,5.84199,
FAST,2004-12-15,5.8334,5.88038,5.75207,5.80143,
FAST,2004-12-16,5.81731,5.85887,5.7421,5.78533,
FAST,2004-12-17,5.8334,5.84199,5.73983,5.74526,
FAST,2004-12-20,5.78119,5.78771,5.64201,5.67666,
FAST,2004-12-21,5.69442,5.7421,5.66225,5.72769,
FAST,2004-12-22,5.77171,5.79915,5.73154,5.75207,
FAST,2004-12-23,5.74388,5.74388,5.67666,5.69442,
FAST,2004-12-27,5.6655,5.73154,5.60619,5.681,
FAST,2004-12-28,5.70962,5.81731,5.67261,5.81731,
FAST,2004-12-29,5.78345,5.80468,5.67902,5.72434,
FAST,2004-12-30,5.7421,5.77911,5.69876,5.73154,
FAST,2004-12-31,5.70608,5.77171,5.68337,5.72206,
FAST,2005-01-03,5.75809,5.77319,5.58229,5.6503,
FAST,2005-01-04,5.67666,5.74526,5.4833,5.49248,
FAST,2005-01-05,5.52584,5.53995,5.44499,5.4976,
FAST,2005-01-06,5.52584,5.65623,5.50472,5.59739,
FAST,2005-01-07,5.6581,5.70824,5.60619,5.68514,
FAST,2005-01-10,5.6581,5.67902,5.56275,5.58457,
FAST,2005-01-11,5.55821,5.61023,5.50984,5.59967,
FAST,2005-01-12,5.57233,5.58151,5.49425,5.52988,
FAST,2005-01-13,5.50984,5.59967,5.48724,5.5436,
FAST,2005-01-14,5.53808,5.63757,5.52988,5.62375,
FAST,2005-01-18,5.63115,5.80143,5.59503,5.79915,
FAST,2005-01-19,5.87555,5.92362,5.43809,5.49573,
FAST,2005-01-20,5.5436,5.61881,5.45497,5.52021,
FAST,2005-01-21,5.52021,5.58457,5.49573,5.55535,
FAST,2005-01-24,5.55101,5.69038,5.5436,5.57499,
FAST,2005-01-25,5.58229,5.59325,5.50698,5.56275,
FAST,2005-01-26,5.58457,5.58457,5.50472,5.57923,
FAST,2005-01-27,5.55535,5.65623,5.52584,5.63569,
FAST,2005-01-28,5.62207,5.65475,5.50472,5.57499,
FAST,2005-01-31,5.61398,5.62977,5.53995,5.58881,
FAST,2005-02-01,5.5665,5.69038,5.50798,5.67133,
FAST,2005-02-02,5.68801,5.68801,5.60619,5.66412,
FAST,2005-02-03,5.69038,5.73983,5.63905,5.70962,
FAST,2005-02-04,5.67902,5.71792,5.62573,5.70962,
FAST,2005-02-07,5.7198,5.7198,5.58881,5.6503,
FAST,2005-02-08,5.63115,5.68238,5.57499,5.67666,
FAST,2005-02-09,5.66225,5.68514,5.49248,5.54686,
FAST,2005-02-10,5.55101,5.60095,5.44499,5.53995,
FAST,2005-02-11,5.55101,5.65623,5.47115,5.62977,
FAST,2005-02-14,5.61517,5.61971,5.50294,5.53393,
FAST,2005-02-15,5.52988,5.54854,5.43523,5.44865,
FAST,2005-02-16,5.46316,5.56275,5.42032,5.53995,
FAST,2005-02-17,5.51616,5.54854,5.38982,5.43809,
FAST,2005-02-18,5.42625,5.48724,5.34284,5.35912,
FAST,2005-02-22,5.33415,5.37334,5.18491,5.25035,
FAST,2005-02-23,5.26022,5.30632,5.21738,5.23751,
FAST,2005-02-24,5.24659,5.38982,5.17286,5.3534,
FAST,2005-02-25,5.36238,5.48004,5.31895,5.45299,
FAST,2005-02-28,5.48912,5.49425,5.36968,5.43385,
FAST,2005-03-01,5.44499,5.46632,5.34471,5.34768,
FAST,2005-03-02,5.3233,5.43385,5.30494,5.41865,
FAST,2005-03-03,5.42397,5.44865,5.31895,5.37166,
FAST,2005-03-04,5.38982,5.49978,5.38567,5.38567,
FAST,2005-03-07,5.38567,5.50798,5.37748,5.45299,
FAST,2005-03-08,5.43957,5.56275,5.4295,5.53995,
FAST,2005-03-09,5.54134,5.54686,5.44095,5.46109,
FAST,2005-03-10,5.44312,5.47115,5.34471,5.42397,
FAST,2005-03-11,5.40531,5.4833,5.3145,5.36475,
FAST,2005-03-14,5.37748,5.38982,5.26347,5.3299,
FAST,2005-03-15,5.3534,5.37334,5.29901,5.3299,
FAST,2005-03-16,5.29901,5.34471,5.21738,5.30632,
FAST,2005-03-17,5.2772,5.31728,5.23297,5.26703,
FAST,2005-03-18,5.24659,5.30138,5.20485,5.26575,
FAST,2005-03-21,5.29773,5.34056,5.23426,5.32428,
FAST,2005-03-22,5.30138,5.39939,5.30138,5.31224,
FAST,2005-03-23,5.33415,5.37748,5.25607,5.27167,
FAST,2005-03-24,5.30138,5.30138,5.20919,5.23751,
FAST,2005-03-28,5.25035,5.27355,5.18491,5.19083,
FAST,2005-03-29,5.19083,5.21738,5.13792,5.16764,
FAST,2005-03-30,5.14168,5.20485,5.13378,5.18313,
FAST,2005-03-31,5.17286,5.21107,5.11927,5.1393,
FAST,2005-04-01,5.14474,5.20139,5.02787,5.14928,
FAST,2005-04-04,5.14928,5.2312,5.07416,5.11463,
FAST,2005-04-05,5.09923,5.32428,5.09923,5.25429,
FAST,2005-04-06,5.25035,5.2849,5.1777,5.2312,
FAST,2005-04-07,5.25429,5.26347,5.15984,5.26022,
FAST,2005-04-08,5.24907,5.34471,5.13792,5.15066,
FAST,2005-04-11,5.13792,5.15806,5.06053,5.11927,
FAST,2005-04-12,5.11927,5.1315,5.03803,5.10772,Stocks to watch Wednesday: AMD AAPL SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Among stocks likely seeing active trading in Wednesday's regular session are Advanced Micro Devices Inc. and Apple Computer Inc.
FAST,2005-04-13,5.01799,5.01799,4.84003,4.93844,
FAST,2005-04-14,4.90863,4.9491,4.84822,4.86599,
FAST,2005-04-15,4.82947,4.86747,4.74734,4.75238,
FAST,2005-04-18,4.76472,4.95492,4.75475,4.90715,
FAST,2005-04-19,4.9491,4.9491,4.84674,4.88001,
FAST,2005-04-20,4.89738,4.90162,4.83085,4.86975,
FAST,2005-04-21,4.92551,5.00477,4.91268,4.95068,
FAST,2005-04-22,4.95492,4.9717,4.84447,4.94042,
FAST,2005-04-25,4.94466,5.04267,4.94466,5.03201,
FAST,2005-04-26,5.02224,5.07229,4.9792,4.98168,
FAST,2005-04-27,4.99243,5.05363,4.84141,4.99914,
FAST,2005-04-28,4.97594,5.00625,4.87577,4.91435,
FAST,2005-04-29,4.93291,4.98168,4.83312,4.97408,
FAST,2005-05-02,5.00842,5.06439,4.98168,5.03635,
FAST,2005-05-03,5.06053,5.06053,4.98168,5.04899,
FAST,2005-05-04,5.06053,5.10644,5.01425,5.09923,
FAST,2005-05-05,5.07416,5.11108,4.98947,5.04089,
FAST,2005-05-06,5.08314,5.10496,4.98552,5.04495,
FAST,2005-05-09,5.02787,5.08314,4.9717,5.08314,
FAST,2005-05-10,5.05215,5.10338,5.00112,5.08502,
FAST,2005-05-11,5.10338,5.15806,5.01799,5.1549,
FAST,2005-05-12,5.16764,5.17286,4.89935,4.96114,
FAST,2005-05-13,4.96114,4.99776,4.87783,4.92166,
FAST,2005-05-16,4.94466,5.03635,4.93084,5.02224,"Hold back on big buyback stocks PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. (BuybackLetter) -- Big buyback announcements from some of the nation's biggest companies are coming fast and furious. But before you buy some of these stocks, it pays to do a little digging."
FAST,2005-05-17,5.03201,5.08314,4.98168,5.07416,
FAST,2005-05-18,5.08314,5.17128,5.02787,5.16764,
FAST,2005-05-19,5.17128,5.27532,5.17128,5.25429,
FAST,2005-05-20,5.23426,5.2617,5.16764,5.23751,
FAST,2005-05-23,5.30632,5.34056,5.2693,5.31728,
FAST,2005-05-24,5.35103,5.35103,5.20485,5.25035,
FAST,2005-05-25,5.30494,5.31224,5.15717,5.25035,
FAST,2005-05-26,5.2849,5.29773,5.20919,5.28065,
FAST,2005-05-27,5.27167,5.34768,5.26022,5.3233,
FAST,2005-05-31,5.34768,5.40167,5.2312,5.40167,
FAST,2005-06-01,5.36801,5.52446,5.30138,5.49425,
FAST,2005-06-02,5.48004,5.5361,5.44865,5.52021,
FAST,2005-06-03,5.54686,5.54854,5.43957,5.47115,
FAST,2005-06-06,5.34639,5.46316,5.31728,5.46109,
FAST,2005-06-07,5.46632,5.62977,5.44095,5.56413,
FAST,2005-06-08,5.57401,5.59739,5.40937,5.42753,
FAST,2005-06-09,5.44312,5.47836,5.38982,5.47115,
FAST,2005-06-10,5.49248,5.56413,5.44312,5.49248,
FAST,2005-06-13,5.49109,5.59325,5.47836,5.59325,
FAST,2005-06-14,5.61398,5.69876,5.61398,5.64399,
FAST,2005-06-15,5.67261,5.79727,5.60243,5.79541,
FAST,2005-06-16,5.80143,5.87842,5.73391,5.83518,
FAST,2005-06-17,5.87704,5.90812,5.76747,5.77319,
FAST,2005-06-20,5.75809,5.84831,5.72434,5.82136,
FAST,2005-06-21,5.82462,5.84831,5.74792,5.78345,
FAST,2005-06-22,5.78771,5.78771,5.65267,5.68801,
FAST,2005-06-23,5.70608,5.71604,5.5665,5.57499,
FAST,2005-06-24,5.57923,5.61023,5.41637,5.48004,
FAST,2005-06-27,5.49248,5.56275,5.44499,5.52021,
FAST,2005-06-28,5.52208,5.63115,5.50798,5.59967,
FAST,2005-06-29,5.60095,5.62207,5.54854,5.60619,
FAST,2005-06-30,5.61881,5.73519,5.61881,5.69038,
FAST,2005-07-01,5.68238,5.7421,5.65267,5.70282,
FAST,2005-07-05,5.72562,5.83094,5.64863,5.80813,
FAST,2005-07-06,5.6503,5.65267,5.52584,5.61398,
FAST,2005-07-07,5.52988,5.68238,5.52988,5.64863,
FAST,2005-07-08,5.62977,5.83735,5.58881,5.80143,
FAST,2005-07-11,5.82136,5.8642,5.74792,5.82462,
FAST,2005-07-12,5.81909,5.81909,5.72769,5.80626,
FAST,2005-07-13,5.85433,5.97663,5.80626,5.83518,
FAST,2005-07-14,5.81909,5.89214,5.80329,5.81731,
FAST,2005-07-15,5.83923,5.9406,5.81189,5.89214,
FAST,2005-07-18,5.88038,5.95757,5.8642,5.86864,
FAST,2005-07-19,5.9017,5.97535,5.88038,5.93872,
FAST,2005-07-20,5.94267,5.9632,5.89983,5.91178,
FAST,2005-07-21,5.9173,5.93329,5.73983,5.88898,
FAST,2005-07-22,5.90309,5.92767,5.80143,5.87072,
FAST,2005-07-25,5.87555,5.87555,5.76174,5.81731,
FAST,2005-07-26,5.83094,5.88898,5.80468,5.8334,
FAST,2005-07-27,5.77911,5.85887,5.77537,5.85078,
FAST,2005-07-28,5.85433,5.9406,5.82867,5.93142,
FAST,2005-07-29,5.96923,6.14531,5.96923,6.1001,
FAST,2005-08-01,6.11659,6.14817,6.01482,6.07662,
FAST,2005-08-02,6.09546,6.14531,6.02371,6.08422,
FAST,2005-08-03,6.04325,6.13347,6.01887,6.03822,
FAST,2005-08-04,6.01887,6.04246,5.97889,6.03131,
FAST,2005-08-05,6.01127,6.08776,6.00397,6.03131,
FAST,2005-08-08,6.06102,6.06862,5.97149,5.99222,
FAST,2005-08-09,6.01127,6.10435,5.97663,6.00752,
FAST,2005-08-10,6.04325,6.10563,5.93872,5.95373,
FAST,2005-08-11,5.9406,6.04,5.87072,5.91592,
FAST,2005-08-12,5.9017,5.9406,5.86252,5.9094,
FAST,2005-08-15,5.89214,5.97889,5.82462,5.91395,
FAST,2005-08-16,5.87388,5.9173,5.77537,5.79313,
FAST,2005-08-17,5.76569,5.81189,5.71604,5.76174,
FAST,2005-08-18,5.74792,5.77537,5.67261,5.74792,
FAST,2005-08-19,5.7198,5.80813,5.69876,5.72769,
FAST,2005-08-22,5.75937,5.80468,5.64863,5.74792,
FAST,2005-08-23,5.73391,5.80468,5.67261,5.71604,
FAST,2005-08-24,5.7198,5.77171,5.62977,5.64201,
FAST,2005-08-25,5.68238,5.70608,5.63905,5.68801,
FAST,2005-08-26,5.68238,5.69226,5.60489,5.61517,
FAST,2005-08-29,5.62573,5.68801,5.57923,5.68514,
FAST,2005-08-30,5.68514,5.70064,5.57233,5.58457,
FAST,2005-08-31,5.58457,5.62977,5.57233,5.62977,
FAST,2005-09-01,5.63115,5.73154,5.60243,5.69442,
FAST,2005-09-02,5.73983,5.78771,5.7114,5.72434,
FAST,2005-09-06,5.7114,5.84505,5.70608,5.79541,
FAST,2005-09-07,5.79915,5.84643,5.78771,5.81563,
FAST,2005-09-08,5.79541,5.8334,5.75582,5.79541,
FAST,2005-09-09,5.79915,5.84199,5.75809,5.80813,
FAST,2005-09-12,5.79541,5.92767,5.74526,5.89816,
FAST,2005-09-13,5.86864,5.91395,5.83923,5.87704,
FAST,2005-09-14,5.9173,5.93142,5.85078,5.85887,
FAST,2005-09-15,5.85078,5.87555,5.80626,5.80626,
FAST,2005-09-16,5.80468,5.8334,5.73154,5.76569,
FAST,2005-09-19,5.78771,5.78771,5.66946,5.72956,
FAST,2005-09-20,5.73154,5.78345,5.65267,5.66946,
FAST,2005-09-21,5.65475,5.65475,5.4295,5.46109,
FAST,2005-09-22,5.44312,5.5665,5.3605,5.54686,
FAST,2005-09-23,5.51616,5.6655,5.42753,5.56867,
FAST,2005-09-26,5.59325,5.66412,5.59325,5.61881,
FAST,2005-09-27,5.64863,5.66946,5.55535,5.59739,
FAST,2005-09-28,5.60243,5.65267,5.50698,5.57233,
FAST,2005-09-29,5.56867,5.66946,5.46632,5.65267,
FAST,2005-09-30,5.61881,5.67902,5.55821,5.67902,
FAST,2005-10-03,5.70608,5.79087,5.681,5.77714,
FAST,2005-10-04,5.77911,5.89816,5.77319,5.84199,
FAST,2005-10-05,5.84199,5.84831,5.75207,5.76174,
FAST,2005-10-06,5.75582,5.82709,5.65623,5.7114,
FAST,2005-10-07,5.7114,5.77911,5.68514,5.72206,
FAST,2005-10-10,5.74526,5.75937,5.681,5.69442,
FAST,2005-10-11,5.68238,5.78345,5.6655,5.69442,
FAST,2005-10-12,6.08422,6.19545,5.97663,6.14353,"Highlights of rising and falling U.S. stocks Shares of Evergreen Solar (TICKER:ESLR) leapt 9.4% after Jefferies & Co started coverage of the alternative energy company with a buy rating and a $14 price target. Analyst Jeffrey Bencik said demand for its solar cells, panels and systems could accelerate beyond the 62% growth realized in 2004, buoyed by new incentive plans from Spain, Italy and the United States announced in 2005. Bencik said the Marlboro, Mass. company is also well-positioned to generate higher gross profit margins than its competitors as it uses less silicon in the manufacture of its products. The analyst noted that the spot price for silicon has tripled in the last 18 months. Separately, brokerage First Albany lifted its price target on the company to a range of $15 to $20 based on its growth prospects."
FAST,2005-10-13,6.09546,6.24412,6.09546,6.21697,
FAST,2005-10-14,6.18371,6.23612,6.13979,6.21697,
FAST,2005-10-17,6.23296,6.28478,6.17957,6.27669,
FAST,2005-10-18,6.29742,6.33423,6.24876,6.31371,
FAST,2005-10-19,6.29268,6.47509,6.28291,6.47509,
FAST,2005-10-20,6.48328,6.50223,6.36809,6.38448,
FAST,2005-10-21,6.45742,6.45742,6.32289,6.37678,
FAST,2005-10-24,6.39395,6.41656,6.34431,6.41656,
FAST,2005-10-25,6.41656,6.51545,6.38448,6.51299,
FAST,2005-10-26,6.50223,6.54231,6.40718,6.45525,
FAST,2005-10-27,6.46098,6.46098,6.28291,6.28478,
FAST,2005-10-28,6.32801,6.46482,6.31558,6.38033,
FAST,2005-10-31,6.39524,6.55514,6.36572,6.51783,
FAST,2005-11-01,6.5276,6.57972,6.44182,6.50943,
FAST,2005-11-02,6.52325,6.79786,6.52325,6.69243,
FAST,2005-11-03,6.69431,6.94019,6.69431,6.89251,
FAST,2005-11-04,6.91215,6.92321,6.76222,6.802,
FAST,2005-11-07,6.84671,6.98856,6.82144,6.9551,
FAST,2005-11-08,6.97336,6.99201,6.89991,6.92519,
FAST,2005-11-09,6.89005,7.24539,6.88255,7.13908,
FAST,2005-11-10,7.16396,7.42937,7.12832,7.39236,
FAST,2005-11-11,7.40825,7.40825,7.25367,7.32297,
FAST,2005-11-14,7.35268,7.47123,7.30619,7.36038,
FAST,2005-11-15,7.40588,7.43619,7.21518,7.26917,
FAST,2005-11-16,7.26147,7.38851,7.23226,7.3283,
FAST,2005-11-17,7.37044,7.5567,7.29731,7.54832,
FAST,2005-11-18,7.63271,7.73408,7.54832,7.6561,
FAST,2005-11-21,7.67199,7.79063,7.54062,7.67841,
FAST,2005-11-22,7.6561,7.75984,7.59451,7.74198,
FAST,2005-11-23,7.73408,7.79301,7.5719,7.58671,
FAST,2005-11-25,7.55848,7.64603,7.49669,7.64603,
FAST,2005-11-28,7.67199,7.79933,7.4198,7.42937,
FAST,2005-11-29,7.47537,7.56559,7.40361,7.41388,
FAST,2005-11-30,7.43707,7.45001,7.34172,7.37884,
FAST,2005-12-01,7.38851,7.51959,7.37272,7.43185,
FAST,2005-12-02,7.41635,7.58671,7.34706,7.50597,
FAST,2005-12-05,7.49314,7.54832,7.29494,7.46067,
FAST,2005-12-06,7.48267,7.49314,7.31616,7.32297,
FAST,2005-12-07,7.31705,7.46402,7.25911,7.37884,
FAST,2005-12-08,7.43619,7.46215,7.29287,7.35268,
FAST,2005-12-09,7.35268,7.40825,7.25506,7.38673,
FAST,2005-12-12,7.40973,7.44437,7.37272,7.41635,
FAST,2005-12-13,7.41743,7.56707,7.39621,7.50765,
FAST,2005-12-14,7.50281,7.57358,7.46067,7.46945,
FAST,2005-12-15,7.49906,7.64051,7.31053,7.52344,
FAST,2005-12-16,7.51426,7.57052,7.43875,7.46402,
FAST,2005-12-19,7.47123,7.60457,7.22347,7.23226,
FAST,2005-12-20,7.23226,7.33808,7.13908,7.23818,
FAST,2005-12-21,7.23818,7.39473,7.21351,7.27915,
FAST,2005-12-22,7.36808,7.37044,7.21953,7.34706,
FAST,2005-12-23,7.37044,7.4198,7.3283,7.37588,
FAST,2005-12-27,7.43401,7.45721,7.25733,7.28181,
FAST,2005-12-28,7.28181,7.37884,7.23818,7.32119,
FAST,2005-12-29,7.34172,7.36038,7.28181,7.32682,
FAST,2005-12-30,7.26917,7.34172,7.25269,7.27342,
FAST,2006-01-03,7.28181,7.34172,7.00938,7.27509,
FAST,2006-01-04,7.31053,7.31053,7.11332,7.20067,
FAST,2006-01-05,7.20906,7.23947,7.13533,7.21123,
FAST,2006-01-06,7.26917,7.50765,7.20561,7.5038,
FAST,2006-01-09,7.45385,7.58859,7.42315,7.50913,
FAST,2006-01-10,7.51959,7.54476,7.45721,7.53696,
FAST,2006-01-11,7.56006,7.62135,7.47725,7.60833,
FAST,2006-01-12,7.57832,7.61533,7.51959,7.5719,
FAST,2006-01-13,7.59263,7.61188,7.42789,7.45001,
FAST,2006-01-17,7.43875,7.5802,7.42138,7.49146,
FAST,2006-01-18,7.49146,7.70762,7.48909,7.53696,
FAST,2006-01-19,7.54476,7.83219,7.4807,7.82321,
FAST,2006-01-20,7.23947,7.37884,6.7938,7.13237,
FAST,2006-01-23,7.18912,7.2673,7.15172,7.20561,
FAST,2006-01-24,7.24173,7.28369,7.04955,7.15014,
FAST,2006-01-25,7.16198,7.16712,7.00938,7.05745,
FAST,2006-01-26,7.14096,7.26147,7.06881,7.26147,
FAST,2006-01-27,7.25911,7.39473,7.06061,7.15408,
FAST,2006-01-30,7.18912,7.20432,7.046,7.04787,
FAST,2006-01-31,7.04955,7.14609,6.94532,7.09081,
FAST,2006-02-01,7.02764,7.30886,7.02764,7.28931,
FAST,2006-02-02,7.28803,7.35268,7.11727,7.29977,
FAST,2006-02-03,7.43619,7.52552,7.34004,7.3663,
FAST,2006-02-06,7.34004,7.38673,7.21518,7.36236,
FAST,2006-02-07,7.34172,7.5567,7.30392,7.43185,
FAST,2006-02-08,7.45533,7.63873,7.38851,7.59619,
FAST,2006-02-09,7.63873,7.68216,7.49906,7.57516,
FAST,2006-02-10,7.57704,7.6561,7.46215,7.63133,
FAST,2006-02-13,7.63873,7.69094,7.59619,7.67347,
FAST,2006-02-14,7.69094,7.74642,7.5424,7.67841,
FAST,2006-02-15,7.67841,7.73408,7.53696,7.72716,
FAST,2006-02-16,7.78709,7.83861,7.66252,7.77504,
FAST,2006-02-17,7.76497,7.85183,7.69164,7.83861,
FAST,2006-02-21,7.8541,7.87,7.64791,7.67426,
FAST,2006-02-22,7.7098,8.11824,7.67841,8.00769,
FAST,2006-02-23,7.99229,8.0983,7.94847,7.98993,
FAST,2006-02-24,7.97403,8.05902,7.961,8.05704,
FAST,2006-02-27,8.10442,8.43914,8.03207,8.38237,
FAST,2006-02-28,8.38514,8.38514,8.06662,8.16207,
FAST,2006-03-01,8.21468,8.43716,8.14104,8.41485,
FAST,2006-03-02,8.36875,8.41248,8.18349,8.22445,
FAST,2006-03-03,8.19987,8.2354,8.05566,8.13571,
FAST,2006-03-06,8.16385,8.16385,7.89912,8.00365,
FAST,2006-03-07,7.99229,8.01647,7.89912,7.97077,
FAST,2006-03-08,7.91461,7.99625,7.79843,7.94235,
FAST,2006-03-09,7.97077,7.97077,7.84058,7.87464,
FAST,2006-03-10,7.79301,8.0608,7.72184,7.88115,
FAST,2006-03-13,7.95686,8.53023,7.87967,8.42828,
FAST,2006-03-14,8.40123,8.55442,8.36085,8.50418,
FAST,2006-03-15,8.54899,8.55442,8.41673,8.51928,
FAST,2006-03-16,8.54899,8.67622,8.48207,8.50655,
FAST,2006-03-17,8.4874,8.64829,8.4647,8.57416,
FAST,2006-03-20,8.57041,8.6708,8.51346,8.54633,"S&P 500, Dow sustain breaks to multi-year highs CINCINNATI (MarketWatch) -- The pre-market bias is higher Monday ahead of Federal Reserve chief Ben Bernanke's speech scheduled for delivery after the markets' close."
FAST,2006-03-21,8.52165,8.65944,8.37625,8.39639,
FAST,2006-03-22,8.36451,8.57722,8.30174,8.48513,
FAST,2006-03-23,8.44545,8.49283,8.34131,8.38366,
FAST,2006-03-24,8.42206,8.47822,8.36639,8.45226,
FAST,2006-03-27,8.48335,8.48335,8.36639,8.40844,
FAST,2006-03-28,8.43914,8.57949,8.33776,8.36283,
FAST,2006-03-29,8.39087,8.72183,8.34537,8.66655,
FAST,2006-03-30,8.72183,8.8462,8.71275,8.80858,
FAST,2006-03-31,8.77996,8.8685,8.72183,8.79842,
FAST,2006-04-03,8.82981,8.98527,8.77996,8.8224,
FAST,2006-04-04,8.87048,9.11763,8.81322,9.06275,
FAST,2006-04-05,9.04114,9.04114,8.90522,8.91913,
FAST,2006-04-06,8.93513,8.93513,8.74897,8.75993,
FAST,2006-04-07,8.75173,8.8537,8.61226,8.66852,
FAST,2006-04-10,8.64266,8.72005,8.55265,8.66852,
FAST,2006-04-11,8.66852,8.78835,8.54899,8.63606,
FAST,2006-04-12,8.64266,8.8453,8.38751,8.50191,
FAST,2006-04-13,8.50191,8.62568,8.4107,8.56133,
FAST,2006-04-17,8.59765,8.62568,8.44081,8.54899,
FAST,2006-04-18,8.53843,8.87413,8.53843,8.80858,
FAST,2006-04-19,8.85824,8.90522,8.75993,8.90187,
FAST,2006-04-20,8.91727,9.04203,8.87778,8.91913,
FAST,2006-04-21,8.98714,8.98714,8.6395,8.7544,
FAST,2006-04-24,8.77552,8.85646,8.68708,8.82981,
FAST,2006-04-25,8.82981,8.89269,8.7617,8.82981,
FAST,2006-04-26,8.87413,8.93888,8.71008,8.72005,
FAST,2006-04-27,8.68708,8.98714,8.61414,8.75894,
FAST,2006-04-28,8.83168,8.83168,8.67622,8.701,
FAST,2006-05-01,8.69073,8.77276,8.46638,8.49283,
FAST,2006-05-02,8.49382,8.68886,8.47012,8.56903,
FAST,2006-05-03,8.59351,8.61512,8.47408,8.58087,
FAST,2006-05-04,8.56903,8.73791,8.56903,8.68886,
FAST,2006-05-05,8.74512,8.78352,8.63754,8.7617,
FAST,2006-05-08,8.7775,9.07421,8.69547,9.00422,
FAST,2006-05-09,9.04203,9.13264,8.98714,9.07855,
FAST,2006-05-10,9.10717,9.16827,8.96829,9.00324,
FAST,2006-05-11,8.98714,9.0212,8.79654,8.86653,
FAST,2006-05-12,8.84787,8.84787,8.64128,8.67997,
FAST,2006-05-15,8.59765,8.65718,8.36639,8.39461,
FAST,2006-05-16,8.36875,8.40656,8.24606,8.34359,
FAST,2006-05-17,8.31713,8.32977,8.06988,8.11044,
FAST,2006-05-18,8.11992,8.17895,7.94541,8.00513,
FAST,2006-05-19,7.95873,8.20303,7.92804,8.05033,
FAST,2006-05-22,7.99625,8.09504,7.87967,7.95873,
FAST,2006-05-23,8.03395,8.14805,7.92804,7.99229,
FAST,2006-05-24,7.89912,8.0608,7.84404,7.99801,
FAST,2006-05-25,8.07166,8.14558,7.91304,8.03395,
FAST,2006-05-26,8.07362,8.14292,7.89912,7.98321,
FAST,2006-05-30,7.98321,8.06434,7.89684,7.89912,
FAST,2006-05-31,7.90562,8.11518,7.89912,7.99229,
FAST,2006-06-01,7.91836,8.23906,7.9075,8.23906,
FAST,2006-06-02,8.2511,8.3275,8.13344,8.2817,
FAST,2006-06-05,8.2437,8.2592,7.88746,7.92952,
FAST,2006-06-06,7.89566,7.89912,7.48455,7.5111,
FAST,2006-06-07,7.51732,7.66005,7.48267,7.49314,
FAST,2006-06-08,7.46215,7.54476,7.07433,7.34004,
FAST,2006-06-09,7.34172,7.51426,7.16198,7.46215,
FAST,2006-06-12,7.5038,7.5038,6.99576,7.01876,
FAST,2006-06-13,6.99201,7.03564,6.71297,6.79144,
FAST,2006-06-14,6.78315,7.046,6.71859,6.97986,
FAST,2006-06-15,7.02952,7.28369,6.98856,7.27095,
FAST,2006-06-16,7.27095,7.35486,7.24953,7.31251,
FAST,2006-06-19,7.31428,7.33076,7.11845,7.1377,
FAST,2006-06-20,7.11085,7.18084,6.99576,7.04146,
FAST,2006-06-21,7.07937,7.28369,6.99764,7.17284,
FAST,2006-06-22,7.17472,7.27342,7.10079,7.16908,
FAST,2006-06-23,7.14609,7.33678,7.07621,7.21765,
FAST,2006-06-26,7.25506,7.33678,7.21123,7.32297,
FAST,2006-06-27,7.30619,7.34844,7.06061,7.08893,
FAST,2006-06-28,7.08893,7.1221,6.98362,7.00524,
FAST,2006-06-29,7.07433,7.48455,7.03801,7.48455,
FAST,2006-06-30,7.53884,7.55256,7.43875,7.48909,
FAST,2006-07-03,7.53164,7.64051,7.50281,7.63695,
FAST,2006-07-05,7.61188,7.61188,7.34172,7.3735,
FAST,2006-07-06,7.37884,7.53884,7.32682,7.36452,
FAST,2006-07-07,7.35268,7.35634,7.15014,7.18725,
FAST,2006-07-10,7.19534,7.29287,7.07621,7.14609,
FAST,2006-07-11,7.11845,7.21351,7.00731,7.16524,
FAST,2006-07-12,6.73903,6.87415,6.56679,6.68731,
FAST,2006-07-13,6.62266,6.68247,6.47884,6.54448,
FAST,2006-07-14,6.50943,6.57429,6.48664,6.57162,
FAST,2006-07-17,6.51999,6.55731,6.29959,6.38033,
FAST,2006-07-18,6.40718,6.49019,6.16821,6.2458,
FAST,2006-07-19,6.2074,6.54231,6.17651,6.52139,
FAST,2006-07-20,6.40106,6.46482,6.30305,6.30887,
FAST,2006-07-21,6.27866,6.34253,6.16821,6.17651,
FAST,2006-07-24,6.22754,6.49858,6.18509,6.45742,
FAST,2006-07-25,6.49996,6.6039,6.4053,6.5891,
FAST,2006-07-26,6.59472,6.69066,6.43334,6.52325,
FAST,2006-07-27,6.56679,6.57972,6.34431,6.36977,
FAST,2006-07-28,6.43146,6.58149,6.40106,6.55968,
FAST,2006-07-31,6.58149,6.62818,6.41834,6.6117,
FAST,2006-08-01,6.56343,6.59798,6.39524,6.46482,
FAST,2006-08-02,6.51299,6.64762,6.4592,6.61358,
FAST,2006-08-03,6.57754,6.86932,6.51545,6.83161,
FAST,2006-08-04,6.91689,7.10079,6.80012,6.86448,
FAST,2006-08-07,6.88255,6.88817,6.69836,6.78315,
FAST,2006-08-08,6.82392,6.83931,6.62591,6.6494,
FAST,2006-08-09,6.70921,6.79144,6.53333,6.54231,
FAST,2006-08-10,6.50539,6.65177,6.46709,6.63154,
FAST,2006-08-11,6.63766,6.63766,6.46482,6.50943,
FAST,2006-08-14,6.6039,6.75758,6.57429,6.5891,
FAST,2006-08-15,6.70921,6.83931,6.66362,6.83931,
FAST,2006-08-16,6.88669,6.92133,6.71051,6.92133,
FAST,2006-08-17,6.89469,7.00524,6.73459,6.95124,
FAST,2006-08-18,6.98174,6.98174,6.78788,6.88817,
FAST,2006-08-21,6.84494,6.87415,6.75995,6.78788,
FAST,2006-08-22,6.76962,6.90919,6.71859,6.802,
FAST,2006-08-23,6.83477,6.84129,6.64289,6.68553,
FAST,2006-08-24,6.74426,6.74426,6.55375,6.61526,
FAST,2006-08-25,6.56343,6.62078,6.50539,6.55731,
FAST,2006-08-28,6.55731,6.78788,6.54448,6.75995,
FAST,2006-08-29,6.78315,6.82579,6.54231,6.62266,
FAST,2006-08-30,6.64427,6.77466,6.62266,6.67832,
FAST,2006-08-31,6.65177,6.86261,6.65177,6.8178,
FAST,2006-09-01,6.87731,6.87731,6.76222,6.80882,
FAST,2006-09-05,6.7938,7.00277,6.70577,6.99201,
FAST,2006-09-06,6.93822,7.00524,6.7563,6.7795,
FAST,2006-09-07,6.73903,6.80882,6.65365,6.70053,
FAST,2006-09-08,6.73261,6.86793,6.67832,6.83161,
FAST,2006-09-11,6.77644,6.92321,6.66599,6.86261,
FAST,2006-09-12,6.88669,6.97986,6.81068,6.97986,
FAST,2006-09-13,6.95124,7.1601,6.89991,7.1301,
FAST,2006-09-14,7.09851,7.21765,7.04324,7.21518,
FAST,2006-09-15,7.24953,7.59619,7.23463,7.35634,
FAST,2006-09-18,7.34004,7.40134,7.17836,7.29287,
FAST,2006-09-19,7.28092,7.38278,7.14412,7.25733,
FAST,2006-09-20,7.35268,7.39473,7.15408,7.17284,
FAST,2006-09-21,7.18557,7.2368,7.08893,7.1221,
FAST,2006-09-22,7.14412,7.15014,7.01442,7.07621,
FAST,2006-09-25,7.12457,7.30698,6.90603,7.30175,
FAST,2006-09-26,7.32119,7.47123,7.22347,7.31053,
FAST,2006-09-27,7.32297,7.41635,7.26147,7.29977,
FAST,2006-09-28,7.32119,7.39473,7.23818,7.38673,
FAST,2006-09-29,7.39769,7.41388,7.16524,7.17284,
FAST,2006-10-02,7.199,7.27915,7.05745,7.05745,
FAST,2006-10-03,7.06653,7.25733,6.93289,7.14412,
FAST,2006-10-04,7.13533,7.39236,7.03801,7.38851,
FAST,2006-10-05,7.39236,7.42937,7.29158,7.40588,
FAST,2006-10-06,7.39769,7.44191,7.26147,7.35634,
FAST,2006-10-09,7.3735,7.44437,7.26917,7.40361,
FAST,2006-10-10,7.40588,7.52552,7.31251,7.51959,
FAST,2006-10-11,7.74642,7.83446,7.51189,7.76744,
FAST,2006-10-12,7.79843,7.97077,7.71158,7.95686,
FAST,2006-10-13,7.9384,7.97077,7.82321,7.91461,
FAST,2006-10-16,7.87967,8.02072,7.87967,7.93336,
FAST,2006-10-17,7.87236,7.91836,7.74326,7.81343,
FAST,2006-10-18,7.89912,8.00513,7.75372,7.94333,
FAST,2006-10-19,7.9075,8.01015,7.74326,7.77869,
FAST,2006-10-20,7.74,7.76744,7.5802,7.69371,
FAST,2006-10-23,7.66795,7.88984,7.63133,7.70408,
FAST,2006-10-24,7.67604,7.80583,7.64277,7.78709,
FAST,2006-10-25,7.77376,7.801,7.70269,7.79301,
FAST,2006-10-26,7.80583,7.87848,7.62273,7.82075,
FAST,2006-10-27,7.79063,7.80583,7.5567,7.56904,
FAST,2006-10-30,7.5719,7.69608,7.5719,7.64791,
FAST,2006-10-31,7.7178,7.7178,7.39621,7.47853,
FAST,2006-11-01,7.55256,7.58454,7.24401,7.29158,
FAST,2006-11-02,7.24401,7.33808,7.10443,7.26147,
FAST,2006-11-03,7.06288,7.06653,6.83161,6.95124,
FAST,2006-11-06,6.92321,7.04403,6.76962,7.02577,
FAST,2006-11-07,6.97986,7.23088,6.88817,7.03179,
FAST,2006-11-08,6.97986,7.13346,6.95993,7.06061,
FAST,2006-11-09,7.06653,7.07433,6.80308,6.87731,
FAST,2006-11-10,6.85807,6.91551,6.78788,6.82144,
FAST,2006-11-13,6.83931,6.94019,6.80882,6.86793,
FAST,2006-11-14,6.86636,6.94394,6.79548,6.93289,
FAST,2006-11-15,6.92321,7.18271,6.92321,7.09081,
FAST,2006-11-16,7.15656,7.16524,7.06061,7.115,
FAST,2006-11-17,7.10443,7.11727,6.94246,6.95332,
FAST,2006-11-20,6.97207,7.09081,6.92133,7.02261,
FAST,2006-11-21,7.01876,7.03376,6.93644,6.96724,
FAST,2006-11-22,7.01214,7.03564,6.92765,6.98658,
FAST,2006-11-24,6.93061,6.97336,6.87534,6.91117,
FAST,2006-11-27,6.90179,6.99951,6.74722,6.76726,
FAST,2006-11-28,6.76222,6.77328,6.6117,6.69431,
FAST,2006-11-29,6.6723,6.81384,6.6723,6.78562,
FAST,2006-11-30,6.75087,6.79548,6.67605,6.68918,
FAST,2006-12-01,6.73676,6.8178,6.65977,6.77644,
FAST,2006-12-04,6.7716,6.85254,6.64427,6.83161,
FAST,2006-12-05,6.66599,6.79144,6.65365,6.69066,
FAST,2006-12-06,6.69066,6.72699,6.60854,6.63154,
FAST,2006-12-07,6.65977,6.72274,6.60854,6.61664,
FAST,2006-12-08,6.59798,6.73034,6.53559,6.64762,
FAST,2006-12-11,6.60854,6.67783,6.52325,6.56679,
FAST,2006-12-12,6.57972,6.61032,6.50451,6.57429,
FAST,2006-12-13,6.62266,6.62986,6.5276,6.54971,
FAST,2006-12-14,6.58149,6.75423,6.55514,6.67369,
FAST,2006-12-15,6.70291,6.76222,6.59798,6.59798,
FAST,2006-12-18,6.60252,6.69243,6.53333,6.61358,
FAST,2006-12-19,6.55198,6.65977,6.52139,6.64427,
FAST,2006-12-20,6.6494,6.68918,6.6039,6.62078,
FAST,2006-12-21,6.62266,6.68553,6.54231,6.56155,
FAST,2006-12-22,6.53559,6.58465,6.46709,6.50451,
FAST,2006-12-26,6.50539,6.59245,6.48664,6.58149,
FAST,2006-12-27,6.62986,6.70053,6.60626,6.66599,
FAST,2006-12-28,6.67783,6.70439,6.60024,6.61526,
FAST,2006-12-29,6.59472,6.75235,6.58238,6.67013,
FAST,2007-01-03,6.72037,6.88057,6.59798,6.69619,
FAST,2007-01-04,6.70053,7.00988,6.69836,6.96822,
FAST,2007-01-05,6.96822,6.9851,6.74238,6.7716,
FAST,2007-01-08,6.70803,6.71672,6.52325,6.61032,
FAST,2007-01-09,6.64762,6.82144,6.64427,6.78926,
FAST,2007-01-10,6.76222,6.90693,6.70577,6.89991,
FAST,2007-01-11,6.94246,7.11727,6.91917,7.01629,
FAST,2007-01-12,7.01629,7.08163,6.95993,7.02764,
FAST,2007-01-16,7.04403,7.06881,6.98362,7.03376,
FAST,2007-01-17,7.03564,7.07769,6.98362,7.046,
FAST,2007-01-18,7.08163,7.0843,6.82144,6.86043,
FAST,2007-01-19,6.71297,6.96576,6.63766,6.82924,
FAST,2007-01-22,6.85807,6.85807,6.64427,6.6494,
FAST,2007-01-23,6.66362,6.72274,6.64624,6.64624,
FAST,2007-01-24,6.69066,6.73034,6.67369,6.71672,
FAST,2007-01-25,6.70053,6.71475,6.57972,6.59709,
FAST,2007-01-26,6.6039,6.63963,6.57162,6.59709,
FAST,2007-01-29,6.60626,6.67783,6.57162,6.6117,
FAST,2007-01-30,6.65365,6.75423,6.62078,6.74909,
FAST,2007-01-31,6.75758,6.96724,6.69066,6.92943,
FAST,2007-02-01,6.95332,7.07433,6.92943,7.06061,
FAST,2007-02-02,7.06288,7.10937,7.02429,7.09663,
FAST,2007-02-05,7.01629,7.02073,6.92133,6.97207,
FAST,2007-02-06,7.00524,7.00524,6.85609,6.90357,
FAST,2007-02-07,6.93289,7.07245,6.88057,6.97572,
FAST,2007-02-08,6.95993,6.99072,6.83783,6.86793,
FAST,2007-02-09,6.88669,6.89469,6.73903,6.76726,
FAST,2007-02-12,6.80882,6.80882,6.64624,6.68059,
FAST,2007-02-13,6.68247,6.72699,6.61358,6.66776,
FAST,2007-02-14,6.69431,6.82144,6.68415,6.78315,
FAST,2007-02-15,6.75423,6.81384,6.70577,6.77466,
FAST,2007-02-16,6.78315,6.83684,6.70577,6.82579,
FAST,2007-02-20,6.83477,6.94532,6.74081,6.93061,
FAST,2007-02-21,6.93506,7.02577,6.89991,7.00138,
FAST,2007-02-22,7.02952,7.03376,6.88057,6.962,
FAST,2007-02-23,6.9704,6.98658,6.82144,6.90603,
FAST,2007-02-26,6.95746,6.9704,6.81068,6.86793,
FAST,2007-02-27,6.76222,6.82392,6.63154,6.63766,
FAST,2007-02-28,6.59709,6.61664,6.50539,6.55514,
FAST,2007-03-01,6.50539,6.6189,6.36572,6.57972,
FAST,2007-03-02,6.54093,6.62986,6.44962,6.4592,
FAST,2007-03-05,6.29268,6.42307,6.14353,6.32565,
FAST,2007-03-06,6.36977,6.36977,6.29742,6.32476,
FAST,2007-03-07,6.32565,6.40896,6.28478,6.36572,
FAST,2007-03-08,6.573,6.61358,6.47213,6.56343,
FAST,2007-03-09,6.61664,6.68059,6.54971,6.60854,
FAST,2007-03-12,6.61664,6.66776,6.48081,6.52533,
FAST,2007-03-13,6.54231,6.573,6.39721,6.42307,
FAST,2007-03-14,6.42504,6.49858,6.31883,6.48081,
FAST,2007-03-15,6.49858,6.54596,6.47696,6.51545,
FAST,2007-03-16,6.50451,6.53875,6.45525,6.49996,
FAST,2007-03-19,6.52899,6.66776,6.51999,6.53875,
FAST,2007-03-20,6.58149,6.64289,6.52899,6.63154,
FAST,2007-03-21,6.65365,6.68415,6.50223,6.67605,
FAST,2007-03-22,6.68731,6.68731,6.60024,6.65611,
FAST,2007-03-23,6.67369,6.7716,6.66135,6.73676,
FAST,2007-03-26,6.75995,6.77762,6.58238,6.60626,
FAST,2007-03-27,6.56679,6.57626,6.48328,6.49256,
FAST,2007-03-28,6.47884,6.5276,6.41508,6.49858,
FAST,2007-03-29,6.5276,6.54783,6.41122,6.4592,
FAST,2007-03-30,6.4592,6.53145,6.42722,6.51545,
FAST,2007-04-02,6.50943,6.54596,6.39208,6.46482,
FAST,2007-04-03,6.47361,6.57972,6.45525,6.56343,
FAST,2007-04-04,6.57754,6.6039,6.50717,6.59709,
FAST,2007-04-05,6.57162,6.65789,6.56155,6.61664,
FAST,2007-04-09,6.66362,6.67369,6.58238,6.61664,
FAST,2007-04-10,6.59709,6.65611,6.56915,6.62414,
FAST,2007-04-11,6.63766,6.64289,6.4433,6.49641,
FAST,2007-04-12,6.72461,7.23947,6.70921,7.11332,
FAST,2007-04-13,7.10621,7.35634,7.07621,7.33808,
FAST,2007-04-16,7.3663,7.57358,7.32119,7.4807,
FAST,2007-04-17,7.44813,7.52344,7.4198,7.49146,
FAST,2007-04-18,7.49541,7.5567,7.38506,7.49906,
FAST,2007-04-19,7.4807,7.48909,7.37884,7.45385,
FAST,2007-04-20,7.54476,7.66795,7.4807,7.53164,
FAST,2007-04-23,7.56204,7.59263,7.49541,7.51426,
FAST,2007-04-24,7.56381,7.68216,7.43185,7.67199,
FAST,2007-04-25,7.73408,7.82321,7.61336,7.79933,
FAST,2007-04-26,7.78709,7.79301,7.67604,7.72716,
FAST,2007-04-27,7.72716,7.78057,7.71582,7.74198,
FAST,2007-04-30,7.75984,7.78294,7.64277,7.64277,
FAST,2007-05-01,7.63271,7.67199,7.5424,7.66252,
FAST,2007-05-02,7.86328,7.95873,7.78709,7.81157,
FAST,2007-05-03,7.73171,7.78057,7.62135,7.73408,
FAST,2007-05-04,7.77692,7.80583,7.69371,7.76932,
FAST,2007-05-07,7.78827,7.83446,7.69854,7.70762,
FAST,2007-05-08,7.69608,7.72904,7.59046,7.68759,
FAST,2007-05-09,7.67012,7.80583,7.66252,7.79665,
FAST,2007-05-10,7.77869,7.80435,7.70408,7.76932,
FAST,2007-05-11,7.79429,7.79429,7.64791,7.73092,
FAST,2007-05-14,7.73171,7.75036,7.66005,7.69371,
FAST,2007-05-15,7.69371,7.78294,7.62135,7.64791,
FAST,2007-05-16,7.69608,7.78709,7.62965,7.78294,
FAST,2007-05-17,7.74326,7.83219,7.70408,7.77869,
FAST,2007-05-18,7.80989,7.90158,7.74,7.87236,
FAST,2007-05-21,7.86753,8.02595,7.85766,7.91304,
FAST,2007-05-22,7.89912,8.04806,7.88115,7.98993,
FAST,2007-05-23,7.98845,8.02842,7.92616,7.92616,
FAST,2007-05-24,7.92616,8.05349,7.82973,7.87967,
FAST,2007-05-25,7.87967,7.91461,7.81521,7.89378,
FAST,2007-05-29,7.87967,7.98993,7.79843,7.86496,
FAST,2007-05-30,7.85183,7.94679,7.80583,7.94679,
FAST,2007-05-31,7.9225,8.07166,7.91461,8.05566,
FAST,2007-06-01,8.01885,8.11992,7.93603,7.98539,
FAST,2007-06-04,7.94541,8.11824,7.94541,8.10442,
FAST,2007-06-05,8.08586,8.0983,7.86634,7.95015,
FAST,2007-06-06,7.92804,7.92804,7.74198,7.75372,
FAST,2007-06-07,7.67012,7.71354,7.53696,7.5424,
FAST,2007-06-08,7.5347,7.65373,7.45385,7.63133,
FAST,2007-06-11,7.62965,7.69371,7.56006,7.6635,
FAST,2007-06-12,7.62965,7.78057,7.59451,7.67012,
FAST,2007-06-13,7.68394,7.83446,7.57516,7.79933,
FAST,2007-06-14,7.79933,7.91836,7.7551,7.801,
FAST,2007-06-15,7.8851,7.99229,7.79933,7.8471,
FAST,2007-06-18,7.8471,7.86634,7.76932,7.77692,
FAST,2007-06-19,7.76932,7.81157,7.69371,7.75036,
FAST,2007-06-20,7.72401,7.86328,7.69608,7.79843,
FAST,2007-06-21,7.79665,7.97581,7.74819,7.92399,
FAST,2007-06-22,7.89912,7.97581,7.75984,7.76932,
FAST,2007-06-25,7.75184,7.8541,7.72716,7.74642,
FAST,2007-06-26,7.79933,7.85183,7.74642,7.83446,
FAST,2007-06-27,7.78827,7.88746,7.75984,7.87,
FAST,2007-06-28,7.83446,7.92063,7.81669,7.82419,
FAST,2007-06-29,7.86111,7.86634,7.7255,7.78057,
FAST,2007-07-02,7.79429,7.8471,7.71956,7.8471,
FAST,2007-07-03,7.83861,7.89152,7.77504,7.85766,
FAST,2007-07-05,7.82419,7.87236,7.7631,7.83446,
FAST,2007-07-06,7.86111,7.89566,7.77869,7.88746,
FAST,2007-07-09,7.88746,7.93435,7.84571,7.87848,
FAST,2007-07-10,7.83219,7.87,7.76932,7.78294,
FAST,2007-07-11,7.80583,7.89566,7.72904,7.85183,
FAST,2007-07-12,8.30943,8.64266,8.2742,8.62568,Thursday's biggest stock gainers and decliners Thursday's biggest stock gainers and decliners
FAST,2007-07-13,8.58305,8.8002,8.58305,8.79467,
FAST,2007-07-16,8.80404,9.04973,8.79842,9.0287,
FAST,2007-07-17,9.07953,9.09286,8.84086,8.88903,
FAST,2007-07-18,8.8462,8.95013,8.72005,8.79842,
FAST,2007-07-19,8.83908,9.04114,8.82981,9.01074,
FAST,2007-07-20,9.01932,9.03916,8.69922,8.82981,
FAST,2007-07-23,8.89653,8.91913,8.67622,8.74137,
FAST,2007-07-24,8.72725,8.83168,8.54445,8.60555,
FAST,2007-07-25,8.62352,8.71649,8.50882,8.58087,
FAST,2007-07-26,8.36451,8.50882,8.01015,8.31911,
FAST,2007-07-27,8.34359,8.6395,8.32977,8.51751,
FAST,2007-07-30,8.55442,8.70821,8.4263,8.62204,
FAST,2007-07-31,8.6091,8.81322,8.36875,8.37725,
FAST,2007-08-01,8.38514,8.4801,8.22928,8.30539,
FAST,2007-08-02,8.32582,8.56666,8.26708,8.55679,
FAST,2007-08-03,8.54899,8.57949,8.32977,8.32977,
FAST,2007-08-06,8.39087,8.80662,8.37961,8.8002,
FAST,2007-08-07,8.75361,9.07045,8.64266,9.00126,
FAST,2007-08-08,9.07045,9.81923,9.06275,9.45895,
FAST,2007-08-09,9.39776,9.84095,9.26845,9.49351,
FAST,2007-08-10,9.29353,9.29551,8.79467,8.90087,
FAST,2007-08-13,8.9908,9.05229,8.71373,8.91361,
FAST,2007-08-14,8.90719,8.93888,8.54899,8.56903,
FAST,2007-08-15,8.6173,8.71847,8.44822,8.45038,
FAST,2007-08-16,8.44822,8.63754,8.11518,8.34961,
FAST,2007-08-17,8.54899,8.6854,8.18349,8.59765,
FAST,2007-08-20,8.6319,8.82626,8.51513,8.76555,
FAST,2007-08-21,8.6549,8.93147,8.6549,8.89002,
FAST,2007-08-22,8.93691,8.97471,8.70435,8.80404,
FAST,2007-08-23,8.81136,8.81322,8.38514,8.46825,
FAST,2007-08-24,8.4647,8.57515,8.41248,8.57515,
FAST,2007-08-27,8.50882,8.59351,8.4107,8.46282,
FAST,2007-08-28,8.39876,8.46282,8.21093,8.21862,
FAST,2007-08-29,8.24093,8.49036,8.21093,8.48513,
FAST,2007-08-30,8.45454,8.53211,8.35197,8.41673,
FAST,2007-08-31,8.5256,8.5256,8.34537,8.47822,
FAST,2007-09-04,8.48898,8.53665,8.38889,8.45818,
FAST,2007-09-05,8.4564,8.49036,8.39639,8.44684,
FAST,2007-09-06,8.4647,8.47012,8.21468,8.29018,
FAST,2007-09-07,8.2354,8.2511,8.02595,8.08172,
FAST,2007-09-10,8.17895,8.18565,7.87464,8.00365,
FAST,2007-09-11,8.03799,8.13009,7.96495,8.10225,
FAST,2007-09-12,8.04372,8.11518,7.98153,8.00365,
FAST,2007-09-13,8.05902,8.12377,7.94333,7.98677,
FAST,2007-09-14,7.96851,8.20303,7.90928,8.14104,
FAST,2007-09-17,8.0913,8.10225,7.93603,7.95251,
FAST,2007-09-18,7.99229,8.50655,7.94541,8.50418,
FAST,2007-09-19,8.50783,8.72725,8.38237,8.38889,
FAST,2007-09-20,8.38366,8.38889,8.2437,8.29018,
FAST,2007-09-21,8.24932,8.43914,8.24932,8.33925,
FAST,2007-09-24,8.3275,8.46046,8.24932,8.29018,
FAST,2007-09-25,8.27726,8.32375,8.21675,8.31911,
FAST,2007-09-26,8.37961,8.39087,8.24804,8.30361,
FAST,2007-09-27,8.36283,8.52165,8.30776,8.44081,
FAST,2007-09-28,8.47822,8.64266,8.42828,8.44081,
FAST,2007-10-01,8.49036,8.53439,8.38237,8.51346,
FAST,2007-10-02,8.53843,8.73613,8.46046,8.72183,
FAST,2007-10-03,8.70633,8.84244,8.68195,8.72913,
FAST,2007-10-04,8.72005,8.83731,8.71008,8.78352,
FAST,2007-10-05,8.80858,9.13451,8.73613,9.08803,
FAST,2007-10-08,9.04973,9.06108,8.89653,9.01932,
FAST,2007-10-09,8.9908,9.16344,8.98231,9.06858,
FAST,2007-10-10,9.03265,9.17014,8.95211,9.16146,
FAST,2007-10-11,8.52787,8.94835,8.2054,8.22445,
FAST,2007-10-12,8.29196,8.39639,8.04076,8.38366,
FAST,2007-10-15,8.37625,8.37625,8.15743,8.24804,
FAST,2007-10-16,8.26532,8.26896,8.10827,8.16937,
FAST,2007-10-17,8.18753,8.18753,7.80771,7.97077,
FAST,2007-10-18,7.93435,7.98845,7.83446,7.95015,
FAST,2007-10-19,7.97215,8.03622,7.74504,7.74504,
FAST,2007-10-22,7.71956,8.05566,7.70762,7.99999,
FAST,2007-10-23,7.97215,8.01015,7.85183,7.94235,
FAST,2007-10-24,7.9075,8.05566,7.75372,8.03207,
FAST,2007-10-25,8.03207,8.33925,7.93603,8.04194,
FAST,2007-10-26,8.13344,8.15979,7.93336,8.02595,
FAST,2007-10-29,7.89912,8.01647,7.87464,8.00513,
FAST,2007-10-30,7.98677,8.18941,7.92399,8.17164,
FAST,2007-10-31,8.20224,8.32375,8.11992,8.26708,
FAST,2007-11-01,8.17895,8.26708,7.93435,7.95873,
FAST,2007-11-02,8.05033,8.24093,7.89912,8.15535,
FAST,2007-11-05,8.05566,8.05566,7.87967,7.96683,
FAST,2007-11-06,7.97581,8.03207,7.8541,8.03019,
FAST,2007-11-07,7.93336,7.97403,7.71956,7.74326,
FAST,2007-11-08,7.74,7.84404,7.49669,7.801,
FAST,2007-11-09,7.71158,7.77504,7.45533,7.45533,
FAST,2007-11-12,7.43707,7.68216,7.39038,7.42315,
FAST,2007-11-13,7.39038,7.56204,7.30698,7.49906,
FAST,2007-11-14,7.5719,7.58266,7.38673,7.39769,
FAST,2007-11-15,7.37044,7.53164,7.36452,7.44003,
FAST,2007-11-16,7.49906,7.51959,7.19356,7.26917,
FAST,2007-11-19,7.22427,7.22427,7.01442,7.03564,
FAST,2007-11-20,7.08893,7.1601,6.9551,7.06653,
FAST,2007-11-21,7.01214,7.15656,6.9704,7.10305,
FAST,2007-11-23,7.1301,7.20067,7.04403,7.15014,
FAST,2007-11-26,7.07769,7.21351,6.99072,7.01876,
FAST,2007-11-27,7.07245,7.24401,7.01629,7.20906,
FAST,2007-11-28,7.2673,7.56707,7.21123,7.53164,
FAST,2007-11-29,7.48267,7.5269,7.35634,7.40134,
FAST,2007-11-30,7.43619,7.46727,7.29494,7.36808,
FAST,2007-12-03,7.34172,7.49146,7.26917,7.43401,
FAST,2007-12-04,7.30698,7.49541,7.2673,7.46402,
FAST,2007-12-05,7.63695,7.78294,7.60033,7.76744,
FAST,2007-12-06,7.78057,7.88746,7.66795,7.86496,
FAST,2007-12-07,7.84226,7.98993,7.78709,7.92399,
FAST,2007-12-10,7.98153,8.20678,7.84571,8.18941,
FAST,2007-12-11,8.2208,8.22257,7.81521,7.84947,
FAST,2007-12-12,8.0755,8.08172,7.70408,7.801,
FAST,2007-12-13,7.82075,8.10442,7.7178,8.0835,
FAST,2007-12-14,7.99229,8.03019,7.90928,7.91304,
FAST,2007-12-17,7.88984,7.89566,7.53332,7.53332,
FAST,2007-12-18,7.64969,7.68562,7.49314,7.64791,
FAST,2007-12-19,7.68394,7.69854,7.56204,7.64051,
FAST,2007-12-20,7.69164,7.73408,7.54476,7.73408,
FAST,2007-12-21,7.86111,7.97975,7.74326,7.79665,
FAST,2007-12-24,7.79665,7.92399,7.70762,7.9225,
FAST,2007-12-26,7.86328,7.87464,7.75184,7.86496,
FAST,2007-12-27,7.83219,7.89378,7.56707,7.57832,
FAST,2007-12-28,7.5347,7.70269,7.5269,7.57704,
FAST,2007-12-31,7.56381,7.60221,7.49541,7.51189,
FAST,2008-01-02,7.49541,7.51426,7.22347,7.23947,
FAST,2008-01-03,7.25269,7.36236,7.15014,7.15408,
FAST,2008-01-04,7.13346,7.15408,6.98174,6.98658,
FAST,2008-01-07,6.98658,7.04324,6.88255,6.93822,
FAST,2008-01-08,7.00524,7.00524,6.62078,6.62818,"[""Microsoft offers to buy Fast Search for $1.2 billion LONDON (MarketWatch) -- Microsoft Corp. said Tuesday that it will make an offer to acquire Norwegian search software group Fast Search & Transfer ASA for 6.6 billion Norwegian kroner ($1.2 billion), or 19 kroner per share. The offer represents a 42% premium to the closing price on Friday, the last trading day prior to the announcement. The firm said Fast's board of directors has unanimously recommended that its shareholders accept the offer. It added that shareholders representing 37% of the shares have irrevocably undertaken to accept the offer. The deal is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2008."", ""Microsoft may eye Google, but that's not this deal's target LONDON (MarketWatch) -- Whatever the merits of spending $1.2 billion of its cash, Microsoft Corp.'s deal on Tuesday to buy a Norwegian software firm is not about beefing up MSN to compete with Google Inc. and Yahoo ."", ""Drug firms, telecoms help Europe stocks close higher LONDON (MarketWatch) -- European shares closed higher on Tuesday, although trading took a decidedly more defensive tone as investors moved firmly into health-care companies and telecom carriers."", ""Microsoft to buy Norway's Fast Search for $1.2 billion Microsoft plans to pay about $1.2 billion to acquire Oslo's Fast Search & Transfer as part of a move to expand its online-search business into the corporate market.""]"
FAST,2008-01-09,6.62078,6.73903,6.49019,6.73676,
FAST,2008-01-10,6.69066,6.78315,6.51545,6.69836,
FAST,2008-01-11,6.6723,6.73034,6.44182,6.44736,
FAST,2008-01-14,6.49256,6.74238,6.44182,6.70577,
FAST,2008-01-15,6.67369,6.71859,6.60854,6.62078,
FAST,2008-01-16,6.60252,6.71051,6.5276,6.53145,
FAST,2008-01-17,6.54783,6.63766,6.14353,6.15815,
FAST,2008-01-18,6.07888,6.40333,6.01374,6.24728,
FAST,2008-01-22,6.08234,7.11727,5.99745,7.03801,Tuesday's biggest gaining and declining stocks SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Shares of the following companies were among those making notable moves on the U.S. stock market Tuesday.
FAST,2008-01-23,6.83161,7.48909,6.83161,7.42937,
FAST,2008-01-24,7.43875,7.62965,7.31053,7.47123,
FAST,2008-01-25,7.60221,7.64277,7.22624,7.26147,
FAST,2008-01-28,7.2673,7.45001,7.16524,7.45001,
FAST,2008-01-29,7.49669,7.5269,7.27915,7.44625,
FAST,2008-01-30,7.46215,7.59451,7.31616,7.41635,
FAST,2008-01-31,7.40134,7.60033,7.24953,7.5111,
FAST,2008-02-01,7.4807,7.81343,7.43707,7.79063,
FAST,2008-02-04,7.78827,7.80989,7.55256,7.62135,
FAST,2008-02-05,7.42315,7.56559,7.29494,7.40825,
FAST,2008-02-06,7.47725,7.54604,7.24717,7.24953,
FAST,2008-02-07,7.24953,7.67604,7.24953,7.59619,
FAST,2008-02-08,7.57516,7.69164,7.48682,7.60033,
FAST,2008-02-11,7.56707,7.81521,7.48909,7.81157,
FAST,2008-02-12,7.81157,7.91836,7.66587,7.74198,
FAST,2008-02-13,7.82075,8.06434,7.63507,8.01015,
FAST,2008-02-14,8.04569,8.04569,7.70762,7.75747,
FAST,2008-02-15,7.69854,7.75184,7.5567,7.62639,
FAST,2008-02-19,7.73408,7.82075,7.61771,7.67012,
FAST,2008-02-20,7.63873,7.96495,7.63873,7.96495,
FAST,2008-02-21,7.96495,8.03888,7.67199,7.69094,
FAST,2008-02-22,7.7631,7.801,7.58454,7.78827,
FAST,2008-02-25,7.79429,7.99625,7.67012,7.97403,
FAST,2008-02-26,7.97403,8.17164,7.93336,8.10225,
FAST,2008-02-27,8.04806,8.11291,7.94235,8.05902,
FAST,2008-02-28,8.00601,8.13147,7.74819,7.8471,
FAST,2008-02-29,7.78057,7.89378,7.52344,7.55848,
FAST,2008-03-03,7.53164,7.63873,7.42138,7.56381,
FAST,2008-03-04,7.5038,7.62521,7.41635,7.52344,
FAST,2008-03-05,7.5269,7.85766,7.45721,7.6635,
FAST,2008-03-06,7.59263,7.65373,7.28931,7.29494,
FAST,2008-03-07,7.24539,7.47725,7.21765,7.29977,
FAST,2008-03-10,7.27915,7.28931,6.98362,7.00731,
FAST,2008-03-11,7.12023,7.32445,7.02073,7.32445,
FAST,2008-03-12,7.32682,7.62827,7.31428,7.53696,
FAST,2008-03-13,7.43185,7.81521,7.3436,7.7631,
FAST,2008-03-14,7.80287,7.86111,7.53696,7.77376,
FAST,2008-03-17,7.58671,7.98539,7.5111,7.78057,
FAST,2008-03-18,7.83446,7.98321,7.73092,7.9384,
FAST,2008-03-19,7.99229,8.2592,7.961,8.02249,
FAST,2008-03-20,8.03622,8.43035,7.96851,8.38889,
FAST,2008-03-24,8.40123,8.73613,8.36451,8.67997,
FAST,2008-03-25,8.64266,8.73437,8.49579,8.72351,
FAST,2008-03-26,8.67445,8.72351,8.47408,8.60338,
FAST,2008-03-27,8.61512,8.71008,8.4874,8.49382,
FAST,2008-03-28,8.62204,8.62204,8.45454,8.50655,
FAST,2008-03-31,8.50655,8.57515,8.30539,8.53843,
FAST,2008-04-01,8.61226,8.76457,8.42828,8.76457,
FAST,2008-04-02,8.76457,8.91727,8.62204,8.8685,
FAST,2008-04-03,8.80404,9.05427,8.78352,8.97964,
FAST,2008-04-04,9.04578,9.04578,8.84787,8.90087,
FAST,2008-04-07,8.98714,9.10037,8.90187,8.96069,
FAST,2008-04-08,8.9296,9.13451,8.9296,9.08417,
FAST,2008-04-09,9.1205,9.12336,8.65066,8.70267,
FAST,2008-04-10,8.64829,8.98142,8.5256,8.87689,
FAST,2008-04-11,9.14715,9.52608,9.13935,9.23549,
FAST,2008-04-14,8.96829,9.18624,8.94638,9.07519,
FAST,2008-04-15,9.13451,9.20174,8.90986,9.05229,
FAST,2008-04-16,9.08803,9.27429,9.06858,9.26649,
FAST,2008-04-17,9.20657,9.26649,9.07953,9.19394,
FAST,2008-04-18,9.35739,9.44218,9.23253,9.29551,
FAST,2008-04-21,9.23934,9.33578,9.11289,9.31593,
FAST,2008-04-22,9.24704,9.28179,8.95971,9.09573,
FAST,2008-04-23,9.15761,9.1882,8.98231,9.07519,
FAST,2008-04-24,9.10717,9.24516,8.92013,9.10037,
FAST,2008-04-25,9.09859,9.25879,9.00126,9.20262,
FAST,2008-04-28,9.2268,9.47771,9.21812,9.31889,
FAST,2008-04-29,9.28179,9.40072,9.1205,9.17014,
FAST,2008-04-30,9.17676,9.31495,8.96918,9.07233,
FAST,2008-05-01,9.08803,9.29155,9.05229,9.2423,
FAST,2008-05-02,9.32896,9.71263,9.32699,9.62281,
FAST,2008-05-05,9.58925,9.63465,9.44021,9.5014,
FAST,2008-05-06,9.39086,9.47771,9.3033,9.41257,
FAST,2008-05-07,9.42737,9.52312,9.32383,9.33578,
FAST,2008-05-08,9.33972,9.50338,9.31692,9.38196,
FAST,2008-05-09,9.27429,9.31011,9.11289,9.25879,
FAST,2008-05-12,9.29737,9.51325,9.2046,9.48759,
FAST,2008-05-13,9.5172,9.5172,9.29737,9.44021,
FAST,2008-05-14,9.49844,9.5705,9.40072,9.43428,
FAST,2008-05-15,9.43823,9.63268,9.3486,9.6011,
FAST,2008-05-16,9.66131,9.66131,9.33578,9.46093,
FAST,2008-05-19,9.41454,9.43132,9.05525,9.07233,
FAST,2008-05-20,9.05525,9.15948,8.96069,9.0364,
FAST,2008-05-21,9.07421,9.17874,8.71945,8.75361,
FAST,2008-05-22,8.72183,8.8002,8.52353,8.56903,
FAST,2008-05-23,8.52353,8.56903,8.36875,8.4564,
FAST,2008-05-27,8.51346,8.72351,8.47644,8.6549,
FAST,2008-05-28,8.70267,8.8462,8.69073,8.83445,
FAST,2008-05-29,8.83445,9.12336,8.82626,8.9984,
FAST,2008-05-30,9.00876,9.21812,8.87689,9.189,
FAST,2008-06-02,9.1807,9.20834,8.76457,8.88903,
FAST,2008-06-03,8.94638,9.16146,8.83908,9.1432,
FAST,2008-06-04,9.12435,9.38394,9.04973,9.27429,
FAST,2008-06-05,9.3033,9.46883,9.15278,9.46192,
FAST,2008-06-06,9.35936,9.38394,9.04114,9.06473,
FAST,2008-06-09,9.10717,9.16344,8.87778,9.07045,
FAST,2008-06-10,8.98714,9.09573,8.88903,8.98142,
FAST,2008-06-11,8.98714,8.98714,8.67622,8.69271,
FAST,2008-06-12,8.79023,8.96829,8.75894,8.86653,
FAST,2008-06-13,8.96454,9.08803,8.88903,9.01735,
FAST,2008-06-16,8.93147,9.13264,8.84787,9.11289,
FAST,2008-06-17,9.12336,9.14902,8.88143,8.8991,
FAST,2008-06-18,8.83168,9.06473,8.77088,8.98231,
FAST,2008-06-19,8.87245,9.29737,8.84086,9.27429,
FAST,2008-06-20,9.17014,9.29155,8.95595,9.04973,
FAST,2008-06-23,9.12928,9.17498,8.89002,8.90522,
FAST,2008-06-24,8.89653,8.96069,8.70821,8.80404,
FAST,2008-06-25,8.87965,8.93691,8.71847,8.81974,
FAST,2008-06-26,8.67178,8.69073,8.18349,8.19513,
FAST,2008-06-27,8.2437,8.36639,8.14963,8.32098,
FAST,2008-06-30,8.24932,8.25288,8.01243,8.02249,
FAST,2008-07-01,7.96317,8.15743,7.81343,8.11824,
FAST,2008-07-02,8.15979,8.15979,7.84947,7.84947,
FAST,2008-07-03,7.89912,8.08586,7.77159,7.97581,
FAST,2008-07-07,8.24281,8.29196,8.01885,8.1442,
FAST,2008-07-08,8.1442,8.35543,8.02249,8.34723,
FAST,2008-07-09,8.34961,8.49036,8.22445,8.33776,
FAST,2008-07-10,8.30943,8.59203,8.27923,8.44545,
FAST,2008-07-11,8.2054,8.4564,7.88984,8.17391,"Friday's biggest gaining and declining stocks Shares in focus on the U.S. stock market Friday include Anheuser-Busch, General Electric Co., Wynn Resorts, Apple and Dow Chemical."
FAST,2008-07-14,8.68886,8.701,8.0983,8.30045,
FAST,2008-07-15,8.25288,8.51513,8.13344,8.35197,
FAST,2008-07-16,8.36451,8.69922,8.26896,8.64128,
FAST,2008-07-17,8.67622,9.26649,8.54297,9.17874,
FAST,2008-07-18,9.11013,9.29353,8.97964,9.16146,
FAST,2008-07-21,9.18624,9.26649,8.89179,8.9296,
FAST,2008-07-22,8.93147,9.32087,8.90087,9.24901,
FAST,2008-07-23,9.2423,9.57444,9.10717,9.19098,
FAST,2008-07-24,9.1355,9.20174,8.88429,8.91163,
FAST,2008-07-25,8.97471,9.09573,8.87778,8.97964,
FAST,2008-07-28,9.00422,9.08229,8.64829,8.68363,
FAST,2008-07-29,8.72913,9.25099,8.72005,9.19976,
FAST,2008-07-30,9.23352,9.29737,9.10915,9.27981,
FAST,2008-07-31,9.21812,9.28179,9.08043,9.08043,
FAST,2008-08-01,9.12731,9.17676,8.76457,9.00126,
FAST,2008-08-04,8.96918,8.98142,8.70267,8.90522,
FAST,2008-08-05,8.89002,9.0287,8.83908,9.00422,
FAST,2008-08-06,9.01735,9.33676,8.96454,9.28179,
FAST,2008-08-07,9.23253,9.28179,9.08615,9.16344,
FAST,2008-08-08,9.11763,9.45895,9.11763,9.40467,
FAST,2008-08-11,9.40664,9.88537,9.31011,9.62479,
FAST,2008-08-12,9.64353,9.72942,9.379,9.43823,
FAST,2008-08-13,9.38098,9.43625,9.1664,9.37112,
FAST,2008-08-14,9.32383,9.4254,9.27241,9.31692,
FAST,2008-08-15,9.36528,9.57444,9.28771,9.45205,
FAST,2008-08-18,9.48561,9.58728,9.3564,9.4787,
FAST,2008-08-19,9.29737,9.42343,9.21812,9.3486,
FAST,2008-08-20,9.39776,9.54484,9.27429,9.3417,
FAST,2008-08-21,9.28375,9.37308,9.23835,9.35443,
FAST,2008-08-22,9.41257,9.59122,9.36332,9.56852,
FAST,2008-08-25,9.48166,9.5241,9.20174,9.23253,
FAST,2008-08-26,9.26649,9.43231,9.23934,9.43231,
FAST,2008-08-27,9.4254,9.62873,9.34663,9.55668,
FAST,2008-08-28,9.60998,9.94167,9.58629,9.88537,
FAST,2008-08-29,9.85279,9.91004,9.63071,9.65143,
FAST,2008-09-02,9.90807,10.0463,9.61097,9.6692,
FAST,2008-09-03,9.68697,9.84885,9.63071,9.71856,
FAST,2008-09-04,9.68697,9.74718,9.25493,9.43033,
FAST,2008-09-05,9.40862,9.48956,9.21999,9.45205,
FAST,2008-09-08,9.62873,9.84095,9.46489,9.76692,
FAST,2008-09-09,9.72942,10.0759,9.67611,9.69881,"Texas Instruments, FedEx up after forecasts; Lehman lower Texas Instruments Inc.’s shares rise after the chip maker narrows its quarterly forecast, and shares of FedEx Corp. climb after the company delivers a higher quarterly forecast and backs its outlook for the year."
FAST,2008-09-10,9.99194,10.0433,9.68006,9.77284,
FAST,2008-09-11,9.68894,10.0453,9.60998,10.0345,
FAST,2008-09-12,9.90807,10.0363,9.84983,9.95747,"AIG falls as operations reviewed; Lehman shares see-saw American International Group Inc. shares come under pressure in after-hours trade as the insurance giant said it was undertaking a review of its operations, while Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. are volatile on speculation that the investment bank may strike a deal to sell itself by this weekend."
FAST,2008-09-15,9.55866,10.0363,9.55668,9.81923,
FAST,2008-09-16,9.69783,10.3809,9.69783,10.3059,
FAST,2008-09-17,10.2328,10.3631,10.0383,10.0383,
FAST,2008-09-18,10.1005,10.1617,9.61393,10.0699,
FAST,2008-09-19,10.3749,10.4983,9.15278,9.9673,
FAST,2008-09-22,9.93274,9.94356,9.69289,9.73928,
FAST,2008-09-23,9.71856,10.0215,9.6692,9.68302,
FAST,2008-09-24,9.74718,9.84983,9.39776,9.58036,
FAST,2008-09-25,9.58036,9.81627,9.47771,9.61985,
FAST,2008-09-26,9.37604,9.46685,9.21032,9.36332,
FAST,2008-09-29,9.1968,9.3486,8.62568,8.70821,
FAST,2008-09-30,8.96642,9.1807,8.73613,9.1807,
FAST,2008-10-01,9.16146,9.16146,8.37625,8.4107,
FAST,2008-10-02,8.30943,8.32246,7.79429,7.96495,
FAST,2008-10-03,8.16385,8.37625,7.73092,7.79933,
FAST,2008-10-06,7.45385,7.60833,6.90357,7.51189,
FAST,2008-10-07,7.52552,7.67426,6.86932,6.86932,
FAST,2008-10-08,6.75758,7.18084,6.47213,6.84849,
FAST,2008-10-09,6.89814,7.23463,6.70577,6.72886,
FAST,2008-10-10,6.54231,7.14412,6.27304,6.91689,
FAST,2008-10-13,7.3508,7.59619,6.962,7.52146,
FAST,2008-10-14,7.95488,8.0835,7.07937,7.3436,
FAST,2008-10-15,7.24539,7.24953,6.43798,6.54448,
FAST,2008-10-16,6.58149,6.90357,6.24412,6.86448,
FAST,2008-10-17,6.74909,7.30619,6.70291,7.02952,
FAST,2008-10-20,7.24717,7.38673,6.99951,7.38278,
FAST,2008-10-21,7.27342,7.47853,6.90919,6.92321,
FAST,2008-10-22,6.73903,6.85807,6.2074,6.4366,
FAST,2008-10-23,6.48664,6.51299,6.06684,6.44736,
FAST,2008-10-24,5.93872,6.27531,5.90309,5.93467,
FAST,2008-10-27,5.94642,6.25074,5.85887,5.92362,
FAST,2008-10-28,6.12024,6.74525,5.93467,6.73034,
FAST,2008-10-29,6.75758,7.64051,6.68059,7.27095,
FAST,2008-10-30,7.43619,7.62007,7.16198,7.40134,
FAST,2008-10-31,7.45721,7.60221,7.28605,7.48267,
FAST,2008-11-03,7.5424,7.7631,7.52146,7.67012,
FAST,2008-11-04,7.70042,7.89566,7.55434,7.77504,
FAST,2008-11-05,7.38851,7.42937,6.85037,6.86261,
FAST,2008-11-06,6.84671,7.03376,6.4433,6.47509,
FAST,2008-11-07,6.57972,6.81957,6.5276,6.77644,
FAST,2008-11-10,6.98362,7.02764,6.53145,6.69836,
FAST,2008-11-11,6.69066,6.85037,6.33423,6.68731,
FAST,2008-11-12,6.40896,6.50717,6.10435,6.12804,
FAST,2008-11-13,6.10435,6.79786,5.8642,6.78088,"Larson: Recessionary conditions require focus on strong, leading companies Paul Larson, editor of the Morningstar Stock Investor newsletter, says that the current market environment makes it ""a lot more difficult to nail down a fair-value estimate ... than it would be in what you might call a normalized environment, because we don't know just how bad this recession is going to get or how long it is going to last."" Larson said that with expectations being for a longer, deeper recession than in the past, investors will want to focus on stocks with strong balance sheets and leading position in their industry."""
FAST,2008-11-14,6.66362,6.76499,6.18144,6.19328,
FAST,2008-11-17,6.15371,6.47361,6.06684,6.12567,
FAST,2008-11-18,6.12162,6.38852,5.98185,6.36809,
FAST,2008-11-19,6.34431,6.40718,6.017,6.03042,
FAST,2008-11-20,5.9939,6.4433,5.95373,6.01127,
FAST,2008-11-21,6.06862,6.61664,5.96645,6.61526,
FAST,2008-11-24,6.77644,7.02952,6.66135,6.94749,
FAST,2008-11-25,7.02073,7.13533,6.74426,6.9551,
FAST,2008-11-26,6.82579,7.23226,6.79144,7.1221,
FAST,2008-11-28,7.06881,7.17836,6.95993,7.15774,
FAST,2008-12-01,6.90603,6.9704,6.29367,6.29613,
FAST,2008-12-02,6.39,6.56915,5.95047,6.26455,
FAST,2008-12-03,5.9017,6.2458,5.59108,6.21164,
FAST,2008-12-04,6.08974,6.32476,5.9939,6.09872,
FAST,2008-12-05,6.04246,6.64762,5.96793,6.59709,
FAST,2008-12-08,6.6117,6.89587,6.6117,6.7563,
FAST,2008-12-09,6.6494,6.7563,6.48851,6.63963,
FAST,2008-12-10,6.72274,6.82579,6.36977,6.4433,
FAST,2008-12-11,6.37678,6.37678,5.78533,5.9482,
FAST,2008-12-12,5.82324,6.07662,5.72956,5.92905,
FAST,2008-12-15,6.06862,6.08599,5.88444,5.99025,
FAST,2008-12-16,5.99025,6.47361,5.99025,6.40896,
FAST,2008-12-17,6.31558,6.45396,6.25074,6.34253,
FAST,2008-12-18,6.34015,6.42307,6.16417,6.30147,
FAST,2008-12-19,6.54093,6.54783,6.23128,6.31143,
FAST,2008-12-22,6.31143,6.45396,6.03131,6.19881,
FAST,2008-12-23,6.23414,6.33423,6.06862,6.17285,
FAST,2008-12-24,6.16959,6.29742,6.06862,6.27866,
FAST,2008-12-26,6.27866,6.38211,6.22902,6.32289,
FAST,2008-12-29,6.2458,6.26316,5.90812,6.01127,
FAST,2008-12-30,6.07888,6.24412,5.96923,6.2379,
FAST,2008-12-31,6.22754,6.51299,6.15371,6.47696,
FAST,2009-01-02,6.51999,6.83684,6.31883,6.78562,
FAST,2009-01-05,6.68247,6.83931,6.573,6.76499,
FAST,2009-01-06,6.72461,6.75235,6.54093,6.69836,
FAST,2009-01-07,6.61526,6.62818,6.41656,6.53559,
FAST,2009-01-08,6.34795,6.37678,6.15271,6.24412,
FAST,2009-01-09,6.27304,6.27304,5.9482,6.13979,
FAST,2009-01-12,6.17818,6.19545,6.00397,6.0629,
FAST,2009-01-13,6.02371,6.16595,5.96645,6.09872,
FAST,2009-01-14,5.9939,6.02371,5.84643,5.89075,
FAST,2009-01-15,6.08599,6.32565,5.89983,6.17137,
FAST,2009-01-16,6.25074,6.26899,6.06496,6.16229,
FAST,2009-01-20,6.35161,6.49641,6.05272,6.11432,
FAST,2009-01-21,6.00999,6.11807,5.76569,6.0016,
FAST,2009-01-22,5.92905,6.10435,5.83923,5.99222,
FAST,2009-01-23,5.89983,6.14215,5.86016,6.03536,
FAST,2009-01-26,6.01127,6.19328,5.97663,6.05914,
FAST,2009-01-27,6.0477,6.46098,6.04,6.42722,
FAST,2009-01-28,6.47213,6.71859,6.39,6.64762,
FAST,2009-01-29,6.59077,6.70053,6.40718,6.46098,
FAST,2009-01-30,6.47696,6.56155,6.24165,6.35378,
FAST,2009-02-02,6.26455,6.44736,6.23128,6.38033,
FAST,2009-02-03,6.35565,6.62078,6.25428,6.59472,
FAST,2009-02-04,6.43966,6.44518,6.23414,6.36276,
FAST,2009-02-05,6.24412,6.47509,6.17413,6.43966,
FAST,2009-02-06,6.46098,6.90179,6.43798,6.90179,
FAST,2009-02-09,6.82717,7.00988,6.72886,6.97572,
FAST,2009-02-10,6.9704,7.03801,6.61032,6.69066,
FAST,2009-02-11,6.74525,6.7563,6.36276,6.42504,
FAST,2009-02-12,6.36405,6.59709,6.29041,6.573,
FAST,2009-02-13,6.57626,6.66362,6.41122,6.41122,
FAST,2009-02-17,6.29742,6.29742,6.00999,6.10899,
FAST,2009-02-18,6.15587,6.39208,6.12567,6.33423,
FAST,2009-02-19,6.35378,6.49256,6.02124,6.02124,
FAST,2009-02-20,6.06684,6.07888,5.9017,5.98185,
FAST,2009-02-23,5.9939,6.02805,5.4976,5.51616,
FAST,2009-02-24,5.55219,5.80813,5.55219,5.79915,
FAST,2009-02-25,5.78533,5.84831,5.64636,5.67133,
FAST,2009-02-26,5.78947,5.82462,5.58457,5.59325,
FAST,2009-02-27,5.55673,5.6655,5.46632,5.59967,
FAST,2009-03-02,5.49573,5.57233,5.2617,5.30355,
FAST,2009-03-03,5.31224,5.51616,5.31046,5.41865,
FAST,2009-03-04,5.42397,5.50698,5.08502,5.28065,
FAST,2009-03-05,5.22271,5.24907,4.9792,5.0102,
FAST,2009-03-06,5.01425,5.07416,4.80815,4.9033,
FAST,2009-03-09,4.86421,5.07416,4.83697,4.86233,
FAST,2009-03-10,4.9109,5.23297,4.85829,5.23297,
FAST,2009-03-11,5.30138,5.38567,5.21185,5.32082,
FAST,2009-03-12,5.31728,5.56867,5.20682,5.56413,
FAST,2009-03-13,5.59967,5.63757,5.36652,5.47293,
FAST,2009-03-16,5.46513,5.52584,5.1166,5.16764,
FAST,2009-03-17,5.21185,5.35537,5.09361,5.32794,
FAST,2009-03-18,5.31728,5.5361,5.19734,5.45723,
FAST,2009-03-19,5.45723,5.51182,5.36475,5.46878,
FAST,2009-03-20,5.51616,5.63115,5.42032,5.42625,
FAST,2009-03-23,5.53808,5.92579,5.45053,5.9173,
FAST,2009-03-24,5.86252,6.18736,5.85433,6.02124,
FAST,2009-03-25,5.99982,6.34015,5.82462,5.99745,
FAST,2009-03-26,6.04,6.2609,5.97889,6.21164,
FAST,2009-03-27,6.16959,6.20503,6.01127,6.09695,
FAST,2009-03-30,5.94642,6.1234,5.77171,5.92362,
FAST,2009-03-31,5.91178,6.08974,5.77911,5.97535,
FAST,2009-04-01,5.78583,6.13979,5.76174,6.12024,
FAST,2009-04-02,6.29613,6.68918,6.22576,6.62078,
FAST,2009-04-03,6.6039,6.87731,6.55375,6.87731,
FAST,2009-04-06,6.80308,6.93822,6.72699,6.93061,
FAST,2009-04-07,6.87731,6.93061,6.59709,6.66362,
FAST,2009-04-08,6.66362,6.79786,6.54231,6.74909,
FAST,2009-04-09,6.84849,7.16524,6.81068,7.14283,
FAST,2009-04-13,7.07937,7.19356,6.86043,7.09663,"Stocks in focus for Tuesday Among the companies whose shares are expected to see active trade in Tuesday’s session are Johnson & Johnson, Intel, Ambac, Goldman Sachs and CSX."
FAST,2009-04-14,6.88255,6.94246,6.4433,6.49858,
FAST,2009-04-15,6.4127,6.57754,6.39208,6.55375,
FAST,2009-04-16,6.63963,6.6723,6.4433,6.64624,
FAST,2009-04-17,6.64624,6.69619,6.55375,6.62591,
FAST,2009-04-20,6.48851,6.50717,6.37678,6.39721,
FAST,2009-04-21,6.36405,6.57754,6.34015,6.54596,
FAST,2009-04-22,6.48664,6.77466,6.4592,6.62266,
FAST,2009-04-23,6.59709,6.60626,6.39,6.573,
FAST,2009-04-24,6.57754,6.97207,6.51121,6.94246,
FAST,2009-04-27,6.84494,6.98856,6.75995,6.83783,
FAST,2009-04-28,6.7635,6.89587,6.71297,6.78315,
FAST,2009-04-29,6.82579,7.22347,6.81256,7.10799,
FAST,2009-04-30,7.24953,7.49541,7.03179,7.1301,
FAST,2009-05-01,7.07433,7.20906,6.90603,6.98174,
FAST,2009-05-04,6.99072,7.20906,6.96348,7.20067,
FAST,2009-05-05,7.02577,7.09081,6.83931,6.88255,
FAST,2009-05-06,6.97572,7.26147,6.67832,6.70439,
FAST,2009-05-07,6.77466,6.91117,6.61358,6.70053,
FAST,2009-05-08,6.78315,6.89587,6.64427,6.80654,
FAST,2009-05-11,6.69066,6.75087,6.57162,6.59472,
FAST,2009-05-12,6.63154,6.68731,6.45525,6.59077,
FAST,2009-05-13,6.48328,6.48328,6.18509,6.19881,
FAST,2009-05-14,6.22754,6.30305,6.09695,6.12804,
FAST,2009-05-15,6.11659,6.29742,6.1001,6.24412,
FAST,2009-05-18,6.25991,6.37816,6.17651,6.37678,
FAST,2009-05-19,6.32061,6.40106,6.20503,6.23414,
FAST,2009-05-20,6.30305,6.37678,6.11432,6.14531,
FAST,2009-05-21,6.11807,6.13347,5.9173,5.97535,
FAST,2009-05-22,6.00397,6.08776,5.86252,5.99745,
FAST,2009-05-26,5.96093,6.375,5.90684,6.35161,
FAST,2009-05-27,6.31558,6.32061,6.06102,6.09162,
FAST,2009-05-28,6.14531,6.14531,5.89816,6.10563,
FAST,2009-05-29,6.10435,6.17957,6.02371,6.17413,
FAST,2009-06-01,6.33245,6.78088,6.33009,6.72274,
FAST,2009-06-02,6.72274,6.75235,6.64427,6.69066,
FAST,2009-06-03,6.51783,6.60252,6.42504,6.56343,
FAST,2009-06-04,6.60252,6.60626,6.36405,6.43966,
FAST,2009-06-05,6.55514,6.55514,6.31143,6.35565,
FAST,2009-06-08,6.34431,6.49996,6.30887,6.4366,
FAST,2009-06-09,6.48328,6.66135,6.42722,6.62078,
FAST,2009-06-10,6.62818,6.71297,6.51783,6.66776,
FAST,2009-06-11,6.69066,6.72274,6.57972,6.64289,
FAST,2009-06-12,6.57972,6.59077,6.36572,6.45525,
FAST,2009-06-15,6.40718,6.40718,6.14215,6.21342,
FAST,2009-06-16,6.30502,6.31883,6.16821,6.19881,
FAST,2009-06-17,6.22754,6.375,6.20375,6.25991,
FAST,2009-06-18,6.24876,6.34795,6.13347,6.26899,
FAST,2009-06-19,6.34431,6.34431,6.16417,6.19545,
FAST,2009-06-22,6.1001,6.11215,5.94642,5.97889,
FAST,2009-06-23,6.0629,6.09546,5.9632,6.01127,
FAST,2009-06-24,6.04325,6.2153,6.03131,6.12162,
FAST,2009-06-25,6.08007,6.26316,6.06862,6.24728,
FAST,2009-06-26,6.20246,6.32476,6.18509,6.21342,
FAST,2009-06-29,6.20246,6.26692,6.13771,6.24412,
FAST,2009-06-30,6.20246,6.29041,6.1463,6.16595,
FAST,2009-07-01,6.2379,6.28044,6.11432,6.12567,
FAST,2009-07-02,6.10563,6.13347,5.92362,5.92905,
FAST,2009-07-06,5.91178,5.96459,5.80813,5.84337,
FAST,2009-07-07,5.81731,5.82462,5.67133,5.681,
FAST,2009-07-08,5.72206,5.81731,5.66225,5.78771,
FAST,2009-07-09,5.79915,5.84061,5.66412,5.69442,
FAST,2009-07-10,5.69226,5.91592,5.66946,5.89816,
FAST,2009-07-13,5.61398,5.92362,5.43681,5.86016,
FAST,2009-07-14,5.84505,5.8945,5.76569,5.88246,
FAST,2009-07-15,5.92362,6.08007,5.90812,6.0016,
FAST,2009-07-16,5.98185,6.12804,5.90684,6.10435,
FAST,2009-07-17,6.12804,6.19328,6.08007,6.15045,
FAST,2009-07-20,6.18509,6.34431,6.15271,6.32801,
FAST,2009-07-21,6.4053,6.41656,6.21342,6.34983,"Low expectations fuel Caterpillar, markets In looking at second-quarter earnings season, U.S. stock market analysts anticipate year-over-year earnings for the industrial complex to plunge about 43%, with the sector expected to be among the top four worst performers."
FAST,2009-07-22,6.375,6.4592,6.29742,6.40896,
FAST,2009-07-23,6.35161,6.58238,6.33009,6.57754,
FAST,2009-07-24,6.49996,6.63766,6.48535,6.62414,
FAST,2009-07-27,6.63578,6.64427,6.46857,6.62414,
FAST,2009-07-28,6.59798,6.68247,6.47006,6.57754,
FAST,2009-07-29,6.55375,6.65789,6.51121,6.56521,
FAST,2009-07-30,6.67832,6.79786,6.58662,6.60854,
FAST,2009-07-31,6.6339,6.70921,6.58662,6.6117,
FAST,2009-08-03,6.67369,6.98174,6.62266,6.92519,
FAST,2009-08-04,6.93644,6.9934,6.86932,6.99201,
FAST,2009-08-05,6.97986,6.98856,6.71475,6.79786,
FAST,2009-08-06,6.7938,6.91117,6.74426,6.83684,
FAST,2009-08-07,6.95332,7.20067,6.95332,7.16396,
FAST,2009-08-10,7.14096,7.18557,6.98856,7.02764,
FAST,2009-08-11,6.99951,7.00524,6.89469,6.94888,
FAST,2009-08-12,6.92765,7.10079,6.91334,7.00277,
FAST,2009-08-13,7.00277,7.00988,6.80882,6.87169,
FAST,2009-08-14,6.89251,6.90693,6.69066,6.84129,
FAST,2009-08-17,6.74081,6.7635,6.57754,6.59709,
FAST,2009-08-18,6.61664,6.70921,6.59472,6.67832,
FAST,2009-08-19,6.59798,6.74525,6.55731,6.70803,
FAST,2009-08-20,6.67605,6.79548,6.65177,6.75423,
FAST,2009-08-21,6.79548,6.97572,6.7635,6.90919,
FAST,2009-08-24,6.88255,6.94246,6.75758,6.7716,
FAST,2009-08-25,6.83783,6.92765,6.77466,6.79548,
FAST,2009-08-26,6.7635,6.89587,6.71859,6.79548,
FAST,2009-08-27,6.78926,6.89005,6.68415,6.83477,
FAST,2009-08-28,6.83783,6.94888,6.72461,6.81068,
FAST,2009-08-31,6.7635,6.77328,6.63154,6.72886,
FAST,2009-09-01,6.66599,6.96576,6.48081,6.48851,
FAST,2009-09-02,6.46709,6.52139,6.39721,6.43146,
FAST,2009-09-03,6.52325,6.7795,6.50539,6.7635,
FAST,2009-09-04,6.83161,6.94888,6.7795,6.90693,
FAST,2009-09-08,6.94532,6.95993,6.85807,6.91215,
FAST,2009-09-09,6.83161,6.98174,6.79786,6.92943,
FAST,2009-09-10,6.90357,6.95332,6.85037,6.92943,
FAST,2009-09-11,6.92133,7.046,6.89814,7.02577,
FAST,2009-09-14,7.00524,7.1301,6.96348,7.12457,
FAST,2009-09-15,7.12023,7.199,7.10621,7.18912,
FAST,2009-09-16,7.11727,7.30175,7.11727,7.30175,
FAST,2009-09-17,7.31053,7.36038,7.21953,7.28369,
FAST,2009-09-18,7.34844,7.35268,7.24539,7.24539,
FAST,2009-09-21,7.23463,7.38851,7.15172,7.26305,
FAST,2009-09-22,7.30175,7.47349,7.27095,7.45889,
FAST,2009-09-23,7.42138,7.47349,7.3436,7.37044,
FAST,2009-09-24,7.38851,7.41743,7.15408,7.25367,
FAST,2009-09-25,7.24717,7.34004,7.14836,7.18557,
FAST,2009-09-28,7.18725,7.34172,7.18725,7.29158,
FAST,2009-09-29,7.28181,7.34172,7.20067,7.21351,
FAST,2009-09-30,7.23088,7.25506,7.046,7.19356,
FAST,2009-10-01,7.17836,7.22624,6.88481,6.88669,
FAST,2009-10-02,6.88057,6.90357,6.78315,6.81068,
FAST,2009-10-05,6.81384,6.96724,6.74525,6.93822,
FAST,2009-10-06,6.962,7.13533,6.93644,7.02261,
FAST,2009-10-07,6.99072,7.02764,6.93644,6.98174,
FAST,2009-10-08,7.03179,7.21123,6.99764,7.12457,
FAST,2009-10-09,7.13237,7.35268,7.10305,7.32119,
FAST,2009-10-12,7.35486,7.74504,7.10305,7.14412,"BEFORE THE BELL: US Stock Futures Higher As Earnings Ramp Up U.S. stock futures were trading higher Monday as the market attempts to build on last week's strong gains while a busy week of earnings gets underway, kicked off by a surprise profit from Dutch-based conglomerate Philips Electronics."
FAST,2009-10-13,7.14412,7.32682,7.07433,7.25269,
FAST,2009-10-14,7.29731,7.35268,7.19356,7.31892,
FAST,2009-10-15,7.33678,7.37044,7.26917,7.3436,
FAST,2009-10-16,7.31616,7.33808,7.12832,7.20206,
FAST,2009-10-19,7.22427,7.27095,7.10621,7.23947,
FAST,2009-10-20,7.20906,7.20906,7.05567,7.13533,
FAST,2009-10-21,7.199,7.24953,7.02577,7.04403,
FAST,2009-10-22,7.07245,7.13237,6.97336,7.10079,
FAST,2009-10-23,7.07769,7.12457,6.95332,6.98856,
FAST,2009-10-26,6.9934,7.115,6.87731,6.91334,
FAST,2009-10-27,7.00138,7.00731,6.76499,6.78315,
FAST,2009-10-28,6.78926,6.82579,6.65177,6.65365,
FAST,2009-10-29,6.68415,6.76222,6.64101,6.70577,
FAST,2009-10-30,6.67783,6.73034,6.39524,6.4127,
FAST,2009-11-02,6.44182,6.60252,6.4127,6.55375,
FAST,2009-11-03,6.52325,6.67013,6.50717,6.64762,
FAST,2009-11-04,6.68059,6.73034,6.60626,6.61664,
FAST,2009-11-05,6.66776,6.83309,6.65789,6.78315,
FAST,2009-11-06,6.73261,6.77762,6.64762,6.76499,
FAST,2009-11-09,6.80456,6.91917,6.77328,6.91917,
FAST,2009-11-10,6.89469,6.93061,6.83309,6.90179,
FAST,2009-11-11,6.92321,6.9774,6.83309,6.92133,
FAST,2009-11-12,6.92321,6.96348,6.81256,6.83309,
FAST,2009-11-13,6.84129,6.91215,6.78788,6.86043,
FAST,2009-11-16,6.88817,6.9934,6.87919,6.95746,
FAST,2009-11-17,6.91117,7.00277,6.87169,6.99951,
FAST,2009-11-18,7.00277,7.04955,6.91334,7.04146,
FAST,2009-11-19,7.00988,7.01442,6.88481,6.93289,
FAST,2009-11-20,6.92765,6.962,6.82144,6.87919,
FAST,2009-11-23,6.95746,7.16712,6.94246,7.00277,
FAST,2009-11-24,7.00277,7.03969,6.94246,6.95746,
FAST,2009-11-25,6.99764,7.06288,6.94888,7.01876,
FAST,2009-11-27,6.81256,6.97986,6.80308,6.88057,
FAST,2009-11-30,6.88481,6.91334,6.79548,6.89251,
FAST,2009-12-01,6.91117,7.00138,6.89991,6.91334,
FAST,2009-12-02,6.92943,7.12457,6.90919,7.10443,
FAST,2009-12-03,7.11085,7.18912,7.02429,7.02577,
FAST,2009-12-04,7.09851,7.25141,7.05153,7.2368,
FAST,2009-12-07,7.20758,7.29731,7.17284,7.18912,
FAST,2009-12-08,7.11845,7.22347,7.01214,7.14412,
FAST,2009-12-09,7.07433,7.20206,7.02261,7.18725,
FAST,2009-12-10,7.18725,7.28605,7.18084,7.21518,
FAST,2009-12-11,7.24953,7.28605,7.18725,7.25141,
FAST,2009-12-14,7.24717,7.33808,7.24717,7.32119,
FAST,2009-12-15,7.28369,7.3663,7.21123,7.31053,
FAST,2009-12-16,7.33076,7.41635,7.31892,7.38071,
FAST,2009-12-17,7.32297,7.42553,7.26917,7.38673,
FAST,2009-12-18,7.41743,7.43401,7.33482,7.42553,
FAST,2009-12-21,7.45001,7.60033,7.42553,7.58671,
FAST,2009-12-22,7.59619,7.6561,7.59451,7.63507,
FAST,2009-12-23,7.62007,7.74,7.60033,7.71582,
FAST,2009-12-24,7.73092,7.76932,7.39038,7.75184,
FAST,2009-12-28,7.77869,7.85578,7.76093,7.84226,
FAST,2009-12-29,7.80989,7.85963,7.77376,7.80287,
FAST,2009-12-30,7.82075,7.84058,7.75984,7.80435,
FAST,2009-12-31,7.78521,7.83861,7.71354,7.74,
FAST,2010-01-04,7.83624,7.87464,7.74819,7.81157,
FAST,2010-01-05,7.81669,7.98321,7.75984,7.97403,
FAST,2010-01-06,8.19375,8.6395,8.18091,8.50013,
FAST,2010-01-07,8.42206,8.71373,8.30539,8.64474,
FAST,2010-01-08,8.68708,8.76555,8.56133,8.73149,
FAST,2010-01-11,8.72725,8.73149,8.50418,8.56133,
FAST,2010-01-12,8.51198,8.60338,8.46638,8.55896,
FAST,2010-01-13,8.59351,8.72183,8.52787,8.6781,
FAST,2010-01-14,8.70435,8.78539,8.55442,8.60555,
FAST,2010-01-15,8.60555,8.69922,8.4422,8.52353,
FAST,2010-01-19,8.05902,8.6395,8.05704,8.32977,
FAST,2010-01-20,8.24093,8.29848,8.01243,8.22692,
FAST,2010-01-21,8.19631,8.30174,8.07758,8.08774,
FAST,2010-01-22,8.11696,8.16937,7.87236,7.90928,
FAST,2010-01-25,7.961,7.96317,7.81157,7.92616,
FAST,2010-01-26,7.82973,7.92399,7.81669,7.83446,
FAST,2010-01-27,7.76093,7.87326,7.75984,7.8541,
FAST,2010-01-28,7.85183,7.88984,7.62273,7.71158,
FAST,2010-01-29,7.73408,7.90158,7.70408,7.7098,
FAST,2010-02-01,7.74198,7.80989,7.69164,7.71956,
FAST,2010-02-02,7.77504,8.00187,7.74,7.98321,
FAST,2010-02-03,7.9384,8.03207,7.9312,7.99625,
FAST,2010-02-04,7.92952,7.97215,7.81157,7.83219,
FAST,2010-02-05,7.88115,7.93336,7.68394,7.80435,
FAST,2010-02-08,7.801,7.80583,7.64465,7.66005,
FAST,2010-02-09,7.79429,7.91836,7.7255,7.87,
FAST,2010-02-10,7.91304,7.91836,7.68907,7.71956,
FAST,2010-02-11,7.71354,7.83861,7.61533,7.83219,
FAST,2010-02-12,7.74819,7.81669,7.70269,7.77504,
FAST,2010-02-16,7.84404,7.99475,7.80771,7.98845,
FAST,2010-02-17,8.01647,8.05566,7.91658,8.01441,
FAST,2010-02-18,8.03395,8.11518,8.01885,8.11242,
FAST,2010-02-19,8.09682,8.19375,8.05566,8.15437,
FAST,2010-02-22,8.23106,8.23106,8.13571,8.18941,
FAST,2010-02-23,8.21093,8.2437,8.13739,8.16621,
FAST,2010-02-24,8.2129,8.2582,8.15437,8.21093,
FAST,2010-02-25,8.06306,8.2582,8.05033,8.24804,
FAST,2010-02-26,8.26284,8.29848,8.18091,8.24804,
FAST,2010-03-01,8.25288,8.36451,8.2129,8.34961,
FAST,2010-03-02,8.37961,8.40844,8.29848,8.32977,
FAST,2010-03-03,8.36085,8.46282,8.35543,8.36875,
FAST,2010-03-04,8.35197,8.4422,8.33925,8.3806,
FAST,2010-03-05,8.43035,8.50882,8.38751,8.49382,
FAST,2010-03-08,8.42206,8.51346,8.40123,8.44684,
FAST,2010-03-09,8.434,8.48513,8.37961,8.4185,
FAST,2010-03-10,8.45226,8.4717,8.38237,8.41485,
FAST,2010-03-11,8.40301,8.40656,8.31121,8.40488,
FAST,2010-03-12,8.43252,8.43252,8.33776,8.41485,
FAST,2010-03-15,8.46046,8.53981,8.38889,8.52787,
FAST,2010-03-16,8.51928,8.61966,8.47408,8.61414,
FAST,2010-03-17,8.6319,8.82428,8.59765,8.81974,
FAST,2010-03-18,8.8151,8.85646,8.72005,8.79842,
FAST,2010-03-19,8.83346,8.88627,8.65718,8.73149,
FAST,2010-03-22,8.76911,9.08043,8.72913,8.99268,
FAST,2010-03-23,9.08417,9.11576,8.94638,9.10717,
FAST,2010-03-24,9.06858,9.10233,8.98142,8.98527,
FAST,2010-03-25,9.06858,9.08999,8.91361,8.92673,
FAST,2010-03-26,8.99652,9.05427,8.93147,8.97382,
FAST,2010-03-29,9.00126,9.06858,8.98231,9.00324,
FAST,2010-03-30,9.03442,9.1355,8.98142,9.01548,
FAST,2010-03-31,8.95773,9.02406,8.90719,8.91913,
FAST,2010-04-01,8.9908,9.0667,8.93888,9.03068,
FAST,2010-04-05,9.09286,9.25099,9.05427,9.23835,
FAST,2010-04-06,9.21812,9.31495,9.21417,9.31011,
FAST,2010-04-07,9.29353,9.7837,9.27595,9.61393,
FAST,2010-04-08,9.53792,9.62281,8.64266,9.44415,"[""Fastenal Sees Bearish Options Move"", ""Fastenal Sees Bearish Options Move"", ""Longer-term bearishness in Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST) Shares of Fastenal Co. (NASDAQ: FAST ) are edging down on the day without any company-specific news, and at least one investor appears to think that trend could continue throughout the long-term. FAST, a wholesaler and retailer of industrial and construction supplies, is currently down 65 cents, or slightly more than 1%, to $51.07 and the company is due to announce earnings on April 13 before the market opens. Analysts estimate earnings of 33 cents a share. Options action during afternoon trading suggests investors anticipate a long-term slide in the stock, but the sentiment might not be exceedingly bearish. At 3:17 p.m. EST, a block of 8,850 out-of-the-money January 2012 50 puts changed hands for the ask price of $8.10 per contract. These LEAPS puts are home to current open interest of just 139 contracts, indicating investors most likely bought these puts to open. These options are currently down 90 cents on the day and have an implied volatility of 31% compared to the stock's 30-day historical volatility of 17%. Investors who bought these puts will make money if FAST shares drop at least 18% throughout the longer term and trade below $41.90 prior to January 2012 options expiration. If the stock declines significantly prior to expiry and the puts rally, investors could choose to sell these options back and take profits instead of unnecessarily holding on to them. Put buying such as this is a bearish play, but not necessarily a reason for investors to short FAST stock. Keep in mind that the investor could have used the options position as a hedge against a long stock position. Investors could have bought shares of stock expecting upside, but also purchased puts to protect against a potential slide throughout the longer-term. To visualize the risk/reward of this long put position and other options trades, I use my virtual trading account at OptionsHouse everyday. To open your own for free, click here . The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Sees Bearish Options Move""]"
FAST,2010-04-09,9.50634,9.51127,9.4254,9.50831,
FAST,2010-04-12,9.55076,9.67414,9.4787,9.64649,"Stocks in focus for Tuesday Among the shares expected to see active trade in Tuesday's session are those of Intel, CSX, Fastenal and Linear Technology."
FAST,2010-04-13,10.0719,10.2131,9.78271,9.85279,
FAST,2010-04-14,9.83207,9.92782,9.75409,9.92782,"[""Debt-Free Short-Squeeze Opportunities"", ""Debt-Free Short-Squeeze Opportunities"", ""Debt-Free Short-Squeeze Opportunities""]"
FAST,2010-04-15,9.90807,10.2555,9.8755,10.2209,
FAST,2010-04-16,10.1953,10.2625,10.0363,10.0947,
FAST,2010-04-19,10.1075,10.2071,9.97326,10.1993,
FAST,2010-04-20,10.2071,10.2209,10.0117,10.0857,"Stock Upgrades: BA, BP, CS BP Plc ( BP ), Boeing ( BA ) and Credit Suisse ( CS ) were among some of the widely held stocks upgraded by Louis Navellier in his latest fundamental stock analysis on April 19, 2010. Energy stock BP Plc ( BP ) faced down shareholder protest over oil sands projects last week, and shares have firmed up as a result. BP stock was upgraded to a B grade or ""buy"" this week in Portfolio Grader from a C grade or ""hold"" in last week's rankings according to Louis Navellier's database of stocks to buy and sell. BP reports earnings on April 27. Aerospace and defense stock Boeing ( BA ) washas firmed up this week in anticipation of its Wednesday, April 21, earnings report. BA stock was upgraded from a C grade or ""hold"" in Portfolio Grader to a B grade or ""buy"" this week. Financial stock Credit Suisse ( CS ) was upgraded from its rating of a D grade or ""sell"" last week in to a C grade or ""hold"" this week in Portfolio Grader's fundamental stock analysis. Swiss funds returned over 2.3% in Q1, and investors are eager to see CS' earnings report this Thursday, April 22. Get a complete list of this week's stock downgrades here . For a complete list of upgrades, please view the table below. About Portfolio Grader: Every Sunday, renowned growth stock adviser Louis Navellier runs a fundamental analysis on the top 5,000 Wall Street companies. Armed with this research, Navellier offers a rating for each company reflected as a simple letter grade, with A being ""strong buy"" and F being ""strong sell."" Portfolio Grader's stock data is free and open to the public, and can be accessed online here . More Portfolio Grader stock analysis: 4/12 stock upgrades: COST, LLY, RDS, WMT (click for complete list) 4/12 stock downgrades: BAC, BA, PC, TM (click for complete list) 4/5 stock upgrades: BA, HIT, XRX, YUM (click for complete list) 4/5 stock downgrades: FDX, HMC, RIMM, RBS (click for complete list) Related Articles: Apple AAPL Earnings Preview Top 10 High Yield Dividend Stocks in the Dow 5 High Yield Dividend Stocks Outside the U.S. (TEF, FLY, MBT, APSA, CPL) The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2010-04-21,10.0897,10.1311,9.92386,10.1075,
FAST,2010-04-22,10.0413,10.3848,10.0315,10.3572,
FAST,2010-04-23,10.3069,10.4934,10.2625,10.445,
FAST,2010-04-26,10.4431,10.5289,10.3887,10.4283,
FAST,2010-04-27,10.4243,10.448,10.0581,10.0887,
FAST,2010-04-28,10.1233,10.2486,10.066,10.1391,
FAST,2010-04-29,10.2387,10.4431,10.1539,10.4154,
FAST,2010-04-30,10.4036,10.4993,10.1143,10.1657,
FAST,2010-05-03,10.2111,10.523,10.1143,10.4983,
FAST,2010-05-04,10.3236,10.3572,9.99691,10.0521,
FAST,2010-05-05,10.0463,10.0917,9.8676,9.90807,
FAST,2010-05-06,9.89721,9.97515,8.92013,9.54484,
FAST,2010-05-07,9.46883,9.58728,9.17676,9.33578,
FAST,2010-05-10,9.79851,9.97326,9.5774,9.93969,
FAST,2010-05-11,9.84983,10.1459,9.82417,10.0837,
FAST,2010-05-12,10.0779,10.3236,10.0363,10.3059,
FAST,2010-05-13,10.2071,10.3572,10.1025,10.2171,
FAST,2010-05-14,10.1973,10.1973,9.85971,9.97515,
FAST,2010-05-17,10.0039,10.0917,9.7531,9.97326,
FAST,2010-05-18,10.0345,10.1253,9.72942,9.77087,
FAST,2010-05-19,9.74718,9.92188,9.53299,9.71362,
FAST,2010-05-20,9.54878,9.68499,9.12435,9.14715,
FAST,2010-05-21,9.13264,9.4254,8.99455,9.35739,
FAST,2010-05-24,9.25493,9.39086,9.189,9.2123,
FAST,2010-05-25,8.98902,9.23253,8.9296,9.22769,
FAST,2010-05-26,9.24417,9.44415,9.09099,9.18624,
FAST,2010-05-27,9.44613,9.55866,9.32482,9.5468,
FAST,2010-05-28,9.55272,9.59912,9.23934,9.37408,
FAST,2010-06-01,9.23253,9.50831,9.23253,9.23253,
FAST,2010-06-02,9.27595,9.62676,9.17014,9.62676,
FAST,2010-06-03,9.67414,9.82713,9.51818,9.66131,
FAST,2010-06-04,9.3948,9.52608,9.1509,9.18426,
FAST,2010-06-07,9.18426,9.29155,8.97382,8.98231,
FAST,2010-06-08,9.0439,9.13451,8.87689,9.11289,
FAST,2010-06-09,9.1509,9.39086,9.07855,9.13747,
FAST,2010-06-10,9.25493,9.5774,9.22296,9.57247,
FAST,2010-06-11,9.39875,9.63071,9.39875,9.61097,
FAST,2010-06-14,9.67117,9.86365,9.63861,9.66624,
FAST,2010-06-15,9.69881,9.94167,9.64057,9.93472,"[""Stocks Near Trend Line Support: June 15"", ""Stocks Near Trend Line Support: June 15"", ""Stocks Near Trend Line Support: June 15""]"
FAST,2010-06-16,9.93472,9.98995,9.84983,9.97813,
FAST,2010-06-17,9.97326,10.0857,9.86365,10.0739,
FAST,2010-06-18,10.0453,10.2171,10.0187,10.1617,
FAST,2010-06-21,10.2486,10.3809,10.0857,10.1717,
FAST,2010-06-22,10.2151,10.2447,9.7837,9.81923,
FAST,2010-06-23,9.85674,9.96532,9.72645,9.91992,
FAST,2010-06-24,9.88932,9.90807,9.64057,9.6692,
FAST,2010-06-25,9.63268,9.75508,9.56458,9.71263,
FAST,2010-06-28,9.72645,9.82615,9.61097,9.69881,
FAST,2010-06-29,9.55866,9.56852,9.3033,9.38394,
FAST,2010-06-30,9.38296,9.57444,9.3111,9.32798,
FAST,2010-07-01,9.46093,9.46093,8.9984,9.26066,
FAST,2010-07-02,9.26066,9.29353,9.07519,9.14902,
FAST,2010-07-06,9.27241,9.36726,8.97964,9.07519,
FAST,2010-07-07,9.03068,9.35936,9.0212,9.3338,
FAST,2010-07-08,9.35739,9.54976,9.35739,9.5172,
FAST,2010-07-09,9.48561,9.69881,9.47277,9.67809,
FAST,2010-07-12,9.68697,9.80048,9.63861,9.78074,"Stocks to watch Tuesday: Intel, Fastenal, Yum! Among the companies whose shares are expected to see active trading in Tuesday's session are Intel Corp., Fastenal and Yum! Brands Inc."
FAST,2010-07-13,9.55866,9.82121,9.33972,9.37408,"Opening View: Alcoa Gives DJIA Bulls a Shot in the Arm The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) may have gained only about 18 points on Monday, but the rally pushed the venerable average past resistance at the 10,200 level and marked the fifth straight gain for the Dow. The DJIA is also trading above its 10-week moving average, and given the historical upside bias of expiration weeks, it has a good chance of closing the week above this trendline for the first time since late April. The S&P 500 Index (SPX) wasn't as lucky as the Dow, closing below resistance in the 1,080-1,085 region and its 10-week moving average. Today's session looks promising, however, as futures on the DJIA and SPX are trading 64 points and 9 points above fair value, respectively, as traders react to a strong quarterly performance from Alcoa Inc. ( AA ). Alcoa shares are up more than 4% in pre-market trading, which bodes well for Wall Street, as the stock's post-earnings reaction has been a good indicator for overall market direction. Speaking of Alcoa, the aluminum giant said that it swung to a second-quarter profit of $136 million, or 13 cents per share, due to lower costs and stronger aluminum demand. The results were in line with analyst expectations. Revenue rose 22% to $5.2 billion from the year-earlier quarter, topping the consensus analyst target of $4.97 billion. The company also raised its 2010 forecast for global aluminum consumption. Elsewhere, CSX Corp. ( CSX ) said its second-quarter profit from continuing operations came in at $414 million, or $1.07 per share. Revenue climbed 22% to nearly $2.7 billion. CSX was expected to earn 96 cents per share on revenue of $2.62 billion. Finally, Novellus Systems Inc. ( NVLS ) reported a second-quarter profit of $63.3 million, or 66 cents per share. Revenue was $321.4 million, up from $119.2 million. Analysts had expected the company to report earnings of 60 cents per share, on revenue of $312 million. Earnings Preview The Fastenal Co. ( FAST ), Infosys Technologies Limited ( INFY ), Intel Corp. ( INTC ), and Yum! Brands Inc. ( YUM ) are scheduled to release their quarterly earnings report today. Keep your browser at SchaeffersResearch.com for more news as it breaks. Economic Calendar May's trade balance and June's Treasury budget arrive today. Tomorrow, the market will be graced with the weekly report on U.S. petroleum supplies, as well as June's retail sales, June's import/export prices, May's business inventories, and the minutes from the most recent Federal Open Market Committee meeting. Inflationary data is on tap for Thursday, with the release of June's producer price index (PPI) and the core PPI reading. Furthermore, weekly initial jobless claims, July's Empire State manufacturing index, June's industrial production/capacity utilization report, and the July Philadelphia Fed's manufacturing index are all slated for release. Finally, Friday finishes off a week packed full of data with June's consumer price index ( CPI ), the core CPI, and the University of Michigan's consumer sentiment index for July. Market Statistics Equity option activity on the Chicago Board Options Exchange ( CBOE ) saw 1,016,963 call contracts traded on Monday, compared to 644,961 put contracts. The resultant single-session put/call ratio arrived at 0.63, while the 21-day moving average held at 0.65. **The volume data shown above is from the Nasdaq and NYSE exchanges only. It does not include regional volume activity, which means that other daily volume quotes you see may be higher.** Every morning, our research staff analyzes the prior day and the overnight markets, and monitors the morning wires to give you an accurate preview of the day to come. If you enjoyed today's edition of Opening View, sign up here for free daily delivery, straight to your inbox, before the opening bell. Overseas Trading Overseas trading is mostly positive this morning, as seven of the 10 foreign indexes that we track are in positive territory. The cumulative average return on the collective stands at a gain of 0.67%. In Asian trading, regional indexes erased early gains after Chinese leadership in Beijing denied that it would relax its tightening policies on the property market. Meanwhile, European markets are broadly higher, as traders cheer strong earnings outlooks from Alcoa Inc. and BMW. Furthermore, data out of the U.K. pointed toward slowing inflationary pressures, though less than expected. Specifically, consumer prices rose 0.1% in June and were 3.2% higher on a year-over-year basis, the Office for National Statistics said. Economists had forecast a flat monthly reading and a 3.1% annual rise. Overseas market information comes to you courtesy of Schaeffer's Daily Bulletin . Currencies and Commodities The U.S. dollar is trading fractionally lower this morning due to a mix of data, including news that Moody's downgraded Portugal's government debt rating by two notches. The euro is trading lower as a result, but the dollar is being eschewed in favor of equities this morning following last night's quarterly report from Alcoa Inc. As a result, the U.S. Dollar Index is off 0.05% at 84.17 heading into the open. Commodities, meanwhile, are taking advantage of the lower greenback. Specifically, gold futures have risen $8.20 to $1,206.90 an ounce in London, while crude oil has added 44 cents to $75.39 per barrel in electronic trading. Unusual Put and Call Activity: For an explanation of how to use this information, check out our Education Center topics on Option Volume and Open Interest Configurations . Click here for the new spring issue of SENTIMENT magazine The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized reproduction of any SIR publication is strictly prohibited. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2010-07-14,9.4175,9.48166,9.22296,9.44218,
FAST,2010-07-15,9.46192,9.46883,9.17202,9.25296,
FAST,2010-07-16,9.25296,9.25681,8.83544,8.85824,"The week's biggest winning and losing stocks Weyerhaeuser fared best, while Lincoln National did the worst among S&P 500 stocks for the week ended July 15."
FAST,2010-07-19,8.90719,8.97471,8.80217,8.86455,"[""Shareholder Buys $9.3M More of Westport"", ""Shareholder Buys $9.3M More of Westport"", ""Shareholder Buys $9.3M More of Westport""]"
FAST,2010-07-20,8.77552,8.98714,8.74512,8.96829,"[""Fastening Tight to a High Flyer"", ""Fastening Tight to a High Flyer"", ""Fastening Tight to a High Flyer""]"
FAST,2010-07-21,8.9984,9.11576,8.78835,8.82794,
FAST,2010-07-22,8.95013,9.18238,8.95013,9.08229,
FAST,2010-07-23,9.06473,9.189,8.99455,9.17498,"[""Dividend Stocks: Fastenal, Cummins, Walgreen"", ""Dividend Stocks: Fastenal, Cummins, Walgreen"", ""Dividend Stocks: Fastenal, Cummins, Walgreen""]"
FAST,2010-07-26,9.14902,9.28771,9.08417,9.28375,
FAST,2010-07-27,9.27981,9.29353,9.05229,9.13264,
FAST,2010-07-28,9.1509,9.1807,9.00876,9.08417,
FAST,2010-07-29,9.13264,9.17676,8.95773,9.10037,
FAST,2010-07-30,8.98902,9.15278,8.96069,9.12336,
FAST,2010-08-02,9.27981,9.31495,9.13106,9.29551,
FAST,2010-08-03,9.23549,9.35443,9.22957,9.32087,
FAST,2010-08-04,9.37408,9.5172,9.36528,9.5014,
FAST,2010-08-05,9.46192,9.52312,9.36726,9.51917,
FAST,2010-08-06,9.39776,9.51917,9.29353,9.51029,
FAST,2010-08-09,9.54484,9.58333,9.46192,9.54878,
FAST,2010-08-10,9.4787,9.53792,9.27595,9.41553,
FAST,2010-08-11,9.20657,9.2268,8.98714,9.00422,
FAST,2010-08-12,8.90522,9.04775,8.88627,9.00688,
FAST,2010-08-13,9.00688,9.02406,8.90719,8.95211,
FAST,2010-08-16,8.92013,9.01074,8.82981,8.94638,
FAST,2010-08-17,9.04114,9.35058,9.03166,9.27981,
FAST,2010-08-18,9.14715,9.28375,9.06108,9.2268,
FAST,2010-08-19,9.1355,9.19778,8.83445,8.88903,
FAST,2010-08-20,8.83731,8.93691,8.72547,8.922,
FAST,2010-08-23,8.99268,9.04578,8.81322,8.83168,
FAST,2010-08-24,8.6708,8.73613,8.50655,8.602,
FAST,2010-08-25,8.52787,8.57949,8.44684,8.53211,
FAST,2010-08-26,8.57041,8.61048,8.44822,8.45454,
FAST,2010-08-27,8.5103,8.54899,8.31338,8.54297,
FAST,2010-08-30,8.49283,8.56133,8.3806,8.3806,
FAST,2010-08-31,8.36925,8.50704,8.29848,8.41298,
FAST,2010-09-01,8.59351,8.80217,8.49579,8.76911,
FAST,2010-09-02,8.76555,9.1205,8.74512,9.10037,
FAST,2010-09-03,9.24417,9.27595,9.01074,9.17498,
FAST,2010-09-07,9.10717,9.15188,9.04578,9.0667,
FAST,2010-09-08,9.12928,9.29155,9.09573,9.23835,
FAST,2010-09-09,9.33972,9.39086,9.27981,9.35246,
FAST,2010-09-10,9.36332,9.5014,9.35246,9.46489,
FAST,2010-09-13,9.55272,9.65637,9.51127,9.5932,
FAST,2010-09-14,9.5468,9.65933,9.50831,9.59517,
FAST,2010-09-15,9.54484,9.62281,9.45007,9.60899,
FAST,2010-09-16,9.5774,9.63071,9.46093,9.51127,
FAST,2010-09-17,9.55272,9.62676,9.46785,9.58036,
FAST,2010-09-20,9.57444,9.71856,9.55272,9.70375,
FAST,2010-09-21,9.68499,9.73928,9.63071,9.66624,
FAST,2010-09-22,9.68302,9.913,9.63663,9.69881,
FAST,2010-09-23,9.63465,9.78074,9.59715,9.65341,
FAST,2010-09-24,9.80048,9.9831,9.74916,9.92386,
FAST,2010-09-27,9.91596,9.91992,9.79851,9.82615,
FAST,2010-09-28,9.88734,10.0295,9.66624,10.0009,
FAST,2010-09-29,9.94356,10.0245,9.8903,9.97326,
FAST,2010-09-30,10.0335,10.1439,9.8064,9.88833,
FAST,2010-10-01,9.91004,10.0147,9.83207,9.91992,
FAST,2010-10-04,9.93472,10.0009,9.69585,9.7837,
FAST,2010-10-05,9.94356,10.1143,9.92188,10.0345,
FAST,2010-10-06,10.0245,10.1075,9.95151,10.0295,
FAST,2010-10-07,10.0521,10.0817,9.8903,9.98012,
FAST,2010-10-08,9.99492,10.1835,9.92782,10.1341,
FAST,2010-10-11,10.0917,10.2071,10.0502,10.1785,"Stocks in focus Tuesday: Intel, CSX Among the companies whose shares are expected to see active trade in Tuesday’s session are Intel, CSX and Fastenal."
FAST,2010-10-12,9.91596,9.99194,9.56654,9.67315,"Opening View: DJIA Futures Dip Ahead of Fed Minutes The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) could be headed for a rough session, as anxiety is sweeping Wall Street ahead of the release of minutes from the Federal Reserve's September policy meeting. Uncertainty ahead of technology bellwether Intel Corp.'s ( INTC ) quarterly earnings report is also weighing on traders in premarket trading. As such, futures on the DJIA and the S&P 500 Index (SPX) are trading roughly 43 points and 3.7 points below fair value, respectively. If these losses carry over into the open, we could see the Dow battling for support at 11,000. In fact, the blue chip barometer could even test support at the 10,900 or 10,800 levels if the market's reaction to the Fed minutes is harsh enough. As for the SPX, the broad-market index should find a floor near 1,160, or at 1,150 if selling pressure gains momentum. In equity news, Johnson Controls Inc. ( JCI ) said that it expects to post fiscal 2011 earnings of $2.30 to $2.45 per share - an increase of between 17% and 25% on a year-over-year basis. Revenue is seen growing approximately 9% to $37 billion, Johnson Controls added. ""We are substantially increasing our investments to drive organic growth,"" said CEO Stephen Roell. ""Higher capital expenditures in 2011 will support the significant growth opportunities in our power solutions business and further expansion in all of our businesses in the fast-growing geographic market,"" he added. Analysts are forecasting fiscal 2011 earnings of $2.39 per share on sales of $36.33 billion. Elsewhere, Barclays Capital affirmed its ""overweight"" rating on Apple Inc. ( AAPL ). Barclays analyst Ben A. Reitzes also lifted his target price to $385 per share from $340 per share. ""Even at this market cap Apple is the best growth play in the IT-hardware segment, with prospects for significant double-digit organic revenue growth for several more years,"" the analyst wrote. Finally, Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. ( LGF ) proposed a merger with MGM in a deal that would give the latter company 55% of the combined entity, the Los Angeles Times reported. In a statement this morning, investor Carl Icahn, who is offering to buy all of Lions Gate for $7.50 per share, said he supported the proposed merger. Earnings Preview On the earnings front, Fastenal Company ( FAST ), CSX Corp. ( CSX ), Intel Corp. ( INTC ) and Linear Technology Corp. ( LLTC ) will release their quarterly reports today. Keep your browser at SchaeffersResearch.com for more news as it breaks. Economic Calendar The Federal Open Market Committee will release the minutes of its most recent meeting later today, while tomorrow offers up September's import and export data, and the Treasury's budget numbers for September. Weekly initial jobless claims and the weekly report on U.S. petroleum supplies arrive on Thursday, along with the September producer price index and the August trade balance. Friday will be busy once again, with September the consumer price index, retail sales, the New York Fed's Empire State manufacturing index, and the University of Michigan's consumer sentiment index for October. Market Statistics Equity option activity on the CBOE saw 1,222,569 call contracts traded on Monday, compared to 728,197 put contracts. The resultant single-session put/call ratio arrived at 0.60, while the 21-day moving average held at 0.59. **The volume data shown above is from the Nasdaq and NYSE exchanges only. It does not include regional volume activity, which means that other daily volume quotes you see may be higher.** Click here for the new summer issue of SENTIMENT magazine Overseas Trading Overseas trading is in poor shape this morning, as only one of the 10 foreign indexes that we track is in positive territory. The cumulative average return on the collective stands at a loss of 0.69%. While mainland China bucked the trend, the rest of Asia finished solidly in the red. Japan led the way, with exporters selling off sharply due to the continued rise in the yen. Across the pond in Europe, a sell-off in commodities has pressured miners, which are leading a broad retreat across the region. On the economic front, British consumer price inflation came in at 3.1% in September, unchanged from August, according to the Office for National Statistics. The core rate was also unchanged at 2.7%. Currencies and Commodities Strength in the U.S. dollar is sapping the commodities market this morning. Rallying against pretty much every benchmark currency, except the Japanese yen, the dollar is weighing heavily on gold and crude futures. At last check, the U.S. Dollar Index was up 0.39% at 77.75. Meanwhile, gold futures have fallen $9.10 to $1,345.30 an ounce in London. Finally, even the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries' (OPEC) upwardly revised outlook for world oil consumption has failed to buoy crude prices. In electronic trading, the front-month crude contract has fallen 82 cents to $82.19 per barrel. Unusual Put and Call Activity: For an explanation of how to use this information, check out our Education Center topics on Option Volume and Open Interest Configurations . Every morning, our research staff analyzes the prior day and the overnight markets, and monitors the morning wires to give you an accurate preview of the day to come. If you enjoyed today's edition of Opening View, sign up here for free daily delivery, straight to your inbox, before the opening bell. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized reproduction of any SIR publication is strictly prohibited. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2010-10-13,9.73138,9.86168,9.67414,9.80443,
FAST,2010-10-14,9.81923,9.87352,9.72842,9.79653,
FAST,2010-10-15,9.84687,9.90314,9.60307,9.68302,
FAST,2010-10-18,9.6692,9.73434,9.60998,9.64453,
FAST,2010-10-19,9.64453,9.70375,9.51127,9.60307,
FAST,2010-10-20,9.63465,9.77482,9.63268,9.73928,
FAST,2010-10-21,9.77679,9.87352,9.69585,9.83207,
FAST,2010-10-22,9.83701,9.98012,9.73928,9.83207,
FAST,2010-10-25,9.89721,9.95747,9.77284,9.78074,
FAST,2010-10-26,9.68499,9.8676,9.63465,9.75705,
FAST,2010-10-27,9.7077,9.7146,9.45205,9.53496,
FAST,2010-10-28,9.61393,9.64947,9.46093,9.5468,
FAST,2010-10-29,9.53002,9.61097,9.43132,9.56951,
FAST,2010-11-01,9.5774,9.74916,9.5774,9.62281,
FAST,2010-11-02,9.70967,9.8755,9.64255,9.86957,
FAST,2010-11-03,9.87352,9.913,9.7077,9.89228,
FAST,2010-11-04,10.0275,10.0345,9.87747,9.99194,
FAST,2010-11-05,10.0187,10.0363,9.93969,9.98995,
FAST,2010-11-08,9.91498,9.99492,9.85477,9.88537,
FAST,2010-11-09,9.913,9.91498,9.78666,9.85279,
FAST,2010-11-10,9.87155,9.96333,9.78666,9.93078,"[""Kass Katch: Short Fastenal"", ""Kass Katch: Short Fastenal"", ""Kass Katch: Short Fastenal""]"
FAST,2010-11-11,9.84983,9.93274,9.75705,9.91596,
FAST,2010-11-12,9.86365,9.87944,9.64255,9.72645,
FAST,2010-11-15,9.72645,9.91596,9.65143,9.7837,
FAST,2010-11-16,9.71263,9.76297,9.46785,9.51917,
FAST,2010-11-17,9.50338,9.60603,9.46093,9.58234,
FAST,2010-11-18,9.68993,9.84293,9.66624,9.67117,
FAST,2010-11-19,9.70572,9.77087,9.58925,9.7531,
FAST,2010-11-22,9.67414,9.84983,9.63663,9.82713,
FAST,2010-11-23,9.69585,9.79258,9.64353,9.78666,
FAST,2010-11-24,9.8676,10.0867,9.83701,10.0345,
FAST,2010-11-26,9.92188,10.0779,9.90807,10.0393,
FAST,2010-11-29,9.94356,10.0699,9.85279,10.0325,
FAST,2010-11-30,9.89622,10.0581,9.87155,9.94555,
FAST,2010-12-01,10.0965,10.3375,10.0837,10.2111,
FAST,2010-12-02,10.2091,10.5803,10.1775,10.5803,
FAST,2010-12-03,10.5516,10.7786,10.5033,10.7382,
FAST,2010-12-06,10.7342,10.828,10.6375,10.755,
FAST,2010-12-07,10.9356,10.9968,10.8458,10.8852,
FAST,2010-12-08,10.8675,10.9168,10.8152,10.8774,
FAST,2010-12-09,10.8852,10.9148,10.7866,10.831,
FAST,2010-12-10,10.8566,11.0324,10.8211,10.9968,
FAST,2010-12-13,11.0166,11.0324,10.8754,10.9444,"Fastenal trade looks for pullback Fastenal has stalled after hitting an all-time high, and one investor is buying crash insurance. optionMONSTER's Depth Charge tracking system detected the purchase of 5,000 January 54.58 puts for $0.90 against open interest of 621 contracts. The distributor of industrial supplies has unusual option strike prices in all its expiration months, probably because of an unusual event that caused them all to be adjusted lower by $0.42. FAST dropped 0.32 percent to $58.98 in early afternoon trading. The stock is up 13 percent in the last month, benefiting from a rebound in manufacturing. Its last financial report on Oct. 12 was better than expected in earnings and revenue. The shares have been consolidating around their current level for the last week and briefly touched $59.36 on Friday, their highest price ever. Today's put buyer apparently thinks that a pullback is likely and needs FAST to lose at least 9 percent of its value for the options to make money. Overall option volume in the name is 9 times greater than average so far today, with puts accounting for 96 percent of the activity. (Chart courtesy of tradeMONSTER) The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. Copyright © 2010 OptionMonster® Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2010-12-14,10.9444,11.0422,10.8902,10.9642,
FAST,2010-12-15,10.9968,11.1498,10.9514,10.9908,
FAST,2010-12-16,10.978,11.063,10.9277,10.9988,
FAST,2010-12-17,11.0658,11.14,11.0116,11.0678,
FAST,2010-12-20,11.128,11.138,11.0402,11.0768,
FAST,2010-12-21,11.128,11.1626,11.0718,11.127,
FAST,2010-12-22,11.127,11.1814,11.053,11.0788,
FAST,2010-12-23,11.0214,11.1094,11.0046,11.055,
FAST,2010-12-27,11.063,11.138,10.8724,11.1024,
FAST,2010-12-28,11.1162,11.1202,11.0452,11.0896,
FAST,2010-12-29,11.0718,11.1972,11.064,11.1478,
FAST,2010-12-30,11.1448,11.2238,11.0806,11.1734,
FAST,2010-12-31,11.1538,11.2169,11.064,11.134,
FAST,2011-01-03,11.2524,11.437,11.2456,11.3107,
FAST,2011-01-04,11.2988,11.2988,11.0046,11.1162,
FAST,2011-01-05,11.0788,11.3196,11.06,11.1676,
FAST,2011-01-06,11.138,11.1666,11.0086,11.0362,
FAST,2011-01-07,11.0788,11.127,10.9376,11.0194,
FAST,2011-01-10,10.9484,11.0304,10.8566,11.0066,
FAST,2011-01-11,11.0658,11.1498,10.9484,11.0422,"[""3 Uptrending Short-Squeeze Stocks"", ""3 Uptrending Short-Squeeze Stocks"", ""3 Uptrending Short-Squeeze Stocks""]"
FAST,2011-01-12,11.1242,11.1528,10.8586,10.9258,
FAST,2011-01-13,10.9168,10.9662,10.8438,10.9316,
FAST,2011-01-14,10.9406,11.138,10.899,11.13,
FAST,2011-01-18,10.9514,11.3719,10.831,11.3294,
FAST,2011-01-19,11.0678,11.1754,10.9296,11.1074,
FAST,2011-01-20,11.136,11.1932,11.0688,11.128,
FAST,2011-01-21,11.1606,11.2189,10.9988,11.063,
FAST,2011-01-24,11.0678,11.1725,11.0214,11.1528,
FAST,2011-01-25,11.063,11.0896,10.8655,11.0096,
FAST,2011-01-26,11.0086,11.1103,10.9406,11.055,
FAST,2011-01-27,11.0194,11.1666,10.975,11.1548,
FAST,2011-01-28,11.1754,11.206,10.7096,10.7342,
FAST,2011-01-31,10.751,10.8498,10.7204,10.7924,
FAST,2011-02-01,10.8498,11.0955,10.8092,11.058,
FAST,2011-02-02,11.0116,11.1094,10.9326,10.9564,
FAST,2011-02-03,10.9534,11.2524,10.9188,11.2258,
FAST,2011-02-04,11.2396,11.4893,11.2218,11.4469,
FAST,2011-02-07,11.4735,11.5555,11.4183,11.5199,
FAST,2011-02-08,11.5495,11.6315,11.5407,11.6236,
FAST,2011-02-09,11.6117,11.6957,11.5574,11.6473,
FAST,2011-02-10,11.6058,11.8003,11.5989,11.7855,
FAST,2011-02-11,11.6473,11.7765,11.5762,11.7765,
FAST,2011-02-14,11.7825,11.7904,11.6729,11.7263,
FAST,2011-02-15,11.6897,11.7272,11.6473,11.6818,
FAST,2011-02-16,11.7598,11.8121,11.6621,11.7401,
FAST,2011-02-17,11.7025,11.7785,11.6729,11.7263,
FAST,2011-02-18,11.7263,11.8477,11.6571,11.8397,
FAST,2011-02-22,11.7153,11.8447,11.5288,11.5574,
FAST,2011-02-23,11.5683,11.5861,11.209,11.3314,
FAST,2011-02-24,11.3028,11.442,11.1626,11.3107,
FAST,2011-02-25,11.3827,11.4439,11.3314,11.4321,
FAST,2011-02-28,11.4686,11.5713,11.4321,11.5476,
FAST,2011-03-01,11.5535,11.6009,11.1626,11.2584,
FAST,2011-03-02,11.2504,11.367,11.1774,11.2613,
FAST,2011-03-03,11.4035,11.6759,11.3985,11.59,
FAST,2011-03-04,11.5703,11.6147,11.3847,11.4953,
FAST,2011-03-07,11.5801,11.6029,11.2524,11.3867,
FAST,2011-03-08,11.4341,11.6493,11.3422,11.6058,
FAST,2011-03-09,11.59,11.6799,11.437,11.6641,"12 Stocks Trading Close to 52-Week High Being Targeted By Short Sellers And With Low Cash Reserves The following is a list of stocks that are trading 0-10% from their 52-week high. However, all of these stocks are highly shorted (short float > 10%) and have seen an increase in shares shorted of more than 10% between 1/15 - 2/15. To further strengthen our analysis, we calculated the average quarterly operating expense over the last four quarters, and compared it with current cash holdings for each firm. We found that all the companies listed below have operating expenses that are more than 2x their cash reserves, translating into significant potential weakness if revenues were to decline. Now, is this the chance for you to short these names? Or do you see a potential short squeeze in the horizon? Full details below. Short trends data sourced from Yahoo! Finance, operating expenses and cash data from Google Finance, all other data from Finviz. Analyze These Ideas (Tools Will Open In A New Window) 1. Access a thorough description of all companies mentioned 2. Compare analyst ratings for all stocks mentioned below 3. Visualize market cap changes for the top stocks mentioned The list has been sorted by the change in shares shorted between 1/15 - 2/15. 1. Hormel Foods Corp. (HRL): Meat Products Industry. Market cap of $7.39B. Short float at 55.55%. Shares shorted have increased from 3.73M to 7.63M shares (104.56% change). Current cash holdings at $649.53M vs. average quarterly operating expenses over the last four quarters at $1677.05M, i.e. the company's average quarterly operating expenses are 2.58 times greater than current cash holdings. Relatively low correlation to the market (beta = 0.41), which may be appealing to risk averse investors. The stock has gained 36.06% over the last year. 2. Kindred Healthcare Inc. (KND): Medical Instruments & Supplies Industry. Market cap of $1.02B. Short float at 13.52%. Shares shorted have increased from 3.53M to 5.22M shares (47.88% change). Current cash holdings at $93.92M vs. average quarterly operating expenses over the last four quarters at $1333.47M, i.e. the company's average quarterly operating expenses are 14.2 times greater than current cash holdings. The stock has had a good month, gaining 32.7%. 3. Atlas Pipeline Holdings LP (AHD): Gas Utilities Industry. Market cap of $577.82M. Short float at 58.62%. Shares shorted have increased from 3.26M to 4.40M shares (34.97% change). Current cash holdings at $0.21M vs. average quarterly operating expenses over the last four quarters at $433.36M, i.e. the company's average quarterly operating expenses are 2063.62 times greater than current cash holdings. This is a risky stock that is significantly more volatile than the overall market (beta = 2.62). Exhibiting strong upside momentum--currently trading 29.78% above its SMA20, 39.03% above its SMA50, and 100.63% above its SMA200. The stock has had a couple of great days, gaining 26.35% over the last week. 4. Resolute Energy Corporation (REN): Independent Oil & Gas Industry. Market cap of $975.96M. Short float at 12.93%. Shares shorted have increased from 5.33M to 6.81M shares (27.77% change). Current cash holdings at $1.83M vs. average quarterly operating expenses over the last four quarters at $35.5M, i.e. the company's average quarterly operating expenses are 19.4 times greater than current cash holdings. Relatively low correlation to the market (beta = 0.33), which may be appealing to risk averse investors. The stock has had a good month, gaining 20.45%. 5. Pitney Bowes Inc. (PBI): Business Equipment Industry. Market cap of $5.09B. Short float at 11.61%. Shares shorted have increased from 19.51M to 23.61M shares (21.01% change). Current cash holdings at $514.97M vs. average quarterly operating expenses over the last four quarters at $1222.67M, i.e. the company's average quarterly operating expenses are 2.37 times greater than current cash holdings. The stock has gained 15.12% over the last year. 6. Fastenal Co. (FAST): General Building Materials Industry. Market cap of $9.25B. Short float at 11.64%. Shares shorted have increased from 13.08M to 15.55M shares (18.88% change). Current cash holdings at $169.76M vs. average quarterly operating expenses over the last four quarters at $459.95M, i.e. the company's average quarterly operating expenses are 2.71 times greater than current cash holdings. The stock has gained 40.93% over the last year. 7. Ethan Allen Interiors Inc. (ETH): Home Furnishings & Fixtures Industry. Market cap of $677.17M. Short float at 18.08%. Shares shorted have increased from 4.03M to 4.69M shares (16.38% change). Current cash holdings at $69.29M vs. average quarterly operating expenses over the last four quarters at $155.81M, i.e. the company's average quarterly operating expenses are 2.25 times greater than current cash holdings. The stock has had a couple of great days, gaining 6.27% over the last week. 8. Brinker International Inc. (EAT): Restaurants Industry. Market cap of $2.25B. Short float at 11.59%. Shares shorted have increased from 8.82M to 10.24M shares (16.1% change). Current cash holdings at $114.47M vs. average quarterly operating expenses over the last four quarters at $646.81M, i.e. the company's average quarterly operating expenses are 5.65 times greater than current cash holdings. The stock has had a couple of great days, gaining 8.26% over the last week. 9. United Rentals, Inc. (URI): Rental & Leasing Services Industry. Market cap of $1.88B. Short float at 21.8%. Shares shorted have increased from 11.44M to 13.15M shares (14.95% change). Current cash holdings at $203.0M vs. average quarterly operating expenses over the last four quarters at $510.0M, i.e. the company's average quarterly operating expenses are 2.51 times greater than current cash holdings. This is a risky stock that is significantly more volatile than the overall market (beta = 2.36). The stock has gained 266.59% over the last year. 10. Boise Inc. (BZ): Paper & Paper Products Industry. Market cap of $758.40M. Short float at 29.28%. Shares shorted have increased from 18.90M to 21.51M shares (13.81% change). Current cash holdings at $177.45M vs. average quarterly operating expenses over the last four quarters at $480.51M, i.e. the company's average quarterly operating expenses are 2.71 times greater than current cash holdings. This is a risky stock that is significantly more volatile than the overall market (beta = 3.49). The stock has gained 59.68% over the last year. 11. Ulta Salon, Cosmetics & Fragrance, Inc. (ULTA): Personal Services Industry. Market cap of $2.45B. Short float at 11.66%. Shares shorted have increased from 4.65M to 5.29M shares (13.76% change). Current cash holdings at $8.35M vs. average quarterly operating expenses over the last four quarters at $318.35M, i.e. the company's average quarterly operating expenses are 38.13 times greater than current cash holdings. The stock has gained 91.57% over the last year. 12. Dillard's Inc. (DDS): Department Stores Industry. Market cap of $2.59B. Short float at 21.98%. Shares shorted have increased from 7.30M to 8.20M shares (12.33% change). Current cash holdings at $343.3M vs. average quarterly operating expenses over the last four quarters at $1496.19M, i.e. the company's average quarterly operating expenses are 4.36 times greater than current cash holdings. This is a risky stock that is significantly more volatile than the overall market (beta = 2.53). The stock has gained 86.46% over the last year. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2011-03-10,11.4716,11.5624,11.3946,11.4479,
FAST,2011-03-11,11.4281,11.5318,11.3403,11.4893,
FAST,2011-03-14,11.3995,11.4834,11.2426,11.3847,
FAST,2011-03-15,11.0362,11.3196,10.9968,11.2465,
FAST,2011-03-16,11.1548,11.1824,10.9662,11.0678,
FAST,2011-03-17,11.2278,11.3255,11.1478,11.2416,
FAST,2011-03-18,11.4104,11.4795,11.2949,11.3255,
FAST,2011-03-21,11.4696,11.592,11.4321,11.518,
FAST,2011-03-22,11.4844,11.5209,11.4341,11.4755,
FAST,2011-03-23,11.4558,11.5939,11.3699,11.5762,
FAST,2011-03-24,11.6206,11.7391,11.518,11.6957,
FAST,2011-03-25,11.7183,11.8545,11.6591,11.7499,
FAST,2011-03-28,11.7677,11.8555,11.7272,11.7401,
FAST,2011-03-29,11.7025,11.9177,11.6512,11.8901,
FAST,2011-03-30,11.9897,12.0263,11.9581,11.9878,
FAST,2011-03-31,11.9691,12.0579,11.9237,12.0461,"[""Check a Fund's Downside or Upside Capture Ratio"", ""Check a Fund's Downside or Upside Capture Ratio"", ""Check a Fund's Downside or Upside Capture Ratio""]"
FAST,2011-04-01,12.0954,12.2938,12.0727,12.2395,
FAST,2011-04-04,12.2573,12.2898,12.1536,12.2898,
FAST,2011-04-05,12.2741,12.4132,12.2316,12.4053,
FAST,2011-04-06,12.5909,12.963,12.5564,12.7508,
FAST,2011-04-07,12.7222,12.808,12.5899,12.6037,
FAST,2011-04-08,12.6669,12.6856,12.3925,12.5159,"[""1Q Earnings Season \""Officially\"" Kicks Off - Earnings Preview"", ""1Q Earnings Season \""Officially\"" Kicks Off - Earnings Preview"", ""1Q Earnings Season \""Officially\"" Kicks Off - Earnings Preview"", ""1Q Earnings Season \""Officially\"" Kicks Off - Earnings Preview"", ""1Q Earnings Season \""Officially\"" Kicks Off - Earnings Preview""]"
FAST,2011-04-11,12.5642,12.6254,12.4744,12.5455,"[""Earnings Preview: Fastenal - Analyst Blog"", ""'Mad Money Lightning Round': OpenTable on a Pullback"", ""7 Earnings to Watch This Week"", ""Earnings Season Now Underway - Analyst Blog"", ""'Mad Money Lightning Round': OpenTable on a Pullback"", ""Earnings Preview: Fastenal - Analyst Blog"", ""7 Earnings to Watch This Week"", ""Earnings Season Now Underway - Analyst Blog"", ""'Mad Money Lightning Round': OpenTable on a Pullback"", ""Earnings Preview: Fastenal - Analyst Blog"", ""7 Earnings to Watch This Week"", ""Earnings Season Now Underway - Analyst Blog"", ""Stocks in focus Tuesday Alcoa, Procter & Gamble, Fastenal Among the companies whose shares are expected to see active trade in Tuesday\u2019s session are Alcoa Inc., Procter & Gamble Co. and Fastenal Co.""]"
FAST,2011-04-12,12.3412,12.4971,11.9019,11.9957,"[""Fastenal Beats Estimates - Analyst Blog"", ""Fastenal Beats Estimates - Analyst Blog"", ""Fastenal Beats Estimates - Analyst Blog""]"
FAST,2011-04-13,12.2316,12.3076,11.9543,12.0687,"[""Company News for April 13, 2011 - Corporate Summary"", ""Baidu, Intermune: Analysts' New Ratings"", ""Company News for April 13, 2011 - Corporate Summary"", ""Baidu, Intermune: Analysts' New Ratings"", ""Company News for April 13, 2011 - Corporate Summary"", ""Baidu, Intermune: Analysts' New Ratings""]"
FAST,2011-04-14,11.9997,12.1733,11.9591,12.1369,"[""JB Hunt, Adtran: New Targets, Estimates"", ""JB Hunt, Adtran: New Targets, Estimates"", ""JB Hunt, Adtran: New Targets, Estimates""]"
FAST,2011-04-15,12.1447,12.2089,12.0293,12.1221,
FAST,2011-04-18,11.9099,11.9977,11.8061,11.8951,"[""Grainger: Record 1Q, Guides Higher - Analyst Blog"", ""Grainger: Record 1Q, Guides Higher - Analyst Blog"", ""Grainger: Record 1Q, Guides Higher - Analyst Blog""]"
FAST,2011-04-19,11.9207,11.9739,11.7865,11.8635,
FAST,2011-04-20,12.0293,12.2119,12.0095,12.1023,
FAST,2011-04-21,12.1872,12.2711,12.1517,12.2316,"S&P, Nasdaq hesitate at major resistance Semiconductors, SMH, INTC, EMC, GLNG, ANF, AXP, RAX, FAST With this week’s upturn, the U.S. markets have rallied straight to significant resistance."
FAST,2011-04-25,12.2889,12.3135,12.1585,12.1842,
FAST,2011-04-26,12.2563,12.3816,12.2267,12.3392,
FAST,2011-04-27,12.3431,12.5593,12.3076,12.5524,"[""5 Stocks With Recent Dividend Boosts"", ""5 Stocks With Recent Dividend Boosts"", ""5 Stocks With Recent Dividend Boosts""]"
FAST,2011-04-28,12.5879,12.6373,12.433,12.5238,
FAST,2011-04-29,12.5396,12.6274,12.5119,12.5238,
FAST,2011-05-02,12.5376,12.6086,12.3856,12.4833,
FAST,2011-05-03,12.4813,12.5435,12.2691,12.3649,
FAST,2011-05-04,12.354,12.4063,12.2277,12.3579,
FAST,2011-05-05,12.3017,12.5317,12.2039,12.3017,
FAST,2011-05-06,12.4547,12.582,12.3372,12.3836,
FAST,2011-05-09,12.3955,12.6018,12.3787,12.4616,
FAST,2011-05-10,12.5317,12.5948,12.4695,12.5652,"Land Yourself Some FAST Profits Fastenal Company (NASDAQ: FAST ) - This wholesaler and retailer of industrial and construction supplies distributes its products through about 2,500 stores in the United States, and should be a chief beneficiary of a turnaround in the economy. S&P forecasts a 21% increase in sales this year, as well as an increase in net profit margins. They estimate earnings of $2.35 in 2011 versus $1.80 last year, and look for $2.75 in 2012. S&P has a ""five-star strong buy"" on the stock and recently revised its price target to $85 from $78. Technically, the stock is in a powerful bull market with a 12-month price target of $80 and a trading target of $75. If you have questions or comments for Sam Collins, please e-mail him at samailc@cox.net. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2011-05-11,12.5652,12.5919,12.2464,12.3866,
FAST,2011-05-12,12.3708,12.5336,12.2849,12.5129,"[""Grainger Reports April Sales - Analyst Blog"", ""Grainger Reports April Sales - Analyst Blog"", ""Grainger Reports April Sales - Analyst Blog""]"
FAST,2011-05-13,12.5238,12.5435,12.3056,12.433,
FAST,2011-05-16,12.3688,12.43,12.3293,12.3727,
FAST,2011-05-17,12.3096,12.3688,12.1763,12.2691,
FAST,2011-05-18,12.2425,12.4191,12.2089,12.3787,"[""Debt-Free Stocks That Could Get Squeezed Higher"", ""Debt-Free Stocks That Could Get Squeezed Higher"", ""Debt-Free Stocks That Could Get Squeezed Higher""]"
FAST,2011-05-19,12.4665,12.5129,12.3135,12.3787,
FAST,2011-05-20,12.3412,12.3787,12.1566,12.2651,
FAST,2011-05-23,12.1427,12.3096,11.9543,12.0934,
FAST,2011-05-24,12.1497,12.2089,11.9927,12.0628,
FAST,2011-05-25,11.9997,12.351,11.9859,12.2908,
FAST,2011-05-26,12.2158,12.3787,12.1427,12.3254,
FAST,2011-05-27,12.2938,12.4033,12.2355,12.2612,
FAST,2011-05-31,12.3392,12.4339,12.1743,12.3826,
FAST,2011-06-01,12.354,12.3767,11.819,11.8239,
FAST,2011-06-02,11.8042,11.9247,11.7578,11.8733,
FAST,2011-06-03,11.7105,11.9581,11.6581,11.7065,
FAST,2011-06-06,11.6947,11.8042,11.6403,11.7144,
FAST,2011-06-07,11.7697,11.8467,11.6857,11.7144,
FAST,2011-06-08,11.7144,11.744,11.6275,11.6641,
FAST,2011-06-09,11.6818,11.7627,11.6187,11.6986,
FAST,2011-06-10,11.6779,11.7144,11.5446,11.5594,
FAST,2011-06-13,11.6038,11.7479,11.5713,11.6857,"[""Grainger Reports May Sales - Analyst Blog"", ""Grainger Reports May Sales - Analyst Blog"", ""Grainger Reports May Sales - Analyst Blog""]"
FAST,2011-06-14,11.7736,12.0667,11.7401,12.0381,
FAST,2011-06-15,12.0381,12.0628,11.8467,11.8841,"Update: Top unusual option activity As of today's close, here are the top 10 names showing unusual option activity on tradeMONSTER's data systems. Fastenal (FAST): Options volume 1,881 percent above average. A block of 8,200 January 29.72 puts were sold for $1.90 and twice as many January 27.29 puts were bought for $1.22. Known as a back spread, the trade will profit from the industrial-parts distributor plunging below $24.86. FAST declined 1.30 percent to $31.84. Hologic (HOLX): Options volume 1,701 percent above average. There was heavy buying in the December 19 puts and the December 20 puts as investors looked for the women's health company to drop. HOLX fell 1.81 percent to $19.83. SPX (SPW): Options volume 1,524 percent above average. Investors bought about 1,400 July 75 calls for $1.90 and $2.40, looking for the industrial company to rally. SPW fell 0.53 percent to $74.93. Texas Industries (TXI): Options volume 1,502 percent above average. A block of 3,000 October 25 puts was bought for $0.45, looking for the cement company to drop. TXI fell 3.78 percent to $36.16. Barclays Bank iPath S&P 500 VIX Mid Term Futures ETN (VXZ): Options volume 1,403 percent above average. An investor bought 1,000 contracts each in the September 52, September 53, and September 54 calls, looking for market volatility to increase. VXZ rose 3.82 percent to $52.41. Rounding out the rest of the top 10 are: Graham Packaging (GRM): Options volume 1,298 percent above average. Tiffany (TIF): Options volume 1,281 percent above average. Viacom B Shares (VIA.B): Options volume 1,186 percent above average. Equity Residential (EQR): Options volume 1,179 percent above average. General Electric (GE): Options volume 1,103 percent above average. (Chart courtesy of tradeMONSTER) The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. Copyright © 2010 OptionMonster® Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2011-06-16,11.8881,12.1585,11.8309,12.1181,
FAST,2011-06-17,12.2879,12.3491,12.1842,12.2464,
FAST,2011-06-20,12.2395,12.426,12.1881,12.351,
FAST,2011-06-21,12.4093,12.6314,12.351,12.6215,
FAST,2011-06-22,12.6106,12.6896,12.505,12.5129,
FAST,2011-06-23,12.3451,12.6028,12.2741,12.578,
FAST,2011-06-24,12.6649,12.6649,12.3254,12.4744,
FAST,2011-06-27,12.4339,12.7962,12.3491,12.7824,
FAST,2011-06-28,12.8416,13.3203,12.8268,13.2986,
FAST,2011-06-29,13.4259,13.5187,13.2275,13.4427,
FAST,2011-06-30,13.4023,13.5947,13.3815,13.4338,
FAST,2011-07-01,13.4703,13.7023,13.4368,13.6787,
FAST,2011-07-05,13.6993,13.7093,13.5513,13.6559,
FAST,2011-07-06,13.6461,13.7093,13.5681,13.6125,
FAST,2011-07-07,13.6125,13.7369,13.5148,13.6421,"[""5 Short-Squeeze Stocks That Could Explode in 2011"", ""5 Short-Squeeze Stocks That Could Explode in 2011"", ""5 Short-Squeeze Stocks That Could Explode in 2011""]"
FAST,2011-07-08,13.4625,13.6855,13.4338,13.6707,
FAST,2011-07-11,13.4941,13.5602,13.3292,13.4368,"[""Earnings Preview: Fastenal Co. - Analyst Blog"", ""And So It Begins Again - Earnings Preview"", ""Market Preview: Deficit Talks, Trade Balance Data, Fastenal"", ""Market Preview: Deficit Talks, Trade Balance Data, Fastenal"", ""Earnings Preview: Fastenal Co. - Analyst Blog"", ""And So It Begins Again - Earnings Preview"", ""Market Preview: Deficit Talks, Trade Balance Data, Fastenal"", ""Earnings Preview: Fastenal Co. - Analyst Blog"", ""And So It Begins Again - Earnings Preview""]"
FAST,2011-07-12,13.3805,13.4338,12.8376,12.8702,"[""Fastenal Nears Estimates - Analyst Blog"", ""Fastenal Nears Estimates - Analyst Blog"", ""Fastenal Nears Estimates - Analyst Blog"", ""Opening View: Anxieties High on Fears of European Contagion, Debt Ceiling U.S. stocks are trading lower this morning, as anxieties over a European debt contagion continue to cast a shadow over the Street. Rumors that Italy's debt rating is likely to be downgraded are causing tensions in Italian bond markets, fueling fears that the Greek debt dilemma is spreading across Europe -- and the global economy. Back in the U.S., investors have their own problems, with worries about a stalled economic recovery -- and the infamous \""debt ceiling\"" -- continuing to weigh on sentiment. In fact, a mixed earnings report from Dow bigwig Alcoa Inc. (AA - 15.91) seems to have simply provided more fuel for the bearish fire -- and futures on the blue-chip barometer are nearly 40 points lower in pre-market activity. Looking ahead, data on the May trade balance will be released at 8:30 a.m. Eastern, and the minutes from the last meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) will hit the Street later this afternoon. AA banked a second-quarter profit of $322 million, or 28 cents per share, more than doubling its year-ago earnings of $136 million, or 13 cents per share. On an adjusted basis, AA raked in a profit of 32 cents per share, while revenue increased 27% to $6.59 billion. Analysts, on average, were looking for a profit of 32 cents per share on $6.31 billion in revenue. \""Although the economic recovery is uneven, the overall outlook for Alcoa -- and for aluminum -- remains positive,\"" said Chairman and CEO Klaus Kleinfeld in a statement. \""Demand for aluminum continues to rise and so does growth in our major markets. These factors support our projection that aluminum demand will grow 12 percent this year and will double by 2020.\"" AA is down 0.4% ahead of the open. Novellus Systems (NVLS - 35.77) announced that its second-quarter profit rose just 2.3% to $64.7 million, or 79 cents per share, while revenue edged up 9% to $350.2 million. The company's bottom line was pressured by rising costs; research and development expenses climbed 16% for the quarter, with overhead jumping 10%. Wall Street was looking for a slimmer profit of 76 cents per share, but revenue was expected to weigh in at a more substantial $352.3 million. Infosys Technologies Ltd. (INFY - 65.10) reported that its fiscal second-quarter profit increased 16% -- but the tech stock is down over 5.5% this morning on a disappointing outlook. For the quarter, the company posted a profit of INR17.22 billion on revenue of INR74.85 billion. Analysts, on average, were expecting a profit of INR17.26 billion on revenue of INR74.96 billion. The tech firm reiterated its outlook, but warned that spending by U.S. and European clients on technology contracts may remain weak. \""This is an environment in which you have to be cautious,\"" said Chief Operating Officer S.D. Shibulal \""We are seeing instability in the environment,\"" the COO added. Finally, shares of ReneSola Ltd. (SOL - 4.68) are down 11.3% this morning as a result of a downwardly revised outlook. More specifically, the alternative energy firm said it now expects second-quarter revenue of $235 million to $245 million on shipments of 290 megawatts to 300 megawatts -- dramatically lower than its April view for sales of $280 million to $300 million and shipments of 330 megawatts to 350 megawatts. Chief Executive Xianshou Li said the company expects that its continued efforts to reduce costs will help ease margin pressures; nevertheless, ReneSola now predicts gross margins of 17% to 19% -- down 8 percentage points from its earlier view. Earnings Preview Today's earnings docket will feature reports from Fastenal ( FAST ) and Wolverine World Wide ( WWW ). Keep your browser at SchaeffersResearch.com for more news as it breaks. Economic Calendar The May trade balance hits the Street today. On Wednesday, we'll hear reports on import/export prices for June, the Treasury budget, and weekly crude inventories. The afternoon features the minutes from the latest meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC). A round of inflation data kicks off on Thursday, with the producer price index (PPI) and core PPI for June. The weekly update on jobless claims will also be released, along with retail sales for June and May's business inventories. The economic calendar wraps up on Friday with the consumer price index ( CPI ) and core CPI for June, the preliminary Reuters/University of Michigan consumer sentiment index for July, the Empire State manufacturing index, and reports on industrial production and capacity utilization. Market Statistics Equity option activity on the Chicago Board Options Exchange ( CBOE ) saw 867,179 call contracts traded on Monday, compared to 635,991 put contracts. The resultant single-session put/call ratio docked at 0.73, while the 21-day moving average was perched at 0.71. The spring 2011 issue of SENTIMENT magazine is now available here. Overseas Trading Sovereign debt remains the key focus this morning, with stocks in Asia taking a hit amid ongoing uncertainty regarding the scope of the European crisis. Rising risk aversion provided a boost of safe-haven support for the yen, which pressured major Japanese exporters like Toyota. Meanwhile, Chinese equities were battered by a Moody's report detailing various red flags at dozens of corporations, including such concerns as high-risk business models and auditing missteps. By the close, Hong Kong's Hang Seng shed 3.1%, South Korea's Kospi fell 2.2%, China's Shanghai Composite declined 1.7%, and Japan's Nikkei dipped 1.4%. Contagion fears are also sinking stocks in Europe, after Dutch Finance Minister Jan Kees de Jager said a selective Greek debt default \""is not excluded anymore\"" from the list of options being considered by top euro-zone officials. Italy also remains a point of concern today, with regulators unveiling new restrictions on short selling in an attempt to rein in market volatility. Against this backdrop, a gloomy note from B of A-Merrill Lynch isn't helping matters. \""As the third largest bond market in the world, after Japan and the U.S., Italy could be systemic... the latest trend in the Italian bond market could potentially snowball into a major crisis for the global economy,\"" warned analyst Athanasios Vamvakidis in a research note. At last check, the French CAC 40 is off 1.1%, the German DAX has dropped 1.3%, and London's FTSE 100 is down 1%. Currencies and Commodities Crude futures have continued their retreat this morning, despite positive news from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). The organization said in its monthly report today that its oil production increased to 29.6 million barrels a day in June -- 0.5 million barrels a day higher than May, as Saudi Arabia and other Arab members in the Gulf region raised their output. Nevertheless, crude futures are down 1 point, or 1.1%, in pre-market trading. Conversely, the dollar has edged higher this morning, with the U.S. dollar index trading 0.3 point, of 0.4%, higher. Finally, gold futures are trading lower, down 2 points, or 0.1%, at last check. Unusual Put and Call Activity: For an explanation of how to use this information, check out our Education Center topics on Option Volume and Open Interest Configurations . Every morning, our research staff analyzes the prior day and the overnight markets, and monitors the morning wires to give you an accurate preview of the day to come. If you enjoyed today's edition of Opening View, sign up here for free daily delivery, straight to your inbox, before the opening bell. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized reproduction of any SIR publication is strictly prohibited. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Nears Estimates - Analyst Blog"", ""Fastenal Nears Estimates - Analyst Blog""]"
FAST,2011-07-13,13.0598,13.1032,12.81,12.8792,"[""Apple, Electronic Arts: New Targets, Estimates"", ""Apple, Electronic Arts: New Targets, Estimates"", ""Apple, Electronic Arts: New Targets, Estimates""]"
FAST,2011-07-14,12.9116,13.041,12.735,12.7784,
FAST,2011-07-15,12.8554,12.9008,12.6984,12.804,"[""Earnings Preview: W.W. Grainger - Analyst Blog"", ""Earnings Preview: W.W. Grainger - Analyst Blog"", ""Earnings Preview: W.W. Grainger - Analyst Blog""]"
FAST,2011-07-18,12.7152,12.7498,12.4685,12.5465,
FAST,2011-07-19,12.6768,12.8554,12.6353,12.8554,
FAST,2011-07-20,12.8189,12.8416,12.7024,12.7568,
FAST,2011-07-21,12.8268,13.0676,12.7568,12.9156,
FAST,2011-07-22,12.886,12.9413,12.7764,12.8308,
FAST,2011-07-25,12.738,12.8978,12.6984,12.8584,
FAST,2011-07-26,12.804,12.8456,12.5919,12.6768,
FAST,2011-07-27,12.6501,12.658,12.3155,12.4655,
FAST,2011-07-28,12.4537,12.8456,12.4438,12.6856,
FAST,2011-07-29,12.578,12.7538,12.4241,12.6067,"[""Fastenal Company (FAST) - Bull of the Day"", ""Fastenal Company (FAST) - Bull of the Day"", ""Fastenal Company (FAST) - Bull of the Day""]"
FAST,2011-08-01,12.7725,12.804,12.2227,12.3352,
FAST,2011-08-02,12.2375,12.3313,11.8151,11.82,
FAST,2011-08-03,11.8081,12.2484,11.5328,12.1971,
FAST,2011-08-04,12.0145,12.1714,11.7144,11.7183,
FAST,2011-08-05,11.9345,12.0845,11.5328,11.8348,
FAST,2011-08-08,11.5772,11.7311,11.0194,11.0422,
FAST,2011-08-09,11.3077,11.7391,10.9188,11.7183,
FAST,2011-08-10,11.4716,11.6601,11.214,11.2258,
FAST,2011-08-11,11.3719,12.0628,11.2662,11.8803,
FAST,2011-08-12,11.9671,12.1823,11.82,12.1221,
FAST,2011-08-15,12.1891,12.277,11.9957,12.277,
FAST,2011-08-16,12.201,12.3491,12.0145,12.1743,
FAST,2011-08-17,12.2336,12.2928,11.8595,12.0007,
FAST,2011-08-18,11.6403,11.6818,11.1261,11.2298,
FAST,2011-08-19,11.0758,11.4893,11.0718,11.1882,"[""Fastenal's July Sales Up 16.6% - Analyst Blog"", ""Fastenal's July Sales Up 16.6% - Analyst Blog"", ""Fastenal's July Sales Up 16.6% - Analyst Blog""]"
FAST,2011-08-22,11.4202,11.4893,11.1962,11.281,
FAST,2011-08-23,11.3186,11.7105,11.2662,11.7025,"[""Fastenal Co. (FAST) - Bull of the Day"", ""Fastenal Co. (FAST) - Bull of the Day"", ""Fastenal Co. (FAST) - Bull of the Day""]"
FAST,2011-08-24,11.6403,11.8881,11.5624,11.8663,
FAST,2011-08-25,11.9285,11.9907,11.5476,11.5939,
FAST,2011-08-26,11.5752,12.0628,11.3867,12.0509,
FAST,2011-08-29,12.1931,12.3708,12.1585,12.3668,
FAST,2011-08-30,12.2849,12.6353,12.2711,12.5465,
FAST,2011-08-31,12.582,12.8594,12.3856,12.5425,
FAST,2011-09-01,12.5159,12.7192,12.3263,12.3481,
FAST,2011-09-02,12.1111,12.2129,11.9483,12.0095,
FAST,2011-09-06,11.6473,12.1033,11.4854,12.0717,
FAST,2011-09-07,12.2563,12.3984,12.0579,12.3856,"[""Fastenal Ups August Sales - Analyst Blog"", ""Fastenal Ups August Sales - Analyst Blog"", ""Fastenal Ups August Sales - Analyst Blog""]"
FAST,2011-09-08,12.3195,12.4339,12.1685,12.2375,
FAST,2011-09-09,12.0915,12.2296,11.9463,12.1073,
FAST,2011-09-12,11.9463,12.3076,11.8979,12.2898,
FAST,2011-09-13,12.2849,12.8978,12.1931,12.8702,
FAST,2011-09-14,12.891,13.3332,12.738,13.1802,
FAST,2011-09-15,13.3776,13.4664,13.1614,13.4526,
FAST,2011-09-16,13.4881,13.7537,13.3677,13.6065,
FAST,2011-09-19,13.4023,13.7872,13.2917,13.6707,
FAST,2011-09-20,13.7269,14.1544,13.6065,13.7211,
FAST,2011-09-21,13.6787,13.8623,13.4299,13.4368,
FAST,2011-09-22,13.1032,13.2976,12.7606,12.9206,
FAST,2011-09-23,12.8338,13.0646,12.7902,12.9098,
FAST,2011-09-26,13.0104,13.0864,12.7024,13.0864,
FAST,2011-09-27,13.4249,13.4733,13.0943,13.1792,
FAST,2011-09-28,13.193,13.3499,12.813,12.8248,
FAST,2011-09-29,13.0676,13.188,12.507,12.807,
FAST,2011-09-30,12.6758,12.7824,12.4685,12.4685,
FAST,2011-10-03,12.3263,12.5267,12.0687,12.0767,
FAST,2011-10-04,11.9405,12.5573,11.7075,12.5346,"Can It Get Worse? Yes. Absolutely. The stock market could go much lower as fear becomes the overriding emotion controlling investors' decisions. There are basically two drivers for the stock market: fear and greed. Greed is gone. No one thinks greedy. There's no reason for it. Everywhere investors look, they see reasons to sell, not buy, stocks. When fear comes in the room, reason goes out the window. How bad can it get? Well, taking it to the absurd level, the Dow Jones Industrial Average could go to zero. Before it does that, there will be riots in the streets, buildings will burn, politicians will be gone. So taking it all the way to its natural conclusion doesn't make any sense. No one can put a number on it, as reflected in the DJIA. But it could go lower, much lower, than 10,000. How? By investors giving up all hope. Not seeing any reason to buy anything. After all, only gold went higher in the last several years. Traditional havens like real estate, conservative stocks, even CD's at the bank, all became torture chambers as they went down, some slowly, others extremely fast. Is it any wonder investors now look out from under their bomb sheltered perspectives and don't feel like there's a reason for hope? And they're being perfectly logical. The housing market looks to be even worse than thought a year ago. More new problems like ill-performed foreclosures and bad mortgage documentation and lawsuits from loans made years ago continue to plague lenders and buyers of lenders (think Countrywide by Bank of America). Houses aren't selling quickly enough to eliminate the ""shadow"" inventory, houses that are held by banks through foreclosures, that continues to hold down prices. Borrowers can't qualify under new, tough lending rules. Jobs seem to be evaporating rather than created. While some industries, such as auto, are doing very well, based on September numbers, if more people don't get back to work soon, there won't be customers for all the new cars being built. Interest rates are low, but borrowing is tougher. Whether it's for a business or a home or a personal loan, banks have had their hands (and arms and legs and head) slapped enough to know that any more bad loans won't fly with regulators. So they're sitting on lots of cash, willing to lend, but only to borrowers who don't really need the money. Earnings have been decent in some industries, thanks to cost cutting, and some strong end demand. But that's industry specific, not generally. Technology continues to see upgrades from companies looking to be more efficient, using machines for people whenever possible. As mentioned, autos are rolling off assembly lines, and car manufacturers should show another positive growth quarter. Medical devices are still needed, as is most health care. But beyond these, it's hard to find growth in the current economy. Earnings will be important but investors have a hard time believing they'll keep improving if unemployment stays high. And the other overhanging cloud: Europe, in particular Greece, then Italy, Spain, Portugal. Only Germany seems to be strong. If Greece defaults and sends banks that own its debt into bankruptcy, expect the dominos to fall worldwide. Solving the Greek problem is only a small step investors need to see in order to feel bullish again. It's not enough to make up for all the other concerns. So is there any hope? There's always hope, but the market doesn't reward hope. It wants facts. Investors need to see lower unemployment, higher home sales, more retailers reporting better numbers (consumers make up about 2/3 of the U.S. GDP...the more they spend, the faster this economy gets back on track). In the meantime, what to do with any money available to invest? Nibble the bullet, don't bite it. Buy small amounts of stocks. Gold has had its run. Don't venture into that particular mine. Research REIT's (real estate investment trusts) and mutual funds or ETFs (exchange traded funds) that specialize in them. Buy market leaders, like IBM (IBM), Apple (AAPL), Wells Fargo (WFC) and Google (GOOG). Discover companies that have increased revenues and profits in this tough economy (like Fastenal (FAST)). For more ideas, look at the Aggressive and Conservative columns on The Online Investor (www.theonlineinvestor.com). Buy stocks with good dividends (AT&T (T) gives better than 6% now). Get paid to be depressed and patient as the market gyrates. Dividends will help salve some wounds. Just don't expect any great rallies. They aren't coming, at least not sustained ones. Each of the negative elements is too entrenched to be solved quickly. And each will have to be rectified for investors to believe once again that greed is ok, not necessarily good, but at least ok. Right now there is no greed to be found, and that's not a good thing, if you're an investor patiently waiting for this market to get better, afraid it will only get worse. - Ted Allrich October 4, 2011 The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2011-10-05,12.5346,12.8248,12.356,12.7844,
FAST,2011-10-06,12.6225,12.811,12.4211,12.7804,
FAST,2011-10-07,12.7538,12.815,12.5474,12.5702,
FAST,2011-10-10,12.8416,13.0686,12.7902,13.041,"[""The Third Quarter Kickoff - Earnings Preview"", ""The Third Quarter Kickoff - Earnings Preview"", ""The Third Quarter Kickoff - Earnings Preview""]"
FAST,2011-10-11,12.9867,13.1368,12.9304,13.0242,"[""5 Stocks Set to Soar off Bullish Earnings"", ""Earnings Preview: Fastenal Co. - Analyst Blog"", ""Earnings Preview: Fastenal Co. - Analyst Blog"", ""5 Stocks Set to Soar off Bullish Earnings"", ""Earnings Preview: Fastenal Co. - Analyst Blog"", ""5 Stocks Set to Soar off Bullish Earnings""]"
FAST,2011-10-12,13.1574,13.2108,12.958,12.97,
FAST,2011-10-13,12.9098,12.9098,12.0885,12.6254,"[""Opening View: DJIA Pointed Lower as Wall Street Weighs JPMorgan Earnings, Chinese Data U.S. stocks are pointed lower today, as Wall Street digests the latest earnings results from blue-chip banking behemoth JPMorgan Chase ( JPM ). While the firm's per-share profit topped expectations, its credit-loss provisions jumped by one-third from the second quarter, reflecting a cautious outlook. Elsewhere, the latest data from China has also set a gloomy tone ahead of the bell, after the country's trade surplus narrowed for a second straight month in September. Against this backdrop, the major market indexes are hovering south of breakeven, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) bracing for a 79-point drop out of the gate. In earnings news, JPMorgan Chase (JPM - 33.20) said third-quarter earnings fell 3.5% to $4.26 billion, or $1.02 per share, while revenue edged 0.1% higher to $24.37 billion. The results surpassed Wall Street's expectations, with analysts calling for a per-share profit of 91 cents on sales of $23.4 billion. Meanwhile, the bank's third-quarter credit-loss provisions rose 33% from the second quarter, which reflects its \""more cautious credit outlook,\"" CEO Jamie Dimon told shareholders. Ahead of the bell, JPM is pointed 0.8% lower. Elsewhere, XL Group (XL - 19.80) last night predicted it will swallow a third-quarter loss, pre-tax and net of reinsurance and reinstatement premiums, of $90 million to $120 million. XL's insurance business generated the bulk of the losses, due to a string of catastrophes during the three-month period -- including Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee, as well as the Texas wildfires. The Dublin-based insurer is scheduled to report its full third-quarter results in early November. Finally, Universal Forest Products (UFPI - 25.94) said its third-quarter profit jumped 117% to $5.6 million, or 29 cents per share, from last year's earnings of $2.6 million, or 13 cents per share. Revenue decreased 2.4% to $468.9 million, from $480.6 million. UFPI's results failed to meet analysts' expectations for a profit of 32 cents per share on $471.5 million in revenue. \""Our cost-cutting efforts and a more stable lumber market helped us generate a stronger profit in the quarter,\"" claimed CEO Matthew J. Missad. However, he predicted the economy to \""remain weak for the near term,\"" and said that uncertainties in the housing market will limit the company's ability to provide meaningful guidance. Earnings Preview Today's earnings docket will also feature reports from Google ( GOOG ), Fastenal ( FAST ), Lindsay Corp. ( LNN ), and Valmont Industries ( VMI ). Keep your browser at SchaeffersResearch.com for more news as it breaks. Economic Calendar The August trade balance, the holiday-delayed crude inventories report, and the weekly report on initial jobless claims are slated for release today. Meanwhile, Friday winds down with September retail sales data, the Reuters/UMich consumer sentiment index, business inventories, and import/export prices. Market Statistics Equity option activity on the Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) saw 1,070,265 call contracts traded on Wednesday, compared to 678,094 put contracts. The resultant single-session put/call ratio arrived at 0.63, while the 21-day moving average was 0.71. Overseas Trading Stocks in Asia ended higher today, as signs of progress in Europe whetted the collective appetite for riskier assets. However, China's trade surplus eased by more than expected in September, marking the second straight monthly decline. Furthermore, exports and imports grew by less than expected last month. Nevertheless, exporters -- along with property developers and resource-related equities -- paced the advance in China and Japan. By the close, Japan's Nikkei added 1%, China's Shanghai Composite tacked on 0.8%, and Hong Kong's Hang Seng gained 2.3%. On the other hand, European markets are mostly lower at midday, with bank stocks leading the retreat ahead of a highly anticipated Italian debt auction. In France, retailer Carrefour SA has given up more than 5% after cutting its outlook, while Alcatel-Lucent is leading the elite advancers after the Financial Times reported that the firm has agreed to sell its call-center services business. At last check, London's FTSE 100 has given up 0.9%, while both France's CAC 40 and Germany's DAX have shed 1.1%. Currencies and Commodities The greenback is on the rebound this morning, with the U.S. dollar index up 0.4% at last look. Elsewhere, crude futures have continued their retreat ahead of the government's holiday-delayed inventory report, with the front-month contract down $1.52, or 1.8%, to trade near $84.26 per barrel. Finally, gold futures have pared some of their recent gains, with the precious metal last seen $13, or 0.8%, lower at $1,669.60 an ounce. Unusual Put and Call Activity: For an explanation of how to use this information, check out our Education Center topics on Option Volume and Open Interest Configurations . Every morning, our research staff analyzes the prior day and the overnight markets, and monitors the morning wires to give you an accurate preview of the day to come. If you enjoyed today's edition of Opening View, sign up here for free daily delivery, straight to your inbox, before the opening bell. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized reproduction of any SIR publication is strictly prohibited. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Stocks to watch Thursday: Time Warner, Darden A media company\u2019s debt offering, a REIT\u2019s secondary stock offering, an update on a merger of utility companies, and insurance companies\u2019 loss estimates all vie for investors\u2019 attention early Thursday."", ""11 industrial-goods stocks insiders are bullish on We compiled a list of industrial-goods stocks insiders are bullish about.""]"
FAST,2011-10-14,12.737,12.74,12.3195,12.5159,"[""6 Dividend Stocks for Earnings Season"", ""6 Dividend Stocks for Earnings Season"", ""6 Dividend Stocks for Earnings Season""]"
FAST,2011-10-17,12.4655,12.6274,12.4172,12.508,
FAST,2011-10-18,12.586,12.9078,12.4685,12.811,
FAST,2011-10-19,12.7932,13.0558,12.7281,12.7744,
FAST,2011-10-20,12.8574,13.0588,12.737,12.969,
FAST,2011-10-21,13.1259,13.3598,13.0558,13.3035,
FAST,2011-10-24,13.3509,13.7083,13.3381,13.6361,
FAST,2011-10-25,13.5395,13.6461,13.3845,13.4901,
FAST,2011-10-26,13.65,13.7645,13.3381,13.498,"[""Fastenal Company Reports Operating Results (10-Q)"", ""Fastenal Company Reports Operating Results (10-Q)"", ""Fastenal Company Reports Operating Results (10-Q)""]"
FAST,2011-10-27,13.8355,14.6598,13.8355,14.4209,
FAST,2011-10-28,14.3607,14.721,14.2679,14.5265,
FAST,2011-10-31,14.2936,14.711,14.2521,14.3271,"Does Fastenal still have room to run? Fastenal exploded higher last week, and one investor wants to keep riding it higher. optionMONSTER's tracking programs detected the sale of about 3,600 January 42.50 calls for $0.55. Some 3,000 November 37.50 calls were bought at the same time for $1.99 to $2.08, but volume was below existing open interest in that strike. The activity is probably the work of an investor who owns shares in the industrial-supply company and has been using the options as part of a covered-call strategy. He or she had previously sold the November 37.50s to earn income, but now that FAST is above the strike price, they're buying them back and rolling to the January 42.50s. The move cost them about $415,000, but gives them the the right to collect an additional $5 of upside on about 300,000 shares. That translates into about $1.5 million of potential gains. See our Education Section for more on covered calls. FAST is down 0.34 percent to $38.49 in afternoon trading, but has rallied more than 15 percent from its lows earlier this month. Earnings matched estimates on Oct. 13 and revenue beat, marking its third consecutive strong report. See our new researchLAB service for more. The stock popped to an all-time high of $39.14 on Friday, and may be getting squeezed higher because short interest was 13 percent of the float as of Oct. 14. Overall options volume is 5 times greater than average so far today. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. Copyright © 2010 OptionMonster® Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2011-11-01,13.9569,14.2738,13.8277,13.9945,
FAST,2011-11-02,14.2018,14.4722,14.0961,14.3922,
FAST,2011-11-03,14.568,15.1207,14.5088,15.0941,
FAST,2011-11-04,14.9786,15.2253,14.8454,15.1503,
FAST,2011-11-07,15.0941,15.254,14.8216,14.9568,
FAST,2011-11-08,15.1089,15.2974,14.9332,15.2717,
FAST,2011-11-09,14.9134,15.1503,14.7654,14.8038,
FAST,2011-11-10,15.0398,15.2332,14.9253,15.1059,"[""7 Dividend Contenders at New 52-Week Highs"", ""7 Dividend Contenders at New 52-Week Highs"", ""7 Dividend Contenders at New 52-Week Highs""]"
FAST,2011-11-11,15.2974,15.5649,15.2401,15.4899,11 stocks trading at highest since last 11/11
FAST,2011-11-14,15.4188,15.6093,15.3399,15.5097,"[""October Sales Rise at Fastenal - Analyst Blog"", ""October Sales Rise at Fastenal - Analyst Blog"", ""October Sales Rise at Fastenal - Analyst Blog""]"
FAST,2011-11-15,15.4563,15.6655,15.3369,15.5965,
FAST,2011-11-16,15.3882,15.6261,15.3142,15.3438,"[""Boring Stocks Are Steady Growers (FAST, SSD, GOOG)"", ""Boring Stocks Are Steady Growers (FAST, SSD, GOOG)"", ""Boring Stocks Are Steady Growers (FAST, SSD, GOOG)""]"
FAST,2011-11-17,15.328,15.4069,14.9707,15.0477,
FAST,2011-11-18,15.0714,15.1326,14.9598,15.0595,
FAST,2011-11-21,14.9401,15.0161,14.724,14.8216,
FAST,2011-11-22,14.868,14.9786,14.717,14.8186,
FAST,2011-11-23,14.7022,14.7782,14.5088,14.5304,
FAST,2011-11-25,14.3922,14.6528,14.3794,14.4534,
FAST,2011-11-28,14.865,15.0309,14.7604,14.9904,"[""7 Relative Strength Trades to Beat the Market in 2012"", ""7 Relative Strength Trades to Beat the Market in 2012"", ""7 Relative Strength Trades to Beat the Market in 2012""]"
FAST,2011-11-29,15.0082,15.2145,14.9134,15.102,
FAST,2011-11-30,15.5245,15.86,15.4504,15.6655,
FAST,2011-12-01,15.7229,15.9251,15.5807,15.7119,
FAST,2011-12-02,15.8639,15.9686,15.6093,15.6478,"[""Playing The USA Manufacturing Revival (XLI, VIS, ROLL, FAST, GWW, DE, LNN)"", ""Playing The USA Manufacturing Revival (XLI, VIS, ROLL, FAST, GWW, DE, LNN)"", ""Playing The USA Manufacturing Revival (XLI, VIS, ROLL, FAST, GWW, DE, LNN)""]"
FAST,2011-12-05,15.9785,16.0416,15.8383,16.0051,
FAST,2011-12-06,16.0683,16.1887,15.9706,15.9972,"[""7 Stocks Hitting New Highs"", ""7 Stocks Hitting New Highs"", ""7 Stocks Hitting New Highs""]"
FAST,2011-12-07,15.7337,15.7979,15.5579,15.6478,
FAST,2011-12-08,15.5057,15.7159,15.3921,15.4593,
FAST,2011-12-09,15.5609,15.8995,15.5393,15.8166,"[""November Sales Improve at Fastenal - Analyst Blog"", ""November Sales Improve at Fastenal - Analyst Blog"", ""November Sales Improve at Fastenal - Analyst Blog""]"
FAST,2011-12-12,15.6359,15.6617,15.2796,15.4346,
FAST,2011-12-13,15.4661,15.6221,15.1059,15.1829,
FAST,2011-12-14,15.1819,15.2293,15.0309,15.1582,"[""This Distributor Is a Bargain"", ""This Distributor Is a Bargain"", ""This Distributor Is a Bargain""]"
FAST,2011-12-15,15.3576,15.4188,15.1582,15.3329,"[""Fed Says US Growing Moderately: 10 Stocks That May Benefit (Written by Rebecca Lipman, profitability data sourced from Fidelity.) The Federal Reserve\u2019s Tuesday afternoon announcement highlighted the US economy\u2019s exposure to financial troubles abroad while citing signs of moderate growth within the US. \u201cFederal Reserve policy makers said the U.S. economy is maintaining its expansion even as the global economy slows, while refraining from taking new actions to lower borrowing costs,\u201d reports Bloomberg. According to the Fed, issues pertaining to the unemployment rate \u201cremain elevated\u201d and debate exists on how to approach it. Similarly, interest rates, inflation and bond purchases bear addressing. But don\u2019t hold your breath, members of the Fed are at ends of how to address these issues. More importantly, \u201cany additional stimulus is greatly going to depend on what happens in Europe or any changes in the U.S. outlook,\u201d said John Silvia, chief economist at Wells Fargo Securities LLC. \u201cThey will wait for a longer meeting, maybe in January, to come up with anything regarding communications.\u201d The Fed said it expects inflation to settle at levels at or below those consistent with its price stability mandate. The Fed also noted it would keep its Fed funds target rate at low levels \u201cat least through mid-2013.\u201d Stocks dipped after the Fed\u2019s statement, and the dollar rose against the Euro. Investing Ideas In short, the Fed has taken no action, nor indicated strong intentions to make decisions in the future. The key takeaway was that the US\u2019 greatest risk comes from troubles in Europe. Investors are sure to keep their eyes on the headline. Think things might improve? If so, you may be curious what companies could benefit most from increased growth in the US. For ideas we took a look at large-cap companies (market caps above $10 billion) on the S&P 500 index. We screened the names for those with the highest levels of profitability compared to their industry peers based on pretax, operating and gross margins. Do you think these companies are operating well enough to benefit from a US rally? Analyze These Ideas (Tools Will Open In A New Window) 1. Access a thorough description of all companies mentioned 2. Compare analyst ratings for all stocks mentioned below 3. Visualize annual returns for all stocks mentioned List sorted by greatest difference in gross margin. 1. Prudential Financial, Inc. (PRU): Prudential Financial, Inc., through its subsidiaries, offers various financial products and services in the United States, Asia, Europe, and Latin America. Market cap of $22.55B. TTM gross margin at 26.76% vs. industry gross margin at 14.22%. TTM operating margin at 12.0% vs. industry operating margin at 11.36%. TTM pretax margin at 10.09% vs. industry pretax margin at 10.07%. 2. Paychex Inc. (PAYX): Provides payroll, human resource, and benefits outsourcing solutions for small-to medium-sized businesses in the United States and Germany. Market cap of $10.69B. TTM gross margin at 73.30% vs. industry gross margin at 48.42%. TTM operating margin at 38.29% vs. industry operating margin at 26.59%. TTM pretax margin at 38.57% vs. industry pretax margin at 26.60%. 3. Monsanto Co. (MON): Provides agricultural products for farmers in the United States and internationally. Market cap of $36.43B. TTM gross margin at 56.62% vs. industry gross margin at 37.60%. TTM operating margin at 21.19% vs. industry operating margin at 17.40%. TTM pretax margin at 20.08% vs. industry pretax margin at 16.40%. 4. Aon Corporation (AON): Provides risk management, insurance and reinsurance brokerage, and human resource consulting and outsourcing services in the United States and internationally. Market cap of $14.39B. TTM gross margin at 21.02% vs. industry gross margin at 14.22%. TTM operating margin at 16.0% vs. industry operating margin at 11.36%. TTM pretax margin at 12.14% vs. industry pretax margin at 10.07%. 5. The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. (MHP): Provides various information services for financial, educational, and business information markets worldwide. Market cap of $12.48B. TTM gross margin at 61.84% vs. industry gross margin at 42.14%. TTM operating margin at 23.45% vs. industry operating margin at 18.51%. TTM pretax margin at 22.02% vs. industry pretax margin at 14.26%. 6. Fastenal Company (FAST): The Company Is Engaged As A Wholesaler And Retailer Of Industrial And Construction Supplies. Market cap of $11.92B. TTM gross margin at 53.68% vs. industry gross margin at 37.72%. TTM operating margin at 20.47% vs. industry operating margin at 13.52%. TTM pretax margin at 20.49% vs. industry pretax margin at 12.88%. 7. The Chubb Corporation (CB): Provides property and casualty insurance to businesses and individuals. Market cap of $18.64B. TTM gross margin at 20.15% vs. industry gross margin at 14.22%. TTM operating margin at 18.01% vs. industry operating margin at 11.36%. TTM pretax margin at 18.01% vs. industry pretax margin at 10.07%. 8. AutoZone Inc. (AZO): Operates as a specialty retailer and distributor of automotive replacement parts and accessories. Market cap of $12.82B. TTM gross margin at 53.57% vs. industry gross margin at 37.90%. TTM operating margin at 18.64% vs. industry operating margin at 10.0%. TTM pretax margin at 16.54% vs. industry pretax margin at 9.33%. 9. Aetna Inc. (AET): Operates as a diversified health care benefits company in the United States. Market cap of $14.35B. TTM gross margin at 29.65% vs. industry gross margin at 21.03%. TTM operating margin at 9.68% vs. industry operating margin at 8.43%. TTM pretax margin at 8.25% vs. industry pretax margin at 6.79%. 10. Hershey Co. (HSY): Engages in manufacturing, marketing, selling, and distributing various chocolate and confectionery products, pantry items, and gum and mint refreshment products worldwide. Market cap of $13.23B. TTM gross margin at 46.01% vs. industry gross margin at 33.20%. TTM operating margin at 17.78% vs. industry operating margin at 12.09%. TTM pretax margin at 15.93% vs. industry pretax margin at 9.53%. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Three bullish funds for bearish times It\u2019s one thing to be a pessimist. But it\u2019s a whole \u2018nother thing to make money in this market despite that outlook. Yet that\u2019s exactly what three managers are doing these days, at least with some of their funds.""]"
FAST,2011-12-16,15.4899,15.8294,15.404,15.5807,
FAST,2011-12-19,15.8057,15.8965,15.5491,15.6093,
FAST,2011-12-20,15.8689,16.3279,15.8215,16.2598,"[""Grainger Hits Pay Dirt With Cleaning Supplies, More"", ""Grainger Hits Pay Dirt With Cleaning Supplies, More"", ""Grainger Hits Pay Dirt With Cleaning Supplies, More"", ""Outlook for 2012 We think things will get worse before they get better. The breakdown in gold for the first time since 2008 is likely signaling another liquidity crunch like we had in late 2008.""]"
FAST,2011-12-21,16.321,16.3427,16.0782,16.2203,
FAST,2011-12-22,16.2084,16.2864,16.0525,16.1216,
FAST,2011-12-23,16.2203,16.4335,16.1176,16.4335,
FAST,2011-12-27,16.399,16.5766,16.2963,16.5066,"[""B&G Foods King Of Dividend Stocks In Fourth Quarter"", ""B&G Foods King Of Dividend Stocks In Fourth Quarter"", ""B&G Foods King Of Dividend Stocks In Fourth Quarter""]"
FAST,2011-12-28,16.543,16.6586,16.3594,16.4562,
FAST,2011-12-29,16.4996,16.7,16.4928,16.6714,"[""Short Case Studies of Management Committed to Returning Value to Shareholders"", ""Short Case Studies of Management Committed to Returning Value to Shareholders"", ""Short Case Studies of Management Committed to Returning Value to Shareholders""]"
FAST,2011-12-30,16.6368,16.6684,16.395,16.4029,
FAST,2012-01-03,16.8106,16.8984,16.3398,16.4602,
FAST,2012-01-04,16.4404,16.704,16.2677,16.6872,"[""Fastenal Co. - Momentum"", ""Buffett-Munger Portfolio Gained 6% in 2011; Model Portfolios Rebalanced"", ""Fastenal Co. - Momentum"", ""Buffett-Munger Portfolio Gained 6% in 2011; Model Portfolios Rebalanced"", ""Fastenal Co. - Momentum"", ""Buffett-Munger Portfolio Gained 6% in 2011; Model Portfolios Rebalanced""]"
FAST,2012-01-05,16.6654,16.9882,16.4838,16.9764,"[""Construction Stocks Climb As Industry Data Improve"", ""W.W. Grainger Inc. (GWW) Dividend Stock Analysis"", ""Construction Stocks Climb As Industry Data Improve"", ""W.W. Grainger Inc. (GWW) Dividend Stock Analysis"", ""Construction Stocks Climb As Industry Data Improve"", ""W.W. Grainger Inc. (GWW) Dividend Stock Analysis""]"
FAST,2012-01-06,17.0139,17.0899,16.8422,17.0099,"[""5 Large-Cap Stocks That Could Pop in 2012"", ""5 Large-Cap Stocks That Could Pop in 2012"", ""5 Large-Cap Stocks That Could Pop in 2012""]"
FAST,2012-01-09,17.0228,17.082,16.8895,16.9922,"The Bullish Case for 2012: Stock Momentum Ideas (Written by Rebecca Lipman, list compiled by Eben Esterhuizen, CFA. Porfitability data sourced from Fidelity.) “A lot of people get upset that I’m very bullish for 2012″ says James Altucher. “A lot of people, both citizens and the warlords in our own government, want America, capitalism, the Internet, the economy, all of our established institutions, to go down in flames. I don’t know why they want this.” Indeed, the country’s economy could greatly benefit from good news. Fortunately, positive economic indicators have been pouring in. Slowly but surely things are starting to look up. A Bullish Outlook for Year Ahead Altucher is feeling bullish about 2012. Sure, he says, “housing prices stink,” but inventory levels are dropping to the lowest levels since 2006. Home sales have even been up in the past few months. Corporate profits are at an all-time high, and yes, that makes some people very upset considering the state of everything else, but there’s a silver lining. Consider that higher corporate profits put more cash in the bank. “Do you know what happens when cash is sitting around doing nothing?” Answer: Buybacks. “Announced buybacks for 2012 has hit over $1.1 trillion, the first time this number has breached a trillion. Oh, and guess what, the number of shares outstanding has now gone down for three years in a row, for the first time since 1990.” Demand goes up, and so do prices. Unemployment is 1.2% lower than it was a year ago, and consumer spending is rising. “Personal incomes are actually UP 4% over the past year,” so are the number of temp jobs and the average hourly workweek. “Which means full time employment is going to continue to grow, as it has been all year.” Better yet: “Household debt obligations are the lowest since 1993. Mortgages, rents, car loans/leases and other debt services added together divided by income after taxes is the lowest since 1993.” Business Section: Investing Ideas Each of the positive indicators mentioned by Altucher have had their impact on the markets. As a point of fact, many have speculated negative news was so heavily priced into the market that any good headlines will have a more significant upside than further negativity. This means good news can lead to some quick rallies. So if you’re bullish on the 2012 outlook for stocks, you’re probably looking for momentum ideas… To help you get started, we created a list of about 160 stocks that are in rally mode–trading above their 20-day, 50-day and 200-day simple moving averages (SMA). In addition, all of these companies are more profitable than their competitors, based on gross and net profit margins. These rallying momentum stocks have a track record of being more profitable than their competitors–does that make their upward momentum more sustainable? Analyze These Ideas (Tools Will Open In A New Window) 1. Access a thorough description of all companies mentioned 2. Compare analyst ratings for all stocks mentioned below 3. Visualize annual returns for all stocks mentioned List sorted by distance from the 200-day SMA. 1. Delphi Financial Group, Inc. (DFG): Provides integrated employee benefit services. The stock is currently trading 32.61% above its 20-day SMA, 51.35% above its 50-day SMA, and 62.21% above its 200-day SMA. TTM gross margin at 15.53% vs. industry average at 14.27%. TTM operating margin at 15.53% vs. industry average at 11.35%. TTM pretax margin at 13.32% vs. industry average at 10.03%. 2. Select Comfort Corporation (SCSS): Develops, manufactures, markets, and supports adjustable-firmness beds and other sleep-related accessory products in the U. The stock is currently trading 7.55% above its 20-day SMA, 9.61% above its 50-day SMA, and 34.57% above its 200-day SMA. TTM gross margin at 65.2% vs. industry average at 37.95%. TTM operating margin at 11.66% vs. industry average at 9.99%. TTM pretax margin at 11.65% vs. industry average at 9.33%. 3. Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc. (SBGI): Provides certain programming, operating, or sales services to television stations in the United States. The stock is currently trading 10.07% above its 20-day SMA, 19.90% above its 50-day SMA, and 27.42% above its 200-day SMA. TTM gross margin at 62.71% vs. industry average at 42.31%. TTM operating margin at 31.87% vs. industry average at 18.83%. TTM pretax margin at 17.43% vs. industry average at 15.%. 4. Fastenal Co. (FAST): The Company Is Engaged As A Wholesaler And Retailer Of Industrial And Construction Supplies. The stock is currently trading 4.72% above its 20-day SMA, 9.44% above its 50-day SMA, and 27.25% above its 200-day SMA. TTM gross margin at 53.68% vs. industry average at 38.09%. TTM operating margin at 20.47% vs. industry average at 13.7%. TTM pretax margin at 20.49% vs. industry average at 12.88%. 5. Primoris Services Corporation (PRIM): Primoris Services Corporation, a specialty contractor and infrastructure company, provides a range of construction, fabrication, maintenance, replacement, water and wastewater, and product engineering services. The stock is currently trading 2.55% above its 20-day SMA, 7.21% above its 50-day SMA, and 26.03% above its 200-day SMA. TTM gross margin at 14.86% vs. industry average at 12.76%. TTM operating margin at 7.09% vs. industry average at 5.46%. TTM pretax margin at 6.79% vs. industry average at 4.45%. 6. B&G Foods Inc. (BGS): Engages in the manufacture, sale, and distribution of shelf-stable foods in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. The stock is currently trading 1.29% above its 20-day SMA, 7.66% above its 50-day SMA, and 24.59% above its 200-day SMA. TTM gross margin at 34.27% vs. industry average at 32.59%. TTM operating margin at 20.55% vs. industry average at 11.9%. TTM pretax margin at 14.57% vs. industry average at 9.36%. 7. NeuStar, Inc. (NSR): Provides technology and directory services to its communications service provider (carrier) and non-carrier, commercial business customers primarily in North America, Europe, and the Middle East. The stock is currently trading 0.49% above its 20-day SMA, 2.69% above its 50-day SMA, and 22.70% above its 200-day SMA. TTM gross margin at 77.97% vs. industry average at 48.59%. TTM operating margin at 38.3% vs. industry average at 27.04%. TTM pretax margin at 35.58% vs. industry average at 27.05%. 8. Texas Capital BancShares Inc. (TCBI): Operates as the holding company for Texas Capital Bank, National Association that provides various banking products and services for commercial and high net worth customers in Texas. The stock is currently trading 6.95% above its 20-day SMA, 11.51% above its 50-day SMA, and 21.43% above its 200-day SMA. TTM gross margin at 82.82% vs. industry average at 71.64%. TTM operating margin at 48.14% vs. industry average at 39.36%. TTM pretax margin at 28.6% vs. industry average at 22.63%. 9. Nu Skin Enterprises Inc. (NUS): Develops and distributes anti-aging personal care products and nutritional supplements worldwide. The stock is currently trading 0.52% above its 20-day SMA, 0.72% above its 50-day SMA, and 21.27% above its 200-day SMA. TTM gross margin at 84.88% vs. industry average at 71.31%. TTM operating margin at 15.14% vs. industry average at 12.99%. TTM pretax margin at 12.58% vs. industry average at 10.84%. 10. Sally Beauty Holdings Inc. (SBH): Engages in the distribution and retail of professional beauty supplies. The stock is currently trading 0.22% above its 20-day SMA, 3.43% above its 50-day SMA, and 20.72% above its 200-day SMA. TTM gross margin at 48.78% vs. industry average at 37.95%. TTM operating margin at 13.07% vs. industry average at 9.99%. TTM pretax margin at 10.28% vs. industry average at 9.33%. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2012-01-10,17.1165,17.233,16.7118,16.928,
FAST,2012-01-11,16.855,17.0751,16.8352,17.0139,
FAST,2012-01-12,17.0711,17.3357,17.0366,17.2469,
FAST,2012-01-13,17.1728,17.5519,17.0682,17.5242,
FAST,2012-01-17,17.7729,17.9022,17.5065,17.5992,"[""IBD 50 Earnings Include Google, Intuitive Surgical"", ""IBD 50 Earnings Include Google, Intuitive Surgical"", ""IBD 50 Earnings Include Google, Intuitive Surgical""]"
FAST,2012-01-18,17.0711,17.3445,16.85,17.1235,"Fastenal Meets Estimates - Analyst Blog Fastenal Co. ( FAST ) posted a 34.2% increase in profit to $87.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2011 from $65.2 million in the same quarter of 2010. On earnings per share basis, profit improved 36.4% to 30 cents from 22 cents a year ago, exactly meeting the Zacks Consensus Estimate. For full year 2011, profits improved 34.9% to $357.9 million from $265.4 million in 2010 and 34.4% to $1.21 per share from 90 cents per share in 2010. The profits were exactly in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate during the year. Sales in the quarter rose 21.6% to $697.8 million in the quarter, which is higher than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $693 million. For the full year, sales increased 21.9% to $2.77 billion, which compared with the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.76 billion. Sales to manufacturing customers (50% of sales historically) grew 21% in the quarter and 20% in the year. Meanwhile, sales to non-residential construction business (accounting for 20%-25% of sales historically) rose 17.4% in the quarter and 17.1% in the year Gross profit rose 19.6% to $357.2 million in the quarter from $298.6 million in the year-ago quarter. Consequently, gross margin dipped marginally to 51.2% from 52.0% in the fourth quarter of 2010. In 2011, Fastenal opened 122 stores, an increase of 4.9% from the prior year (127 stores). In 2012, the company expects to open stores at an annualized rate of 4.0% to 6.0%. As of December 31, 2011, the company had 2,585 stores. Fastenal had cash and cash equivalents of $117.7 million as on December 31, 2011, compared with $143.7 million as on December 31, 2010. In 2011, the company had a cash flow of $268.5 million from operating activities, an increase from $240.5 million in the prior-year period, driven mainly by an improvement in profit. Meanwhile, capital expenditures (net) increased to $116.5 million from $69.1 million in 2010. Fastenal is a leading national distributor of industrial and construction supplies having stores in Canada, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Singapore, China, and all the 50 states in the U.S. The company has a widespread customer base, which belongs to varied markets, and protects its market position in tough economies. Further, the company has employed a hub and spoke model along with the opening of new stores and service centers to ensure efficient customer service in all aspects. These factors have led the company to maintain a Zacks #1 Rank on its stock, which translated to a short-term (1-3 months) rating of ""Strong Buy"". FASTENAL ( FAST ): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2012-01-19,17.2359,17.2971,17.0682,17.2044,"[""Buffett's Pals at Sequoia Fund Own Less Berkshire, But Find Plenty of Winning Stocks"", ""Building Stocks Bounce Back, Led By Fastenal"", ""Building Stocks Bounce Back, Led By Fastenal"", ""Buffett's Pals at Sequoia Fund Own Less Berkshire, But Find Plenty of Winning Stocks"", ""Building Stocks Bounce Back, Led By Fastenal"", ""Buffett's Pals at Sequoia Fund Own Less Berkshire, But Find Plenty of Winning Stocks"", ""Large investors are returning to the market Despite no end to Europe's problems in sight, shares motor ahead, as institutions, the lifeblood of any sustainable advance, increasingly become comfortable with what they see.""]"
FAST,2012-01-20,17.1531,17.2952,17.0652,17.2469,"[""6 Stocks Hiking Dividends in 2012"", ""Fastenal Continues Its Growth Streak (FAST, SSD, HD, LOW)"", ""Tractor Supply, Fastenal Lead Building Supply Stocks"", ""Did The Market Turn More Defensive In January?"", ""Nuts, Bolts, Tools In Demand"", ""Nuts, Bolts, Tools In Demand"", ""Did The Market Turn More Defensive In January?"", ""Tractor Supply, Fastenal Lead Building Supply Stocks"", ""Fastenal Continues Its Growth Streak (FAST, SSD, HD, LOW)"", ""6 Stocks Hiking Dividends in 2012"", ""Nuts, Bolts, Tools In Demand"", ""Did The Market Turn More Defensive In January?"", ""Tractor Supply, Fastenal Lead Building Supply Stocks"", ""Fastenal Continues Its Growth Streak (FAST, SSD, HD, LOW)"", ""6 Stocks Hiking Dividends in 2012""]"
FAST,2012-01-23,17.2508,17.6733,17.2311,17.3277,"[""Don't Chase Leading Dividend Stocks Past Buy Points"", ""Don't Chase Leading Dividend Stocks Past Buy Points"", ""Don't Chase Leading Dividend Stocks Past Buy Points""]"
FAST,2012-01-24,17.3277,17.6318,17.2311,17.6269,
FAST,2012-01-25,17.5835,17.6318,17.3091,17.5815,"[""IBD 50: Polaris, Grainger Top Profit Views, But Shares Fall"", ""IBD 50: Polaris, Grainger Top Profit Views, Shares Diverge"", ""IBD 50: Polaris, Grainger Top Profit Views, Shares Diverge"", ""IBD 50: Polaris, Grainger Top Profit Views, But Shares Fall"", ""IBD 50: Polaris, Grainger Top Profit Views, Shares Diverge"", ""IBD 50: Polaris, Grainger Top Profit Views, But Shares Fall""]"
FAST,2012-01-26,17.7187,17.7493,17.5025,17.5963,
FAST,2012-01-27,17.5519,17.6633,17.4373,17.5627,"[""11 Growth Stocks with Robust Charts"", ""11 Growth Stocks with Robust Technicals"", ""11 Growth Stocks with Robust Technicals"", ""11 Growth Stocks with Robust Charts"", ""11 Growth Stocks with Robust Technicals"", ""11 Growth Stocks with Robust Charts""]"
FAST,2012-01-30,17.3485,17.6791,17.3169,17.6031,
FAST,2012-01-31,17.7009,17.77,17.5469,17.6229,"[""Boring Stocks Are Steady Growers (FAST, SSD, GOOG)"", ""Boring Stocks Are Steady Growers (FAST, SSD, GOOG)"", ""Boring Stocks Are Steady Growers (FAST, SSD, GOOG)""]"
FAST,2012-02-01,17.8223,17.8953,17.7443,17.77,
FAST,2012-02-02,17.8045,17.8914,17.6871,17.7325,"[""Fastenal (FAST): A Vivid Case of Overvaluation"", ""Fastenal (FAST): A Vivid Case of Overvaluation"", ""Fastenal (FAST): A Vivid Case of Overvaluation""]"
FAST,2012-02-03,17.9881,18.2428,17.919,18.2339,
FAST,2012-02-06,18.2102,18.3316,18.0612,18.144,
FAST,2012-02-07,18.0937,18.2339,17.9022,18.152,"[""Fastenal Company (FAST) CEO and President Willard D Oberton sells 40,000 Shares"", ""Fastenal Company (FAST) CEO and President Willard D Oberton sells 40,000 Shares"", ""Fastenal Company (FAST) CEO and President Willard D Oberton sells 40,000 Shares""]"
FAST,2012-02-08,18.1707,18.45,18.074,18.4352,"[""The Fastenal Company - Growth & Income"", ""The Fastenal Company - Growth & Income"", ""The Fastenal Company - Growth & Income""]"
FAST,2012-02-09,18.46,18.4826,18.0493,18.2004,"[""Fastenal Company Reports Operating Results (10-K)"", ""Zacks Releases Four Powerful ''Buy'' Stocks: Liquidity Services, The Fastenal, Extra Space Storage and Western Digital - Press Releases"", ""Fastenal Company Reports Operating Results (10-K)"", ""Zacks Releases Four Powerful ''Buy'' Stocks: Liquidity Services, The Fastenal, Extra Space Storage and Western Digital - Press Releases"", ""Zacks Releases Four Powerful ''Buy'' Stocks: Liquidity Services, The Fastenal, Extra Space Storage and Western Digital - Press Releases For Immediate Release Chicago, IL - February 9, 2012 - Four free stock picks are being made available today on Zacks.com. The industry's leading independent research firm highlights one Zacks #1 Rank Strong Buy or a Zacks #2 Rank Buy stock for each of the four main styles of investing: Aggressive Growth, Growth & Income, Momentum, and Value The four highlighted picks are: Liquidity Services ( LQDT ), The Fastenal Company ( FAST ), Extra Space Storage Inc. ( EXR ) and Western Digital Corporation ( WDC ). Today, Zacks is promoting its ''Buy'' stock recommendations. Four daily picks are offered free. http://at.zacks.com/?id=88 From 1988 through the present - a period that included serious corrections and recessions - the Zacks #1 Rank Stocks have nearly tripled the market with a fully documented average gain of +28% per year. Here is a summary of today's selected stocks that are now highly rated by Zacks: Aggressive Growth - Liquidity Services ( LQDT ) Liquidity Services recently beat earnings and raised expectations and is now a Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy). Zacks Guide to Aggressive Growth Investing (free!) - http://at.zacks.com/?id=4309 Growth & Income - The Fastenal Company ( FAST ) Estimates have been rising for The Fastenal Company after it reported strong fourth quarter results, driven by a stellar 22% increase in sales. Zacks Guide to Growth & Income Investing (free!) - http://at.zacks.com/?id=4310 Momentum - Extra Space Storage Inc. ( EXR ) Since we last mentioned EXR as a growth and income stock back in June of 2011, it was trading right around $20. Back then the company had delivered a strong earnings report noting high occupancy rates and other factors that encouraged them to raise FY2011 guidance. Zacks Guide to Momentum Investing (free!): http://at.zacks.com/?id=4311 Value - Western Digital Corporation ( WDC ) The hard drive makers are still wrangling with the aftermath of the Thailand floods. But Western Digital Corporation is bouncing back and is still expected to see 78% earnings growth in fiscal 2012. This Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) also is dirt cheap at just 7x forward estimates. Zacks Guide to Value Investing (free!) - http://at.zacks.com/?id=4312 How to Regularly Access Top Zacks Rank Picks for Free - http://at.zacks.com/?id=7154 Underlying the four free stock picks is a simple truth that first appeared in a Financial Analysts Journal article published in 1979. Leonard Zacks, a Ph.D. from M.I.T. found that \""earnings estimate revisions are the most powerful force impacting stock prices.\"" Zacks #1 Rank is awarded to a stock when analysts sharply upgrade their estimates of what the company will earn. Today, Zacks is promoting its stock recommendations by offering four daily picks free to those who register here: http://at.zacks.com/?id=7155 About Zacks Zacks.com is a property of Zacks Investment Research, Inc., which was formed in 1978 by Len Zacks. The company continually processes stock reports issued by 3,000 analysts from 150 brokerage firms. It monitors more than 200,000 earnings estimates, looking for changes. Then, when changes are discovered, they're applied to help assign more than 4,400 stocks into five Zacks Rank categories: #1 Strong Buy, #2 Buy, #3 Hold, #4 Sell, and #5 Strong Sell. This proprietary stock-picking system continues to outperform the market by a nearly 3-to-1 margin. More Free Stock Picks Each weekday, new Zacks #1 Rank or Zacks #2 Rank stock picks are released on the free email newsletter, Profit from the Pros . Investors are invited to register for their free subscription here: http://at.zacks.com/?id=91 Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/zacksresearch Join us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ZacksInvestmentResearch Zacks Investment Research is under common control with affiliated entities (including a broker-dealer and an investment adviser), which may engage in transactions involving the foregoing securities for the clients of such affiliates. Disclaimer: Past performance does not guarantee future results. Investors should always research companies and securities before making any investments. Nothing herein should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell any security. Media Contact Zacks Investment Research 800-767-3771 ext. 9339 support@zacks.com http://www.zacks.com Visit http://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release. EXTRA SPACE STG ( EXR ): Free Stock Analysis Report FASTENAL ( FAST ): Free Stock Analysis Report LIQUIDITY SVCS ( LQDT ): Free Stock Analysis Report WESTERN DIGITAL ( WDC ): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Company Reports Operating Results (10-K)"", ""Zacks Releases Four Powerful ''Buy'' Stocks: Liquidity Services, The Fastenal, Extra Space Storage and Western Digital - Press Releases""]"
FAST,2012-02-10,18.0928,18.3,17.9684,18.2793,
FAST,2012-02-13,18.4678,19.1153,18.4461,19.0965,"[""Stocks Advance, But Volume Remains Below Average"", ""Stocks Gain on Greek Austerity; Apple Above $500"", ""NASDAQ 100's Update, In focus:PCLN, FAST, CTXS, FSLR, NFLX"", ""Stocks Gain on Greek Austerity; Apple Above $500"", ""Stocks Advance, But Volume Remains Below Average"", ""NASDAQ 100's Update, In focus:PCLN, FAST, CTXS, FSLR, NFLX"", ""Stocks Gain on Greek Austerity; Apple Above $500"", ""Stocks Advance, But Volume Remains Below Average"", ""NASDAQ 100's Update, In focus:PCLN, FAST, CTXS, FSLR, NFLX""]"
FAST,2012-02-14,19.0769,19.4717,19.065,19.3443,"[""IBD Stock Screen: Top Five Relative Strength Leaders"", ""Why Fastenal Could Be a Short Opportunity"", ""Stocks Don't Move Much, But Volume Rises"", ""Stocks Don't Move Much, But Volume Rises"", ""Why Fastenal Could Be a Short Opportunity"", ""IBD Stock Screen: Top Five Relative Strength Leaders"", ""How one trader is managing Fastenal One investor is using options to manage a position in Fastenal. Our tracking systems detected the sale of some 2,100 March 50 calls in the distributor of industrial products for $1.41 to $1.47. About 1,700 February 45 calls were bought at the same time for $5 to $5.12 but volume was below open interest in the strike. The trade was probably the work of an investor who owns the stock and is using the options as part of a covered call strategy, which reduces volatility and risk. Writing calls obligates the investor to sell shares at the strike price. By rolling the position yesterday, the trader raised by $5 the level at which the stock must be sold. He or she also increased the number of shares by about 40,000 and agreed to stay in the position for an additional month. (See our Education section) FAST rose 4.46 percent to $50.58 yesterday, its first time ever trading above $50. Shares are up more than 15 percent so far this year. Yesterday's call roll pushed total option volume in the stock to triple the daily average. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. Copyright \u00a9 2010 OptionMonster\u00ae Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Stocks Don't Move Much, But Volume Rises"", ""Why Fastenal Could Be a Short Opportunity"", ""IBD Stock Screen: Top Five Relative Strength Leaders""]"
FAST,2012-02-15,19.4687,19.4805,19.0699,19.1153,"[""Big Cap Stock Leaders Growing Like Hot, New Players"", ""Big Cap Stock Leaders Growing Like Hot, New Players"", ""Big Cap Stock Leaders Growing Like Hot, New Players""]"
FAST,2012-02-16,19.1153,19.3927,19.1035,19.1845,
FAST,2012-02-17,19.2003,19.3107,19.0817,19.1509,
FAST,2012-02-21,19.1617,19.2743,19.0087,19.1953,"Fastenal attracts hedging strategy Fastenal has been going straight up, and one investor wants to hedge against a pullback. optionMONSTER's Depth Charge tracking system detected the purchase of about 1,100 March 50 puts for $1.10. Roughly 3,300 March 45 puts were also sold for $0.20, resulting in a net cost of about $0.50. The trade will earn a maximum profit of 900 percent if FAST closes at $45 on expiration. Below that level, the investor will be forced to buy stock. The strategy is often used by shareholders who want to against a pullback, and wouldn't mind buying more in the event of push lower. It's known as a ratio spread because 3 times more puts were sold than were bought. See our Education Section for more. FAST slipped 0.18 percent to $50.73 on Friday but is up 59 percent in the last year. The industrial-supply company, which sells items such as bolts, machinery and paints, has increased profitability by slowing growth and focusing on better same-store sales. It has also avoided hiring new workers and is relying more on vending machines to sell products. Given how much the shares are up, some investors may think that they're due for a pullback, which appears to be the rationale behind Friday's spread. The trade accounted for almost all the volume in the session, with puts outnumbering calls by 8 to 1, according to the Depth Charge. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. Copyright © 2010 OptionMonster® Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2012-02-22,19.2249,19.3759,19.1371,19.3651,
FAST,2012-02-23,19.2881,19.6207,19.2881,19.6039,"[""More Upside for Fastenal ?"", ""More Upside for Fastenal ?"", ""More Upside for Fastenal ?"", ""S&P 500 holds tightly to major resistance Focus: Banks, BKX, ALXN, FAST, MDVN, SLB, BHI, BEAV While the U.S. markets tread water this week, the Standard & Poor\u2019s 500 Index has reached a significant technical test.""]"
FAST,2012-02-24,19.6681,19.7253,19.6,19.6207,
FAST,2012-02-27,19.6039,19.9286,19.5921,19.7915,"[""S&P 500's Most Overbought Stocks"", ""Fastenal Booked a New High"", ""Fastenal Booked a New High"", ""S&P 500's Most Overbought Stocks"", ""Fastenal Booked a New High"", ""S&P 500's Most Overbought Stocks""]"
FAST,2012-02-28,19.8665,19.8764,19.6819,19.7589,"[""IBD's Top 5 Stocks For Soaring Relative Strength"", ""Investors Love a Story \u2013 the Fastenal Saga Makes it Best Stock of Last 25 Years"", ""Investors Love a Story \u2013 the Fastenal Saga Makes it Best Stock of Last 25 Years"", ""IBD's Top 5 Stocks For Soaring Relative Strength"", ""Investors Love a Story \u2013 the Fastenal Saga Makes it Best Stock of Last 25 Years"", ""IBD's Top 5 Stocks For Soaring Relative Strength""]"
FAST,2012-02-29,19.7846,19.9376,19.6957,19.8892,"[""9 Most Profitable Dividend Achievers"", ""9 Most Profitable Dividend Achievers"", ""9 Most Profitable Dividend Achievers""]"
FAST,2012-03-01,19.977,20.0126,19.7668,19.981,"Ben speaks and the risk trade goes weak If the job of a Fed head is to temper expectations when they need a dash of ice water, Wednesday’s action in gold and silver showed Mr. B to be a master of the craft."
FAST,2012-03-02,19.9721,20.0648,19.8704,20.0481,
FAST,2012-03-05,20.058,20.2188,19.9642,20.1389,"[""W.W. Grainger Offers Investors Growth & Income"", ""W.W. Grainger Offers Investors Growth & Income"", ""W.W. Grainger Offers Investors Growth & Income""]"
FAST,2012-03-06,19.9998,20.0442,19.5595,19.6967,
FAST,2012-03-07,19.7155,19.976,19.6602,19.9148,
FAST,2012-03-08,20.0886,20.135,19.8764,19.9257,"[""Home Depot, Lowe's Benefit From Spring Building Bloom"", ""Is Borrowing A Sign Of Strength Or Stress? (FAST, CERN, FOSL, MSM)"", ""Is Borrowing A Sign Of Strength Or Stress? (FAST, CERN, FOSL, MSM)"", ""Home Depot, Lowe's Benefit From Spring Building Bloom"", ""Is Borrowing A Sign Of Strength Or Stress? (FAST, CERN, FOSL, MSM)"", ""Home Depot, Lowe's Benefit From Spring Building Bloom""]"
FAST,2012-03-09,19.9958,20.0648,19.7964,19.9642,"[""Home Depot, W.W. Grainger Etch Bullish Patterns"", ""Fastenal Company (FAST) CEO and President Willard D Oberton sells 150,000 Shares"", ""Home Depot, W.W. Grainger Etch Bullish Patterns"", ""Fastenal Company (FAST) CEO and President Willard D Oberton sells 150,000 Shares"", ""Home Depot, W.W. Grainger Etch Bullish Patterns"", ""Fastenal Company (FAST) CEO and President Willard D Oberton sells 150,000 Shares""]"
FAST,2012-03-12,20.0037,20.0481,19.9148,19.9425,"[""Grainger Feb. Sales Jump 18% On Volume, Higher Prices"", ""Grainger Feb. Sales Jump 18% On Volume, Higher Prices"", ""Grainger Feb. Sales Jump 18% On Volume, Higher Prices""]"
FAST,2012-03-13,20.0481,20.131,19.8082,20.1162,"[""Top 5 Building Stocks Ride Housing, Energy Projects"", ""Top 5 Building Stocks Ride Housing, Energy Projects"", ""Top 5 Building Stocks Ride Housing, Energy Projects""]"
FAST,2012-03-14,20.1724,20.2356,19.828,19.9425,
FAST,2012-03-15,19.9425,19.9721,19.6207,19.8398,
FAST,2012-03-16,19.8191,19.9148,19.6859,19.7155,"[""The Best Industrial Dividend Stocks 2012"", ""The Best Industrial Dividend Stocks 2012"", ""The Best Industrial Dividend Stocks 2012""]"
FAST,2012-03-19,19.6503,19.6859,19.4529,19.6335,"[""Fastenal Posts Steady Growth; Its Dividend Pays 1.3%"", ""Fastenal Posts Steady Growth; Its Dividend Pays 1.3%"", ""Fastenal Posts Steady Growth; Its Dividend Pays 1.3%""]"
FAST,2012-03-20,19.5703,20.0126,19.3957,19.9553,"[""10 Stocks Leading the Way in the Housing Recovery (Update1)"", ""10 Stocks Leading the Way in the Housing Recovery (Update1)"", ""10 Stocks Leading the Way in the Housing Recovery (Update1)""]"
FAST,2012-03-21,19.9553,20.4765,19.9553,20.359,
FAST,2012-03-22,20.289,20.3768,20.0994,20.2771,"Are earnings already priced into stocks? The Trader's Question of the Day is ""Are good earnings priced into these stocks already after this big run?"""
FAST,2012-03-23,20.3373,20.3669,20.0648,20.2514,
FAST,2012-03-26,20.434,20.6601,20.4133,20.6018,
FAST,2012-03-27,20.6551,20.7845,20.5683,20.6097,
FAST,2012-03-28,20.591,20.6334,20.2356,20.4587,
FAST,2012-03-29,20.3985,20.5041,20.2356,20.4844,"[""Boring Stocks Are Steady Growers (FAST, SSD, GOOG)"", ""Boring Stocks Are Steady Growers (FAST, SSD, GOOG)"", ""Boring Stocks Are Steady Growers (FAST, SSD, GOOG)""]"
FAST,2012-03-30,20.6443,20.6601,20.3512,20.4262,
FAST,2012-04-02,20.515,20.6877,20.3196,20.6334,"[""Roundtable Top Picks for the Week of Apr. 2nd - Roundtable Review"", ""MSC Industrial Q2 Profit Slowing, Still Double-Digit"", ""MSC Industrial Q2 Profit Slowing, Still Double-Digit"", ""Roundtable Top Picks for the Week of Apr. 2nd - Roundtable Review"", ""Roundtable Top Picks for the Week of Apr. 2nd - Roundtable Review FASTENAL ( FAST ): Free Stock Analysis Report POST PPTYS INC ( PPS ): Free Stock Analysis Report STURM RUGER&CO ( RGR ): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""MSC Industrial Q2 Profit Slowing, Still Double-Digit"", ""Roundtable Top Picks for the Week of Apr. 2nd - Roundtable Review""]"
FAST,2012-04-03,20.282,20.4903,19.9672,20.1488,"[""Fastenal slides on downgrade"", ""Analyst Screws Down Fastenal Stock On Valuation"", ""Research Analyst's Up/Downgrades ( FAST, GPN, PM, AEZS, UFS, GNC )"", ""Fastenal slides on downgrade"", ""Analyst Screws Down Fastenal Stock On Valuation"", ""Research Analyst's Up/Downgrades ( FAST, GPN, PM, AEZS, UFS, GNC )"", ""Fastenal slides on downgrade"", ""Analyst Screws Down Fastenal Stock On Valuation"", ""Research Analyst's Up/Downgrades ( FAST, GPN, PM, AEZS, UFS, GNC )""]"
FAST,2012-04-04,20.0886,20.129,19.8734,19.985,"[""MSC Q2 results meet outlook"", ""MSC Industrial Profit Up 22%; Guides Higher"", ""9 Stocks That Prove Dividends Make All the Difference (Update1)"", ""9 Stocks That Prove Dividends Make All the Difference"", ""MSC Q2 results meet outlook"", ""MSC Industrial Profit Up 22%; Guides Higher"", ""9 Stocks That Prove Dividends Make All the Difference (Update1)"", ""9 Stocks That Prove Dividends Make All the Difference"", ""MSC Q2 results meet outlook"", ""MSC Industrial Profit Up 22%; Guides Higher"", ""9 Stocks That Prove Dividends Make All the Difference (Update1)"", ""9 Stocks That Prove Dividends Make All the Difference""]"
FAST,2012-04-05,19.9277,20.1646,19.903,20.0214,"[""4 Stocks To Be Put To The Test (AA, FAST, JPM, WFC)"", ""4 Stocks To Be Put To The Test (AA, FAST, JPM, WFC)"", ""4 Stocks To Be Put To The Test (AA, FAST, JPM, WFC)""]"
FAST,2012-04-09,19.8359,19.8517,19.445,19.4717,"[""Earnings Preview: Aluminum Glut Crimping Alcoa Sales"", ""Earnings Preview: Aluminum Glut Crimping Alcoa Sales"", ""Earnings Preview: Aluminum Glut Crimping Alcoa Sales""]"
FAST,2012-04-10,19.4421,19.4421,18.4352,18.46,"[""Fastenal Under Pressure Ahead Of Q1 Earnings Report"", ""Alcoa Slams Past Q1 Forecasts On Improving Markets"", ""NASDAQ 100's Top Performers: AAPL, WYNN, AKAM"", ""Alcoa Slams Past Q1 Forecasts On Improving Markets"", ""NASDAQ 100's Top Performers: AAPL, WYNN, AKAM"", ""Fastenal Under Pressure Ahead Of Q1 Earnings Report"", ""Alcoa Slams Past Q1 Forecasts On Improving Markets"", ""NASDAQ 100's Top Performers: AAPL, WYNN, AKAM"", ""Fastenal Under Pressure Ahead Of Q1 Earnings Report"", ""Reading the signs of a correction There are a variety of signal the market will give off in front of a downturn, the key is being able to see them and understand what they mean. The most important of these is price and volume."", ""Alcoa to kick off rocky earnings season Google, J.P. Morgan, Wells Fargo also set to report this week The aluminum producer is expected to book a loss in what is expected to be one of the poorest performing sectors this earnings season.""]"
FAST,2012-04-11,18.7077,18.9041,18.5714,18.7373,"[""5 Earnings Stocks Poised to Pop"", ""Las Vegas Sands, Starbucks Corporation Among Stocks Up on High Volume Wednesday"", ""Las Vegas Sands, Starbucks Corporation Among Stocks Up on High Volume Wednesday"", ""5 Earnings Stocks Poised to Pop"", ""5 Earnings Stocks Poised to Pop"", ""After Hours Most Active for Apr 11, 2012 : NOK, QQQ, KFT, CX, BAC, STD, HCA, EVEP, BIIB, MU, FAST, KLAC The NASDAQ 100 After Hours Indicator is up .62 to 2,708.75. The total After hours volume is currently 34,416,816 shares traded. The following are the most active stocks for the after hours session: Nokia Corporation ( NOK ) is unchanged at $4.24, with 4,160,434 shares traded., following a 52-week high recorded in today's regular session. PowerShares QQQ Trust, Series 1 ( QQQ ) is +0.04 at $66.49, with 3,819,155 shares traded. This represents a 33.17% increase from its 52 Week Low. Kraft Foods Inc. ( KFT ) is unchanged at $36.87, with 2,060,479 shares traded. As reported by Zacks, the current mean recommendation for KFT is in the \""buy range\"". Cemex S.A.B. de C.V. ( CX ) is +0.0572 at $6.96, with 1,690,045 shares traded. CX's current last sale is 88.67% of the target price of $7.846. Bank of America Corporation ( BAC ) is +0.01 at $8.87, with 1,606,815 shares traded. Over the last four weeks they have had 6 up revisions for the earnings forecast, for the fiscal quarter ending Mar 2012. The consensus EPS forecast is $0.12. BAC's current last sale is 88.7% of the target price of $10. Banco Santander, S.A. ( STD ) is unchanged at $6.70, with 1,501,500 shares traded. STD's current last sale is 71.5% of the target price of $9.37. HCA Holdings, Inc. ( HCA ) is +0.0032 at $26.73, with 1,477,300 shares traded. As reported by Zacks, the current mean recommendation for HCA is in the \""buy range\"". EV Energy Partners, L.P. ( EVEP ) is -0.2 at $64.51, with 700,000 shares traded. As reported by Zacks, the current mean recommendation for EVEP is in the \""buy range\"". Biogen Idec Inc. ( BIIB ) is unchanged at $125.03, with 443,144 shares traded. As reported by Zacks, the current mean recommendation for BIIB is in the \""buy range\"". Micron Technology, Inc. ( MU ) is -0.095 at $7.07, with 411,547 shares traded. Over the last four weeks they have had 4 up revisions for the earnings forecast, for the fiscal quarter ending Aug 2012. The consensus EPS forecast is $0.02. As reported by Zacks, the current mean recommendation for MU is in the \""buy range\"". Fastenal Company ( FAST ) is -0.03 at $49.60, with 384,915 shares traded.FASTis scheduled to provide an earnings report on 4/12/2012, for the fiscal quarter ending Mar2012. The consensus earnings per share ( EPS ) forecast is 0.34 per share, which represents a27 percent increase over the EPS one Year Ago KLA-Tencor Corporation (KLAC) is -0.03 at $53.17, with 379,003 shares traded. As reported by Zacks, the current mean recommendation for KLAC is in the \""buy range\"". The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Las Vegas Sands, Starbucks Corporation Among Stocks Up on High Volume Wednesday"", ""5 Earnings Stocks Poised to Pop"", ""5 Earnings Stocks Poised to Pop""]"
FAST,2012-04-12,18.3098,18.6751,18.0187,18.45,"[""7 Hot Stocks on Traders' Radars"", ""NASDAQ 100's Update, In focus: ERTS, MU, STX, ILMN, FAST"", ""New Data: More Questions Than Answers? - Analyst Blog"", ""Ahead of Wall Street - April 14, 2012 - Ahead of Wall Street"", ""Stocks To Watch For April 12"", ""Earnings Scheduled For April 12"", ""US Stock Futures Up; All Eyes On Economic Data"", ""Fastenal Reports Q1 EPS $0.34 vs $0.35 Est; Revenues $768.9M vs $767.55M Est"", ""Financial Breakfast: Morning News Summary for April 12, 2012"", ""UPDATE: Fastenal Posts Rise In Q1 Profit"", ""Earnings Roundup"", ""Earnings Roundup"", ""UPDATE: Fastenal Posts Rise In Q1 Profit"", ""Financial Breakfast: Morning News Summary for April 12, 2012"", ""Fastenal Reports Q1 EPS $0.34 vs $0.35 Est; Revenues $768.9M vs $767.55M Est"", ""US Stock Futures Up; All Eyes On Economic Data"", ""Earnings Scheduled For April 12"", ""Stocks To Watch For April 12"", ""7 Hot Stocks on Traders' Radars"", ""7 Hot Stocks on Traders' Radars"", ""NASDAQ 100's Update, In focus: ERTS, MU, STX, ILMN, FAST"", ""New Data: More Questions Than Answers? - Analyst Blog"", ""Ahead of Wall Street - April 14, 2012 - Ahead of Wall Street"", ""Ahead of Wall Street - April 14, 2012 - Ahead of Wall Street"", ""New Data: More Questions Than Answers? - Analyst Blog This morning's economic data provides no comfort to those looking for evidence that last Friday's jobs miss was a one-off event. We have a big negative jump in Initial Jobless Claims, which could be interpreted as confirmatory of the March payroll miss. But it may be premature to reach that conclusion given the impact that the Easter holiday had on these numbers. The inflation data this morning -- benign on the 'headline,' but somewhat hot on the 'core' -- does not conclusively pave the way for further QE from the Fed. All in all, this morning's basket of data provides no clarity about the underlying economic picture. The Initial Jobless Claims data came in weaker than expected -- the second soft labor market reading after Friday's surprise non-farm payroll miss for March. When you add in the 10K upward revision to the previous week's tally, we saw a 23K jump in initial claims to 380K. The four-week average, which tends to smooth out the inherent week-to-week jumpiness of this series, increased by 4.2K to 368.5K last week. The increase in claims was not altogether unexpected given the earlier Easter holiday in the survey week, but the extent of the jump is nevertheless disappointing. This is particularly so as many in the market were looking toward this report to confirm that the payroll miss last Friday was a surprise one-off event. Optimists, like myself, will continue to assign the blame for today's claims miss on the inherent difficulties and complications of seasonal adjustments. But this argument will become weaker if this negative trend fails to reverse in the coming weeks. In other economic news this morning, the March Producer Price Index (PPI) came in weaker than expected on the 'headline' at 'unchanged' vs. up 0.4% in February. The 'core' reading, which strips out the food and energy components, came in hotter than expected at up 0.3% vs. up 0.2% in February. We will get the March CPI report tomorrow, but this PPI reading is not benign enough from a QE perspective. Meaning that those looking for further Fed action will see it as a negative read. Overall though, the PPI reading appears to show some pricing pressures building in the supply chain, but there is no reason to doubt the Fed's view that these pressures will prove to be temporary. On the earnings front, we saw a better-than-expected showing from Rite Aid ( RAD ) this morning, while earnings from Fastenal ( FAST ), the nuts and bolts distributor, came in-line with expectations. The major earnings report today is from Google ( GOOG ) after the close, whose shares have noticeably been absent from the market rally lately, given its sub-par results in the last quarter. In other news, shares of Royal Dutch Shell ( RDS.A ) will be in focus after an oil sheen was spotted in close proximity to its fields in the Gulf of Mexico. There is no indication of a leak yet, but the market is justifiably wary of any such development following the BP ( BP ) disaster two years ago. BP PLC ( BP ): Free Stock Analysis Report FASTENAL ( FAST ): Free Stock Analysis Report GOOGLE INC-CL A ( GOOG ): Free Stock Analysis Report RITE AID CORP ( RAD ): Free Stock Analysis Report ROYAL DTCH SH-A (RDS.A): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Ahead of Wall Street - April 14, 2012 - Ahead of Wall Street Thursday, April 12, 2012 This morning's economic data provides no comfort to those looking for evidence that last Friday's jobs miss was a one-off event. We have a big negative jump in Initial Jobless Claims, which could be interpreted as confirmatory of the March payroll miss. But it may be premature to reach that conclusion given the impact that the Easter holiday had on these numbers. The inflation data this morning - benign on the 'headline', but somewhat hot on the 'core' - is not consistent with it needs to show to pave the way for further QE from the Fed. All in all, this morning's basket of data provides no clarity about the underlying economic picture. The initial Jobless Claims data came in weaker than expected, the second soft labor market reading after Friday's surprise non-farm payroll miss for March. When you add in the 10K upward revision to the previous week's tally, we saw a 23K jump in initial claims to 380K. The four-week average, which tends to smooth out the inherent week-to-week jumpiness of this series, increased by 4.2K to 368.5K last week. The increase in claims was not altogether unexpected given the earlier Easter holiday in the survey week, but the extent of the jump is nevertheless disappointing. This is particularly so as many in the market were looking this report to confirm that the payroll miss last Friday was a surprise one-off event. Optimists, like myself, will continue to assign the blame for today's claims miss on the inherent difficulties and complications of seasonal adjustments. But this argument will become weaker if this negative trend fails to reverse in the coming weeks. In other economic news this morning, the March Producer Price Index (PPI) came in weaker than expected on the 'headline' at 'unchanged' vs. up 0.4% in February. The 'core' reading, which strips out the food and energy components, came in hotter than expected at up 0.3% vs. up 0.2% in February. We will get the March CPI report tomorrow, but this PPI reading is not benign enough from a QE perspective. Meaning that those looking for further Fed action will see it as a negative read. Overall though, the PPI reading appears to show some pricing pressures building in the supply chain, but there is no reason to doubt the Fed's view that these pressures will prove to be temporary. On the earnings front, we a better than expected showing from Rite Aid ( RAD ) this morning, while earnings from Fastena l ( FAST ), the nuts and bolts distributor, came in-line with expectations. The major earnings report today is from Google ( GOOG ) after the close, whose shares have noticeably been absent from the market rally lately given its sub-par results in the last quarter. In other news, shares of Royal Dutch Shell ( RDS.A ) will be in focus after an oil sheen was spotted in close proximity to its fields in the Gulf of Mexico. There is no indication of a leak yet, but the market is justifiably wary of any such development following the BP ( BP ) disaster two years ago. Sheraz Mian Director of Research BP PLC ( BP ): Free Stock Analysis Report FASTENAL ( FAST ): Free Stock Analysis Report GOOGLE INC-CL A ( GOOG ): Free Stock Analysis Report RITE AID CORP ( RAD ): Free Stock Analysis Report ROYAL DTCH SH-A (RDS.A): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Market Wrap-Up for Apr.12 (FCX, CLF, CAT, T, AXP, MCD, more) Chatter that the Federal Reserve is willing to continue its accommodation strategy (the proverbial \""punchbowl\"" as some economists call it) had the markets regaining more of what they'd lost in the recent losing streak. The commodity sector reaped some of the biggest gains, as traders look to that volatile area as a beneficiary of the monetary printing press. Gains were seen in names like Freeport McMoran ( FCX ), Cliffs Natural Resources ( CLF ), as well as equipment play Caterpillar ( CAT ). Despite having a bit more attractive dividend yields of late, commodity-related stocks have been making lower highs, so sustained upside could be hard to come by unless the recent trends reverse. Wall Street analyst upgrades helped boost stocks like Qualcomm ( QCOM ), American Express ( AXP ), and AT&T ( T ). Shares of Fastenal ( FAST ) did not participate in the rally after its latest earnings results. McDonald's ( MCD ) was also down as the company continues to trade in a tight range. Investors are gearing up for a pending change at the top of the company, as MCD's highly-regarded CEO Jim Skinner will retire this summer. When Sabotage is Your Strategy, be Prepared to Suffer to Consequences I was pretty disgusted at the recent news surrounding former New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator Greg Williams. According to audio and other evidence, the coach ordered his players to intentionally harm opposing players, blatantly disregarding the very rules the NFL set in place to protect its participants. Is winning a football game worth potentially ending someones career - or worse? I'm sure a number of Saints players in the room sat in utter shock as they were told to go after one player's knees, another player's head (since he had a couple of concussions and could easily be knocked out once again), and to try and give the quarterback a few extra shots whenever there is a pile-up (the phrase \""attack the head\"" was used multiple times). I understand that football is an intensely physical game, but offering monetary rewards for taking cheap shots at opposing players is a totally different story. In our own lives, we sometimes run into people - co-workers, bosses, etc. - who are willing to step on other people to get ahead. Our job is to make sure we are not influenced by these people, and remind ourselves that life isn't about winning at any cost. Rather, life is about succeeding in a fair and honest fashion. You will never truly win the respect of your peers or subordinates if you take the low road to the top. Believe in yourself and understand that success comes in all forms - not just by being on the winning team. 17 Money Excuses People Make - Part 3 of 3 Excuse #13 - \""You have to leverage debt to become rich!\"" My Response: This is a dangerous play for many that try and speed up the road to wealth. We have all heard the amazing stories of real estate tycoons that pulled off incredible wins, only to get caught off-guard when markets turned. The financial road is littered with failed money gambles that were based on leverage. The banks have always been guilty of encouraging investors to roll the dice a bit too much when times were good. We have seen the fallout from that the last couple of years. Excuse #14 - \""I need to invest in a car.\"" My Response: The words \""invest\"" and \""car\"" almost never belong in the same sentence unless you are extremely knowledgeable about the collectible car market. Excuse #15 - \""If everybody got out of debt, the economy would collapse!\"" My Response: Worrying about the economy's collapse should never be the consumer's concern. Living debt-free should be an ultimate goal of yours, but giving yourself a license to spend recklessly is just plain dumb. Excuse #16 - \""Just put it on the card and we will worry about it when it comes in.\"" My Response: I understand the convenience factor of carrying plastic over cash. The danger comes when you allow credit cards to take control of your spending vices. If you are a \""spur of the moment\"" buyer, learn to take a pause before making any big purchases you don't actually need. Excuse #17 - \""I must be able to afford this (car, house, etc.)since I was approved for the loan.\"" My Response: This one is a real trap for those ignorant about the ways credit card companies and lenders operate. What is amazing is that you can see someone get burned once by signing on the dotted line for a deal they couldn't afford, but then they will repeat the mistake not too long after it. Reviewing mistakes in spending and investing is a necessary tool to make one's path to wealth a much smoother one. Retirement Account Deadlines Approaching One of the best long-term retirement strategies an investor can use is investing in dividend-paying stocks within their Roth IRAs. Roth IRA Distributions, including capital gains, interest, and DIVIDENDS are tax-free if you are at least age 59 1/2 years old, and the account has been established for longer than five tax years. Dividends paid into a Roth account are never taxed, even when withdrawn. This special treatment differs from dividends accumulated in a Traditional IRA, which would be taxed during withdrawals. The best part of a Traditional IRA is the tax credit is counted the year you do it. Some accountants prefer clients to take this road, knowing it can ease one's tax burden for the particular year a traditional IRA is funded. Do remember, though, that withdrawals taken from an IRA account before age 59 1/2, including income from dividends, is subject to a 10 percent penalty tax in addition to ordinary income taxation. Always consult with a tax specialist before making any moves that may incur tax consequences. Of course, there's nothing wrong with purchasing dividend stocks within a Traditional IRA either, but Roth IRAs are particularly attractive to dividend investors looking to maximize their future retirement withdrawals. For those of you who are self-employed, you have the benefit of building a retirement nest egg very quickly with a SEP-IRA. If you're self-employed, you can contribute 25% of your earned income or $50,000, whichever is less, to a SEP plan for 2012. Think of all the high-quality dividend stocks you can be putting to work for yourself - that's the true essence of making your money work for you! Again, talk to your tax professional and see how you can take advantage of this type of account. New MLP Report Just Released! In The Essentials of Investing in MLPs , we outline the do's and don'ts of investing in high-yield Master Limited Partnerships (MLPs). Our exclusive new MLP report outlines everything you need to know about these popular high-yield investments, including: - Understanding their unique company structure - What you absolutely need to know about their special tax treatment - Why MLPs may not be suitable for retirement accounts - How to find the best high-yield partnerships - \u2026and much more! Head to the Dividend.com Premium page to download this brand new report today! 25 Years of Dividend-Increasing Stocks We recently updated our list of dividend stocks that have been paying out dividends for 25 years or more. Be sure to check out the latest list of names here . Dividends Really Matter Financial blog DailyReckoning.com recently took a look at the difference dividend payouts made in the overall return investors saw throughout the prior decades. Here are some of the highlights: - The Nasdaq is down 28% since the end of 1999. Even the \""blue chip\"" S&P 500 stocks are down 15% during that time frame\u2026until you add back those \""boring\"" dividends. With dividends included, the S&P 500\u2032s 15% loss flips to a 6% gain. - Without dividends, the S&P 500 index would have produced a loss for the 25 long years from August 1929 to August 1954. Then again, without dividends, the S&P 500 produced a 5% loss during the 13 years from September 1961 to September 1974. But with dividends included, the S&P's loss became a 46% gain. - Over the course of the last half-century, dividends have contributed more than half of the stock market's total return - 56%, to be exact. Of course, you can't discuss the potency of dividend investing without making mention of how awesome compound returns are. I can't stress enough the power of compound interest: you take a small amount of money and turn it into a large amount over time. Finding the right companies at the right price points which not only grow earnings, but also grow their dividend payouts as well! New Watchlist Article Out Today Be sure to check out our weekly Top 50 High-Yield Watchlist Names post that is out today, exclusively for Dividend.com Premium members. This list gives readers a good idea of what stocks we're watching behind the scenes here for potential upgrades. Go Beyond This Newsletter We know many of you enjoy reading the daily newsletter, but remember that with our Dividend.com Premium service, the newsletter is just one small component of what we offer. Here are the \""Big Three\"" benefits of our Premium service: - The Best Dividend Stocks List is used by tens of thousands of investors to help build their own portfolios. - Creating your own Watchlist allows you to track the performance, news, and upcoming dividend payouts of the particular stocks you care about. - Finally, we offer the most complete and easy-to-use dividend data on the web. Many subscribers use this data as part of a \""Dividend Capture\"" trading strategy, but long-term investors can use it to keep track of impending payouts. Just visit our Ex-Dividend Calendar for a complete outlook on which companies will be paying out soon. We don't ask for a credit card to use our free trial, and we don't bill you when your trial ends. No obligation whatsoever! So keep enjoying the newsletter, but please give Dividend.com Premium a shot if you haven't already subscribed! Thanks for reading, and I'll see you tomorrow! Be sure to visit our complete recommended list of the Best Dividend Stocks , as well as a detailed explanation of our ratings system here . The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. Created by Dividend.com The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Ahead of Wall Street - April 14, 2012 - Ahead of Wall Street Thursday, April 12, 2012 This morning's economic data provides no comfort to those looking for evidence that last Friday's jobs miss was a one-off event. We have a big negative jump in Initial Jobless Claims, which could be interpreted as confirmatory of the March payroll miss. But it may be premature to reach that conclusion given the impact that the Easter holiday had on these numbers. The inflation data this morning - benign on the 'headline', but somewhat hot on the 'core' - is not consistent with it needs to show to pave the way for further QE from the Fed. All in all, this morning's basket of data provides no clarity about the underlying economic picture. The initial Jobless Claims data came in weaker than expected, the second soft labor market reading after Friday's surprise non-farm payroll miss for March. When you add in the 10K upward revision to the previous week's tally, we saw a 23K jump in initial claims to 380K. The four-week average, which tends to smooth out the inherent week-to-week jumpiness of this series, increased by 4.2K to 368.5K last week. The increase in claims was not altogether unexpected given the earlier Easter holiday in the survey week, but the extent of the jump is nevertheless disappointing. This is particularly so as many in the market were looking this report to confirm that the payroll miss last Friday was a surprise one-off event. Optimists, like myself, will continue to assign the blame for today's claims miss on the inherent difficulties and complications of seasonal adjustments. But this argument will become weaker if this negative trend fails to reverse in the coming weeks. In other economic news this morning, the March Producer Price Index (PPI) came in weaker than expected on the 'headline' at 'unchanged' vs. up 0.4% in February. The 'core' reading, which strips out the food and energy components, came in hotter than expected at up 0.3% vs. up 0.2% in February. We will get the March CPI report tomorrow, but this PPI reading is not benign enough from a QE perspective. Meaning that those looking for further Fed action will see it as a negative read. Overall though, the PPI reading appears to show some pricing pressures building in the supply chain, but there is no reason to doubt the Fed's view that these pressures will prove to be temporary. On the earnings front, we a better than expected showing from Rite Aid ( RAD ) this morning, while earnings from Fastena l ( FAST ), the nuts and bolts distributor, came in-line with expectations. The major earnings report today is from Google ( GOOG ) after the close, whose shares have noticeably been absent from the market rally lately given its sub-par results in the last quarter. In other news, shares of Royal Dutch Shell ( RDS.A ) will be in focus after an oil sheen was spotted in close proximity to its fields in the Gulf of Mexico. There is no indication of a leak yet, but the market is justifiably wary of any such development following the BP ( BP ) disaster two years ago. Sheraz Mian Director of Research BP PLC ( BP ): Free Stock Analysis Report FASTENAL ( FAST ): Free Stock Analysis Report GOOGLE INC-CL A ( GOOG ): Free Stock Analysis Report RITE AID CORP ( RAD ): Free Stock Analysis Report ROYAL DTCH SH-A (RDS.A): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Q1 Profit Rises 25%, Matching View (FAST) Construction supplies maker Fastenal Company ( FAST ) on Thursday posted a sharp uptick in first quarter earnings, as results met Wall Street expectations. The Winona, MN-based company reported first quarter net income of $100.2 million, or 34 cents per share, compared with $79.5 million, or 27 cents per share, in the year-ago period. Revenue rose 20% from last year to $768.9 million. On average, Wall Street analysts expected a matching profit of 34 cents per share, on slightly lower revenue of $764.7 million. Fastenal shares fell 36 cents, or -0.7%, in premarket trading Thursday. The Bottom Line Shares of Fastenal Company ( FAST ) have a 1.37% dividend yield, based on last night's closing stock price of $49.63. The stock has technical support in the $45 price area. The stock is trading near all-time highs of $55 a share. Fastenal Company ( FAST ) is not recommended at this time, holding a Dividend.com DARS\u2122 Rating of 3.4 out of 5 stars. Be sure to visit our complete recommended list of the Best Dividend Stocks , as well as a detailed explanation of our ratings system here . The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. Created by Dividend.com The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Earnings Roundup"", ""UPDATE: Fastenal Posts Rise In Q1 Profit"", ""Financial Breakfast: Morning News Summary for April 12, 2012"", ""Fastenal Reports Q1 EPS $0.34 vs $0.35 Est; Revenues $768.9M vs $767.55M Est"", ""US Stock Futures Up; All Eyes On Economic Data"", ""Earnings Scheduled For April 12"", ""Stocks To Watch For April 12"", ""7 Hot Stocks on Traders' Radars"", ""7 Hot Stocks on Traders' Radars"", ""NASDAQ 100's Update, In focus: ERTS, MU, STX, ILMN, FAST"", ""New Data: More Questions Than Answers? - Analyst Blog"", ""Ahead of Wall Street - April 14, 2012 - Ahead of Wall Street"", ""Ahead of Wall Street - April 14, 2012 - Ahead of Wall Street"", ""Stocks to watch Thursday: Apogee, Lear, Google A pair of impending IPOs stand out among the corporate headlines of interest to investors early Thursday."", ""Futures Log Moderate Gains""]"
FAST,2012-04-13,18.3702,18.681,18.1292,18.4224,
FAST,2012-04-16,18.4638,18.5458,18.1944,18.2152,"[""13 Industrial Dividend Stocks with Gaining Earnings Growth Momentum"", ""13 Industrial Dividend Stocks with Gaining Earnings Growth Momentum"", ""13 Industrial Dividend Stocks with Gaining Earnings Growth Momentum""]"
FAST,2012-04-17,18.3484,18.5636,18.1717,18.5034,
FAST,2012-04-18,18.3286,18.4204,18.2152,18.307,
FAST,2012-04-19,18.2616,18.307,17.8499,17.9328,
FAST,2012-04-20,18.0809,18.2802,17.9634,18.2013,"[""Fastenal Company Reports Operating Results (10-Q)"", ""Fastenal Company Reports Operating Results (10-Q)"", ""Fastenal Company Reports Operating Results (10-Q)""]"
FAST,2012-04-23,18.0316,18.0316,17.4531,17.5045,"[""Weekly Top Insider Sells: AZO, FAST, KMX, TJX, and SYK"", ""Weekly Top Insider Sells: AZO, FAST, KMX, TJX, and SYK"", ""Weekly Top Insider Sells: AZO, FAST, KMX, TJX, and SYK""]"
FAST,2012-04-24,17.4807,17.5835,17.2221,17.4769,"[""4 Equipment Wholesale Stocks (FAST, GWW, MSM, AIT)"", ""4 Equipment Wholesale Stocks (FAST, GWW, MSM, AIT)"", ""4 Equipment Wholesale Stocks (FAST, GWW, MSM, AIT)""]"
FAST,2012-04-25,17.5863,17.8341,17.5084,17.8075,
FAST,2012-04-26,17.7867,17.8953,17.6012,17.8223,
FAST,2012-04-27,17.9022,18.1717,17.8529,18.0039,"[""The Best Dividends on April 30, 2012"", ""4 Ex-Dividend Stocks With Buy Ratings: F, ASML, FAST, STX"", ""The Best Dividends on April 30, 2012"", ""4 Ex-Dividend Stocks With Buy Ratings: F, ASML, FAST, STX"", ""4 Ex-Dividend Stocks With Buy Ratings: F, ASML, FAST, STX"", ""The Best Dividends on April 30, 2012"", ""4 Ex-Dividend Stocks With Buy Ratings: F, ASML, FAST, STX"", ""4 Ex-Dividend Stocks With Buy Ratings: F, ASML, FAST, STX""]"
FAST,2012-04-30,17.9674,18.0532,17.7009,17.7403,
FAST,2012-05-01,17.6969,18.0138,17.5647,17.8114,
FAST,2012-05-02,17.6475,18.0138,17.5835,17.9881,
FAST,2012-05-03,18.0532,18.144,17.3455,17.3505,
FAST,2012-05-04,17.1609,17.2833,16.7118,16.782,
FAST,2012-05-07,16.6674,16.8026,16.5598,16.6062,"[""Reese Creates a Buffett Portfolio for Possible Berkshire Targets"", ""Reese Creates a Buffett Portfolio for Possible Berkshire Targets"", ""Reese Creates a Buffett Portfolio for Possible Berkshire Targets""]"
FAST,2012-05-08,16.4542,16.695,16.1512,16.6102,"[""15 Most Oversold S&P 500 Stocks"", ""15 Most Oversold S&P 500 Stocks"", ""15 Most Oversold S&P 500 Stocks""]"
FAST,2012-05-09,16.4354,16.4908,16.2677,16.3436,
FAST,2012-05-10,16.4582,16.7859,16.4582,16.7217,"[""Fastenal Company (FAST) CFO Daniel L Florness buys 1,002 Shares"", ""Fastenal Company (FAST) CFO Daniel L Florness buys 1,002 Shares"", ""Fastenal Company (FAST) CFO Daniel L Florness buys 1,002 Shares""]"
FAST,2012-05-11,16.5944,16.8422,16.4088,16.6022,
FAST,2012-05-14,16.391,16.5786,16.2677,16.4542,
FAST,2012-05-15,16.391,16.7326,16.3852,16.4354,
FAST,2012-05-16,16.548,16.7375,16.47,16.6319,
FAST,2012-05-17,16.6526,16.6714,16.0199,16.0377,
FAST,2012-05-18,16.1542,16.2282,15.8067,15.86,
FAST,2012-05-21,15.9143,16.3852,15.8699,16.3486,"[""Update: Lowe's Stock Dives 10% On Weak Sales Outlook"", ""Update: Lowe's Stock Dives 10% On Weak Sales Outlook"", ""Update: Lowe's Stock Dives 10% On Weak Sales Outlook""]"
FAST,2012-05-22,16.4828,16.85,16.3398,16.6862,"[""NASDAQ 100 Round Up - Higher: URBN, VOD, FAST"", ""NASDAQ 100 Round Up - Higher: URBN, VOD, FAST"", ""NASDAQ 100 Round Up - Higher: URBN, VOD, FAST""]"
FAST,2012-05-23,16.5144,16.7918,16.3249,16.7523,
FAST,2012-05-24,16.7997,16.854,16.5766,16.8076,"[""Baron Funds Comments on Fastenal"", ""Baron Funds Comments on Fastenal"", ""Baron Funds Comments on Fastenal""]"
FAST,2012-05-25,16.8925,16.929,16.7375,16.8214,"[""Wunderlich Securities Initiates Coverage on Fastenal at Buy, Announces PT of $51"", ""UPDATE: Wunderlich Securities Initiates Buy, $51 PT on Fastenal Company on Initiatives Offsetting Slowdown in Economy"", ""UPDATE: Wunderlich Securities Initiates Buy, $51 PT on Fastenal Company on Initiatives Offsetting Slowdown in Economy"", ""Wunderlich Securities Initiates Coverage on Fastenal at Buy, Announces PT of $51"", ""UPDATE: Wunderlich Securities Initiates Buy, $51 PT on Fastenal Company on Initiatives Offsetting Slowdown in Economy"", ""Wunderlich Securities Initiates Coverage on Fastenal at Buy, Announces PT of $51""]"
FAST,2012-05-29,17.0593,17.3189,16.9636,17.2133,"[""Tractor Supply Falls On Same-Store Sales Report"", ""Tractor Supply Falls On Same-Store Sales Report"", ""Tractor Supply Falls On Same-Store Sales Report""]"
FAST,2012-05-30,16.9961,17.0326,16.7,16.854,"[""UBS Maintains Fastenal at Neutral, Lowers PT from $53 to $49"", ""UBS Maintains Fastenal at Neutral, Lowers PT from $53 to $49"", ""UBS Maintains Fastenal at Neutral, Lowers PT from $53 to $49""]"
FAST,2012-05-31,16.8184,16.8609,16.5252,16.7553,"Morningstar's Larson sees Facebook as 'mildly undervalued' Paul Larson, editor of Morningstar's StockInvestor, says that many stocks are looking ""mildly undervalued,"" including Facebook."
FAST,2012-06-01,16.4612,16.5944,16.318,16.3604,
FAST,2012-06-04,16.391,16.542,16.1818,16.4354,
FAST,2012-06-05,15.8926,15.8965,14.7042,14.8344,"[""Capital Goods Sector Wrap"", ""NASDAQ 100 Worst Performer: Fastenal"", ""Fastenal down on weak May"", ""Fastenal Dives On May Sales Miss; W.W. Grainger Follows"", ""Fastenal Falls On Weak May Sales, Amazon Competition"", ""Stocks Cling To Gains In Afternoon; Fastenal Plunges"", ""Stocks Up At Midday On Strong Services Data; Titan Jumps"", ""Stocks Lean Higher In Light Trade; Web.com Pops 3%"", ""Stocks Move Higher In Late Trading; SanDisk Adds 5%"", ""WW Grainger, Akamai Technologies Among Stocks Down on High Volume Tuesday"", ""Fastenal Trading 8.2% Lower on Heavy Volume; Currently at $39.82"", ""Fastenal Trading 8.2% Lower on Heavy Volume; Currently at $39.82"", ""Fastenal down on weak May"", ""Fastenal Dives On May Sales Miss; W.W. Grainger Follows"", ""Capital Goods Sector Wrap"", ""Stocks Move Higher In Late Trading; SanDisk Adds 5%"", ""NASDAQ 100 Worst Performer: Fastenal"", ""Fastenal Falls On Weak May Sales, Amazon Competition"", ""Stocks Cling To Gains In Afternoon; Fastenal Plunges"", ""Stocks Up At Midday On Strong Services Data; Titan Jumps"", ""WW Grainger, Akamai Technologies Among Stocks Down on High Volume Tuesday"", ""Stocks Lean Higher In Light Trade; Web.com Pops 3%"", ""Fastenal Trading 8.2% Lower on Heavy Volume; Currently at $39.82"", ""Fastenal down on weak May"", ""Fastenal Dives On May Sales Miss; W.W. Grainger Follows"", ""Capital Goods Sector Wrap"", ""Stocks Move Higher In Late Trading; SanDisk Adds 5%"", ""NASDAQ 100 Worst Performer: Fastenal"", ""Fastenal Falls On Weak May Sales, Amazon Competition"", ""Stocks Cling To Gains In Afternoon; Fastenal Plunges"", ""Stocks Up At Midday On Strong Services Data; Titan Jumps"", ""WW Grainger, Akamai Technologies Among Stocks Down on High Volume Tuesday"", ""Stocks Lean Higher In Light Trade; Web.com Pops 3%"", ""Tuesday\u2019s biggest gaining and declining stocks Akamai, Complete Genomics, Fastenal, Westport Innovations MarketWatch\u2019s daily rundown of major gainers and decliners in the U.S. stock market."", ""U.S. stocks lifted by ISM services index Spain warns it may not be able to borrow on open market U.S. stocks rise, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average closing higher for the first time in five sessions, after better-than-expected data in the services sector.""]"
FAST,2012-06-06,14.8631,14.9776,14.6094,14.9697,"[""Company News for June 6, 2012 - Corporate Summary"", ""Social Media Outlook for Wednesday June 6 (IRM, BKS, TPX, FAST)"", ""Social Media Outlook for Wednesday June 6 (IRM, BKS, TPX, FAST)"", ""Company News for June 6, 2012 - Corporate Summary"", ""Company News for June 6, 2012 - Corporate Summary \u2022 Shares of Fastenal Company (NASDAQ: FAST ) declined 9.7% even after sales rose 18.4% to $275 million in May. This is because to match second-quarter estimates it needs to post sales of $288.35 million in June after it failed to match expectations in May, normally one of its better revenue months \u2022 Freescale Semiconductor Ltd (NYSE: FSL ) increased 7.7% after it announced that Gregg A. Lowe has been appointed as new president and CEO of the company \u2022 Dollar General Corp. (NYSE: DG ) reported first quarter earnings per share of $0.63, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.59 \u2022 United Natural Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ: UNFI ) posted third quarter earnings per share of $0.59, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.56 DOLLAR GENERAL (DG): Free Stock Analysis Report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report FREESCALE SEMI (FSL): Free Stock Analysis Report UTD NATURAL FDS (UNFI): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Social Media Outlook for Wednesday June 6 (IRM, BKS, TPX, FAST)"", ""Company News for June 6, 2012 - Corporate Summary""]"
FAST,2012-06-07,15.1089,15.254,14.9124,14.9894,"[""Titan Machinery EPS Miss Latest Bad News For Sector"", ""Titan Machinery EPS Miss Latest Bad News For Sector - IBD"", ""Titan Machinery EPS Miss Latest Bad News For Sector - IBD"", ""Titan Machinery EPS Miss Latest Bad News For Sector"", ""Titan Machinery EPS Miss Latest Bad News For Sector - IBD"", ""Titan Machinery EPS Miss Latest Bad News For Sector""]"
FAST,2012-06-08,14.9894,15.3132,14.9056,15.2579,
FAST,2012-06-11,15.4365,15.48,14.7456,14.7704,"[""Stocks Mixed In Higher Volume; Questcor, Mellanox Gain"", ""Wunderlich Securities Maintains Fastenal at Buy, Lowers PT from $51 to $48"", ""Wunderlich Securities Maintains Fastenal at Buy, Lowers PT from $51 to $48"", ""Stocks Mixed In Higher Volume; Questcor, Mellanox Gain"", ""Market Wrap-Up for June 11 (GWW, MCD, AAPL, YUM, FAST, more) The bailout news over the weekend regarding Spain had a big open for the markets written all over it, but the early pop quickly fizzled. Looking at the financial sector, we noticed the first signs of investor concerns creeping in late morning as market watchers began to chime in with thoughts that Spain will not be the last major country bailout. W.W. Grainger ( GWW ) ended lower following the company's May sales update. GWW's weakness follows the lead of competitor Fastenal ( FAST ), which was cautious in its own sales update last week. McDonald's ( MCD ) shares fell as analysts came out with estimate cuts following the company's second consecutive monthly sales disappointment from Friday . Main competitor Yum Brands ( YUM ) was also down in unison. Apple ( AAPL ) shares gave up much of its intraday spike following the company's updates during its worldwide developer's conference. Finally, oil ( USO ) prices reversed early gains to close nearly $4 off its morning highs. The Proof is in the \""Decision\"" I'm not sure how many of our readers are boxing fans, but I've followed the sport for many years. Over that time, I've grown used to seeing bad judging decisions, so when I read that Manny Pacquiao lost a controversial split decision Saturday night to new WBO welterweight champion Timothy Bradley, I just shrugged my shoulders. One of the best analysts in the boxing game, HBO's Harold Lederman, scored the fight 11 rounds to 1 for Pacquaio. That scorecard gives you an idea of how much Pacquiao dominated the fight - yet he still somehow emerged the \""loser.\"" I remember back in the 80\u2032s, my friends and I used to pay to see \""closed-circuit\"" boxing events at a local theater. We normally enjoyed these events, until we saw Mike Tyson annihilate Michael Spinks back in 1988. Tyson knocked Spinks out in the very first round, and I really felt like I wasted my money on that fight. From that point on, my friends and I lost a lot of our taste for the big events. Obviously, the sports media has jumped all over the latest boxing controversy. Discussions have arisen about how boxing fans were burned on Pacquiao's controversial loss. A large amount of commentators will mention that \""fans don't have to buy the Pacquiao-Bradley rematch (coming to pay-per-view in November) if they don't want to.\"" The business media reacts similarly to big controversies. Just look at Facebook's ( FB ) IPO debacle, and how the media has stepped up to console the poor investors who who've lost money as a result of buying FB shares. How long does this commentary last, though? Just as the sports media will soon move on to promoting the next big boxing match, so too will the financial media begin touting the next great tech IPO. We all have the ability to decide what we spend our hard-earned money on. We can also pick and choose our own sources of information. Back in the 90\u2032s, I remember watching CNBC/Bloomberg all the time, as I was going through my initial education of life as a trader. I quickly learned the more I tuned in, the less success and confidence I had that I was making the right investing decisions. Remember, the objective of the media is to keep viewers coming back day after day. They accomplish this aim by providing various one-sided (and sometimes controversial) opinions on investing topics. It's just a chase for ratings. I hope that as an investor, you've learned your lessons early on about who to trust for your information. Just as I no longer waste my money on much-hyped boxing events, I also steer clear of the latest flavor-of-the-day investing ideas. I trust you can do the same. Why Aren't the Dividend Stock Ratings Higher? We're sometimes asked by subscribers why our recommended stocks don't have higher ratings. It's pretty simple. When you are in the type of economic environment we have now, where $125 billion bailouts (i.e. Spain this past weekend) take on a celebratory tone, we have to ask ourselves if what we are putting our money into is more \""smoke and mirrors\"" than solid investment ideas. For the most part, the markets have been super-volatile since the birth of Dividend.com (back in early 2008), and we feel we have ridden out the ups and downs as well as anyone has when it comes toinvestment researchand opinion. Determining our position in the economic/investing cycle is our biggest focus, and the answers to that situation are never clear. That said, we also know investors are struggling to find income sources they can rely on. With record-low interest rates continuing to deplete many savers' holdings, people sometimes get desperate in the pursuit of yield. We understand the frustration and it is never our intent to sour investors on income-producing ideas. We simply must maintain a strictinvestment researchcriteria regardless of investor sentiment. Our Beat The Markets with Dividend Stocks eBook Has Arrived! We just debuted our brand new 275-page eBook, exclusively on Dividend.com! In this digital-only book, we look ahead to 2012 and the main factors that could affect dividend investors. A $39.95 value, the eBook is a free download for paid Dividend.com Premium subscribers. Beat The Markets with Dividend Stocks contains a full economic forecast for 2012, including in-depth analysis on 65 of the biggest dividend stocks out there. It's a great way to get prepared for your investing next year! So head over to the Dividend.com Premium homepage now to download your copy. I hope everyone had a chance to check out our Dividend.com Premium members-only weekend articles , including new features that highlight some of the biggest winners and losers from the week that was, such as analyst upgrades/downgrades and earnings/story stocks. These articles are a great way to catch up on the week that was in the markets. We also have a rundown of how various Dividend ETFs performed on the week. Thanks for reading everybody. I'll see you tomorrow! Be sure to visit our complete recommended list of the Best Dividend Stocks , as well as a detailed explanation of our ratings system here . The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. Created by Dividend.com The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Wunderlich Securities Maintains Fastenal at Buy, Lowers PT from $51 to $48"", ""Stocks Mixed In Higher Volume; Questcor, Mellanox Gain""]"
FAST,2012-06-12,14.7416,14.942,14.6628,14.9075,"[""They May Be Boring But, They're Steady Growers (FAST, SSD, GOOG)"", ""They May Be Boring But, They're Steady Growers (FAST, SSD, GOOG)"", ""They May Be Boring But, They're Steady Growers (FAST, SSD, GOOG)""]"
FAST,2012-06-13,14.8306,14.9352,14.6292,14.7052,"[""Don't Underestimate Grainger's Dividend. That 1.8% Yield Is Bigger Than It Looks"", ""Trade Alert - Fastenal High Volume"", ""Trade Alert - Fastenal High Volume"", ""Don't Underestimate Grainger's Dividend. That 1.8% Yield Is Bigger Than It Looks"", ""Trade Alert - Fastenal High Volume"", ""Don't Underestimate Grainger's Dividend. That 1.8% Yield Is Bigger Than It Looks""]"
FAST,2012-06-14,14.7614,14.9056,14.6212,14.789,
FAST,2012-06-15,14.8976,15.0141,14.8344,15.0052,
FAST,2012-06-18,14.8592,15.0585,14.7792,15.0388,
FAST,2012-06-19,15.1493,15.4365,15.1454,15.33,
FAST,2012-06-20,15.3625,15.4237,15.1276,15.2935,"[""Top 4 NASDAQ Stocks In The General Building Materials Industry With The Highest Cash"", ""Top 4 NASDAQ Stocks In The General Building Materials Industry With The Highest Cash"", ""Top 4 NASDAQ Stocks In The General Building Materials Industry With The Highest Cash""]"
FAST,2012-06-21,15.3625,15.4435,14.718,14.7416,
FAST,2012-06-22,14.8394,14.8454,14.6164,14.7456,"3 large-cap stocks insiders are buying Insiders have more information about their companies and understand their businesses way better than outside investors. Stocks with significant insider purchase, like BofA, Fastenal and VMWare, are always worth examining."
FAST,2012-06-25,14.64,14.6962,14.5117,14.6528,
FAST,2012-06-26,14.7022,14.792,14.4594,14.6094,
FAST,2012-06-27,14.6094,14.721,14.4476,14.5364,
FAST,2012-06-28,14.4712,14.6528,14.2501,14.64,
FAST,2012-06-29,14.875,15.2717,14.8424,15.2717,
FAST,2012-07-02,15.2885,15.2885,14.6696,14.789,"[""NASDAQ 100 Top Performer: Sirius XM"", ""UBS Maintains Fastenal at Neutral, Lowers PT from $49 to $41"", ""UBS Maintains Fastenal at Neutral, Lowers PT from $49 to $41"", ""NASDAQ 100 Top Performer: Sirius XM"", ""UBS Maintains Fastenal at Neutral, Lowers PT from $49 to $41"", ""NASDAQ 100 Top Performer: Sirius XM""]"
FAST,2012-07-03,14.789,15.4613,14.71,15.4583,
FAST,2012-07-05,15.3625,15.7405,15.3379,15.6439,
FAST,2012-07-06,15.5995,15.6951,15.33,15.4129,"[""Brace For Impact - Earnings Season Starts Next Week With These Stocks: JPM, AA, MAR, FAST, WFC"", ""Wunderlich Securities: Fastenal's Earnings Preview"", ""Wunderlich Securities: Fastenal's Earnings Preview"", ""Brace For Impact - Earnings Season Starts Next Week With These Stocks: JPM, AA, MAR, FAST, WFC"", ""Wunderlich Securities: Fastenal's Earnings Preview"", ""Brace For Impact - Earnings Season Starts Next Week With These Stocks: JPM, AA, MAR, FAST, WFC""]"
FAST,2012-07-09,15.4129,15.4701,15.2026,15.3705,
FAST,2012-07-10,15.4504,15.5569,14.9894,15.0832,"[""3 Construction Earnings This Week"", ""Earnings Preview: Fastenal Co. - Analyst Blog"", ""Earnings Preview: Fastenal Co. - Analyst Blog"", ""3 Construction Earnings This Week"", ""3 Construction Earnings This Week"", ""Earnings Preview: Fastenal Co. - Analyst Blog Fastenal Co . ( FAST ), one of the leading distributors/retailers of industrial and construction supplies, is set to unveil its second quarter 2012 results on July 12, 2012, before the market opens. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the second quarter earnings is 37 cents on revenues of $806 million. First Quarter 2012 Recap Fastenal reported diluted earnings of $0.34 per share in the first quarter of 2012, up 25.9% year over year as top-line growth offset weak margins. The company's results were in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Fastenal reported strong net sales of $768.9 million in the first quarter of 2012, up 20.2% year over year. Top-line growth was driven by a gradual recovery in global economic conditions and aggressive store openings. Agreement of Estimate Revisions None of the eight estimates for the second quarter of 2012 were lowered in the last 7 days. Over the last 30 days, two out of the eight estimates were lowered. Similarly, in the last 7 days, none of the eight estimates were revised downward for the full year 2012. Over the last 30 days, two out of eight estimates were revised downward for the full year 2012. During the first quarter of 2012, Fastenal had focused more on its growth strategies than gross margin discipline. The gross margin may remain weak in the next quarter as pricing can take time and product and customer mix remain headwinds. This might have pushed some of the estimates downward. Magnitude of Estimate Revisions Given the limited estimate revisions, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the second quarter of fiscal 2012 has remained static over the last 7 as well as 30 days at earnings of 37 cents. However, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal 2012 declined by 2 cents to earnings of $1.42 per share in the last 30 days, although there was no movement during the past 7 days. Surprise History Fastenal's results have been in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the past three quarters. However, the company surpassed the estimate for the second quarter of 2011. On average, the surprise was a 6.67% in the trailing four quarters. Our Recommendation The extremely sluggish economy is taking a toll on the company's business and we do not expect the situation to improve in the coming few months. The stock carries a Zacks #4 Rank (a short-term Sell rating). FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Earnings Preview: Fastenal Co. - Analyst Blog"", ""3 Construction Earnings This Week"", ""3 Construction Earnings This Week""]"
FAST,2012-07-11,15.0733,15.176,14.8394,15.0832,"[""8 Top-Rated Stocks With the Best Earnings Outlooks"", ""Fastenal 2nd Quarter Will Shine Light On Construction"", ""Fastenal Earnings Report Thursday an Indicator for Construction Industry -IBD"", ""Fastenal Earnings Report Thursday an Indicator for Construction Industry -IBD"", ""Fastenal 2nd Quarter Will Shine Light On Construction"", ""8 Top-Rated Stocks With the Best Earnings Outlooks"", ""8 Top-Rated Stocks With the Best Earnings Outlooks"", ""Pre-Market Earnings Report for July 12, 2012 : FAST, CBSH, NG, TRIB, MTOX The following companies are expected to report earnings prior to market open on 07/12/2012. Visit our Earnings Calendar for a full list of expected earnings releases. Fastenal Company ( FAST ) is reporting for the quarter ending June 30, 2012. The building company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 8 analysts that follow the stock is $0.37. This value represents a 15.63% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year FAST has met analyst expectations three times and beat the expectations the other quarter. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2012 Price to Earnings ratio for FAST is 28.04 vs. an industry ratio of 13.60, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Commerce Bancshares, Inc. ( CBSH ) is reporting for the quarter ending June 30, 2012. The bank (midwest) company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 12 analysts that follow the stock is $0.72. This value represents a -4.00% decrease compared to the same quarter last year. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2012 Price to Earnings ratio for CBSH is 13.08 vs. an industry ratio of 12.10, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Novagold Resources Inc New ( NG ) is reporting for the quarter ending May 31, 2012. The consensus earnings per share forecast from the 1 analyst that follows the stock is $-0.06. NG reported earnings of $-0.03 per share for the same quarter a year ago; representing a a increase of 100.00%. Trinity Biotech plc ( TRIB ) is reporting for the quarter ending June 30, 2012. The medical products company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 2 analysts that follow the stock is $0.19. This value represents a 11.76% increase compared to the same quarter last year. TRIB missed the consensus earnings per share in the 4th calendar quarter by -5.26%. The \""days to cover\"" for this stock exceeds 14 days. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2012 Price to Earnings ratio for TRIB is 15.91 vs. an industry ratio of 19.80. Medtox Scientific, Inc. ( MTOX ) is reporting for the quarter ending June 30, 2012. The medical (outpatient/home care) company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 2 analysts that follow the stock is $0.20. This value represents a 25.00% increase compared to the same quarter last year. The last two quarters MTOX had negative earnings surprises; Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2012 Price to Earnings ratio for MTOX is 34.53 vs. an industry ratio of 12.70, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Earnings Report Thursday an Indicator for Construction Industry -IBD"", ""Fastenal 2nd Quarter Will Shine Light On Construction"", ""8 Top-Rated Stocks With the Best Earnings Outlooks"", ""8 Top-Rated Stocks With the Best Earnings Outlooks""]"
FAST,2012-07-12,15.0664,16.1778,15.0585,16.0308,"[""Jobless Claims Lowest in Years. Market Boos? - Analyst Blog"", ""Fastenal rises on profit beat"", ""Capital Goods Sector Wrap"", ""NASDAQ 100 Top Performer: Fastenal"", ""7 Dividend Stocks Paying You More Cash"", ""Fastenal Beats by a Penny - Analyst Blog"", ""Ahead of Wall Street - July 12, 2012 - Ahead of Wall Street"", ""Before You Throw the Baby Out With the Bathwater... CMI, FAST, GWW, AA in Focus"", ""Fastenal Reveals Mixed 2Q Results as Sales Disappoint"", ""Thursday Earnings Preview: Why You Should Watch FAST, RECN & ANGO"", ""Fastenal Company's 2Q Results: Postgame Scorecard"", ""Stock Futures Still Weak After Claims Data"", ""Stocks Still Stuck in the Red"", ""Fastenal Shares Rise Early As 19% Profit Growth Beats"", ""Walt Disney, Walgreen: Stocks to Watch"", ""Merck &, SAP Among Stocks Up on High Volume Thursday"", ""Earnings Scheduled For July 12"", ""Stocks To Watch For July 12"", ""US Stock Futures Down Ahead Of Jobless Claims Data"", ""Fastenal Reports Q2 EPS $0.38 vs $0.37 Est; Revenues $804.9M vs $807.65M Est"", ""Financial Breakfast: Morning News Summary for July 12, 2012"", ""UPDATE: Fastenal Q2 Profit Up 19%"", ""Thursday Market Movers"", ""Fastenal Surges 6% After Q2 Earnings Results"", ""Fastenal Surges 6% After Q2 Earnings Results"", ""Thursday Market Movers"", ""UPDATE: Fastenal Q2 Profit Up 19%"", ""Financial Breakfast: Morning News Summary for July 12, 2012"", ""Fastenal Reports Q2 EPS $0.38 vs $0.37 Est; Revenues $804.9M vs $807.65M Est"", ""US Stock Futures Down Ahead Of Jobless Claims Data"", ""Stocks To Watch For July 12"", ""Earnings Scheduled For July 12"", ""Fastenal rises on profit beat"", ""Capital Goods Sector Wrap"", ""NASDAQ 100 Top Performer: Fastenal"", ""Merck &, SAP Among Stocks Up on High Volume Thursday"", ""Before You Throw the Baby Out With the Bathwater... CMI, FAST, GWW, AA in Focus"", ""Fastenal Shares Rise Early As 19% Profit Growth Beats"", ""7 Dividend Stocks Paying You More Cash"", ""Stocks Still Stuck in the Red"", ""Jobless Claims Lowest in Years. Market Boos? - Analyst Blog"", ""Ahead of Wall Street - July 12, 2012 - Ahead of Wall Street"", ""Ahead of Wall Street - July 12, 2012 - Ahead of Wall Street"", ""Fastenal Beats by a Penny - Analyst Blog"", ""Fastenal Reveals Mixed 2Q Results as Sales Disappoint"", ""Walt Disney, Walgreen: Stocks to Watch"", ""Stock Futures Still Weak After Claims Data"", ""Fastenal Company's 2Q Results: Postgame Scorecard"", ""Thursday Earnings Preview: Why You Should Watch FAST, RECN & ANGO"", ""Market Wrap-Up for July 12 (PG, FAST, MAR, FDO, TXN, LVS, more) The recent selling trend continued today, as investors weigh the possibility of global economic stimulus failing to lift many boats. From an earnings standpoint, we saw a bit of a divergence in today's results. On the upside, SAP ( SAP ) made some bullish comments and Fastenal ( FAST ) is seeing a bit of a bounce after finally releasing their results, which they had previously warned would fall short. On the flip side, investors were not too enamored with results from Infosys Ltd. ( INFY ) and Marriott International ( MAR ). Elsewhere, cautious Wall Street analyst commentary had stocks like Family Dollar Stores ( FDO ), Hormel Foods ( HRL ), Texas Instruments ( TXN ), and Las Vegas Sands ( LVS ) moving lower. Lastly, shares of Procter & Gamble ( PG ) bucking the selling, with the shares rallying on the news Bill Ackman's Pershing Square Capital Management has taken a stake in the consumer goods giant. Headline of the Day Earlier this morning I saw this headline come across the wires: \""Las Vegas Strip Casino Gambling revenue down 18.15% in May.\"" I needed to look at the number several times to believe it. We at Dividend.com are located in South Jersey, just a stone's throw from Atlantic City, so this news cannot bode well for the local market here (Las Vegas is typically a much stronger casino market than Atlantic City). I've been closely tracking the drop in luxury brand shares like Coach ( COH ), Tiffany ( TIF ), and Ralph Lauren ( RL ), as well as dividend-paying casino giants Wynn Resorts ( WYNN ) and Las Vegas Sands ( LVS ). These moves give me pause about the health of the overall economy. Putting the odd diversions of daily economic data aside (one day things look great and the next it's back to \""what can the Federal Reserve do to stimulate things?\""), the proof our concerns are valid are coming across the stock tape on a daily basis. As a pricing mechanism, the stock market tends to do a fairly good job pricing forward news pretty well (granted the bubbles we see on occasion are the result of manic traders which eventually do get resolved for better or worse - usually worse for traders that can not balance themselves properly between fear and greed). The repercussions of the high end of the market slowing down can have a substantial impact on the whole economy. If you think about it, the spending power of those in the higher income brackets tends to get stronger as economic/investing situations show signs of stress. Hence the importance of trying to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to your earning power. When I refer to the term \""hustling,\"" it's not just about making enough money to keep the lights on, or buying a minimal amount of quality dividend stocks each month. Rather, hustling involves going above and beyond the \""normal\"" expectations for monthly income. I can tell you this: the government will not stop hiking taxes, whether it's on your spending, what you earn, or your investment income. It is paramount today, more than ever, to get as far ahead as soon as you can. Once you reach the higher tax brackets, you too can take advantage of lower-priced investments (stocks, real estate) during economic lulls. I have known many great investors who made their best moves in times of crisis. Why can't we all do the same? We can and we will - if we are able to make the extra sacrifices that puts us in a position of financial strength. That way, when opportunities present themselves, we'll be ready to act. Of course, you'll also need to actively seek those opportunities. Most good deals don't just fall into your lap! 25 Years of Dividend-Increasing Stocks We recently updated our list of dividend stocks that have been paying out dividends for 25 years or more. Be sure to check out the latest list of names here . Dividends Really Matter Financial blog DailyReckoning.com recently took a look at the difference dividend payouts made in the overall return investors saw throughout the prior decades. Here are some of the highlights: - The Nasdaq is down 28% since the end of 1999. Even the \""blue chip\"" S&P 500 stocks are down 15% during that time frame\u2026until you add back those \""boring\"" dividends. With dividends included, the S&P 500\u2032s 15% loss flips to a 6% gain. - Without dividends, the S&P 500 index would have produced a loss for the 25 long years from August 1929 to August 1954. Then again, without dividends, the S&P 500 produced a 5% loss during the 13 years from September 1961 to September 1974. But with dividends included, the S&P's loss became a 46% gain. - Over the course of the last half-century, dividends have contributed more than half of the stock market's total return - 56%, to be exact. Of course, you can't discuss the potency of dividend investing without making mention of how awesome compound returns are. I can't stress enough the power of compound interest: you take a small amount of money and turn it into a large amount over time. Finding the right companies at the right price points which not only grow earnings, but also grow their dividend payouts as well! New Watchlist Article Out Today Be sure to check out our weekly Top 50 High-Yield Watchlist Names post that is out today, exclusively for Dividend.com Premium members. This list gives readers a good idea of what stocks we're watching behind the scenes here for potential upgrades. Go Beyond This Newsletter We know many of you enjoy reading the daily newsletter, but remember that with our Dividend.com Premium service, the newsletter is just one small component of what we offer. Here are the \""Big Three\"" benefits of our Premium service: - The Best Dividend Stocks List is used by tens of thousands of investors to help build their own portfolios. - Creating your own Watchlist allows you to track the performance, news, and upcoming dividend payouts of the particular stocks you care about. - Finally, we offer the most complete and easy-to-use dividend data on the web. Many subscribers use this data as part of a \""Dividend Capture\"" trading strategy, but long-term investors can use it to keep track of impending payouts. Just visit our Ex-Dividend Calendar for a complete outlook on which companies will be paying out soon. We don't ask for a credit card to use our free trial, and we don't bill you when your trial ends. No obligation whatsoever! So keep enjoying the newsletter, but please give Dividend.com Premium a shot if you haven't already subscribed! Thanks for reading, and I'll see you tomorrow! Be sure to visit our complete recommended list of the Best Dividend Stocks , as well as a detailed explanation of our ratings system here . The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. Created by Dividend.com The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Beats by a Penny - Analyst Blog Fastenal Company ( FAST ) reported diluted earnings of 38 cents in the second quarter of 2012, up 18.8% y/y as top-line growth was offset by weak margins. However, earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 1 cent. The company reported net sales of $805 million in second quarter of 2012; up 14.7% y/y. Total revenue, however, slightly missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $806 million. Sales Growth Rates Daily sales growth rates were at 17.3%, 13.1% and 14.0% during April, May and June of 2012, down from 23.2%, 22.6% and 22.5%, respectively. The decline in daily sales growth rate was due to a slowdown in the sale of products for industrial production to manufacturing customers. Unfavorable foreign exchange also hurt the daily sales growth in the quarter by 0.4%. Daily sales of the manufacturing customers who represent almost 50% of revenues grew 15.8% in the second quarter of 2012 down from a growth of 18.5% in the prior-year quarter. Daily sales of the non-residential construction customers (represents 20% to 25% of business) grew 12.7% in the second quarter of 2012, versus growth of 15.8% in the prior-year quarter. New Stores Fastenal had 2,635 stores at the end of the second quarter of 2012. Of the 2,635 stores, 25 new stores were opened during the quarter. Weak Margins The company's gross margins were 51.6% in the second quarter of 2012, down by 60 bps from the prior-year quarter. The gross margins were at the lower end of the normal margin range of 51% to 53%. Balance Sheet As of June 30, 2012, Fastenal had cash and cash equivalents of $185.9 million, compared to $117.7 million as of December 31, 2011. On July 11, 2012, the company declared a 11.8% growth on quarterly dividend to $0.19 per share, which is to be paid in cash on August 24, 2012 to shareholders of record on July 27, 2012. The decline in the sale of products for industrial production is taking a toll on the company's business and we do not see the situation improving in the next few months. The stock carries a Zacks #5 Rank (a short-term Strong Sell rating). Based in Winona, Minnesota, Fastenal Co. is a national distributor of industrial and construction supplies, mainly in North America. Fastenal offers over one million products. The company caters to the producers manufacturing original equipment, customers conducting maintenance and repair operations and customers operating in the non-residential construction market. FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Ahead of Wall Street - July 12, 2012 - Ahead of Wall Street Thursday, July 12, 2012 This morning's dramatically positive Jobless Claims data will likely do little to cheer the market, as investors will likely see it lowering the odds of further monetary stimulus from the Fed in the coming days. The overall backdrop for the market has been steadily weakening in recent weeks, be it the domestic economic outlook, the corporate earnings scene or the international growth environment. And many have been looking towards the Fed to come back to the market's rescue. The market didn't seem to be sufficiently impressed with Wednesday's Fed minutes, but the overall tone coming through the minutes is of a central bank ready to take more action. While the committee did not announce a new round of bond purchases and decided instead to extend Operation Twist, 'several members' did acknowledge the need for more policy stimulus should the recovery lose momentum. Notwithstanding this morning's surprisingly positive Jobless Claims reading, the overall trend line of economic reports has lately been on the weaker side. And by the time the FOMC meets again in August, we will have the July non-farm payroll report and the second quarter GDP reading available. The GDP report will most likely show quarterly growth less than the first quarter's 1.9% pace. I would think that the possibility of a QE announcement in the August meeting will increase significantly if the July jobs reports is along the same lines as the last few readings. But this morning's initial Jobless Claims reading runs to counter to the economy-is-losing-momentum narrative and could change the tone of market discourse if sustained over the next few weeks. The initial Jobless Claims report is very positive as it reverses the stalling trend of the last few weeks. Initial Claims dropped 26K last week to 350K, the lowest level in more than three years. The four-week average, which smoothes out the week-to-week volatility, dropped by 9.8 to 376K. Jobless Claims at this level would be consistent with monthly job gains much better than what we have been seeing in the last few months. The key would be whether today's report is a one-off reading or the start of something more enduring. On the earnings front, industrial supplier Fastenal ( FAST ) beat EPS by a penny, though it came modestly short of revenue expectations. Shares of Supervalu ( SVU ) will be in the spotlight today as the grocery-store operator not only reported weaker than expected results, but also announced suspension of its dividend and withdrawal of its full year guidance. Sheraz Mian Director of Research FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report SUPERVALU INC (SVU): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Surges 6% After Q2 Earnings Results"", ""Thursday Market Movers"", ""UPDATE: Fastenal Q2 Profit Up 19%"", ""Financial Breakfast: Morning News Summary for July 12, 2012"", ""Fastenal Reports Q2 EPS $0.38 vs $0.37 Est; Revenues $804.9M vs $807.65M Est"", ""US Stock Futures Down Ahead Of Jobless Claims Data"", ""Stocks To Watch For July 12"", ""Earnings Scheduled For July 12"", ""Fastenal rises on profit beat"", ""Capital Goods Sector Wrap"", ""NASDAQ 100 Top Performer: Fastenal"", ""Merck &, SAP Among Stocks Up on High Volume Thursday"", ""Before You Throw the Baby Out With the Bathwater... CMI, FAST, GWW, AA in Focus"", ""Fastenal Shares Rise Early As 19% Profit Growth Beats"", ""7 Dividend Stocks Paying You More Cash"", ""Stocks Still Stuck in the Red"", ""Jobless Claims Lowest in Years. Market Boos? - Analyst Blog"", ""Ahead of Wall Street - July 12, 2012 - Ahead of Wall Street"", ""Ahead of Wall Street - July 12, 2012 - Ahead of Wall Street"", ""Fastenal Beats by a Penny - Analyst Blog"", ""Fastenal Reveals Mixed 2Q Results as Sales Disappoint"", ""Walt Disney, Walgreen: Stocks to Watch"", ""Stock Futures Still Weak After Claims Data"", ""Fastenal Company's 2Q Results: Postgame Scorecard"", ""Thursday Earnings Preview: Why You Should Watch FAST, RECN & ANGO"", ""Thursday\u2019s biggest gaining and declining stocks Fastenal, Infosys, Immunogen are among Thursday\u2019s movers.""]"
FAST,2012-07-13,16.0693,16.5046,16.0466,16.391,"[""Company News for July 13, 2012 - Corporate Summary"", ""Company News for July 13, 2012 - Corporate Summary"", ""Company News for July 13, 2012 - Corporate Summary \u2022 Shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NYSE: MAR ) dropped 6.4% yesterday after reporting second quarter 2012 earnings of $0.42 per share, at par with the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Marriot also lowered its fee revenue estimates \u2022 SUPERVALU INC. (NYSE: SVU ) crashed 49.2% a day after reporting first quarter fiscal 2013 earnings per share of $0.19, sharply lower than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.38. Further, the company suspended its dividend. \u2022 Shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE: PG ) jumped 3.8% on reports that Pershing Square Capital Management LP has been granted early antitrust approval by the Federal Trade Commission which will enable it to acquire a large stake in the company \u2022 Fastenal Company (NASDAQ: FAST ) jumped 6.3% a day after it announced second quarter 2012 diluted earnings of $0.38 a share, a penny ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report MARRIOTT INTL-A (MAR): Free Stock Analysis Report PROCTER & GAMBL (PG): Free Stock Analysis Report SUPERVALU INC (SVU): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Company News for July 13, 2012 - Corporate Summary""]"
FAST,2012-07-16,16.3812,16.546,16.0959,16.2874,
FAST,2012-07-17,16.3565,16.548,16.169,16.4177,
FAST,2012-07-18,16.3723,17.0445,16.2924,17.005,"[""Amazon Who? W.W. Grainger Earnings Up, Margins Rise"", ""W.W. Grainger, Lumber Liquidators Lift Building Retail"", ""W.W. Grainger, Lumber Liquidators Lift Building Retail"", ""Amazon Who? W.W. Grainger Earnings Up, Margins Rise"", ""W.W. Grainger, Lumber Liquidators Lift Building Retail"", ""Amazon Who? W.W. Grainger Earnings Up, Margins Rise""]"
FAST,2012-07-19,17.0208,17.2182,16.8441,17.1649,
FAST,2012-07-20,17.0859,17.0997,16.6467,16.6596,"[""Fastenal Company Reports Operating Results (10-Q)"", ""Fastenal Down to Underperform - Analyst Blog"", ""Stocks to watch on Friday July 20"", ""Fastenal Down to Underperform - Analyst Blog"", ""Fastenal Down to Underperform - Analyst Blog"", ""Fastenal Company Reports Operating Results (10-Q)"", ""Fastenal Down to Underperform - Analyst Blog We have downgraded our rating on Fastenal Company ( FAST ) from Neutral to Underperform following unimpressive second quarter results. Though the company's second quarter 2012 earnings of 38 cents per share beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by a penny, total revenue of $805 million was below Zacks Consensus Estimate of $806 million mainly due to a slowdown in sales to manufacturing customers. Daily sales growth rates declined sharply in the quarter due to a sluggish market as well as foreign currency headwinds. Daily sales growth rates stood at 17.3%, 13.1% and 14.0%, respectively, for the months of April, May and June, significantly down from the daily growth rates in the corresponding prior-year months. Daily sales to manufacturing customers (representing almost 50% of revenues) grew 15.8% in the second quarter, much below growth of 18.5% in the prior-year quarter and 20.3% in the sequentially preceding quarter. In the second quarter, sales growth of fastener products used mainly for industrial production was significantly less than the first quarter and even less than 2011 and 2010. The sequential change in daily sales for the first half of 2012 was also below historical averages highlighting the rising uncertainty in the growth outlook of Fastenal's end markets. Fastenal's current business strategy involves the opening of new stores at a very fast pace. Though this builds the infrastructure for future growth, it significantly hurts near-term profitability due to the start-up costs involved in opening a new store. Moreover, a new store takes time to build a customer base and typically requires 10 to 12 months to achieve its first profitable month. Moreover, opening stores in new locations also pose challenges. The company had introduced its 'pathway to profit' strategy, in 2007, which called for a slowdown in the pace of store openings and instead use the resultant savings to increase the headcount in stores. This plan aimed to increase average annual per store sales, capturing earnings leverage, and increasing pre-tax earnings. The company aimed to grow its average store sales to $125 thousand per month in order to achieve pre-tax earnings growth as a percent of net sales of 23% (up from 18%) by 2012. However, the company failed to achieve its goal as the new store opening plan was reduced to a range of 2%-5% and headcount additions were almost stopped during the economic setback in 2008-2009. Now, with the economy slightly improving, the company hopes to meet its pre-tax earnings percentage goal with less than the $125 thousand per month figure. Fastenal believes the pre-tax earnings percent goal of 23% might be accomplished with average store sales as low as $100 to $110 thousand per month through cost control in 2013. We are skeptical of the company's ability to achieve the set targets. All these factors combined with the margin pressures due to rising cost of fuel has forced us to downgrade our recommendation on shares of Fastenal. FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Stocks to watch on Friday July 20"", ""Fastenal Down to Underperform - Analyst Blog"", ""Fastenal Down to Underperform - Analyst Blog"", ""Fastenal Company Reports Operating Results (10-Q)""]"
FAST,2012-07-23,16.3654,16.7444,16.2016,16.694,"[""Fastenal Company (FAST) - Bear of the Day"", ""Fastenal Company (FAST) - Bear of the Day"", ""Fastenal Company (FAST) - Bear of the Day""]"
FAST,2012-07-24,16.7296,16.7326,16.0416,16.2302,
FAST,2012-07-25,16.3822,16.4868,16.1907,16.2924,
FAST,2012-07-26,16.619,16.8737,16.4048,16.543,
FAST,2012-07-27,16.7098,16.9784,16.5954,16.8254,"[""8 Industrial Stocks With Big Upside Potential"", ""8 Industrial Stocks With Big Upside Potential"", ""8 Industrial Stocks With Big Upside Potential""]"
FAST,2012-07-30,16.8342,16.9458,16.6378,16.6734,
FAST,2012-07-31,16.6654,16.7286,16.391,16.4098,
FAST,2012-08-01,16.5312,16.6004,16.0061,16.0683,
FAST,2012-08-02,15.8719,16.315,15.785,16.162,
FAST,2012-08-03,16.397,16.4828,16.2351,16.397,
FAST,2012-08-06,16.3762,16.4354,16.2055,16.2568,
FAST,2012-08-07,16.3654,16.6556,16.3526,16.5698,
FAST,2012-08-08,16.5095,16.547,16.2312,16.318,
FAST,2012-08-09,16.3446,16.3446,16.1542,16.2924,
FAST,2012-08-10,16.1127,16.1542,15.8481,16.015,"[""Home Depot Q2 Results Tue. As Housing Rally Quickens"", ""Home Depot Q2 Results Tue. As Housing Rally Quickens"", ""Home Depot Q2 Results Tue. As Housing Rally Quickens""]"
FAST,2012-08-13,15.9607,16.0683,15.8195,16.0584,
FAST,2012-08-14,16.165,16.1946,16.0357,16.09,
FAST,2012-08-15,16.0357,16.4048,16.0357,16.3446,
FAST,2012-08-16,16.3446,16.5746,16.1502,16.5056,
FAST,2012-08-17,16.5746,16.9083,16.318,16.8629,
FAST,2012-08-20,16.8895,16.8915,16.5618,16.619,
FAST,2012-08-21,16.627,16.7404,16.5272,16.6042,
FAST,2012-08-22,16.6042,16.7878,16.5618,16.6428,
FAST,2012-08-23,16.6112,16.694,16.4148,16.6556,
FAST,2012-08-24,16.6152,17.1451,16.549,17.0168,
FAST,2012-08-27,17.0543,17.1205,16.8056,16.8915,
FAST,2012-08-28,16.8668,17.0415,16.7069,16.8135,
FAST,2012-08-29,16.8016,16.8964,16.6042,16.7138,
FAST,2012-08-30,16.5746,16.5846,16.3486,16.391,
FAST,2012-08-31,16.4789,16.6122,16.315,16.397,
FAST,2012-09-04,16.3131,16.6773,16.2795,16.5056,
FAST,2012-09-05,16.2538,16.4266,15.8077,16.0762,
FAST,2012-09-06,16.1068,16.2065,15.8887,16.0505,
FAST,2012-09-07,16.1246,16.1472,15.8887,16.0337,
FAST,2012-09-10,16.0337,16.2963,15.9212,16.0782,
FAST,2012-09-11,16.0407,16.2598,16.0189,16.1858,
FAST,2012-09-12,16.1907,16.3871,16.1808,16.242,
FAST,2012-09-13,16.1315,16.5026,15.9123,16.314,
FAST,2012-09-14,16.2884,16.8579,16.238,16.8441,"[""New Analyst Coverage"", ""New Analyst Coverage"", ""New Analyst Coverage""]"
FAST,2012-09-17,16.777,16.8964,16.6112,16.7366,
FAST,2012-09-18,16.702,16.7582,16.4444,16.4868,"[""16 of the Best Dividend Paying Industrials with Strong Growth and Low Debt Ratios"", ""16 of the Best Dividend Paying Industrials with Strong Growth and Low Debt Ratios"", ""16 of the Best Dividend Paying Industrials with Strong Growth and Low Debt Ratios""]"
FAST,2012-09-19,16.5392,16.7582,16.3723,16.6378,
FAST,2012-09-20,16.6082,16.7878,16.4354,16.7098,"16 Of The Best Dividend Paying Industrials With Strong Growth And Low Debt Ratios Submitted by Dividend Yield as part of our contributors program . Best Dividend Paying Industrial Stocks Researched By "" long-term-investments.blogspot.com "". Industrials are very good for your Asset Allocation. Behind Consumer and Services, the industrial sector is one of the biggest parts of the U.S. Economy. In total, there are 355 companies listed with a common market capitalization of USD 48.43 trillion. The average P/E ratio amounts to 13.77 and the dividend yield is near 2 percent. In order to find the best dividend paying growth stocks from the industrial sector, I screened all companies with a positive dividend yield, great earnings per share growth of more than 10 percent and an operating margin over 15 percent. To get the best results in terms of low debt and high cash, the debt to equity ratio should be under 0.5. Sixteen industrials remained of which nine are currently recommended to buy. The best recommended stock is the aerospace and defense company HEICO ( HEI ) with a yield of 0.32 percent and a buy rating. Here are my favorite stocks: Illinois Tool Works ( ITW ) has a market capitalization of $28.68 billion. The company employs 65,000 people, generates revenue of $17,786.58 million and has a net income of $2,017.01 million. The firm's earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) amounts to $3,320.68 million. The EBITDA margin is 18.67 percent (operating margin 15.35 percent and net profit margin 11.34 percent). Financial Analysis: The total debt represents 22.19 percent of the company's assets and the total debt in relation to the equity amounts to 39.83 percent. Due to the financial situation, a return on equity of 20.60 percent was realized. Twelve trailing months earnings per share reached a value of $3.98. Last fiscal year, the company paid $1.40 in form of dividends to shareholders. The earnings are expected to grow yearly by 11.16 percent for the next five years. Market Valuation: Here are the price ratios of the company: The P/E ratio is 15.37, P/S ratio 1.61 and P/B ratio 2.95. Dividend Yield: 2.48 percent. The beta ratio is 1.17. Fastenal Company ( FAST ) has a market capitalization of $13.02 billion. The company employs 15,578 people, generates revenue of $2,766.86 million and has a net income of $357.93 million. The firm's earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) amounts to $619.32 million. The EBITDA margin is 22.38 percent (operating margin 20.77 percent and net profit margin 12.94 percent). Financial Analysis: The total debt represents 0.00 percent of the company's assets and the total debt in relation to the equity amounts to 0.00 percent. Due to the financial situation, a return on equity of 26.11 percent was realized. Twelve trailing months earnings per share reached a value of $1.34. Last fiscal year, the company paid $0.65 in form of dividends to shareholders. The earnings are expected to grow yearly by 17.12 percent for the next five years. Market Valuation: Here are the price ratios of the company: The P/E ratio is 32.87, P/S ratio 4.71 and P/B ratio 8.90. Dividend Yield: 1.73 percent. The beta ratio is 0.95. FLIR Systems ( FLIR ) has a market capitalization of $3.17 billion. The company employs 3,084 people, generates revenue of $1,544.06 million and has a net income of $222.65 million. The firm's earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) amounts to $390.20 million. The EBITDA margin is 25.27 percent (operating margin 20.28 percent and net profit margin 14.42 percent). Financial Analysis: The total debt represents 11.54 percent of the company's assets and the total debt in relation to the equity amounts to 15.70 percent. Due to the financial situation, a return on equity of 14.36 percent was realized. Twelve trailing months earnings per share reached a value of $1.47. Last fiscal year, the company paid $0.24 in form of dividends to shareholders. The earnings are expected to grow yearly by 12.53 percent for the next five years. Market Valuation: Here are the price ratios of the company: The P/E ratio is 14.23, P/S ratio 2.05 and P/B ratio 2.06. Dividend Yield: 1.34 percent. The beta ratio is 0.80. Precision Castparts ( PCP ) has a market capitalization of $23.02 billion. The company employs 21,480 people, generates revenue of $7,214.60 million and has a net income of $1,217.60 million. The firm's earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) amounts to $1,985.60 million. The EBITDA margin is 27.52 percent (operating margin 25.12 percent and net profit margin 16.88 percent). Financial Analysis: The total debt represents 1.97 percent of the company's assets and the total debt in relation to the equity amounts to 2.49 percent. Due to the financial situation, a return on equity of 15.85 percent was realized. Twelve trailing months earnings per share reached a value of $8.85. Last fiscal year, the company paid $0.12 in form of dividends to shareholders. The earnings are expected to grow yearly by 12.95 percent for the next five years. Market Valuation: Here are the price ratios of the company: The P/E ratio is 17.90, P/S ratio 3.19 and P/B ratio 2.75. Dividend Yield: 0.08 percent. The beta ratio is 1.27. Take a closer look at the full table of the best dividend paying industrial stocks with strong growth and low debt. The average price to earnings ratio (P/E ratio) amounts to 15.19 and forward P/E ratio is 16.13. The dividend yield has a value of 1.90 percent. Price to book ratio is 3.11 and price to sales ratio 2.11. The operating margin amounts to 19.33 percent and the beta ratio is 1.37. The average stock has a debt to equity ratio of 0.16. Selected Articles: · 20 Best Dividend Paying Technology Stocks · 12 Best Dividend Paying Utilities To Consider · 13 Best Dividend Paying Services Stocks · 16 Best Dividend Paying Consumer Goods Stocks · 16 Best Dividend Paying Healthcare Stocks · 18 Best Dividend Paying Basic Material Stocks The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2012-09-21,16.7366,16.9191,16.5095,16.6082,
FAST,2012-09-24,16.5618,16.6654,16.4226,16.5658,
FAST,2012-09-25,16.5894,16.8609,16.4622,16.474,
FAST,2012-09-26,16.4996,16.6338,16.165,16.2055,"[""Homebuilders' Stocks Crushed After Sales Disappoint"", ""Homebuilders'Stocks Crushed After Sales Disappoint"", ""Homebuilders' Stocks Crushed After Sales Disappoint"", ""Homebuilders'Stocks Crushed After Sales Disappoint"", ""Homebuilders' Stocks Crushed After Sales Disappoint"", ""Homebuilders'Stocks Crushed After Sales Disappoint""]"
FAST,2012-09-27,16.2361,16.4552,16.0949,16.3012,
FAST,2012-09-28,16.246,16.397,16.09,16.3614,"[""9 Homebuilder Suppliers Riding the Rebound"", ""9 Homebuilder Suppliers Riding the Rebound"", ""9 Homebuilder Suppliers Riding the Rebound"", ""9 Homebuilder Suppliers Riding the Rebound"", ""9 Homebuilder Suppliers Riding the Rebound""]"
FAST,2012-10-01,16.5244,17.1531,16.3654,16.9705,"[""NASDAQ 100's Top Performers: LLTC, FAST, RIMM"", ""NASDAQ 100's Top Performers: LLTC, FAST, RIMM"", ""NASDAQ 100's Top Performers: LLTC, FAST, RIMM""]"
FAST,2012-10-02,17.0652,17.2103,16.7444,16.8609,
FAST,2012-10-03,16.8777,16.9853,16.7484,16.8737,
FAST,2012-10-04,16.9823,17.233,16.8856,16.933,
FAST,2012-10-05,17.0238,17.1027,16.7582,16.8135,
FAST,2012-10-08,16.7938,16.8174,16.629,16.7286,"[""Earnings Preview: Fastenal Co. - Analyst Blog"", ""Earnings Expectations for the Week of October 8"", ""Earnings Expectations for the Week of October 8"", ""Earnings Preview: Fastenal Co. - Analyst Blog"", ""Earnings Preview: Fastenal Co. - Analyst Blog Fastenal Co. ( FAST ), one of the leading distributors/retailers of industrial and construction supplies, is set to unveil its third quarter 2012 results on October 11, 2012, before the market opens. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for third quarter earnings is 37 cents a share on revenues of $804 million. Second Quarter 2012 Recap Fastenal Company reported diluted earnings of 38 cents a share in the second quarter of 2012, up 18.8% year over year on the back of top-line growth, offset by margin declines. The company's earnings barely beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by a penny. The company reported net sales of $805 million in the second quarter of 2012, up 14.7% over the prior-year quarter. Total revenue, however, fell short of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $806 million, mainly due to a slowdown in sales to manufacturing customers. Daily sales growth rates declined sharply in the quarter due to end market slowdown as well as foreign currency headwinds. Daily sales growth rates stood at 17.3%, 13.1% and 14.0%, respectively, for the months of April, May and June, significantly down from the daily growth rates in the corresponding prior-year months. Agreement of Estimate Revisions None of the 9 estimates for the third quarter of 2012 were revised in the last 7 days. However, over the last 30 days, 2 out of the 9 estimates were lowered. Similarly, in the last 7 days, none of the 10 estimates for the full year 2012 were revised. However, over the last 30 days, 3 out of the 10 estimates were revised downward for the full year 2012. The non residential construction market is sluggish, with a single-digit growth rate. The company is already under a lot of pressure and the lack of significant activity in the construction market will further impact its performance. This might have pushed some of the estimates downward as well. Magnitude of Estimate Revisions Given the limited estimate revisions, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the third quarter of fiscal 2012 has remained static over the last 7 days at earnings of 37 cents a share. However, the estimate has declined by a penny from 38 cents over the last 30 days. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal 2012 has remained static over the last 7 and 30 days at earnings of $1.44 per share. Surprise History Fastenal's results have been in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three out of the four preceding quarters, beating the estimate once in the second quarter of 2012. On an average, the earnings surprise was 2.70% in the trailing four quarters. Our Recommendation The extremely sluggish economy is taking a toll on the company's business and we do not see the situation improving in the next few months. Moreover, Fastenal's 'pathway to profit' strategy has failed to achieve its desired results Other than that, the company's strategy of new store openings significantly hurt near-term profitability due to the start-up costs involved. We currently have 'Underperform' recommendation on Fastenal in the long term. The stock carries a Zacks #4Rank (a short-term 'Sell' rating). On the other hand, we have long term recommendation of 'Neutral' on The Home Depot Inc. ( HD ) one of the largest home improvement retailers. The stock carries a Zacks #2 Rank (a short-term 'Buy' rating). FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report HOME DEPOT (HD): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Earnings Expectations for the Week of October 8"", ""Earnings Preview: Fastenal Co. - Analyst Blog"", ""William Blair fund targets big names for growth (This article was originally published Friday.) --Fund buys shares in companies of nearly any size --Has about $650 million in assets --Tech represents about a third of portfolio, including Apple, Google and Amazon David Fording, a manager of the William Blair Growth Fund (WBGSX), wants sustained growth.""]"
FAST,2012-10-09,16.7138,16.7178,16.238,16.2795,"[""5 Stocks Poised to Pop on Bullish Earnings"", ""Charts Can Warn of Earnings Misses"", ""Sozzi's Day Ahead: Any Clue What You're Doing?"", ""5 Stocks Poised to Pop on Bullish Earnings"", ""Charts Can Warn of Earnings Misses"", ""Sozzi's Day Ahead: Any Clue What You're Doing?"", ""5 Stocks Poised to Pop on Bullish Earnings"", ""Charts Can Warn of Earnings Misses"", ""Sozzi's Day Ahead: Any Clue What You're Doing?""]"
FAST,2012-10-10,16.3486,16.5352,16.0762,16.1068,"[""Investors Look For Bellwether Fastenal To Return To Rising Profits"", ""Stocks Fall In Higher Trade Again, End Near Session Lows"", ""Options Alert - Fastenal"", ""Fastenal Boost Quarterly Dividend to $0.21 From $0.19"", ""Fastenal Company Announces Cash Dividend of $0.21/share"", ""Fastenal Company Announces Cash Dividend of $0.21/share"", ""Fastenal Boost Quarterly Dividend to $0.21 From $0.19"", ""Options Alert - Fastenal"", ""Stocks Fall In Higher Trade Again, End Near Session Lows"", ""Investors Look For Bellwether Fastenal To Return To Rising Profits"", ""Pre-Market Earnings Report for October 11, 2012 : FAST, SWY, CMN, WGO, ATNY The following companies are expected to report earnings prior to market open on 10/11/2012. Visit our Earnings Calendar for a full list of expected earnings releases. Fastenal Company ( FAST ) is reporting for the quarter ending September 30, 2012. The building company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 9 analysts that follow the stock is $0.37. This value represents a 12.12% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year FAST has met analyst expectations three times and beat the expectations the other quarter. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2012 Price to Earnings ratio for FAST is 29.71 vs. an industry ratio of 17.10, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Safeway Inc. ( SWY ) is reporting for the quarter ending September 30, 2012. The supermarket company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 16 analysts that follow the stock is $0.42. This value represents a 10.53% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year SWY has met analyst expectations once and beat the expectations the other three quarters. The \""days to cover\"" for this stock exceeds 12 days. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2012 Price to Earnings ratio for SWY is 8.25 vs. an industry ratio of 14.70. Cantel Medical Corp. ( CMN ) is reporting for the quarter ending July 31, 2012. The medical instruments company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 2 analysts that follow the stock is $0.31. This value represents a 72.22% increase compared to the same quarter last year. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2012 Price to Earnings ratio for CMN is 24.82 vs. an industry ratio of -2.50, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Winnebago Industries, Inc. ( WGO ) is reporting for the quarter ending August 31, 2012. The building company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 2 analysts that follow the stock is $0.17. This value represents a 41.67% increase compared to the same quarter last year. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2012 Price to Earnings ratio for WGO is 40.23 vs. an industry ratio of 20.80, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. API Technologies Corp. ( ATNY ) is reporting for the quarter ending August 31, 2012. The military company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 2 analysts that follow the stock is $-0.01. This value represents a -75.00% decrease compared to the same quarter last year. The \""days to cover\"" for this stock exceeds 12 days. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2012 Price to Earnings ratio for ATNY is -1.56 vs. an industry ratio of 5.90. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Company Announces Cash Dividend of $0.21/share"", ""Fastenal Boost Quarterly Dividend to $0.21 From $0.19"", ""Options Alert - Fastenal"", ""Stocks Fall In Higher Trade Again, End Near Session Lows"", ""Investors Look For Bellwether Fastenal To Return To Rising Profits""]"
FAST,2012-10-11,17.0099,17.9506,16.7444,17.4639,"[""Futures Higher as Growth Worries Eased. Stocks to Watch: AAPL, DRWI, FAST, FSLR, HPQ, IRM, RT, SWY, TSL"", ""Fastenal Profit Meets Forecast, Building Slows"", ""Stocks Rally In Mixed Volume; LinkedIn, Fastenal Jump"", ""Fastenal Meets Views as 3Q Net Rises 13%"", ""Fastenal Meets EPS Est, Sales Lag - Analyst Blog"", ""Stocks Closed Narrowly Mixed"", ""Stocks Start Firm On Low Jobless Claims, Then Taper Off"", ""Fastenal sees slowing growth"", ""Stocks Open Higher In Mixed Trade; Fastenal Bolts"", ""NASDAQ 100's Top Performers: FAST, FSLR, RIMM"", ""Stocks To Watch For October 11, 2012"", ""Earnings Scheduled For October 11, 2012"", ""Benzinga Market Primer, Thursday October 11"", ""US Stock Futures Up Ahead Of Economic Data"", ""Fastenal Reports Q3 EPS $0.37 vs $0.37 Est; Revenues $802.58M vs $804.90M Est"", ""UPDATE: Fastenal Q3 Profit Up 13%"", ""UPDATE: Fastenal Q3 Profit Up 13%"", ""Fastenal Reports Q3 EPS $0.37 vs $0.37 Est; Revenues $802.58M vs $804.90M Est"", ""US Stock Futures Up Ahead Of Economic Data"", ""Benzinga Market Primer, Thursday October 11"", ""Earnings Scheduled For October 11, 2012"", ""Stocks To Watch For October 11, 2012"", ""Fastenal sees slowing growth"", ""Stocks Closed Narrowly Mixed"", ""Stocks Start Firm On Low Jobless Claims, Then Taper Off"", ""NASDAQ 100's Top Performers: FAST, FSLR, RIMM"", ""Fastenal Meets EPS Est, Sales Lag - Analyst Blog"", ""Fastenal Profit Meets Forecast, Building Slows"", ""Stocks Rally In Mixed Volume; LinkedIn, Fastenal Jump"", ""Stocks Open Higher In Mixed Trade; Fastenal Bolts"", ""Fastenal Meets Views as 3Q Net Rises 13%"", ""Futures Higher as Growth Worries Eased. Stocks to Watch: AAPL, DRWI, FAST, FSLR, HPQ, IRM, RT, SWY, TSL"", ""Fastenals Q3 Profit Matches View, but Revenue Misses (FAST) Industrial and construction supplier, Fastenal Company ( FAST ) on Thursday posted mixed third quarter earnings results. The Winona, MN based company reported third quarter net income of $109.32 million or $0.37 per share compared with $96.80 million or $0.33 per share last year. Revenue rose 10.4% from last year to $802.58 million. On average, Wall Street analysts expected a matching profit of $0.37 per share on higher revenue of $804.80 million. Fastenal Company ( FAST ) was down $0.32 (-0.76%) in premarket trading Thursday. The Bottom Line Fastenal Company ( FAST ) is not recommended at this time, holding a Dividend.com DARS\u2122 Rating of 3.3 out of 5 stars. Be sure to visit our complete recommended list of the Best Dividend Stocks , as well as a detailed explanation of our ratings system here . The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. Created by Dividend.com The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Market Wrap-Up for Oct.11 (FAST, MO, MA, V, RAI, more) Despite continued turbulence in the global news flow (S&P downgrading Spain's debt once again, Greece's unemployment rate jumping over 25% for first time ever), traders have been viewing the recent stock tape action as nothing more than the usual pullback. With the amount of bailouts or rumored bailouts, it has paid to be a buyer on any pullbacks. Will this trend be changing? We're certainly keeping an eye on this potential shift. Tobacco plays like Reynolds American ( RAI ) and Altria Group ( MO ) continue to lag the action as some market watchers fear the as-of-yet undetermined potential dividend tax rate hike as a possible overhang. Some long-term holders of these stocks could be positioning themselves to avoid the possible dividend tax hike for next year. As I've said numerous times, we at Dividend.com will withhold judgement on a potential dividend tax change until it's actually decided. As of now, any tax changes are just political footballs being passed around in attempts to sway voters this election season. We'll be sure to keep readers abreast of the exact change, if and when it's finally decided. One final note on the potential for higher dividend taxes: just remember that we've seen much higher dividend taxes in the past, yet dividend stocks still outperformed non-dividend stocks over the long term by a wide margin. With interest rates are all-time low levels, people looking for for solid yield will still find it in dividend payers, regardless of the potential tax hike. Looking at earnings-related moves today, Fastenal ( FAST ) jumped higher following its earnings results. The company also announced a 10% boost to its dividend payout. Meanwhile, supermarket giant Safeway ( SWY ) headed lower following its earnings numbers released before the bell. Despite the late-day pullback, credit card names like Mastercard ( MA ) and Visa ( V ) remained resilient as momentum traders pushed those key plays higher. Pacing the Wins You have probably heard me use the phrase \""hustle\"" when I describe the work ethic many successful individuals tend to display. In order to achieve a regular dose of accomplishments, however, you must consider how to pace your mind. You need to be able to focus on the key tasks that need to be completed throughout each day. I tend to take copious notes in a daily notebook I keep, so I have constant reminders of my headline tasks that need to be addressed. Whether you are an entrepreneur like myself or you work for a corporation or small business, you should consider formulating a daily plan to highlight the biggest moments of each day. When it comes to investing, the same idea makes a ton of sense as well. Plan to regularly review the earnings results of stocks you own (or are considering owning), and take note of how the stocks react following earnings results or analyst commentary. Also, building long-term wealth involves a methodical approach of committing capital to investments on a regular basis. I tend to recommend investors consider making monthly deposits in their brokerage accounts, and using those funds to purchase the best high-quality dividend stocks possible. This process will help you avoid the mistake of trying to time the markets, which is almost impossible (even for the most experienced and sophisticated investors out there). Remember, no one can pick an exact market top or market bottom! All the things you plan well for will eventually lead to piling up wins, both in your career and in your investing. There are only so many hours in each day, however, so try and budget your time as wisely as possible. Identify the most important tasks you absolutely need to accomplish each day, and make sure you get those done. Challenge yourself to get as much done as you can, but if you try to do way too much, you'll likely burn out. Plus, you may eventually lose the ability to discern between a legitimate opportunity and one that's just a waste of time. 25 Years of Dividend-Increasing Stocks We recently updated our list of dividend stocks that have been paying out dividends for 25 years or more. Be sure to check out the latest list of names here . Dividends Really Matter Financial blog DailyReckoning.com recently took a look at the difference dividend payouts made in the overall return investors saw throughout the prior decades. Here are some of the highlights: - The Nasdaq is down 28% since the end of 1999. Even the \""blue chip\"" S&P 500 stocks are down 15% during that time frame\u2026until you add back those \""boring\"" dividends. With dividends included, the S&P 500\u2032s 15% loss flips to a 6% gain. - Without dividends, the S&P 500 index would have produced a loss for the 25 long years from August 1929 to August 1954. Then again, without dividends, the S&P 500 produced a 5% loss during the 13 years from September 1961 to September 1974. But with dividends included, the S&P's loss became a 46% gain. - Over the course of the last half-century, dividends have contributed more than half of the stock market's total return - 56%, to be exact. Of course, you can't discuss the potency of dividend investing without making mention of how awesome compound returns are. I can't stress enough the power of compound interest: you take a small amount of money and turn it into a large amount over time. Finding the right companies at the right price points which not only grow earnings, but also grow their dividend payouts as well! New Watchlist Article Out Today Be sure to check out our weekly Top 50 High-Yield Watchlist Names post that is out today, exclusively for Dividend.com Premium members. This list gives readers a good idea of what stocks we're watching behind the scenes here for potential upgrades. Go Beyond This Newsletter We know many of you enjoy reading the daily newsletter, but remember that with our Dividend.com Premium service, the newsletter is just one small component of what we offer. Here are the \""Big Three\"" benefits of our Premium service: - The Best Dividend Stocks List is used by tens of thousands of investors to help build their own portfolios. - Creating your own Watchlist allows you to track the performance, news, and upcoming dividend payouts of the particular stocks you care about. - Finally, we offer the most complete and easy-to-use dividend data on the web. Many subscribers use this data as part of a \""Dividend Capture\"" trading strategy, but long-term investors can use it to keep track of impending payouts. Just visit our Ex-Dividend Calendar for a complete outlook on which companies will be paying out soon. We don't ask for a credit card to use our free trial, and we don't bill you when your trial ends. No obligation whatsoever! So keep enjoying the newsletter, but please give Dividend.com Premium a shot if you haven't already subscribed! Thanks for reading, and I'll see you tomorrow! Be sure to visit our complete recommended list of the Best Dividend Stocks , as well as a detailed explanation of our ratings system here . The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. Created by Dividend.com The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""UPDATE: Fastenal Q3 Profit Up 13%"", ""Fastenal Reports Q3 EPS $0.37 vs $0.37 Est; Revenues $802.58M vs $804.90M Est"", ""US Stock Futures Up Ahead Of Economic Data"", ""Benzinga Market Primer, Thursday October 11"", ""Earnings Scheduled For October 11, 2012"", ""Stocks To Watch For October 11, 2012"", ""Fastenal sees slowing growth"", ""Stocks Closed Narrowly Mixed"", ""Stocks Start Firm On Low Jobless Claims, Then Taper Off"", ""NASDAQ 100's Top Performers: FAST, FSLR, RIMM"", ""Fastenal Meets EPS Est, Sales Lag - Analyst Blog"", ""Fastenal Profit Meets Forecast, Building Slows"", ""Stocks Rally In Mixed Volume; LinkedIn, Fastenal Jump"", ""Stocks Open Higher In Mixed Trade; Fastenal Bolts"", ""Fastenal Meets Views as 3Q Net Rises 13%"", ""Futures Higher as Growth Worries Eased. Stocks to Watch: AAPL, DRWI, FAST, FSLR, HPQ, IRM, RT, SWY, TSL""]"
FAST,2012-10-12,17.4443,17.5251,17.0623,17.2449,"[""Sozzi's Day Ahead: The Hannibal Lecter Investing Toolkit"", ""Company News for October 12, 2012 - Corporate Summary"", ""Fastenal: A Great Hold but a Pricey Buy"", ""Wunderlich Securities Maintains Fastenal at Buy, Raises PT from $48 to $52"", ""Barclays Maintains Fastenal at Underweight, Raises PT from $38 to $41"", ""UBS Maintains Fastenal at Neutral, Raises PT from $42 to $45"", ""UBS Maintains Fastenal at Neutral, Raises PT from $42 to $45"", ""Barclays Maintains Fastenal at Underweight, Raises PT from $38 to $41"", ""Wunderlich Securities Maintains Fastenal at Buy, Raises PT from $48 to $52"", ""Fastenal: A Great Hold but a Pricey Buy"", ""Fastenal: A Great Hold but a Pricey Buy"", ""Company News for October 12, 2012 - Corporate Summary"", ""Sozzi's Day Ahead: The Hannibal Lecter Investing Toolkit"", ""Company News for October 12, 2012 - Corporate Summary \u2022 Shares of Safeway Inc. (NYSE: SWY ) dropped 3.6% after reporting a third quarter net income of $108.0 million, well below the prior year's net income of $130.3. Earnings of $0.45 a share were, however, $0.03 ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate \u2022 Fastenal Company's (NASDAQ: FAST ) shares jumped 8.4% after reporting a 12.1% yearly surge in third quarter diluted earnings, which came in at $0.37 per share, in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate \u2022 According to reports, Japan's cellular company Softbank Corp. will make a \""potential substantial investment\"" in Sprint Nextel Corp. (NYSE: S ). Following this development, shares of the company gained 14.3%. \u2022 Investor Carl Icahn offered to buy Oshkosh Corporation (NYSE: OSK ) and will be paying $32.50 for every share. Following this development, shares of the company gained 11.4% FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report OSHKOSH CORP (OSK): Free Stock Analysis Report SPRINT NEXTEL (S): Free Stock Analysis Report SAFEWAY INC (SWY): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""UBS Maintains Fastenal at Neutral, Raises PT from $42 to $45"", ""Barclays Maintains Fastenal at Underweight, Raises PT from $38 to $41"", ""Wunderlich Securities Maintains Fastenal at Buy, Raises PT from $48 to $52"", ""Fastenal: A Great Hold but a Pricey Buy"", ""Fastenal: A Great Hold but a Pricey Buy"", ""Company News for October 12, 2012 - Corporate Summary"", ""Sozzi's Day Ahead: The Hannibal Lecter Investing Toolkit"", ""Boring industrial company trounces tech stocks Does your broker know about this stock?""]"
FAST,2012-10-15,17.3475,17.4521,17.1363,17.3347,"[""Six Dividend Winners Boosting Investors' Distributions"", ""Q3 Earnings Season: So Far, Not So Good (FAST, LEN, BBBY, WAG, MOS, AA)"", ""Earnings Analysis: Fastenal Co. (NASDAQ:FAST)"", ""Earnings Analysis: Fastenal Co. (NASDAQ:FAST)"", ""Q3 Earnings Season: So Far, Not So Good (FAST, LEN, BBBY, WAG, MOS, AA)"", ""Six Dividend Winners Boosting Investors' Distributions"", ""Earnings Analysis: Fastenal Co. (NASDAQ:FAST)"", ""Q3 Earnings Season: So Far, Not So Good (FAST, LEN, BBBY, WAG, MOS, AA)"", ""Six Dividend Winners Boosting Investors' Distributions""]"
FAST,2012-10-16,17.1245,17.3623,17.0001,17.0948,"[""NASDAQ 100's Top Performers: FSLR, MAT, BRCM"", ""Grainger Misses, Lowers Outlook On Sluggish Economy"", ""Fastenal's Valuation Leaves No Room For A Slowdown (FAST, GWW, MSM, AMZN)"", ""NASDAQ 100's Top Performers: FSLR, MAT, BRCM"", ""Grainger Misses, Lowers Outlook On Sluggish Economy"", ""Fastenal's Valuation Leaves No Room For A Slowdown (FAST, GWW, MSM, AMZN)"", ""Fastenal's Valuation Leaves No Room For A Slowdown (FAST, GWW, MSM, AMZN)"", ""NASDAQ 100's Top Performers: FSLR, MAT, BRCM"", ""Grainger Misses, Lowers Outlook On Sluggish Economy"", ""Fastenal's Valuation Leaves No Room For A Slowdown (FAST, GWW, MSM, AMZN)"", ""Fastenal's Valuation Leaves No Room For A Slowdown (FAST, GWW, MSM, AMZN)""]"
FAST,2012-10-17,17.1027,17.3554,17.0208,17.2933,"[""Insiders Trading ICPT JNS PCS FAST"", ""Insiders Trading ICPT JNS PCS FAST"", ""Insiders Trading ICPT JNS PCS FAST""]"
FAST,2012-10-18,17.2449,17.2656,17.0277,17.0277,
FAST,2012-10-19,16.9961,17.1402,16.5776,16.6556,"[""Fascinated by Fastenal"", ""Fascinated by Fastenal"", ""Fascinated by Fastenal"", ""Fascinated by Fastenal"", ""Fascinated by Fastenal""]"
FAST,2012-10-22,16.6634,17.0573,16.6004,16.8964,"[""Weekly Top Insider Sells: DG, COST, RRC, and IRM According to GuruFocus Insider Data , these are the largest insider sells during the past week. The overall trend of insiders is illustrated in the chart below: Dollar General Corp. ( DG ): Director Adrian M. Jones sold 1,172,263 Shares Director of Dollar General Corp. ( DG ) Adrian M. Jones sold 1,172,263 shares on 10/11/2012 at an average price of $47.17. Dollar General Corporation is a discount retailer in the U.S. Dollar General Corp. has a market cap of $16.17 billion; its shares were traded at around $47.17 with a P/E ratio of 18.5 and P/S ratio of 1.1. On Sept. 5, Dollar General Corporation quarterly results for the quarter ended August 3, 2012. The Company's net income increased by 47 percent to$214 million in the 2012 second quarter, compared to net income of$146 million in the 2011 second quarter. Adjusted net income, as defined in the accompanying table, increased 27 percent to$231 million in the 2012 quarter, compared to$181 million in the 2011 quarter. Diluted earnings per share increased to$0.64 in the 2012 second quarter from$0.42 in the 2011 quarter. Adjusted diluted EPS increased by 33 percent to$0.69 in the 2012 second quarter from$0.52 in the 2011 second quarter. Costco Wholesale Corporation ( COST ): Chairman of the Board Jeffrey H. Brotman sold 150,000 Shares Chairman of the Board of Costco Wholesale Corporation ( COST ) Jeffrey H. Brotman sold 150,000 shares on 10/17/2012 at an average price of $94.65. Costco Wholesale Corp. operates membership warehouses based on the concept that offering members very low prices on a limited selection of nationally branded and selected private label products in a wide range of merchandise categories will produce high sales volumes and rapid inventory turnover. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a market cap of $42.18 billion; its shares were traded at around $94.65 with a P/E ratio of 24.6 and P/S ratio of 0.4. The dividend yield of Costco Wholesale Corp. stocks is 1.1%. Costco Wholesale Corporation had an annual average earnings growth of 9.3% over the past 10 years. GuruFocus rated Costco Wholesale Corp. the business predictability rank of 5-star . On Oct. 10, 2012 Costco Wholesale announced its operating results for the 17-week fourth quarter and the 53-week fiscal year 2012 ended Sept. 2, 2012. Net sales for the 17-week fourth quarter were $31.52 billion, an increase of 14 percent from $27.59 billion in the 16-week fourth quarter of fiscal 2011 ended August 28, 2011. Net sales for the 53-week fiscal year 2012 were $97.06 billion, an increase of 12 percent from $87.05 billion in the prior 52-week fiscal year. Net income for the 17-week fourth quarter of fiscal 2012 was $609 million, or $1.39 per diluted share, compared to $478 million, or $1.08 per diluted share, during the 16-week fourth quarter of fiscal 2011. Director James D. Sinegal sold 100,000 shares of COST stock on 08/07/2012 at the average price of $95.88. James D. Sinegal owns at least 1,931,619 shares after this. The price of the stock has decreased by 1.28% since. Range Resources Corp. ( RRC ): Senior Vice President Mark D. Whitley sold 161,934 Shares Senior Vice President of Range Resources Corp. ( RRC ) Mark D. Whitley sold 161,934 shares on 10/16/2012 at an average price of $68.83. Range Resources Corp. acquires, develops, and finances oil and gas properties in the U.S. Range Resources Corp. has a market cap of $11.66 billion; its shares were traded at around $68.83 with a P/E ratio of 96.9 and P/S ratio of 9.6. The dividend yield of Range Resources Corp. stocks is 0.2%. Range Resources Corp. had an annual average earnings growth of 7.3% over the past 10 years. On Oct. 11, 2012 Range Resources Corp. announced its third quarter 2012 production results, preliminary realized prices and an update on its hedging status. On an equivalent basis, production volumes exceeded the upper range of guidance for the third quarter production averaging 790 Mmcfe net per day, a 47% increase over the prior-year quarter and 10% greater than second quarter 2012. Executive Chairman John H. Pinkerton sold 50,000 shares of RRC stock on 09/11/2012 at the average price of $69.95. John H. Pinkerton owns at least 2,027,921 shares after this. The price of the stock has decreased by 1.6% since. Iron Mountain Incorporated ( IRM ): President, Iron Mountain International Marc A. Duale sold 150,000 Shares President, Iron Mountain International of Iron Mountain Incorporated ( IRM ) Marc A. Duale sold 150,000 shares on 10/11/2012 at an average price of $34.08. Iron Mountain Incorporated is one of the world's largest records and information management services company. Iron Mountain Incorporated has a market cap of $6.05 billion; its shares were traded at around $34.08 with a P/E ratio of 26.3 and P/S ratio of 2. The dividend yield of Iron Mountain Incorporated stocks is 3.1%. Iron Mountain Incorporated had an annual average earnings growth of 11.6% over the past 10 years. GuruFocus rated Iron Mountain Incorporated the business predictability rank of 4-star. Company will announce the third quarter 2012 results on Oct. 31, 2012. President North America Harold E. Ebbighausen sold 64,718 shares of IRM stock on 09/04/2012 at the average price of $32.53. Harold E. Ebbighausen owns at least 26,476 shares after this. The price of the stock has increased by 4.76% since. Fastenal Company ( FAST ): Director Robert A. Kierlin sold 100,000 Shares Director of Fastenal Company ( FAST ) Robert A. Kierlin sold 100,000 shares on 10/14/2012 at an average price of $43.76. Fastenal Company sells industrial and construction supplies grouped into eleven product lines. Fastenal Company has a market cap of $13.42 billion; its shares were traded at around $43.76 with a P/E ratio of 32.6 and P/S ratio of 4.9. The dividend yield of Fastenal Company stocks is 1.7%. Fastenal Company had an annual average earnings growth of 17.3% over the past 10 years. GuruFocus rated Fastenal Company the business predictability rank of 3-star. On Oct. 11, 2012, the Fastenal Company of Winona, MN reported the results of the quarter ended Sept. 30, 2012. Net sales, net earnings, and net earnings per share were as follows for the period ended Sept. 30: net sales was $2.3 billion, 14.9% more than that of a year ago; net earnings was $322 million or $1.09 per share. Director Robert A. Kierlin sold 100,000 shares of FAST stock on 10/14/2012 at the average price of $45.26. Robert A. Kierlin owns at least 12,910,800 shares after this. The price of the stock has decreased by 3.31% since. For the complete list of stocks that were bought and sold by their company executives, go to: Insider Buys.About GuruFocus: GuruFocus.com tracks the stocks picks and portfolio holdings of the world's best investors. This value investing site offers stock screeners and valuation tools. And publishes daily articles tracking the latest moves of the world's best investors. GuruFocus also provides promising stock ideas in 3 monthly newsletters sent to Premium Members . The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""5 Big-Name Stocks Going Ex-Dividend This Week Ex-dividend dates are very important to dividend investors, since you must purchase a stock prior to its ex-dividend date in order to receive its next upcoming dividend payout. Below are five big-name stocks going ex-dividend for the week of October 22-26, 2012. 1. PetSmart PetSmart Inc.( PETM ) is set to go ex-dividend on Oct. 24. The pet product retailer offers a wide variety of pet products and services including grooming, training, and boarding. PETM has a current dividend yield of 0.96%. Dividend.com currently rates PETM a \""Neutral,\"" with a DARS\u2122 Rating of 3.4 out of 5 stars. 2. Williams-Sonoma Williams-Sonoma, Inc.( WSM ) has a ex-dividend date of Oct. 24. The home goods retailer, specializing in high quality products for the home, has a current dividend yield of 1.86%. Dividend.com currently rates WSM a \""Neutral,\"" with a DARS\u2122 Rating of 3.4 out of 5 stars. 3.Fastenal Company Fastenal Company( FAST ) is set to go ex-dividend on Oct. 25. This industrial and construction supplier offers products in both wholesale and retail. FAST currently has a dividend yield of 1.92%. Dividend.com currently rates FAST a \""Neutral,\"" with a DARS\u2122 Rating of 3.3 out of 5 stars. 4. HSBC Holdings HSBC Holdings( HBC ) has an ex-dividend date of Oct. 24. This financial services organization, which offers retail banking and wealth management, commercial banking, global banking and markets, and global private banking, has a current dividend yield of 5.7%. Dividend.com currently rates HBC a \""Neutral,\"" with a DARS\u2122 Rating of 3.3 out of 5 stars. 5.The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation( BK ) is set to go ex-dividend on Oct. 24. This financial service company, which focuses on investment management and investment services, has a current dividend yield of 2.11%. Dividend.com currently rates BK a \""Neutral,\"" with a DARS\u2122 Rating of 3.2 out of 5 stars. Be sure to visit our complete recommended list of the Best Dividend Stocks , as well as a detailed explanation of our ratings system here . The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. Created by Dividend.com The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2012-10-23,16.7316,16.9231,16.6428,16.7878,
FAST,2012-10-24,16.8412,16.9853,16.623,16.6378,
FAST,2012-10-25,16.7553,16.8895,16.4088,16.4612,
FAST,2012-10-26,16.4612,16.6092,16.3812,16.5352,"[""Catholic Dividend Fund Rejects Allure Of High Yields"", ""Catholic Dividend Fund Rejects Allure Of High Yields"", ""Catholic Dividend Fund Rejects Allure Of High Yields""]"
FAST,2012-10-31,16.6338,17.3663,16.5954,17.0929,"[""NASDAQ 100 Top Performer: NII Holdings"", ""NASDAQ 100 Top Performer: NII Holdings"", ""NASDAQ 100 Top Performer: NII Holdings""]"
FAST,2012-11-01,17.1847,17.2547,17.0978,17.233,"[""5 Big Stocks to Trade for November Gains"", ""5 Big Stocks to Trade for November Gains"", ""5 Big Stocks to Trade for November Gains""]"
FAST,2012-11-02,17.3031,17.3031,16.7484,16.7484,
FAST,2012-11-05,16.3427,16.5736,16.167,16.5154,
FAST,2012-11-06,16.5618,16.6072,16.2805,16.5124,"[""The Day Ahead: Stay as Sharp as a Chainsaw"", ""The Day Ahead: Stay as Sharp as a Chainsaw"", ""The Day Ahead: Stay as Sharp as a Chainsaw""]"
FAST,2012-11-07,16.396,16.4976,16.1009,16.3022,
FAST,2012-11-08,16.2331,16.3604,16.0337,16.0555,"[""Fastenal Upgraded to Neutral - Analyst Blog"", ""Fastenal Upgraded to Neutral - Analyst Blog"", ""Fastenal Upgraded to Neutral - Analyst Blog We recently upgraded our recommendation on Fastenal Company ( FAST ) to Neutral following decent third quarter results, an improvement from the weak second quarter performance. In line with expectations, Fastenal Company's third quarter 2012 earnings of 37 cents per share grew 12.1% year over year, attributable to 12.2% year-over-year revenue growth. The second quarter was very weak for Fastenal in terms of sales growth. However, the company is now seeing some improvement in demand. The construction market has somewhat bounced back while the manufacturing market has remained almost consistent. The company is also seeing some progress around its vending program (FAST Solutions). The daily sales growth rates declined in the second and third quarters due to uncertainty in the growth outlook of Fastenal's end markets. However, daily sales re-accelerated in September, which is an encouraging sign. Further, though fastener sales have been weak since the past few quarters, management has plans to re-invigorate fastener sales in 2013. Fastenal has adopted FAST Solutions, an industrial vending process that has the potential to revolutionize the industrial distribution system and to increase profitability. The company installs vending machines at a customer's location and keeps it filled with products they need. These vending machines inform the customer what and how they are using these products, which subsequently results in controlling the customer's inventory and administrative cost while reducing product consumption. Fastenal is fast accelerating its vending contract signings and installations. We are also encouraged by Fastenal's numerous growth drivers like government business and metalworking. Fastenal has increased focus on metal working products, which has begun to show progress. In fact, the company is looking forward to offer its metal work supplies to other companies. Fastenal's service business, Fastenal Manufacturing, reworks on fasteners as well as makes many specialized part from exotic materials for specific purposes. Fastenal intends to be more involved in government business and currently has 31 government contracts in hand. Its metalworking and government business are growing 10% faster than company averages. The company's internet business is also improving. The company has also built a national accounts team, which is dedicated to servicing corporate customers and signed 186 new national account customers in 2011. These initiatives are gaining traction and will help to achieve future profitability. Other than that, the company's strategy of new store openings will pave the way for future growth. Fastenal carries a Zacks #3 Rank (a short term 'Hold' rating) and competes with The Home Depot, Inc ( HD ) and Lowe's Companies Inc. ( LOW ). FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report HOME DEPOT (HD): Free Stock Analysis Report LOWES COS (LOW): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Upgraded to Neutral - Analyst Blog""]"
FAST,2012-11-09,16.389,16.4582,16.1443,16.1788,"[""Early Research Calls"", ""Analysts' Actions: GRPN CSCO MMM FAST"", ""Analysts' Actions: GRPN CSCO MMM FAST FRX"", ""Analysts' Actions: GRPN CSCO MMM FAST"", ""Analysts' Actions: GRPN CSCO MMM FAST FRX"", ""Early Research Calls"", ""Fastenal Company Upgraded to \u201cOutperform\u201d by Baird Analysts Baird analysts upgraded industrial and construction product supplier Fastenal Company ( FAST ) on Friday with expectations of growth. The analysts upgraded FAST from \""Neutral\"" to \""Outperform\"" with a price target of $51. The target is a +21.5% increase from Thursday's closing price of $41.99. The firm also said that risk versus reward is attractive in Fastenal because the company is expected to see accelerated earnings growth in the future. Fastenal shares were up 21 cents, or +0.50%, in premarket trading on Friday. The Bottom Line Shares of Fastenal ( FAST ) have a 2.00% dividend yield, based on last night's closing stock price of $41.99. The stock has technical support in the $38-$40 price area. If the shares can firm up, we see overhead resistance around the $46 price level. Fastenal Company ( FAST ) is not recommended at this time, holding a Dividend.com DARS\u2122 Rating of 3.3 out of 5 stars. Be sure to visit our complete recommended list of the Best Dividend Stocks , as well as a detailed explanation of our ratings system here . The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. Created by Dividend.com The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Analysts' Actions: GRPN CSCO MMM FAST"", ""Analysts' Actions: GRPN CSCO MMM FAST FRX"", ""Early Research Calls""]"
FAST,2012-11-12,16.2035,16.2588,15.9597,15.9706,
FAST,2012-11-13,15.8887,16.0555,15.7889,15.8294,
FAST,2012-11-14,15.8481,15.8689,15.3418,15.3714,"[""Using the Graham Number Correctly"", ""Using the Graham Number Correctly"", ""Using the Graham Number Correctly""]"
FAST,2012-11-15,15.3043,15.6793,15.2954,15.6577,
FAST,2012-11-16,15.6173,15.7692,15.4839,15.6793,
FAST,2012-11-19,15.6913,15.8936,15.6695,15.8591,"[""Steven Cohen's SAC Capital Advisors Q3 Updates: Buys Fossil, Fastenal Company and C.R. Bard"", ""Steven Cohen's SAC Capital Advisors Q3 Updates: Buys Fossil, Fastenal Company and C.R. Bard"", ""Steven Cohen's SAC Capital Advisors Q3 Updates: Buys Fossil, Fastenal Company and C.R. Bard""]"
FAST,2012-11-20,15.8758,15.9311,15.5915,15.6439,"[""Fastenal"", ""Edward Jones Upgraded Fastenal from Hold to Buy"", ""Edward Jones Upgraded Fastenal from Hold to Buy"", ""Fastenal"", ""Edward Jones Upgraded Fastenal from Hold to Buy"", ""Fastenal""]"
FAST,2012-11-21,15.709,15.8403,15.5531,15.5915,
FAST,2012-11-23,15.6133,15.7801,15.5047,15.7317,
FAST,2012-11-26,15.7061,15.8294,15.4385,15.7515,"[""Fastenal to Pay Special Dividend - Analyst Blog"", ""Top 4 NASDAQ Stocks In The General Building Materials Industry With The Highest Revenue"", ""Top 4 NASDAQ Stocks In The General Building Materials Industry With The Highest Revenue"", ""Fastenal to Pay Special Dividend - Analyst Blog"", ""Fastenal to Pay Special Dividend - Analyst Blog Recently, the board of directors of Fastenal Company ( FAST ) declared a special one- time cash dividend of 50 cents per share on the company's common stock. The dividend is payable on December 21, 2012 to stockholders of record as of December 7, 2012. Previously, the industrial and construction product supplier had declared its fourth quarterly cash dividend of 21 cents per share on the company's common stock on October 10, 2012. The dividend is payable today, i.e. November 26, 2012 to stockholders of record as of October 29, 2012. A peer of Home Depot Inc. , ( HD ), Fastenal had earlier increased its dividend payout for fiscal 2012. The company paid a dividend of 74 cents per share for fiscal 2012 compared with 65 cents for fiscal 2011. The increased dividend can be attributed to the company's strong liquidity position throughout 2011 and 2012. As of September 30, 2012, Fastenal had cash and cash equivalents of $195.6 million, higher than $185.9 million as of June 30, 2012. After prolonged decline in daily sales growth in the first half of fiscal 2012, Fastenal benefited from increase in manufacturing customers and non residential construction customers, driven by improvement in the construction market. As a result, daily sales grew 6.8% in the month of October 2012, which is an encouraging sign. Moreover, Fastenal is accelerating its vending contract signings and installations. We are also encouraged by Fastenal's numerous growth drivers like government business and metalworking, which are gaining traction and will help to achieve future profitability. Other than that, the company's strategy of new store openings positions it well for future growth. We currently have a 'Neutral' recommendation on Fastenal over the long term. The stock carries a Zacks #3 Rank that translates into a short-term 'Hold' rating. FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report HOME DEPOT (HD): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Top 4 NASDAQ Stocks In The General Building Materials Industry With The Highest Revenue"", ""Fastenal to Pay Special Dividend - Analyst Blog""]"
FAST,2012-11-27,15.7248,15.8156,15.6133,15.6211,"[""Is The Boss Really Worth Their Pay The Good And The Bad Of CEO Salaries"", ""Is The Boss Really Worth Their Pay The Good And The Bad Of CEO Salaries"", ""Is The Boss Really Worth Their Pay The Good And The Bad Of CEO Salaries""]"
FAST,2012-11-28,15.5245,15.7139,15.4021,15.6932,
FAST,2012-11-29,15.7515,16.2223,15.7515,16.1374,
FAST,2012-11-30,16.1749,16.2786,15.9706,15.9873,
FAST,2012-12-03,16.1068,16.171,15.8591,16.0959,"Fastenal Company (FAST) Ex-Dividend Date Scheduled for December 05, 2012 Fastenal Company ( FAST ) has announced an ex-dividend date of December 05, 2012 and a cash dividend payment of $0.5 per share scheduled for December 21, 2012. Shareholders who purchased FAST stock prior to the ex-dividend date are eligible for the cash dividend payment. At the current stock price of $41.81, the dividend yield is 4.78%. The previous trading day's last sale of FAST was $41.81, representing a -24.05% decrease from the 52 week high of $55.05 and a 11.17% increase over the 52 week low of $37.61. FAST is a part of the Consumer Services sector, which includes companies such as Home Depot, Inc. ( HD ) and Lowe's Companies, Inc. ( LOW ). FAST's current earnings per share, an indicator of a company's profitability, is $1.39. Zacks Investment Research reports FAST's forecasted earnings growth in 2012 as 17.52%, compared to an industry average of 27.1%. For more information on the declaration, record and payment dates, visit the FAST Dividend History page. Interested in gaining exposure to FAST through an Exchange Traded Fund [ETF]? The following ETF(s) have FAST as a top-10 holding: Guggenheim S&P 500 Equal Weight Industrials ETF ( RGI ). The top-performing ETF of this group is RGI with an increase of 7.8% over the last 100 days. It also has the highest percent weighting of FAST at 1.75%. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2012-12-04,16.1226,16.2528,15.9597,16.1394,
FAST,2012-12-05,16.2006,16.2499,15.8897,16.0683,"[""From Earlier: Fastenal Reports Nov. Daily Sales $12.1M vs $11.2M Last Year"", ""From Earlier: Fastenal Reports Nov. Daily Sales $12.1M vs $11.2M Last Year"", ""From Earlier: Fastenal Reports Nov. Daily Sales $12.1M vs $11.2M Last Year""]"
FAST,2012-12-06,16.2963,16.3092,16.0012,16.1601,"[""Fastnet Oil & Gas PLC (FAST) CFO Daniel L Florness buys 2,645 Shares"", ""Benzinga's Top Upgrades"", ""Benzinga's Top Upgrades"", ""Fastnet Oil & Gas PLC (FAST) CFO Daniel L Florness buys 2,645 Shares"", ""Benzinga's Top Upgrades"", ""Fastnet Oil & Gas PLC (FAST) CFO Daniel L Florness buys 2,645 Shares""]"
FAST,2012-12-07,16.2371,16.4168,16.1443,16.3002,
FAST,2012-12-10,16.2716,16.4148,16.2065,16.2716,
FAST,2012-12-11,16.3131,16.7918,16.2716,16.6486,"Insiders are bullish on these stocks Here are five stocks which, according to our database of filings, have recently been bought by at least one company insider."
FAST,2012-12-12,16.6882,16.7444,16.6062,16.6448,
FAST,2012-12-13,16.6122,16.7514,16.6042,16.6319,
FAST,2012-12-14,16.544,16.7178,16.5401,16.6882,
FAST,2012-12-17,16.7514,16.9142,16.6842,16.9102,
FAST,2012-12-18,16.9497,17.2794,16.7888,17.2695,
FAST,2012-12-19,17.2695,17.4047,17.1146,17.2231,"[""Cramer's 'Mad Money' Recap: Looking on the Bright Side"", ""Cramer's 'Mad Money' Recap: Looking on the Bright Side"", ""Cramer's 'Mad Money' Recap: Looking on the Bright Side""]"
FAST,2012-12-20,17.2695,17.4324,17.0978,17.4195,
FAST,2012-12-21,17.2063,17.8736,16.8026,17.8321,
FAST,2012-12-24,17.7443,17.9407,17.7443,17.9407,
FAST,2012-12-26,17.9259,17.9407,17.7581,17.7927,
FAST,2012-12-27,17.77,17.9842,17.7493,17.9259,
FAST,2012-12-28,17.8361,18.2042,17.8361,17.8697,"[""NASDAQ 100 Round Up - Flat: RIMM, FAST, FSLR"", ""NASDAQ 100 Round Up - Flat: RIMM, FAST, FSLR"", ""NASDAQ 100 Round Up - Flat: RIMM, FAST, FSLR""]"
FAST,2012-12-31,17.8124,18.0848,17.7127,18.0513,
FAST,2013-01-02,18.4619,18.6524,18.2902,18.5092,
FAST,2013-01-03,18.5695,18.8488,18.4777,18.5695,
FAST,2013-01-04,18.6564,18.6564,18.452,18.5892,
FAST,2013-01-07,18.4708,18.5202,18.3958,18.5054,
FAST,2013-01-08,18.5132,18.5202,18.2388,18.4036,
FAST,2013-01-09,18.4174,18.533,18.3642,18.3998,"[""Analysts May Have Underestimated This Stock"", ""Analysts May Have Underestimated This Stock"", ""Analysts May Have Underestimated This Stock""]"
FAST,2013-01-10,18.1846,18.1894,17.919,17.994,"[""MSC Q1 Sales Miss, Lowers Outlook On Slowing Demand"", ""NASDAQ 100 Top Performer: Baidu"", ""MSC Q1 Sales Miss, Lowers Outlook On Slowing Demand"", ""NASDAQ 100 Top Performer: Baidu"", ""MSC Q1 Sales Miss, Lowers Outlook On Slowing Demand"", ""NASDAQ 100 Top Performer: Baidu""]"
FAST,2013-01-11,18.068,18.15,17.9259,17.994,
FAST,2013-01-14,18.0434,18.15,17.9358,17.9832,
FAST,2013-01-15,17.8736,18.3118,17.8736,18.2042,"[""Earnings Preview: Fastenal - Analyst Blog"", ""Earnings Preview: Fastenal - Analyst Blog"", ""Earnings Preview: Fastenal - Analyst Blog Fastenal Company ( FAST ) is set to report fourth quarter 2012 results before the opening bell on January 17. Last quarter it posted in-line results. Let's see how things are shaping up for this announcement. Positive and Negative Factors to Consider Fastenal's daily sales growth rates in the second and third quarters of 2012 were lower than the first quarter as well as year-ago comparable periods. Daily sales growth rates of manufacturing customers (representing almost 50% of revenues) have declined sharply due to lower sales of its fasteners product line (used mainly for industrial production), which are being hurt by slowdown in end market and broader economic uncertainty. We believe that the shift of resources to Fastenal's vending program (FAST Solutions) may also be hurting fastener sales and eventually affect margins. The second quarter was very weak for Fastenal in terms of sales growth. However, the company did see signs of some improvement in demand in the third quarter. The construction market has somewhat bounced back while the manufacturing market has remained almost consistent. The company is also seeing some progress around its vending program. No Improvement Expected in Fourth Quarter The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the fourth quarter stands at 33 cents, while that for fiscal 2012 stands at $1.42. Fastenal has beaten estimates only once in the last four quarters while meeting estimates the other three. Moreover, the stock has mostly seen downward estimate revisions in the past 60 days. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the fourth quarter has gone down by almost 3% over the last 90 days, since the announcement of the third quarter results. While that for fiscal 2012 have gone down by 0.7% and for fiscal 2013 have gone down by 1.2% over the same time frame. The downward pressure on estimates signals that the fourth quarter might not be too different from the past two quarters despite some improvement in demand. Moreover, the stock carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Other Stocks to Consider With the overall housing market improving steadily, there are many housing companies that are likely to beat earnings this quarter. A stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank of #1, 2 or 3 for this to happen. Here are some other companies you may want to consider as our model shows they have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter: Lennar Corporation ( LEN ), Earnings ESP of +20.9% and Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) Meritage Homes Corporation ( MTH ), Earnings ESP of + 9.52% and Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) ESP stands for Earnings Surprise Prediction which represents the difference between the Most Accurate estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate. About Earnings ESP Would you like to own more stocks likely to beat their next earnings report? And avoid stocks likely to disappoint? If yes, then it's time you learn about the Earnings ESP score available on Zacks.com. FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report LENNAR CORP -A (LEN): Free Stock Analysis Report MERITAGE HOMES (MTH): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Earnings Preview: Fastenal - Analyst Blog""]"
FAST,2013-01-16,18.1737,18.2764,18.0434,18.1894,"[""Fastenal Declares $0.10/Share Qtr. Dividend"", ""Fastenal Declares $0.10/Share Qtr. Dividend"", ""Pre-Market Earnings Report for January 17, 2013 : C, BAC, UNH, BLK, PNC, ASML, BBT, TSM, FAST, FITB, APH, HBAN The following companies are expected to report earnings prior to market open on 01/17/2013. Visit our Earnings Calendar for a full list of expected earnings releases. Citigroup Inc. ( C ) is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2012. The bank company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 23 analysts that follow the stock is $0.87. This value represents a 128.95% increase compared to the same quarter last year. C missed the consensus earnings per share in the 4th calendar quarter of 2011 by -24%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2012 Price to Earnings ratio for C is 13.47 vs. an industry ratio of 11.00, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Bank of America Corporation ( BAC ) is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2012. The bank company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 16 analysts that follow the stock is $0.02. This value represents a -86.67% decrease compared to the same quarter last year. BAC missed the consensus earnings per share in the 4th calendar quarter of 2011 by -34.78%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2012 Price to Earnings ratio for BAC is 48.13 vs. an industry ratio of 11.00, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated ( UNH ) is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2012. The hmo company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 18 analysts that follow the stock is $1.20. This value represents a 2.56% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year UNH has beat the expectations every quarter. The highest one was in the 3rd calendar quarter where they beat the consensus by 11.94%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2012 Price to Earnings ratio for UNH is 10.17 vs. an industry ratio of -8.00, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. BlackRock, Inc. ( BLK ) is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2012. The finance/investment management company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 17 analysts that follow the stock is $3.72. This value represents a 21.57% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year BLK has beat the expectations every quarter. The highest one was in the 3rd calendar quarter where they beat the consensus by 5.15%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2012 Price to Earnings ratio for BLK is 16.61 vs. an industry ratio of 37.10. PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. ( PNC ) is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2012. The bank company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 25 analysts that follow the stock is $1.37. This value represents a -1.44% decrease compared to the same quarter last year. PNC missed the consensus earnings per share in the 4th calendar quarter of 2011 by -1.42%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2012 Price to Earnings ratio for PNC is 10.91 vs. an industry ratio of 11.00. ASML Holding N.V. ( ASML ) is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2012. The capital goods company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 7 analysts that follow the stock is $0.77. This value represents a -31.86% decrease compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year ASML has met analyst expectations twice and beat the expectations the other two quarters. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2012 Price to Earnings ratio for ASML is 16.34 vs. an industry ratio of 17.40. BB&T Corporation ( BBT ) is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2012. The bank company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 28 analysts that follow the stock is $0.70. This value represents a 27.27% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year BBT has met analyst expectations once and beat the expectations the other three quarters. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2012 Price to Earnings ratio for BBT is 11.19 vs. an industry ratio of 11.00, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited ( TSM ) is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2012. The semi fab foundry company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 4 analysts that follow the stock is $0.28. This value represents a 40.00% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year TSM has met analyst expectations once and beat the expectations the other three quarters. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2012 Price to Earnings ratio for TSM is 16.41 vs. an industry ratio of 27.40. Fastenal Company ( FAST ) is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2012. The building company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 9 analysts that follow the stock is $0.33. This value represents a 10.00% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year FAST has met analyst expectations three times and beat the expectations the other quarter. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2012 Price to Earnings ratio for FAST is 33.13 vs. an industry ratio of 19.00, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Fifth Third Bancorp ( FITB ) is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2012. The bank company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 24 analysts that follow the stock is $0.42. This value represents a 27.27% increase compared to the same quarter last year. FITB missed the consensus earnings per share in the 4th calendar quarter of 2011 by -5.71%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2012 Price to Earnings ratio for FITB is 9.45 vs. an industry ratio of 11.00. Amphenol Corporation ( APH ) is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2012. The electrical connectors company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 10 analysts that follow the stock is $0.90. This value represents a 23.29% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year APH has beat the expectations every quarter. The highest one was in the 3rd calendar quarter where they beat the consensus by 1.12%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2012 Price to Earnings ratio for APH is 19.93 vs. an industry ratio of 19.20, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Huntington Bancshares Incorporated ( HBAN ) is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2012. The bank (midwest) company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 22 analysts that follow the stock is $0.17. This value represents a 21.43% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year HBAN has met analyst expectations once and beat the expectations the other three quarters. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2012 Price to Earnings ratio for HBAN is 9.76 vs. an industry ratio of 11.60. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Declares $0.10/Share Qtr. Dividend""]"
FAST,2013-01-17,18.6712,18.8745,17.6891,18.152,"[""Another Weak Quarter for Fastenal - Analyst Blog"", ""Stocks To Watch For January 17, 2013"", ""Earnings Scheduled For January 17, 2013"", ""US Stock Futures Flat; Bank of America Earnings In Focus"", ""Fastenal Company Reports Q4 EPS of $0.33, Inline; Revenue of $757.24M vs $759.51M Est"", ""UPDATE: Fastenal Posts In-Line Q4 Profit"", ""UPDATE: Fastenal Posts In-Line Q4 Profit"", ""Fastenal Company Reports Q4 EPS of $0.33, Inline; Revenue of $757.24M vs $759.51M Est"", ""US Stock Futures Flat; Bank of America Earnings In Focus"", ""Earnings Scheduled For January 17, 2013"", ""Stocks To Watch For January 17, 2013"", ""Another Weak Quarter for Fastenal - Analyst Blog"", ""Another Weak Quarter for Fastenal - Analyst Blog Fastenal Company ( FAST ) reported diluted earnings of 33 cents per share in the fourth quarter of 2012, up 10.0% on the back of decent margin growth. The company's earnings were in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Fastenal reported net sales of $757.2 million, up 8.5% year over year. Revenues were also in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Both earnings and revenues declined sequentially. We believe that the fourth quarter was the weakest for the company in terms of sales growth. Fastenal serves customers in the manufacturing and non-residential construction markets. It performed poorly in both the markets. Quarter Details Fastenal's daily sales growth rates in the second, third and fourth quarters of 2012 have been lower than that of the first quarter as well as year-ago comparable periods. Daily sales growth rates declined sharply in the fourth quarter due to end market slowdown, the negative impact from Hurricane Sandy and foreign currency headwinds. Daily sales growth rates stood at 6.8%, 8.2% and 9.7% for the months of October, November and December, respectively, significantly down from the daily growth rates of 21.4%, 22.2% and 21.2% in the corresponding prior-year months. The sequential change in daily sales for 10 months from January to October also fell short of historical averages. Foreign exchange negatively impacted the fourth quarter daily sales growth rates by 0.1%. Daily sales to manufacturing customers (representing almost 50% of revenues) grew 9.7% in the fourth quarter, much below the growth of 21.0% in the prior-year quarter and 14.0% in the preceding quarter. Daily sales growth rates to manufacturing customers have declined sharply due to lower sales of its fasteners product line, which are being hurt by end market slowdown and broader economic uncertainty. In the non-residential construction market, daily sales to the non-residential construction customers (representing 20% to 25% of revenues) grew 4.2% in fourth quarter of 2012, down from 17.4% recorded in the fourth quarter of 2011 and 8.2% in the third quarter of 2012. Management blamed the weakness in the overall non-residential construction market and the political instability in U.S for the decline in this business. Vending Machine Activity is Gaining Traction The company has adopted FAST Solutions, an industrial vending process that has the potential to revolutionize the industrial distribution system and increase profitability. The company installs vending machines that aid in controlling inventory and administrative costs while reducing product consumption. Despite all overall weak sales, the company is seeing some progress around its vending program. In the fourth quarter, the company installed 4,082 machines with the cumulative machines installed standing at 21,095 at the end of the year. The vending machines now account for over 25% of the company's sales. During the quarter, the company signed 5,591 vending machine contracts, up 4.8% sequentially. The daily sales growth to customers using vending machines was 28.6% in the fourth quarter, down from 40.7% in the prior-year quarter and 32.9% in the prior quarter. In 2013, the company aims to sign 2,500 machines per month or 30,000 per year, much more than its earlier expectation of signing 2,500 machines per quarter or 10,000 per year. Margins In fourth quarter of 2012, gross margin improved 40 basis points from the prior-year quarter to 51.6% due to lower freight utilization, which in turn was due to low business volume. The company believes that its normal gross margin range is 51% to 53%. Annual Results In fiscal 2012, the company witnessed a 13.3% increase in revenue to $3.13 billion, in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Adjusted earnings were $1.42 per share, which were also in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Earnings increased 17.4% from prior year. Fastenal carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). However, we cannot rule out a rating downgrade with yet another weak quarter being reported. With the overall housing market improving steadily, there are many housing companies that are currently performing well, have a bright outlook and are worth considering. These include Hovnanian Enterprises, Inc ( HOV ) - Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), Meritage Homes Corporation ( MTH ) - Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), and PulteGroup, Inc ( PHM ) - Zacks Rank #2. FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report HOVNANIAN ENTRP (HOV): Free Stock Analysis Report MERITAGE HOMES (MTH): Free Stock Analysis Report PULTE GROUP ONC (PHM): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""UPDATE: Fastenal Posts In-Line Q4 Profit"", ""Fastenal Company Reports Q4 EPS of $0.33, Inline; Revenue of $757.24M vs $759.51M Est"", ""US Stock Futures Flat; Bank of America Earnings In Focus"", ""Earnings Scheduled For January 17, 2013"", ""Stocks To Watch For January 17, 2013"", ""Another Weak Quarter for Fastenal - Analyst Blog""]"
FAST,2013-01-18,18.0513,18.8153,17.9871,18.8064,"[""Company News for January 18, 2013 - Corporate Summary"", ""Company News for January 18, 2013 - Corporate Summary"", ""Company News for January 18, 2013 - Corporate Summary \u2022 UnitedHealth Group Inc. (NYSE: UNH ) posted fourth quarter earnings per share of $1.20, in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate \u2022 BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE: BLK ) reported fourth quarter earnings per share of $3.96, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.74 \u2022 PNC Financial Services (NYSE: PNC ) posted fourth quarter earnings per share of $1.71, breezing past the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.37 \u2022 BB&T Corporation (NYSE: BBT ) reported fourth quarter earnings per share of $0.72, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.70 \u2022 Fastenal Company (NASDAQ: FAST ) posted fourth quarter earnings per share of $0.33, in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate BB&T CORP (BBT): Free Stock Analysis Report BLACKROCK INC (BLK): Free Stock Analysis Report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report PNC FINL SVC CP (PNC): Free Stock Analysis Report UNITEDHEALTH GP (UNH): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Company News for January 18, 2013 - Corporate Summary""]"
FAST,2013-01-22,18.7077,18.7432,18.4304,18.5202,
FAST,2013-01-23,18.5092,18.5656,18.3089,18.4304,"[""Fastenal Bullish Engulfing Formed"", ""Fastenal Bullish Engulfing Formed"", ""Fastenal Bullish Engulfing Formed""]"
FAST,2013-01-24,18.4777,18.9683,18.4036,18.7916,"[""Will Housing Recovery Spur Job Growth? - Analyst Blog"", ""Will Housing Recovery Spur Job Growth? - Analyst Blog"", ""Will Housing Recovery Spur Job Growth? - Analyst Blog The labor market is not doing well and the unemployment rate is hovering around 7.8%. In such a scenario, the recovery in the housing market could, to some extent, calm the jittery economy by improving job prospects, primarily in the construction industry. When the housing market crashed it left many jobless, but now with new construction activities and home prices showing signs of improvement, optimism prevails. The housing market is gradually making its way out of its dormant state, thus raising hopes for a better job market. According to the data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the construction industry created 30,000 jobs in Dec 2012, including 13,000 related to construction of buildings, and 12,000 for residential specialty trade contractors. The slump in the housing market did not spare home-improvement retailers, such as Lowe's Companies Inc. ( LOW ) and The Home Depot Inc. ( HD ), which faced the brunt as homeowners refrained from spending on big remodeling projects. However, a rebound in the housing market would play a key role to instill confidence in these stocks. Other stocks to benefit include Fastenal Company ( FAST ), provider of industrial and construction supplies, and Lumber Liquidators Holdings, Inc. ( LL ), a retailer of hardwood flooring. The sign of confidence is clearly reflected in the current hiring plans of Lowe's. The company plans to employ 45,000 seasonal workforce and 9,000 permanent part-time staff in the wake of the resurging housing market that could trigger demand for remodeling works. The metric, 'Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity' released by Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, indicates that the spending on home improvement activities could surge in 2013. The data suggests that spending on home improvement-related projects will witness an increase of 10.6% in the first quarter of 2013, resulting in an annualized value of $127 billion, 16.8% in the second quarter, reaching an annualized value of $134.4 billion and 19.7% in the third quarter to reach $145.5 billion. Consequently, we can expect increased hiring from home-improvement retailers to better meet the rising demand. The elevation in home prices and the lowest mortgage rates is triggering construction activities. If the resurrection in the construction industry sustains, it will usher in good news for many job seekers. FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report HOME DEPOT (HD): Free Stock Analysis Report LUMBER LIQUIDAT (LL): Free Stock Analysis Report LOWES COS (LOW): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Will Housing Recovery Spur Job Growth? - Analyst Blog""]"
FAST,2013-01-25,18.8024,18.9574,18.6958,18.9485,
FAST,2013-01-28,18.989,19.0423,18.8567,19.0048,
FAST,2013-01-29,18.9307,19.1903,18.8745,19.1577,
FAST,2013-01-30,19.2279,19.2871,19.0206,19.1577,
FAST,2013-01-31,19.1439,19.3877,18.9229,19.2633,
FAST,2013-02-01,19.3503,19.6799,19.2901,19.6444,
FAST,2013-02-04,19.596,19.6217,19.1973,19.2467,
FAST,2013-02-05,19.3463,19.5477,19.1509,19.4381,
FAST,2013-02-06,19.2949,19.4815,19.2781,19.3877,"[""Baron Funds Comments on Fastenal Co."", ""Baron Funds Comments on Fastenal Co."", ""Baron Funds Comments on Fastenal Co.""]"
FAST,2013-02-07,19.3917,19.4775,19.2141,19.3177,
FAST,2013-02-08,19.4065,19.7382,19.3423,19.6543,
FAST,2013-02-11,19.6483,19.7757,19.5783,19.675,
FAST,2013-02-12,19.6878,19.9326,19.6799,19.7757,"[""Beacon Roofing Misses Estimates - Analyst Blog"", ""Beacon Roofing Misses Estimates - Analyst Blog"", ""Beacon Roofing Misses Estimates - Analyst Blog Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. ( BECN ) reported first-quarter 2013 adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of 37 cents, down 5% from 39 cents earned in the year-ago quarter and below the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 41 cents. Operational Update Total revenue increased 5% year over year to $513.7 million but missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $531 million. Organic sales declined 4.6% in the quarter. In existing markets, complementary product sales increased 2.9% but both residential and non-residential roofing product sales decreased 5.4% and 6.1%, respectively. The current quarter benefited from the positive impact of several acquisitions completed since the start of last year, offset by lower average residential roofing selling prices. The quarter was pitted against a strong year-ago quarter, which saw a very high level of re-roofing activity, including the beneficial impact from mild weather in Dec 2011 and strong business in several markets that experienced significant storms in 2011. Cost of goods sold increased 4% to $387 million in the quarter. Gross profit rose 8% to $127 million. Gross margin expanded 70 basis points to 25% from the year-ago quarter. Operating income in the reported quarter decreased 6% to $32 million with operating margin contracting 70 basis points to 6.3%. Financial Position Cash and cash equivalents declined to $34 million as of Dec 30, 2012 from 155 million as of Dec 31, 2011, mainly due to debt repayments this year and acquisitions. Total debt amounted to $62.8 million as of Dec 30, 2012, compared with $15 million as of Dec 30, 2011. Debt-to-capitalization ratio increased to 22.1% as of Dec 31, 2012 from 4.7% as of Dec 31, 2011. Cash flow from operating activities improved to $47.3 million during the quarter from $59 million in the prior-year quarter due to less favorable changes in working capital, including additional inventory purchases made in 2013 ahead of announced price increases. Our Take Beacon Roofing's acquisition pipeline remains active and we expect the acquisitions to continue at an accelerated pace in the near term. Moreover, both residential and non-residential construction sectors are showing signs of improvement, which bodes well for the company. The company has recently acquired Structural Materials Company in Southern California, Contractors Roofing & Supply Co. in St. Louis and Pennsylvania-based McClure-Johnston Company. Its main acquisition strategy is to target market leaders in geographic areas that it does not have a presence. Beacon Roofing also acquires companies to supplement branch openings within existing markets. Furthermore, over 70% of expenditures in the roofing market are for re-roofing projects, with the balance being for new construction. Re-roofing projects are generally considered maintenance and repair expenditures and are less likely to be postponed during periods of recession or slow economic growth. As a result, demand for roofing products is less volatile than overall demand for construction products. Demand for re-roofing is also on the rise providing ample scope for Beacon to expand in this market. Beacon is one of the three largest roofing material distributors in the United States and Canada, with more than 90% of sales coming from the U.S. Beacon competes with privately-held American Builders & Contractors Supply Co Inc., Guardian Building Products Distribution Inc. and Stock Building Supply Inc. Beacon Roofing currently maintains a short term Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Material supplies rival Fastenal Company ( FAST ) reported diluted earnings of 33 cents per share in the fourth quarter of 2012, up 10.0% on the back of decent margin growth, and in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Its other peers such as Builders FirstSource, Inc. ( BLDR ) and Lowe's Companies Inc. ( LOW ) are yet to announce their fourth quarter results. BEACON ROOFING (BECN): Free Stock Analysis Report BUILDERS FIRSTS (BLDR): Free Stock Analysis Report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report LOWES COS (LOW): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Beacon Roofing Misses Estimates - Analyst Blog""]"
FAST,2013-02-13,19.9138,20.1942,19.8586,20.1666,
FAST,2013-02-14,20.1734,20.441,20.0984,20.3521,
FAST,2013-02-15,20.3837,20.6857,20.3758,20.4587,
FAST,2013-02-19,20.5229,20.6502,20.3946,20.6216,
FAST,2013-02-20,20.6305,20.6986,20.2268,20.2386,
FAST,2013-02-21,20.1844,20.2208,19.7125,19.7332,
FAST,2013-02-22,19.8171,20.0462,19.8132,19.9583,"[""Top Insider Trades: GHDX, CLMS, IRM, FAST"", ""Top Insider Trades: GHDX, CLMS, IRM, FAST"", ""Top Insider Trades: GHDX, CLMS, IRM, FAST"", ""Top Insider Trades: GHDX, CLMS, IRM, FAST"", ""Top Insider Trades: GHDX, CLMS, IRM, FAST""]"
FAST,2013-02-25,20.1162,20.1972,19.7303,19.7382,"[""Fastenal Still at Neutral - Analyst Blog"", ""Lowe's Beats As Sandy Boosts Sales, But Outlook Weak"", ""Lowe's Beats As Sandy Boosts Sales, But Outlook Weak"", ""Fastenal Still at Neutral - Analyst Blog"", ""Fastenal Still at Neutral - Analyst Blog On Feb 21, we maintained a Neutral recommendation on Fastenal Company ( FAST ) following appraisal of its fourth-quarter 2012 results. The company also carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Why the Neutral Recommendation? This industrial and construction supplies distributor's fourth quarter 2012 earnings of 33 cents per share grew 10.0% year over year, attributable to decent margin growth. However, though revenue grew 8.5% year over year, it declined sequentially. Fastenal's daily sales growth rates in the second, third and fourth quarters of 2012 have been lower than that of the first quarter as well as year-ago comparable periods mainly due to weakness in its fastener product line. Its fasteners product line is being hurt by end market slowdown and broader economic uncertainty. From 15% growth in the first quarter of 2012, the fastener product line, which accounted for 44% of sales in 2012, dropped to 2.5% growth in the fourth quarter of 2012. Estimates have mostly shown a downward trend after announcement of the fourth quarter results. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2013 has gone down by 1.2% to $1.66 while that for 2014 has gone down by 1.6% to $1.90 over the last 60 days. Despite weak sales on the whole, the company is seeing some progress around its vending program, FAST Solutions, and is fast accelerating its vending contract signings and installations. Industrial vending remains one of the primary growth drivers for Fastenal. We are also encouraged by Fastenal's other growth drivers like government business and metalworking, which are gaining traction and could help achieve profitability in 2013 and beyond. We thus remain on the sidelines on solid long-term fundamentals. Other Stocks to Consider Some building product maker stocks worth a look are The Home Depot, Inc.(HD) , Lowe's Companies Inc. ( LOW ) and Builders FirstSource, Inc. ( BLDR ). All of these companies are Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) stocks. BUILDERS FIRSTS (BLDR): Free Stock Analysis Report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report HOME DEPOT (HD): Free Stock Analysis Report LOWES COS (LOW): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Lowe's Beats As Sandy Boosts Sales, But Outlook Weak"", ""Fastenal Still at Neutral - Analyst Blog""]"
FAST,2013-02-26,19.7401,19.985,19.6345,19.7303,
FAST,2013-02-27,19.7549,20.4084,19.6711,20.2761,"[""5 Stocks With Major Insider Buying"", ""5 Stocks With Major Insider Buying"", ""5 Stocks With Major Insider Buying""]"
FAST,2013-02-28,20.2692,20.2692,19.9208,20.0214,"[""4 Stocks Pushing The Materials & Construction Industry Lower"", ""4 Stocks Pushing The Materials & Construction Industry Lower"", ""4 Stocks Pushing The Materials & Construction Industry Lower""]"
FAST,2013-03-01,19.9958,20.2168,19.7155,20.0629,
FAST,2013-03-04,19.981,20.0935,19.7303,20.0866,
FAST,2013-03-05,20.1488,20.2998,19.9543,19.9958,"[""Fastenal Reports Feb. Net Sales Rose 3.1% to $254.9M"", ""Fastenal Reports Feb. Net Sales Rose 3.1% to $254.9M"", ""Fastenal Reports Feb. Net Sales Rose 3.1% to $254.9M""]"
FAST,2013-03-06,20.0076,20.1468,19.8912,19.907,
FAST,2013-03-07,19.9405,19.9701,19.8033,19.8132,
FAST,2013-03-08,19.8912,20.0372,19.7678,19.985,
FAST,2013-03-11,19.9277,20.0462,19.8349,19.901,"[""Fastenal Reports Solid Feb Sales - Analyst Blog"", ""Fastenal Reports Solid Feb Sales - Analyst Blog"", ""Fastenal Reports Solid Feb Sales - Analyst Blog Fastenal Company ( FAST ) recently announced its monthly sales numbers for Feb 2013. The company reported 3.1% year-over-year rise in net sales of $254.9 million for Feb 2013. The company reported 8.2% increase in daily sales to $12.7 million. As Fastenal serves customers in the manufacturing and non-residential construction markets, the company's net sales benefited from an 8.2% increase in manufacturing customers and a 4.3% rise in non-residential construction customers. However, foreign exchange dragged daily sales growth by 0.1% during Feb 2013. Fastenal, which competes with The Home Depot, Inc. ( HD ), has been witnessing some progress around its vending program, FAST Solutions, and is fast accelerating its vending contract signings and installations. Industrial vending remains one of the primary growth drivers for Fastenal. The company's other growth drivers like government business and metalworking are also gaining traction and could help achieve profitability in 2013 and beyond. However, Fastenal's daily sales growth rates have been declining year over year for the past three quarters of 2012. Daily sales growth rates dropped to 2.5% in the fourth quarter from 15% growth in the first quarter 2012. The company has been witnessing declining daily sales growth rates due to weakness in its fastener product line. A leading distributor/ retailer of industrial and construction supplies, Fastenal carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). With the overall housing market improving steadily, there are many companies currently performing well. These include Travis Perkins plc ( TVPKF ) with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), and Lumber Liquidators Holdings, Inc. ( LL ) with a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report HOME DEPOT (HD): Free Stock Analysis Report LUMBER LIQUIDAT (LL): Free Stock Analysis Report TRAVIS PERKINS (TVPKF): Get Free Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Reports Solid Feb Sales - Analyst Blog""]"
FAST,2013-03-12,19.8546,19.9366,19.2821,19.7224,
FAST,2013-03-13,19.7224,19.8744,19.6138,19.7826,
FAST,2013-03-14,19.8477,19.8477,19.6631,19.7549,
FAST,2013-03-15,19.6513,19.8625,19.6513,19.7007,
FAST,2013-03-18,19.5822,19.7441,19.4499,19.5723,
FAST,2013-03-19,19.6513,19.8428,19.3681,19.6631,
FAST,2013-03-20,19.7934,19.985,19.748,19.9583,"Fastenal Co. (FAST): Today's Most Compelling Stock Buy SoTM Bull's Eye Report - Today's Most Compelling Buy Wednesday, March 20, 2013 At StateoftheMarkets.com, we strive to ""own the best and ignore the rest"" in our equity portfolios. Toward this end, each day we search our database for a ""top stock"" (a top rated company in terms of earnings strength as well as company and industry performance) that presents a strong technical ""set up"" and a good entry point. In short, when our equity team is looking to add a stock to one of our portfolios, the ""bull's eye"" stock shown below is generally their first choice. Company Symbol Industry Stock Rating YTD % Gain S.T. Stop Loss Fastenal CoFAST Trading Companies & Distributors 7.0 +6.21% .77 Why We Like The Stock: Fastenal Co (FAST) is our most compelling buy today due to the fact that it is a top rated stock (in terms of earnings strength and company/industry performance) that has recently signaled ""Heavy Insider Buying."" An Insider Buying signal is very positive for a stock as that indicates that management is buying its own stock. Usually, this is for good reason, such as positive outlook on future business, an upcoming news announcement, etc. So, when we see a stock signal a ""Heavy Insider Buying"" signal, we take a good look at it. It helps that FAST is in a hot sub-industry and features a positive technical set-up. Along with its competitors W.W. Grainger Inc (GWW), United Rentals Inc (URI), MSC Industrial Direct Co (MSM), and WESCO Intl (WCC), FAST has been trending higher this year. Since mid-December, the stock has kept above its 50-day moving average, which is a sign of a healthy uptrend. Currently, FAST has pulled back off of its recent February highs around , making for a good entry point. The stock also just crossed above its 5- and 10-day moving averages, which is bullish in the short-term. We like FAST at current prices due to its nice technical set-up and Heavy Insider Buying signal.We Would Be Buyers: At the current price (~.00), or on a pullback to the 50-day moving average (.08). Looking to trade the Bull's Eye stock picks? Click here to download our free Special Report, ""How We Identify Our “Bull’s Eye” Picks & How You Can Profit Trading Them""Company Profile: Fastenal Company is engaged in selling industrial and construction supplies in a wholesale and retail fashion. The industrial and construction supplies are grouped into eleven product lines. The Company distributes the supplies through a network of approximately 2,600 company owned stores. Most of its customers are in the manufacturing and non-residential construction markets. The manufacturing market includes both original equipment manufacturers (OEM) and maintenance and repair operations (MRO). The non-residential construction market includes general, electrical, plumbing, sheet metal, and road contractors. Other users of its product include farmers, truckers, railroads, mining companies, federal, state, and local governmental entities, schools, and certain retail trades. Geographically, its stores and customers are primarily located in North America. As of December 31, 2011, the Company had 2,585 store locations. Stock Rating: The Stock Rating indicates the combined score of our proprietary Earning Strength and Company Performance models. The rating scale is 0 - 10 with 10 being the highest. Disclosure: At the time of publication the editor and affiliated companies own the following positions: FAST Note: Positions may be bought or sold while this publication is in circulation without notice. Fastenal Co - Last 3 Months Fastenal Co - Last 12 Months Fastenal Co - Last 5 Years The analysis and information in this report and on our website is for informational purposes only. No part of the material presented in this report or on our websites is intended as an investment recommendation or investment advice. Neither the information nor any opinion expressed nor any Portfolio constitutes a solicitation to purchase or sell securities or any investment program. The opinions and forecasts expressed are those of the editors of StateoftheMarkets.com and may not actually come to pass. The opinions and viewpoints regarding the future of the markets should not be construed as recommendations of any specific security nor specific investment advice. Stocks should always consult an investment professional before making any investment. Any investment decisions must in all cases be made by the reader or by his or her investment adviser. Do NOT ever purchase any security without doing sufficient research. There is no guarantee that the investment objectives outlined will actually come to pass. All opinions expressed herein are subject to change without notice. Neither the editor, employees, nor any of their affiliates shall have any liability for any loss sustained by anyone who has relied on the information provided. The analysis provided is based on both technical and fundamental research and is provided 'as is' without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied. Although the information contained is derived from sources which are believed to be reliable, they cannot be guaranteed. The information contained in our websites and StateoftheMarkets.com publications is provided by Ridge Publishing Co. Inc. (Ridge). One of the principals of Ridge, Mr. David Moenning, is also President and majority shareholder of Heritage Capital Management, Inc. (HCM) a Chicago-based money management firm. HCM is registered as an investment adviser. HCM also serves as a sub-advisor to other investment advisory firms. Ridge is a publisher and has not registered as an investment adviser. Neither HCM nor Ridge is registered as a broker-dealer. Employees and affiliates of HCM and Ridge may at times have positions in the securities referred to and may make purchases or sales of these securities while publications are in circulation. Editors will indicate whether they or HCM has a position in stocks or other securities mentioned in any publication. The disclosures will be accurate as of the time of publication and may change thereafter without notice. Index returns are price only and do not include the reinvestment of dividends. The S&P 500 is a stock market index containing the stocks of 500 large-cap corporations, most of which are US companies. The index is the most notable of the many indices owned and maintained by Standard & Poor's, a division of McGraw-Hill. S&P 500 is used in reference not only to the index but also to the 500 companies that have their common stock included in the index. Investments in equities carry an inherent element of risk including the potential for significant loss of principal. Past performance is not an indication of future results. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2013-03-21,19.7934,19.9366,19.5497,19.5803,
FAST,2013-03-22,19.5842,19.9958,19.5842,19.974,
FAST,2013-03-25,19.9958,20.0491,19.4983,19.5319,
FAST,2013-03-26,19.5783,19.6286,19.4105,19.5743,
FAST,2013-03-27,19.4727,19.6592,19.3107,19.598,
FAST,2013-03-28,19.6247,19.9326,19.5664,19.904,
FAST,2013-04-01,19.985,19.985,19.2081,19.3039,
FAST,2013-04-02,19.3699,19.4499,19.2141,19.2949,
FAST,2013-04-03,19.2781,19.3305,18.7906,18.8143,
FAST,2013-04-04,18.8735,19.1617,18.7906,19.1361,
FAST,2013-04-05,18.8409,19.0985,18.7422,19.0749,
FAST,2013-04-08,19.1548,19.5023,19.0492,19.5023,"[""Earnings Preview: Fastenal - Analyst Blog"", ""Earnings Preview: Fastenal - Analyst Blog"", ""Earnings Preview: Fastenal - Analyst Blog Fastenal Company ( FAST ) is set to report first quarter 2013 results before the opening bell on Apr 10. Last quarter it posted in-line results. Let's see how things are shaping up for this announcement. Growth Factors this Past Quarter Fastenal reported a 10% year-over-year increase in earnings per share on the back of decent margin growth. The company witnessed 8% year-over-year rise in revenues in the fourth quarter 2012. However, both revenue and earnings declined sequentially. Fastenal's daily sales growth rates in the second, third and fourth quarters of 2012 were lower than that of the first quarter as well as year-ago comparable periods mainly due to weakness in its fastener product line. Its fasteners product line has suffered due to end market slowdown and broader economic uncertainty. Daily sales to manufacturing customers (representing almost 50% of revenues) grew 9.7% in the fourth quarter, much below growth rates of 21.0% in the prior-year quarter and 14.0% in the preceding quarter. Earnings Whispers? Our proven model does not conclusively show that Fastenal is likely to beat earnings this quarter. That is because a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP (Read: Zacks Earnings ESP: A Better Method ) and a Zacks Rank of #1, 2 or 3 for this to happen. That is not the case here as you will see below. Negative Zacks ESP: The stock has a negative ESP of -5.41%. Zacks Rank #3 (Hold): Fastenal's Zacks Rank #3 lowers the predictive power of ESP because the Zacks #3 Rank when combined with a negative ESP makes surprise prediction difficult. We caution against stocks with Zacks Ranks #4 and #5 (Sell rated stocks) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions momentum. Other Stocks to Consider With the overall housing market improving steadily, there are many companies that are likely to beat earnings this quarter. Here are some other companies you may want to consider as our model shows they have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter: Ryland Group Inc. ( RYL ), Earnings ESP of + 10.00% and Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) The Home Depot, Inc. ( HD ) , Earnings ESP of +7.90% and Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) KB Home ( KBH ), Earnings ESP of + 36.36% and Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report HOME DEPOT (HD): Free Stock Analysis Report KB HOME (KBH): Free Stock Analysis Report RYLAND GRP INC (RYL): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Earnings Preview: Fastenal - Analyst Blog""]"
FAST,2013-04-09,19.4302,19.8033,19.2949,19.7303,"[""Fastenal, MSC Earnings To Shed Light On Manufacturing"", ""Dow, S&P 500 Flirt With All-Time Highs; Asset Managers Continue Outperformance"", ""Dow, S&P 500 Flirt With All-Time Highs; Asset Managers Continue Outperformance"", ""Fastenal, MSC Earnings To Shed Light On Manufacturing"", ""Pre-Market Earnings Report for April 10, 2013 : PGR, FAST, KMX, STZ, FDO, MSM, TITN, ATNY, JKS The following companies are expected to report earnings prior to market open on 04/10/2013. Visit our Earnings Calendar for a full list of expected earnings releases. Progressive Corporation ( PGR ) is reporting for the quarter ending March 31, 2013. The insurance (property & casualty) company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 14 analysts that follow the stock is $0.44. This value represents a 4.76% increase compared to the same quarter last year. PGR missed the consensus earnings per share in the 2nd calendar quarter of 2012 by -25.93%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2013 Price to Earnings ratio for PGR is 17.09 vs. an industry ratio of 16.00, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Fastenal Company ( FAST ) is reporting for the quarter ending March 31, 2013. The building company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 7 analysts that follow the stock is $0.37. This value represents a 8.82% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year FAST has met analyst expectations three times and beat the expectations the other quarter. The \""days to cover\"" for this stock exceeds 12 days. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2013 Price to Earnings ratio for FAST is 30.66 vs. an industry ratio of 20.60, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. CarMax Inc ( KMX ) is reporting for the quarter ending February 28, 2013. The wholesale retail company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 12 analysts that follow the stock is $0.45. This value represents a 9.76% increase compared to the same quarter last year. KMX missed the consensus earnings per share in the 3rd calendar quarter of 2012 by -7.69%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2013 Price to Earnings ratio for KMX is 22.78 vs. an industry ratio of 11.20, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Constellation Brands Inc ( STZ ) is reporting for the quarter ending February 28, 2013. The alcohol company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 8 analysts that follow the stock is $0.45. This value represents a 34.78% decrease compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year STZ has beat the expectations every quarter. The highest one was in the 4th calendar quarter where they beat the consensus by 14.55%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2013 Price to Earnings ratio for STZ is 22.28 vs. an industry ratio of 21.40, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Family Dollar Stores, Inc. ( FDO ) is reporting for the quarter ending February 28, 2013. The discount retail company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 20 analysts that follow the stock is $1.22. This value represents a 6.09% increase compared to the same quarter last year. FDO missed the consensus earnings per share in the 4th calendar quarter of 2012 by -6.76%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2013 Price to Earnings ratio for FDO is 14.92 vs. an industry ratio of 21.30. MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. ( MSM ) is reporting for the quarter ending February 28, 2013. The industrial services company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 11 analysts that follow the stock is $0.90. This value represents a 5.26% decrease compared to the same quarter last year. MSM missed the consensus earnings per share in the 2nd calendar quarter of 2012 by -0.9%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2013 Price to Earnings ratio for MSM is 20.10 vs. an industry ratio of 13.50, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Titan Machinery Inc. ( TITN ) is reporting for the quarter ending January 31, 2013. The retail company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 6 analysts that follow the stock is $0.91. This value represents a 8.33% increase compared to the same quarter last year. The \""days to cover\"" for this stock exceeds 12 days. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2013 Price to Earnings ratio for TITN is 12.00 vs. an industry ratio of 13.50. API Technologies Corp. ( ATNY ) is reporting for the quarter ending February 28, 2013. The military company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 2 analysts that follow the stock is $-0.08. This value represents a 366.67% decrease compared to the same quarter last year. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2013 Price to Earnings ratio for ATNY is -49.20 vs. an industry ratio of -14.00. JinkoSolar Holding Company Limited ( JKS ) is reporting for the quarter ending March 31, 2013. The solar company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 1 analyst that follows the stock is $-1.17. This value represents a 50.42% increase compared to the same quarter last year. Zacks Investment Research reports that the Price to Earnings ratio for JKS is 0.00 vs. an industry ratio of -5.60, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Dow, S&P 500 Flirt With All-Time Highs; Asset Managers Continue Outperformance"", ""Fastenal, MSC Earnings To Shed Light On Manufacturing""]"
FAST,2013-04-10,18.9278,19.5151,18.6514,19.0463,"[""Slowing Sales At Fastenal Not Denting Investor Enthusiasm ... Yet"", ""Fastenal 1Q Earnings Meet, Revs Miss - Analyst Blog"", ""Suppliers see industrial malaise"", ""MSC Industrial, Fastenal Stocks Fall On Weak Sales"", ""NASDAQ 100's Top Performers: MU, NIHD, BIDU"", ""Stocks Climb In Solid Trade; S&P 500 Takes Out 2007 Record"", ""Earnings Scheduled For April 10, 2013"", ""Benzinga Market Primer: Wednesday, April 10"", ""Fastenal Company Reports Q4 EPS of $0.37, Inline; Revenue of $806.33M vs $815.10M Est"", ""Benzinga's Top Pre-Market Losers"", ""Fastenal Company Raised Quarterly Dividend from 0.10 to $0.2000/Share, Yields 1.7000%"", ""Fastenal Company Raised Quarterly Dividend from 0.10 to $0.2000/Share, Yields 1.7000%"", ""Benzinga's Top Pre-Market Losers"", ""Fastenal Company Reports Q4 EPS of $0.37, Inline; Revenue of $806.33M vs $815.10M Est"", ""Benzinga Market Primer: Wednesday, April 10"", ""Earnings Scheduled For April 10, 2013"", ""Suppliers see industrial malaise"", ""Fastenal 1Q Earnings Meet, Revs Miss - Analyst Blog"", ""MSC Industrial, Fastenal Stocks Fall On Weak Sales"", ""Slowing Sales At Fastenal Not Denting Investor Enthusiasm ... Yet"", ""NASDAQ 100's Top Performers: MU, NIHD, BIDU"", ""Stocks Climb In Solid Trade; S&P 500 Takes Out 2007 Record"", ""Benzinga Market Primer: Wednesday, April 10 Futures Higher as Yen Slides, Eyeing FOMC Minutes U.S. equity futures rose in early pre-market trade Wednesday as the markets continued to react to Japan's easing policies. Later today, the minutes of the latest FOMC meeting will be released and markets will be focused on any language related to an exit policy of the Fed. Monday night, Chairman Bernanke hinted that any pullback in easing would start with hikes in the interest on excess reserves (IOER). Top News In other news around the markets: China's trade balance was less than expected in March as import growth far surpassed expectations and exports grew slightly less than expected. The trade balance was reported as a deficit of $0.88 billion vs. an expected surplus of $15.15 billion, mostly due to imports growing 14.1 percent from a year ago on expectations that imports would grow 6.0 percent. Herbalife (NYSE: HLF ) and Skechers (NYSE: SKX ) shares were both halted for over an hour Tuesday as the companies both announced that KPMG was resigning as its auditor after discovering that a senior partner at KPMG responsible for the accounts was selling secrets to traders in an insider trading scandal. Reserve Bank of Australia board member Kent spoke overnight saying that cooling inflation data opens the door to more easing while Treasury Secretary Swan said that the Australian dollar remains strongly overvalued. S&P 500 futures rose 4 points to 1,567.50. The EUR/USD was was higher at 1.3097, the highest since mid-March. Spanish 10-year government bond yields fell to 4.71 percent from 4.72 percent. Italian 10-year government bond yields fell to 4.34 percent from 4.35 percent. Gold fell 0.4 percent to $1,580.60 per ounce. Asian Markets Asian shares were mostly higher overnight led by Japanese shares as the easing efforts of the Bank of Japan pushed investors into stocks. The Japanese Nikkei Index rose 0.73 percent, the highest close since August 2008, and the Shanghai Composite Index rose 0.02 percent while the Hang Seng Index rose 0.75 percent. Also, the Korean Kospi rose 0.77 percent and Australian shares slipped 0.18 percent. European Markets European shares were sharply higher in early trade on hopes of additional easing measures. The Spanish Ibex Index gained 2.19 percent and the Italian FTSE MIB Index rose 1.4 percent. Meanwhile, the German DAX rose 1.36 percent and the French CAC added 1.28 percent while U.K. shares gained a mere 0.73 percent. Commodities Commodities were lower overnight after sharp gains over the past two days following the weaker than expected Chinese trade balance and export data. WTI Crude futures fell 0.2 percent to $94.04 per barrel and Brent Crude futures fell 0.35 percent to $106.00. Copper futures slid 0.38 percent to $343.35 per pound on the weak Chinese export data and concerns from the Australian officials. Gold was lower and silver futures slid 0.65 percent to $27.75 per ounce. Currencies Currency markets continued to see the yen sell off overnight as the markets continue to react to the BoJ's latest round of easing, a massive round at that. The EUR/USD was higher at 1.3097 as Japanese money flows into European bonds in search of yield and the dollar gained against the yen to 99.43 as the pair tries to make a run at the dreaded 100 level. Overall, the Dollar Index fell 0.04 percent on weakness against the euro, the Swiss franc, and the Canadian dollar despite the strength against the yen and the pound. Also, the Australian dollar rallied against the greenback and the yen. Earnings Reported Yesterday Key companies that reported earnings Tuesday include: PriceSmart (NASDAQ: PSMT ) reported second quarter EPS of $0.82 vs. $0.77 expected on revenue of $607.4 million vs. $609.67 million estimated. Healthcare Services Group (NASDAQ: HCSG ) reported fourth quarter EPS of $0.22 vs. $0.19 expected on revenue of $273.9 million on estimates of $281.34 million. Zep (NYSE: ZEP ) reported second quarter EPS of $0.12 vs. $0.11 forecasted on sales of $163.4 million vs. $167.06 million estimated. Pre-Market Movers Stocks moving in the pre-market included: PriceSmart shares rose 3.48 percent pre-market following its earnings report. J.C.Penney (NYSE: JCP ) shares rose 0.5 percent pre-market following the sharp 12.22 percent drop yesterday after the company announced that it had fired Ron Johnson as CEO after only 17 months. Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT ) shares rose 0.14 percent pre-market after rising 3.57 percent Tuesday on news that the company may be rolling out the newest Xbox earlier than expected, a technical breakout, and that the company is partnering with NBC Sports for streaming digital content. Facebook (NASDAQ: FB ) shares rose 1.58 percent pre-market as GM has reversed its decision to pull ads from the website, the decision it initially made last summer. Earnings Notable companies expected to report earnings Wednesday include: ADTRAN (NASDAQ: ADTN ) is expected to report first quarter EPS of $0.08 vs. $0.20 a year ago. Bed Bath and Beyond (NASDAQ: BBBY ) is expected to report fourth quarter EPS of $1.68 vs. $1.48 a year ago. Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST ) is expected to report fourth quarter EPS of $0.37 s. $0.40 a year ago. Family Dollar (NYSE: FDO ) is expected to report fourth quarter EPS of $1.23 vs. $1.15 a year ago. JinkoSolar Holdings (NYSE: JKS ) is expected to report a fourth quarter loss of $0.80 per share vs. a loss of $2.58 a year ago. Ruby Tuesday (NYSE: RT ) is expected to report fourth quarter EPS of $0.10 vs. $0.18 a year ago. Constellation Brands (NYSE: STZ ) is expected to report fourth quarter EPS of $0.45 vs. $0.69 a year ago. Economics On the economics calendar Wednesday, MBA Mortgage Applications are due out followed by the FOMC meeting minutes later. Also, Richard Fisher of the Dallas Fed is set to speak and the Treasury is set to auction 10-year notes. Overnight, Australian employment data and the ECB Monthly Report are both expected and should move markets. Good luck and good trading. (c) 2013 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Profit with More New & Research . Gain access to a streaming platform with all the information you need to invest better today. Click here to start your 14 Day Trial of Benzinga Professional The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Market Close Report: NASDAQ Composite index closes at 3,297.25 up 59.39 points Wednesday's session closes with the NASDAQ Composite Index at 3,297.25. The total shares traded for the NASDAQ was over 1.73 billion. Advancers stocks led declining by 3.7 to 1 ratio. There were 1980 advancers and 535 decliners for the day. On the NASDAQ Stock Exchange 132 stocks reached a 52 week high and 8 those reaching lows totaled. The most active, advancers, decliners, unusual volume and most active by dollar volume can be monitored intraday on the Most Active Stocks page. The NASDAQ 100 index closed up 1.94% for the day; a total of 54.54 points. The current value is 2,859.21. Fastenal Company ( FAST ) had the largest percent change down (-3.46%) while Baidu, Inc. ( BIDU ) had the largest percent change gain rising 6.13%. The Dow Jones index closed up .88% for the day; a total of 128.78 points. The current value is 14,802.24. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. ( WMT ) had the largest percent change down (-.96%) while Merck & Company, Inc. ( MRK ) had the largest percent change gain rising 2.92%. NASDAQ Market Wrap As of 4/10/2013 4:44:01 PM BILLIONS OF 1.73 NASDAQ SHARES TRADED TODAY 132 STOCKS REACHED A 52 WEEK HIGH 8 THOSE REACHING LOWS TOTALEDBaidu, Inc.[BIDU]TOPS ADVANCERS LISTOF NASDAQ 100 % 6.13 INDEXBIDU ROSE The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal 1Q Earnings Meet, Revs Miss - Analyst Blog Fastenal Company ( FAST ) reported adjusted earnings of 37 cents per share in the first quarter of 2013, up 8.8% year over year on the back of top-line growth. The company's earnings were in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Fastenal reported net sales of $806.3 million, up 4.9% year over year, driven by increase in unit sales and favorable impact from FAST solution initiative, which offset the decline in fastener sales. However, net sales lagged the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $823 million. Fastenal serves customers in the manufacturing and non-residential construction markets. Sales were slow in both the markets. Quarter Details Fastenal's daily sales growth rates came in at 6.7%, 8.2% and 5.1% for the months of January, February and March, respectively, significantly down from the daily growth rates of 21.3%, 20.0% and 19.3% in the corresponding prior-year months. The sequential change in daily sales for 12 months from January to December also fell short of historical averages. Foreign exchange dragged first quarter daily sales growth rates by 0.1%. Daily sales to manufacturing customers (representing almost 50% of revenues) grew 7.0% in the first quarter, much below 20.3% in the prior-year quarter and 9.7% in the preceding quarter. Daily sales growth rates to manufacturing customers have declined sharply due to lower sales of its fasteners product line, which are being hurt by end market slowdown and broader economic uncertainty. The company supplies two types of products to manufacturing customers, one for industrial production and the other for maintenance of the manufacturing business. Sales of products for industrial production dipped significantly, owing to a continuous downfall in daily sales growth rates of fastener products (used mainly for industrial production) to 1.7% in the quarter. This was also lower than 2.6% growth recorded in the previous quarter. Sales of non-fastener products (used mainly for maintenance) was 10.8% in the first quarter of 2013, down from 13.6% in the preceding quarter; the decline being less dramatic than fasteners due to strength in the FAST Solutions, which was partially offset by weak industrial environment. In the non-residential construction market, daily sales to non-residential construction customers (representing 20% to 25% of revenues) grew 2.9% in first quarter of 2013, down from 17.1% in the first quarter of 2012 and 4.2% recorded in the fourth quarter of 2012. Management blamed the weakness in the overall non-residential construction market and the uncertainty in U.S economic policy for the decline in this business. Vending Machine Activity is Gaining Traction The company has adopted FAST Solutions, an industrial vending process that has the potential to revolutionize the industrial distribution system and increase profitability. The company installs vending machines that aid in controlling inventory and administrative costs while reducing product consumption. Despite overall weak sales, the company is seeing some progress around its vending program. In the first quarter, the company installed 4,352 new machines, up 20.6% sequentially. As of Mar 31, 2013, the company operated 25,447 FAST Solutions vending machines. The vending machines now account for over 25% of the company's sales. During the quarter, the company signed 5,728 vending machine contracts, up 2.5% sequentially. In 2013, the company aims to sign 2,500 machines per month or 30,000 per year. Margins In first quarter 2013, gross margin improved 70 basis points from the prior-year quarter to 52.6% attributable to improved transactional margins. The company believes that its normal gross margin range is 51% to 53%. The company recorded operating and administrative expense of $247.3 million, up 6.1% year over year mainly due to higher incentives to employees. Store Count Fastenal had 2,660 stores at the end of first quarter of 2013, up from 2,652 stores in the sequentially preceding quarter. During the first quarter of 2013, the company opened 11 new stores, up 0.4% sequentially. Fastenal carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). With the overall housing market improving steadily, other companies in the sector are also performing well. These include Ryland Group Inc. ( RYL ), KB Home ( KBH ) and Lumber Liquidators Holdings, Inc. ( LL ). While Ryland and Lumber carry a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), KB Home carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report KB HOME (KBH): Free Stock Analysis Report LUMBER LIQUIDAT (LL): Free Stock Analysis Report RYLAND GRP INC (RYL): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Company Raised Quarterly Dividend from 0.10 to $0.2000/Share, Yields 1.7000%"", ""Benzinga's Top Pre-Market Losers"", ""Fastenal Company Reports Q4 EPS of $0.37, Inline; Revenue of $806.33M vs $815.10M Est"", ""Benzinga Market Primer: Wednesday, April 10"", ""Earnings Scheduled For April 10, 2013"", ""Suppliers see industrial malaise"", ""Fastenal 1Q Earnings Meet, Revs Miss - Analyst Blog"", ""MSC Industrial, Fastenal Stocks Fall On Weak Sales"", ""Slowing Sales At Fastenal Not Denting Investor Enthusiasm ... Yet"", ""NASDAQ 100's Top Performers: MU, NIHD, BIDU"", ""Stocks Climb In Solid Trade; S&P 500 Takes Out 2007 Record"", ""Stock futures lifted by China, Fed minutes U.S. stock market futures got a boost on Wednesday by a surprise trade deficit for China and by the early release of minutes from the latest Federal Open Market Committee\u2019s latest meeting.""]"
FAST,2013-04-11,19.0907,19.3137,18.9159,18.9229,"[""Company News for April 11, 2013 - Corporate Summary"", ""Weak Metalworking Rusting MSC Industrial's Growth Outlook"", ""Company News for April 11, 2013 - Corporate Summary"", ""Weak Metalworking Rusting MSC Industrial's Growth Outlook"", ""Company News for April 11, 2013 - Corporate Summary"", ""Weak Metalworking Rusting MSC Industrial's Growth Outlook""]"
FAST,2013-04-12,18.9229,19.2397,18.6978,19.1903,
FAST,2013-04-15,19.1361,19.1469,18.5853,18.6396,
FAST,2013-04-16,18.8222,19.1973,18.8054,19.0985,"[""Grainger Gaps Up On Strong Q1 Profit, Upbeat Outlook"", ""Grainger Gaps Up On Strong Q1 Profit, Upbeat Outlook"", ""Grainger Gaps Up On Strong Q1 Profit, Upbeat Outlook""]"
FAST,2013-04-17,19.0038,19.0038,18.4876,18.5804,
FAST,2013-04-18,18.5804,18.7116,18.2566,18.3266,
FAST,2013-04-19,18.2448,18.7817,18.228,18.6652,
FAST,2013-04-22,18.7264,18.9021,18.4954,18.8478,
FAST,2013-04-23,18.9061,19.0985,18.7856,19.0591,"X Factor: 5 Stocks Reaching Their Ex-Dividend Date on April 30 Nine stocks will reach their ex-dividend date next Tuesday, which is significant for investors as the seller of the stock on that date, not the buyer, receives the most recent dividend. A stock must be bought one day before the ex-dividend date to claim any dividends that have been announced but not yet paid. The company determines on the record date, which usually occurs two days after the ex-dividend date, which shareholders qualify for the dividend. Shareholders listed as holders of record after the record date then receive their dividend on the date of payment established by the company. Those purchasing right before the record date forfeit the dividend and normally get the stock for a reduced amount. It may seem an anachronism in this era of high frequency trading, but the dividend rate rules are in force since it can still take up to three business days for transactions to be credited to and settled in an investor's account. Below are five stocks that schedule April 30 as their ex-dividend date. All annual yields are estimated. ABB ( ABB ) yields 3.25% annually and has a market cap of $48.70 billion. The global provider of automation technologies will pay an annual dividend of $0.7177 on May 10. The company has paid an annual dividend since 2006. The Mosaic Company ( MOS ) yields 1.71% annually and has a market cap of $24.83 billion. The global producer of concentrated phosphates and potash crop nutrients will pay a quarterly dividend of $0.25 on May 16, and its quarterly yield will be 0.43% based on yesterday's closing price of $58.31. The company has paid a quarterly dividend since the second half of 2008. Fastenal Company ( FAST ) yields 1.65% annually and has a market cap of $14.42 billion. The wholesaler and retailer of industrial and construction supplies in the US will pay a quarterly dividend of $0.20 on May 30, and its quarterly yield will be 0.41% based on yesterday's closing price of $48.61. The company has paid a dividend since 1991, and it has paid a quarterly dividend since 2010. Petroleo Brasileiro ( PBR ) yields 0.77% annually and has a market cap of $110.16 billion. The global oil and gas company will pay two extra dividends with the same ex-dividend date. The first special dividend of $0.0949 will paid on June 5, and the yield will be 0.56% based on yesterday's closing price of $16.89. The second special dividend of $0.1149 will be paid on September 9, and the yield will be 0.68% based on yesterday's closing price. The company has paid a dividend since the second half of 2001. KB Home ( KBH ) yields 0.48% annually and has a market cap of $1.76 billion. The US homebuilding and financial services company will pay a quarterly dividend of $0.025 on May 16, and the quarterly yield will be 0.12% based on yesterday's closing price of $21.02. The company has paid a quarterly dividend since 1988. These companies also have their ex-dividend date on April 30. All annual yields are estimated. Merchants Bancshares (MBVT) yields 3.80% annually and will pay a quarterly dividend of $0.28 on May 16. Sierra Bancorp (BSRR) yields 1.89% annually and will pay a quarterly dividend of $0.06 on May 16. Cardinal Financial Group (CFNL) yields 1.64% annually and will pay a quarterly dividend of $0.06 on May 17. Peapack-Gladstone Financial Corporation (PGC) yields 1.42% annually and will pay a quarterly dividend of $0.05 on May 16. Purchase -- and have your broker settle -- before the ex-dividend date to secure the dividend. Twitter: @ChrisWitrak The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2013-04-24,19.1677,19.3631,19.063,19.1903,
FAST,2013-04-25,19.2357,19.3423,19.0907,19.1311,
FAST,2013-04-26,19.1825,19.3039,19.0463,19.1825,
FAST,2013-04-29,19.1973,19.4687,19.0354,19.3591,"Fastenal Company (FAST) Ex-Dividend Date Scheduled for April 30, 2013 Fastenal Company ( FAST ) will begin trading ex-dividend on April 30, 2013. A cash dividend payment of $0.2 per share is scheduled to be paid on May 30, 2013. Shareholders who purchased FAST stock prior to the ex-dividend date are eligible for the cash dividend payment. This represents an 100% increase over the prior quarter. At the current stock price of $49.47, the dividend yield is 1.62%. The previous trading day's last sale of FAST was $49.47, representing a -7.32% decrease from the 52 week high of $53.38 and a 31.53% increase over the 52 week low of $37.61. FAST is a part of the Consumer Services sector, which includes companies such as Home Depot, Inc. ( HD ) and Lowe's Companies, Inc. ( LOW ). FAST's current earnings per share, an indicator of a company's profitability, is $1.45. Zacks Investment Research reports FAST's forecasted earnings growth in 2013 as 13.93%, compared to an industry average of 19.6%. For more information on the declaration, record and payment dates, visit the FAST Dividend History page. Interested in gaining exposure to FAST through an Exchange Traded Fund [ETF]? The following ETF(s) have FAST as a top-10 holding: Guggenheim S&P 500 Equal Weight Industrials ETF ( RGI ) First Trust NASDAQ-100 Ex-Technology Sector Index Fund ( QQXT ) Vanguard Mid-Cap Growth ETF ( VOT ). The top-performing ETF of this group is VOT with an increase of 13.07% over the last 100 days. RGI has the highest percent weighting of FAST at 1.84%. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2013-04-30,19.3177,19.4647,18.8498,19.0975,
FAST,2013-05-01,19.0531,19.1429,18.5774,18.6534,
FAST,2013-05-02,18.6672,18.7797,18.5764,18.6672,"[""Homebuilding Stock Outlook - May 2013 - Industry Outlook"", ""Stock Funds Barely Rose In April Amid New Index Hit"", ""Stock Funds Barely Rose In April Amid New Index Hit"", ""Homebuilding Stock Outlook - May 2013 - Industry Outlook"", ""Homebuilding Stock Outlook - May 2013 - Zacks Analyst Interviews The housing market has steadily made a comeback from the lows witnessed in mid-2006 from the severe and widespread downturn. The stability in the home buying market, combined with low interest rates and increased rentals, has increased the affordability of homes. Moderate job growth and slowly increasing consumer confidence are also contributing to a rise in demand for new homes. Inventory of foreclosed homes and short-sale homes are declining, thus stabilizing prices of new homes. Home prices have started moving up with market demand gathering momentum. As the housing market returns to its pre-downturn level, it will drive employment upward and build consumer confidence, thus providing stimulus to the overall economy. In fact, the health of the housing market is often an indicator of the health of an economy at large. Homebuilders are thus witnessing increasing traffic levels due to heightened consumer demand. Most homebuilding companies are witnessing significant growth in both volumes and average selling prices (ASP). New home orders, backlogs (number of homes under sales contracts at the end of the year) and homes delivered are climbing year over year. Moreover, improving homebuilding revenues combined with tight cost control and better overhead leverage (as volumes improve) are boosting margins for most homebuilders. The large discounts and incentives offered in response to declining demand during the housing downturn have mostly been called back. Overall, the U.S. housing market has seen significant upside in new home sales volume for 2012 with industry-wide sales increasing roughly 25% from prior-year levels. New home construction activity improved 25% in 2012. Faced with the fiscal cliff at 2012 end, and the threat of sequestration and a mounting national debt, the recovery of the housing market was one bright spot on the U.S. economic horizon. Increased Investments in Land Positions With sales and profitability improving, most housing companies have strategically focused on acquiring new home sites in high demand areas, which will further improve revenues and profits. In addition to purchasing finished home sites, companies like Lennar Corporation (LEN), KB Home ( KBH ) and D.R. Horton, Inc. ( DHI ) also acquire early stage raw lands in A-plus locations, on which finished home sites can be built faster at a relatively lower cost. D.R. Horton has indeed stepped up investments in homes under construction, land development and finished lots on the strength of its improved liquidity position from solid sales growth in 2012. The company's land and lot position is now the strongest in its 35-year history. PulteGroup, Inc. ( PHM ) spent $925 million on land and land development in 2012 and plans to spend another $1.2 billion on land and related development in fiscal 2013 and 2014. While the company is disciplined in adding land positions, it is also divesting lower-margin projects and exiting underperforming communities and lower-margin land lots which no longer fit into their operating strategy. This would free up cash to invest in other potential opportunities, generating higher returns. KB Home has also exited underperforming markets like South Carolina, downsized operations in Arizona and Charlotte, disposed of unnecessary land and reduced exposure to risky joint ventures. Focus on High-End Communities Most homebuilders are shifting their focus on high-end communities. The average selling prices (ASPs) are improving for most large-cap homebuilders due to changes in the community/product mix. ASPs have gained from increased sales in high-end communities of California, Arizona, Colorado and Florida, where home prices are generally higher. Given the scenario, large builders are eating into the share of other undercapitalized/small/medium-sized private builders on the back of overall housing demand, stronger capital and better land positions. Lennar strategically focuses on acquiring new home sites that would boost margins and percolate down to the bottom line. The company focuses on high-margin, well-positioned communities and avoids fringe or tertiary markets where price is the only driver. The company's focus on quality instead of quantity is benefiting margins and boosting new sales orders. Pulte is also shifting its focus towards high-priced Pulte-branded move-up homes, which improve the overall ASP. A better mix of sales, particularly Pulte-branded move-up homes, as well as addition of new higher margin communities, is consistently boosting the company's margins. Small homebuilders like KB Home has started rolling out communities in highly desirable submarkets primarily in the Central and West Coast regions, which allow it to sell larger, higher-priced homes, driving up the ASP. KB Home in the fourth quarter 2012 has been able to drive up ASPs for 10 consecutive quarters. KB Home is also targeting higher income, first-time and move-up buyers -- all of whom are more inclined toward buying a new home rather than buying a foreclosed one. Another small homebuilder, Meritage Homes Corp. ( MTH ) is also seeing improving selling prices from a mix shift towards move-up homes in higher-priced communities and states. Luxury home-builder Toll Brothers ( TOL ) is focused on raising the quality and the luxury quotient of its homes, thus giving it a competitive advantage. Ancillary Companies also Stand to Gain Construction material companies, Vulcan Materials Company ( VMC ) and Eagle Materials Inc. ( EXP ), and building product makers Masco Corporation ( MAS ) and Louisiana-Pacific Corporation ( LPX ) are also slowly gaining momentum from improving new home demand. These companies are also seeing a concomitant rise in demand and volume. With both residential housing starts as well as non-residential contract awards showing a steady improvement, Vulcan is seeing some improvement in demand for its aggregates as well as non-aggregates businesses. Its aggregates business, which was sluggish in 2012, is expected to see solid demand growth in 2013 as private construction demand rises. Masco is seeing improving North American sales on the back of increasing new home construction activity, which is driving demand for its home improvement products. Strategic Restructuring & Cost Saving Initiatives Most housing companies are striving to improve their operating and financial performance. The initiatives taken include steps to expand margins, improve overhead leverage, manage inventory tightly and implement new pricing strategies. As part of its cost reduction program, Pulte has made significant workforce reductions and is also aggressively working to reduce overhead costs. In addition, the company had effectively managed its business during the downturn that led to positive cash flows, which in turn could be used to pay back outstanding debt. The company is also adjusting contents of its homes and building smaller floor plans to curtail construction costs. Masco's strategic initiatives include improvement of underperforming businesses like Installation and Cabinet, solidifying its market position and leveraging its brands, new product introductions and product innovation, reducing costs, paying off debt and strengthening its balance sheet. The company's cost-saving initiatives included business consolidations, system implementations, plant closures, branch closures, improvement in the global supply chain and headcount reductions. Over the last 4-5 years, Masco has reduced its gross fixed costs by approximately $600 million by closing around 33 facilities and reducing headcount by more than 30,000. Construction aggregates maker Vulcan's aggressive cost saving actions resulted in improved per-ton margins in 2012. In addition, the company re-organized its structure (consolidated eight divisions into four regions) in 2012, which lowered its selling, general & administration costs by 11% in 2012. The company also has two other ongoing initiatives -- a Profit Enhancement Plan and planned asset sales -- in order to improve earnings and cash flows, pay off debts and thereby strengthen its overall credit profile. The Profit Enhancement Plan is designed to reduce costs as well as enhance profitability by streamlining the management structure. Under the planned asset sale, Vulcan plans to divest its non-core assets in order to focus on the higher-growth Aggregates business. These sales will improve the company's liquidity position and earnings. KB Home is improving and refining its products, activating communities (which were held for future development) in stabilizing markets, increasing revenues per community with intense focus on sales performance, and strengthening management teams with additional resources to improve its operating performance while carefully managing costs. Most homebuilders expect these cost reduction and operating efficiency improvement plans combined with reinvigorated housing demand to boost profitability in 2013. How Will the Big Players Perform this Quarter? A look at the Earnings ESP ( Expected Surprise Prediction - Zacks' proprietary methodology for determining which stocks have the best chance to surprise with their next earnings announcement) in the table below shows that Louisiana-Pacific could beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in its first quarter 2013. The company is expected to outperform on the back of solid performance in its Oriental Strand Board (OSB) and Sliding segments driven by the housing market recovery. Masco is also expected to beat earnings this quarter driven by continued improving trends in the North American and the company's turnaround efforts and profit improvement initiatives. Among those which have already reported their results for this quarter, Lennar beat the Zacks Consensus Estimates for both revenue and earnings; KB Home beat on revenues and incurred a narrower loss; and Fastenal Company ( FAST ) delivered in line earnings and missed on revenues. While Lennar and KB Home gained from improving housing fundamentals, Fastenal continues to see sluggish sales of its fasteners product line (hurt by end-market slowdown and a broader economic uncertainty). Fastenal is a national distributor of industrial and construction supplies. In terms of composite growth expectations (combining the reports that have come out with those still to come), total earnings for companies in the construction sector are expected to increase 80.5% (year over year) in the first quarter after the +90.3% gain in the fourth quarter of 2012, thus continuing its positive momentum. This reflects 10.9% increase in revenue and a modest margin contraction. Note: DHI's fiscal year ends in September while that of all other companies end in December. Will the Housing Momentum Continue? Notwithstanding the improving trend, the U.S. new home demand remains at historically low levels due to the currently weak U.S. economic conditions and tight mortgage lending standards. Sustainable increases in housing and housing demand for the long term will require the overall economy to strengthen, including further job growth. Consumers will remain cautious until the employment scenario improves, home prices appreciate further and access to the credit markets ease. A sustainable housing recovery in the long term can be achieved only through a broad-based recovery in the overall economy, which we believe will take time. Rising input costs are also a concern due to increasing costs of building material and labor. As housing starts accelerate, both labor and construction material costs would continue to experience upward pricing pressure, impeding margins in the future. The National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI), known as the homebuilder sentiment index, dropped by 2 points to 45 in April due to rising building materials costs and shortage of developed lots and labor supply. Moreover, difficulty in obtaining construction loans and tightened lending standards are making it tough for homebuilders, especially the smaller ones to effectively respond to increasing demand. OPPORTUNITIES That said, the earnings momentum for homebuilders has remained positive for the near term, resulting in a Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) for D.R. Horton, Louisiana-Pacific and The Ryland Group, Inc. ( RYL ), and a Zacks #2 Rank (Buy) for Pulte, Masco, Lennar, KB Home and Hovnanian Enterprises, Inc. ( HOV ). D.R. Horton has beaten Zacks earnings estimates in all the quarters of fiscal 2012 (ended Sep 2012) as well as in the first quarter of fiscal 2013 driven by growth in net sales orders, homes closed and sales order backlog. The company is expected to see continuous improvement in profitability on the back of geographic diversity, solid cost discipline, sound balance sheet, improved liquidity position, better pricing power, and rising home inventories and land position. Lennar has witnessed solid year-over-year growth in new home orders, average selling prices and home closings in all quarters of 2012. Margins have also been above average, despite rising costs, driven by strong operating leverage. The company expects to continue to achieve further profitability in fiscal 2013 on the back of rising home prices, strong liquidity positions, solid backlog, strategic land acquisitions and new community openings. Pulte has beaten Zacks earnings estimates in the last three quarters of 2012. Improving homebuilding revenues combined with the company's cost control initiatives and solid operating leverage to boost margins. We believe that homebuilders like Pulte, who have significant land positions, broad geographic and product diversity, and better capital positions, are expected to benefit the most as market conditions recover. Masco's had a solid fourth quarter as both top and bottom line results surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate. The strong quarterly results were driven by strong performance in North America and Masco's profit improvement initiatives. We are encouraged by Masco's continued focus on product innovation and cost improvements. In general, management expects improved profitability in 2013 as both the new home construction and repair and remodel activities continue to recover. WEAKNESSES With the housing market on a recovery path, we are not generally bearish on any housing company. However, we advise investors to avoid Fastenal. Fastenal's daily sales growth rates in the last three quarters of 2012 were lower than the first quarter as well as the year-ago comparable periods. Daily sales growth rates to manufacturing customers have declined sharply due to lower sales of fasteners. We believe that the shift of resources to vending may also be hurting fastener sales. The stock carries a Zacks #3 Rank (Hold). D R HORTON INC (DHI): Free Stock Analysis Report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report HOVNANIAN ENTRP (HOV): Free Stock Analysis Report KB HOME (KBH): Free Stock Analysis Report LENNAR CORP -A (LEN): Free Stock Analysis Report MASCO (MAS): Free Stock Analysis Report VULCAN MATLS CO (VMC): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Homebuilding Stock Outlook - May 2013 - Industry Outlook The housing market has steadily made a comeback from the lows witnessed in mid-2006 from the severe and widespread downturn. The stability in the home buying market, combined with low interest rates and increased rentals, has increased the affordability of homes. Moderate job growth and slowly increasing consumer confidence are also contributing to a rise in demand for new homes. Inventory of foreclosed homes and short-sale homes are declining, thus stabilizing prices of new homes. Home prices have started moving up with market demand gathering momentum. As the housing market returns to its pre-downturn level, it will drive employment upward and build consumer confidence, thus providing stimulus to the overall economy. In fact, the health of the housing market is often an indicator of the health of an economy at large. Homebuilders are thus witnessing increasing traffic levels due to heightened consumer demand. Most homebuilding companies are witnessing significant growth in both volumes and average selling prices (ASP). New home orders, backlogs (number of homes under sales contracts at the end of the year) and homes delivered are climbing year over year. Moreover, improving homebuilding revenues combined with tight cost control and better overhead leverage (as volumes improve) are boosting margins for most homebuilders. The large discounts and incentives offered in response to declining demand during the housing downturn have mostly been called back. Overall, the U.S. housing market has seen significant upside in new home sales volume for 2012 with industry-wide sales increasing roughly 25% from prior-year levels. New home construction activity improved 25% in 2012. Faced with the fiscal cliff at 2012 end, and the threat of sequestration and a mounting national debt, the recovery of the housing market was one bright spot on the U.S. economic horizon. Increased Investments in Land Positions With sales and profitability improving, most housing companies have strategically focused on acquiring new home sites in high demand areas, which will further improve revenues and profits. In addition to purchasing finished home sites, companies like Lennar Corporation (LEN), KB Home ( KBH ) and D.R. Horton, Inc. ( DHI ) also acquire early stage raw lands in A-plus locations, on which finished home sites can be built faster at a relatively lower cost. D.R. Horton has indeed stepped up investments in homes under construction, land development and finished lots on the strength of its improved liquidity position from solid sales growth in 2012. The company's land and lot position is now the strongest in its 35-year history. PulteGroup, Inc. ( PHM ) spent $925 million on land and land development in 2012 and plans to spend another $1.2 billion on land and related development in fiscal 2013 and 2014. While the company is disciplined in adding land positions, it is also divesting lower-margin projects and exiting underperforming communities and lower-margin land lots which no longer fit into their operating strategy. This would free up cash to invest in other potential opportunities, generating higher returns. KB Home has also exited underperforming markets like South Carolina, downsized operations in Arizona and Charlotte, disposed of unnecessary land and reduced exposure to risky joint ventures. Focus on High-End Communities Most homebuilders are shifting their focus on high-end communities. The average selling prices (ASPs) are improving for most large-cap homebuilders due to changes in the community/product mix. ASPs have gained from increased sales in high-end communities of California, Arizona, Colorado and Florida, where home prices are generally higher. Given the scenario, large builders are eating into the share of other undercapitalized/small/medium-sized private builders on the back of overall housing demand, stronger capital and better land positions. Lennar strategically focuses on acquiring new home sites that would boost margins and percolate down to the bottom line. The company focuses on high-margin, well-positioned communities and avoids fringe or tertiary markets where price is the only driver. The company's focus on quality instead of quantity is benefiting margins and boosting new sales orders. Pulte is also shifting its focus towards high-priced Pulte-branded move-up homes, which improve the overall ASP. A better mix of sales, particularly Pulte-branded move-up homes, as well as addition of new higher margin communities, is consistently boosting the company's margins. Small homebuilders like KB Home has started rolling out communities in highly desirable submarkets primarily in the Central and West Coast regions, which allow it to sell larger, higher-priced homes, driving up the ASP. KB Home in the fourth quarter 2012 has been able to drive up ASPs for 10 consecutive quarters. KB Home is also targeting higher income, first-time and move-up buyers -- all of whom are more inclined toward buying a new home rather than buying a foreclosed one. Another small homebuilder, Meritage Homes Corp. ( MTH ) is also seeing improving selling prices from a mix shift towards move-up homes in higher-priced communities and states. Luxury home-builder Toll Brothers ( TOL ) is focused on raising the quality and the luxury quotient of its homes, thus giving it a competitive advantage. Ancillary Companies also Stand to Gain Construction material companies, Vulcan Materials Company ( VMC ) and Eagle Materials Inc. ( EXP ), and building product makers Masco Corporation ( MAS ) and Louisiana-Pacific Corporation ( LPX ) are also slowly gaining momentum from improving new home demand. These companies are also seeing a concomitant rise in demand and volume. With both residential housing starts as well as non-residential contract awards showing a steady improvement, Vulcan is seeing some improvement in demand for its aggregates as well as non-aggregates businesses. Its aggregates business, which was sluggish in 2012, is expected to see solid demand growth in 2013 as private construction demand rises. Masco is seeing improving North American sales on the back of increasing new home construction activity, which is driving demand for its home improvement products. Strategic Restructuring & Cost Saving Initiatives Most housing companies are striving to improve their operating and financial performance. The initiatives taken include steps to expand margins, improve overhead leverage, manage inventory tightly and implement new pricing strategies. As part of its cost reduction program, Pulte has made significant workforce reductions and is also aggressively working to reduce overhead costs. In addition, the company had effectively managed its business during the downturn that led to positive cash flows, which in turn could be used to pay back outstanding debt. The company is also adjusting contents of its homes and building smaller floor plans to curtail construction costs. Masco's strategic initiatives include improvement of underperforming businesses like Installation and Cabinet, solidifying its market position and leveraging its brands, new product introductions and product innovation, reducing costs, paying off debt and strengthening its balance sheet. The company's cost-saving initiatives included business consolidations, system implementations, plant closures, branch closures, improvement in the global supply chain and headcount reductions. Over the last 4-5 years, Masco has reduced its gross fixed costs by approximately $600 million by closing around 33 facilities and reducing headcount by more than 30,000. Construction aggregates maker Vulcan's aggressive cost saving actions resulted in improved per-ton margins in 2012. In addition, the company re-organized its structure (consolidated eight divisions into four regions) in 2012, which lowered its selling, general & administration costs by 11% in 2012. The company also has two other ongoing initiatives -- a Profit Enhancement Plan and planned asset sales -- in order to improve earnings and cash flows, pay off debts and thereby strengthen its overall credit profile. The Profit Enhancement Plan is designed to reduce costs as well as enhance profitability by streamlining the management structure. Under the planned asset sale, Vulcan plans to divest its non-core assets in order to focus on the higher-growth Aggregates business. These sales will improve the company's liquidity position and earnings. KB Home is improving and refining its products, activating communities (which were held for future development) in stabilizing markets, increasing revenues per community with intense focus on sales performance, and strengthening management teams with additional resources to improve its operating performance while carefully managing costs. Most homebuilders expect these cost reduction and operating efficiency improvement plans combined with reinvigorated housing demand to boost profitability in 2013. How Will the Big Players Perform this Quarter? A look at the Earnings ESP ( Expected Surprise Prediction - Zacks' proprietary methodology for determining which stocks have the best chance to surprise with their next earnings announcement) in the table below shows that Louisiana-Pacific could beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in its first quarter 2013. The company is expected to outperform on the back of solid performance in its Oriental Strand Board (OSB) and Sliding segments driven by the housing market recovery. Masco is also expected to beat earnings this quarter driven by continued improving trends in the North American and the company's turnaround efforts and profit improvement initiatives. Among those which have already reported their results for this quarter, Lennar beat the Zacks Consensus Estimates for both revenue and earnings; KB Home beat on revenues and incurred a narrower loss; and Fastenal Company ( FAST ) delivered in line earnings and missed on revenues. While Lennar and KB Home gained from improving housing fundamentals, Fastenal continues to see sluggish sales of its fasteners product line (hurt by end-market slowdown and a broader economic uncertainty). Fastenal is a national distributor of industrial and construction supplies. In terms of composite growth expectations (combining the reports that have come out with those still to come), total earnings for companies in the construction sector are expected to increase 80.5% (year over year) in the first quarter after the +90.3% gain in the fourth quarter of 2012, thus continuing its positive momentum. This reflects 10.9% increase in revenue and a modest margin contraction. Note: DHI's fiscal year ends in September while that of all other companies end in December. Will the Housing Momentum Continue? Notwithstanding the improving trend, the U.S. new home demand remains at historically low levels due to the currently weak U.S. economic conditions and tight mortgage lending standards. Sustainable increases in housing and housing demand for the long term will require the overall economy to strengthen, including further job growth. Consumers will remain cautious until the employment scenario improves, home prices appreciate further and access to the credit markets ease. A sustainable housing recovery in the long term can be achieved only through a broad-based recovery in the overall economy, which we believe will take time. Rising input costs are also a concern due to increasing costs of building material and labor. As housing starts accelerate, both labor and construction material costs would continue to experience upward pricing pressure, impeding margins in the future. The National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI), known as the homebuilder sentiment index, dropped by 2 points to 45 in April due to rising building materials costs and shortage of developed lots and labor supply. Moreover, difficulty in obtaining construction loans and tightened lending standards are making it tough for homebuilders, especially the smaller ones to effectively respond to increasing demand. OPPORTUNITIES That said, the earnings momentum for homebuilders has remained positive for the near term, resulting in a Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) for D.R. Horton, Louisiana-Pacific and The Ryland Group, Inc. ( RYL ), and a Zacks #2 Rank (Buy) for Pulte, Masco, Lennar, KB Home and Hovnanian Enterprises, Inc. ( HOV ). D.R. Horton has beaten Zacks earnings estimates in all the quarters of fiscal 2012 (ended Sep 2012) as well as in the first quarter of fiscal 2013 driven by growth in net sales orders, homes closed and sales order backlog. The company is expected to see continuous improvement in profitability on the back of geographic diversity, solid cost discipline, sound balance sheet, improved liquidity position, better pricing power, and rising home inventories and land position. Lennar has witnessed solid year-over-year growth in new home orders, average selling prices and home closings in all quarters of 2012. Margins have also been above average, despite rising costs, driven by strong operating leverage. The company expects to continue to achieve further profitability in fiscal 2013 on the back of rising home prices, strong liquidity positions, solid backlog, strategic land acquisitions and new community openings. Pulte has beaten Zacks earnings estimates in the last three quarters of 2012. Improving homebuilding revenues combined with the company's cost control initiatives and solid operating leverage to boost margins. We believe that homebuilders like Pulte, who have significant land positions, broad geographic and product diversity, and better capital positions, are expected to benefit the most as market conditions recover. Masco's had a solid fourth quarter as both top and bottom line results surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate. The strong quarterly results were driven by strong performance in North America and Masco's profit improvement initiatives. We are encouraged by Masco's continued focus on product innovation and cost improvements. In general, management expects improved profitability in 2013 as both the new home construction and repair and remodel activities continue to recover. WEAKNESSES With the housing market on a recovery path, we are not generally bearish on any housing company. However, we advise investors to avoid Fastenal. Fastenal's daily sales growth rates in the last three quarters of 2012 were lower than the first quarter as well as the year-ago comparable periods. Daily sales growth rates to manufacturing customers have declined sharply due to lower sales of fasteners. We believe that the shift of resources to vending may also be hurting fastener sales. The stock carries a Zacks #3 Rank (Hold). D R HORTON INC (DHI): Free Stock Analysis Report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report HOVNANIAN ENTRP (HOV): Free Stock Analysis Report KB HOME (KBH): Free Stock Analysis Report LENNAR CORP -A (LEN): Free Stock Analysis Report MASCO (MAS): Free Stock Analysis Report VULCAN MATLS CO (VMC): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Stock Funds Barely Rose In April Amid New Index Hit"", ""Homebuilding Stock Outlook - May 2013 - Industry Outlook""]"
FAST,2013-05-03,18.8705,18.8824,18.609,18.6336,
FAST,2013-05-06,18.6712,18.7659,18.5853,18.6336,
FAST,2013-05-07,18.7235,19.0709,18.7037,18.9367,
FAST,2013-05-08,18.8824,19.0077,18.7037,18.8577,
FAST,2013-05-09,18.7689,19.0857,18.7511,18.9683,
FAST,2013-05-10,19.0265,19.8329,18.9633,19.7697,
FAST,2013-05-13,19.6819,20.1142,19.6819,19.8329,
FAST,2013-05-14,19.8497,20.2928,19.7875,20.1942,
FAST,2013-05-15,20.1162,20.28,20.0658,20.2456,
FAST,2013-05-16,20.1232,20.2168,19.7372,19.7964,
FAST,2013-05-17,19.8645,19.983,19.7066,19.9,
FAST,2013-05-20,19.8931,19.9119,19.7066,19.7776,"[""Three Top-Performing Stocks in a Dreary Industry"", ""Three Top-Performing Stocks in a Dreary Industry"", ""Three Top-Performing Stocks in a Dreary Industry""]"
FAST,2013-05-21,19.8112,20.1972,19.7609,20.1428,
FAST,2013-05-22,20.0481,20.3492,19.7697,19.8971,"[""Fastenal Maintained at Neutral - Analyst Blog"", ""Fastenal Maintained at Neutral - Analyst Blog"", ""Fastenal Maintained at Neutral - Analyst Blog On May 17, we maintained a Neutral recommendation on Fastenal Company ( FAST ) following mixed first-quarter 2013 results. However, continuous weakness in its top line is disturbing. Why the Neutral Recommendation? This industrial and construction supplies company announced first-quarter 2013 results on Apr 10. Adjusted earnings of 37 cents per share were in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate but grew 8.8% year over year, attributable to significant margin growth. Revenues however, grew only 4.9% and also missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate. The company continues to struggle with sales growth. Top-line growth was slower than company expectations in the quarter, hurt by one less selling day, soft fastener sales and global economic policy uncertainty. Fastenal's daily sales growth rates have been weak since the last 3 - 4 quarters mainly due to weakness in its fastener product line, which are being hurt by end-market slowdown and broader economic uncertainty. From more than 15% growth in the first quarter of 2012, the fastener product line, which accounts for more than 40% of company sales, dropped to 1.7% growth in the first quarter of 2013. Estimates have mostly shown a downward trend after the announcement of first-quarter results. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2013 has gone down by 1.8% to $1.61 per share while that for 2014 has gone down by 2.1% to $1.87 over the last 60 days. However, the strong gross margin improvement and easing comparisons ahead keep us optimistic. Despite an overall weak sales pattern, the company is seeing some progress around its vending program and is fast accelerating its vending contract signings and installations. We are also encouraged by Fastenal's other growth drivers like government business and metalworking, which are gaining traction and could help achieve profitability in 2013 and beyond. We thus, remain on the sidelines on solid long-term fundamentals. Other Stocks to Consider Fastenal carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). Some building product maker stocks that are worth a look include Lumber Liquidators Holdings, Inc. ( LL ), carrying a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and The Home Depot, Inc. ( HD) and Builders First Source, Inc. ( BLDR ), both carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). BUILDERS FIRSTS (BLDR): Free Stock Analysis Report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report HOME DEPOT (HD): Free Stock Analysis Report LUMBER LIQUIDAT (LL): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Maintained at Neutral - Analyst Blog""]"
FAST,2013-05-23,19.8566,20.3758,19.6859,20.1942,
FAST,2013-05-24,19.907,20.3048,19.7352,20.21,
FAST,2013-05-28,20.442,20.4626,20.1102,20.285,
FAST,2013-05-29,20.1872,20.2958,19.9386,20.21,
FAST,2013-05-30,20.289,20.3196,20.1014,20.127,
FAST,2013-05-31,20.0462,20.6828,20.0136,20.3156,"[""NASDAQ 100's Update, In focus: NIHD, FAST, SHLD, RIMM, CTRP"", ""NASDAQ 100's Update, In focus: NIHD, FAST, SHLD, RIMM, CTRP"", ""NASDAQ 100's Update, In focus: NIHD, FAST, SHLD, RIMM, CTRP""]"
FAST,2013-06-03,20.4262,20.435,19.9,20.2386,
FAST,2013-06-04,20.21,20.28,19.7135,19.825,
FAST,2013-06-05,19.5901,19.6266,18.532,18.5714,"[""Stocks Dig Deeper, Trade Rises; ITT Educational Bolts Higher"", ""Fastenal"", ""NASDAQ 100 Top Performer: NII Holdings"", ""Fastenal"", ""NASDAQ 100 Top Performer: NII Holdings"", ""Stocks Dig Deeper, Trade Rises; ITT Educational Bolts Higher"", ""Market Close Report: NASDAQ Composite index closes at 3,401.48 down -43.78 points Wednesday's session closes with the NASDAQ Composite Index at 3,401.48. The total shares traded for the NASDAQ was over 1.77 billion. Declining stocks led advancers by 3.51 to 1 ratio. There were 560 advancers and 1964 decliners for the day. On the NASDAQ Stock Exchange 9 stocks reached a 52 week high and 15 those reaching lows totaled. The most active, advancers, decliners, unusual volume and most active by dollar volume can be monitored intraday on the Most Active Stocks page. The NASDAQ 100 index closed down -1.23% for the day; a total of -36.55 points. The current value is 2,937.14. Fastenal Company ( FAST ) had the largest percent change down (-6.32%) while Micron Technology, Inc. ( MU ) had the largest percent change gain rising 2.65%. The Dow Jones index closed down -1.43% for the day; a total of -216.95 points. The current value is 14,960.59. Intel Corporation ( INTC ) had the largest percent change down (-2.6%) while Cisco Systems, Inc. ( CSCO ) had the largest percent change gain rising -.16%. NASDAQ Market Wrap As of 6/5/2013 4:44:01 PM BILLIONS OF 1.77 NASDAQ SHARES TRADED TODAY 9 STOCKS REACHED A 52 WEEK HIGH 15 THOSE REACHING LOWS TOTALEDMicron Technology, Inc.[MU]TOPS ADVANCERS LISTOF NASDAQ 100 % 2.65 INDEXMU ROSE The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal"", ""NASDAQ 100 Top Performer: NII Holdings"", ""Stocks Dig Deeper, Trade Rises; ITT Educational Bolts Higher"", ""Wednesday\u2019s movers: Apple hit by patent ruling Apple falls after a U.S. agency specializing in trade policies ruled that Apple infringed on Samsung Electronics Co.\u2019s patent, which could result in import bans on iPhone 4.""]"
FAST,2013-06-06,18.5714,18.7955,18.3178,18.5458,"[""Fastenal Company Shares Slip - Analyst Blog"", ""Top 4 NASDAQ Stocks In The General Building Materials Industry With The Highest Cash"", ""Top 4 NASDAQ Stocks In The General Building Materials Industry With The Highest Cash"", ""Fastenal Company Shares Slip - Analyst Blog"", ""Top 4 NASDAQ Stocks In The General Building Materials Industry With The Highest Cash"", ""Fastenal Company Shares Slip - Analyst Blog""]"
FAST,2013-06-07,18.7689,18.9535,18.687,18.8459,
FAST,2013-06-10,18.8271,19.0413,18.6603,18.8913,
FAST,2013-06-11,18.6238,19.0186,18.5754,18.8755,
FAST,2013-06-12,19.0147,19.0492,18.5714,18.5754,
FAST,2013-06-13,18.602,18.9633,18.532,18.9081,
FAST,2013-06-14,18.8617,19.0354,18.532,18.5685,
FAST,2013-06-17,18.6494,18.7926,18.307,18.377,
FAST,2013-06-18,18.4026,18.45,18.2013,18.2596,
FAST,2013-06-19,18.2516,18.4777,18.0325,18.0325,
FAST,2013-06-20,17.8114,17.9279,17.4413,17.5015,
FAST,2013-06-21,17.5321,17.6762,17.4127,17.5479,
FAST,2013-06-24,17.4807,17.7996,17.2823,17.5883,
FAST,2013-06-25,17.8035,17.8608,17.6289,17.7107,
FAST,2013-06-26,17.9131,18.074,17.7502,17.9467,
FAST,2013-06-27,18.0996,18.299,17.9328,18.2596,
FAST,2013-06-28,18.0996,18.1924,17.7384,17.8272,
FAST,2013-07-01,17.9091,18.146,17.7927,17.8479,
FAST,2013-07-02,17.9091,18.0661,17.7571,17.8401,
FAST,2013-07-03,17.7265,17.8223,17.5705,17.6327,
FAST,2013-07-05,17.8608,17.9269,17.5844,17.8361,
FAST,2013-07-08,17.9506,18.069,17.8223,17.8983,"[""Earnings Preview: Fastenal Company - Analyst Blog"", ""Earnings Expectations for the Week of July 8 (AA, JPM, WFC)"", ""Earnings Preview: Fastenal Company - Analyst Blog"", ""Earnings Preview: Fastenal Company - Analyst Blog Fastenal Company ( FAST ) is set to report second quarter 2013 results before the opening bell on Jul 10. Last quarter it posted in-line results. Let's see how things are shaping up for this announcement. Factors to Consider Fastenal's daily sales growth rates have declined sharply in the last 3 - 4 quarters due to end market slowdown. Also, daily sales growth rates in the first quarter of 2013 were hurt by unfavorable weather conditions in January and February and an extended holiday shutdown in January. Daily sales growth of 4.8% in April was also disappointing. Moreover, on June 5, Fastenal reported drastic year-over-year decline in daily sales for May 2013. Fastenal's daily sales growth rates came in at 5.3% for the month of May, significantly down from 13.1% in the corresponding prior-year month. The declining daily sales rates have been due to lower sales of its fasteners product line, overall weak non-residential construction market and the uncertainty in U.S economic policy. Following the release of its disappointing May sales information, Fastenal witnessed downward movement of estimates in the past 30 days. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal 2013 declined 0.6% to $1.59 over the last 30 days whereas the same for fiscal 2014 declined 0.5% to $1.85 over the same time frame. Earnings Whispers? Our proven model does not conclusively show that Fastenal is likely to beat earnings this quarter. That is because a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP (Read: Zacks Earnings ESP: A Better Method ) and a Zacks Rank of #1, 2 or 3 for this to happen. That is not the case here as you will see below. Negative Zacks ESP: The stock has a negative ESP of -2.44%. Zacks Rank #4 (Sell ): Fastenal's Zacks Rank #4 when combined with a negative ESP makes positive surprise prediction difficult. We caution against stocks with Zacks Ranks #4 and #5 (Sell rated stocks) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions momentum. Other Stocks to Consider With the overall housing market improving steadily, there are many companies that are likely to beat earnings this quarter. Here are some other companies you may want to consider as our model shows that they have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter: Ryland Group Inc. ( RYL ), Earnings ESP of + 4.69% and Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). DR Horton Inc. ( DHI ), Earnings ESP of + 8.57% and Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). The Home Depot, Inc. ( HD ) , Earnings ESP of +1.68% and Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). D R HORTON INC (DHI): Free Stock Analysis Report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report HOME DEPOT (HD): Free Stock Analysis Report RYLAND GRP INC (RYL): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Earnings Preview: Fastenal Company - Analyst Blog""]"
FAST,2013-07-09,18.1164,18.4688,17.9555,18.3356,"[""Stocks Rise For 4th Straight Session; Volume Mixed"", ""Fastenal, MSC Earnings Windows On Industrial Market"", ""Top 4 NASDAQ Stocks In The General Building Materials Industry With The Highest Cash"", ""Fastenal Raises Qtr. Dividend from $0.20 to $0.25/Share"", ""Fastenal Raises Qtr. Dividend from $0.20 to $0.25/Share"", ""Top 4 NASDAQ Stocks In The General Building Materials Industry With The Highest Cash"", ""Stocks Rise For 4th Straight Session; Volume Mixed"", ""Fastenal, MSC Earnings Windows On Industrial Market"", ""Pre-Market Earnings Report for July 10, 2013 : FAST, FDO, MSM, ADTN, AM, SYRG, MASC The following companies are expected to report earnings prior to market open on 07/10/2013. Visit our Earnings Calendar for a full list of expected earnings releases. Fastenal Company ( FAST ) is reporting for the quarter ending June 30, 2013. The building company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 9 analysts that follow the stock is $0.41. This value represents a 7.89% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year FAST has met analyst expectations three times and beat the expectations the other quarter. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2013 Price to Earnings ratio for FAST is 28.91 vs. an industry ratio of 1.50, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Family Dollar Stores, Inc. ( FDO ) is reporting for the quarter ending May 31, 2013. The discount retail company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 13 analysts that follow the stock is $1.03. This value represents a 2.83% decrease compared to the same quarter last year. The last two quarters FDO had negative earnings surprises; the latest report they missed by -0.82%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2013 Price to Earnings ratio for FDO is 17.05 vs. an industry ratio of 17.60. MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. ( MSM ) is reporting for the quarter ending May 31, 2013. The industrial services company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 5 analysts that follow the stock is $0.96. This value represents a 12.73% decrease compared to the same quarter last year. MSM missed the consensus earnings per share in the 2nd calendar quarter of 2012 by -0.9%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2013 Price to Earnings ratio for MSM is 20.09 vs. an industry ratio of 16.50, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. ADTRAN, Inc. ( ADTN ) is reporting for the quarter ending June 30, 2013. The infrastructure company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 7 analysts that follow the stock is $0.15. This value represents a 57.14% decrease compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year ADTN has met analyst expectations once and beat the expectations the other three quarters. The \""days to cover\"" for this stock exceeds 12 days. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2013 Price to Earnings ratio for ADTN is 38.49 vs. an industry ratio of 23.70, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. American Greetings Corporation ( AM ) is reporting for the quarter ending May 31, 2013. The consumer company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 1 analyst that follows the stock is $0.76. This value represents a 11.63% decrease compared to the same quarter last year. AM missed the consensus earnings per share in the 4th calendar quarter of 2012 by -110.42%. The \""days to cover\"" for this stock exceeds 10 days.The days to cover, as reported in the 6/14/2013 short interest update, increased 142.52% from previous report on 5/31/2013. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2014 Price to Earnings ratio for AM is 8.16 vs. an industry ratio of 13.80. Synergy Resources Corporation ( SYRG ) is reporting for the quarter ending May 31, 2013. The consensus earnings per share forecast from the 4 analysts that follow the stock is $0.07. SYRG reported earnings of $0.05 per share for the same quarter a year ago; representing a a increase of 40.00%. Material Sciences Corporation ( MASC ) is reporting for the quarter ending May 31, 2013. The steel (specialty) company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 2 analysts that follow the stock is $0.21. This value represents a no change for the same quarter last year. The \""days to cover\"" for this stock exceeds 17 days. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2014 Price to Earnings ratio for MASC is 13.35 vs. an industry ratio of 19.20. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Raises Qtr. Dividend from $0.20 to $0.25/Share"", ""Top 4 NASDAQ Stocks In The General Building Materials Industry With The Highest Cash"", ""Stocks Rise For 4th Straight Session; Volume Mixed"", ""Fastenal, MSC Earnings Windows On Industrial Market""]"
FAST,2013-07-10,18.1746,18.2319,17.4807,17.8193,"[""Fastenal, MSC Results Reflect Soft Industrial Growth"", ""Fastenal's 2Q EPS In Line, Revs Lag - Analyst Blog"", ""Stocks To Watch For July 10, 2013"", ""Earnings Scheduled For July 10, 2013"", ""US Stock Futures Edge Lower Ahead Of Fed Minutes"", ""Benzinga Market Primer: Wednesday, July 10: FOMC Minutes In Focus"", ""Fastenal Company Reports Q2 EPS of $0.41, Inline; Revenue of $847.60M vs $857.13M Est"", ""UPDATE: Fastenal Q2 Profit Rises 7.7%"", ""Mid-Morning Market Update: Markets Edge Higher, Family Dollar Profit Beats Estimates"", ""Mid-Day Market Update: US Stocks Mostly Lower Before Fed Minutes; Nu Skin Rises On Strong Outlook"", ""Mid-Day Market Update: US Stocks Mostly Lower Before Fed Minutes; Nu Skin Rises On Strong Outlook"", ""Mid-Morning Market Update: Markets Edge Higher, Family Dollar Profit Beats Estimates"", ""UPDATE: Fastenal Q2 Profit Rises 7.7%"", ""Fastenal Company Reports Q2 EPS of $0.41, Inline; Revenue of $847.60M vs $857.13M Est"", ""Benzinga Market Primer: Wednesday, July 10: FOMC Minutes In Focus"", ""US Stock Futures Edge Lower Ahead Of Fed Minutes"", ""Earnings Scheduled For July 10, 2013"", ""Stocks To Watch For July 10, 2013"", ""Fastenal's 2Q EPS In Line, Revs Lag - Analyst Blog"", ""Fastenal, MSC Results Reflect Soft Industrial Growth"", ""Benzinga Market Primer: Wednesday, July 10: FOMC Minutes In Focus Futures Lower On Weak China Trade Data, Eyeing FOMC Minutes U.S. equity futures dropped slightly in early pre-market trade following some weak trade data from China for June. The world's second largest economy reported slower than expected growth in both exports and imports but a wider than forecast trade surplus, indicating that the export engine of the country cooled in June. Top News In other news around the markets: China reported that its exports declined 3.1 percent in June from a year ago vs. an expected gain of 4 percent while imports dropped 0.7 percent vs. an expected 8.0 percent gain. The trade surplus widened to $27.1 billion vs. the forecast $27.0 billion and showed improvement from May. Eurozone leaders reached an agreement on winding down failing banks despite German reticence. Leaders agreed that the EU can wind down failing banks, not individual countries, a key point that Germany would not endorse. European Central Bank Board Member and Banque de France chief Christian Noyer spoke overnight saying that monetary policy will remain accommodative for as long as necessary, reflecting comments of ECB President Mario Draghi last week. He noted that price and financial stability will be key in the ECB's decision to eventually raise rates. S&P 500 futures fell 2 points to 1,643.60. The EUR/USD was higher at 1.2817. Spanish 10-year government bond yields rose 5 basis points to 4.79 percent. Italian 10-year government bond yields rose 7 basis points to 4.48 percent. Gold rose 0.47 percent to $1,251.70. Asian Markets Asian shares were mixed overnight as Japanese shares declined while Chinese equities rallied on hopes of new stimulus following weaker export and import data. The Japanese Nikkei 225 Index declined 0.39 percent and the Topix Index fell 0.14 percent. In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index rose 1.07 percent while the Shanghai Composite Index gained 2.17 percent in China. Also, the Korean Kospi fell 0.34 percent and Australian shares rose 0.4 percent. European Markets European shares were lower in early trade following the new bank rules. The Spanish Ibex Index declined 1.02 percent and the Italian FTSE MIB Index lost 1.04 percent. Meanwhile, the German DAX declined 0.34 percent and the French CAC 40 Index fell 0.29 percent while U.K. shares lost 0.2 percent. Commodities Commodities were stronger overnight as the dollar weakened. WTI Crude futures rose 1.23 percent to $104.80 per barrel and Brent Crude futures gained 0.43 percent to $108.27 per barrel. Copper futures rose 0.13 percent to $306.85 per pound. Gold was higher and silver futures rose 0.3 percent to $19.30 per ounce. Currencies Currency markets were on the move overnight as the dollar weakened across the board. The EUR/USD was higher at 1.2817 and the dollar fell against the yen to 100.12. Overall, the Dollar Index fell 0.31 percent on weakness against the yen, the Swiss franc, the euro, and the pound. Earnings Reported Yesterday Key companies that reported earnings Tuesday include: Wolverine World Wide (NYSE: WWW ) reported second quarter EPS of $0.46 vs. $0.34 expected on revenue of $587.8 million vs. $591.03 million expected. The company also raised full year earnings guidance. Pre-Market Movers Stocks moving in the pre-market included: Hewlett-Packard (NYSE; HPQ) shares gained 1.92 percent pre-market after Brean Capital raised the stock to buy from hold and announced a $32 price target. Cummins Inc. (NYSE: CMI ) shares gained 0.56 percent pre-market after the company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.625 per share from $0.50 per share. Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST ) shares gained 0.74 percent pre-market as the company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.25 per share from $0.20. Nu Skin Enterprises (NYSE: NUS ) shares spiked 13.87 percent pre-market after the company raised EPS guidance well above the street's estimates. Earnings Notable companies expected to report earnings Wednesday include: Yum! Brands (NYSE: YUM ) is expected to report second quarter EPS of $0.54 vs. $0.67 prior on revenue of $2.93 billion vs. $3.17 bill prior. Family Dollar (NYSE: FDO ) is expected to report third quarter EPS of $1.03 vs. $1.06 on revenue of $2.57 billion vs. $2.36 billion expected. Fastenal Company (NASDAQ: FAST ) is expected to report second quarter EPS of $0.41 vs. $0.38 prior on revenue of $857.13 million vs. $804.89 million. PriceSmart (NASDAQ: PSMT ) is expected to report third quarter EPS of $0.64 vs. $0.52 on revenue of $568.33 million vs. $506.77 million a year ago. Ruby Tuesday (NYSE: RT ) is expected to report fourth quarter EPS of $0.18 vs. $0.26 on revenue of $326.06 million vs. $363.21 million a year ago. On the economics calendar Wednesday, MBA Purchase Applications are due out followed by wholesale trade data. However, all eyes will be on the release of the FOMC minutes for June and the speech from Chairman Ben Bernanke as to when tapering might start. Overnight, the Australian employment report, the Bank of Japan decision and press conference, and the ECB monthly report are all expected. Good luck and good trading. Tune into Benzinga's PreMarket Info show with Dennis Dick and Joel Elconin here . For a recap of Monday's market action, read Benzinga's daily market wrap . (c) 2013 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Profit with More New & Research . Gain access to a streaming platform with all the information you need to invest better today. Click here to start your 14 Day Trial of Benzinga Professional The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal's 2Q EPS In Line, Revs Lag - Analyst Blog Fastenal Company 's ( FAST ) adjusted earnings of 41 cents per share in the second quarter of 2013 were in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate. The earnings rose 7.9% year over year, on the back of year over year growth in revenue and margin. Fastenal's net sales of $847.6 million, lagged the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $857 million by 1.1%. Net sales grew 5.3% year over year, due to an increase in unit sales and favorable impact of the FAST solution initiative, which offset the decline in fastener sales. Fastenal serves customers in the manufacturing and non-residential construction markets. Sales were slow in both the markets. Quarter Details Fastenal's daily sales growth rates came in at 4.8%, 5.3% and 6.0% for the months of April, May and June, respectively, significantly down from the daily growth rates of 17.3%, 13.1% and 14.0% in the corresponding prior-year months. The sequential change in daily sales for 6 months from January to June also fell short of historical averages. Foreign exchange dragged second quarter daily sales growth rates by 0.1%. Daily sales to manufacturing customers (representing almost 50% of revenues) grew 5.9% in the second quarter compared with 15.8% growth in the prior-year quarter and 7.0% in the preceding quarter. Daily sales growth rates to manufacturing customers declined sharply due to lower sales of its fasteners product line, hurt by end market slowdown and broader economic uncertainty. The company supplies two types of products to manufacturing customers, one for industrial production and the other for maintenance of the manufacturing business. Sales of products for industrial production dipped significantly, owing to a continuous decline in daily sales growth rates of fastener products (used mainly for industrial production) to 1.9% in the quarter from 8.0% in the prior-year quarter. However, sales improved sequentially from 1.7% growth recorded in the previous quarter. Sales of non-fastener products (used mainly for maintenance) increased 8.5% in the second quarter of 2013, down from 10.8% in the preceding quarter. The decline was less dramatic than fasteners due to strength in FAST Solutions, which was partially offset by a weak industrial environment. In the non-residential construction market, daily sales to non-residential construction customers (representing 20% to 25% of revenues) grew 0.7% in the second quarter of 2013, down from 12.7% in the second quarter of 2012 and 2.9% recorded in the first quarter of 2013. Management blamed the weakness in the overall non-residential construction market and the uncertainty in U.S economic policy for the decline in this business. Vending Machine Activity Gaining Traction The company has adopted FAST Solutions, an industrial vending process that has the potential to revolutionize the industrial distribution system and increase profitability. The company installs vending machines that aid in controlling inventory and administrative costs while reducing product consumption. Despite overall weak sales, the company is seeing some progress around its vending program. In the second quarter, the company installed 4,102 new machines, down 5.7% sequentially. As of Jun 30, 2013, the company operated 29,549 FAST Solutions vending machines. The vending machines now account for over 30% of the company's sales. During the quarter, the company signed 5,272 vending machine contracts, down 8.0% sequentially. Margins In second quarter 2013, gross margin improved 60 basis points from the prior-year quarter to 52.2% attributable to improved transactional margins. The company believes that its normal gross margin range is 51% to 53%. However, the company witnessed 10 basis points sequential decline in gross margin due to weakness in faster products and construction business. Store Count Fastenal had 2,677 stores at the end of second quarter of 2013, up from 2,660 stores in the sequentially preceding quarter. During the second quarter of 2013, the company opened 22 new stores, up 100% sequentially. Fastenal carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). With the overall housing market improving steadily, other companies in the broader housing sector are also performing well. These include Builders FirstSource, Inc. ( BLDR ), Lennar Corporation ( LEN ) and The Home Depot, Inc. ( HD ). All the companies carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). BUILDERS FIRSTS (BLDR): Free Stock Analysis Report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report HOME DEPOT (HD): Free Stock Analysis Report LENNAR CORP -A (LEN): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Mid-Day Market Update: US Stocks Mostly Lower Before Fed Minutes; Nu Skin Rises On Strong Outlook"", ""Mid-Morning Market Update: Markets Edge Higher, Family Dollar Profit Beats Estimates"", ""UPDATE: Fastenal Q2 Profit Rises 7.7%"", ""Fastenal Company Reports Q2 EPS of $0.41, Inline; Revenue of $847.60M vs $857.13M Est"", ""Benzinga Market Primer: Wednesday, July 10: FOMC Minutes In Focus"", ""US Stock Futures Edge Lower Ahead Of Fed Minutes"", ""Earnings Scheduled For July 10, 2013"", ""Stocks To Watch For July 10, 2013"", ""Fastenal's 2Q EPS In Line, Revs Lag - Analyst Blog"", ""Fastenal, MSC Results Reflect Soft Industrial Growth"", ""Stock futures steady ahead of Fed minutes Crude-oil prices top $105 a barrel U.S. stock futures are little changed as investors await minutes from the Federal Reserve\u2019s last session and possible clues as to monetary-policy moves ahead."", ""U.S. stocks end flat as jury out on Fed moves Wall Street offers muted reaction to record of central-bank meeting U.S. stocks end little changed after minutes from the Federal Reserve\u2019s last meeting had multiple members looking for more improvement in the labor market before cutting the pace of central-bank bond purchases.""]"
FAST,2013-07-11,17.9605,18.2013,17.7068,18.1273,"[""Company News for July 11, 2013 - Corporate Summary"", ""Benzinga Market Primer: Thursday, July 11: Futures Rise After Bernanke Speaks"", ""Benzinga Market Primer: Thursday, July 11: Futures Rise After Bernanke Speaks"", ""Company News for July 11, 2013 - Corporate Summary"", ""Company News for July 11, 2013 - Corporate Summary \u2022 Family Dollar Stores, Inc. (NYSE: FDO ) released third quarter earnings per share of $1.05, a couple of cents higher than Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.03 \u2022 ADTRAN, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADTN ) released second quarter earnings per share of $0.18, higher than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.15 \u2022 Fastenal Company (NASDAQ: FAST ) released second quarter earnings per share of $0.41, in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate \u2022 American Greetings Corporation (NYSE: AM ) posted first quarter earnings per share of $1.53, well above the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.77 ADTRAN INC (ADTN): Free Stock Analysis Report AMER GREETINGS (AM): Get Free Report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report FAMILY DOLLAR (FDO): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Benzinga Market Primer: Thursday, July 11: Futures Rise After Bernanke Speaks Futures Higher On Dovish Bernanke U.S. equity futures rose sharply as a speech from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke after the close Wednesday was much more dovish than expected. The comments show that the Fed is not looking to end its easy money policies any time soon. Top News In other news around the markets: Bernanke said in the Q&A after his speech that both sides of the Fed's dual mandate, full employment and stable inflation, argue for more easing and that interest rate hikes are no where near the horizon even if the tapering of purchases were to begin soon. However, he did close with slightly hawkish statements by saying that inflation is low due to transitory factors and should moderate back towards the medium-term target. The Bank of Japan raised its forecast for the Japanese economy overnight citing a moderate recovery and inflation that is likely to turn positive. The BoJ raised its 2013 Real GDP forecast to +2.5-3.0 percent from +2.4-3.0 percent in April and raised the median CPI forecast to +0.7 percent from +0.6 percent. Australia's employment report once again showed strength in June as the Australian economy added 10.3 thousand jobs vs. an expected flat reading and the unemployment rate ticked up unexpectedly to 5.7 percent from 5.6 percent due to an increase in the labor force. Part-time jobs drove jobs gains in June, a similar theme to those jobs added in the U.S. in June. The Shanghai Composite Index closed 3.2 percent higher, its best gain of 2013, building on the more than 2 percent gain from Wednesday. The Financial Times is attributing the strength in Chinese markets to a speech by Premier Li Keqiang which suggested the government will focus on restructuring the economy and focus on reforms. S&P 500 futures rose 16.5 points to 1,665.10. The EUR/USD was higher at 1.3041, well off the post-Bernanke highs near 1.32. Spanish 10-year government bond yields fell 8 basis points to 4.73 percent as Prime Minister Rajoy is set to roll out new taxes, according to Bloomberg. Italian 10-year government bond yields fell 8 basis points to 4.37 percent. Gold gained 3.05 percent to $1,285.50 per ounce. Asian Markets Asian shares were mostly higher following the dovish comments from Bernanke and the comments from Chinese Premier Li. The Japanese Nikkei 225 Index rose 0.39 percent and the Topix Index fell 0.04 percent. In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index rose 2.55 percent and the Shanghai Composite Index rose 3.23 percent in China. Also, the Korean Kospi gained 2.93 percent and Australian shares rose 1.31 percent. European Markets European shares were also higher overnight on the back of the bullish sentiment from around the world. The Spanish Ibex Index rose 0.11 percent and the Italian FTSE MIB Index gained 0.58 percent. Meanwhile, the German DAX rose 1.03 percent and the French CAC 40 Index gained 0.72 percent while U.K. shares rose 0.77 percent. Commodities Commodities were mostly higher, especially metals, after Bernanke talked down the dollar. WTI Crude futures rose 0.17 percent to $106.70 per barrel and Brent Crude futures gained 0.04 percent to $108.55 per barrel. Copper futures rose 3.12 percent to $318.75 per pound. Gold was higher and silver futures gained 4.41 percent to $20.01 per ounce. Currencies Currency markets showed broad dollar weakness overnight however moves in most major dollar pairs were off of extreme levels. The EUR/USD was higher at 1.3041 after touching nearly 1.32 and the dollar fell against the yen to 99.39 after falling as far as 98.60. Overall, the Dollar Index fell 1.13 percent on weakness against the Swiss franc, the Canadian dollar, the pound, the euro, and the yen. Earnings Reported Yesterday Key companies that reported earnings Tuesday include: Yum! Brands (NYSE: YUM ) reported second quarter EPS of $0.56 vs. $0.54 expected on revenue of $2.9 billion vs. $2.93 billion expected. The company also announced that it was reaffirming full year guidance despite second quarter China comps were down 20 percent but said that Chinese comps in the fourth quarter \""could be positive.\"" Family Dollar (NYSE: FDO ) reported third quarter EPS of $1.05 vs. $1.03 expected on revenue of $2.57 billion, in line. Family Dollar narrowed its full-year earnings forecast to $3.77 to $3.82 per share, versus its earlier view of $3.73 to $3.93 per share. Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST ) reported second quarter EPS of $0.41, in line, on revenue of $847.6 million vs. $857.13 million expected. MSM Industrial (NYSE: MSM ) reported third quarter EPS of $1.05 vs. $0.97 on revenue of $636.9 million vs. $635.18 million. However, guidance for the fourth quarter was weak with the company seeing EPS of $0.87-0.91 vs. $1.01 estimate and revenue of $661-673 million vs. $687.73 million estimate. PriceSmart (NASDAQ: PSMT ) reported third quarter EPS of $0.61 vs. $0.64 on revenue of $571.1 million vs. $568.33 million. Pre-Market Movers Stocks moving in the pre-market included: Costco (NYSE: COST ) shares gained 0.39 percent pre-market as the company reported that same-store sales rose 6.0 percent in June vs. an expected gain of 5.4 percent.Net sales rose 8 percent to $9.92 billion in June. PriceSmart (NASDAQ: PSMT ) shares fell 2.88 percent pre-market as the company reported weaker than expected third quarter EPS. Yum! Brands (NYSE: YUM ) shares rose 0.88 percent pre-market after reporting better than expected EPS despite weaker than expected revenue. Also, some of the China related comments were worrisome. Earnings Notable companies expected to report earnings Thursday include: Commerce Bancshares (NASDAQ: CBSH ) is expected to report second quarter EPS of $0.71 vs. $0.76 a year ago on revenue of $262.43 million vs. $265.92 million a year ago. On the economics calendar Thursday, initial jobless claims and import and export prices are due out followed by the Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index. Also, Fed Governor Daniel Tarullo is expected to speak and the Treasury is set to auction 30-year bonds and give its budget statement. Overnight, the Spanish CPI report and Eurozone Industrial Production data are due out. Good luck and good trading. Tune into Benzinga's PreMarket Info show with Dennis Dick and Joel Elconin here . For a recap of Wednesday's market action, read Benzinga's daily market wrap . (c) 2013 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Profit with More New & Research . Gain access to a streaming platform with all the information you need to invest better today. Click here to start your 14 Day Trial of Benzinga Professional The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Benzinga Market Primer: Thursday, July 11: Futures Rise After Bernanke Speaks"", ""Company News for July 11, 2013 - Corporate Summary""]"
FAST,2013-07-12,18.1224,18.3702,17.9644,18.3484,
FAST,2013-07-15,18.304,18.3878,18.1826,18.2922,
FAST,2013-07-16,18.2832,18.3662,18.1382,18.3286,
FAST,2013-07-17,18.3444,18.4066,18.1816,18.299,"[""Grainger Q2 Sales Light, Profit Surges A Healthy 15%"", ""Grainger Q2 Sales Light, Profit Surges A Healthy 15%"", ""Grainger Q2 Sales Light, Profit Surges A Healthy 15%""]"
FAST,2013-07-18,18.3138,18.528,18.2516,18.3702,
FAST,2013-07-19,18.4204,18.4204,18.1352,18.222,
FAST,2013-07-22,18.3256,18.3534,18.1707,18.2596,
FAST,2013-07-23,18.374,18.374,18.077,18.1579,"Fastenal Company (FAST) Ex-Dividend Date Scheduled for July 24, 2013 Fastenal Company ( FAST ) will begin trading ex-dividend on July 24, 2013. A cash dividend payment of $0.25 per share is scheduled to be paid on August 23, 2013. Shareholders who purchased FAST stock prior to the ex-dividend date are eligible for the cash dividend payment. This represents an 25% increase over the prior quarter. At the current stock price of $46.9, the dividend yield is 2.13%. The previous trading day's last sale of FAST was $46.9, representing a -12.14% decrease from the 52 week high of $53.38 and a 17.25% increase over the 52 week low of $40. FAST is a part of the Consumer Services sector, which includes companies such as Home Depot, Inc. ( HD ) and Lowe's Companies, Inc. ( LOW ). FAST's current earnings per share, an indicator of a company's profitability, is $1.48. Zacks Investment Research reports FAST's forecasted earnings growth in 2013 as 10.42%, compared to an industry average of 14%. For more information on the declaration, record and payment dates, visit the FAST Dividend History page. Interested in gaining exposure to FAST through an Exchange Traded Fund [ETF]? The following ETF(s) have FAST as a top-10 holding: Guggenheim S&P 500 Equal Weight Industrials ETF ( RGI ) First Trust NASDAQ-100 Ex-Technology Sector Index Fund ( QQXT ) Vanguard Mid-Cap Growth ETF ( VOT ). The top-performing ETF of this group is VOT with an increase of 13.07% over the last 100 days. RGI has the highest percent weighting of FAST at 1.84%. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2013-07-24,18.2882,18.2882,17.6801,17.7907,
FAST,2013-07-25,17.7305,18.1125,17.7206,18.1026,
FAST,2013-07-26,18.0434,18.2754,17.9881,18.2704,
FAST,2013-07-29,18.1826,18.5666,18.1826,18.4264,
FAST,2013-07-30,18.459,19.0383,18.3918,18.9219,
FAST,2013-07-31,18.9327,19.3117,18.9327,19.1913,
FAST,2013-08-01,19.3571,19.6306,19.1716,19.6187,
FAST,2013-08-02,19.5674,19.672,19.3671,19.6641,"[""Baron Funds Comments on Fastenal Co."", ""Baron Funds Comments on Fastenal Co."", ""Baron Funds Comments on Fastenal Co.""]"
FAST,2013-08-05,19.1143,19.4223,18.9327,19.2901,"[""Fastenal Reports July Net Sales $282.3M, Says July Sales Were Harmed by Timing of July 4th"", ""Fastenal Reports July Net Sales $282.3M, Says July Sales Were Harmed by Timing of July 4th"", ""Fastenal Reports July Net Sales $282.3M, Says July Sales Were Harmed by Timing of July 4th""]"
FAST,2013-08-06,19.1913,19.2723,19.0383,19.1913,
FAST,2013-08-07,19.1213,19.1677,18.6652,18.6899,"[""Fastenal Reports Slow July Sales - Analyst Blog"", ""Fastenal Reports Slow July Sales - Analyst Blog"", ""Fastenal Reports Slow July Sales - Analyst Blog""]"
FAST,2013-08-08,18.8074,18.8577,18.5724,18.6001,"[""Fastenal Maintained at Neutral - Analyst Blog"", ""Fastenal Maintained at Neutral - Analyst Blog"", ""Fastenal Maintained at Neutral - Analyst Blog On Aug 7, we maintained a Neutral recommendation on Fastenal Company ( FAST ) following mixed second-quarter 2013 results. However, continuous weakness in its top line is disturbing. Why the Neutral Recommendation? This industrial and construction supplies company announced second-quarter 2013 results on Jul 10. Adjusted earnings of 41 cents per share were in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimates but grew 7.9% year over year on the back of decent gross-margin growth. Revenues missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate despite a 5.3% growth. The company continues to struggle with sales growth. Top-line growth was slow due to soft fastener sales and weakness in construction. Fastenal's daily sales growth rates have been weak since the last 3 - 4 quarters mainly due to a weakness in its fastener product line caused by end-market slowdown and broader economic uncertainty. From more than 15% growth in the first quarter of 2012, the fastener product line, which accounts for more than 40% of company sales, dropped to 1.9% growth in the second quarter of 2013. Industrial vending was also soft in the second quarter. Estimates have mostly shown a downward trend after the weak second-quarter results. Though management is consciously slowing down the vending signing pace to focus instead on quality of vending contracts, industrial vending still remains one of Fastenal's primary growth drivers. It has the potential to significantly increase the company's sales and profits. Interestingly, management is deliberately slowing down focus on vending and instead encouraging stores to improve near-term sales. We believe this is a prudent strategy to improve its top line. Further, the strategic decision to slow down store growth and instead increase headcount will drive near-term sales growth. We are also encouraged by Fastenal's other growth drivers like government business and metalworking, which are gaining traction and could help achieve profitability in 2013 and beyond. We, thus, remain on the sidelines on solid long-term fundamentals. Other Stocks to Consider Fastenal carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Other companies in the sector that are doing well include Lumber Liquidators Holdings, Inc. ( LL ), Builders FirstSource, Inc. ( BLDR ) and The Home Depot, Inc. ( HD ). While Lumber carries a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), The Home Depot and Builders FirstSource carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). BUILDERS FIRSTS (BLDR): Free Stock Analysis Report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report HOME DEPOT (HD): Free Stock Analysis Report LUMBER LIQUIDAT (LL): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Maintained at Neutral - Analyst Blog""]"
FAST,2013-08-09,18.5556,18.7225,18.4934,18.604,"[""W.W. Grainger Inc. (GWW) Dividend Stock Analysis"", ""W.W. Grainger Inc. (GWW) Dividend Stock Analysis"", ""W.W. Grainger Inc. (GWW) Dividend Stock Analysis""]"
FAST,2013-08-12,18.4896,18.611,18.2783,18.3108,
FAST,2013-08-13,18.4076,18.5518,18.1352,18.372,
FAST,2013-08-14,18.4126,18.448,18.1608,18.1746,
FAST,2013-08-15,18.0207,18.076,17.6327,17.692,
FAST,2013-08-16,17.6693,17.7709,17.3535,17.5381,
FAST,2013-08-19,17.4443,17.5381,17.2853,17.2933,
FAST,2013-08-20,17.3277,17.614,17.2113,17.5439,
FAST,2013-08-21,17.4689,17.6012,17.4037,17.4571,
FAST,2013-08-22,17.4807,17.8055,17.4611,17.7088,
FAST,2013-08-23,17.6881,17.7245,17.4611,17.6801,
FAST,2013-08-26,17.614,17.6801,17.5163,17.5725,
FAST,2013-08-27,17.3573,17.4275,17.1245,17.2321,
FAST,2013-08-28,17.3051,17.3959,17.1619,17.2369,
FAST,2013-08-29,17.2113,17.5686,17.1619,17.4037,
FAST,2013-08-30,17.5093,17.5163,17.1787,17.2202,
FAST,2013-09-03,17.4611,17.7907,17.3653,17.614,
FAST,2013-09-04,17.6743,17.9832,17.5835,17.9437,
FAST,2013-09-05,18.372,19.1765,18.372,19.0235,"[""Tech Stocks Rise In Volume; Fastenal Gaps Up, Leads S&P 500"", ""Fastenal sees Aug. sales jump"", ""How the jobs report may affect stocks"", ""Fastenal Reports Aug. Sales Growth of 2.5% to $297.7M"", ""Fastenal Reports Aug. Sales Growth of 2.5% to $297.7M"", ""How the jobs report may affect stocks"", ""Fastenal sees Aug. sales jump"", ""Tech Stocks Rise In Volume; Fastenal Gaps Up, Leads S&P 500"", ""Fastenal Reports Aug. Sales Growth of 2.5% to $297.7M"", ""How the jobs report may affect stocks"", ""Fastenal sees Aug. sales jump"", ""Tech Stocks Rise In Volume; Fastenal Gaps Up, Leads S&P 500"", ""Fastenal Co. rises 4.8%, top S&P 500 gainer"", ""Groupon climbs to 14-month high close on upgrade BlackBerry gains as it seeks to wrap up sale by November Groupon extends gains for a third session on Thursday to its highest close since June 2012 following an upgrade at Morgan Stanley."", ""U.S. stocks extend gains into third day Caution amid Syrian uncertainty and before Friday\u2019s jobs report U.S. stocks rise, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average posting its longest winning run since the middle of July, as investors look to the morning\u2019s monthly jobs report.""]"
FAST,2013-09-06,19.0669,19.1479,18.682,18.7452,"[""Fastenal Surges on Strong August Sales - Analyst Blog"", ""Benzinga Market Primer: Friday, September 6: Companies And Investors Are Back Into Borrowing"", ""Benzinga Market Primer: Friday, September 6: Companies And Investors Are Back Into Borrowing"", ""Fastenal Surges on Strong August Sales - Analyst Blog"", ""New Stock Coverage: Don't Be a Jerk -- Buy BMW Nuts, bolts, and ball bearings may make for a mighty boring market, but who needs sexy when dull works so well? Equities scored their third straight increase thanks to an S&P 500 Index (INDEXSP:.INX)-best 6.02% surge in Fastenal ( FAST ), maker of the first two utilitarian items, and an NYSE-leading 23.01% advance in Kaydon Corp. (NYSE:KD), manufacturer of the latter. Elsewhere a new survey linked low income to migraines , a headache only compounded by Aspirin owner Bayer (OTCMKTS:BAYRY) falling 1.93% on an otherwise up day. Staying in Germany, Bayerische Motoren Werke (OTCMKTS:BAMXY) - BMW to you and me - jumped 5.48% to hit its highest level in over two decades. Last month a study redundantly revealed its divers really are utter jerks , a finding freshly corroborated by one of its speedsters just arrested in New York . These days, its equity owners can clearly afford to be equally arrogant. Today's quarterly earnings announcements are expected to include Layne Christensen ( LAYN ), Mattress Firm Holding ( MFRM ), Smithfield Foods ( SFD ), and UTi Worldwide ( UTIW ). Arch Coal (ACI): Macquarie has a new Neutral on the commodity company. Datawatch Corporation (DWCH): Canaccord Genuity covers the business software company at a Buy. European Autos : Nomura rolls out new Neutrals on Daimler (OTCMKTS:DDAIF) and Volkswagen (OTCMKTS:VLKAY) but is more bullish on Buy-rated Bayerische Motoren Werke (OTCMKTS:BAMXY), better known as BMW. Fast Food : Wunderlich has Holds on Brinker International (EAT) ($44 target price), Cracker Barrel (CBRL) ($106), Darden Restaurants (DRI) ($50), and Ruby Tuesday, Inc. (RT) ($8). It is more upbeat on Jack In The Box (JACK) and Sonic Corporation (SONC), both Buy rated with respective price objectives of $46 and $19. Internet-Related Stocks : Yelp Inc (YELP) is up impressively this morning after being begun with a Buy opinion and $81 objective at Deutsche Bank, which has a Hold rating and $83 target on Zillow Inc (Z). Jones Energy Inc (JONE): Shares are assigned an Overweight at JPMorgan. MaxLinear, Inc. (MXL): The stock is started with a Buy and $11 objective at Benchmark, which lauds its high gross margin and strong revenue growth. Mettler-Toledo International Inc. (MTD): Morgan Stanley starts the equity at Overweight. OpenTable (OPEN): The online restaurant reservation outfit is assigned an Equal Weight by Barclays. Rush Enterprises, Inc. (RUSHA): The commercial vehicle company is launched with a Buy at Longbow. ServiceNow Inc (NOW): Canaccord Genuity covers the stock at at Buy. Shutterfly (SFLY): Shares are set an Overweight at Barclays. Splunk Inc (SPLK): The application software outfit, upgraded exactly one week ago , clearly likes Fridays. Today it is begun with a Buy at Canaccord. Under Armour Inc (UA): Jefferies has a Hold on the sweat-resistant athletic apparel outfit, shares of which have lately traded atop historic highs. Its price objective is $71. (See also: Stock Upgrades: Days of Wine and Roses at Constellation Brands and Stock Downgrades: Mannkind Suffers the Cruelest Cut .) The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Benzinga Market Primer: Friday, September 6: Companies And Investors Are Back Into Borrowing After excessive debt caused the collapse of Lehman Brothers at the start of the US financial crisis, US companies shied away from taking new loans and focused on lowering their debt. However, five years later, it seems more and more companies are using corporate bonds to grow. The Federal Reserve reported that corporate bond debt has risen 59 percent since 2007, and companies from Apple to Verizon are funding growth spurts and acquisitions by issuing record high numbers of corporate bonds. Top News In other news around the markets: Moody's Investors Service has changed their outlook for the German banking system from \""negative\"" to \""stable\"". The German banking system had been rated \""negative\"" since April 2008. As the US decided whether or not to launch a military attack in Syria, Iran prepared for retaliation at the US Embassy and other American interests in Baghdad. The Wall Street Journal reported that US intelligence intercepted communication from Iran to Shiite military groups in Iraq calling for the attacks in the event of a military strike in Syria. The Bank for International Settlements most recent report on foreign exchange trade showed that the Chinese yuan jumped to ninth and joined the top ten most traded international currencies for the first time. As the Chinese government loosens banking regulations, most are expecting to see the yuan's popularity increase. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's term expires at the end of January, but discussions about his replacement are likely to be put off until the situation in Syria is resolved. US President Barack Obama will likely wait to announce his candidate until a decision has been made about military action in Syria. Asian Markets Asian markets mostly ended the week on a positive note, the Shanghai composite was up 0.83 percent, the KOSPI gained 0.19 percent and the Hang Seng index was up 0.10 percent. However the Shenzhen composite fell 0.31 percent and the Japanese NIKKEI lost 1.45 percent. European Markets European markets were lower on Friday following the European Central Bank's policy meeting on Thursday. The eurozone's STOXX 600 was down 0.12 percent, the German Dax fell 0.16 percent, France's CAC 40 fell 0.14 percent and the UK's FTSE was mostly flat with only a 0.06 percent loss. Commodities With military action in Syria still possible, energy futures were set to end the week on a high note. Brent futures were up 0.12 percent and WTI futures were up 0.28 percent. Gold lost 0.32 percent and Silver was down 0.17 percent. Industrial metals were up, copper gained 0.86 percent and aluminum was up 0.47 percent. Currencies After briefly surpassing the 100 yen to 1 dollar ratio, the yen gained some ground against the dollar and strengthened 0.48 percent against the greenback. The euro continued to slide against the dollar trading at $1.313. The pound lost 0.06 percent against the dollar and the Indian rupee continued to strengthen, gaining 1 percent against the dollar. Earnings Reported Yesterday Notable companies that reported earnings on Thursday included: Finisar Corporation (NASDAQ: FNSR ) reported first quarter EPS of $0.31 on revenue of $266.10 million, in line with expectations. Verifone Systems, Inc. (NYSE: PAY ) reported third quarter EPS of $0.24 on revenue of $416.00 million, compared to expected EPS of $0.25 on revenue of $400.83 million. Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation (NASDAQ: SWHC ) reported first quarter EPS of $0.40 on revenue of $171.02 million, compared to expected EPS of $0.36 on revenue of $165.02 million. Pre-Market Movers Stocks moving in the pre-market included: J.C. Penney Company Inc. (NYSE: JCP ) continued its climb and gained 1.85 percent in pre-market trade. Fastenal Co. (NASDAQ: FAST ) gained 2.6 percent in pre-market trade after reports that the company's sales grew 7.2 percent in August. Pepco Holdings Inc. (NYSE: POM ) was up 1.42 percent in pre-market trade as investors prepared for the company to trade ex-dividend at market opening. SAIC Inc (NYSE: SAI ) was down 2.08 percent in pre-market trade after the company announced that budget cuts caused a steep drop in second quarter profits. Viacom, Inc. (NYSE: VIA ) was down 1.69 percent in pre-market trade following as the company worked out a deal with Sony to stream show channels on a pay-TV service. Notable companies expected to report earnings on Friday include: UTi Worldwide Inc. (NASDAQ: UTIW ) is expected to release second quarter EPS of $0.14 on revenue of $1.15 billion, compared to last year's EPS of $0.20 on revenue of $1.16 billion. Economics On Friday'seconomic calendar the US will release nonfarm payrolls data, and the unemployment rate. Data from Europe will include German industrial production and British manufacturing production, industrial production and trade balance data. Good luck with your trades and have a great weekend! For a recap of Thursday's market action, click . Tune into Benzinga's pre-market info show with Dennis Dick and Joel Elconin Free Trading Education - Check out the free events taking place on Marketfy this week. Spaces are limited. Sign up today. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Surges on Strong August Sales - Analyst Blog Shares of Fastenal Company ( FAST ) surged around 6% on Sep 5, after it released solid sales results for the month of August. August sales recovered from a slower July and were a relief from the sluggish sales being reported by Fastenal for the past 4-5 quarters. Fastenal's net sales rose 2.5% year over year to $297.7 million in August. Currency was a 0.3% headwind. Daily sales growth rates came in at 7.2% for the month, significantly higher than 2.9% in July and 6% in June. Fastenal serves customers in the manufacturing and non-residential construction markets. Both the markets reported improving August sales. Daily sales to manufacturing customers (representing almost 50% of revenues) grew 6.1%, much higher than 2.1% reported in July and also above 5.9% reported in the second quarter. Daily sales to non-residential construction customers (representing 20% to 25% of revenues) jumped 7.3%, a significant improvement from a decline of 0.1% seen in July and a growth of 0.7% in the second quarter. Easy prior-year comparisons played a role in driving the improvement. The company has been witnessing a consistent decline in daily sales growth rates for the past few quarters. The declining daily sales rates are due to lower sales of its fasteners product line which were being hurt by end-market slowdown and broader economic uncertainty. Moreover, the construction business has also been soft since the past two quarters. In order to improve its top line, management announced some interesting strategies during the second-quarter conference call, held in early July. Management is deliberately slowing down focus on vending. Management has eased pressure on stores to sign up vending machines as a vending contract takes about 5-6 months to generate revenues. Instead, stores are being encouraged to focus on improving near-term sales. In order to accelerate sales growth, Fastenal also took the strategic decision to increase sales personnel at its stores. It plans to add 100-150 employees per month for the next six months. This strategy aims to free sales managers to focus more on selling which could drive near-term sales growth. We believe these initiatives to drive near-term sales have started to pay off as reflected in improving sales trends for the month of August. In addition, Fastenal has plans to reinvigorate the high-margin fastener business and also improve sales performance at under-performing stores. The company also plans to expand its store-based inventory for fasteners, construction and safety products. Moreover, Fastenal hopes to gain from a new pricing system for stores and improved operational efficiency across its distribution network (by adding significant automation). Management expects these strategies to drive sales growth back to the historical high-teens range by the first quarter of 2014. Fastenal carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Other companies in the sector that are doing well include Liquidators Holdings, Inc. ( LL ), Builders FirstSource, Inc. ( BLDR ) and The Home Depot, Inc. ( HD ). While Lumber carries a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), The Home Depot and Builders FirstSource carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). BUILDERS FIRSTS (BLDR): Free Stock Analysis Report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report HOME DEPOT (HD): Free Stock Analysis Report LUMBER LIQUIDAT (LL): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Benzinga Market Primer: Friday, September 6: Companies And Investors Are Back Into Borrowing"", ""Fastenal Surges on Strong August Sales - Analyst Blog""]"
FAST,2013-09-09,18.7314,19.2515,18.7314,19.2061,
FAST,2013-09-10,19.2515,19.6947,19.2289,19.672,
FAST,2013-09-11,19.6779,19.8744,19.6454,19.6681,
FAST,2013-09-12,19.6602,19.753,19.5822,19.6306,
FAST,2013-09-13,19.7026,19.7184,19.3897,19.6019,
FAST,2013-09-16,19.8388,19.8458,19.6306,19.6819,
FAST,2013-09-17,19.6138,19.7214,19.5289,19.6641,
FAST,2013-09-18,19.672,20.054,19.5941,19.904,
FAST,2013-09-19,20.0007,20.1498,19.9228,19.9543,
FAST,2013-09-20,20.0175,20.0954,19.6227,19.6335,
FAST,2013-09-23,19.6019,19.6898,19.4015,19.4904,
FAST,2013-09-24,19.5319,19.6602,19.5151,19.5447,
FAST,2013-09-25,19.5901,19.6187,19.3443,19.4144,
FAST,2013-09-26,19.5023,19.8211,19.4292,19.521,
FAST,2013-09-27,19.4727,19.6019,19.4331,19.5703,"[""Lumber Liquidators Import Probe Follows Gibson Guitar"", ""Lumber Liquidators Import Probe Follows Gibson Guitar"", ""Lumber Liquidators Import Probe Follows Gibson Guitar""]"
FAST,2013-09-30,19.4193,19.8171,19.3671,19.6779,
FAST,2013-10-01,19.6108,20.1586,19.5319,20.1044,
FAST,2013-10-02,19.9306,20.1952,19.8517,20.1636,
FAST,2013-10-03,20.0382,20.0954,19.7855,19.9583,
FAST,2013-10-04,19.901,20.1744,19.8536,20.0648,"[""Shutdown & the Q3 Earnings Season - Earnings Preview"", ""Shutdown & the Q3 Earnings Season - Earnings Preview"", ""Shutdown & the Q3 Earnings Season - Earnings Preview Shutdown & the Q3 Earnings Season We didn't get the September jobs report thanks to the government shutdown and the impasse promises to steal the limelight from the 2013 Q3 earnings season. With the October 17th debt-ceiling deadline fast approaching, we can only hope that we move past these hurdles without further damage. The Q3 reports have been trickling in, with results from 21 S&P 500 companies out already. All of the reports thus far are from companies with fiscal quarters ending in August, which we count as part of the Q3 reporting cycle. Most of the companies reporting going forward, including Alcoa ( AA ) that reports October 8th after the close, are on the calendar quarter. In total, we have 33 companies reporting results this week, including 10 S&P 500 members. J.P. Morgan ( JPM ), Wells Fargo ( WFC ), Costco ( COST ), and Yum Brands ( YUM ) are some of the notable companies reporting results this week. We have had a few strong earnings reports already, particularly from Nike ( NKE ), FedEx ( FDX ), and AutoZone ( AZO ), but the overall trend at this admittedly very early stage is mixed. The earnings and revenue growth rates for the 21 companies are tracking better than what these same companies in Q2 and the 4-quarter average, though the beat ratios (percentage of companies coming ahead of expectations) are a bit weaker. This week's results will provide better color on underlying trends, with results from companies like Costco ( COST ), Yum Brands ( YUM ), Family Dollar ( FDO ) and Safeway ( SWY ) giving us a sense of the consumer economy. Results from the big banks aren't arriving till Friday, but they will set the stage for the rest of the group the following week. Finance was instrumental in keeping last quarter's aggregate earnings growth in the positive column and is playing a similar, though less pronounced, role this quarter as well. J.P. Morgan has been in the news lately for all the wrong reasons, though the company has an impressive track record of positive earnings surprises, having beat expectations in the last 6 quarters. This report could have noisy parts related to the company's recent litigation and regulatory troubles, but core earnings should still remain best in class. The mortgage business will likely be less of a contributor this time around, both for JPM as well Wells Fargo. Low Expectations for Q3 As has been the case at the start of recent quarterly earnings cycles, expectations for the Q3 earnings season have fallen sharply over the last three months. Total earnings for companies in the S&P 500 are now expected to be up only +1.1% from the same period last year, down from +5.1% at the start of the quarter in early July, as the chart below shows. This negative revisions behavior is hardly unusual as we have been repeatedly seeing this pattern play out in recent quarters. Companies have been overwhelmingly guiding lower, prompting analysts to cut estimates for the following quarter. The revisions behavior ahead of the Q2 earnings season was no different, as the chart below shows. Most of the same sectors have experienced negative revisions this time around as was the case in Q2. The 'regulars' on the negative estimate revisions front include Technology, Basic Materials, and Industrials. But in addition to those sectors, Retail and Consumer Staples have played some roles in bringing down expectations for Q3 as well. The chart below compares the Q3 total earnings growth expected for these five sectors at the start of the quarter and where those expectations stand at present Estimates for other sectors have come down as well, with even the Finance sector earnings expected to be up +5.9% today, vs. +6.2% last week and +8.1% in early July. Energy, Utilities, Conglomerates and even Construction have suffered negative revisions in varying degrees. High Expectations for Q4 While estimates for Q3 have come down, the same for Q4 and the following quarters have held up fairly well, as the chart below shows. Part of the strong Q4 growth is a function of easier comparisons, as 2012 Q4 represents the lowest quarterly earnings total for the S&P 500 in the last six quarters, with the comps particularly easy for the Finance sector. But it's not all due to easy comparisons, as the expected earnings totals for Q4 represent a new all-time quarterly record. Total earnings for the S&P 500 reached a new record at $258.6 billion in Q2, surpassing Q1's $253.6 billion record. But they are expected to reach $265.7 billion in 2013 Q4, with total earnings growth outside of Finance expected at +5.3%. The evolving outlook for Q4 is perhaps the most important aspect of the Q3 earnings season, more so than Q3 earnings/revenue growth rates and beat ratios. While the overall level of aggregate earnings is in record territory, there isn't much growth. The longstanding hope in the market has been for earnings growth to eventually ramp up. But the starting point of this expected growth ramp-up keeps getting delayed quarter after quarter. The hope currently is that Q4 will be the starting point of such growth. Guidance has overwhelmingly been negative over the last few quarters. But if current Q4 expectations have to hold, then we will need to see a change on the guidance front; we need to see more companies either guide higher or reaffirm current consensus expectations. Anything short of that will result in a replay of the by-now familiar negative estimate revisions trend that we have been seeing in recent quarters. The market didn't care much as estimates came down in the last few quarters, hoping for better times ahead. Will it do the same this time as well, pushing its hopes of earnings ramp up into 2014? We will find out the answer to that question over the next two months. For a more detailed look at the overall earnings picture, please check out our weekly Earnings Trends report here . Monday - 10/7 With nothing else on the economic or earnings calendar, headlines from Washington will be in the spotlight. Tuesday - 10/8 The August Trade Deficit is the only economic report on the docket, though it may fall victim to the shutdown. Alcoa ( AA ) and Yum Brands ( YUM ) are the key earnings report today, both after the close. , while Global Payments ( GPN ) will report after the close. Zacks Earnings ESP, our proprietary leading indicator of earnings surprises, is showing Alcoa to come out with a positive earnings surprise. Our research shows that companies with Zacks Rank of 3 (Hold) or better (meaning Zacks Rank # 1 (Strong Buy) or Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) combined with a positive Earnings ESP are highly likely to come out with positive earnings surprises. Alcoa currently has Zacks Rank # 3 (Hold) and has Earnings ESP of +16.7%. To learn more about \""Zacks Earnings ESP\"" please click here . Wednesday - 10/9 We will get minutes of the Fed's last meeting in the afternoon. These minutes will be interesting as this FOMC meeting surprised the markets with its no-Taper decision that everyone was expecting. Costco ( COST ), Family Dollar ( FDO ), and Fastenal ( FAST ) are the key reports in the morning, while Ruby Tuesday ( RT ) will report after the close. Thursday - 10/10 The Jobless Claims data coming out in the morning will likely be noisy as it will reflect furloughed federal government employees. Micron Technology ( MU ) and Safeway ( SWY ) are the only major earnings reports today, both reporting after the close. Zacks Earnings ESP is showing both Micron and Safeway reporting earnings surprises. Micron has Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and Earnings ESP of +4.4%, while Zacks #2 Ranked Safeway has Earnings ESP of +26.7%. Please note that the magnitude of the ESP (+26.7% for SWY and +4.4% for MU) does not mean that the expected positive surprise will be this much. Friday - 10/11 The September Retail Sales and PPI reports, scheduled for release before the market's open, may also fall victim to the government shutdown. But we will get the preliminary University of Michigan consumer sentiment survey after the market opens. The expectation is for the sentiment index to drop to 75 from the prior month's 77.5 reading. J.P. Morgan ( JPM ) and Wells Fargo ( WFC ) are the only notable reports today, both in the morning. Here is a list of the 33 companies reporting this week, including 10 S&P 500 members: ALCOA INC (AA): Free Stock Analysis Report AUTOZONE INC (AZO): Free Stock Analysis Report COSTCO WHOLE CP (COST): Free Stock Analysis Report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report FAMILY DOLLAR (FDO): Free Stock Analysis Report FEDEX CORP (FDX): Free Stock Analysis Report GLOBAL PAYMENTS (GPN): Free Stock Analysis Report JPMORGAN CHASE (JPM): Free Stock Analysis Report MICRON TECH (MU): Free Stock Analysis Report NIKE INC-B (NKE): Free Stock Analysis Report RUBY TUESDAY (RT): Free Stock Analysis Report SAFEWAY INC (SWY): Free Stock Analysis Report WELLS FARGO-NEW (WFC): Free Stock Analysis Report YUM! BRANDS INC (YUM): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Shutdown & the Q3 Earnings Season - Earnings Preview""]"
FAST,2013-10-07,19.8013,19.901,19.7313,19.7461,"[""Can Fastenal (FAST) Surprise This Earnings Season? - Analyst Blog"", ""Can Fastenal (FAST) Surprise This Earnings Season? - Analyst Blog"", ""Can Fastenal (FAST) Surprise This Earnings Season? - Analyst Blog Fastenal Company ( FAST ) is set to report its third-quarter fiscal 2013 results on Oct 9 before the market opens. Last quarter, it posted in-line results. Let's see how things are shaping up for this announcement. Factors to Consider This Quarter Fastenal's top line has been soft since the past 4-5 quarters as the sales of its fasteners product line were being hurt by end-market slowdown and broader economic uncertainty. Moreover, the construction business has been soft for the past two quarters. Vending was also soft in the second quarter. However, in early September, Fastenal announced encouraging sales results for the month of August which were a relief from the recent sluggish sales of the company. Management's strategy of slowing down vending pace and instead focusing on improving near-term sales seems to be paying off as the August sales recovered from a slower July. Moreover, the strategic decision to slow down store growth and instead increase headcount is also driving near-term sales growth. In addition, Fastenal has plans to reinvigorate the high-margin fastener business and also improve sales performance at underperforming stores. Moreover, Fastenal hopes to gain from a new pricing system for stores and improved operational efficiency across its distribution network (by adding significant automation). Management expects these strategies to drive sales growth back to the historical high-teens range by the first quarter of 2014. Earnings Whisper? Our proven model does not conclusively show that Fastenal is likely to beat earnings this quarter. That is because a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP (Read: Earnings ESP ) and a Zacks Rank of #1, 2 or 3 for this to happen. That is not the case here, as you will see below. Zacks ESP: The Earnings ESP is 0.0%. Zacks Rank #3 (Hold): Fastenal carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) which lowers the predictive power of ESP because a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) when combined with a 0.0% ESP makes surprise prediction difficult. We caution against stocks with Zacks Rank #4 and 5 (Sell-rated stocks) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions momentum. Other Stocks to Consider Here are some other building products/construction companies you may want to consider, as our model shows that they have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter: Liquidators Holdings, Inc. ( LL ), Earnings ESP of +1.52% and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). Stock Building Supply Holdings, Inc. ( STCK ), Earnings ESP of +57.14% and a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). D.R. Horton Inc. ( DHI ), Earnings ESP of +2.44% and a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). D R HORTON INC (DHI): Free Stock Analysis Report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report LUMBER LIQUIDAT (LL): Free Stock Analysis Report STOCK BUILDING (STCK): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Can Fastenal (FAST) Surprise This Earnings Season? - Analyst Blog""]"
FAST,2013-10-08,19.7313,19.8902,19.5023,19.5625,"Pre-Market Earnings Report for October 9, 2013 : COST, PGR, FAST, FDO, RPM, DFRG, ZEP The following companies are expected to report earnings prior to market open on 10/09/2013. Visit our Earnings Calendar for a full list of expected earnings releases. Costco Wholesale Corporation ( COST ) is reporting for the quarter ending August 31, 2013. The discount retail company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 17 analysts that follow the stock is $1.46. This value represents a 5.04% increase compared to the same quarter last year. COST missed the consensus earnings per share in the 2nd calendar quarter of 2013 by -1.89%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2013 Price to Earnings ratio for COST is 24.87 vs. an industry ratio of 19.10, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Progressive Corporation ( PGR ) is reporting for the quarter ending September 30, 2013. The insurance (property & casualty) company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 13 analysts that follow the stock is $0.36. This value represents a 28.57% increase compared to the same quarter last year. The last two quarters PGR had negative earnings surprises; the latest report they missed by -2.44%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2013 Price to Earnings ratio for PGR is 17.01 vs. an industry ratio of 15.30, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Fastenal Company ( FAST ) is reporting for the quarter ending September 30, 2013. The building company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 9 analysts that follow the stock is $0.41. This value represents a 10.81% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year FAST has met analyst expectations four times Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2013 Price to Earnings ratio for FAST is 32.34 vs. an industry ratio of 19.10, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Family Dollar Stores, Inc. ( FDO ) is reporting for the quarter ending August 31, 2013. The discount retail company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 14 analysts that follow the stock is $0.84. This value represents a 12.00% increase compared to the same quarter last year. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2013 Price to Earnings ratio for FDO is 18.69 vs. an industry ratio of 19.10. RPM International Inc. ( RPM ) is reporting for the quarter ending August 31, 2013. The paint company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 6 analysts that follow the stock is $0.70. This value represents a 9.37% increase compared to the same quarter last year. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2014 Price to Earnings ratio for RPM is 17.91 vs. an industry ratio of 20.10. Del Frisco's Restaurant Group, Inc. ( DFRG ) is reporting for the quarter ending September 30, 2013. The restaurant company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 4 analysts that follow the stock is $0.11. This value represents a 10.00% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year DFRG has beat the expectations every quarter. The highest one was in the 2nd calendar quarter where they beat the consensus by 5.26%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2013 Price to Earnings ratio for DFRG is 21.02 vs. an industry ratio of 34.50. Zep Inc. ( ZEP ) is reporting for the quarter ending August 31, 2013. The chemical company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 3 analysts that follow the stock is $0.23. This value represents a 25.81% decrease compared to the same quarter last year. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2013 Price to Earnings ratio for ZEP is 19.35 vs. an industry ratio of 13.50, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2013-10-09,18.838,18.9909,17.9467,18.3356,"[""Which Is Most Important? - Real Time Insight"", ""Fastenal Misses Q3 Earnings, Sales - Analyst Blog"", ""Will Yellen's Ascension Help, Near-Term? - Ahead of Wall Street"", ""Fastenal Stock Comes Unglued On Q3 Miss, Cloudy View"", ""Stocks Mixed In Rising Trade; Leaders Surrender Early Surge"", ""Stocks To Watch For October 9, 2013"", ""Earnings Scheduled For October 9, 2013"", ""Fastenal Company Reports Q3 EPS of $0.40 vs $0.41 Est; Revenue of $858.40M vs $866.03M Est"", ""UPDATE: Fastenal Posts Downbeat Q3 Profit"", ""UPDATE: Fastenal Posts Downbeat Q3 Profit"", ""Fastenal Company Reports Q3 EPS of $0.40 vs $0.41 Est; Revenue of $858.40M vs $866.03M Est"", ""Earnings Scheduled For October 9, 2013"", ""Stocks To Watch For October 9, 2013"", ""Fastenal Stock Comes Unglued On Q3 Miss, Cloudy View"", ""Stocks Mixed In Rising Trade; Leaders Surrender Early Surge"", ""Which Is Most Important? - Real Time Insight"", ""Will Yellen's Ascension Help, Near-Term? - Ahead of Wall Street"", ""Fastenal Misses Q3 Earnings, Sales - Analyst Blog"", ""Will Yellen's Ascension Help, Near-Term? - Ahead of Wall Street Wednesday, October 9, 2013 The elevation of Janet Yellen to replace Ben Bernanke as Fed Chair should help remove one source of uncertainty from the market, though the development was largely expected after Larry Summers was no longer in contention. The bigger source of uncertainty for the market is the budget fight in Washington that now appears on track to morph into debt ceiling fight. Investors are still hanging onto hopes that we will move past this issue before next week's debt ceiling deadline, but each passing day brings unhappy reminders of how destabilizing the 2011 fight had turned out to be. Janet Yellen is a known commodity for the markets, a strong advocate of Bernanke's easy-money and transparent communications policies. The Bernanke Fed wasn't very successful on the communications front, particularly with respect to the Taper question. They were unsuccessful in convincing the bond market that Tapering and tightening were two different things. Perhaps the confirmation hearings will give us some clues as to how different she will be in communicating with the markets, but those hearings will have to wait for the current budget battles to end. Another development on the Fed front today will be the release of minutes of the last FOMC meeting when the central bank surprised the markets with the no-Taper decision. Beyond the Fed and the Congressional fight, the 2013 Q3 earnings season has gotten underway. This morning's reports from Costco ( COST ), Family Dollar ( FDO ) and Fastenal ( FAST ) were broadly on the weak side, as was the report from Yum Brands ( YUM ) after the close on Tuesday. But Alcoa ( AA ) was broadly positive in its release, reiterating their favorable demand outlook for aluminum. Including this morning's earnings releases, we now have Q3 results from 26 S&P 500 companies. Total earnings for these 26 companies are up +7.9%, with 53% beating earnings expectations with a median surprise of +0.9%. Total revenues for these companies are up +5.1%, with 46.2% beating top-line expectations with a median surprise of +0.1%. The earnings and revenue growth rates at this admittedly very early stage is tracking a bit better than what we saw from these same companies in Q2 and the 4-quarter average, while the beat ratios are roughly in-line with recent history. A lot will be riding on guidance for Q4 given the elevated expectations for that quarter, when total earnings for the S&P 500 are expected to be up almost +10%. The overwhelming trend in recent quarters has been for companies to guide lower, prompting analysts to cut estimates. It is still early in the Q3 reporting cycle, but that same trend appears to be at play this time around as well. If this trend remains in place in the coming days as well, we should brace ourselves for major estimate cuts. This could become a material headwind for the market beyond the current Washington fight. Sheraz Mian Director of Research ALCOA INC (AA): Free Stock Analysis Report COSTCO WHOLE CP (COST): Free Stock Analysis Report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report FAMILY DOLLAR (FDO): Free Stock Analysis Report YUM! BRANDS INC (YUM): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Misses Q3 Earnings, Sales - Analyst Blog Fastenal Company ( FAST ) announced dismal third-quarter 2013 results, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate for both earnings and revenues as its struggle with the top line continues. Fastenal's adjusted earnings of 40 cents per share in the third quarter of 2013, increased 8.1% year over year. Earnings of this national distributor of industrial/construction supplies, however, missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 41 cents by a penny. We believe that weak sales and soft margins led to the lackluster performance in the quarter. Fastenal reported net sales of $858.4 million, up 7.0% year over year. Net sales once again lagged the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $865 million as the company continues to see softness in fasteners and non-residential construction growth. Fastenal serves customers in the manufacturing and non-residential construction markets. Sales were slow in both the markets. Struggle with Top Line Continues The company has been witnessing a consistent decline in daily sales growth rates for the past few quarters. The declining daily sales rates are due to lower sales of its fasteners product line which were being hurt by end-market slowdown and broader economic uncertainty. Moreover, the construction as well as vending businesses have also been soft since the past two quarters. Fastenal's total average daily sales growth rate remained flat with the second quarter at 5.3%. Foreign exchange dragged down third-quarter daily sales growth rates by 0.3%. Fastenal's daily sales growth rates came in at 2.9%, 7.2% and 5.7% for the months of July, August and September, respectively, significantly down from the daily growth rates of 12.1%, 12.0% and 12.9% in the corresponding prior-year months. Though August sales recovered from a slower July, the sequential improvement was not repeated in September. The sequential change in daily sales for nine months from January to September also fell short of the historical averages. Daily sales to manufacturing customers (representing almost 50% of revenues) grew 4.7% in the third quarter, much lower than the 14.0% growth in the prior-year quarter and 5.9% in the preceding quarter. Daily sales growth rates to manufacturing customers declined sharply due to lower sales of its fasteners product line, hurt by end-market slowdown and broader economic uncertainty. The company supplies two types of products to manufacturing customers, one for industrial production and the other for maintenance of the manufacturing business. Sales of products for industrial production dipped significantly, owing to a continuous decline in daily sales growth rates of fastener products (used mainly for industrial production) to 1.0% in the quarter from 6.0% in the prior-year quarter. Sales of non-fastener products (used mainly for maintenance) increased 8.9% in the third quarter of 2013, down from 18.0% in the prior-year quarter. However, sales of these products improved slightly from the 8.5% growth seen in the sequentially-preceding quarter. In the non-residential construction market, daily sales to non-residential construction customers (representing 20% to 25% of revenues) grew 3.9% in the third quarter of 2013, down from 8.2% in the third quarter of 2012. Management blamed the government policy uncertainty and sequestration in the U.S. for the decline. Poor weather conditions also hurt construction sales. However, third-quarter sales improved from 0.7% growth recorded in the second quarter of 2013, maybe due to some recovery being seen in the non-residential construction market. Vending Machine Activity The company has adopted FAST Solutions, an industrial vending process that has the potential to revolutionize the industrial distribution system and increase profitability. The company installs vending machines that aid in controlling inventory and administrative costs while reducing product consumption. In the third quarter, the company installed 2,699 new machines, down 34.0% sequentially. As of Sep 30, 2013, the company operated 32,248 FAST Solutions vending machines. The vending machines now account for over 33% of the company's sales. During the quarter, the company signed 4,372 vending machine contracts, down 18.4% sequentially. The daily sales growth to customers using vending machines was 15.2% in the third quarter, down from 32.9% in the prior-year quarter and 18.9% in the second quarter of 2013. The overall vending trends have been softer since the past two quarters due to management's new initiative to deliberately slow down focus on vending. Management has eased pressure on stores to sign up vending machines as a vending contract takes about 5-6 months to generate revenues. Instead, stores are being encouraged to focus on improving near-term sales. Margins Were Soft In third-quarter 2013, gross margin improved only 10 basis points (bps) from the prior-year quarter to 51.1% and declined 110 bps sequentially. An unfavorable product mix (due to weakness in fastener products which generate higher margins) hurt gross margins in the quarter. Moreover, a higher headcount boosted the operating costs for the company, thus pulling down margins. Fastenal has taken a strategic decision to increase sales personnel at its stores. It is adding 100-150 store personnel per month in order to free sales managers to focus more on selling which could drive near-term sales growth. The company recorded operating and administrative expense of $254.9 million, up 6.8% year over year. Operating expense ratio stood at 29.7%, almost flat year over year, largely due to slowing sales growth. Tre-tax profit was 22.0% of revenues in the quarter, up only 10 bps year over year, due to gross margin softness and higher operating expenses. Other Stocks to Consider Fastenal carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Some other building products/retail companies that are currently doing well include Liquidators Holdings, Inc. ( LL ), The Home Depot, Inc. ( HD ) and Lowe's Companies Inc. ( LOW ). While Liquidators Holdings carries a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), The Home Depot and Lowe's carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report HOME DEPOT (HD): Free Stock Analysis Report LUMBER LIQUIDAT (LL): Free Stock Analysis Report LOWES COS (LOW): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Sector Update: Consumer Shares Higher Pre-Bell; J.C. Penney Up As Saks CEO Joins Board Top Consumer Shares: WMT: +0.15% MCD: -0.31% DIS: flat CVS: flat KO: +0.43% GE: +0.34% Consumer shares are flat to higher in pre-bell trading. In stocks news, Saks ( SKS ) CEO Stephen Sadov is joining the board of J.C. Penney. JCP is up 2% in pre-market trade. In earnings news, Del Frisco's Restaurant Group, Inc. ( DFRG ), the owner and operator of the Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steak House, Sullivan's Steakhouse, and Del Frisco's Grille, said Q3 adjusted EPS came in at $2.3 million, or $0.10 a share, unchanged on a per share basis from the same period a year ago and below forecasts on Capital IQ for $0.11. Consolidated revenues increased 13.2% to $54.2 million from $47.9 million, just shy of forecasts for $54.8 million. Shares are unchanged pre-bell in a 52-week range of $12.67 - $23.34. And, Fastenal Company ( FAST ) said its Q3 earnings rose by 8.1% to $0.40 per share, coming in just below the $0.41 average Capital IQ analyst estimate. Sales rose 7% to $858.4 million, also missing the consensus estimate of $864 million. The seller of industrial and construction supplies closed down 0.93% yesterday, and shed another 4.16% to $47.90 in after-hours trading. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. Copyright (C) 2016 MTNewswires.com. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Sector Update: Consumer Consumer shares are flat to higher in pre-bell trading. In stocks news, Saks ( SKS ) CEO Stephen Sadov is joining the board of J.C. Penney. JCP is up 2% in pre-market trade. In earnings news, Del Frisco's Restaurant Group, Inc. ( DFRG ), the owner and operator of the Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steak House, Sullivan's Steakhouse, and Del Frisco's Grille, said Q3 adjusted EPS came in at $2.3 million, or $0.10 a share, unchanged on a per share basis from the same period a year ago and below forecasts on Capital IQ for $0.11. Consolidated revenues increased 13.2% to $54.2 million from $47.9 million, just shy of forecasts for $54.8 million. Shares are unchanged pre-bell in a 52-week range of $12.67 - $23.34. And, Fastenal Company ( FAST ) said its Q3 earnings rose by 8.1% to $0.40 per share, coming in just below the $0.41 average Capital IQ analyst estimate. Sales rose 7% to $858.4 million, also missing the consensus estimate of $864 million. The seller of industrial and construction supplies closed down 0.93% yesterday, and shed another 4.16% to $47.90 in after-hours trading. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. Copyright (C) 2016 MTNewswires.com. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""UPDATE: Fastenal Posts Downbeat Q3 Profit"", ""Fastenal Company Reports Q3 EPS of $0.40 vs $0.41 Est; Revenue of $858.40M vs $866.03M Est"", ""Earnings Scheduled For October 9, 2013"", ""Stocks To Watch For October 9, 2013"", ""Fastenal Stock Comes Unglued On Q3 Miss, Cloudy View"", ""Stocks Mixed In Rising Trade; Leaders Surrender Early Surge"", ""Which Is Most Important? - Real Time Insight"", ""Will Yellen's Ascension Help, Near-Term? - Ahead of Wall Street"", ""Fastenal Misses Q3 Earnings, Sales - Analyst Blog"", ""Yellen props stocks, Apple's back at it and H-P faces the music Just when all this selling started to feel like it might turn into something more than a painless reminder that stocks don't keep going up forever, in floats Janet Yellen -- \""the Queen of the Doves\"", a bone thrown by His Majesty, the \""most powerful woman in American history\"" -- and off we go."", ""H-P has best day in four months on upbeat outlook Hewlett-Packard jumps by its biggest percentage margin since May as Chief Executive Meg Whitman paints a more upbeat picture for the computer giant.""]"
FAST,2013-10-10,18.3918,18.8755,18.3454,18.759,"[""Company news for October 10, 2013 - Corporate Summary"", ""Company news for October 10, 2013 - Corporate Summary"", ""Company news for October 10, 2013 - Corporate Summary""]"
FAST,2013-10-11,18.7501,18.8202,18.4224,18.5172,
FAST,2013-10-14,18.4826,18.912,18.4224,18.8271,
FAST,2013-10-15,18.7225,18.8705,18.5833,18.763,
FAST,2013-10-16,18.838,19.1548,18.6623,19.0749,"[""W.W. Grainger Misses, Less Upbeat On Sales Outlook"", ""W.W. Grainger Misses, Less Upbeat On Sales Outlook"", ""W.W. Grainger Misses, Less Upbeat On Sales Outlook""]"
FAST,2013-10-17,18.8705,19.1439,18.7264,19.141,
FAST,2013-10-18,19.0877,19.2901,19.0877,19.2575,
FAST,2013-10-21,19.2031,19.2693,19.0492,19.2289,
FAST,2013-10-22,19.3345,19.5595,19.2417,19.5319,"[""Fastenal Company (FAST) Ex-Dividend Date Scheduled for October 23, 2013 Fastenal Company ( FAST ) will begin trading ex-dividend on October 23, 2013. A cash dividend payment of $0.25 per share is scheduled to be paid on November 22, 2013. Shareholders who purchased FAST stock prior to the ex-dividend date are eligible for the cash dividend payment. This represents an -50% decrease from the same period a year ago. At the current stock price of $49.12, the dividend yield is 2.04%. The previous trading day's last sale of FAST was $49.12, representing a -7.98% decrease from the 52 week high of $53.38 and a 22.8% increase over the 52 week low of $40. FAST is a part of the Consumer Services sector, which includes companies such as Home Depot, Inc. ( HD ) and Lowe's Companies, Inc. ( LOW ). FAST's current earnings per share, an indicator of a company's profitability, is $1.51. Zacks Investment Research reports FAST's forecasted earnings growth in 2013 as 9.3%, compared to an industry average of 13.7%. For more information on the declaration, record and payment dates, visit the FAST Dividend History page. Our Dividend Calendar has the full list of stocks that have an ex-dividend today. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""26 earnings calls show shutdown left scars It is hard to quantify the impact, but chief executives and other corporate honchos are telling analysts the government shutdown and debt-limit battle will leave some scars.""]"
FAST,2013-10-23,19.3759,19.3977,19.1825,19.2318,
FAST,2013-10-24,19.2219,19.4855,19.2219,19.3719,
FAST,2013-10-25,19.4253,19.9188,19.2447,19.9188,
FAST,2013-10-28,19.8832,19.9958,19.7717,19.8675,"[""Stocks to Watch for October 28, 2013"", ""Stocks to Watch for October 28, 2013"", ""Stocks to Watch for October 28, 2013""]"
FAST,2013-10-29,19.8596,20.0254,19.8477,20.0165,
FAST,2013-10-30,20.0294,20.2574,19.7757,19.8635,
FAST,2013-10-31,19.9148,19.9484,19.5555,19.6019,
FAST,2013-11-01,19.598,19.9109,19.2012,19.4283,
FAST,2013-11-04,19.5447,20.442,19.5368,20.4143,
FAST,2013-11-05,19.6691,19.6691,19.1745,19.3335,"[""Benzinga's Top #PreMarket Losers"", ""Fastenal Shares Trading Down ~3.6% on Seemingly Positive Sales Update"", ""Fastenal Shares Trading Down ~3.6% on Seemingly Positive Sales Update"", ""Benzinga's Top #PreMarket Losers"", ""Fastenal Shares Trading Down ~3.6% on Seemingly Positive Sales Update"", ""Benzinga's Top #PreMarket Losers"", ""GT spikes on sapphire deal with Apple GT Advanced Technologies rallies on Tuesday after it secured a multi-year contract from Apple to supply the iPhone maker with sapphire material, while Corning retreats on worries about possible adverse impact from the tie-up.""]"
FAST,2013-11-06,19.4727,19.4727,18.9159,18.989,
FAST,2013-11-07,19.0373,19.0817,18.2644,18.2902,
FAST,2013-11-08,18.3356,18.5636,18.2171,18.5428,
FAST,2013-11-11,18.5754,18.5872,18.376,18.4244,
FAST,2013-11-12,18.3424,18.5872,18.3424,18.4886,
FAST,2013-11-13,18.302,18.3702,18.0404,18.2902,
FAST,2013-11-14,18.3286,18.3938,18.144,18.3316,"[""Fastenal Retained at Neutral - Analyst Blog"", ""Fastenal Retained at Neutral - Analyst Blog"", ""Fastenal Retained at Neutral - Analyst Blog On Nov 13, we maintained a Neutral recommendation on Fastenal Company ( FAST ) following dismal third-quarter 2013 results as we have faith in the company's growth initiatives. Why the Neutral Recommendation? This industrial and construction supplies company announced third-quarter 2013 results on Oct 10. Adjusted earnings of 40 cents per share missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by a penny due to soft revenues and margins. Revenues grew 7.0% year over year, but missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate owing to soft fastener sales and weakness in construction. Fastenal has been struggling with its top line over several quarters. Fastenal's daily sales growth rates have been weak since the last 5-6 quarters mainly due to a weakness in its fastener product line caused by end-market slowdown and broader economic uncertainty. From more than 15% growth in the first quarter of 2012, the fastener product line, which accounts for around 45% of the company sales, dropped to 1.0% growth in the third quarter of 2013. Industrial vending has also been soft for the past two quarters as management intentionally slowed down vending to focus more on the quality of signings/installs. Moreover, management is encouraging stores to focus more on immediate sales growth. Estimates have mostly shown a downward trend after the weak third-quarter results. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2013 has gone down 1.3%, while that for 2014 has gone down 2.2% over the last 60 days. In order to improve sales, management is slowing down store growth in favor of increasing store headcount to drive near-term sales. However, such initiatives affect margins. We would also like to see substantial sales recovery before becoming more positive on the stock. Nonetheless, we believe that optimization of the vending machine program, easier comparisons and improved efficiencies from the recently launched vending-specific distribution center, T-HUB, should drive sales and productivity, going forward. Other Stocks to Consider Fastenal carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). However, other companies in the building products sector that are doing well include LumberLiquidators Holdings, Inc. ( LL ), Builders FirstSource, Inc. ( BLDR ) and Vulcan Materials Company ( VMC ). While Builders carries a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), Vulcan and Lumber carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). BUILDERS FIRSTS (BLDR): Free Stock Analysis Report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report LUMBER LIQUIDAT (LL): Free Stock Analysis Report VULCAN MATLS CO (VMC): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Retained at Neutral - Analyst Blog""]"
FAST,2013-11-15,18.4322,18.607,18.2506,18.4738,
FAST,2013-11-18,18.5794,18.5833,18.4392,18.4461,
FAST,2013-11-19,18.4738,18.5162,18.2033,18.2724,"[""Retail Industry Stock Outlook - Nov 2013 - Zacks Analyst Interviews"", ""Retail Industry Stock Outlook - Nov 2013 - Industry Outlook"", ""Retail Industry Stock Outlook - Nov 2013 - Industry Outlook"", ""Retail Industry Stock Outlook - Nov 2013 - Zacks Analyst Interviews"", ""Retail Industry Stock Outlook - Nov 2013 - Industry Outlook"", ""Retail Industry Stock Outlook - Nov 2013 - Zacks Analyst Interviews""]"
FAST,2013-11-20,18.305,18.3978,18.1046,18.151,
FAST,2013-11-21,18.305,18.5794,18.1164,18.534,
FAST,2013-11-22,18.603,18.7264,18.5092,18.6307,
FAST,2013-11-25,18.6692,18.6978,18.2724,18.3898,
FAST,2013-11-26,18.3978,18.4886,18.2644,18.3247,
FAST,2013-11-27,18.3089,18.4244,18.1352,18.2616,
FAST,2013-11-29,18.3089,18.3652,18.1875,18.305,
FAST,2013-12-02,18.376,18.7146,18.1392,18.534,
FAST,2013-12-03,18.5666,18.7689,18.3898,18.6139,
FAST,2013-12-04,18.7353,18.7432,18.1164,18.3898,
FAST,2013-12-05,18.4204,18.4688,18.1826,18.3208,"[""A.O. Smith, Up 68% Year-To-Date, Isn't Finished"", ""Fastenal November Daily Sales Above Oct - Analyst Blog"", ""Fastenal November Daily Sales Above Oct - Analyst Blog"", ""A.O. Smith, Up 68% Year-To-Date, Isn't Finished"", ""Fastenal November Daily Sales Above Oct - Analyst Blog Fastenal Company ( FAST ) released decent sales results for the month of November wherein net sales rose 3.1% year over year to $621.3 million. Currency was a 0.4% headwind. November daily sales grew 8.2% to $13.1 million, showing an improving trend from growth rates of 2.9%, 7.2%, 5.7% and 7.7% in the months of July, August, September and October, respectively. The daily sales growth was flat from November last year. Fastenal serves customers in the manufacturing and non-residential construction markets. Daily sales to manufacturing customers (representing almost 50% of revenues) grew 8.7%, better than 7.6% in October. However, daily sales to non-residential construction customers (representing 20% to 25% of revenues) grew 4.4%, slowing down slightly from 5.4% in October; possibly due to the present slowdown in the housing recovery. The national distributor of industrial/construction supplies has been struggling with its top line due to lower sales of its fasteners product line which is being hurt by end-market slowdown and broader economic uncertainty. Moreover, the non-residential construction and vending businesses have also been soft for the past two quarters. In order to improve its top line, stores are being encouraged to focus on improving near-term sales. Fastenal took the strategic decision to increase sales personnel at its stores to boost sales. In the third quarter, the company recruited 400 sales employees; increasing the headcount by 4.6% sequentially. It plans to consistently add store-level employees per month for the rest of 2013. This strategy aims to free sales managers to focus more on selling which could drive near-term sales growth. Moreover, management temporarily slowed down focus on vending in order to improve near-term sales. These efforts seem to be paying off as the company saw improving daily sales trends in both October and November. Moreover, vending is expected to be ramped up again in 2014 once the desired store staffing level is reached. Under the vending program, Fastenal installs vending machines called FAST solutions at customer's location and keeps it filled with products they need.Moreover, under its new vending improvement program, management aims to improve the quality of vending signings/installs. In addition, Fastenal has plans to reinvigorate the high-margin fastener business and improve sales performance at under-performing stores. The company also plans to expand its store-based inventory for fasteners, construction and safety products. Moreover, Fastenal hopes to gain from a new pricing system for stores and improved operational efficiency across its distribution network (by adding significant automation). Fastenal carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). Better-ranked stocks in the building products/ building construction sector include Liquidators Holdings, Inc. ( LL ), Builders FirstSource, Inc. ( BLDR ) and CaesarStone Sdot-Yam Ltd ( CSTE ). While Lumber and CaesarStone carry a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), Builders FirstSource holds a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). BUILDERS FIRSTS (BLDR): Free Stock Analysis Report CAESAR STONE SD (CSTE): Free Stock Analysis Report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report LUMBER LIQUIDAT (LL): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal November Daily Sales Above Oct - Analyst Blog"", ""A.O. Smith, Up 68% Year-To-Date, Isn't Finished""]"
FAST,2013-12-06,18.5636,18.7659,18.4688,18.6652,
FAST,2013-12-09,18.7353,18.9298,18.6258,18.686,
FAST,2013-12-10,18.681,18.9327,18.5912,18.7985,"[""HD Supply's Q3 Results Beat Expectations"", ""HD Supply Stock Soars On Q3 Earnings, 2013 Outlook"", ""HD Supply's Q3 Results Beat Expectations"", ""HD Supply Stock Soars On Q3 Earnings, 2013 Outlook"", ""HD Supply's Q3 Results Beat Expectations"", ""HD Supply Stock Soars On Q3 Earnings, 2013 Outlook""]"
FAST,2013-12-11,18.7787,18.8794,18.4856,18.5092,
FAST,2013-12-12,18.458,18.5636,18.1598,18.2576,
FAST,2013-12-13,18.3702,18.384,18.0098,18.1924,
FAST,2013-12-16,18.229,18.5132,18.22,18.4915,
FAST,2013-12-17,18.458,18.5912,18.4244,18.528,
FAST,2013-12-18,18.4886,18.8923,18.3247,18.8923,
FAST,2013-12-19,18.9219,18.9219,18.6514,18.8883,
FAST,2013-12-20,17.9397,18.0928,17.3129,17.9467,"[""Fastenal Q4 EPS To Miss On Slower Heavy Manufacturing"", ""Fastenal warns of Q4 EPS miss"", ""Fastenal Lowers Q4 Guidance; Says Daily Sales Growth Weaker Than Expected; Gross Margin Running Below Expectations"", ""Mid-Morning Market Update: Markets Rally; BlackBerry Posts Q3 Loss"", ""Mid-Day Market Update: Red Hat Surges On Upbeat Results; CarMax Shares Decline"", ""Market Wrap For December 20: Markets Gain On GDP Data"", ""Market Wrap For December 20: Markets Gain On GDP Data"", ""Mid-Day Market Update: Red Hat Surges On Upbeat Results; CarMax Shares Decline"", ""Mid-Morning Market Update: Markets Rally; BlackBerry Posts Q3 Loss"", ""Fastenal Lowers Q4 Guidance; Says Daily Sales Growth Weaker Than Expected; Gross Margin Running Below Expectations"", ""Fastenal warns of Q4 EPS miss"", ""Fastenal Q4 EPS To Miss On Slower Heavy Manufacturing"", ""Mid-Day Market Update: Red Hat Surges On Upbeat Results; CarMax Shares Decline Midway through trading Friday, the Dow traded up 0.48 percent to 16,255.95 while the NASDAQ surged 0.98 percent to 4,097.77. The S&P also rose, gaining 0.57 percent to 1,819.90. Top Headline BlackBerry (NASDAQ: BBRY ) swung to a loss in the third quarter. BlackBerry posted a quarterly loss of $4.4 billion, or $8.37 per share, versus a year-ago profit of $9 million, or $0.02 per share. Its adjusted loss came in at $0.67 per share. Its revenue dropped to $1.2 billion from $2.7 billion. However, analysts were estimating a loss of $0.44 per share on revenue of $1.59 billion. BlackBerry also entered into a five-year strategic partnership with Foxconn to develop and manufacture phones. Equities Trading UP Red Hat (NYSE: RHT ) shot up 18.76 percent to $58.19 as the company reported better-than-expected third-quarter results. Shares of Jazz Pharmaceuticals Public Limited Company (NASDAQ: JAZZ ) got a boost, shooting up 6.24 percent to $121.88 after the company announced its plans to buy Gentium SpA (NASDAQ: GENT ) for around $1 billion. The Jones Group (NYSE: JNY ) was also up, gaining 4.78 percent to $14.81 after the company agreed to be acquired by Sycamore Partners for $15.00 per share in cash. Equities Trading DOWN Shares of TIBCO Software (NASDAQ: TIBX ) were down 14.17 percent to $21.01 on Q4 results. Analysts at UBS downgraded the stock from Buy to Neutral. CarMax (NYSE: KMX ) shares tumbled 8.45 percent to $48.57 after the company reported a weaker-than-expected Q3 profit. Fastenal Company (NASDAQ: FAST ) was down, falling 4.97 percent to $45.63 after the company lowered its Q4 forecast. Commodities In commodity news, oil traded down 0.07 percent to $98.97, while gold traded up 0.85 percent to $1,203.70. Silver traded up 1.27 percent Friday to $19.43, while copper rose 0.41 percent to $3.31. Eurozone European shares today. The Spanish Ibex Index gained 0.23 percent, while Italy's FTSE MIB Index climbed 0.77 percent. Meanwhile, the German DAX surged 0.74 percent and the French CAC 40 jumped 0.41 percent while U.K. shares gained 0.39 percent. Economics The U.S. economy expanded at an annual pace of 4.1% in the third quarter, versus a prior reading of a 3.6% growth. However, economists were expecting a growth of 3.6%. The Kansas City Fed manufacturing index declined to -3.00 in December, versus a prior reading of 7.00. However, economists were expecting a reading of 6.00. (c) 2013 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Free Trading Education - Check out the free events taking place on Marketfy this week. Spaces are limited. Sign up today. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Market Wrap For December 20: Markets Gain On GDP Data"", ""Mid-Day Market Update: Red Hat Surges On Upbeat Results; CarMax Shares Decline"", ""Mid-Morning Market Update: Markets Rally; BlackBerry Posts Q3 Loss"", ""Fastenal Lowers Q4 Guidance; Says Daily Sales Growth Weaker Than Expected; Gross Margin Running Below Expectations"", ""Fastenal warns of Q4 EPS miss"", ""Fastenal Q4 EPS To Miss On Slower Heavy Manufacturing""]"
FAST,2013-12-23,17.9427,18.2092,17.8588,18.151,"[""Fastenal Issues Q4 Update - Analyst Blog"", ""Fastenal Issues Q4 Update - Analyst Blog"", ""Fastenal Issues Q4 Update - Analyst Blog Fastenal Company ( FAST ) recently announced that it is likely to miss fourth quarter 2013 average analyst earnings estimate of 36 cents, due to sluggish sales, higher employee cost and weak margins. However, earnings are expected to surpass the year-ago figure of 33 cents. The national distributor of industrial/construction supplies has been struggling with its top line due to lower sales of its fasteners product line which is being hurt by end-market slowdown and broader economic uncertainty. Daily sales growth was 5.7% in September, 7.7% in October, and 8.2% in November, compared to a respective 12.9%, 6.8% and 8.2% in the corresponding prior year months. Weak sales were due to sluggishness in the heavy manufacturing business. Management has been slowing down store growth in favor of increasing headcount to drive near-term sales growth. However, such initiatives increase employee costs and hurt margins. In fact, gross margin is also below company's expectation due to weakness in fastener products, a competitive marketplace, reduced supplier incentives and lower utilization of trucking networks. In addition, the company's focus on increasing store headcount and field leadership adversely impacted gross profit. However, the company is positive about the upcoming quarters and expects increased headcount in stores to generate solid sales. In fact, the company is trading off short term earnings for better selling component. Fastenal carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). We would also like to see substantial sales recovery before becoming more positive on the stock. Better-ranked stocks in the building products/ building construction sector include Lumber Liquidators Holdings, Inc. ( LL ), Builders FirstSource, Inc. ( BLDR ) and The Home Depot, Inc. ( HD ). While Lumber and Builders FirstSource carry a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), The Home Depot holds a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). BUILDERS FIRSTS (BLDR): Free Stock Analysis Report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report HOME DEPOT (HD): Free Stock Analysis Report LUMBER LIQUIDAT (LL): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Issues Q4 Update - Analyst Blog""]"
FAST,2013-12-24,18.0661,18.2616,18.0059,18.2132,
FAST,2013-12-26,18.3424,18.6396,18.2576,18.5428,
FAST,2013-12-27,18.5872,18.686,18.4886,18.6426,
FAST,2013-12-30,18.686,18.9722,18.611,18.7501,
FAST,2013-12-31,18.7876,18.8765,18.5912,18.6899,
FAST,2014-01-02,18.6899,18.7314,18.2724,18.372,"[""The Environment Is Changing? Mario Gabelli Adds Lawson Products Again"", ""The Environment Is Changing? Mario Gabelli Adds Lawson Products Again"", ""The Environment Is Changing? Mario Gabelli Adds Lawson Products Again""]"
FAST,2014-01-03,18.3474,18.5054,18.1717,18.2902,
FAST,2014-01-06,18.3652,18.4392,17.9279,17.9723,
FAST,2014-01-07,18.0572,18.144,17.9852,18.0483,
FAST,2014-01-08,18.077,18.1638,17.8707,18.0483,
FAST,2014-01-09,18.0957,18.4016,18.0217,18.3286,"[""Housing Market Bolsters Home Depot Spinoff HD Supply"", ""Housing Market Bolsters Home Depot Spinoff HD Supply"", ""Housing Market Bolsters Home Depot Spinoff HD Supply When HD Supply went public over the summer, the thinking was that its stock would get a lift from a recovering housing market. That has been true to a point, though the construction and industrial products supplier has run into more head winds than it likely banked on before its June initial public offering. HD Supply ( HDS ), a former unit ofHome Depot ( HD ) that was sold to private equity firms in August 2007, bills itself as one of the largest industrial distributors in North America. It has around 500,000 customers and $9 billion in annual sales. The company provides a wide range of products and services -- everything from countertops, plumbing fixtures and hardware to electrical transformers, storm drain solutions, power tools, drywall accessories, interior finish products and pool supplies. HD Supply's business units include HD Supply Facilities Maintenance, HD Supply Waterworks, HD Supply Power Solutions and HD Supply White Cap. Housing Market Links The breadth of HD Supply's products puts it into a number of construction and industrial markets, not just residential. Still, the company concedes in filings with the Securities & Exchange Commission that most of its business units \""are dependent to varying degrees upon the new residential construction market.\"" That market has seen a nice rebound over the last year amid rising home sales and prices. This is one of the reasons HD Supply went public over the summer. The company opened at a price of $18 on its first trading day June 27. While the stock has moved higher since then -- it currently trades near 24 -- there have been ups and downs along the way as the housing market recovery has been slowed by rising mortgage interest rates and some ongoing economic uncertainty. HD Supply CEO Joseph DeAngelo addressed some of the housing market concerns on a fiscal third-quarter conference call last month, saying that \""for the residential markets, the strength that we saw earlier in the year moderated.\"" He also said growth in single-family housing starts came in lower than expected during the quarter, which ended in October. Those issues aside, housing end markets were still strong enough in the quarter to help HD Supply put up decent numbers. Earnings came in at 38 cents a share, topping analyst consensus estimates for 35 cents. Sales rose 7% to $2.3 billion, matching views. The gross profit margin widened to 29.1% from 28.7% a year earlier. HD Supply posted top-line gains across all of its business units. Its Facilities Maintenance unit, which provides products and services to the multifamily housing market, logged 8% organic sales growth during the quarter. The Waterworks business, which supplies water and wastewater products, delivered 11% organic sales growth. The White Cap business, which provides specialty construction and safety supplies to professional contractors, also had 11% organic sales growth. Power Lacks A Punch Lagging those units was HD Supply's Power Solutions division, which provides services to power companies, utilities, construction firms and industrial clients. It had organic sales growth of just 1% during the quarter. The unit's slow growth reflects \""conservative practices among utility customers,\"" Citigroup analyst Deane Dray noted. \""This is one of the more growth-constrained businesses due to a concentration of both large customers and suppliers,\"" he said, \""and is HD Supply's most direct overlap\"" with rivalWesco International ( WCC ). Among publicly traded firms, HD Supply's rivals also includeW.W. Grainger ( GWW ) andFastenal ( FAST ). For fiscal 2014, HD Supply guided midteens growth in residential end markets, modest growth in nonresidential markets, and a flat-to-down performance in the infrastructure businesses, largely due to sluggish municipal water and utility capital spending. \""In a worst case, slower end markets drive fewer profit dollars for growth reinvestment, which itself drives slower revenue growth,\"" JPMorgan analyst Stephen Tusa noted in a Q3 earnings report. \""Because of this compounding dynamic, we continue to view HD Supply as more of a revenue story than a margin story,\"" he added. Most analysts reckon that HD Supply will post mid- to high-single-digit revenue growth in coming years. Over the near term, it should get a leg up from residential construction as growing demand for homes outweighs the rise in mortgage rates. In a report last month, the Commerce Department said housing starts in November rose 22.7% from October to an annualized rate of 1.09 million. That topped economist forecasts and represented the highest level since February 2008. Permits for future projects were near a five-year high, indicating that the momentum will continue this year. December data are due out on Jan. 17. Commercial Construction The prognosis for nonresidential markets is less optimistic, though some analysts figure that HD Supply can still find growth in these sectors by beating rivals for new business. \""Despite some uncertain end markets and recovery timing issues in nonresidential construction, utilities and power markets, we remain positive on HD Supply's ability to gain market share in its highly fragmented industrial distribution end markets,\"" Citigroup's Dray said. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expect HD Supply to post earnings of 54 cents a share for fiscal 2013 . The company's annual profit is seen rising to $1.35 a share in fiscal 2014 and $2.16 in 2015. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Housing Market Bolsters Home Depot Spinoff HD Supply""]"
FAST,2014-01-10,18.3978,18.9159,18.302,18.7659,"[""Q4 Earnings Season: Can Banks Deliver? - Earnings Preview"", ""Q4 Earnings Season: Can Banks Deliver? - Earnings Preview"", ""Q4 Earnings Season: Can Banks Deliver? - Earnings Preview""]"
FAST,2014-01-13,18.6544,19.0561,18.5428,18.6583,
FAST,2014-01-14,19.0206,19.0433,18.5556,18.9643,"[""Will Fastenal (FAST) Miss Earnings Estimate, Yet Again? - Analyst Blog"", ""Will Fastenal (FAST) Miss Earnings Estimate, Yet Again? - Analyst Blog"", ""Will Fastenal (FAST) Miss Earnings Estimate, Yet Again? - Analyst Blog Fastenal Company ( FAST ) is set to report the fourth-quarter and fiscal 2013 results on Jan 15 before the market opens. Last quarter, it posted a negative earnings surprise of 2.44%. Let's see how things are shaping up for this announcement. Factors to Consider this Quarter In late Dec 2013, the company announced that it is likely to miss analyst expectations for the fourth quarter due to sluggish sales, higher employee cost and weak margins. The national distributor of industrial/construction supplies has been struggling with its top line due to lower sales of its fasteners product line due to end-market slowdown and broader economic uncertainty. Moreover, the non-residential construction and vending businesses have also been soft for the past two quarters. Management has been slowing down store growth in favor of increasing headcount to drive near-term sales growth. Moreover, focus on vending has temporarily been slowed down in order to improve near-term sales. Though these efforts have shown improving sales trends in the months of Oct and Nov 2013, they are below management's expectations. Moreover, such initiatives increase employee costs and hurt margins. In fact, gross margin is also below the company's expectation due to weakness in fastener products, a competitive marketplace, reduced supplier incentives and lower utilization of trucking networks. Earnings Whisper? Our proven model does not conclusively show that Fastenal is likely to beat earnings this quarter. That is because a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank of #1, 2 or 3 for this to happen. That is not the case here, as you will see below. Negative Zacks ESP: The Earnings ESP is -2.86%. That is because the Most Accurate estimate stands at 34 cents while the Zacks Consensus Estimate is higher at 35 cents. That is a difference of -2.86%. Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) : We caution against stocks with Zacks Ranks #4 and 5 (Sell-rated stocks) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions momentum. Estimates for Fastenal have been declining over the past 30 days. Other Stocks to Consider Here are some other companies that you may consider, as our model shows that they have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter: Standard Pacific Corp. ( SPF ), with Earnings ESP of +21.4% and a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). KB Home ( KBH ), with Earnings ESP of +28.57% and a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Starbucks Corporation ( SBUX ), with Earnings ESP of +2.90% and a Zacks Rank #3. FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report KB HOME (KBH): Free Stock Analysis Report STARBUCKS CORP (SBUX): Free Stock Analysis Report STANDARD PAC (SPF): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""US Stocks Recover Much of Yesterday's Losses The Japanese Nikkei (INDEXNIKKEI:NI225) fell 3.08% in last night's trading after being closed yesterday. USD-denominated futures were down 2.17% in global trading yesterday following losses in the US, so the decline was only minor. Also in Japan, the government's November 2013 balance of payments widened to the worst level on record at -592.8 billion yen; this was due to rising energy costs. December 2013 retail sales rose 0.2% from the prior month, slightly better than the 0.1% economist estimate. However, the November report was revised down to a 0.4% month-over-month gain from the prior 0.7% gain. Sales growth ex-auto was a robust 0.7% for the month. It is likely that strong Web-based sales during the month outweighed what have been generally dismal retailer reports from December. US equities erased yesterday's losses and then some. The tech-based Nasdaq-100 (INDEXNASDAQ:NDX) gained 1.84% in today's session, climbing 0.41% above yesterday's open. A notable positive performer was Google ( GOOG ), which gained 2.43% after its acquisition of Nest Labs yesterday for $3.2 billion. All 10 of the basic sectors in the S&P 500 (INDEXSP:.INX) were positive, led by tech and materials stocks. The Federal Reserve announced that it is looking to curb deposit-taking banks' commodities businesses. Currently, in accordance with US law, domestic banks are not allowed to own non-financial businesses, but banks that started businesses before 1997 have been operating on a special exemption. The deal would enact further restrictions on banks' warehousing of physical commodities and trading activities in order to prevent market manipulation. Tomorrow's Financial Outlook The US will release December 2013 producer prices data tomorrow morning. Economists estimate that prices rose 1.1% from a year ago after rising 0.7% in November. Also scheduled to be released is the New York regional manufacturing survey from January. This will be the first piece of leading economic data for the month of January. Lastly, the Fed will release its Beige Book of business conditions across its 12 districts. Preliminary December 2013 Japanese machine tool orders are due to be reported overnight. In Europe, Germany's 2013 GDP will be released before the US market opens in addition to Swiss retail sales data. Lastly, Canadian existing-home sales data will be released at 9:00 a.m. EST. The pace of earnings reports will increase tomorrow. Bank of America ( BAC ), Fastenal ( FAST ), and CSX Corporation ( CSX ) are all scheduled to report. Twitter: @Minyanville The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Pre-Market Earnings Report for January 15, 2014 : BAC, FAST, WNS The following companies are expected to report earnings prior to market open on 01/15/2014. Visit our Earnings Calendar for a full list of expected earnings releases. Bank of America Corporation ( BAC ) is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2013. The bank company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 18 analysts that follow the stock is $0.27. This value represents a 800.00% increase compared to the same quarter last year. BAC missed the consensus earnings per share in the 1st calendar quarter of 2013 by -13.04%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2013 Price to Earnings ratio for BAC is 18.26 vs. an industry ratio of 13.10, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Fastenal Company ( FAST ) is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2013. The building company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 8 analysts that follow the stock is $0.34. This value represents a 3.03% increase compared to the same quarter last year. FAST missed the consensus earnings per share in the 3rd calendar quarter of 2013 by -2.44%. The \""days to cover\"" for this stock exceeds 11 days. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2013 Price to Earnings ratio for FAST is 31.20 vs. an industry ratio of 39.90. WNS (Holdings) Limited ( WNS ) is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2013. The business services company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 5 analysts that follow the stock is $0.33. This value represents a 32.00% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year WNS has met analyst expectations once and beat the expectations the other three quarters. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2014 Price to Earnings ratio for WNS is 17.70 vs. an industry ratio of 15.30, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Will Fastenal (FAST) Miss Earnings Estimate, Yet Again? - Analyst Blog""]"
FAST,2014-01-15,18.1164,18.3978,17.4749,18.1194,"[""Fastenal Misses on Q4 Earnings & Rev - Analyst Blog"", ""Fastenal"", ""Stocks To Watch For January 15, 2014"", ""Earnings Scheduled For January 15, 2014"", ""Fastenal Reports Q4 EPS of $0.33 vs $0.35 Est; Revenue of $813.80M vs $816.62M Est"", ""#PreMarket Primer: Wednesday, January 15: Big Earnings Day"", ""UPDATE: Fastenal Posts Downbeat Q4 Profit"", ""From Fastenal Call: Co. Off to a Slow Start in Jan."", ""Mid-Morning Market Update: Markets Rise; Bank of America Profit Beats Estimates"", ""Mid-Day Market Update: Dow Jumps 120 Points; Fastenal Shares Drop On Downbeat Earnings"", ""Mid-Afternoon Market Update: Markets Nearly Erase Early Year Losses as The ExOne Continues to Drop"", ""Mid-Afternoon Market Update: Markets Nearly Erase Early Year Losses as The ExOne Continues to Drop"", ""Mid-Day Market Update: Dow Jumps 120 Points; Fastenal Shares Drop On Downbeat Earnings"", ""Mid-Morning Market Update: Markets Rise; Bank of America Profit Beats Estimates"", ""From Fastenal Call: Co. Off to a Slow Start in Jan."", ""UPDATE: Fastenal Posts Downbeat Q4 Profit"", ""#PreMarket Primer: Wednesday, January 15: Big Earnings Day"", ""Fastenal Reports Q4 EPS of $0.33 vs $0.35 Est; Revenue of $813.80M vs $816.62M Est"", ""Earnings Scheduled For January 15, 2014"", ""Stocks To Watch For January 15, 2014"", ""Fastenal"", ""Fastenal Misses on Q4 Earnings & Rev - Analyst Blog"", ""Fastenal Misses on Q4 Earnings & Rev - Analyst Blog Fastenal Company ( FAST ) announced dismal fourth-quarter and fiscal 2013 results. It missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate for both earnings and revenues as it continued to struggle with its top line. Fastenal's adjusted earnings of 33 cents per share in the fourth quarter of 2013 were flat year over year and missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 34 cents by a penny. In December, the company issued a press release stating that it is likely to miss fourth quarter 2013 average analyst earnings estimate though it expected to surpass the year-ago figure. The earnings miss could be attributed to lower-than-expected sales and weak margins. Fastenal reported net sales of $813.8 million in the fourth quarter of 2013, up 7.5% year over year. Net sales also missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $816 million by a marginal 0.3% as the company continued to witness softness in fasteners and non-residential construction growth. Top Line Woes Continue Fastenal derives sales from the fastener product line and the other product line. Fastenal's fastener product line comprises two kinds of products, threaded fasteners, and miscellaneous, industrial and construction supplies and hardware. Threaded fasteners include products like bolts, nuts, screws, studs and related washers while miscellaneous supplies and hardware include various pins and machinery keys, concrete anchors, metal framing systems, wire rope, strut, rivets and related accessories. Fastenal mainly serves customers in the manufacturing and non-residential construction markets. In the manufacturing market, its customers include original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and maintenance and repair operations (MRO) while in the non-residential construction market it serves general, electrical, plumbing, sheet metal and road contractors. Fastenal's total average daily sales growth rate in the fourth quarter of 2013 was 7.5%, down from 8.5% in the fourth quarter of 2012 due to price deflation in fastener products. Foreign exchange dragged down fourth-quarter daily sales growth rates by 0.4%. The national distributor of industrial/construction supplies has been struggling with revenues due to lower sales of its fasteners product line, which is being hurt by end-market slowdown and broader economic uncertainty. Daily sales growth was 7.7% in October, 8.2% in November and 6.7% in December compared to a respective 6.8%, 8.2% and 6.7% in the corresponding prior year months. Daily sales to manufacturing customers (representing almost 50% of revenues) grew 7.2% in the fourth quarter, much lower than the 9.7% growth in the prior-year quarter but better than 4.7% in the preceding quarter. Daily sales growth rates to manufacturing customers declined sharply due to lower sales of its fasteners product line, hurt by end-market slowdown and broader economic uncertainty. Sales of products for industrial production dipped significantly, owing to a continuous decline in daily sales growth rates of fastener products (used mainly for industrial production) to 1.9% in the quarter from 2.6% in the prior-year quarter. Sales of non-fastener products (used mainly for maintenance) increased 12.0% in the fourth quarter of 2013, down from 13.6% in the prior-year quarter. However, sales of these products improved from 8.9% growth seen in the preceding quarter. In the non-residential construction market, daily sales to non-residential construction customers (representing 20% to 25% of revenues) grew 2.8% in the fourth quarter of 2013, down from 4.2% in the fourth quarter of 2012 and 3.9% from the previous quarter. Management blamed the uncertainty in economic policy and poor weather condition for the decline. Soft Margins Management has been slowing down store growth in favor of increasing headcount to drive near-term sales growth. However, such initiatives increase employee costs and hurt margins. The company's focus on increasing store headcount and field leadership adversely impacted gross profit. In fourth-quarter 2013, gross margin declined 100 basis points (bps) from the prior-year quarter to 50.6%. Gross margin also declined 110 bps sequentially. Fourth quarter gross margin missed the company's long-term gross margin range of 51% to 53%. The gross margin was below company's expectation due to weakness in fastener products, a competitive marketplace, reduced supplier incentives and lower utilization of trucking networks. Store Count Fastenal had 2,687 stores at the end of the fourth quarter of 2013, up from 2,686 stores in the preceding quarter. Share Repurchase In the third quarter 2013, the company repurchased 0.2 million shares at an average cost of $45.40 per share. As of Dec 31, 2013, the company had authority to purchase up to 1,600,000 shares of common stock. Fiscal 2013 Fastenal's earnings of $1.51 per share in fiscal 2013 increased 6.3% year over year but missed the Zacks consensus estimate of $1.54 by 1.9%. The company reported net sales of $3.326 billion in fiscal 2013, up 6.1% year over year. The net sales missed the Zacks Consensus estimate of $3.327 billion. Fastenal carries a Zacks Ranks #4 (Sell). Better-ranked stocks in the industrial goods sector include Builders FirstSource, Inc. ( BLDR ), The Home Depot, Inc. ( HD ) and Lumber Liquidators Holdings, Inc. ( LL ). These three companies carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). BUILDERS FIRSTS (BLDR): Free Stock Analysis Report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report HOME DEPOT (HD): Free Stock Analysis Report LUMBER LIQUIDAT (LL): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""#PreMarket Primer: Wednesday, January 15: Big Earnings Day Better than expected retail sales and a possible buy-on-the-dip mentality propelled the markets higher despite a luke-warm start to earnings season Tuesday. The Dow ended up three-quarters of a percent to close at 16,376.86. The S&P gained more than one percent to finish at 1,838.88, and the NASDAQ saw the largest gains of the day, 0.7 percent, to close at 4,183.88. U.S. markets are showing modest strength in premarket trading Wednesday morning. The Dow is up about 19 points while the S&P is up about two. The NASDAQ is up 10 points in early trading. Top Stories Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL ) CEO Tim Cook calls Apple's deal with China Mobile a \""watershed\"" moment. He also said in a CNBC interview that Apple sold more iPhones in China last year than ever in its history. General Motors (NYSE: GM ) announces that it will pay its first quarterly dividend in six years. Shares rose more than three percent on the news. Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA ) gained 12 percent yesterday after disclosing fourth-quarter sales figures 20 percent higher than analyst forecasts. The World Bank says that the global economy is at a \""turning point.\"" Asian Markets Improving global demand forecasts propelled Asian markets mostly higher Wednesday. The Nikkei gained 2.5 percent to close at 15,808.73. The Shanghai composite was about 0.2 percent to close at 2,023.35 and the Hang Seng, up about 0.5 percent to close at 22,902.00 European Markets European markets reached 5-1/2 year highs despite lower than expected German GDP. The FTSE and the CAC are each up about 0.3 percent while The DAX is up about 0.8 percent. Commodities Commodities are mostly lower this morning. WTI is flat at $92.68 while Brent is down 0.2 percent at $106.15. Natural Gas is down about 0.3 percent at $4.356. Gold is down about 0.6 percent at $1,237.40 and Silver is down one percent at $20.07. Copper is down 0.6 percent at $3.31 Currencies The yen and Australian dollar fell sharply early Wednesday. The euro is lower against the dollar at 1.3628 while the pound is down fractionally against the U.S. currency. The dollar is currently about 0.1 percent higher against the yen after a one percent move bringing it to 104.29 against the Japanese currency. The Aussie dollar is 0.7 percent lower against dollar 0.89. Pre-Market Movers General Motors (NYSE: GM ) is up three percent on the news it will pay a dividend. Bank of America (NYSE: BAC ) is up 0.6 percent as the market awaits its earnings announcement. Nike (NYSE: NKE ) is down 0.8 percent in low-volume trading. Earnings JP Morgan (NYSE: JPM ) reported EPS of $1.40 versus estimates of $1.24 on revenue of $24.1 billion versus the $23.81 billion estimate. Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC ) reported EPS of $1.00 versus estimates of $0.98 on revenue of $20.67 billion versus the $20.63 billion estimate. Notable earnings today include: Bank of America (NYSE: BAC ) is projected to report its Q4 earnings at $0.20 per share on revenue of $22.31 billion. Fastenal Company (NASDAQ: FAST ) is expected to report its Q4 earnings at $0.34 per share on revenue of $813.25 million. CSX (NYSE: CSX ) is projected to report its Q4 earnings at $0.43 per share on revenue of $3.01 billion. CLARCOR (NYSE: CLC ) is estimated to post its Q4 earnings at $0.70 per share on revenue of $304.09 million. HB Fuller Co (NYSE: FUL ) is estimated to post its Q4 earnings at $0.75 per share on revenue of $527.18 million. Plexus (NASDAQ: PLXS ) is projected to post its Q4 earnings at $0.61 per share on revenue of $536.04 million. Kinder Morgan Energy Partners (NYSE: KMP ) is projected to post its Q4 earnings at $0.73 per share on revenue of $3.34 billion. At 8:30 a.m. ET the Producer price index is released along with the Empire State manufacturing survey. At 2:00 p.m. the Beige Book is released. Fed governor Charles Evans speaks at 12:50 p.m. and Dennis Lockhart speaks at 5:20 p.m. (c) 2014 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Free Trading Education - Check out the free events taking place on Marketfy this week. Spaces are limited. Sign up today. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Mid-Afternoon Market Update: Markets Nearly Erase Early Year Losses as The ExOne Continues to Drop"", ""Mid-Day Market Update: Dow Jumps 120 Points; Fastenal Shares Drop On Downbeat Earnings"", ""Mid-Morning Market Update: Markets Rise; Bank of America Profit Beats Estimates"", ""From Fastenal Call: Co. Off to a Slow Start in Jan."", ""UPDATE: Fastenal Posts Downbeat Q4 Profit"", ""#PreMarket Primer: Wednesday, January 15: Big Earnings Day"", ""Fastenal Reports Q4 EPS of $0.33 vs $0.35 Est; Revenue of $813.80M vs $816.62M Est"", ""Earnings Scheduled For January 15, 2014"", ""Stocks To Watch For January 15, 2014"", ""Fastenal"", ""Fastenal Misses on Q4 Earnings & Rev - Analyst Blog"", ""U.S. stock futures trim gains after strong data reports Bank of America, Apple rise in premarket trade Stock futures are up but gains shrink after a surprisingly strong data showing of manufacturing activity in the New York region and as wholesale prices rose for the first time in three months.."", ""Tesla extends gains; ExOne sinks on revenue warning Tesla extends gains on a strong performance in the fourth quarter while ExOne falls for a third session after warning its revenue will fall short of target.""]"
FAST,2014-01-16,18.0957,18.4016,18.0365,18.3602,"[""Company news for January 16, 2014 - Corporate Summary"", ""Company news for January 16, 2014 - Corporate Summary"", ""Company news for January 16, 2014 - Corporate Summary \u2022 Fastenal Company (NASDAQ: FAST ) shares dropped 4.5% after it reported adjusted earnings of $0.33 per share in the fourth quarter of 2013, flat year over year and missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.34 \u2022 SolarCity Corporation's (NASDAQ: SCTY ) shares were up 4.5% after announcing plans to allow investors and individuals to invest in rooftop solar systems \u2022 General Motors Company's (NYSE: GM ) shares were up 1.6% after forecasting \""modest\"" North American market share gains in 2014. It also anticipates a $1.1 billion restructuring cost in 2014 \u2022 Chelsea Therapeutics International Ltd.'s (NASDAQ: CHTP ) shares jumped a significant 91.7% after an advisory panel to the FDA inferred that one of its drugs for a rare form of low blood pressure is effective and may be approved CHELSEA THERAP (CHTP): Free Stock Analysis Report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report GENERAL MOTORS (GM): Free Stock Analysis Report SOLARCITY CORP (SCTY): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Company news for January 16, 2014 - Corporate Summary""]"
FAST,2014-01-17,18.2802,18.7817,18.1964,18.7314,"[""Fastenal Company (FAST): New Analyst Report from Zacks Equity Research - Zacks Equity Research Report"", ""Fastenal Company Down to Strong Sell - Analyst Blog"", ""Zacks #5 Rank Additions for Friday - Tale of the Tape"", ""Fastenal Company Down to Strong Sell - Analyst Blog"", ""Zacks #5 Rank Additions for Friday - Tale of the Tape"", ""Fastenal Company (FAST): New Analyst Report from Zacks Equity Research - Zacks Equity Research Report"", ""Zacks #5 Rank Additions for Friday - Tale of the Tape Here are 5 stocks added to the Zacks #5 Rank (\""strong sell\"") List today: Cal Dive International, Inc. ( DVR ) Demand Media Inc ( DMD ) Dycom Industries, Inc. ( DY ) EMCORE Corporation ( EMKR ) Fastenal Company ( FAST ) View the entire Zacks #5 Rank List . DEMAND MEDIA (DMD): Free Stock Analysis Report CAL DIVE INTL (DVR): Free Stock Analysis Report DYCOM INDS (DY): Free Stock Analysis Report EMCORE CORP (EMKR): Free Stock Analysis Report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Company (FAST): New Analyst Report from Zacks Equity Research - Zacks Equity Research Report Summary: Fastenal's earnings of $0.40 per share in the fourth quarter of 2014 came in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Earnings grew 21.2% year over year as higher sales and expense control offset gross margin weakness. Sales grew 13.8% year over year. After struggling in 2013, Fastenal's top line turned around in 2014 as underlying markets improved, vending re-vamped, sales improvement efforts showed results and comparisons eased. However, Fastenal's gross margins are contracting as management's focus shifts away to top-line improvement. An unfavorable product mix, strong emphasis on growing average store sales, pricing and competitive pressures are hurting gross margins. Lower gross margin thus remains the key concern for this company. Nevertheless, continued top-line momentum coupled with better operating margins under the Pathway to Profit strategy should offset the lower gross margins to drive EPS growth in 2015. Overview: Based in Winona, MN, Fastenal Company (FAST) is a national wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies. The company distributes its products through approximately 2,700 company-owned stores mostly located in North America. Fastenal distributes its products to its stores and in-plant locations through 14 distribution centers located in North America. Around 11% of its net sales are generated from stores located outside the United States, mainly in Canada. Other company stores are located mainly in Central and South America and Europe. Fastenal derives sales from the fastener product line and the other product line. The fastener product line comprises two kinds of products, threaded fasteners, and miscellaneous industrial and construction supplies and hardware. Threaded fasteners include products like bolts, nuts, screws, studs and related washers while miscellaneous industrial and construction supplies and hardware include various pins and machinery keys, concrete anchors, metal framing systems, wire rope, strut, rivets and related accessories. Threaded fasteners are used in most manufactured products and building projects, and for the maintenance and repair of machines and structures. Threaded fasteners accounted for approximately 36% of the company's sales in 2014. The other product line includes tools, cutting tools, material handling, janitorial, electrical, safety and welding supplies and many more. The non-fastener products now represent close to 60% of its sales. Fastenal mainly serves customers in the manufacturing and non-residential construction markets. In the manufacturing market, its customers include original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and maintenance and repair operations (MRO) while in the non-residential construction market it serves general, electrical, plumbing, sheet metal and road contractors. Fastenal Company (FAST): Read the Full Research Report Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Company Down to Strong Sell - Analyst Blog On Jan 17, Zacks Investment Research downgraded Fastenal Company ( FAST ) to a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell) following disappointing fourth-quarter and fiscal 2013 results. Why the Downgrade? Fastenal's adjusted earnings of 33 cents per share in the fourth quarter of 2013 missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by a penny. Earnings were flat year over year, in contrast to the company's guidance of year-over-year growth, as sales and margin deteriorated beyond expectations. Fastenal reported net sales of $813.8 million in the fourth quarter of 2013, up 7.5% year over year. Net sales also missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $816 million by a marginal 0.3%. The national distributor of industrial/construction supplies has been struggling with its top line due to lower sales of its fasteners product line which is being hurt by end-market slowdown and broader economic uncertainty. Management has been slowing down store growth in favor of increasing headcount to drive near-term sales growth. However, such initiatives increase employee costs and hurt margins. In fourth-quarter 2013, gross margin declined 100 basis points (bps) from the prior-year quarter to 50.6%.Gross margin also declined 110 bps sequentially. Fourth quarter gross margin missed the company's long-term gross margin range of 51% to 53%. Gross margin fell short of company's expectation of margin expansion due to weakness in fastener products, a competitive marketplace, reduced supplier incentives and lower utilization of trucking networks. Fastenal's earnings of $1.51 per share in fiscal 2013 increased 6.3% year over year but missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.54 by 1.9%. The company reported net sales of $3.326 billion in fiscal 2013, up 6.1% year over year. Net sales missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.327 billion. Better-ranked stocks in the industrial goods sector include PulteGroup, Inc. ( PHM ), The Home Depot, Inc. ( HD ) and Lumber Liquidators Holdings, Inc. ( LL ). All the three companies carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report HOME DEPOT (HD): Free Stock Analysis Report LUMBER LIQUIDAT (LL): Free Stock Analysis Report PULTE GROUP ONC (PHM): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Company Down to Strong Sell - Analyst Blog"", ""Zacks #5 Rank Additions for Friday - Tale of the Tape"", ""Fastenal Company (FAST): New Analyst Report from Zacks Equity Research - Zacks Equity Research Report""]"
FAST,2014-01-21,18.7432,18.9268,18.5478,18.6692,
FAST,2014-01-22,18.7916,18.8666,18.6741,18.8281,"Fastenal president buys 4,300 shares The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2014-01-23,18.755,18.8281,18.5162,18.7028,
FAST,2014-01-24,18.4816,18.6139,17.7068,17.7384,"[""Grainger Q4 Profit Falls Short, 2014 Guidance Trimmed"", ""Looking to Hedge? Some Short Ideas from the HDGE ETF"", ""Grainger Q4 Profit Falls Short, 2014 Guidance Trimmed"", ""Looking to Hedge? Some Short Ideas from the HDGE ETF"", ""Grainger Q4 Profit Falls Short, 2014 Guidance Trimmed"", ""Looking to Hedge? Some Short Ideas from the HDGE ETF"", ""Juniper buoyed by Jana stake; Herbalife loss grows Juniper Networks stock surges on news of its fourth-quarter earnings and a second stake by an activist investor.""]"
FAST,2014-01-27,17.846,17.8588,17.3623,17.5301,"[""Weakness Seen in Fastenal (FAST): Stock Drops 5.2% - Tale of the Tape"", ""Weakness Seen in Fastenal (FAST): Stock Drops 5.2% - Tale of the Tape"", ""Weakness Seen in Fastenal (FAST): Stock Drops 5.2% - Tale of the Tape Fastenal Company ( FAST ) saw a big move last session, as the company's shares fell by over 5% on the day. The move came on pretty good volume too with far more shares changing hands than in a normal session. This breaks the recent trend of the company, as the stock is now trading below the volatile price range of $45.68 to $48.21 in the past one-month time frame. This slump shouldn't be too much of a surprise to investors, as this wholesaler and retailer of industrial and construction supplies has seen 6 negative revisions in the past few weeks. Subsequently, its current year earnings consensus has also moved lower over the same time frame. This suggests there may be more trouble down the road. So make sure to keep an eye on this stock going forward to see if this recent slump will continue, as the earnings picture definitely suggests that this might be the case. FAST currently has a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell) while its Earnings ESP is positive. Some better-ranked building product retailers and wholesalers include Builders FirstSource, Inc. ( BLDR ), The Home Depot, Inc. ( HD ) and Lumber Liquidators Holdings, Inc. ( LL ). All these stocks carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days . Click to get this free report >> BUILDERS FIRSTS (BLDR): Free Stock Analysis Report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report HOME DEPOT (HD): Free Stock Analysis Report LUMBER LIQUIDAT (LL): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Weakness Seen in Fastenal (FAST): Stock Drops 5.2% - Tale of the Tape""]"
FAST,2014-01-28,17.5923,17.6831,17.3712,17.4709,
FAST,2014-01-29,17.4669,17.6002,17.3081,17.4787,
FAST,2014-01-30,17.6298,17.6357,17.4383,17.5093,"[""Fastenal Company Reports Insider Buys at 52-Week Low"", ""Fastenal Company Reports Insider Buys at 52-Week Low"", ""Fastenal Company Reports Insider Buys at 52-Week Low""]"
FAST,2014-01-31,17.2547,17.4907,17.2153,17.3821,"[""W.W. Grainger Inc. (GWW) Dividend Stock Analysis"", ""W.W. Grainger Inc. (GWW) Dividend Stock Analysis"", ""W.W. Grainger Inc. (GWW) Dividend Stock Analysis""]"
FAST,2014-02-03,17.3406,17.6999,16.8066,16.8915,
FAST,2014-02-04,16.9428,17.4324,16.9162,17.3731,
FAST,2014-02-05,17.5815,17.9842,17.4867,17.5093,
FAST,2014-02-06,17.4965,17.6683,17.4333,17.5469,
FAST,2014-02-07,17.5923,17.6841,17.2933,17.4995,
FAST,2014-02-10,17.6002,17.6743,17.1343,17.4669,
FAST,2014-02-11,17.4669,17.7789,17.4433,17.7364,
FAST,2014-02-12,17.7512,17.9091,17.6743,17.7502,
FAST,2014-02-13,17.6397,17.8815,17.5835,17.6743,
FAST,2014-02-14,17.5745,17.8193,17.5538,17.7937,
FAST,2014-02-18,17.7937,17.9338,17.7502,17.8736,
FAST,2014-02-19,17.7867,17.9703,17.7206,17.843,"Insiders Buy the Holdings of VIS ETF A look at the weighted underlying holdings of the Vanguard Industrials ETF ( VIS ) shows an impressive 14.4% of holdings on a weighted basis have experienced insider buying within the past six months. Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST), which makes up 0.54% of the Vanguard Industrials ETF ( VIS ), has seen 6 directors and officers purchase shares in the past six months, according to the recent Form 4 data. The ETF holds a total of $8,361,688 worth of FAST, making it the #37 largest holding. The table below details the recent insider buying activity observed at FAST: FAST - last trade: $45.18 - Recent Insider Buys: And Solarcity Corporation (Symbol: SCTY), the #155 largest holding among components of the Vanguard Industrials ETF ( VIS ), shows 3 directors and officers as recently filing Form 4's indicating purchases. The ETF holds $1,419,388 worth of SCTY, which represents approximately 0.09% of the ETF's total assets at last check. The recent insider buying activity observed at SCTY is detailed in the table below: SCTY - last trade: $79.95 - Recent Insider Buys: 10 ETFs With Stocks That Insiders Are Buying » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2014-02-20,17.8262,18.0296,17.7828,18.0118,"[""Baron Funds Comments on Fastenal Co."", ""Baron Funds Comments on Fastenal Co."", ""Baron Funds Comments on Fastenal Co.""]"
FAST,2014-02-21,18.0612,18.1352,17.917,18.0434,
FAST,2014-02-24,18.1194,18.296,18.0809,18.1994,
FAST,2014-02-25,18.1994,18.296,18.151,18.22,
FAST,2014-02-26,18.2339,18.4728,18.2339,18.3356,
FAST,2014-02-27,18.3572,18.835,18.2842,18.8202,
FAST,2014-02-28,18.8587,18.8587,18.4934,18.6692,
FAST,2014-03-03,18.6129,18.7304,18.1184,18.4036,
FAST,2014-03-04,18.6336,18.6534,18.454,18.536,
FAST,2014-03-05,18.536,19.2811,18.536,19.2337,"[""Nasdaq 100 Movers: WFM, FAST In early trading on Wednesday, shares of Fastenal ( FAST ) topped the list of the day's best performing components of the Nasdaq 100 index, trading up 3%. Year to date, Fastenal registers a 1.5% gain. And the worst performing Nasdaq 100 component thus far on the day is Whole Foods Market ( WFM ), trading down 1.9%. Whole Foods Market is lower by about 6.6% looking at the year to date performance. Two other components making moves today are Dollar Tree ( DLTR ), trading down 1.7%, and Citrix Systems ( CTXS ), trading up 2.2% on the day. VIDEO: Nasdaq 100 Movers: WFM, FAST The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Bullish Two Hundred Day Moving Average Cross - FAST In trading on Wednesday, shares of Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) crossed above their 200 day moving average of $47.46, changing hands as high as $48.40 per share. Fastenal Co. shares are currently trading up about 2.4% on the day. The chart below shows the one year performance of FAST shares, versus its 200 day moving average: Looking at the chart above, FAST's low point in its 52 week range is $42.48 per share, with $53.12 as the 52 week high point - that compares with a last trade of $48.42. According to the ETF Finder at ETF Channel, FAST makes up 1.59% of the First Trust NASDAQ-100 Ex-Technology Sector Index Fund ETF (Symbol: QQXT) which is trading higher by about 0.1% on the day Wednesday. Click here to find out which 9 other stocks recently crossed above their 200 day moving average \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2014-03-06,19.2861,19.3799,19.1311,19.2101,
FAST,2014-03-07,19.2733,19.4125,19.2121,19.4035,"[""Sequoia Fund's Discussion of Fastenal"", ""Sequoia Fund's Discussion of Fastenal"", ""Sequoia Fund's Discussion of Fastenal""]"
FAST,2014-03-10,19.4223,19.5477,19.2299,19.4253,"[""Fastenal (FAST) Enters Overbought Territory - Tale of the Tape"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Enters Overbought Territory - Tale of the Tape"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Enters Overbought Territory - Tale of the Tape Fastenal Company ( FAST ) has moved higher as of late, but there could definitely be trouble on the horizon for this company. That is because FAST is now in overbought territory with an RSI value of 71.2. Furthermore, Fastenal currently has a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell), suggesting that investors may want to consider exiting this stock now before it falls back to Earth. FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal (FAST) Enters Overbought Territory - Tale of the Tape""]"
FAST,2014-03-11,19.4075,19.4321,19.2071,19.3137,"[""Fastenal's Feb Sales Better than Jan - Analyst Blog"", ""Fastenal's Feb Sales Better than Jan - Analyst Blog"", ""Fastenal's Feb Sales Better than Jan - Analyst Blog Fastenal Company ( FAST ) has been struggling with its top line for the past few quarters as end-market slowdown and broader economic uncertainty are lowering its fastener sales. Moreover, the construction as well as vending businesses have been soft for the past three quarters. However, the national wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies has something to smile about. The company's February sales results were better than January despite difficult weather conditions. Net sales rose 7.7% year over year in the month to $274.5 million, better than a 6.7% growth in January. Currency, however, was a 0.6% headwind. February daily sales grew 7.7% to $13.7 million, better than January but weaker than February last year. Fastenal serves customers in the manufacturing and non-residential construction markets. Daily sales to manufacturing customers (representing almost 50% of revenues) grew 8.8%, slightly better than 8.2% last year and 6.6% in Jan 2014. Daily sales to non-residential construction customers (representing 20% to 25% of revenues) grew 0.7%, slowing down from 4.3% in February last year. However, it was better than a 0.3% growth in January. Fastenal is trying to improve its top line. Stores are being encouraged to focus on improving near-term sales. In order to accelerate sales growth, Fastenal took the strategic decision to increase sales personnel at the stores. The added selling energy in stores is aimed to position the company well for future growth. However, such initiatives increase employee costs and hurt margins. An unfavorable product mix (due to weakness in higher-margin fastener products) and pricing and competitive pressures are also hurting gross margins. The accelerated hiring pace is anticipated to continue in 2014 which could further pressure margins. Fastenal carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Better-ranked stocks in the building products/ building construction sector include Stock Building Supply Holdings, Inc. ( STCK ), USG Corporation ( USG ) and CaesarStone Sdot-Yam Ltd. ( CSTE ). While Stock Building and CaesarStone enjoy a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), USG Corporation holds a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). CAESAR STONE SD (CSTE): Free Stock Analysis Report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report STOCK BUILDING (STCK): Free Stock Analysis Report USG CORP (USG): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal's Feb Sales Better than Jan - Analyst Blog""]"
FAST,2014-03-12,19.1873,19.3463,19.0225,19.3365,
FAST,2014-03-13,19.3887,19.5516,19.0531,19.1479,
FAST,2014-03-14,19.0571,19.2624,19.0373,19.1953,
FAST,2014-03-17,19.369,19.8408,19.3217,19.7451,
FAST,2014-03-18,19.7194,20.1014,19.6148,19.9504,
FAST,2014-03-19,19.9592,20.0471,19.5595,19.7451,"Fastenal (FAST) Shares Cross 2% Yield Mark Looking at the universe of stocks we cover at Dividend Channel , in trading on Wednesday, shares of Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) were yielding above the 2% mark based on its quarterly dividend (annualized to $1.00), with the stock changing hands as low as $49.70 on the day. Dividends are particularly important for investors to consider, because historically speaking dividends have provided a considerable share of the stock market's total return. To illustrate, suppose for example you purchased shares of the S&P 500 ETF ( SPY ) back on 12/31/1999 - you would have paid $146.88 per share. Fast forward to 12/31/2012 and each share was worth $142.41 on that date, a decrease of $4.67/share over all those years. But now consider that you collected a whopping $25.98 per share in dividends over the same period, for a positive total return of 23.36%. Even with dividends reinvested, that only amounts to an average annual total return of about 1.6%; so by comparison collecting a yield above 2% would appear considerably attractive if that yield is sustainable. Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) is an S&P 500 company, giving it special status as one of the large-cap companies making up the S&P 500 Index. In general, dividend amounts are not always predictable and tend to follow the ups and downs of profitability at each company. In the case of Fastenal Co., looking at the history chart for FAST below can help in judging whether the most recent dividend is likely to continue, and in turn whether it is a reasonable expectation to expect a 2% annual yield. According to the ETF Finder at ETF Channel, FAST makes up 1.69% of the First Trust NASDAQ-100 Ex-Technology Sector Index Fund ETF (Symbol: QQXT) which is trading lower by about 0.4% on the day Wednesday. Click here to find out which 9 other dividend stocks just recently went on sale » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2014-03-20,19.6503,19.7332,19.4766,19.6661,
FAST,2014-03-21,19.8951,19.8951,19.3217,19.4321,
FAST,2014-03-24,19.6019,19.6868,19.3887,19.4361,
FAST,2014-03-25,19.5753,19.6789,19.3957,19.4766,
FAST,2014-03-26,19.5516,19.6582,19.1913,19.2457,
FAST,2014-03-27,19.2485,19.3799,18.9603,19.1479,
FAST,2014-03-28,19.0985,19.5753,19.0946,19.3799,
FAST,2014-03-31,19.4529,19.5851,19.3513,19.5062,
FAST,2014-04-01,19.6335,19.9504,19.4983,19.7224,
FAST,2014-04-02,19.7303,20.1399,19.7194,19.9306,
FAST,2014-04-03,20.0096,20.5436,19.9721,20.2574,
FAST,2014-04-04,20.4242,20.6522,20.0826,20.1774,"[""Will Q1 Earnings Be the Low Point for the Year? - Earnings Preview"", ""Susquehanna Initiates Coverage on Fastenal Company at Positive, Announces $61.00 PT"", ""Benzinga Weekly Preview: Fed Minutes To Shed Light On The Bank's Future"", ""Benzinga Weekly Preview: Fed Minutes To Shed Light On The Bank's Future"", ""Susquehanna Initiates Coverage on Fastenal Company at Positive, Announces $61.00 PT"", ""Will Q1 Earnings Be the Low Point for the Year? - Earnings Preview"", ""Will Q1 Earnings Be the Low Point for the Year? - Earnings Preview Will Q1 Earnings Be the Low Point for the Year? The 2014 Q1 earnings season takes center stage this week with Alcoa's ( AA ) release after the close on Tuesday. Alcoa isn't the overall first to report Q1 results, though it is the first S&P 500 member with the calendar fiscal quarter to come out with results. Companies with fiscal quarters ending in February have been reporting since mid-March and all 21 of those form part of the Q1 tally. In fairness to Alcoa, however, the market starts paying attention to the earnings season after their earnings announcement even though the list of companies that report before it includes such industry leaders like FedEx ( FDX ), Nike ( NKE ) and others. In total, we have 33 companies reporting Q1 results this week, including 8 S&P 500 members. The reporting cycle really gets into high gear from next, as the chart below shows. Expectations for 2014 Q1 Estimates for Q1 started coming down at an accelerated pace as companies predominantly guided lower on the 2013 Q4 earnings calls, consistent with the trend we have been seeing for more than a year now. Total Q1 earnings for companies in the S&P 500 are currently expected to be down -3.3% from the same period last year, a material decline from the +2.1% growth expected in early January 2014. Please note that the expected Q1 earnings decline has been exacerbated by Google's new class of stock. Excluding Google from the S&P 500, total S&P 500 earnings would be down (only) -2.7%. The negative revision trend is widespread, but is particularly notable for the Retail, Basic Materials, Autos, Consumer Staples, and the Energy sectors, as the chart below shows. With roughly two-thirds of S&P 500 companies beating earnings expectations in any reporting cycle, actual Q1 results will almost certainly be better than these pre-season expectations. But Q1 is unlikely to repeat the performance of the last few quarters where we would witness a new all-time earnings total record each quarter. Total earnings for the S&P 500 reached a new all-time record of $267.6 billion in 2013 Q4. Current estimates for 2014 Q1 aggregate to a quarterly total of $248.8 billion, but the expectation is that Q1 will be the low point for earnings this year, both in terms of earnings totals as well as the growth rate. Consensus expectations reflect a rebound in Q2, with the earnings totals in each of the following three quarters of the year setting new all-time records one after the other. The chart below shows the aggregate quarterly earnings for the S&P 500 as whole. Given the low Q1 expectations, it wouldn't take much for companies to come out ahead of them. Roughly two-thirds of the S&P 500 members beat earnings expectations every quarter any way. So, more results along those lines would be nothing new and wouldn't tell us much about the health of corporate earnings. What we haven't seen for a while instead is some evidence of strength on the revenue front and favorable comments from management teams about business outlook. Corporate guidance has been negative for almost two years now, causing estimates to keep coming down and the long hoped-for earnings growth turnaround getting pushed forward. Guidance is important in any earnings season, but it is particularly important this time around given the relatively elevated expectations for the second half of the year and beyond. Scorecard for 2014 Q1 ( as of Friday, April 4th ) Total earnings for the 21 S&P 500 members were up +14.2% from the same period last year, with a 'beat ratio' of 57.1% and a median surprise of +1.9%. Total revenues were in the positive column as well, up +6.1%, with a revenue 'beat ratio' of 47.6% and a median surprise of +0.1%. It's premature to draw any conclusions from this small sample of results, but the growth rates and beat ratios for these 21 companies in Q1 are weaker than what we have seen from the same group of companies in other recent quarters. It has overall been a fairly uninspiring start to the Q1 earnings season. For a detailed look at the earnings picture, please check out our weekly Earnings Trends report . Monday-4/7 Not much on the economic or earnings calendars. Tuesday -4/8 Not much on theeconomic calendar though Alcoa will be reporting results after the close. Alcoa's estimates have inched up in recent days, with the current Zacks Consensus EPS of 5 cents up a penny over the last 7 days. WD-40 Company ( WDFC ) is the other notable company reporting results after the close. Wednesday-4/9 We will get minutes of the Fed's March 19 meeting in the afternoon, where it will be interesting to see discussion about the economic outlook. Unfortunately for all of us, we will most likely nothing about the '6 months' comment that the Fed Chairwoman made in her news conference after the meeting. Constellation Brands ( STZ ) and Progressive Corp ( PGR ) will report in the morning, while Bed, Bath & Beyond ( BBBY ) will report after the close. Thursday -4/10 While weekly Jobless Claims numbers will come out in the morning, we will get details about Federal Budget in the afternoon. Family Dollar ( FDO ), Rite Aid ( RAD ), and Pier 1 Imports ( PIR ) are the notable companies reporting today, all in the morning. Friday-4/11 We will get the March PPI and the advance read on the University of Michigan Sentiment survey. J.P. Morgan ( JPM ), Wells Fargo ( WFC ) and Fastenal ( FAST ) are the key reports today, all in the morning. Here is a list of the 33 companies reporting this week, including 8 S&P 500 members. ALCOA INC (AA): Free Stock Analysis Report BED BATH&BEYOND (BBBY): Free Stock Analysis Report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report FAMILY DOLLAR (FDO): Free Stock Analysis Report FEDEX CORP (FDX): Free Stock Analysis Report JPMORGAN CHASE (JPM): Free Stock Analysis Report NIKE INC-B (NKE): Free Stock Analysis Report PROGRESSIVE COR (PGR): Free Stock Analysis Report PIER 1 IMPORTS (PIR): Free Stock Analysis Report RITE AID CORP (RAD): Free Stock Analysis Report CONSTELLATN BRD (STZ): Free Stock Analysis Report WD 40 CO (WDFC): Free Stock Analysis Report WELLS FARGO-NEW (WFC): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Benzinga Weekly Preview: Fed Minutes To Shed Light On The Bank's Future"", ""Susquehanna Initiates Coverage on Fastenal Company at Positive, Announces $61.00 PT"", ""Will Q1 Earnings Be the Low Point for the Year? - Earnings Preview""]"
FAST,2014-04-07,20.1241,20.2158,19.8053,19.9168,
FAST,2014-04-08,19.8852,20.3383,19.8606,20.1122,"Fastenal Takes Over #279 Spot From Paychex In the latest look at the underlying components of the S&P 500 ordered by largest market capitalization, Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) has taken over the #279 spot from Paychex Inc (Symbol: PAYX), according to The Online Investor . Market capitalization is an important data point for investors to keep an eye on, for various reasons. The most basic reason is that it gives a true comparison of the value attributed by the stock market to a given company's stock. Many beginning investors look at one stock trading at $10 and another trading at $20 and mistakenly think the latter company is worth twice as much - that of course is a completely meaningless comparison without knowing how many shares of each company exist. But comparing market capitalization (factoring in those share counts) creates a true ""apples-to-apples"" comparison of the value of two stocks. In the case of Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST), the market cap is now $15.09 billion, versus Paychex Inc (Symbol: PAYX) at $15.02 billion. Below is a chart of Fastenal Co. versus Paychex Inc plotting their respective size rank within the S&P 500 over time (FAST plotted in blue; PAYX plotted in green): Below is a three month price history chart comparing the stock performance of FAST vs. PAYX: Another reason market capitalization is important is where it places a company in terms of its size tier in relation to peers - much like the way a mid-size sedan is typically compared to other mid-size sedans (and not SUV's). This can have a direct impact on which mutual funds and ETFs are willing to own the stock. For instance, a mutual fund that is focused solely on Large Cap stocks may for example only be interested in those companies sized $10 billion or larger. Another illustrative example is the S&P MidCap index which essentially takes the S&P 500 index and ""tosses out"" the biggest 100 companies so as to focus solely on the 400 smaller ""up-and-comers"" (which in the right environment can outperform their larger rivals). So a company's market cap, especially in relation to other companies, carries great importance, and for this reason we at The Online Investor find value to putting together these rankings daily. According to the ETF Finder at ETF Channel, FAST and PAYX collectively make up 3.49% of the First Trust NASDAQ-100 Ex-Technology Sector Index Fund ETF ( QQXT ) which is higher by about 0.6% on the day Tuesday. At the closing bell, FAST is up about 1%, while PAYX is off about 0.1% on the day Tuesday. The 20 Largest U.S. Companies By Market Capitalization » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2014-04-09,20.2188,20.585,20.0284,20.1528,"[""Will Fastenal (FAST) Turn It Around this Earnings Season? - Analyst Blog"", ""Why I Feel Bearish About Fastenal"", ""Why I Feel Bearish About Fastenal"", ""Will Fastenal (FAST) Turn It Around this Earnings Season? - Analyst Blog"", ""Will Fastenal (FAST) Turn It Around this Earnings Season? - Analyst Blog Fastenal Company ( FAST ) is set to report first-quarter fiscal 2014 results on Apr 11, before the market opens. Last quarter, Fastenal posted a negative earnings surprise of 2.94%. In fact, the company has missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate for both revenues and earnings for two consecutive quarters. Let's see how things are shaping up for this announcement. Factors to Consider this Quarter The company has been struggling with the top line for the past few quarters due to lower sales of its fasteners product line caused by end-market slowdown and broader economic uncertainty. Moreover, the construction as well as vending businesses have been soft for the past three quarters. Ironically, overall sales have not improved despite regular growth programs. According to the data released by the company, severe weather conditions hurt sales further in the months of Jan and Feb 2014 - the first two months of the first quarter. Accordingly, we do not expect any significant top-line improvement in this quarter as well. Management has been slowing down store growth in favor of increasing headcount to drive near-term sales growth. However, these initiatives increase employee costs substantially and hurt margins. An unfavorable product mix (due to weakness in fastener products which generate higher margins), pricing and competitive pressures are also hurting gross margins. The accelerated hiring pace is anticipated to continue in 2014 which could further pressure margins. Management, however, expects gross margins to improve in the first quarter of 2014 from a significantly weak fourth-quarter 2013 as headwinds relating to lower trucking utilization and vendor incentives normalize. Earnings Whisper? Our proven model does not conclusively show that Fastenal is likely to beat earnings this quarter. That is because a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank of #1, 2 or 3 for this to happen. That is not the case here, as you will see below. Zacks ESP: The Earnings ESP is 0.00%. Zacks Rank. Fastenal carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). We caution against stocks with Zacks Ranks #4 and 5 (Sell-rated stocks) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions momentum. Estimates for Fastenal have been declining for the last 60 days. Other Stocks to Consider Here are some other companies for investors to consider, that according to our model have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter: Builders FirstSource, Inc. ( BLDR ), with Earnings ESP of +100.0% and a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). KB Home ( KBH ), with Earnings ESP of +4.76% and a Zacks Rank #3. Vulcan Materials Company ( VMC ), with Earnings ESP of +17.65% and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) BUILDERS FIRSTS (BLDR): Free Stock Analysis Report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report KB HOME (KBH): Free Stock Analysis Report VULCAN MATLS CO (VMC): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Why I Feel Bearish About Fastenal"", ""Will Fastenal (FAST) Turn It Around this Earnings Season? - Analyst Blog""]"
FAST,2014-04-10,20.1566,20.3422,19.9277,20.0708,"[""Earning, Economic and IPO Calendar for Friday April 11, 2014"", ""Earning, Economic and IPO Calendar for Friday April 11, 2014"", ""Pre-Market Earnings Report for April 11, 2014 : WFC, JPM, FAST The following companies are expected to report earnings prior to market open on 04/11/2014. Visit our Earnings Calendar for a full list of expected earnings releases. Wells Fargo & Company ( WFC ) is reporting for the quarter ending March 31, 2014. The bank company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 18 analysts that follow the stock is $0.97. This value represents a 5.43% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year WFC has beat the expectations every quarter. The highest one was in the 4th calendar quarter where they beat the consensus by 2.04%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2014 Price to Earnings ratio for WFC is 12.12 vs. an industry ratio of 13.80. J P Morgan Chase & Co ( JPM ) is reporting for the quarter ending March 31, 2014. The bank company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 16 analysts that follow the stock is $1.41. This value represents a 11.32% decrease compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year JPM has beat the expectations every quarter. The highest one was in the 4th calendar quarter where they beat the consensus by 6.87%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2014 Price to Earnings ratio for JPM is 10.05 vs. an industry ratio of 13.80. Fastenal Company ( FAST ) is reporting for the quarter ending March 31, 2014. The building company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 9 analysts that follow the stock is $0.37. This value represents a no change for the same quarter last year. The last two quarters FAST had negative earnings surprises; the latest report they missed by -2.94%. The \""days to cover\"" for this stock exceeds 15 days. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2014 Price to Earnings ratio for FAST is 30.50 vs. an industry ratio of 38.50. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Earning, Economic and IPO Calendar for Friday April 11, 2014""]"
FAST,2014-04-11,20.6285,20.6561,19.2417,19.7253,"[""Fastenal Turns Around; Beats Earnings, Revs - Analyst Blog"", ""Stocks To Watch For April 11, 2014"", ""Earnings Scheduled For April 11, 2014"", ""Fastenal Company Reports Q1 EPS of $0.38, Inline; Revenue of $876.50M vs $870.87M Est"", ""Fastenal Reports Q1 Daily Sales Rose 8.7%"", ""#PreMarket Primer: Friday, April 11: Tension Between The West And Russia Escalates With Threats Of Energy Supply Interruptions"", ""Stephanie Link tweets: 'US distributor $FAST posts 11.5% growth in March daily sales and said 2Q could be 12%. Middle American industrial proxy.'"", ""Fastenal Shares Seeing Profit Taking Amid Strong Technical Resistance Level"", ""Fastenal Shares Seeing Profit Taking Amid Strong Technical Resistance Level"", ""Stephanie Link tweets: 'US distributor $FAST posts 11.5% growth in March daily sales and said 2Q could be 12%. Middle American industrial proxy.'"", ""#PreMarket Primer: Friday, April 11: Tension Between The West And Russia Escalates With Threats Of Energy Supply Interruptions"", ""Fastenal Reports Q1 Daily Sales Rose 8.7%"", ""Fastenal Company Reports Q1 EPS of $0.38, Inline; Revenue of $876.50M vs $870.87M Est"", ""Earnings Scheduled For April 11, 2014"", ""Stocks To Watch For April 11, 2014"", ""Fastenal Turns Around; Beats Earnings, Revs - Analyst Blog"", ""Fastenal Turns Around; Beats Earnings, Revs - Analyst Blog Fastenal Company 's ( FAST ) adjusted earnings of 38 cents per share in the first quarter of 2014 surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate and the year-ago earnings of 37 cents by a penny. The earnings beat was due to solid sales witnessed in the month of March. Fastenal reported net sales of $876.5 million in the first quarter of 2014, up 8.7% year over year. Net sales exceeded the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $870 million by a marginal 0.8%. Quarter Details Fastenal's total average daily sales growth rate in the first quarter of 2014 was 8.7%, up from 4.9% in prior year quarter, owing to increase in sales volume. However, foreign exchange dragged down first-quarter daily sales growth rates by 0.6%. Daily sales growth was 6.7% in January, 7.7% in February and 11.6% in March compared with a respective 6.7%, 8.2% and 5.1% in the corresponding prior-year months. Though the company witnessed softer sales in January and February due to harsh weather conditions, sales improved in March. The double digit growth in daily sales for March was driven by increased investments in stores to drive sales and favorable timing of Easter. This is the first double digit increase in monthly daily sales since September 2012. Fastenal was struggling with its top line for the past few quarters as end-market slowdown and broader economic uncertainty was lowering its fastener sales. In order to accelerate sales growth, Fastenal took the strategic decision to increase sales personnel at the stores. The added selling energy in stores largely boosted sales in March. Daily sales to manufacturing customers (representing almost 50% of revenues) grew 9.0% in the first quarter, higher than 7.0% growth in the prior-year quarter. Sales of products for industrial production dipped, owing to a decline in daily sales growth rates of fastener products (used mainly for industrial production), to 1.6% in the quarter from 1.7% in the prior-year quarter. Sales of non-fastener products (used mainly for maintenance) increased 14.2% in the first quarter of 2014, up from 10.8% in the prior-year quarter and 12.0% in the prior quarter. In the non-residential construction market, daily sales to non-residential construction customers (representing 20% to 25% of revenues) grew 2.9% in the first quarter of 2014, flat year over year but up from 2.8% in the previous quarter. Vending Trends As of Mar 30, 2013, the company operated 35,310 vending machines. During the quarter, the company signed 3,602 vending machine contracts, down approximately 6.4% sequentially. Daily sales growth to customers using vending machines was 19.7% in the first quarter, up from 18.7% in the prior-year quarter. Margins Management has been slowing down store growth in favor of increasing headcount to drive near-term sales. Such initiatives increase employee costs and hurt margins. In the first quarter, gross margin declined 110 basis points (bps) year over year but improved 60 bps sequentially to 51.2%. Gross margin was within the company's long-term guidance range of 51% to 53%. The company recorded operating and administrative expense of $269.8 million in the first quarter, up 9.1% year over year. In order to accelerate sales growth, Fastenal took the strategic decision to increase sales personnel at its stores. Increased store headcount and field leadership increased operating costs, thus pulling down margins. Store Count Fastenal had 2,683 stores at the end of first quarter 2014, compared with 2,687 stores at the end of the fourth quarter of 2013. Fastenal carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). Key Picks from the Sector Some better ranked stocks in the building products/ building construction sector include Stock Building Supply Holdings, Inc. ( STCK ), Travis Perkins plc ( TVPKF ) and Simpson Manufacturing Co., Inc. ( SSD ). While Stock Building Supply Holdings and Travis Perkins sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), Simpson Manufacturing carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report SIMPSON MFG INC (SSD): Free Stock Analysis Report STOCK BUILDING (STCK): Free Stock Analysis Report TRAVIS PERKINS (TVPKF): Get Free Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Earnings Reaction History: Fastenal Co., 62.5% Follow-Through Indicator, 3.9% Sensitive Expected Earnings Release: 04/11/2014, Premarket Avg. Extended-Hours Dollar Volume: $691,180 Fastenal Co. ( FAST ) is due to issue its quarterly earnings report in the upcoming extended-hours session. Given its history, traders can expect light trading in the issue immediately following its quarterly earnings announcement. Historical earnings event related premarket and after-hours trading activity in FAST indicates that the price change in the extended hours is likely to be of limited value in forecasting additional price movement by the following regular session close. Last 12 Qtrs Positive Only Price Reactions Percent of time added to extended-hours gains: 50% Average next regular session additional gain: 5.6% Over the prior three fiscal years (12 quarters), when shares of FAST rose in the extended-hours session in reaction to its earnings announcement, history shows that 50.0% of the time (2 events) the stock posted additional gains in the following regular session by an average of 5.6%. Last 12 Qtrs Negative Only Price Reactions Percent of time added to extended-hours losses: 75% Average next regular session additional loss: 1.2% Over that same historical period, when shares of FAST dropped in the extended-hours in reaction to its earnings announcement, history shows that 75.0% of the time (3 events) the stock dropped further, adding to the extended-hours losses by an average of 1.2% by the following regular session close. Data provided by the MT Pro service at MTNewswires.com. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. Copyright (C) 2016 MTNewswires.com. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Daily Dividend Report: WY, FAST, RRD, ADX, PGH Weyerhaeuser Company ( WY ) declared a dividend of $0.22 per share on the Common Stock of the company, payable in cash on May 30, 2014 to holders of record of such common shares at the close of business on May 9, 2014. The Fastenal Company ( FAST ) declared a dividend of $0.25 per share to be paid in cash on May 23, 2014 to shareholders of record at the close of business on April 25, 2014. R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company ( RRD ) announced a regular quarterly dividend of 26 cents per common share. The dividend is payable June 2, 2014 to stockholders of record as of the close of business on May 15, 2014. Adams Express ( ADX ) declared an interim dividend of $0.05 per share, payable June 2, 2014, to shareholders of record May 14, 2014. This dividend represents the second payment this year toward the Fund's annual 6% minimum distribution rate commitment. In 2013, the Fund paid out distributions at an annual distribution rate of 7.1%. And, Pengrowth Energy Corporation ( PGH ) announced that its May 15, 2014 cash dividend will be Cdn $0.04 per common share. The ex-dividend date is April 21, 2014. The dividend will be payable to all shareholders who hold Pengrowth shares at the close of business on the record date of April 23, 2014. VIDEO: Daily Dividend Report: WY, FAST, RRD, ADX, PGH The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Sector Update: Financials Shares Lower as JP Morgan Weathers Rough Session Top Financial Shares: JPM: -3.17% BAC: -1.43% WFC: +1.36% C: -1.04% USB: -0.29% Financial shares were lower late in Friday's session, weighed by JP Morgan, which sustained roughly 3% losses after it reported disappointing earnings. JPMorgan Chase ( JPM ) reported net income for Q1 2014 of $5.3 billion, compared with net income of $6.5 billion in Q1 2013. Earnings per share were $1.28, compared with $1.59 in Q1 2013. Revenue for the quarter was $23.9 billion, down 8% compared with the prior year. And, in other financials stocks news late Friday afternoon, Equity Residential ( EQR ) slipped more than 2% on a downgrade to Underperform at Jefferies. EQR hit a session low of $57.77, trading in a 52-week range of $50.08 to $60.97. Finally Fastenal ( FAST ), reported Q1 earnings that were in line with analysts' expectations while sales were slightly ahead of the average estimate. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. Copyright (C) 2016 MTNewswires.com. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Sector Update: Financials Financial shares held lower late in Friday's session, weighed by JP Morgan, which sustained roughly 3% losses after it reported disappointing earnings. JPMorgan Chase ( JPM ) reported net income for Q1 2014 of $5.3 billion, compared with net income of $6.5 billion in Q1 2013. Earnings per share were $1.28, compared with $1.59 in Q1 2013. Revenue for the quarter was $23.9 billion, down 8% compared with the prior year. Separately, Equity Residential ( EQR ) slipped more than 2% on a downgrade to Underperform at Jefferies. EQR hit a session low of $57.77, trading in a 52-week range of $50.08 to $60.97. Finally Fastenal ( FAST ), reported Q1 earnings that were in line with analysts' expectations while sales were slightly ahead of the average estimate. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. Copyright (C) 2016 MTNewswires.com. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Shares Seeing Profit Taking Amid Strong Technical Resistance Level"", ""Stephanie Link tweets: 'US distributor $FAST posts 11.5% growth in March daily sales and said 2Q could be 12%. Middle American industrial proxy.'"", ""#PreMarket Primer: Friday, April 11: Tension Between The West And Russia Escalates With Threats Of Energy Supply Interruptions"", ""Fastenal Reports Q1 Daily Sales Rose 8.7%"", ""Fastenal Company Reports Q1 EPS of $0.38, Inline; Revenue of $876.50M vs $870.87M Est"", ""Earnings Scheduled For April 11, 2014"", ""Stocks To Watch For April 11, 2014"", ""Fastenal Turns Around; Beats Earnings, Revs - Analyst Blog"", ""Bank earnings, a Nikkei death cross and broken clocks rejoice! You want to look away, but you can't. This kind of market meltdown doesn't come along all that often. Last one was more than two years ago.So, as wrenching as it may be, pay close attention and glean from it what you can. Like I explained to my visiting father-in-law when he asked me -- the totally tuned-in financial blogger husband of his daughter -- why it was so ugly. \""Wow. Um. Yeah. Crazy, eh?\"""", ""J.P. Morgan Chase, Wells Fargo are stocks to watch Among the companies whose shares are expected to see active trade in Friday\u2019s session are J.P. Morgan Chase, Wells Fargo, and Fastenal."", ""Stock futures weak, but trim losses after PPI data Strategist: Investors will regret selling the S&P 500 along with the Nasdaq U.S. stock futures pointed to further pain for Wall Street on Friday, slipping after weaker-than-expected earnings from J.P. Morgan Chase, but they pared some of their losses after an inflation gauge showed a bigger-than-expected rise.""]"
FAST,2014-04-14,19.9642,20.2494,19.7401,19.9464,"[""#PreMarket Primer: Monday, April 14: Military Action In Ukraine Looking More Likely"", ""Fastenal Q1 Conference Call Highlights"", ""Fastenal Q1 Conference Call Highlights"", ""#PreMarket Primer: Monday, April 14: Military Action In Ukraine Looking More Likely"", ""#PreMarket Primer: Monday, April 14: Military Action In Ukraine Looking More Likely Ukrainian officials have given pro-Russian separatists a strict deadline to disarm or face a \""full scale anti-terrorist operation.\"" Ahead of the Monday morning deadline, the United Nation's Security Council called an emergency meeting on Sunday night to discuss the rising tension between Moscow and Kiev. With between 35,000 and 40,000 Russian troops stationed at the Ukrainian border and a further 25,000 in recently annexed Crimea, markets have been jittery as the prospect of a military clash between the two nations becomes more and more likely. Most expect that the US and Europe will slap Moscow with further sanctions if the crisis continues to escalate. In other news around the markets: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda have decided to hold regular meetings this month, something many have taken as a sign that Abe may be concerned about the yen's recent performance. Though Kuroda has been decidedly bullish about the nation's economy and expects that Japan will meet its two percent inflation target by April next year, the revival of regular meetings between the two has reignited speculation that the bank could provide additional stimulus. Amazon.com has announced that it is planning to release a smartphone during the second half of 2014 as the company tries to push into the hardware space. According to the Wall Street Journal, people close to the company have said it hopes to introduce the phone, which may have screen capable of producing 3-D images without the use of glasses, in June and begin shipping it by the end of September. The International Monetary Fund's policy committee wrapped up its weekend meetings with stronger calls to combat falling inflation. The fund has said that downward price pressure has been a key factor dragging down the global recovery. The warnings are mostly targeted at the eurozone, where inflation has dropped to just 0.5 percent, far below the ECB's 2 percent target. In an attempt to trim its expenses and adjust to evolving regulations and loan demand, Citigroup cut between 200 and 300 employees last week. The company's cuts will make up about 2 percent of theglobal marketand included Steve Prince, younger brother to the company's former Chief Executive Charles Prince. Asian Markets Asian markets were mostly lower with the exception of the Shenzhen composite, which gained 0.42 percent and the Hang Seng index, which was up 0.06 percent. The Japanese NIKKEI lost 0.36 percent, the Shanghai composite was down 0.12 percent and Australia's ASX 200 lost 1.28 percent. European Markets European markets were down across the board; the UK's FTSE lost 0.61 percent and the eurozone STOXX 600 was down 0.69 percent. The German DAX fell 0.79 percent and France's CAC 40 was down 0.64 percent. Commodities Energy futures rose following news that problems in Ukraine were escalating. Brent futures gained 0.48 percent and WTI futures were up 0.42 percent. Gold and silver rose by 0.62 percent and 0.47 percent respectively, but industrial metals were mixed with zinc down 0.61 percent but copper up 0.13 percent. Currencies The euro slid as the ECB attempted to verbally devalue the currency. The euro lost 0.32 percent against the dollar, 0.31 percent against the pound and 0.36 percent against the yen following the remarks. The dollar gained 0.23 percent against the franc and remained steady against the yen and the pound. Earnings Notable earnings released on Friday included: Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC ) reported first quarter EPS of $1.05 on revenue of $20.84 billion, compared to last year's EPS of $0.92 on revenue of $21.26 billion. JP Morgan Chase & Co (NYSE: JPM ) reported first quarter EPS of $1.28 on revenue of $22.99 billion, compared to last year's EPS of $1.59 on revenue of $24.85 billion. Fastenal Company (NASDAQ: FAST ) reported first quarter EPS of $0.38 on revenue of $876.50 million, compared to last year's EPS of $0.37 on revenue of $806.33 million. Pre-Market Movers Stocks moving in the Premarket included: The Coca-Cola Co (NYSE: KO ) was up 0.96 percent in premarket trade after gaining 1.07 percent last week. Carnival Corp (NYSE: CCL ) was down 1.38 percent in premarket trade after losing 1.04 percent on Friday. Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ ) lost 0.42 percent in premarket trade after falling 1.57 percent over the past five days. Bank of America Corp (NYSE: BAC ) fell 0.38 percent in premarket trade after losing 5.68 percent last week. Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C ) was down 0.26 percent in premarket trade after losing 1.19 percent on Friday. Earnings Notable earnings releases expected on Friday include: Pinnacle Financial Partners, Inc. (NASDAQ: PNFP ) is expected to report first quarter EPS of $0.45 on revenue of $58.52 million, compared to last year's EPS of $0.39 on revenue of $54.66 million. Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C ) is expected to report first quarter EPS of $1.18 on revenue of $19.61 billion, compared to last year's EPS of $1.23 on revenue of $20.49 billion. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ: JBHT ) is expected to report first quarter EPS of $0.66 on revenue of $1.42 billion, compared to last year's EPS of $0.61 on revenue of $1.29 billion. Economics Fridayeconomic calendarwill be relatively quiet with releases including US retail sales, eurozone industrial production, Italian CPI, and the Reserve Bank of Australia's meeting minutes. For a recap of Friday's market action, click . Tune into Benzinga's pre-market info show with Dennis Dick and Joel Elconin here . \u00a9 2014 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Free Trading Education - Check out the free events taking place on Marketfy this week. Spaces are limited. Sign up today. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Q1 Conference Call Highlights"", ""#PreMarket Primer: Monday, April 14: Military Action In Ukraine Looking More Likely""]"
FAST,2014-04-15,19.978,19.978,19.5595,19.8092,
FAST,2014-04-16,20.0096,20.1774,19.748,19.8408,"[""Grainger Beats Q1 Estimates As It Fends Off Amazon"", ""Will Universal Forest (UFPI) Post Upbeat Results This Quarter? - Analyst Blog"", ""Grainger Beats Q1 Estimates As It Fends Off Amazon"", ""Will Universal Forest (UFPI) Post Upbeat Results This Quarter? - Analyst Blog"", ""Will Universal Forest (UFPI) Post Upbeat Results This Quarter? - Analyst Blog Universal Forest Products, Inc. ( UFPI ), an active player in the lumber supply industry, is expected to report its first-quarter 2014 results on Apr 17. The company's performances in the trailing four quarters were above expectations as evidenced by a positive average earnings surprise of 661.69%. Let us see how things are shaping up for this announcement and whether Universal Forest Products will be able to keep its earnings beat streak alive. Factors to Influence Q1 Results We believe Universal Forest Products has compelling top-line growth prospects. The company will reap benefits from addition of new customers and products to its portfolio. Also, the company's focus on expansion through development of industrial business, entry into markets without adding capacities and accretive acquisitions are expected to be a boon. Universal Forest Products' Retail building material unit will benefit from increase in home improvement spending while the Industrial packaging unit will gain from expansion of non-wood packaging materials business. The Construction business will be strengthened from addition of products and expansion of distribution capacities in the Manufactured Housing business, favorable national housing starts in the Residential Construction business and business expansion in the Commercial Construction and Concrete Forming business. In the past 5 years, Universal Forest Products' earnings grew 14.2%, while it is expected to grow 10.0% as against 6.4% for the industry in the next 5 years. Yet, bad weather conditions experienced at the onset of the quarter might impact top-line results. Also, any increases in costs of sales due to an unusual rise in cost of lumber products purchased from primary producers, will adversely impact first-quarter 2014 financial results. Earnings Whispers? Our proven model does not conclusively show that Universal Forest Products is likely to beat earnings this quarter. That is because a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1, 2 or 3 for this to happen. That is not the case here as you will see below. Zacks ESP: Universal Forest Products has an ESP of -18.61% for first-quarter 2014, which indicates the difference between the Most Accurate estimate of 35 cents and the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 43 cents. Zacks Rank: Universal Forest Products' Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) when combined with a nagative ESP makes surprise prediction difficult. Other Stocks to Consider Here are some other companies you may want to consider as our model shows they have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter: KB Home ( KBH ) with Earnings ESP of +4.76% and a Zacks Rank #3. Builders FirstSource, Inc. ( BLDR ) with Earnings ESP of +100.0% and a Zacks Rank #3. Fastenal Company ( FAST ) with Earnings ESP of +4.55% and a Zacks Rank #3. BUILDERS FIRSTS (BLDR): Free Stock Analysis Report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report KB HOME (KBH): Free Stock Analysis Report UNIVL FST PRODS (UFPI): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Grainger Beats Q1 Estimates As It Fends Off Amazon"", ""Will Universal Forest (UFPI) Post Upbeat Results This Quarter? - Analyst Blog""]"
FAST,2014-04-17,19.8053,19.982,19.7875,19.829,
FAST,2014-04-21,19.8576,19.9326,19.6533,19.7816,
FAST,2014-04-22,19.7688,20.0658,19.7036,19.9898,"Fastenal Company (FAST) Ex-Dividend Date Scheduled for April 23, 2014 Fastenal Company ( FAST ) will begin trading ex-dividend on April 23, 2014. A cash dividend payment of $0.25 per share is scheduled to be paid on May 23, 2014. Shareholders who purchased FAST stock prior to the ex-dividend date are eligible for the cash dividend payment. This marks the 4th quarter that FAST has paid the same dividend. At the current stock price of $50, the dividend yield is 2%. The previous trading day's last sale of FAST was $50, representing a -5.87% decrease from the 52 week high of $53.12 and a 17.7% increase over the 52 week low of $42.48. FAST is a part of the Consumer Services sector, which includes companies such as Home Depot, Inc. ( HD ) and Lowe's Companies, Inc. ( LOW ). FAST's current earnings per share, an indicator of a company's profitability, is $1.52. Zacks Investment Research reports FAST's forecasted earnings growth in 2014 as 11.32%, compared to an industry average of 17%. For more information on the declaration, record and payment dates, visit the FAST Dividend History page. Our Dividend Calendar has the full list of stocks that have an ex-dividend today. Interested in gaining exposure to FAST through an Exchange Traded Fund [ETF]? The following ETF(s) have FAST as a top-10 holding: Columbia Select Large Cap Growth ETF ( RWG ) First Trust NASDAQ-100 Ex-Technology Sector Index Fund ( QQXT ) Guggenheim S&P 500 Equal Weight Industrials ETF ( RGI ) First Trust NASDAQ-100 Equal Weighted Index Fund ( QQEW ). The top-performing ETF of this group is RGI with an increase of 5.82% over the last 100 days. RWG has the highest percent weighting of FAST at 3.9%. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2014-04-23,19.9129,19.9277,19.6977,19.8408,
FAST,2014-04-24,19.9543,20.0194,19.7401,19.8596,
FAST,2014-04-25,19.7796,19.908,19.4647,19.5259,
FAST,2014-04-28,19.6641,19.7994,19.3651,19.6562,"[""Will Capella Education (CPLA) Surprise on Earnings? - Analyst Blog"", ""Will Capella Education (CPLA) Surprise on Earnings? - Analyst Blog"", ""Will Capella Education (CPLA) Surprise on Earnings? - Analyst Blog Capella Education Company ( CPLA ) is set to report its first-quarter 2014 results on Apr 29 before the market opens. Last quarter, it reported 3.95% positive surprise. Let's see how things are shaping up for this announcement. Factors to Consider This Quarter For first quarter 2014, Capella Education expects new enrollments to increase slightly year over year. However, total enrollment is expected to dip 1.5% to 2.5% in the quarter owing to weak student starts in the prior quarter and quarterly variations in re-registrations. The company has been witnessing fluctuating enrollment trends in the last few quarters, which in turn dampened total enrollments, revenues, cash flow and profitability. This trend is expected to continue in the upcoming quarter. In fact, revenues are expected to remain flat to down 1.0% year over year in the quarter. Operating margin is expected in the range of 14% to 15% for the first quarter, lower than 15.8% in fourth quarter 2013. However, owing to Capella's relationship and brand-driven marketing strategy and initiatives to improve learner success rates, total enrollment growth is expected to turn positive in the latter half of 2014. The company expects to achieve moderate new enrollment growth and operating margin improvement in 2014. Earnings Whisper? Our proven model does not conclusively show that Capella Education is likely to beat earnings this quarter. That is because a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank of #1, 2 or 3 for this to happen. That is not the case here, as you will see below. Zacks ESP: Capella's Earnings ESP is 0.00%. Zacks Rank: Capella Education carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) which when combined with a 0.00% ESP makes surprise prediction difficult. We caution against stocks with Zacks Ranks #4 and 5 (Sell-rated stocks) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions momentum. Other Stocks to Consider Here are some other companies you may consider, as our model shows they have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter: DeVry Education Group Inc. ( DV ), with Earnings ESP of +14.06% and a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. ( RCL ), with Earnings ESP of +1.92% and a Zacks Rank #2. Fastenal Co. ( FAST ), with Earnings ESP of +2.27% and a Zacks Rank #3. CAPELLA EDUCATN (CPLA): Free Stock Analysis Report DEVRY EDUCATION (DV): Free Stock Analysis Report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report ROYAL CARIBBEAN (RCL): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Will Capella Education (CPLA) Surprise on Earnings? - Analyst Blog""]"
FAST,2014-04-29,19.7796,19.8596,19.5812,19.6513,"[""Will BJ's Restaurants (BJRI) Disappoint This Quarter? - Analyst Blog"", ""Will BJ's Restaurants (BJRI) Disappoint This Quarter? - Analyst Blog"", ""Will BJ's Restaurants (BJRI) Disappoint This Quarter? - Analyst Blog California-based restaurateur BJ's Restaurants, Inc. ( BJRI ) is set to report first-quarter 2014 results on May 1, after the market closes. Last quarter, the company reported earnings in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate, primarily due to increase in expenses. Will BJ's Restaurants be able to post a turnaround? Let's see how things are shaping up for this announcement. Factors to Will Influence First-Quarter Results BJ's Restaurants has been reeling under pressure for quite some time now due to weak sales at its restaurants. The company's continuous comps decline in the past two quarters has been a concern. With inclement weather continuing in the months of January and February this year, the company's comps growth is expected to be sluggish in the upcoming quarter. Further, higher taxes in California and increased gasoline prices limit discretionary spending, which will have an adverse impact on the top line in the quarter. Although the company has undertaken a set of initiatives such as discounting and promotional offers to boost the brands, these are yet to pay off. Moreover, BJ's Restaurants' bottom line will be hurt by the costs associated with store openings in new markets. Additionally, the overall cost environment for food commodities are expected to remain under pressure in 2014 due to domestic and worldwide agricultural supply and demand imbalance. Earnings Whispers? Our proven model does not conclusively show that BJ's Restaurants is likely to beat earnings this quarter. That is because a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1, 2 or 3 for this to happen. That is not the case here, as you will see below. Zacks ESP : The Earnings ESP for BJ's Restaurants is 0.00%. This is because both the Most Accurate estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate are pegged at 12 cents. Zacks Rank : BJ's Restaurants' Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) which when combined with a 0.00% ESP makes surprise prediction difficult. Other Stocks to Consider Here are some other companies the broader consumer discretionary industry that can be considered, as our model shows they have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter: DeVry Education Group Inc. ( DV ), with Earnings ESP of +2.99% and a Zacks Rank #2. Fastenal Co. ( FAST ), with Earnings ESP of +2.27% and a Zacks Rank #3. The Walt Disney Co. ( DIS ) has an Earnings ESP of +1.03% and a Zacks Rank #2. BJ'S RESTAURANT (BJRI): Free Stock Analysis Report DISNEY WALT (DIS): Free Stock Analysis Report DEVRY EDUCATION (DV): Free Stock Analysis Report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Will BJ's Restaurants (BJRI) Disappoint This Quarter? - Analyst Blog""]"
FAST,2014-04-30,19.6286,19.9454,19.5082,19.9129,
FAST,2014-05-01,19.8566,19.9968,19.6444,19.6898,
FAST,2014-05-02,19.751,19.8596,19.6217,19.6562,
FAST,2014-05-05,19.5733,19.6562,19.3513,19.3709,"[""Fastenal Reported Apr. Daily Sales Growth 10% to $315.1M"", ""Fastenal Reported Apr. Daily Sales Growth 10% to $315.1M"", ""Fastenal Reported Apr. Daily Sales Growth 10% to $315.1M""]"
FAST,2014-05-06,19.2763,19.4144,19.2259,19.3137,"[""Fastenal Sales Soften in April - Analyst Blog"", ""Will American Public (APEI) Disappoint This Earnings Season? - Analyst Blog"", ""Fastenal Sales Soften in April - Analyst Blog"", ""Will American Public (APEI) Disappoint This Earnings Season? - Analyst Blog"", ""Will American Public (APEI) Disappoint This Earnings Season? - Analyst Blog American Public Education, Inc. ( APEI ) is set to report first-quarter 2014 results on May 8. Last quarter, the company delivered a negative earnings surprise of 5.56%. Let's see how things are shaping up for this announcement. Factors to Consider this Quarter American Public's fourth-quarter 2013 results were disappointing with both earnings and revenues declining year over year. The poor results were mostly due to worse-than-expected decline in total enrollment and new student enrollment levels. Enrollments in the fourth quarter were affected by decline in enrollments of students using Department of Defense Tuition Assistance or TA benefits. The temporary suspension of the TA due to the government shutdown in Oct 2013 and lowering of the benefits by the military greatly hurt enrollments of military students. Management expects military enrollment hurdles to continue in the first quarter of 2014. New enrollments by students using TA benefits are expected to decline once again in the to-be-reported quarter due to ongoing budgetary constraints and uncertainty. Accordingly, total enrollments are expected to decline in the range of 5% to 7% while student starts are expected to go down in the range of 7% to 9%. American Public expects revenues to remain in the range of flat to an increase of 3% while first-quarter 2014 earnings are projected to be between 43 cents and 48 cents - a significant decline from the prior-year level. Management also expects new student enrollments at Hondros College (acquired in Nov 2013) to increase 45% in first-quarter 2014. Earnings Whispers? Our proven model does not conclusively show that American Public is likely to beat earnings this quarter. That is because a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank of #1, 2 or 3 for this to happen. That is not the case here, as you will see below. Zacks ESP: The Earnings ESP is 0.00%. Zacks Rank: American Public has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) which when combined with a 0.00% ESP makes surprise prediction difficult. We caution against stocks with Zacks Rank #4 and 5 (Sell-rated stocks) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions momentum. Other Stocks to Consider Other stocks that have both a positive Earnings ESP and a favorable Zacks Rank are: Fastenal Company ( FAST ) with Earnings ESP of +2.27% and a Zacks Rank #3. Vulcan Materials Company ( VMC ) with Earnings ESP of +5.88% and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). TexasIndustries Inc. ( TXI ), with Earnings ESP of +7.14% and a Zacks Rank #3. AMER PUB EDUCAT (APEI): Free Stock Analysis Report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report TEXAS INDS (TXI): Free Stock Analysis Report VULCAN MATLS CO (VMC): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Sales Soften in April - Analyst Blog"", ""Will American Public (APEI) Disappoint This Earnings Season? - Analyst Blog""]"
FAST,2014-05-07,19.4015,19.4687,19.1391,19.3029,
FAST,2014-05-08,19.3275,19.4647,19.1015,19.1825,"[""Is Fastenal Turning Around? - Analyst Blog"", ""Is Fastenal Turning Around? - Analyst Blog"", ""Is Fastenal Turning Around? - Analyst Blog On May 6, 2014, we issued an updated research report on Fastenal Company ( FAST ). After struggling for the past many quarters, Fastenal's top line turned around in the first quarter of 2014, results of which were announced on Apr 11. Both earnings and revenues beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Adjusted earnings of 38 cents per share grew almost 3% while sales went up 8.7% year over year. Fastenal's total average daily sales growth rate in the first quarter was 8.7%, up from 4.9% in the prior-year quarter, owing to increase in sales volume. Though the company witnessed softer sales in January and February due to harsh weather, sales improved in March. The double-digit growth in daily sales in March was driven by favorable timing of Easter and increased investments in stores that led to improvement in sales. Moreover, despite being slower than March, Fastenal's April sales were nevertheless significantly better than last year. The Easter holiday proved to be a headwind in April versus a benefit in March. Management also seems optimistic for top-line and incremental margin growth in future quarters as underlying markets improve, vending re-vamps, sales improvement efforts expand and comparisons remain easy throughout 2014. However, though sales improved in the first quarter, the company has struggled with the top line for several quarters due to lower sales of its fastener product line. The fastener business continues to be soft due to end-market weakness, especially heavy equipment manufacturers. Though the first-quarter top-line rebound is encouraging, a sustained top-line improvement is required to raise investors' confidence in the stock. Moreover, an unfavorable product mix (due to weakness in fastener products which generate higher margins), pricing and competitive pressures are hurting gross margins despite gradual top-line improvement. Further, management has been slowing down store growth in favor of increasing headcount to drive near-term sales growth. However, such initiatives increase employee costs and hurt margins. The accelerated hiring pace is anticipated to continue in 2014 which could further pressure margins. Fastenal carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Better-ranked stocks in the building products/ construction/materials sector include Vulcan Materials Co. ( VMC ), United Rentals Inc. ( URI ) and Aegion Corp. ( AEGN ). While Vulcan Materials and United Rentals sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), Aegion has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report AEGION CORP (AEGN): Free Stock Analysis Report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report UTD RENTALS INC (URI): Free Stock Analysis Report VULCAN MATLS CO (VMC): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Is Fastenal Turning Around? - Analyst Blog""]"
FAST,2014-05-09,19.1716,19.2299,18.8567,19.1825,"FAST Makes Notable Cross Below Critical Moving Average In trading on Friday, shares of Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) crossed below their 200 day moving average of $47.81, changing hands as low as $47.61 per share. Fastenal Co. shares are currently trading off about 1.3% on the day. The chart below shows the one year performance of FAST shares, versus its 200 day moving average: Looking at the chart above, FAST's low point in its 52 week range is $42.48 per share, with $53.12 as the 52 week high point - that compares with a last trade of $47.60. According to the ETF Finder at ETF Channel, FAST makes up 1.69% of the First Trust NASDAQ-100 Ex-Technology Sector Index Fund ETF (Symbol: QQXT) which is trading higher by about 0.2% on the day Friday. Click here to find out which 9 other dividend stocks recently crossed below their 200 day moving average » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2014-05-12,19.2299,19.6335,19.2219,19.5575,
FAST,2014-05-13,19.4292,19.5388,19.0936,19.1094,
FAST,2014-05-14,19.1271,19.3483,19.0827,19.1351,
FAST,2014-05-15,19.0936,19.2071,18.8745,19.1429,
FAST,2014-05-16,19.1637,19.2199,18.8291,19.1765,
FAST,2014-05-19,19.0739,19.4737,19.0561,19.369,
FAST,2014-05-20,19.2525,19.2703,18.8745,19.0048,
FAST,2014-05-21,19.0206,19.1577,18.9999,19.1203,
FAST,2014-05-22,19.1311,19.3651,19.0295,19.1311,
FAST,2014-05-23,19.2071,19.3423,19.0887,19.2673,
FAST,2014-05-27,19.2989,19.3779,19.2427,19.3709,
FAST,2014-05-28,19.3759,19.4292,19.2673,19.2821,
FAST,2014-05-29,19.2861,19.4331,19.2151,19.4223,
FAST,2014-05-30,19.4499,19.4904,19.3513,19.3838,
FAST,2014-06-02,19.4183,19.6493,19.3867,19.522,
FAST,2014-06-03,19.4618,19.5812,19.3897,19.4993,
FAST,2014-06-04,19.5812,19.8892,19.4953,19.6405,"[""Importance of ROIC Part 2: Compounders and Cheap Stocks"", ""Importance of ROIC Part 2: Compounders and Cheap Stocks"", ""Importance of ROIC Part 2: Compounders and Cheap Stocks""]"
FAST,2014-06-05,19.6493,19.8112,19.4825,19.7401,
FAST,2014-06-06,19.8517,19.9592,19.7322,19.8596,"[""Fastenal's May Sales Accelerate Versus April - Analyst Blog"", ""Fastenal's May Sales Accelerate Versus April - Analyst Blog"", ""Fastenal's May Sales Accelerate Versus April - Analyst Blog Fastenal Company's ( FAST ) share price went up after the industrial and construction supplies wholesale distributor announced sales results for the month of May. May daily sales improved from April and March - continuing the improving trend witnessed in Fastenal's top line year-to-date. May net sales rose 8.3% year over year to $313.5 million. Daily sales for the month grew 13.5% to $14.93 million, much better than May last year. Moreover, daily sales increase in May was better than 10% and 11.6% growth in April and March, respectively. Currency was a 0.5% headwind in the month. Fastenal serves customers in the manufacturing and non-residential construction markets. Daily sales to manufacturing customers (representing almost 50% of revenues) grew 12.9%, much better than 5.8% last year as well as 8.5% and 11.4% in Apr and Mar 2014, respectively. Daily sales to non-residential construction customers (representing 20% to 25% of revenues) grew 8.4%, much better than 0.7% last year and a respective of 5.4% and 7.6% in Apr and Mar 2014. After struggling for the several quarters, Fastenal's top line turned around in the first quarter of 2014. Fastenal's total average daily sales growth rate in the first quarter was 8.7%, up from 4.9% in the prior-year quarter, owing to increase in sales volume. Though the company witnessed softer sales in January and February due to harsh weather, sales improved in March. The double-digit growth in daily sales in March was driven by favorable Easter timing and increased investments in stores that led to improvement in sales. Management also seems optimistic for top-line and incremental margin growth in the upcoming quarters as underlying markets improve, vending re-vamps, sales improvement efforts expand and comparisons remain easy throughout 2014. Fastenal carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Better-ranked stocks in the building products/ construction/materials sector include Texas Industries Inc. ( TXI ), United Rentals Inc. ( URI ) and Gibraltar Industries, Inc. ( ROCK ). While Gibraltar Industries sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), Texas Industries and United Rentals have a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report GIBRALTAR INDUS (ROCK): Free Stock Analysis Report TEXAS INDS (TXI): Free Stock Analysis Report UTD RENTALS INC (URI): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal's May Sales Accelerate Versus April - Analyst Blog""]"
FAST,2014-06-09,19.8596,20.2702,19.8487,20.1142,
FAST,2014-06-10,20.0481,20.129,19.9721,20.129,"[""T Rowe Price Files 13G For Fastenal"", ""T Rowe Price Files 13G For Fastenal"", ""T Rowe Price Files 13G For Fastenal""]"
FAST,2014-06-11,20.0146,20.1892,20.0146,20.1448,
FAST,2014-06-12,20.0284,20.0284,19.5684,19.7322,"Nasdaq 100 Movers: ILMN, TSLA In early trading on Thursday, shares of Tesla Motors ( TSLA ) topped the list of the day's best performing components of the Nasdaq 100 index, trading up 1.4%. Year to date, Tesla Motors registers a 37.9% gain. And the worst performing Nasdaq 100 component thus far on the day is Illumina ( ILMN ), trading down 2.5%. Illumina is showing a gain of 56.4% looking at the year to date performance. Two other components making moves today are Fastenal ( FAST ), trading down 1.9%, and Whole Foods Market ( WFM ), trading up 1.4% on the day. VIDEO: Nasdaq 100 Movers: ILMN, TSLA The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2014-06-13,19.7757,19.8803,19.6405,19.7105,
FAST,2014-06-16,19.6286,19.7678,19.4825,19.6513,
FAST,2014-06-17,19.5645,19.7549,19.4904,19.7184,
FAST,2014-06-18,19.7253,19.7994,19.5437,19.7826,
FAST,2014-06-19,19.7638,19.8517,19.6138,19.7145,
FAST,2014-06-20,19.8043,19.978,19.6947,19.8517,
FAST,2014-06-23,19.8191,20.0333,19.748,19.8092,
FAST,2014-06-24,19.7589,19.9306,19.4993,19.5467,
FAST,2014-06-25,19.4993,19.6049,19.4015,19.5773,
FAST,2014-06-26,19.5645,19.6335,19.4292,19.6247,
FAST,2014-06-27,19.6335,19.7372,19.5497,19.7293,
FAST,2014-06-30,19.6898,19.7757,19.5151,19.677,
FAST,2014-07-01,19.7105,19.7954,19.5467,19.596,
FAST,2014-07-02,19.5733,19.6977,19.5437,19.6049,
FAST,2014-07-03,19.6819,19.9682,19.6582,19.9129,
FAST,2014-07-07,19.9454,19.9504,19.7165,19.7826,"[""Stocks End Near Lows In Mixed Volume As Earnings Loom"", ""MSC, Fastenal Sales Growth Expected Stronger Than EPS"", ""Can 2H Earnings Meet the Street's Lofty Expectations?"", ""Warmer Weather Improving Q2 Earnings Forecasts"", ""Warmer Weather Improving Q2 Earnings Forecasts"", ""Stocks End Near Lows In Mixed Volume As Earnings Loom"", ""MSC, Fastenal Sales Growth Expected Stronger Than EPS"", ""Can 2H Earnings Meet the Street's Lofty Expectations?"", ""Warmer Weather Improving Q2 Earnings Forecasts"", ""Stocks End Near Lows In Mixed Volume As Earnings Loom"", ""MSC, Fastenal Sales Growth Expected Stronger Than EPS"", ""Can 2H Earnings Meet the Street's Lofty Expectations?""]"
FAST,2014-07-08,19.7638,19.8142,19.5832,19.6819,
FAST,2014-07-09,19.7589,19.7895,19.4292,19.4865,"[""Will Fastenal (FAST) Beat Earnings Estimate in Q2? - Analyst Blog"", ""Will Fastenal (FAST) Beat Earnings Estimate in Q2? - Analyst Blog"", ""Will Fastenal (FAST) Beat Earnings Estimate in Q2? - Analyst Blog Fastenal Company ( FAST ) is set to report second-quarter fiscal 2014 results on Jul 11, before the market opens. Last quarter, Fastenal posted a positive earnings surprise of 2.74% - turning around from the negative surprises in the previous two quarters. Let's see how things are shaping up for this announcement. Factors to Consider this Quarter After struggling for several quarters, Fastenal's top line turned around in the first quarter of 2014. The company's total average daily sales growth rate in the first quarter was 8.7%, up from 4.9% in the prior-year quarter, owing to increase in sales volume. Moreover, the monthly sales data released for April and May (included in the current quarter) were encouraging. April daily sales grew 10%, slower than 11.6% increase in March due to the Easter headwind. The Easter holiday proved to be a headwind in April versus a benefit in March. Nevertheless, April results were significantly better than last year. Also, daily sales jumped 13.5% in May, better than both March and April and significantly better than May last year. Though management did not issue an official guidance, it stated during the first-quarter conference call that sales could grow close to 13% in the second quarter with sales initiatives gaining traction. If Fastenal can achieve this sales growth, management expects incremental margins to go back to the attractive 20% range. In the second half, as comparisons ease, incremental margins are expected to reach mid- to upper-20% range. Management seems optimistic for top-line and margin growth in the coming quarters as underlying markets improve, vending re-vamps, sales improvement efforts expand and comparisons remain easy throughout 2014. Earnings Whispers? Our proven model does not conclusively show that Fastenal is likely to beat earnings this quarter. That is because a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1, 2 or 3 for this to happen. That is not the case here, as you will see below. Zacks ESP: The Earnings ESP is 0.00%. Zacks Rank. Fastenal carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) which when combined with a 0.00% ESP makes surprise prediction difficult. We caution against stocks with Zacks Rank #4 and 5 (Sell-rated stocks) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions momentum. Other Stocks to Consider Here are some other companies for investors to consider, that, according to our model have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter: Quanex Building Products Corporation ( NX ), with Earnings ESP of +20.0% and a Zacks Rank #2 Treehouse Foods Inc. ( THS ), with Earnings ESP of +1.21% and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) Johnson & Johnson ( JNJ ), with Earnings ESP of +0.65% and a Zacks Rank #2. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report JOHNSON & JOHNS (JNJ): Free Stock Analysis Report QUANEX BLDG PRD (NX): Free Stock Analysis Report TREEHOUSE FOODS (THS): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Will Fastenal (FAST) Beat Earnings Estimate in Q2? - Analyst Blog""]"
FAST,2014-07-10,19.2624,19.4015,19.1203,19.1449,"[""Lumber Liquidators Falls on Lowered Guidance - Analyst Blog"", ""Lumber Liquidators (LL) in Focus: Stock Tumbles 8.1% - Tale of the Tape"", ""Lumber Liquidators Falls on Lowered Guidance - Analyst Blog"", ""Lumber Liquidators (LL) in Focus: Stock Tumbles 8.1% - Tale of the Tape"", ""Lumber Liquidators Falls on Lowered Guidance - Analyst Blog Shares of Lumber Liquidators Holdings, Inc. ( LL ) fell 18.7% in the after-market trading hours as the company announced mediocre preliminary second quarter 2014 results and lowered its guidance for the year. Weaker-than-anticipated traffic and macroeconomic headwinds pertaining to residential remodeling wreaked havoc on the company's quarterly performance. Traffic was low due to a dip in demand for wood flooring and the company's low inventory level as regard to many key merchandise categories. Moreover, the increase in footfall witnessed in March failed to sustain momentum in May and June. For the quarter, sales increased 2.3% to $263.1 million year over year but comparable store sales declined 7.1% as against an increase of 14.9% in the prior-year quarter. Further, gross margin is likely to contract, owing to unfavorable shift in sales mix and higher discounting activities. Given increases in advertising, legal, occupancy, and professional costs, the company expects a 9% rise in selling, general and administrative expenses. As a result, earnings per share for the quarter are now anticipated to be in the range of 59-61 cents from 73 cents reported in the prior year quarter. Management expects current trends to continue in the second half of the year as discretionary spending will be under pressure. Though the company is confident of improving its inventory levels, it has delivered a cautious outlook. For 2014, sales are expected to be in the range of $1.05 billion to $1.10 billion, from the earlier expectation of $1.15 billion to $1.20 billion. Comps will be in low single digits (positive or negative) as against earlier projection of increases in mid to high single digits. Consequently, earnings per share are now expected to be in the range of $2.65 to $3.00, down from the earlier projection of $3.25 to $3.60. The Zacks Consensus Estimate stands at 92 cents for the second quarter and $3.34 per share for the year and is likely to be revised downwards in the upcoming days. Moreover, the company has slowed down its expansion plans. It now plans to open 33-37 stores compared with the earlier expectation of 35-40 stores. Currently, Lumber Liquidators' carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). We remain on the sidelines until we see signs of improvement. Other better ranked retail stocks worth considering include Restoration Hardware Holdings, Inc. ( RH ), Kirkland's Inc. ( KIRK ) and Fastenal Co. ( FAST ). Restoration Hardware sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) while Kirkland's and Fastenal carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report RESTORATION HDW (RH): Free Stock Analysis Report LUMBER LIQUIDAT (LL): Free Stock Analysis Report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report KIRKLANDS INC (KIRK): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Pre-Market Earnings Report for July 11, 2014 : WFC, FAST The following companies are expected to report earnings prior to market open on 07/11/2014. Visit our Earnings Calendar for a full list of expected earnings releases. Wells Fargo & Company ( WFC ) is reporting for the quarter ending June 30, 2014. The bank company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 16 analysts that follow the stock is $1.01. This value represents a 3.06% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year WFC has beat the expectations every quarter. The highest one was in the 1st calendar quarter where they beat the consensus by 8.25%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2014 Price to Earnings ratio for WFC is 12.64 vs. an industry ratio of 14.40. Fastenal Company ( FAST ) is reporting for the quarter ending June 30, 2014. The building company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 9 analysts that follow the stock is $0.44. This value represents a 7.32% increase compared to the same quarter last year. The \""days to cover\"" for this stock exceeds 21 days. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2014 Price to Earnings ratio for FAST is 29.17 vs. an industry ratio of 21.40, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Lumber Liquidators Falls on Lowered Guidance - Analyst Blog"", ""Lumber Liquidators (LL) in Focus: Stock Tumbles 8.1% - Tale of the Tape""]"
FAST,2014-07-11,18.3878,18.4372,17.9595,18.3484,"[""Fastenal Q2 Earnings In Line, Revs Miss; Gross Margins Weak - Analyst Blog"", ""Fastenal's Q2 Sales Miss Views, Gross Margin Shrinks"", ""Nasdaq Leads Late Gains; S&P 500, Dow Erase Losses"", ""Fastenal misses despite sales"", ""Beacon Roofing Affected by Slow Growth in the Homebuilding Sector - Analyst Blog"", ""Stocks Poised For Higher Start; Lorillard Jumps"", ""Stocks To Watch For July 11, 2014"", ""Earnings Scheduled For July 11, 2014"", ""Earning and Economic Calendar for Friday July 11, 2014"", ""Fastenal Company Reports Q2 EPS of $0.44, Inline; Revenue of $949.90M vs $952.95M Est"", ""Fastenal June Sales Increased 18.36%, Daily June Sales Up 12.7%"", ""#PreMarket Primer: Friday, July 11: European Banks May Not Be Out Of The Woods Yet"", ""UPDATE: Fastenal Posts In-Line Q2 Earnings"", ""US Stock Futures Gain; Wells Fargo Earnings In Focus"", ""Morning Market Losers"", ""Morning Market Losers"", ""US Stock Futures Gain; Wells Fargo Earnings In Focus"", ""UPDATE: Fastenal Posts In-Line Q2 Earnings"", ""#PreMarket Primer: Friday, July 11: European Banks May Not Be Out Of The Woods Yet"", ""Fastenal June Sales Increased 18.36%, Daily June Sales Up 12.7%"", ""Fastenal Company Reports Q2 EPS of $0.44, Inline; Revenue of $949.90M vs $952.95M Est"", ""Earning and Economic Calendar for Friday July 11, 2014"", ""Earnings Scheduled For July 11, 2014"", ""Stocks To Watch For July 11, 2014"", ""Fastenal misses despite sales"", ""Nasdaq Leads Late Gains; S&P 500, Dow Erase Losses"", ""Fastenal's Q2 Sales Miss Views, Gross Margin Shrinks"", ""Beacon Roofing Affected by Slow Growth in the Homebuilding Sector - Analyst Blog"", ""Fastenal Q2 Earnings In Line, Revs Miss; Gross Margins Weak - Analyst Blog"", ""Stocks Poised For Higher Start; Lorillard Jumps"", ""Nasdaq 100 Movers: FAST, AMZN In early trading on Friday, shares of Amazon.com ( AMZN ) topped the list of the day's best performing components of the Nasdaq 100 index, trading up 4.2%. Year to date, Amazon.com has lost about 14.3% of its value. And the worst performing Nasdaq 100 component thus far on the day is Fastenal ( FAST ), trading down 4.2%. Fastenal is lower by about 2.9% looking at the year to date performance. Two other components making moves today are Ross Stores ( ROST ), trading down 1.2%, and eBay ( EBAY ), trading up 2.8% on the day. VIDEO: Nasdaq 100 Movers: FAST, AMZN The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Beacon Roofing Affected by Slow Growth in the Homebuilding Sector - Analyst Blog On Jul 10, 2014, we issued an updated research report on Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. ( BECN ). The roofing material distributor will continue to benefit from its greenfield investment strategy and balance sheet strength, while conservative outlook and pricing pressure remain areas of concern. Notably, Beacon Roofing opened 4 new greenfields in the second quarter of fiscal 2014, which brings the count to 8 for the year and 17 since last year. The company aims to open 25 additional branches through rest of the year. These new branches should add 2%-3% to organic growth for the year. For 2015 and beyond, Beacon Roofing is planning to open at least 20 branches per year. With growth in core industry trends, we expect the greenfield openings to continue at an accelerated pace in the near term. Beacon Roofing's growth strategy is also likely to benefit from its strong balance sheet position which is evident from its strong metrics. The company reported cash and cash equivalents of $34 million as of Mar 31, 2014, up from $16.7 million as of Mar 31, 2013. Total leverage ratio was at 1.59x at the end of second quarter compared with 1.62x at the year-ago comparable period. The debt-to-capitalization ratio remains low at 4.5% as of Mar 31, 2014. In addition, interest coverage ratio of Beacon Roofing was 16.2x at the end of second quarter compared with 15.07x at the end of last year. Despite these positives, Beacon Roofing expects earnings per share to be at the lower end of the current guidance range of $1.50 to $1.80. Beacon Roofing has expanded its business through strategic acquisitions and diversification of its product offering. However, over the last 18 months the company has been inactive on the acquisition front. This puts the company's strategy of growing though acquisitions at risk. Further, One of Beacon Roofing's suppliers, Owens Corning, recently announced that roofing volumes for the first half of 2014 will be 20%, lower than the year-ago level because of slow growth in the homebuilding sector. This may affect Beacon Roofing's profitability in the near term. In addition, general market softness and pricing pressure remain areas of concern going forward. Additionally, increase in competition, general market softness, lack of strategic acquisitions and pricing pressure remain matters of concern going forward. Beacon Roofing currently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). Other Stocks to Consider Some better-ranked stocks in the same industry include Fastenal Company ( FAST ), Aaron's, Inc. ( AAN ) and Advance Auto Parts Inc. ( AAP ). All of these stocks have a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report AARONS INC (AAN): Free Stock Analysis Report ADVANCE AUTO PT (AAP): Free Stock Analysis Report BEACON ROOFING (BECN): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Q2 Earnings In Line, Revs Miss; Gross Margins Weak - Analyst Blog Fastenal Company 's ( FAST ) adjusted earnings of 44 cents per share in the second quarter of 2014 were in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Earnings grew 7.3% year over year as strong top-line performance was offset by weak margins. Fastenal reported net sales of $949.9 million in the second quarter, up 12.1% year over year as underlying markets improved, vending revamped, sales improvement efforts showed results and comparisons eased. Net sales, however, marginally missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $951 million, possibly due to a slight slowdown in daily sales growth rates in June. Overall, Top Line Growing Fastenal's total average daily sales growth rate in the reported quarter was 12.1%, up from 5.3% in the prior-year quarter, owing to increase in sales volume. However, foreign exchange dragged down first-quarter daily sales growth rates by 0.4%. Daily sales growth was 10.0% in April, 13.5% in May and 12.7% in June, much higher than a respective 4.8%, 5.3% and 6.0% in the corresponding prior-year months. The sequential growth in daily sales for six months from January to June was also better than the historical average (1998-2013 period, excluding 2008 and 2009). After struggling for several quarters, Fastenal's top line turned around in the first quarter of 2014 and continued into the second. End-market slowdown and broader economic uncertainty were lowering fastener sales which is turn weighed down Fastenal's top line. In order to accelerate sales growth, Fastenal took the strategic decision to increase sales personnel at the stores. The added selling energy largely boosted sales this year. Importantly, easy comparisons from a relatively weaker 2013 also boosted sales growth rates in 2014. Moreover, vending trends have improved in both the quarters of 2014 and the construction business is showing signs of improvement. Daily sales to manufacturing customers (representing almost 50% of revenues) grew 11.2% in the second quarter, higher than 5.9% in the prior-year quarter. Daily sales growth rates to manufacturing customers improved as fasteners as well as non-fastener sales improved in the quarter. The daily sales growth rates of fastener products (used mainly for industrial production and accounting for over 40% of the company's business) were 5.5% in the quarter, better than 1.9% in the prior-year quarter due to easier comparisons. Non-fastener product sales (used mainly for maintenance) increased 17.1% in the second quarter of 2014, up from 8.5% in the prior-year quarter and 14.2% in the prior quarter. The non-fastener business improved due to the pick up in the industrial vending business. In the non-residential construction market, daily sales to non-residential construction customers (representing 20% to 25% of revenues) grew 7.5% in the second quarter of 2014, up from 0.7% in the prior-year quarter and also 2.9% in the previous quarter due to improvement in construction trends. Vending Trends Continue to Improve As of Jun 30, 2014, the company operated 43,761 vending machines (irrespective of the type of machine), up 7.3% sequentially and 20.1% year over year. During the quarter, the company signed 4,137 machine contracts, up 2.8% sequentially. Daily sales growth to customers using vending machines was 20.9% in the second quarter, up from 19.7% in the first quarter and 18.9% in the prior-year quarter. The vending machines now account for 37.0% of the company's sales, lower than 37.8% last quarter. Vending trends have started improving after remaining soft in the past 2-3 quarters as management's recent effort to improve the quality of signings/installs seems to be working. Even though percentage of vending customers declined sequentially in the quarter, signings and the number of customers using vending improved. MarginsWere Weak In the first quarter, gross margin declined 140 basis points (bps) year over year to 50.8% due to an unfavorable product mix (resulted from weakness in fastener products which generate higher margins) and changes in end market mix. Moreover, gross margins declined 40 bps sequentially and also fell short of the company's long-term guidance range of 51% to 53% as the company's focus shifted toward improving revenues. In fact, management warned that near term gross margins could remain at the lower end of the long-term range and maybe even below due to company's emphasis on improving sales. The company recorded operating and administrative expense of $276.0 million in the second quarter, up 10.1% year over year due to higher payroll, labor expenses and selling transportation costs. In order to accelerate sales growth, Fastenal took the strategic decision to increase sales personnel at its stores. Higher store headcount and field leadership as well as higher investments behind vending increased operating costs, thus pulling down margins. Pre-tax profit was 21.8% of revenues in the quarter, down 90 bps year over year, due to weak gross margin and higher operating costs. Store Count Fastenal had 2,684 stores at the end of the second quarter of 2014, compared with 2,683 stores at the end of the first quarter. Other Stocks to Consider Fastenal carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Other stocks in the building products/ construction materials sector include Vulcan Materials Co. ( VMC ), United Rentals Inc. ( URI ) and Martin Marietta Materials Inc. ( MLM ). While Vulcan Materials sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), United Rentals and Martin Marietta have the same Zacks Rank as Fastenal. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report VULCAN MATLS CO (VMC): Free Stock Analysis Report MARTIN MRT-MATL (MLM): Free Stock Analysis Report UTD RENTALS INC (URI): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Earnings Reaction History: Fastenal Co., 55.6% Follow-Through Indicator, 3.6% Sensitive Expected Earnings Release: 07/11/2014, Premarket Avg. Extended-Hours Dollar Volume: $810,546 Fastenal Co. ( FAST ) is due to issue its quarterly earnings report in the upcoming extended-hours session. Given its history, traders can expect light trading in the issue immediately following its quarterly earnings announcement. Historical earnings event related premarket and after-hours trading activity in FAST indicates that the price change in the extended hours is likely to be of limited value in forecasting additional price movement by the following regular session close. Last 12 Qtrs Positive Only Price Reactions Percent of time added to extended-hours gains: 40% Average next regular session additional gain: 5.6% Over the prior three fiscal years (12 quarters), when shares of FAST rose in the extended-hours session in reaction to its earnings announcement, history shows that 40.0% of the time (2 events) the stock posted additional gains in the following regular session by an average of 5.6%. Last 12 Qtrs Negative Only Price Reactions Percent of time added to extended-hours losses: 75% Average next regular session additional loss: 1.2% Over that same historical period, when shares of FAST dropped in the extended-hours in reaction to its earnings announcement, history shows that 75.0% of the time (3 events) the stock dropped further, adding to the extended-hours losses by an average of 1.2% by the following regular session close. Data provided by the MT Pro service at MTNewswires.com. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. Copyright (C) 2016 MTNewswires.com. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Sector Update: Consumer Shares Mixed Pre-Market; Lorillard up 5% on Acquisition Talk Top Consumer Shares: WMT: +0.03% MCD: flat DIS: -0.01% CVS: flat KO: +0.02% GE: flat Consumer shares were mixed in pre-market trade Friday. In consumer stocks news, Lorillard ( LO ) shares were poised for an all-time high Friday, as the maker of Newport cigarettes confirmed it is in talks for a possible transaction that could result in rival U.S. cigarette maker Reynolds American ( RAI ) buying the company and certain assets from both companies being sold to the UK's Imperial Tobacco Group. LO was up 4.8% in recent pre-market trading , at $66.10, putting the stock on track for an all-time high if it holds into the regular trading session. The stock's 52-week range for the regular session is currently between $41.56 and $65.39. And, Fastenal ( FAST ) shares fell about 3% after the construction supplies retailer reported lower-than-expected Q2 revenue, while earnings were in line with Street forecasts. Net earnings rose to $130.5 million, or $0.44 a share, from $121 million, or $0.41 a share a year earlier, in line with estimates, according to Capital IQ. Net sales rose 12% to $949.9 million, missing analysts' mean estimate of $952 million. Finally, Isle of Capri Casinos ( ISLE ) shares were down 8% in recent pre-market trading, after the gaming-and-entertainment company late Thursday said CFO Dale Black is leaving the company to pursue other interests and will be succeeded by Chief Strategic Officer Eric Hausler. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. Copyright (C) 2016 MTNewswires.com. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Sector Update: Consumer Consumer shares were mixed in pre-market trade Friday. In consumer stocks news, Lorillard ( LO ) shares were poised for an all-time high Friday, as the maker of Newport cigarettes confirmed it is in talks for a possible transaction that could result in rival U.S. cigarette maker Reynolds American ( RAI ) buying the company and certain assets from both companies being sold to the U.K.'s Imperial Tobacco Group. LO was up 4.8% in recent pre-market trading , at $66.10, putting the stock on track for an all-time high if it holds into the regular trading session. The stock's 52-week range for the regular session is currently between $41.56 and $65.39. And, Fastenal ( FAST ) shares fell about 3% after the construction supplies retailer reported lower-than-expected Q2 revenue, while earnings were in line with Street forecasts. Net earnings rose to $130.5 million, or $0.44 a share, from $121 million, or $0.41 a share a year earlier, in line with estimates, according to Capital IQ. Net sales rose 12% to $949.9 million, missing analysts' mean estimate of $952 million. Finally, Isle of Capri Casinos ( ISLE ) shares were down 8% in recent pre-market trading, after the gaming-and-entertainment company late Thursday said CFO Dale Black is leaving the company to pursue other interests and will be succeeded by Chief Strategic Officer Eric Hausler. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. Copyright (C) 2016 MTNewswires.com. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""#PreMarket Primer: Friday, July 11: European Banks May Not Be Out Of The Woods Yet Worries over Portuguese Lender Banco Espirito Santo dragged markets down on Thursday after the bank delayed payments on some of its short-term debt securities. The news took Portugal's stock market down 4.2 percent and dragged the rest of the world's markets down with it. Asian trading on Friday began with markets lower, suggesting that worries about another financial crisis in Europe are taking hold. The issue with Banco Espirito is reminiscent of the banking troubles that the eurozone has been trying to remedy over the past year. This problem has undone much of the region's forward progress in regaining investors' trust in the eurozone's financial systems. Top News In other news around the markets: Retailers like Family Dollar Stores (NYSE: FDO ) and The Container Store (NYSE: TCS ) have reported that decreasing store traffic has had a real impact on growth this year as shoppers are more selective about their visits to shopping centers, reducing the amount of impulse buys. Many worry that it was more than just poor weather keeping shoppers from spending in the first quarter, and that it could take some time for the US' economic gains to translate into more consumer spending. The Federal Trade Commission has filed a law suit against Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN ), saying the company's app store allows children to make purchases without the consent of their parents. Amazon didn't require informed consent for in-app purchases until June, leaving many parents with a huge bill when their children made unsuspecting purchases. The FTC is looking for Amazon to refund affected families as well as reworking their system to require parental consent to make a purchase. On Friday, Imperial Tobacco announced that it was looking to acquire parts of Reynolds (NYSE: RAI ) and Lorillard (NYSE: LO ), both of which are in talks to complete a merger. If Imperial is able to buy assets from the two cigarette makers, it could help the company gain market share in the tobacco market, which is dominated by Altria Group (NYSE: MO ). Tension between the US and Germany continued to worsen on Thursday after German Chancellor Angela Merkel ordered Berlin's chief of the CIA station to leave the country. Speaking in Berlin, Merkel expressed her disappointment in the US and said that it was a waste of effort and resources to spy in friends. Asian Markets Asian markets were mostly lower with the exception of the Shanghai composite and the Shenzhen composite, which gained 0.42 percent and 0.78 percent respectively. The NIKKEI was down 0.34 percent. The KOSPI lost 0.17 percent and the Hang Seng index was down 0.13 percent. European Markets Europe's markets recovered modestly on Friday after a scare with one of Portugal's largest lenders took European markets lower. The FTSE was up 0.34 percent, the STOXX 600 gained 0.43 percent, the MIB was up 0.88 percent and the DAX and the CAC 40 were both up 0.49 percent. Commodities Energy futures were poised to end the week on a loss; Brent futures and WTI futures were both down 0.35 percent. Gold and silver lost 0.20 percent and 0.13 percent respectively, while industrial metals were lower across the board. Copper lost 0.03 percent, aluminum was down 0.72 percent, zinc fell 0.44 percent and tin was down 1.03 percent. Currencies Currency markets were quiet; the euro was steady at $1.3607 and lost 0.03 percent against the pound. The dollar gained 0.01 percent against the yen and 0.04 percent against the pound, but lost 0.11 percent against the Canadian dollar. Earnings Notable earnings released on Thursday included: Progressive Corporation (NYSE: PGR ) reported second quarter EPS of $0.49 on revenue of $4.63 billion, compared to last year's EPS of $0.39 on revenue of $4.39 billion. PriceSmart (NASDAQ: PSMT ) reported third quarter EPS of $0.70 on revenue of $615.00 million, compared to last year's EPS of $0.61 on revenue of $571.72 million. Family Dollar Stores (NYSE: FDO ) reported third quarter EPS of $0.85, compared to last year's EPS of $1.05 on revenue of $2.57 billion. Pre-Market Movers Stocks moving in the Premarket included: Lorillard (NYSE: LO ) gained 4.61 percent in premarket trade after losing 2.05 percent over the past week. Transocean Ltd (NYSE: RIG ) was down 0.32 percent in premarket trade after falling 1.30 percent on Thursday. Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ ) fell 0.26 percent in premarket trade after rising 1.51 on Thursday. Bank of America (NYSE: BAC ) was down 0.13 percent in premarket trade after falling 3.68 percent over the past week. Notable earnings releases expected on Friday include: Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC ) is expected to report second quarter EPS of $1.00 on revenue of $20.80 billion, compared to last year's EPS of $0.98 on revenue of $21.38 billion. Fastenal Company (NASDAQ: FAST ) is expected to report second quarter EPS of $0.44 on revenue of $952.95 million, compared to last year's EPS of $0.41 on revenue of $847.60 million. Infosys Limited (NASDAQ: INFY ) is expected to report first quarter EPS of $0.76 on revenue of $2.13 billion, compared to last year's EPS of $0.73 on revenue of $1.99 billion. Economics Friday will be another slow day for economic releases with investors looking forward to the US Federal budget balance, Spanish CPI and German CPI. For a recap of Thursday's market action, click . Tune into Benzinga's #PreMarket Prep today to hear Chris Whalen, Cate Long & Justin Pulitzer by clicking here ! \u00a9 2014 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Free Trading Education - Check out the free events taking place on Marketfy this week. Spaces are limited. Sign up today. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Morning Market Losers"", ""US Stock Futures Gain; Wells Fargo Earnings In Focus"", ""UPDATE: Fastenal Posts In-Line Q2 Earnings"", ""#PreMarket Primer: Friday, July 11: European Banks May Not Be Out Of The Woods Yet"", ""Fastenal June Sales Increased 18.36%, Daily June Sales Up 12.7%"", ""Fastenal Company Reports Q2 EPS of $0.44, Inline; Revenue of $949.90M vs $952.95M Est"", ""Earning and Economic Calendar for Friday July 11, 2014"", ""Earnings Scheduled For July 11, 2014"", ""Stocks To Watch For July 11, 2014"", ""Fastenal misses despite sales"", ""Nasdaq Leads Late Gains; S&P 500, Dow Erase Losses"", ""Fastenal's Q2 Sales Miss Views, Gross Margin Shrinks"", ""Beacon Roofing Affected by Slow Growth in the Homebuilding Sector - Analyst Blog"", ""Fastenal Q2 Earnings In Line, Revs Miss; Gross Margins Weak - Analyst Blog"", ""Stocks Poised For Higher Start; Lorillard Jumps"", ""Lorillard rises on buyout talks; Genworth slides SEC suspends trading of Cynk shares Lorillard gains on buyout talks with Reynolds American while Genworth falls on a new proposal from the federal government."", ""U.S. stocks finish with small gains, trim weekly losses Amazon.com rallies; Fastenal drops The U.S. stock market closes higher on Friday after the main benchmarks pick up steam in late afternoon, trimming weekly losses.""]"
FAST,2014-07-14,18.4126,18.452,18.0829,18.0878,"[""Company News for July 14, 2014 - Corporate Summary"", ""#PreMarket Primer: Monday, July 14: Germany Wins World Cup 1-0"", ""#PreMarket Primer: Monday, July 14: Germany Wins World Cup 1-0"", ""Company News for July 14, 2014 - Corporate Summary"", ""Company News for July 14, 2014 - Corporate Summary \u2022 Shire plc's ( SHPG ) shares rose 4.4% following news that AbbVie Inc. ( ABBV ) may buy the biopharma company \u2022 Shares of E2open, Inc. ( EOPN ) dropped 5.2% after posting first quarter 2015 loss per share of $0.20, wider than previous quarter's loss per share by a cent \u2022 Fastenal Company's ( FAST ) shares declined 4.2% after reporting second quarter net sales of $949.9 million, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $951 million \u2022 Shares of Whirlpool Corp. ( WHR ) gained 1.1% after announcing that it will acquire a 66.8% stake in Indesit Company for around $1 billion Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report SHIRE PLC-ADR (SHPG): Free Stock Analysis Report ABBVIE INC (ABBV): Free Stock Analysis Report E2OPEN INC (EOPN): Free Stock Analysis Report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report WHIRLPOOL CORP (WHR): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""#PreMarket Primer: Monday, July 14: Germany Wins World Cup 1-0 Germany was crowned the world champion on Sunday night after defeating Argentina by one goal in extra time. The nation's victory was its fourth in World Cup history marks the first time any European team was able to win playing in the Americas giving the entire continent something to celebrate. Top News In other news around the markets: President Barack Obama's foreign policy has come under fire in recent weeks as instability across the globe worsens. Crises in all corners of the world from territorial disputes in Asia, to the power struggle between Ukraine and Russia, to the rapidly deteriorating Middle East have put Obama's decision not to deploy troops and send stronger support to allies under the microscope. On Monday, Chocoladefabriken Lindt & Spruengli AG said it was planning to acquire Russell Stover Candies Inc., positioning the company to become the third largest chocolate maker in North America. The deal, the financial details of which are unknown, is likely to push the company's sales to more than $1.5 billion by expanding the Swiss chocolate maker's reach into the North American market. Shire has finally agreed to recommend AbbVie's fifth takeover bid at 31 billion pounds. The deal will help AbbVie save on its taxes following the deal as well as providing the company with new products. The new offer increased the AbbVie's previous pitch for 51.15 pounds per share to 53.20 pounds per share. This week's earnings releases will include some of the most powerful tech companies, giving investors a better picture of the sector's health. Reuters reported that Goldman Sachs has said that the information technology sector is probably the most undervalued sector in the market, so strong earnings reports from heavy hitters like Google and Yahoo will keep the market's record breaking momentum going. Spanish data showed that the nation's banks saw a decline in bad loans recently, giving the eurozone a bit of hope that the nation was on the rebound after its financial crisis. The banks' non-performing loans fell to 13.4 percent in April from 13.6 percent in December. However, with the European Central Bank's more rigorous health checks on the horizon, some believe the data doesn't tell the whole story and that the nation's banks still have a long way to go before they are stable. Asian Markets Asian markets began the week on a high note; the NIKKEI rose 0.88 percent, the Shanghai composite was up 0.96 percent, the Shenzhen composite gained 1.32 percent, the Hang Seng index rose 0.49 percent and the KOSPI was up 0.26 percent. European Markets European markets were also higher; the FTSE was up 0.75 percent, the STOXX 600 gained 0.72 percent, the DAX rose 0.74 percent and the CAC 40 was up 0.63 percent. Commodities Energy futures were mixed, Brent futures were up 0.12 percent and WTI futures rose 0.32 percent. Gold and silver lost 1.11 percent and 0.94 percent respectively, while industrial metals gained. Copper was up 0.06 percent, aluminum rose 0.83 percent and zinc was up 1.41 percent. Currencies The euro was steady above $1.36 to begin the week, gaining 0.16 percent against the pound and 0.23 percent against the yen. The dollar also gained against the yen, up 0.09 percent, but lost 0.22 percent against the franc. Earnings Notable earnings released on Friday included: Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC ) reported second quarter EPS of $1.01 on revenue of $21.10 billion, compared to last year's EPS of $0.98 on revenue of $21.38 billion. Fastenal Company (NASDAQ: FAST ) reported second quarter EPS of $0.44 on revenue of $949.90 million, compared to last year's EPS of $0.41 on revenue of $847.60 million. Infosys Limited (NASDAQ: INFY ) reported first quarter EPS of $0.84 on revenue of $2.13 billion, compared to last year's EPS of $0.73 on revenue of $1.99 billion. Pre-Market Movers Stocks moving in the Premarket included: Staples (NYSE: SPLS ) was up 1.38 percent in premarket trade after falling 3.20 percent last week. Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL ) rose 1.25 percent in premarket trade after gaining 1.27 percent over the past week. Facebook (NASDAQ: FB ) was up 0.99 percent in premarket trade after rising 2.26 percent on Friday. Johnson Controls (NYSE: JCI ) lost 5.01 percent in premarket trade after choppy trading took the stock down 1.36 percent last week. Notable earnings releases expected on Monday include: Citigroup (NYSE: C ) is expected to report second quarter EPS of $1.10 on revenue of $18.95 billion, compared to last year's EPS of $1.34 on revenue of $20.48 billion. Wintrust Financial (NASDAQ: WTFC ) is expected to report second quarter EPS of $0.72 on revenue of $197.92 million, compared to last year's EPS of $0.69 on revenue of $199.82 million. Bank of the Ozarks (NASDAQ: OZRK ) is expected to report second quarter EPS of $0.33 on revenue of $78.56 million, compared to last year's EPS of $0.29 on revenue of $62.45 million. Economics Monday'seconomic calendarwill be relatively quiet with industrial production data from the eurozone and Japan and a speech from ECB President, Mario Draghi. For a recap of Friday's market action, click . Tune into Benzinga's #PreMarket Prep today to hear Eric Scott Hunsader, Brian Peery, Scott Leonard & Kiana Danial by clicking here ! \u00a9 2014 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Free Trading Education - Check out the free events taking place on Marketfy this week. Spaces are limited. Sign up today. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""#PreMarket Primer: Monday, July 14: Germany Wins World Cup 1-0"", ""Company News for July 14, 2014 - Corporate Summary""]"
FAST,2014-07-15,18.0878,18.1224,17.7956,17.8874,
FAST,2014-07-16,17.9407,18.1184,17.8282,18.0977,"[""Fastenal CEO buys 2,000 shares The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Takes Over #307 Spot From Whole Foods Market In the latest look at the underlying components of the S&P 500 ordered by largest market capitalization, Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) has taken over the #307 spot from Whole Foods Market, Inc. (Symbol: WFM), according to The Online Investor . Market capitalization is an important data point for investors to keep an eye on, for various reasons. The most basic reason is that it gives a true comparison of the value attributed by the stock market to a given company's stock. Many beginning investors look at one stock trading at $10 and another trading at $20 and mistakenly think the latter company is worth twice as much - that of course is a completely meaningless comparison without knowing how many shares of each company exist. But comparing market capitalization (factoring in those share counts) creates a true \""apples-to-apples\"" comparison of the value of two stocks. In the case of Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST), the market cap is now $13.50 billion, versus Whole Foods Market, Inc. (Symbol: WFM) at $13.40 billion. Below is a chart of Fastenal Co. versus Whole Foods Market, Inc. plotting their respective size rank within the S&P 500 over time (FAST plotted in blue; WFM plotted in green): Below is a three month price history chart comparing the stock performance of FAST vs. WFM: Another reason market capitalization is important is where it places a company in terms of its size tier in relation to peers - much like the way a mid-size sedan is typically compared to other mid-size sedans (and not SUV's). This can have a direct impact on which mutual funds and ETFs are willing to own the stock. For instance, a mutual fund that is focused solely on Large Cap stocks may for example only be interested in those companies sized $10 billion or larger. Another illustrative example is the S&P MidCap index which essentially takes the S&P 500 index and \""tosses out\"" the biggest 100 companies so as to focus solely on the 400 smaller \""up-and-comers\"" (which in the right environment can outperform their larger rivals). So a company's market cap, especially in relation to other companies, carries great importance, and for this reason we at The Online Investor find value to putting together these rankings daily. According to the ETF Finder at ETF Channel, FAST and WFM collectively make up 3.00% of the First Trust NASDAQ-100 Ex-Technology Sector Index Fund ETF ( QQXT ) which is lower by about 0.1% on the day Wednesday. At the closing bell, FAST is up about 1.2%, while WFM is down about 1% on the day Wednesday. The 20 Largest U.S. Companies By Market Capitalization \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Wednesday 7/16 Insider Buying Report: FAST, LTS As the saying goes, there are many possible reasons for an insider to sell a stock, but only one reason to buy -- they expect to make money. So let's look at two noteworthy recent insider buys. At Fastenal ( FAST ), a filing with the SEC revealed that on Tuesday, CEO Willard D. Oberton bought 2,000 shares of FAST, at a cost of $45.14 each, for a total investment of $90,274. Fastenal is trading up about 0.9% on the day Wednesday. And at Ladenburg Thalmann Financial Services ( LTS ), there was insider buying on Tuesday, by Director Saul Gilinski who purchased 10,000 shares at a cost of $3.55 each, for a total investment of $35,500. Before this latest buy, Gilinski purchased LTS on 15 other occasions during the past year, for a total investment of $1.09M at an average of $3.29 per share. Ladenburg Thalmann Financial Services is trading off about 0.5% on the day Wednesday. Gilinski was up about 7.6% on the buy at the high point of today's trading session, with LTS trading as high as $3.82 in trading on Wednesday. VIDEO: Wednesday 7/16 Insider Buying Report: FAST, LTS The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2014-07-17,17.9891,18.1224,17.8934,17.9042,
FAST,2014-07-18,17.9467,18.075,17.8479,18.0345,
FAST,2014-07-21,17.9407,17.9792,17.8707,17.8934,"[""Weekly CEO Buys Highlight: OPK, QTET, MIC, FAST, OCRX"", ""Weekly CEO Buys Highlight: OPK, QTET, MIC, FAST, OCRX"", ""Weekly CEO Buys Highlight: OPK, QTET, MIC, FAST, OCRX""]"
FAST,2014-07-22,17.9042,18.0019,17.8164,17.8627,"Fastenal Company (FAST) Ex-Dividend Date Scheduled for July 23, 2014 Fastenal Company ( FAST ) will begin trading ex-dividend on July 23, 2014. A cash dividend payment of $0.25 per share is scheduled to be paid on August 22, 2014. Shareholders who purchased FAST stock prior to the ex-dividend date are eligible for the cash dividend payment. This marks the 5th quarter that FAST has paid the same dividend. At the current stock price of $45, the dividend yield is 2.22%. The previous trading day's last sale of FAST was $45, representing a -13.81% decrease from the 52 week high of $52.21 and a 5.93% increase over the 52 week low of $42.48. FAST is a part of the Consumer Services sector, which includes companies such as Home Depot, Inc. ( HD ) and Lowe's Companies, Inc. ( LOW ). FAST's current earnings per share, an indicator of a company's profitability, is $1.55. Zacks Investment Research reports FAST's forecasted earnings growth in 2014 as 10.07%, compared to an industry average of 8.2%. For more information on the declaration, record and payment dates, visit the FAST Dividend History page. Our Dividend Calendar has the full list of stocks that have an ex-dividend today. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2014-07-23,17.8588,17.8963,17.7275,17.8321,
FAST,2014-07-24,17.9407,18.0552,17.8963,17.994,
FAST,2014-07-25,17.9644,18.073,17.9121,18.0532,
FAST,2014-07-28,18.0078,18.0996,17.9506,17.994,"[""Edward Jones Upgrades Fastenal Company to Buy"", ""Edward Jones Upgrades Fastenal Company to Buy"", ""Edward Jones Upgrades Fastenal Company to Buy""]"
FAST,2014-07-29,17.9901,18.0316,17.9555,17.9901,
FAST,2014-07-30,17.9901,18.0316,17.9121,17.9684,
FAST,2014-07-31,17.9279,17.9318,17.6515,17.7345,
FAST,2014-08-01,17.7275,17.7828,17.5242,17.6387,"[""W.W. Grainger (GWW) Dividend Stock Analysis"", ""W.W. Grainger (GWW) Dividend Stock Analysis"", ""W.W. Grainger (GWW) Dividend Stock Analysis""]"
FAST,2014-08-04,17.6683,17.8213,17.5242,17.7996,
FAST,2014-08-05,17.6791,17.7601,17.3703,17.4887,
FAST,2014-08-06,17.3979,17.6111,17.3573,17.5863,
FAST,2014-08-07,17.6881,17.7749,17.4807,17.5242,
FAST,2014-08-08,17.5903,17.8035,17.5627,17.7867,
FAST,2014-08-11,17.8479,17.9407,17.7996,17.8075,"[""Beacon Roofing Misses Q3 Earnings on Lower Gross Margin - Analyst Blog"", ""Beacon Roofing Misses Q3 Earnings on Lower Gross Margin - Analyst Blog"", ""Beacon Roofing Misses Q3 Earnings on Lower Gross Margin - Analyst Blog Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. ( BECN ) reported earnings per share of 54 cents in the third quarter of fiscal 2014 (ended Jun 30, 2014), a 2% year-over-year decline, on May 9. Earnings also fell short of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 59 cents. Lower gross margins from reduced selling prices due to weak demand and a continued unfavorable shift in sales mix to lower margin direct shipment and commercial business resulted in the year-over-year decline in earnings. However, this marked a significant turnaround from the loss per share of 25 cents recorded in the second quarter of fiscal 2014. Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc - Earnings Surprise | FindTheBest Operational Update Total revenue increased 6% year over year to a record $663 million but lagged the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $665 million. Non-residential roofing product sales increased 9.7% followed by a 6.4% rise in complementary product sales while residential roofing products sales went up 2.7%. Cost of goods sold went up 7% year over year to $512 million. Gross profit was $151 million, compared with $147 million in the year-ago quarter. Gross margin contracted 80 basis points (bps) from the prior-year quarter to 22.7% primarily due to continued price pressure along with increased mix of commercial and direct ship business that typically carry lower margins. Operating expenses for the quarter increased 6% year over year to $105 million. However, as a percentage of sales, operating expenses remained flat at 15.8% due to continued cost controls and sales base growth despite the company investing $5 million in new stores to expand its footprint in the existing as well as new markets. The company posted an operating profit of $46 million, down 4% from $48 million in the prior-year quarter. Financial Position As of Jun 30, 2014, Beacon Roofing had cash and cash equivalents of $26 million, flat compared with Jun 30, 2013. Total debt was $227 million as of Jun 30, 2014 against $225 million as of Jun 30, 2013. The debt-to-capitalization ratio was at 27% as of Jun 30, 2014, flat with Jun 30, 2013, figure. Cash used in operations was $47 million for the nine-month period ended Jun 30, 2014, compared with cash inflow of $49 million in the prior-year comparable period. This was due to seasonal increases in accounts receivable balances driven by increased sales during the third quarter of 2014, as well as increased inventory levels. 2014 Outlook The company expects strong demand to continue in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2014, benefiting from its diverse product offering along with its greenfield strategy and lead to sales growth in the range of 7% to 10% for the fourth quarter compared with the 7.4% organic growth in the fourth quarter of 2013. With the pickup in residential demand, Beacon Roofing expects gross margins to improve sequentially in the fourth quarter. For the full year, Beacon Roofing expects organic sales growth in the range of 4% to 5%. Our Take Beacon Roofing will benefit from its consistent focus on cost control. Its investments in equipment and inventory, along with employee training and greenfield expansion will drive growth. For the last 4 to 5 quarters, Beacon Roofing has witnessed positive sales growth for all 3 product lines. The company opened 9 new branches in the quarter and is on track to open 25 new branches in 2014. These new branches should add 2% organic growth for the year. For 2015 and beyond, Beacon Roofing is planning to open at least 20 branches per year. The complementary product business will grow in the balance of fiscal 2014, driven by development in new construction and remodeling activity. Commercial business will also expand in the second half, given the number of projects and bids currently in process. Both residential and non-residential construction sectors are showing signs of improvement, which bodes well for the company. However, a difficult pricing environment will continue to weigh on gross margins. Peabody, MA-based Beacon Roofing is one of the major distributors of residential and non-residential roofing materials as well as complementary building products in the U.S. and Canada, with more than 90% of sales coming from the U.S. Beacon Roofing currently has a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell). However, a better-ranked stock in the same industry include Travis Perkins plc ( TVPKF ) with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). Peer Performance Among Beacon Roofing's peers, Fastenal Company's ( FAST ) reported adjusted earnings of 44 cents per share in the second quarter of 2014, in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Earnings grew 7.3% year over year as strong top-line performance was offset by weak margins. Lumber Liquidators Holdings, Inc.'s ( LL ) second-quarter 2014 earnings per share of 60 cents came in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate, but fell 17.8% year over year. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report BEACON ROOFING (BECN): Free Stock Analysis Report LUMBER LIQUIDAT (LL): Free Stock Analysis Report TRAVIS PERKINS (TVPKF): Get Free Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Beacon Roofing Misses Q3 Earnings on Lower Gross Margin - Analyst Blog""]"
FAST,2014-08-12,17.7601,18.2152,17.7078,18.0108,"Nasdaq 100 Movers: SBAC, FAST In early trading on Tuesday, shares of Fastenal ( FAST ) topped the list of the day's best performing components of the Nasdaq 100 index, trading up 1.6%. Year to date, Fastenal has lost about 4.8% of its value. And the worst performing Nasdaq 100 component thus far on the day is SBA Communications ( SBAC ), trading down 1.1%. SBA Communications is showing a gain of 20.6% looking at the year to date performance. Two other components making moves today are Keurig Green Mountain ( GMCR ), trading down 1.0%, and Whole Foods Market ( WFM ), trading up 1.2% on the day. VIDEO: Nasdaq 100 Movers: SBAC, FAST The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2014-08-13,18.0473,18.1273,17.69,17.7443,
FAST,2014-08-14,17.7867,17.9684,17.692,17.9555,
FAST,2014-08-15,18.0602,18.0809,17.4255,17.5203,
FAST,2014-08-18,17.6614,17.8835,17.5943,17.8795,
FAST,2014-08-19,17.9082,18.0414,17.8529,17.9733,
FAST,2014-08-20,17.9901,18.1796,17.9506,18.1273,
FAST,2014-08-21,18.1194,18.2635,17.994,18.231,"[""Fastenal Is On Track to Deliver Long-Term Growth"", ""Fastenal Is On Track to Deliver Long-Term Growth"", ""Fastenal Is On Track to Deliver Long-Term Growth""]"
FAST,2014-08-22,18.1273,18.305,18.1273,18.2388,
FAST,2014-08-25,18.3366,18.381,18.1836,18.3,
FAST,2014-08-26,18.2892,18.3424,18.1766,18.2842,
FAST,2014-08-27,18.2704,18.3424,18.0424,18.1164,
FAST,2014-08-28,18.0848,18.148,17.9733,18.0799,"[""10 Years of Google and the Importance of Long-Term Thinking"", ""10 Years of Google and the Importance of Long-Term Thinking"", ""10 Years of Google and the Importance of Long-Term Thinking""]"
FAST,2014-08-29,18.1934,18.1934,18.0138,18.1026,
FAST,2014-09-02,18.148,18.2556,17.9605,18.0651,
FAST,2014-09-03,18.1164,18.2102,18.068,18.1352,
FAST,2014-09-04,18.1994,18.9574,18.1598,18.8587,"[""S&P 500 Movers: FTI, PVH In early trading on Thursday, shares of PVH Corp ( PVH ) topped the list of the day's best performing components of the S&P 500 index, trading up 9.7%. Year to date, PVH Corp has lost about 5.6% of its value. And the worst performing S&P 500 component thus far on the day is FMC Technologies ( FTI ), trading down 2.0%. FMC Technologies is showing a gain of 12.0% looking at the year to date performance. Two other components making moves today are Tenet Healthcare ( THC ), trading down 1.8%, and Fastenal ( FAST ), trading up 3.3% on the day. VIDEO: S&P 500 Movers: FTI, PVH The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Nasdaq 100 Movers: SPLS, FAST In early trading on Thursday, shares of Fastenal ( FAST ) topped the list of the day's best performing components of the Nasdaq 100 index, trading up 3.6%. Year to date, Fastenal has lost about 1.1% of its value. And the worst performing Nasdaq 100 component thus far on the day is Staples ( SPLS ), trading down 1.8%. Staples is lower by about 20.1% looking at the year to date performance. Two other components making moves today are Regeneron Pharmaceuticals ( REGN ), trading down 1.1%, and Micron Technology ( MU ), trading up 3.3% on the day. VIDEO: Nasdaq 100 Movers: SPLS, FAST The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2014-09-05,18.7856,18.8311,18.6218,18.7936,
FAST,2014-09-08,18.7659,18.8923,18.6178,18.6268,
FAST,2014-09-09,18.5774,18.6623,18.4402,18.5073,"[""Fastenal Gains Momentum as August Daily Sales Rise 15% - Analyst Blog"", ""Fastenal Gains Momentum as August Daily Sales Rise 15% - Analyst Blog"", ""Fastenal Gains Momentum as August Daily Sales Rise 15% - Analyst Blog Fastenal Company's ( FAST ) sales continue to improve this year as the industrial and construction supplies wholesale distributor recorded six consecutive months of double-digit growth in daily sales. August net sales, released last week, rose 9.8% year over year to $326.9 million. Daily sales for the month grew 15% to $15.57 million, much better than 5.5% in August last year. Moreover, daily sales increase in August was better than 14.7% growth in July and in all prior months of the year. Currency was a 0.3% headwind in the month. Fastenal serves customers in the manufacturing and non-residential construction markets. Daily sales to manufacturing customers (representing almost 50% of revenues) grew 14%, much better than 6.1% last year and 12.9% in July as manufacturing activity picked up. Daily sales to non-residential construction customers (representing 20% to 25% of revenues) grew 9.4%, much better than 7.3% last year and 8.4% in July due to improvement in construction trends. After struggling for several quarters, Fastenal's top line turned around in the first quarter of 2014 which continued into the second. However, end-market slowdown and broader economic uncertainty were lowering fastener sales which, in turn, weighed down Fastenal's top line. In order to accelerate sales growth, Fastenal took the strategic decision to increase sales personnel at the stores which largely boosted sales this year. Importantly, easy comparisons from a relatively weaker 2013 also contributed to the sales growth rates in 2014. In fact, fasteners also recovered slightly in the first half after struggling in 2013. Moreover, vending trends improved in both the quarters of 2014 and the construction business is showing signs of improvement. Fastenal carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Investors interested in the sector may consider stocks like Gibraltar Industries, Inc. ( ROCK ), PGT, Inc. ( PGTI ) and UCP, Inc. ( UCP ), all carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report GIBRALTAR INDUS (ROCK): Free Stock Analysis Report PGT INC (PGTI): Free Stock Analysis Report UCP INC (UCP): Get Free Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Gains Momentum as August Daily Sales Rise 15% - Analyst Blog""]"
FAST,2014-09-10,18.4856,18.5991,18.4402,18.5774,
FAST,2014-09-11,18.4777,18.5408,18.3622,18.4332,
FAST,2014-09-12,18.3702,18.4934,18.2042,18.3118,
FAST,2014-09-15,18.304,18.3652,18.1766,18.3118,
FAST,2014-09-16,18.3118,18.384,18.1194,18.3198,
FAST,2014-09-17,18.3702,18.4066,18.1766,18.304,
FAST,2014-09-18,18.3424,18.527,18.3306,18.5152,"[""2 Columbia Growth Funds Notch Impressive Three-Month Performance"", ""2 Columbia Growth Funds Notch Impressive Three-Month Performance"", ""2 Columbia Growth Funds Notch Impressive Three-Month Performance""]"
FAST,2014-09-19,18.5774,18.6564,18.3198,18.4856,
FAST,2014-09-22,18.4026,18.4796,18.1766,18.2516,"[""Can Fastenal Get Back on Track to Benefit From Industrial Growth?"", ""Can Fastenal Get Back on Track to Benefit From Industrial Growth?"", ""Can Fastenal Get Back on Track to Benefit From Industrial Growth?""]"
FAST,2014-09-23,18.2516,18.2892,18.1194,18.144,
FAST,2014-09-24,18.152,18.4619,18.1164,18.4452,
FAST,2014-09-25,18.4294,18.4294,17.9772,18.0,
FAST,2014-09-26,17.9605,18.2388,17.9605,18.1934,
FAST,2014-09-29,18.0286,18.2812,17.9506,18.073,
FAST,2014-09-30,18.0799,18.2132,17.8795,17.9506,
FAST,2014-10-01,17.9901,18.0039,17.6515,17.7996,"[""Fastenal Acquires Aerospace Product Distributor Av-Tech Industries"", ""Fastenal Acquires Aerospace Product Distributor Av-Tech Industries"", ""Fastenal Acquires Aerospace Product Distributor Av-Tech Industries""]"
FAST,2014-10-02,17.8282,18.2152,17.6989,18.1796,
FAST,2014-10-03,18.2556,18.4372,18.1994,18.297,"[""Q3 Earnings Season in the Spotlight - Earnings Preview"", ""Q3 Earnings Season in the Spotlight - Earnings Preview"", ""Q3 Earnings Season in the Spotlight - Earnings Preview Q3 Earnings Season in the Spotlight The 2014 Q3 earnings season takes center stage this week with Alcoa's ( AA ) release after the close on Wednesday. Alcoa isn't the first to report quarterly results, though it is the first S&P 500 member with the calendar fiscal quarter to come out with results. Companies with fiscal quarters ending in August have been reporting since mid-September and the tally of such Q3 reports already totals 22 S&P 500 members. In fairness to Alcoa, however, investors start paying attention to the earnings season after their earnings announcement. It is way too early to draw even preliminary conclusions from the results thus far. But the results thus far aren't materially different from what we have seen from the same group of 22 companies in other recent quarters. The table below shows the scorecard for the 22 companies that have reported results already. The earnings calendar is on the light side, with only about 30 companies reporting quarter results, including 9 S&P 500 members. But as you can see in the updated weekly earnings calendar below, the reporting cycle ramps up in a big way the following week. This earnings season will give us a good sense of whether the profitability strength on display in the last reporting cycle was a one-off event or the start of something enduring. Please recall that part of the Q2 strength was a bounce back from the extremely low levels to which all activity levels had fallen in the weather-disrupted first quarter of the year. As such, one could argue that none of the last two earnings seasons represented truly normal conditions, which we will most likely see for the first time this year only in Q3. The table below shows a summary picture of current Q3 expectations compared to what was actually achieved in Q2. As you can see, total earnings are expected to be up +1.5% from the same period last year on +1.8% higher revenues and modest margin gains. Finance remains a big drag this quarter, with total earnings for the sector expected to be down -3.9% from the same period last year. Excluding Finance, total earnings for the S&P 500 would be up +2.8%. As has been the trend each quarter ahead of the start of the earnings season, estimates for Q3 have come down as well as the quarter unfolded. The recent leg down in estimates has mostly been due to Bank of America ( BAC ), with the bank's settlement with the government causing its Q3 EPS estimates to drop from positive 32 cents to the current 8 cents loss. In dollar terms, that's a $4.2 billion negative swing in Bank of America's Q3 earnings estimates. The chart below shows estimates for 2014 Q3 have evolved over the last 10 or so weeks. The negative revisions trend has been broad based, with most sectors suffering downward adjustments in estimates. But the trend has been most pronounced for Oil/Energy, Retail, and Conglomerates. The chart below shows the sectors with the biggest revisions. The Finance sector swing is primarily due to Bank of America. Total earnings for the S&P 500 reached an all-time quarterly record in 2014 Q2 and current estimates for Q3 put the quarterly total as the second highest ever. But given the historical trend of roughly two-thirds of the companies beating earnings estimates, the final Q3 tally will likely be right in the preceding quarter's record vicinity. The chart below shows that current consensus estimates reflect record tallies in the following quarters. For these estimates to hold, we need an improvement on the guidance front, which has been persistently been weak for almost two years now. There was modest improvement in tone of management guidance on the Q2 earnings calls, but the majority of companies providing guidance still guided lower. Given the global growth worries, it is likely that the quality and quantity of guidance will deteriorate even further this earnings season. Importantly, continued negative guidance will effectively guarantee that we will see a repeat of negative estimate revisions, with estimates for Q4 coming down as earnings season unfolds. That said, continuation of even the modest improvement in guidance will be a net positive in the overall earnings picture. Note : Want more articles from this author? Scroll up to the top of this article and click the FOLLOW AUTHOR button to get an email each time a new article is published. Note : For a complete analysis of 2014 Q3 estimates, please check out weekly Earnings Trends report . Monday-10/06 Not much on the economic or earnings calendars today. Tuesday -10/07 Not much on theeconomic calendar but Yum Brands ( YUM ) will be releasing quarterly results after the close. The estimate revisions trend has been consistently negative for YUM, with the current Q3 estimate of 87 cents down from $1.01 per share two months back. The negative revisions primarily reflect China worries, where weak same-store sales and margin pressures weighing on results. Wednesday-10/08 Minutes of the last Fed meeting will come out in the afternoon and Alcoa ( AA ) will report quarterly results after the close. Earnings ESP or Expected Surprise Prediction, our proprietary leading indicator of positive earnings surprises is showing Alcoa coming out with an earnings beat. Our research shows that companies with Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), Zacks Rank # 2 (Buy), and Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) coupled with positive Earnings ESP are highly likely to come out with positive earnings surprise. Alcoa has Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and Earnings ESP of +9.5%. For more details on Zacks Earnings ESP, please click here . T hursday -10/09 Weekly jobless claims and the August Wholesale inventories are the key economic readings today. Pepsi ( PEP ) will be the key earnings report in the morning while Family Dollar ( FDO ) will report after the close. Friday-10/10 Not much on theeconomic calendar but Fastenal ( FAST ) and Progressive Corp ( PGR ) will be the only notable reports today, both in the morning. Earnings ESP is showing Progressive beating EPS estimates. The Zacks Rank # 2 (Buy) stock has ESP of +2.3%. Here is a list of the 30 companies reporting this week, including 9 S&P 500 members. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report PROGRESSIVE COR (PGR): Free Stock Analysis Report PEPSICO INC (PEP): Free Stock Analysis Report FAMILY DOLLAR (FDO): Free Stock Analysis Report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report BANK OF AMER CP (BAC): Free Stock Analysis Report ALCOA INC (AA): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Q3 Earnings Season in the Spotlight - Earnings Preview""]"
FAST,2014-10-06,18.4619,18.5182,18.2181,18.383,"[""Fastenal Company Buys Assets Aerospace Fastener Distributor - Analyst Blog"", ""Q3 Earnings Season in the Spotlight (Revised) - Earnings Preview"", ""Fastenal Company Buys Assets Aerospace Fastener Distributor - Analyst Blog"", ""Q3 Earnings Season in the Spotlight (Revised) - Earnings Preview"", ""Q3 Earnings Season in the Spotlight - Earnings Preview Q3 Earnings Season in the Spotlight (Revised) The 2014 Q3 earnings season takes center stage this week with Alcoa's ( AA ) release after the close on Wednesday. Alcoa isn't the first to report quarterly results, though it is the first S&P 500 member with the calendar fiscal quarter to come out with results. Companies with fiscal quarters ending in August have been reporting since mid-September and the tally of such Q3 reports already totals 22 S&P 500 members. In fairness to Alcoa, however, investors start paying attention to the earnings season after their earnings announcement. It is way too early to draw even preliminary conclusions from the results thus far. But the results thus far aren't materially different from what we have seen from the same group of 22 companies in other recent quarters. The table below shows the scorecard for the 22 companies that have reported results already. The earnings calendar is on the light side, with only about 30 companies reporting quarter results, including 9 S&P 500 members. But as you can see in the updated weekly earnings calendar below, the reporting cycle ramps up in a big way the following week. This earnings season will give us a good sense of whether the profitability strength on display in the last reporting cycle was a one-off event or the start of something enduring. Please recall that part of the Q2 strength was a bounce back from the extremely low levels to which all activity levels had fallen in the weather-disrupted first quarter of the year. As such, one could argue that none of the last two earnings seasons represented truly normal conditions, which we will most likely see for the first time this year only in Q3. The table below shows a summary picture of current Q3 expectations compared to what was actually achieved in Q2. As you can see, total earnings are expected to be up +1.5% from the same period last year on +1.8% higher revenues and modest margin gains. Finance remains a big drag this quarter, with total earnings for the sector expected to be down -3.9% from the same period last year. Excluding Finance, total earnings for the S&P 500 would be up +2.8%. As has been the trend each quarter ahead of the start of the earnings season, estimates for Q3 have come down as well as the quarter unfolded. The recent leg down in estimates has mostly been due to Bank of America ( BAC ), with the bank's settlement with the government causing its Q3 EPS estimates to drop from positive 32 cents to the current 8 cents loss. In dollar terms, that's a $4.2 billion negative swing in Bank of America's Q3 earnings estimates. The chart below shows estimates for 2014 Q3 have evolved over the last 10 or so weeks. The negative revisions trend has been broad based, with most sectors suffering downward adjustments in estimates. But the trend has been most pronounced for Oil/Energy, Retail, and Conglomerates. The chart below shows the sectors with the biggest revisions. The Finance sector swing is primarily due to Bank of America. Total earnings for the S&P 500 reached an all-time quarterly record in 2014 Q2 and current estimates for Q3 put the quarterly total as the second highest ever. But given the historical trend of roughly two-thirds of the companies beating earnings estimates, the final Q3 tally will likely be right in the preceding quarter's record vicinity. The chart below shows that current consensus estimates reflect record tallies in the following quarters. For these estimates to hold, we need an improvement on the guidance front, which has been persistently been weak for almost two years now. There was modest improvement in tone of management guidance on the Q2 earnings calls, but the majority of companies providing guidance still guided lower. Given the global growth worries, it is likely that the quality and quantity of guidance will deteriorate even further this earnings season. Importantly, continued negative guidance will effectively guarantee that we will see a repeat of negative estimate revisions, with estimates for Q4 coming down as earnings season unfolds. That said, continuation of even the modest improvement in guidance will be a net positive in the overall earnings picture. Note : Want more articles from this author? Scroll up to the top of this article and click the FOLLOW AUTHOR button to get an email each time a new article is published. Note : For a complete analysis of 2014 Q3 estimates, please check out weekly Earnings Trends report . Monday-10/06 Not much on the economic or earnings calendars today. Tuesday -10/07 Not much on theeconomic calendar but Yum Brands ( YUM ) will be releasing quarterly results after the close. The estimate revisions trend has been consistently negative for YUM, with the current Q3 estimate of 87 cents down from $1.01 per share two months back. The negative revisions primarily reflect China worries, where weak same-store sales and margin pressures weighing on results. Wednesday-10/08 Minutes of the last Fed meeting will come out in the afternoon and Alcoa ( AA ) will report quarterly results after the close. Earnings ESP or Expected Surprise Prediction, our proprietary leading indicator of positive earnings surprises is showing Alcoa coming out with an earnings beat. Our research shows that companies with Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), Zacks Rank # 2 (Buy), and Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) coupled with positive Earnings ESP are highly likely to come out with positive earnings surprise. Alcoa has Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and Earnings ESP of +9.5%. For more details on Zacks Earnings ESP, please click here . Thursday -10/09 Weekly jobless claims and the August Wholesale inventories are the key economic readings today. Pepsi ( PEP ) will be the key earnings report in the morning while Family Dollar ( FDO ) will report after the close. Friday-10/10 Not much on theeconomic calendar but Fastenal ( FAST ) and Progressive Corp ( PGR ) will be the only notable reports today, both in the morning. Earnings ESP is showing Progressive beating EPS estimates. The Zacks Rank # 2 (Buy) stock has ESP of +2.3%. *Disclaimer: The original article had mislabeled Basic Materials in the Negative Q3 revisions, it should have been Autos. Here is a list of the 30 companies reporting this week, including 9 S&P 500 members. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report YUM! BRANDS INC (YUM): Free Stock Analysis Report PROGRESSIVE COR (PGR): Free Stock Analysis Report PEPSICO INC (PEP): Free Stock Analysis Report FAMILY DOLLAR (FDO): Free Stock Analysis Report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report BANK OF AMER CP (BAC): Free Stock Analysis Report ALCOA INC (AA): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Q3 Earnings Season in the Spotlight (Revised) - Earnings Preview Q3 Earnings Season in the Spotlight (Revised) The 2014 Q3 earnings season takes center stage this week with Alcoa's ( AA ) release after the close on Wednesday. Alcoa isn't the first to report quarterly results, though it is the first S&P 500 member with the calendar fiscal quarter to come out with results. Companies with fiscal quarters ending in August have been reporting since mid-September and the tally of such Q3 reports already totals 22 S&P 500 members. In fairness to Alcoa, however, investors start paying attention to the earnings season after their earnings announcement. It is way too early to draw even preliminary conclusions from the results thus far. But the results thus far aren't materially different from what we have seen from the same group of 22 companies in other recent quarters. The table below shows the scorecard for the 22 companies that have reported results already. The earnings calendar is on the light side, with only about 30 companies reporting quarter results, including 9 S&P 500 members. But as you can see in the updated weekly earnings calendar below, the reporting cycle ramps up in a big way the following week. This earnings season will give us a good sense of whether the profitability strength on display in the last reporting cycle was a one-off event or the start of something enduring. Please recall that part of the Q2 strength was a bounce back from the extremely low levels to which all activity levels had fallen in the weather-disrupted first quarter of the year. As such, one could argue that none of the last two earnings seasons represented truly normal conditions, which we will most likely see for the first time this year only in Q3. The table below shows a summary picture of current Q3 expectations compared to what was actually achieved in Q2. As you can see, total earnings are expected to be up +1.5% from the same period last year on +1.8% higher revenues and modest margin gains. Finance remains a big drag this quarter, with total earnings for the sector expected to be down -3.9% from the same period last year. Excluding Finance, total earnings for the S&P 500 would be up +2.8%. As has been the trend each quarter ahead of the start of the earnings season, estimates for Q3 have come down as well as the quarter unfolded. The recent leg down in estimates has mostly been due to Bank of America ( BAC ), with the bank's settlement with the government causing its Q3 EPS estimates to drop from positive 32 cents to the current 8 cents loss. In dollar terms, that's a $4.2 billion negative swing in Bank of America's Q3 earnings estimates. The chart below shows estimates for 2014 Q3 have evolved over the last 10 or so weeks. The negative revisions trend has been broad based, with most sectors suffering downward adjustments in estimates. But the trend has been most pronounced for Oil/Energy, Retail, and Conglomerates. The chart below shows the sectors with the biggest revisions. The Finance sector swing is primarily due to Bank of America. Total earnings for the S&P 500 reached an all-time quarterly record in 2014 Q2 and current estimates for Q3 put the quarterly total as the second highest ever. But given the historical trend of roughly two-thirds of the companies beating earnings estimates, the final Q3 tally will likely be right in the preceding quarter's record vicinity. The chart below shows that current consensus estimates reflect record tallies in the following quarters. For these estimates to hold, we need an improvement on the guidance front, which has been persistently been weak for almost two years now. There was modest improvement in tone of management guidance on the Q2 earnings calls, but the majority of companies providing guidance still guided lower. Given the global growth worries, it is likely that the quality and quantity of guidance will deteriorate even further this earnings season. Importantly, continued negative guidance will effectively guarantee that we will see a repeat of negative estimate revisions, with estimates for Q4 coming down as earnings season unfolds. That said, continuation of even the modest improvement in guidance will be a net positive in the overall earnings picture. Note : Want more articles from this author? Scroll up to the top of this article and click the FOLLOW AUTHOR button to get an email each time a new article is published. Note : For a complete analysis of 2014 Q3 estimates, please check out weekly Earnings Trends report . Monday-10/06 Not much on the economic or earnings calendars today. Tuesday -10/07 Not much on theeconomic calendar but Yum Brands ( YUM ) will be releasing quarterly results after the close. The estimate revisions trend has been consistently negative for YUM, with the current Q3 estimate of 87 cents down from $1.01 per share two months back. The negative revisions primarily reflect China worries, where weak same-store sales and margin pressures weighing on results. Wednesday-10/08 Minutes of the last Fed meeting will come out in the afternoon and Alcoa ( AA ) will report quarterly results after the close. Earnings ESP or Expected Surprise Prediction, our proprietary leading indicator of positive earnings surprises is showing Alcoa coming out with an earnings beat. Our research shows that companies with Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), Zacks Rank # 2 (Buy), and Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) coupled with positive Earnings ESP are highly likely to come out with positive earnings surprise. Alcoa has Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and Earnings ESP of +9.5%. For more details on Zacks Earnings ESP, please click here . Thursday -10/09 Weekly jobless claims and the August Wholesale inventories are the key economic readings today. Pepsi ( PEP ) will be the key earnings report in the morning while Family Dollar ( FDO ) will report after the close. Friday-10/10 Not much on theeconomic calendar but Fastenal ( FAST ) and Progressive Corp ( PGR ) will be the only notable reports today, both in the morning. Earnings ESP is showing Progressive beating EPS estimates. The Zacks Rank # 2 (Buy) stock has ESP of +2.3%. *Disclaimer: The original article had mislabeled Basic Materials in the Negative Q3 revisions, it should have been Autos. Here is a list of the 30 companies reporting this week, including 9 S&P 500 members. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report YUM! BRANDS INC (YUM): Free Stock Analysis Report PROGRESSIVE COR (PGR): Free Stock Analysis Report PEPSICO INC (PEP): Free Stock Analysis Report FAMILY DOLLAR (FDO): Free Stock Analysis Report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report BANK OF AMER CP (BAC): Free Stock Analysis Report ALCOA INC (AA): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Company Buys Assets Aerospace Fastener Distributor - Analyst Blog"", ""Q3 Earnings Season in the Spotlight (Revised) - Earnings Preview""]"
FAST,2014-10-07,18.2438,18.2635,17.8963,17.917,"[""Will Fastenal (FAST) Q3 Earnings be Hurt by Gross Margins? - Analyst Blog"", ""Will Fastenal (FAST) Q3 Earnings be Hurt by Gross Margins? - Analyst Blog"", ""Will Fastenal (FAST) Q3 Earnings be Hurt by Gross Margins? - Analyst Blog Fastenal Company ( FAST ) is set to report third-quarter fiscal 2014 results on Oct 10, before the market opens. Last quarter, Fastenal reported in-line results as a strong top-line performance was offset by weaker margins. Let's see how things are shaping up for this announcement. Factors to Consider this Quarter After struggling for several quarters, Fastenal's top line turned around in the first half of 2014. End-market slowdown and a broader economic uncertainty were lowering fastener sales that in turn, weighed on the company's revenues in 2013. In order to accelerate sales growth, Fastenal took the strategic decision to increase sales personnel at the stores, which largely boosted sales this year. Notably, easy comparisons from a relatively weaker 2013 also contributed to the sales growth rates in 2014. In fact, fasteners also recovered slightly in the first half after struggling in 2013. Moreover, vending trends improved in both the quarters of 2014 and the construction business is showing signs of improvement. The monthly sales data released for July and August (included in the third quarter) shows that the top-line improvement continues. Daily sales grew 15% in August and 14.7% in July. In fact, the industrial and construction supplies wholesale distributor has recorded six consecutive months of double-digit growth in daily sales. However, Fastenal's margins are contracting as management's focus shifts toward top-line improvement. Additionally, an unfavorable product mix, pricing and competitive pressures are hurting gross margins despite gradual improvement in the top line. Moreover, management has been slowing down store growth in order to increase headcount to drive near-term sales. Such initiatives increase employee costs. Higher store headcount and field leadership as well as higher investments behind vending are increasing operating costs, thus dragging pre-tax margins. The accelerated hiring pace is anticipated to continue through the rest of the year, which could further pressure margins. In fact, management has stated that near-term gross margins could remain at the lower-end of the long-term range or even below due to the company's emphasis on improving sales. Earnings Whispers? Our proven model does not conclusively show that Fastenal is likely to beat earnings this quarter. That is because a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1, 2 or 3 for this to happen. That is not the case here, as you will see below. Zacks ESP: The Earnings ESP is 0.00%. Zacks Rank: Fastenal's Zacks Rank #2 (Hold), when combined with a 0.00%, ESP makes surprise prediction difficult. We caution against stocks with Zacks Rank #4 and 5 (Sell-rated stocks) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions momentum. Other Stocks to Consider Here are some other companies in the building sector for investors to consider, that, according to our model have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter: Home Depot, Inc.( HD ), with Earnings ESP of +0.89% and a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Lowe's Companies Inc. ( LOW ), with Earnings ESP of +1.72% and a Zacks Rank #2. KB Home ( KBH ), with Earnings ESP of +3.85% and a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report HOME DEPOT (HD): Free Stock Analysis Report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report LOWES COS (LOW): Free Stock Analysis Report KB HOME (KBH): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Will Fastenal (FAST) Q3 Earnings be Hurt by Gross Margins? - Analyst Blog""]"
FAST,2014-10-08,17.8657,18.3424,17.7749,18.3198,
FAST,2014-10-09,18.231,18.3424,17.7443,17.8707,"Pre-Market Earnings Report for October 10, 2014 : PGR, FAST The following companies are expected to report earnings prior to market open on 10/10/2014. Visit our Earnings Calendar for a full list of expected earnings releases. Progressive Corporation ( PGR ) is reporting for the quarter ending September 30, 2014. The insurance (property & casualty) company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 12 analysts that follow the stock is $0.43. This value represents a 19.44% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year PGR has met analyst expectations twice and beat the expectations the other two quarters. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2014 Price to Earnings ratio for PGR is 15.09 vs. an industry ratio of 14.50, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Fastenal Company ( FAST ) is reporting for the quarter ending September 30, 2014. The building company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 8 analysts that follow the stock is $0.45. This value represents a 12.50% increase compared to the same quarter last year. The ""days to cover"" for this stock exceeds 24 days. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2014 Price to Earnings ratio for FAST is 27.60 vs. an industry ratio of 21.40, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2014-10-10,17.3979,17.4393,16.7188,17.0099,"[""Industry Supplier Fastenal Sales Pace Slowed In Sept."", ""Fastenal meets Q3 estimates"", ""Fastenal Earnings Meet, Sales Beat Estimates; Margins Soft - Analyst Blog"", ""Stocks To Watch For October 10, 2014"", ""Earnings Scheduled For October 10, 2014"", ""Earning, Economic and IPO Calendar for Friday October 10, 2014"", ""Fastenal Company Reports Q3 EPS of $0.45, Inline; Revenue of $980.80M vs $980.10M Est"", ""UPDATE: Fastenal Posts In-Line Q3 Profit"", ""Markets Mixed; Fastenal Earnings Meet Estimates"", ""NASDAQ Slides 1.2%; Manitowoc Shares Dip Following Cautious Outlook"", ""Infosys Jumps On Upbeat Earnings; Microchip Technology Shares Decline"", ""Tech, Semiconductors Among Worst Performers As Sell-Off Continues"", ""Tech, Semiconductors Among Worst Performers As Sell-Off Continues"", ""Infosys Jumps On Upbeat Earnings; Microchip Technology Shares Decline"", ""NASDAQ Slides 1.2%; Manitowoc Shares Dip Following Cautious Outlook"", ""Markets Mixed; Fastenal Earnings Meet Estimates"", ""UPDATE: Fastenal Posts In-Line Q3 Profit"", ""Fastenal Company Reports Q3 EPS of $0.45, Inline; Revenue of $980.80M vs $980.10M Est"", ""Earning, Economic and IPO Calendar for Friday October 10, 2014"", ""Earnings Scheduled For October 10, 2014"", ""Stocks To Watch For October 10, 2014"", ""Fastenal meets Q3 estimates"", ""Fastenal Earnings Meet, Sales Beat Estimates; Margins Soft - Analyst Blog"", ""Industry Supplier Fastenal Sales Pace Slowed In Sept."", ""Markets Mixed; Fastenal Earnings Meet Estimates Following the market opening Friday, the Dow traded up 0.26 percent to 16,703.21 while the NASDAQ tumbled 0.41 percent to 4,360.25. The S&P also rose, gaining 0.13 percent to 1,930.72. Leading and Lagging Sectors Non-cyclical consumer goods & services shares gained 0.73 percent on Friday. Top gainers in the sector included Synutra International (NASDAQ: SYUT ), up 5.9 percent, and The Pantry (NASDAQ: PTRY ), up 3.3 percent. In trading on Friday, energy shares were relative laggards, down on the day by about 0.62 percent. Top losers in the sector included SM Energy Company (NYSE: SM ), down 7.3 percent, and Vanguard Natural Resources, LLC (NYSE: VNR ), off 5.4 percent. Top Headline Fastenal Co (NASDAQ: FAST ) reported in-line earnings for the third quarter. The Winona, Minnesota-based company posted quarterly net income of $133.3 million, or $0.45 per share, up from $119.4 million, or $0.40 per share, in the year-ago period. Its revenue rose 14.3% to $980.8 million from $858.4 million. However, analysts were expecting earnings of $0.45 per share on revenue of $980.1 million. Equities Trading UP Exact Sciences (NASDAQ: EXAS ) shares shot up 46.63 percent to $26.57 following the company's announcement that its stool DNA test to detect colorectal cancer has been approved for coverage by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Shares of Infosys (NYSE: INFY ) got a boost, shooting up 5.36 percent to $62.60 after the company reported better-than-expected Q2 earnings. Isis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: ISIS ) shares were also up, gaining 5.18 percent to $39.18 after the company reported encouraging data from ISIS-SMN Rx Phase 2 studies in infants and children with SMA at World Muscle Society. Equities Trading DOWN Shares of Knowles (NYSE: KN ) were down 21.81 percent to $18.93 after the company lowered its Q3 forecast. The Manitowoc Company (NYSE: MTW ) shares tumbled 11.98 percent to $18.95 following cautious guidance. BMO Capital downgraded Manitowoc from Market Perform to Underperform and lowered the price target from $28.00 to $24.00. Microchip Technology (NASDAQ: MCHP ) was down, falling 10.17 percent to $40.91 after the company lowered its sales forecast for the second quarter. Commodities In commodity news, oil traded down 3.55 percent to $84.21, while gold traded up 1.42 percent to $1,223.10. Silver traded up 1.59 percent Friday to $17.34, while copper fell 0.25 percent to $3.00. Eurozone European shares were mostly lower today. The eurozone's STOXX 600 dropped 1.32 percent, the Spanish Ibex Index fell 0.77 percent, while Italy's FTSE MIB Index declined 1.05 percent. Meanwhile, the German DAX slipped 1.97 percent and the French CAC 40 fell 1.35 percent while UK shares fell 1.14 percent. Economics US import price index dropped 0.5% in September, versus economists' expectations for a 0.7% decline. US export price index dropped 0.2% in September. \u00a9 2014 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Free Trading Education - Check out the free events taking place on Marketfy this week. Spaces are limited. Sign up today. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Infosys Jumps On Upbeat Earnings; Microchip Technology Shares Decline Toward the end of trading Friday, the Dow traded down 0.10 percent to 16,642.17 while the NASDAQ tumbled 1.33 percent to 4,319.94. The S&P also fell, dropping 0.34 percent to 1,921.68. Leading and Lagging Sectors Non-cyclical consumer goods & services shares gained 0.71 percent on Friday. Top gainers in the sector included Synutra International (NASDAQ: SYUT ), up 6.2 percent, and Cadiz (NASDAQ: CDZI ), up 6.8 percent. In trading on Friday, technology shares were relative laggards, down on the day by about 1.82 percent. Top losers in the sector included Procera Networks (NASDAQ: PKT ), down 32.2 percent, and Spansion (NASDAQ: CODE ), off 12.1 percent. Top Headline Fastenal Co (NASDAQ: FAST ) reported in-line earnings for the third quarter. The Winona, Minnesota-based company posted quarterly net income of $133.3 million, or $0.45 per share, up from $119.4 million, or $0.40 per share, in the year-ago period. Its revenue rose 14.3% to $980.8 million from $858.4 million. However, analysts were expecting earnings of $0.45 per share on revenue of $980.1 million. Equities Trading UP Exact Sciences (NASDAQ: EXAS ) shares shot up 37.42 percent to $24.90 following the company's announcement that its stool DNA test to detect colorectal cancer has been approved for coverage by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Shares of Infosys (NYSE: INFY ) got a boost, shooting up 6.08 percent to $63.02 after the company reported better-than-expected Q2 earnings. Synutra International (NASDAQ: SYUT ) shares were also up, gaining 6.29 percent to $4.69 after the company announced preliminary second quarter financial results. Equities Trading DOWN Shares of Knowles (NYSE: KN ) were down 3.66 percent to $23.33 after the company lowered its Q3 forecast. The Manitowoc Company (NYSE: MTW ) shares tumbled 12.42 percent to $18.86 following cautious guidance. BMO Capital downgraded Manitowoc from Market Perform to Underperform and lowered the price target from $28.00 to $24.00. Microchip Technology (NASDAQ: MCHP ) was down, falling 10.58 percent to $40.72 after the company lowered its sales forecast for the second quarter. Commodities In commodity news, oil traded up 0.34 percent to $86.06, while gold traded down 0.24 percent to $1,222.40. Silver traded down 0.48 percent Friday to $17.34, while copper rose 0.38 percent to $3.04. Eurozone European shares were lower today. The eurozone's STOXX 600 dropped 1.55 percent, the Spanish Ibex Index fell 1.20 percent, while Italy's FTSE MIB Index declined 0.94 percent. Meanwhile, the German DAX slipped 2.40 percent and the French CAC 40 fell 1.64 percent while UK shares fell 1.43 percent. Economics US import price index dropped 0.5% in September, versus economists' expectations for a 0.7% decline. US export price index dropped 0.2% in September. \u00a9 2014 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Free Trading Education - Check out the free events taking place on Marketfy this week. Spaces are limited. Sign up today. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Daily Dividend Report: AEE, PLL, RPM, FAST, VMC, LNT, SKT, KBH Ameren Corporation ( AEE ) declared a quarterly cash dividend on its common stock of 41 cents per share, a 2.5 percent increase from the prior quarterly cash dividend of 40 cents per share, resulting in an annualized equivalent dividend rate of $1.64 per share. The previous annualized equivalent dividend rate was $1.60 per share. Pall Corporation ( PLL ) declared a nearly 11 percent increase in the company's quarterly dividend from the current rate of $0.275 to $0.305 per share. RPM International ( RPM ) declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of $0.26 per share, payable on October 31, 2014, to stockholders of record as of October 20, 2014. This payment represents an 8.3 percent increase over the $0.24 quarterly cash dividend paid at this time last year. The Fastenal Company ( FAST ) declared a dividend of $0.25 per share to be paid in cash on November 21, 2014 to shareholders of record at the close of business on October 24, 2014. Vulcan Materials Company ( VMC ) declared a quarterly dividend of six cents per share on its common stock payable December 10, 2014, to shareholders of record November 26, 2014. Alliant Energy (LNT) announced a quarterly common stock dividend of $0.51 per share payable on November 14, 2014, to shareowners of record on close of business October 31, 2014. Tanger Factory Outlet Centers (SKT) declared a quarterly dividend of $0.24 per share for the third quarter ending September 30, 2014. A cash dividend of $0.24 per share will be payable on November 14, 2014 to holders of record on October 30, 2014. And, KB Home (KBH) has declared a quarterly cash dividend of $.025 per share on the Company's common stock, payable on November 20, 2014 to stockholders of record on November 6, 2014. VIDEO: Daily Dividend Report: AEE, PLL, RPM, FAST, VMC, LNT, SKT, KBH The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Earnings Meet, Sales Beat Estimates; Margins Soft - Analyst Blog Fastenal Company's ( FAST ) adjusted earnings of 45 cents per share in the third quarter of 2014 were in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Earnings grew 12.5% year over year as strong top-line performance was offset by weak gross margins. Fastenal Company - Earnings Surprise | FindTheBest Based in Winona, MN, Fastenal reported net sales of $980.8 million in the third quarter, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $979 million by 0.2%. Net sales were up 14.3% year over year, owing to higher sales volume. Net sales were driven by higher prices of non-fastener products, partially offset by lower prices of fastener products. Quarter Details Fastenal's total average daily sales growth rate in the reported quarter was 14.3%, up from 5.3% in the prior-year quarter, owing to increase in sales volume. However, foreign exchange dragged third-quarter daily sales growth rate by 0.3%. Daily sales growth was 14.7% in July, 15.0% in August and 12.9% in September, much higher than a respective 2.9%, 7.2% and 5.7% in the corresponding prior-year months. After struggling for several quarters, Fastenal's top line turned around in the first quarter of 2014 and continued into the second and the third quarters. End-market slowdown and broader economic uncertainty were lowering fastener sales which, in turn, weighed down Fastenal's top line. In order to accelerate sales growth, Fastenal took the strategic decision to increase sales personnel at the stores which largely aided sales this year. Importantly, easy comparisons from a relatively weaker 2013 also boosted sales growth rates in 2014. Moreover, vending trends have improved in all the three quarters of 2014 and the construction business is showing signs of improvement. Daily sales to manufacturing customers (representing almost 50% of revenues) grew 13.7% in the third quarter, higher than 4.7% in the prior-year quarter. Daily sales growth rates to manufacturing customers improved as fasteners as well as non-fastener sales improved in the quarter. The daily sales growth rates of fastener products (used mainly for industrial production and accounting for over 40% of the company's business) were 9.9% in the quarter, better than 1.0% in the prior-year quarter due to easier comparisons. Sales to customers engaged in light and medium-duty manufacturing are improving. The heavy manufacturing business (approximately one-fifth of the company's business) which suffered in 2013, consistently improved through the past three quarters of 2014. Non-fastener product sales (used mainly for maintenance) increased 17.6% in the third quarter of 2014, up from 8.9% in the prior-year quarter and 17.1% in the last quarter. The non-fastener business picked up due to improvement in the industrial vending business. In the non-residential construction market, daily sales to non-residential construction customers (representing 20% to 25% of revenues) grew 9.3% in the third quarter of 2014, up from 3.9% in the prior-year quarter and 7.5% in the previous quarter due to improvement in construction trends. Vending Trends Continue to Improve As of Sep 30, 2014, the company operated 45,596 vending machines (irrespective of the type of machine), up 4.2% sequentially and 16.4% year over year. During the quarter, the company signed 4,072 machine contracts, down 1.6% sequentially. Daily sales growth to customers using vending machines was 21.9% in the third quarter, up from 20.9% in the second quarter and 15.2% in the prior-year quarter. The vending machines now account for 37.8% of the company's sales, higher than 37.0% last quarter. Vending trends have been improving through 2014 after remaining soft in 2013 as management's recent effort to improve the quality of signings/installs seems to be working. Margins In the third quarter, gross margin declined 90 basis points (bps) year over year to 50.8% due to an unfavorable product mix (lower sales in higher margin fastener products) and focus on improving average store sales. Gross margins remained flat sequentially and missed the company's long-term guidance range 51%-53% as its focus shifted toward improving revenues. Management warned that near-term gross margins could remain at the lower end of the long-term range or even below, due to the company's emphasis on improving sales. 2014 Outlook Fastenal expects to open 25-30 stores in total in 2014 at a rate of 1%, compared to the prior expectation of 30-40 stores at a rate of approximately 1-2%. The company apprehends gross profit to be soft in the upcoming forth quarter on expectations of lower sales owing to the upcoming holiday season and the prevailing weakness in the construction business. Fastenal carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Investors interested in the same and related sector could also consider stocks like Armstrong World Industries, Inc. ( AWI ), The Home Depot, Inc. ( HD ) and Lowe's Companies Inc. ( LOW ), all of which have a similar Zacks Rank #2. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report HOME DEPOT (HD): Free Stock Analysis Report LOWES COS (LOW): Free Stock Analysis Report ARMSTRONG WORLD (AWI): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""NASDAQ Slides 1.2%; Manitowoc Shares Dip Following Cautious Outlook Midway through trading Friday, the Dow traded down 0.14 percent to 16,635.52 while the NASDAQ tumbled 1.20 percent to 4,325.86. The S&P also fell, dropping 0.49 percent to 1,918.68. Leading and Lagging Sectors Non-cyclical consumer goods & services shares gained 0.52 percent on Friday. Top gainers in the sector included Synutra International (NASDAQ: SYUT ), up 4 percent, and The Pantry (NASDAQ: PTRY ), up 3.9 percent. In trading on Friday, energy shares were relative laggards, down on the day by about 1.98 percent. Top losers in the sector included SM Energy Company (NYSE: SM ), down 9.8 percent, and Vanguard Natural Resources, LLC (NYSE: VNR ), off 10 percent. Top Headline Fastenal Co (NASDAQ: FAST ) reported in-line earnings for the third quarter. The Winona, Minnesota-based company posted quarterly net income of $133.3 million, or $0.45 per share, up from $119.4 million, or $0.40 per share, in the year-ago period. Its revenue rose 14.3% to $980.8 million from $858.4 million. However, analysts were expecting earnings of $0.45 per share on revenue of $980.1 million. Equities Trading UP Exact Sciences (NASDAQ: EXAS ) shares shot up 36.51 percent to $24.74 following the company's announcement that its stool DNA test to detect colorectal cancer has been approved for coverage by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Shares of Infosys (NYSE: INFY ) got a boost, shooting up 5.57 percent to $62.72 after the company reported better-than-expected Q2 earnings. Synutra International (NASDAQ: SYUT ) shares were also up, gaining 4.08 percent to $4.59 after the company announced preliminary second quarter financial results. Equities Trading DOWN Shares of Knowles (NYSE: KN ) were down 16.03 percent to $20.33 after the company lowered its Q3 forecast. The Manitowoc Company (NYSE: MTW ) shares tumbled 17.65 percent to $17.73 following cautious guidance. BMO Capital downgraded Manitowoc from Market Perform to Underperform and lowered the price target from $28.00 to $24.00. Microchip Technology (NASDAQ: MCHP ) was down, falling 12.80 percent to $39.71 after the company lowered its sales forecast for the second quarter. Commodities In commodity news, oil traded down 0.91 percent to $84.99, while gold traded down 0.27 percent to $1,222.00. Silver traded down 0.51 percent Friday to $17.33, while copper fell 0.66 percent to $3.01. Eurozone European shares were lower today. The eurozone's STOXX 600 dropped 1.35 percent, the Spanish Ibex Index fell 0.96 percent, while Italy's FTSE MIB Index declined 0.59 percent. Meanwhile, the German DAX slipped 2.11 percent and the French CAC 40 fell 1.50 percent while UK shares fell 1.28 percent. Economics US import price index dropped 0.5% in September, versus economists' expectations for a 0.7% decline. US export price index dropped 0.2% in September. \u00a9 2014 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Free Trading Education - Check out the free events taking place on Marketfy this week. Spaces are limited. Sign up today. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Tech, Semiconductors Among Worst Performers As Sell-Off Continues"", ""Infosys Jumps On Upbeat Earnings; Microchip Technology Shares Decline"", ""NASDAQ Slides 1.2%; Manitowoc Shares Dip Following Cautious Outlook"", ""Markets Mixed; Fastenal Earnings Meet Estimates"", ""UPDATE: Fastenal Posts In-Line Q3 Profit"", ""Fastenal Company Reports Q3 EPS of $0.45, Inline; Revenue of $980.80M vs $980.10M Est"", ""Earning, Economic and IPO Calendar for Friday October 10, 2014"", ""Earnings Scheduled For October 10, 2014"", ""Stocks To Watch For October 10, 2014"", ""Fastenal meets Q3 estimates"", ""Fastenal Earnings Meet, Sales Beat Estimates; Margins Soft - Analyst Blog"", ""Industry Supplier Fastenal Sales Pace Slowed In Sept."", ""Tesla falls after \u2018D\u2019 unveiling; Microchip sinks Juniper and Procera both sink on warnings over results The stocks that are moving on Friday include Tesla, Microchip, Juniper, and Procera"", ""Darkest moment for stocks coming up? And beer and weed, a beautiful thing Critical intelligence before the U.S. market opens Stocks are headed for their worst string of weekly losses since January, but is the worst yet to come? Some say there are reasons to hang in there. And booze, it\u2019s in for good times with pot.""]"
FAST,2014-10-13,17.0218,17.0218,16.4512,16.4947,"[""KB Home Dips to 52-Week Low on Disappointing 3Q Results - Analyst Blog"", ""Margin Pressures Drag Fastenal (FAST) to a 52-Week Low - Analyst Blog"", ""Margin Pressures Drag Fastenal (FAST) to a 52-Week Low - Analyst Blog"", ""KB Home Dips to 52-Week Low on Disappointing 3Q Results - Analyst Blog"", ""KB Home Dips to 52-Week Low on Disappointing 3Q Results - Analyst Blog On Oct 10, 2014, shares of KB Home ( KBH ) dropped to a 52-week low of $14.06 and eventually closed at $14.08 with a negative year-to-date return of 22%. What Led to the Drop? The share price of KB Home has declined 12.4% since the homebuilding company reported disappointing third-quarter 2014 results on Sep 24. The company missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate for both revenues and earnings by a significant margin. KB Home's adjusted earnings of 28 cents per share in the third quarter of fiscal 2014 declined 6.7% from the year-ago earnings of 30 cents per share. Earnings were hurt by higher selling, general and administrative expense ratio, weaker orders and impairment charge for planned future land sale. Though total revenue of $589.2 million in the third quarter increased 7% from the year-ago quarter on the back of increased pricing, it was hurt by an unexpected decline in the number of homes delivered and weak volumes/orders. The number of homes delivered in the third quarter of fiscal 2014 decreased 1.8% from the year-ago quarter, as deliveries were deferred to the fourth quarter owing to delays in construction and customer mortgage loan closings. Home deliveries were also delayed due to the impact of the transition from the company's preferred mortgage relationship to a joint venture relationship (Home Community Mortgage) with Nationstar. KB Home's number of homes closed has been declining for the past few quarters. A shortage in buildable lots and skilled labor is limiting the production of homes, thereby lowering its supply and resulting in unmet demand. Though order trends improved year over year, it declined about 20% sequentially. KB Home carries Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Other Stock to Consider Better-ranked stocks in the building and related sector include Hovnanian Enterprises Inc. ( HOV ), Fastenal Company ( FAST ) and The Home Depot, Inc. ( HD ), each carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report KB HOME (KBH): Free Stock Analysis Report HOME DEPOT (HD): Free Stock Analysis Report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report HOVNANIAN ENTRP (HOV): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Margin Pressures Drag Fastenal (FAST) to a 52-Week Low - Analyst Blog"", ""KB Home Dips to 52-Week Low on Disappointing 3Q Results - Analyst Blog""]"
FAST,2014-10-14,16.477,16.7514,16.3733,16.4325,"[""Boise Cascade Upgraded to Strong Buy on Higher Demand - Analyst Blog"", ""KB Home Offers homes in Windfield Community in Texas - Analyst Blog"", ""KB Home Offers homes in Windfield Community in Texas - Analyst Blog"", ""Boise Cascade Upgraded to Strong Buy on Higher Demand - Analyst Blog"", ""KB Home Offers homes in Windfield Community in Texas - Analyst Blog A leading U.S. homebuilding company, KB Home ( KBH ), recently announced new homes on sale in a community called Windfield in Converse, TX. Windfield community will accommodate 115 single families in the community. The new homes will be based on KB Home's renowned Sterling collection, where the buyers are given the option to choose from thirteen one- and two- storied floor plans. The homes on offer flaunt up to six bedrooms along with three-and-a-half baths and two-car garages. The houses will also comprise open kitchens, flexible loft spaces, and spacious master bedrooms. Also, the residents will enjoy easy access to Fort Sam Houston, Randolph Air Force Base and Brooke Army Medical Center, reputed schools and employment areas. Owing to its operational business model KBnxt, KB Home begins construction only after a purchase agreement is executed. Therefore, buyers have the liberty to plan their homes according to their preferences. They also have the option to choose from various floor plans, lot locations, decors, technology and other components. The residences will offer Energy Star certified appliances which will help save on utility bills. Further, the homes will incorporate energy saving technology, which includes thermostat, high performance windows and insulation, and radiant barrier roofing. KB Home already enjoys a strong presence in San Antonio, Texas and sells homes across 25 communities in the area. The introduction of the new community is in line with the company's strategy of increasing community count by 15% in fiscal 2014. KB Home presently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Other Stock to Consider Better-ranked stocks in the building and related sector include Hovnanian Enterprises Inc. ( HOV ), Fastenal Co. ( FAST ) and The Home Depot, Inc. ( HD ), each carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report KB HOME (KBH): Free Stock Analysis Report HOME DEPOT (HD): Free Stock Analysis Report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report HOVNANIAN ENTRP (HOV): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Boise Cascade Upgraded to Strong Buy on Higher Demand - Analyst Blog Zacks Investment Research upgraded Boise Cascade Company ( BCC ) to a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) on Oct 14, 2014. Going by the Zacks model, companies holding a Zacks Rank #1 have strong chances of performing better than the broader market. Why the Upgrade? Boise Cascade Company is highly dependent on the U.S. housing market. The company, capitalizing on the improved operating conditions experienced in second-quarter 2014, reported solid results on Jul 24. Earnings came in at 67 cents per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 44 cents. With housing and remodeling activities regaining momentum in the second quarter, Boise Cascade's products enjoyed a strong demand. Total and single-family housing starts were up 12% and 4% respectively. The company's sales volume increased, leading to a 13% year over year rise in revenues. Better-than-expected results as well as a positive average earnings surprise of 4.10% have made us optimistic about Boise Cascade's performance in the quarters ahead. Over the last 60 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate on the stock has climbed 2.2% to $1.84 for 2014 and 0.4% to $2.25 for 2015. These estimates represent year-over-year growth of 53.6% and 22.2% respectively. Also, earnings are expected to grow by 7.5% over the next five years. Other Stocks to Consider Boise Cascade Company presently has a $1.1 billion market capitalization. Other stocks worth considering in the building products industry include Weyerhaeuser Co. ( WY ), Potlatch Corp. ( PCH ) and Fastenal Co. ( FAST ). While Weyerhaeuser Company sports a Zacks Rank #1, both Potlatch Corporation and Fastenal Company carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report BOISE CASCADE (BCC): Free Stock Analysis Report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report WEYERHAEUSER CO (WY): Free Stock Analysis Report POTLATCH CORP (PCH): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""KB Home Offers homes in Windfield Community in Texas - Analyst Blog"", ""Boise Cascade Upgraded to Strong Buy on Higher Demand - Analyst Blog""]"
FAST,2014-10-15,16.2173,16.5016,16.0643,16.3832,
FAST,2014-10-16,16.0851,16.4858,16.0801,16.3052,
FAST,2014-10-17,16.4444,16.5124,16.1808,16.4306,
FAST,2014-10-20,16.3398,16.6004,16.3398,16.551,
FAST,2014-10-21,16.7,17.0445,16.5766,17.0297,"Fastenal Company (FAST) Ex-Dividend Date Scheduled for October 22, 2014 Fastenal Company ( FAST ) will begin trading ex-dividend on October 22, 2014. A cash dividend payment of $0.25 per share is scheduled to be paid on November 21, 2014. Shareholders who purchased FAST stock prior to the ex-dividend date are eligible for the cash dividend payment. This marks the 6th quarter that FAST has paid the same dividend. At the current stock price of $41.4, the dividend yield is 2.42%. The previous trading day's last sale of FAST was $41.4, representing a -20.7% decrease from the 52 week high of $52.21 and a 3.04% increase over the 52 week low of $40.18. FAST is a part of the Consumer Services sector, which includes companies such as Home Depot, Inc. ( HD ) and Lowe's Companies, Inc. ( LOW ). FAST's current earnings per share, an indicator of a company's profitability, is $1.6. Zacks Investment Research reports FAST's forecasted earnings growth in 2014 as 10%, compared to an industry average of 8.9%. For more information on the declaration, record and payment dates, visit the FAST Dividend History page. Our Dividend Calendar has the full list of stocks that have an ex-dividend today. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2014-10-22,17.082,17.1047,16.6882,16.6902,
FAST,2014-10-23,16.926,17.1412,16.926,16.9813,
FAST,2014-10-24,17.0465,17.1757,16.9102,17.1629,"[""Top 4 NASDAQ Stocks In The Industrial Equipment Wholesale Industry With The Highest Operating Margin"", ""Top 4 NASDAQ Stocks In The Industrial Equipment Wholesale Industry With The Highest Operating Margin"", ""Top 4 NASDAQ Stocks In The Industrial Equipment Wholesale Industry With The Highest Operating Margin""]"
FAST,2014-10-27,17.0721,17.1323,16.929,17.1087,
FAST,2014-10-28,17.1718,17.4571,17.0623,17.4551,
FAST,2014-10-29,17.4333,17.4501,17.1412,17.2971,
FAST,2014-10-30,17.2389,17.4285,17.1669,17.3801,
FAST,2014-10-31,17.615,17.7502,17.5597,17.7127,
FAST,2014-11-03,17.692,17.7759,17.6249,17.6989,
FAST,2014-11-04,17.6673,17.8499,17.6347,17.7828,
FAST,2014-11-05,18.1026,18.1776,17.7799,17.8716,
FAST,2014-11-06,17.9338,18.1105,17.8795,18.0622,"[""Fastenal Sales Up, Margins Soft: Should You Invest? - Analyst Blog"", ""Fastenal Sales Up, Margins Soft: Should You Invest? - Analyst Blog"", ""Fastenal Sales Up, Margins Soft: Should You Invest? - Analyst Blog On Nov 5, we issued an updated research report on Fastenal Company ( FAST ). On Oct 10, Fastenal reported third-quarter 2014 results wherein earnings of 45 cents per share came in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate. However, earnings grew 12.5% year over year as a strong top-line performance was partially offset by weak margins. Sales beat the consensus mark and improved 14.3% year over year. After struggling for several quarters, Fastenal's top line turned around in the first quarter of 2014 and maintained the momentum into the second and third quarters. End-market slowdown and broader economic uncertainty were lowering fastener sales which, in turn, weighed down Fastenal's top line. In order to accelerate sales growth, Fastenal took the strategic decision to increase sales personnel at its stores which largely boosted sales during the year. Importantly, easy comparisons from a relatively weaker 2013 also contributed to the sales growth rates in 2014. In fact, fasteners recovered slightly in 2014 after struggling in 2013. Moreover, vending trends improved in all the quarters of 2014 and the construction business is showing signs of improvement. However, Fastenal's margins are contracting as management's focus shifts away to top-line improvement. An unfavorable product mix, pricing and competitive pressures are hurting gross margins. In fact, management lowered its long-term gross margin expectation following the third-quarter results. Moreover, management has been slowing down store growth to increase headcount to drive near-term sales. Such initiatives increase employee costs. Higher store headcount and field leadership as well as higher investments behind vending are increasing operating costs, thus dragging pre-tax margins. Fastenal's employee-related costs shot up to 11% of sales in the first nine months of 2014 compared with 4.7% in the comparable period last year. The accelerated hiring pace will continue through the rest of the year, which could further pressure margins. At the third-quarter conference call, management announced its plans to increase labor at the stores at a rate of about 10% more hours which translates to about 5% or 6% higher labor cost plus commissions. Despite the top-line improvement, the margin pressures keep us concerned. Other Stocks to Consider Fastenal carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Other stocks in the building sector worth considering are Trex Co. Inc. ( TREX ), Hovnanian Enterprises Inc. ( HOV ) and NVR, Inc. ( NVR ). While Hovnanian Enterprises sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), Trex and NVR carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report HOVNANIAN ENTRP (HOV): Free Stock Analysis Report NVR INC (NVR): Free Stock Analysis Report TREX COMPANY (TREX): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Sales Up, Margins Soft: Should You Invest? - Analyst Blog""]"
FAST,2014-11-07,17.9921,18.0187,17.6387,17.9091,"[""Fastenal Company Announces Resignation Of CEO"", ""Fastenal Company Announces Resignation of CEO Willard D. Oberton; Leland J. Hein, Jr. Elected CEO Effective January 1, 2015"", ""Fastenal Company Announces Resignation Of CEO"", ""Fastenal Company Announces Resignation of CEO Willard D. Oberton; Leland J. Hein, Jr. Elected CEO Effective January 1, 2015"", ""Fastenal Company Announces Resignation Of CEO"", ""Fastenal Company Announces Resignation of CEO Willard D. Oberton; Leland J. Hein, Jr. Elected CEO Effective January 1, 2015""]"
FAST,2014-11-10,17.9378,17.9378,17.7956,17.8697,
FAST,2014-11-11,17.7206,17.9338,17.6989,17.8667,
FAST,2014-11-12,17.7799,18.0217,17.7502,17.9565,
FAST,2014-11-13,17.9822,18.0098,17.6791,17.8282,
FAST,2014-11-14,17.8667,18.0532,17.6624,18.0158,"[""Time Arbitrage and Financial Strength"", ""Time Arbitrage and Financial Strength"", ""Time Arbitrage and Financial Strength""]"
FAST,2014-11-17,17.9664,17.996,17.8085,17.8549,
FAST,2014-11-18,17.8549,18.0532,17.7828,17.8371,
FAST,2014-11-19,17.8371,17.996,17.7403,17.9703,
FAST,2014-11-20,17.8371,18.1579,17.8331,18.1184,
FAST,2014-11-21,18.3414,18.3414,18.0977,18.1816,
FAST,2014-11-24,18.2092,18.297,18.1292,18.1924,
FAST,2014-11-25,18.1421,18.3138,18.0158,18.228,
FAST,2014-11-26,18.2092,18.2586,18.1144,18.1964,
FAST,2014-11-28,18.1746,18.2635,18.0493,18.1786,
FAST,2014-12-01,18.1707,18.1746,17.8598,17.8627,
FAST,2014-12-02,17.7759,18.0414,17.7641,18.0365,"Fastenal Takes Over #319 Spot From Chesapeake Energy In the latest look at the underlying components of the S&P 500 ordered by largest market capitalization, Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) has taken over the #319 spot from Chesapeake Energy Corp. (Symbol: CHK), according to The Online Investor . Market capitalization is an important data point for investors to keep an eye on, for various reasons. The most basic reason is that it gives a true comparison of the value attributed by the stock market to a given company's stock. Many beginning investors look at one stock trading at $10 and another trading at $20 and mistakenly think the latter company is worth twice as much - that of course is a completely meaningless comparison without knowing how many shares of each company exist. But comparing market capitalization (factoring in those share counts) creates a true ""apples-to-apples"" comparison of the value of two stocks. In the case of Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST), the market cap is now $13.30 billion, versus Chesapeake Energy Corp. (Symbol: CHK) at $13.20 billion. Below is a chart of Fastenal Co. versus Chesapeake Energy Corp. plotting their respective size rank within the S&P 500 over time (FAST plotted in blue; CHK plotted in green): Below is a three month price history chart comparing the stock performance of FAST vs. CHK: Another reason market capitalization is important is where it places a company in terms of its size tier in relation to peers - much like the way a mid-size sedan is typically compared to other mid-size sedans (and not SUV's). This can have a direct impact on which mutual funds and ETFs are willing to own the stock. For instance, a mutual fund that is focused solely on Large Cap stocks may for example only be interested in those companies sized $10 billion or larger. Another illustrative example is the S&P MidCap index which essentially takes the S&P 500 index and ""tosses out"" the biggest 100 companies so as to focus solely on the 400 smaller ""up-and-comers"" (which in the right environment can outperform their larger rivals). So a company's market cap, especially in relation to other companies, carries great importance, and for this reason we at The Online Investor find value to putting together these rankings daily. According to the ETF Finder at ETF Channel, FAST and CHK collectively make up 1.70% of the Guggenheim Insider Sentiment ETF ( NFO ) which is higher by about 0.5% on the day Tuesday. At the closing bell, FAST is up about 1%, while CHK is off about 1.1% on the day Tuesday. The 20 Largest U.S. Companies By Market Capitalization » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2014-12-03,18.1026,18.612,18.1026,18.604,"[""Fastenal November Sales Increased 9.6% To $286.3M"", ""Fastenal November Sales Increased 9.6% To $286.3M"", ""Nasdaq 100 Movers: DISH, FAST In early trading on Wednesday, shares of Fastenal ( FAST ) topped the list of the day's best performing components of the Nasdaq 100 index, trading up 2.7%. Year to date, Fastenal has lost about 3.0% of its value. And the worst performing Nasdaq 100 component thus far on the day is Dish Network ( DISH ), trading down 2.5%. Dish Network is showing a gain of 26.7% looking at the year to date performance. Two other components making moves today are Amazon.com ( AMZN ), trading down 2.0%, and PACCAR ( PCAR ), trading up 2.7% on the day. VIDEO: Nasdaq 100 Movers: DISH, FAST The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal November Sales Increased 9.6% To $286.3M""]"
FAST,2014-12-04,18.5922,18.7936,18.4994,18.759,
FAST,2014-12-05,18.8291,19.0423,18.7491,19.0048,
FAST,2014-12-08,18.9041,19.0847,18.5034,18.7491,"[""Top 4 NASDAQ Stocks In The Industrial Equipment Wholesale Industry With The Highest Profit Margin"", ""Top 4 NASDAQ Stocks In The Industrial Equipment Wholesale Industry With The Highest Profit Margin"", ""Top 4 NASDAQ Stocks In The Industrial Equipment Wholesale Industry With The Highest Profit Margin""]"
FAST,2014-12-09,18.5704,18.7383,18.4294,18.7284,
FAST,2014-12-10,18.5547,18.6879,18.4412,18.5162,
FAST,2014-12-11,18.9159,18.9159,18.612,18.6771,
FAST,2014-12-12,18.9219,18.9219,18.304,18.3238,"[""Stifel Nicolaus Initiates Coverage on Fastenal Company at Buy, Announces $56.00 PT"", ""Stifel Nicolaus Initiates Fastenal With Buy"", ""UPDATE: Stifel Initiates Coverage On Fastenal Company On Compelling Long-Term Growth Story"", ""Benzinga's Top Initiations"", ""Benzinga's Top Initiations"", ""UPDATE: Stifel Initiates Coverage On Fastenal Company On Compelling Long-Term Growth Story"", ""Stifel Nicolaus Initiates Fastenal With Buy"", ""Stifel Nicolaus Initiates Coverage on Fastenal Company at Buy, Announces $56.00 PT"", ""Benzinga's Top Initiations"", ""UPDATE: Stifel Initiates Coverage On Fastenal Company On Compelling Long-Term Growth Story"", ""Stifel Nicolaus Initiates Fastenal With Buy"", ""Stifel Nicolaus Initiates Coverage on Fastenal Company at Buy, Announces $56.00 PT""]"
FAST,2014-12-15,18.3514,18.4678,18.1382,18.1994,
FAST,2014-12-16,18.1618,18.5073,18.0868,18.1026,
FAST,2014-12-17,18.1292,18.307,17.8835,18.2506,
FAST,2014-12-18,18.5379,18.7353,18.2348,18.7353,
FAST,2014-12-19,18.7225,19.2505,18.7225,19.0275,
FAST,2014-12-22,19.0927,19.1883,18.9515,19.1825,
FAST,2014-12-23,19.3049,19.4075,19.1883,19.1913,
FAST,2014-12-24,19.3699,19.3699,19.2505,19.2535,
FAST,2014-12-26,19.3157,19.3739,19.2071,19.2249,
FAST,2014-12-29,19.2249,19.3996,19.2199,19.3887,"[""Revolution Lighting Reports Strategic Distribution Partnership with Fastenal"", ""Revolution Lighting Technologies Announces Strategic Distribution Partnership with Fastenal"", ""Revolution Lighting Technologies Announces Strategic Distribution Partnership with Fastenal"", ""Revolution Lighting Reports Strategic Distribution Partnership with Fastenal"", ""Closing Update: Stocks End Little Changed in Light Post-Holiday Trade; Dow Slips, Ending 7-Session Winning Streak Stocks finished little changed Monday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average snapping a seven-day advance following declines for Dow components IBM ( IBM ) and Microsoft ( MSFT ). The S&P 500 inched higher to notch another record close, overcoming an intra-holiday lull and cautious trade ahead of Greek elections and signs of a potential recession in Russia. Traders were reluctant to stake out large positions Monday ahead of Greek parliamentary elections triggered by the defeat of Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samara's choice for president. Anti-austerity party Syriza currently leads in opinion polls against Samara's New Democracy Party, with a platform calling for abandoning austerity measures and wiping out a large part of the country's debt, both of which could threaten its European Union membership. There also were more signs today the Russian economy continues to buckle under the pressure of economic sanctions and free-falling oil prices , with Russian gross domestic product contracting 0.5% last month for its first decline in five years. Economic data was very light as the final few days of 2014 kicked off with the Dallas Fed manufacturing index falling to 4.1 in December from November's 10.5 reading, exceeding the 1.0-point slide market experts had expected. The production index improved to a 15.8 reading this month from 6.0 in November. Commodities were mostly lower as the U.S. dollars extended its advance against most foreign currencies. Crude oil for February delivery settled $1.12 lower at $53.61 per barrel while front-month natural gas futures rose 18 cents to $3.19 per 1 million BTU. February gold dropped $13.60 to $1,181.70 per ounce. Here's where the U.S. markets stood at the end-of-day: Dow Jones Industrial Average down 15.48 (-0.09%) to 18,038.23 S&P 500 up 1.80 (+0.09%) to 2,090.57 Nasdaq Composite Index up 0.05 (+0.00%) to 4,806.91 GLOBAL SENTIMENT Hang Seng Index up 1.82% Shanghai China Composite Index up 0.33% FTSE 100 Index up 0.36% UPSIDE MOVERS (+) NEWT, Plans to pay $1.80 per share annual dividend in 2015. (+) LIVE, Reports 209% increase in annual revenue over prior year. (+) RVLT, Signs distribution pact with Fastenal ( FAST ) for its LED lighting systems. DOWNSIDE MOVERS (-) XGTI, Feltl & Co downgrade to Sell from Hold (-) AMBA, Cut to to Underperform from Hold at Needham & Co. (-) NBG, Shares retreat ahead of possible anti-austerity vote in Greece. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. Copyright (C) 2016 MTNewswires.com. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Midday Update: Rally Running out of Steam As Greece, Russia Spooks Bulls; Dow Turns Lower Stocks were cautiously higher Monday with today's gains vulnerable to profit-taking pressure as investors cast a nervous eye on political instability in Greece and lingering pressure on the Russia economy after disappointing economic data from the world's ninth largest economy. After closing higher for seven straight days, the Dow Jones Industrial Average has turned slightly lower this afternoon, trailing the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite index following declines for Dow components IBM ( IBM ) and Microsoft ( MSFT ). Economic data was very light as the final few days of 2014 kicked off with the Dallas Fed manufacturing index falling to 4.1 in December from November's 10.5 reading, exceeding the 1.0-point slide market experts had expected. The production index improved to a 15.8 reading this month from 6.0 in November. European markets were on the defensive overnight ahead of Greek parliamentary elections that not only could threaten the country's nascent economic recovery but also the integrity of the European Union. After Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samara's choice for president was defeated, the government now faces a snap election against anti-austerity party Syriza, which currently leads in opinion polls against Samara's New Democracy Party. Syriza's platform includes abandoning austerity measures and wiping out a large part of its nation debt, both of which could threaten its EU membership. Meanwhile, the Russian economy continues to buckle under the pressure of economic sanctions and free-falling oil prices . The Economy Ministry said Russian GDP contracted 0.5% last month for its first decline in five years and possibly a harbinger of an upcoming recession. The economic and geographical proximity of Russia to the European Union weighed on EU-zone equities overnight, spilling into pre-market trading in the U.S. Crude oil was up $0.06 to $54.79 per barrel. Natural gas was up $0.07 to $3.11 per 1 million BTU. Gold was down $13.80 to $1,182.90 an ounce, while silver was down $0.37 to $15.78 an ounce. Copper was up $0.01 to $2.82 per pound. Among energy ETFs, the United States Oil Fund was down 0.19% to $20.74 with the United States Natural Gas Fund was up 1.87% to $15.77. Amongst precious-metal funds, the Market Vectors Gold Miners ETF was down 1.35% to 17.97 while SPDR Gold Shares were down 1.12% to $113.54. The iShares Silver Trust was down 1.28% to $15.16. Here's where the U.S. markets stand at mid-day: NYSE Composite Index up 8.10 (+0.07%) to 10,993.50 Dow Jones Industrial Average down 1.35 (-0.01%) to 18,052.36 S&P 500 up 2.98 (+0.14%) to 2,091.75 Nasdaq Composite Index up 3.81 (+0.08%) to 4,810.67 GLOBAL SENTIMENT Nikkei 225 Index down 0.50% Hang Seng Index up 1.82% Shanghai China Composite Index up 0.33% FTSE 100 Index up 0.36% CAC 40 up 0.51% DAX up 0.05% NYSE SECTOR INDICES NYSE Energy Sector Index -0.03% NYSE Financial Sector Index +0.16% NYSE Healthcare Sector Index -0.06% UPSIDE MOVERS (+) NEWT (+10.37%) Plans to pay $1.80 annual dividend (+) LIVE (+26.86%) Reported 209% gain in annual revenue (+) RVLT (+25.01%) Signs distribution deal with Fastenal ( FAST ) DOWNSIDE MOVERS (-) XGTI (-15.94%) Downgraded at Feltl to Sell from Hold (-) AMBA (-3.48%) Downgraded to Underperform from Hold at Needham (-) NBG (-8.59%) Down in sympathy with Greek stocks on political instability The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. Copyright (C) 2016 MTNewswires.com. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Technology Sector Update for 12/29/2014: SQNS,VZ,RVLT,FAST,HSOL Top Tech Stocks MSFT -0.89% AAPL +0.27% IBM -1.11% CSCO +0.60% GOOG +0.08% Technology stocks were slightly lower Monday with shares of technology companies in the S&P 500 declining about 0.3%. In company news, Sequans Communications SA ( SQNS ) advanced after the French chip-maker said its LTE chipset is being used as part of the new Ellipsis Jetpack mobile hotspot available on Verizon ( VZ ) wireless 4G LTE wireless networks. The new mobile hotspot upgrade uses SQNS' Mont Blanc LTE platform and allows users to connect as many as eight Wi-Fi devices at a time to the larger network. VZ began selling the Ellipsis Jetpack today online. SQNS shares were up nearly 1% at $1.25 apiece this afternoon, backing down from a session high of $1.31 earlier today. The stock has traded within a 52-week range of $1.18 to $3.40 a share, sliding 38% over the past 12 months prior to today's rise. VZ was narrowly lower today at $47.74 a share, down 0.25%. In other sector news, (+) RVLT, (+31.9%) Launches strategic distribution partnership with Fastenal ( FAST ), which will make a variety of RVLT LED products available through its U.S. stores and distribution centers. (-) HSOL, (-7.0%) Files shareholder circular stating it anticipates shipping more than 600 megawatts of tariff-free modules to the U.S. during 2015. Also reports 177% revenue growth during first six months of 2014 compared with year-ago period. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. Copyright (C) 2016 MTNewswires.com. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Technology Sector Update for 12/29/2014: TRUE,RVLT,FAST,HSOL Top Tech Stocks MSFT -0.92% AAPL -0.02% IBM -1.11% CSCO +0.49% GOOG -0.67% Technology stocks were slightly lower today with shares of technology companies in the S&P 500 declining about 0.4%. In company news, shares of TrueCar Inc. ( TRUE ) fell Monday, with the online automobile information and price-comparison website today reporting a big jump in December car sales, supported by extended holiday promotional campaigns and mild weather throughout most of the country. Sales of new vehicles rose to a seasonally adjusted annualized 16.9 million units this month, TRUE reported, including a 5.3% increase in December sales on a daily basis compared with year-ago levels. Overall, sales of new light vehicles should reach more than 1.49 million units, up 9.5% over year-ago levels. TRUE shares were down over 4% at $22.90 each in late trade, earlier sinking to a session low of $22.80 a share. The stock has traded within a range of $9.05 to $25.00 a share since pricing its May 16 initial public offering of stock at $10 a share, rising almost 140% over that span prior to today's decline. In other sector news, (+) RVLT, Launches strategic distribution partnership with Fastenal ( FAST ), which will make a variety of RVLT LED products available through its U.S. stores and distribution centers. (-) HSOL, Files shareholder circular stating it anticipates shipping more than 600 megawatts of tariff-free modules to the U.S. during 2015. Also reports 177% revenue growth during first six months of 2014 compared with year-ago period. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. Copyright (C) 2016 MTNewswires.com. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Revolution Lighting Technologies Announces Strategic Distribution Partnership with Fastenal"", ""Revolution Lighting Reports Strategic Distribution Partnership with Fastenal""]"
FAST,2014-12-30,19.3887,19.4775,19.2683,19.3533,
FAST,2014-12-31,19.4489,19.4529,19.1123,19.1271,
FAST,2015-01-02,19.2467,19.4401,18.9307,19.063,
FAST,2015-01-05,18.9603,19.0077,18.6603,18.7373,"[""Fastenal to report Q4 results on Jan. 15"", ""Fastenal to report Q4 results on Jan. 15"", ""Fastenal Breaks Below 200-Day Moving Average - Notable for FAST In trading on Monday, shares of Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) crossed below their 200 day moving average of $46.74, changing hands as low as $46.59 per share. Fastenal Co. shares are currently trading off about 1.4% on the day. The chart below shows the one year performance of FAST shares, versus its 200 day moving average: Looking at the chart above, FAST's low point in its 52 week range is $40.18 per share, with $52.21 as the 52 week high point - that compares with a last trade of $46.73. According to the ETF Finder at ETF Channel, FAST makes up 1.61% of the First Trust NASDAQ-100 Ex-Technology Sector Index Fund ETF (Symbol: QQXT) which is trading lower by about 1.2% on the day Monday. Click here to find out which 9 other dividend stocks recently crossed below their 200 day moving average \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal to report Q4 results on Jan. 15""]"
FAST,2015-01-06,18.7738,18.7797,18.1786,18.4164,"[""Tracking The Sequoia Fund - Q3 2014"", ""Tracking The Sequoia Fund - Q3 2014"", ""Tracking The Sequoia Fund - Q3 2014""]"
FAST,2015-01-07,18.3938,18.5034,18.15,18.297,"[""W.W. Grainger, Inc. (GWW) Dividend Stock Analysis"", ""W.W. Grainger, Inc. (GWW) Dividend Stock Analysis"", ""W.W. Grainger, Inc. (GWW) Dividend Stock Analysis""]"
FAST,2015-01-08,18.4836,18.7185,18.4294,18.7106,
FAST,2015-01-09,18.6879,18.7373,18.4836,18.4944,"[""MSC Industrial Continues To Skid"", ""MSC Industrial Continues To Skid"", ""MSC Industrial Continues To Skid""]"
FAST,2015-01-12,18.454,18.6001,18.23,18.3652,"[""Will Fastenal (FAST) Beat Earnings in Q4 Amid Margin Pressures? - Analyst Blog"", ""Will Fastenal (FAST) Beat Earnings in Q4 Amid Margin Pressures? - Analyst Blog"", ""Will Fastenal (FAST) Beat Earnings in Q4 Amid Margin Pressures? - Analyst Blog Fastenal Company ( FAST ) is set to report fourth-quarter and full year 2014 results on Jan 15, before the market opens. Last quarter, Fastenal delivered in-line results as a strong top-line performance was offset by weaker margins. Let's see how things are shaping up for this announcement. Factors to Consider this Quarter After struggling for several quarters, Fastenal's top line turned around in the first quarter of 2014 and continued into the second and third quarters. End-market slowdown and broader economic uncertainty were lowering fastener sales which, in turn, weighed down Fastenal's top line. In order to accelerate sales growth, Fastenal took the strategic decision to increase sales personnel at its stores which largely boosted sales during the year. Importantly, easy comparisons from a relatively weaker 2013 also contributed to the sales growth rates in 2014. In fact, fasteners recovered slightly in 2014 after struggling in 2013. Moreover, vending trends improved in all the quarters of 2014 and the construction business is showing signs of improvement. The monthly sales data released for October and November (included in the fourth quarter) shows that the top-line improvement continues. Daily sales grew 14.6% in October and 15.3% in Nov. In fact, the industrial and construction supplies wholesale distributor has recorded eight consecutive months of double-digit growth in daily sales. However, Fastenal's margins are contracting as management's focus shifts away to top-line improvement. An unfavorable product mix, pricing and competitive pressures are hurting gross margins. In fact, management apprehends gross profit to be soft in the fourth quarter. The fourth quarter is seasonally the softest as sales slow down during the holiday months of November and December. Construction activity also softens during this time. The softer sales result in lower utilization of Fastenal's trucking network which can hurt gross margins. Moreover, management has been slowing down store growth to increase headcount to drive near-term sales. Such initiatives increase employee costs. Higher store headcount and field leadership as well as higher investments behind vending are increasing operating costs, thus dragging pre-tax margins. The accelerated hiring pace continued in the fourth quarter, which could further pressure margins. Despite the top-line improvement, the margin pressures keep us concerned. Earnings Whispers? Our proven model does not conclusively show that Fastenal is likely to beat earnings this quarter. That is because a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1, 2 or 3 for this to happen. That is not the case here, as you will see below. Zacks ESP: The Earnings ESP is 0.00%. Zacks Rank: Fastenal's Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) when combined with a 0.00% ESP makes surprise prediction difficult. We caution against stocks with Zacks Rank #4 and 5 (Sell-rated stocks) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions momentum. Other Stocks to Consider Here are some other companies in the building sector for investors to consider, that, according to our model have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter: PulteGroup, Inc.( PHM ), with Earnings ESP of +2.44% and a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Armstrong World Industries, Inc. ( AWI ),with Earnings ESP of +10.71% and a Zacks Rank #2. Owens Corning ( OC ), with Earnings ESP of +2.38% and a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report PULTE GROUP ONC (PHM): Free Stock Analysis Report ARMSTRONG WORLD (AWI): Free Stock Analysis Report OWENS CORNING (OC): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Will Fastenal (FAST) Beat Earnings in Q4 Amid Margin Pressures? - Analyst Blog""]"
FAST,2015-01-13,18.4944,18.9159,18.221,18.452,
FAST,2015-01-14,18.3198,18.4026,17.8499,18.07,"[""Notable earnings before Thursday's open"", ""Whisper Number Impact: What To Expect From Fastenal's Earnings"", ""Fastenal declares $0.28 dividend"", ""Fastenal Raises Qtr. Dividend from $0.25 to $0.28/Share"", ""Fastenal Raises Qtr. Dividend from $0.25 to $0.28/Share"", ""Fastenal declares $0.28 dividend"", ""Notable earnings before Thursday's open"", ""Whisper Number Impact: What To Expect From Fastenal's Earnings"", ""Pre-Market Earnings Report for January 15, 2015 : BAC, C, BLK, PPG, TSM, FAST, LEN, FRC, CBSH, HOMB, WNS The following companies are expected to report earnings prior to market open on 01/15/2015. Visit our Earnings Calendar for a full list of expected earnings releases. Bank of America Corporation ( BAC ) is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2014. The bank company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 13 analysts that follow the stock is $0.31. This value represents a 6.90% increase compared to the same quarter last year. BAC missed the consensus earnings per share in the 1st calendar quarter of 2014 by -200%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2014 Price to Earnings ratio for BAC is 39.17 vs. an industry ratio of 12.50, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Citigroup Inc. ( C ) is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2014. The bank company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 10 analysts that follow the stock is $0.09. This value represents a 88.16% decrease compared to the same quarter last year. C missed the consensus earnings per share in the 4th calendar quarter of 2013 by -19.15%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2014 Price to Earnings ratio for C is 22.74 vs. an industry ratio of 12.50, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. BlackRock, Inc. ( BLK ) is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2014. The finance/investment management company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 11 analysts that follow the stock is $4.71. This value represents a 4.27% decrease compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year BLK has beat the expectations every quarter. The highest one was in the 3rd calendar quarter where they beat the consensus by 11.56%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2014 Price to Earnings ratio for BLK is 18.08 vs. an industry ratio of 7.80, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. PPG Industries, Inc. ( PPG ) is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2014. The chemical company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 12 analysts that follow the stock is $1.97. This value represents a 8.84% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year PPG has beat the expectations every quarter. The highest one was in the 3rd calendar quarter where they beat the consensus by 2.17%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2014 Price to Earnings ratio for PPG is 23.64 vs. an industry ratio of 15.50, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd. ( TSM ) is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2014. The semi fab foundry company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 1 analyst that follows the stock is $0.49. This value represents a 68.97% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year TSM has met analyst expectations once and beat the expectations the other two quarters. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2014 Price to Earnings ratio for TSM is 12.91 vs. an industry ratio of 18.80. Fastenal Company ( FAST ) is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2014. The building company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 10 analysts that follow the stock is $0.40. This value represents a 21.21% increase compared to the same quarter last year. FAST missed the consensus earnings per share in the 4th calendar quarter of 2013 by -2.94%. The \""days to cover\"" for this stock exceeds 24 days. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2014 Price to Earnings ratio for FAST is 27.64 vs. an industry ratio of 26.30, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Lennar Corporation ( LEN ) is reporting for the quarter ending November 30, 2014. The building (residential/commercial) company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 11 analysts that follow the stock is $0.97. This value represents a 32.88% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year LEN has beat the expectations every quarter. The highest one was in the 3rd calendar quarter where they beat the consensus by 16.42%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2014 Price to Earnings ratio for LEN is 17.14 vs. an industry ratio of 16.50, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. FIRST REPUBLIC BANK ( FRC ) is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2014. The bank (west) company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 12 analysts that follow the stock is $0.72. This value represents a 9.09% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year FRC has met analyst expectations twice and beat the expectations the other two quarters. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2014 Price to Earnings ratio for FRC is 15.81 vs. an industry ratio of 13.70, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Commerce Bancshares, Inc. ( CBSH ) is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2014. The bank (midwest) company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 11 analysts that follow the stock is $0.66. This value represents a no change for the same quarter last year. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2014 Price to Earnings ratio for CBSH is 15.34 vs. an industry ratio of 13.70, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Home BancShares, Inc. ( HOMB ) is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2014. The banks (southeast) company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 5 analysts that follow the stock is $0.46. This value represents a 119.05% increase compared to the same quarter last year. HOMB missed the consensus earnings per share in the 4th calendar quarter of 2013 by -43.24%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2014 Price to Earnings ratio for HOMB is 17.19 vs. an industry ratio of 18.20. WNS (Holdings) Limited ( WNS ) is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2014. The business services company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 3 analysts that follow the stock is $0.34. This value represents a no change for the same quarter last year. In the past year WNS has beat the expectations every quarter. The highest one was in the 3rd calendar quarter where they beat the consensus by 20.59%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2015 Price to Earnings ratio for WNS is 14.02 vs. an industry ratio of 39.50. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Raises Qtr. Dividend from $0.25 to $0.28/Share"", ""Fastenal declares $0.28 dividend"", ""Notable earnings before Thursday's open"", ""Whisper Number Impact: What To Expect From Fastenal's Earnings""]"
FAST,2015-01-15,18.1253,18.524,17.6347,17.692,"[""Fastenal beats by $0.01, misses on revenue"", ""More on Fastenal's Q4 results"", ""Fastenal Company (FAST) Earnings In Line, Sales Miss - Tale of the Tape"", ""Fastenal's Fourth Quarter Earnings Results Have Sent Its Shares Higher - Should You Consider It Now?"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Q4 2014 Results - Earnings Call Webcast"", ""Fastenal Meets Q4 Earnings, Gross Margin Remains Weak - Analyst Blog"", ""Fastenal Reports Sturdy Q4, But Concerns Linger"", ""Fastenal's (FAST) CEO Lee Hein on Q4 2014 Results - Earnings Call Transcript"", ""Fastenal sales miss a concern"", ""Earnings Scheduled For January 15, 2015"", ""Must Watch Stocks for January 15, 2015"", ""Fastenal Reports Q4 EPS of $0.40 vs $0.39 Est"", ""Fastenal Approves 2M Share Buyback"", ""UPDATE: Fastenal Posts Higher Q4 Earnings"", ""UPDATE: Fastenal Posts Higher Q4 Earnings"", ""Fastenal Approves 2M Share Buyback"", ""Fastenal Reports Q4 EPS of $0.40 vs $0.39 Est"", ""Must Watch Stocks for January 15, 2015"", ""Earnings Scheduled For January 15, 2015"", ""Fastenal sales miss a concern"", ""Fastenal's (FAST) CEO Lee Hein on Q4 2014 Results - Earnings Call Transcript"", ""Fastenal Reports Sturdy Q4, But Concerns Linger"", ""Fastenal Meets Q4 Earnings, Gross Margin Remains Weak - Analyst Blog"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Q4 2014 Results - Earnings Call Webcast"", ""Fastenal's Fourth Quarter Earnings Results Have Sent Its Shares Higher - Should You Consider It Now?"", ""Fastenal Company (FAST) Earnings In Line, Sales Miss - Tale of the Tape"", ""More on Fastenal's Q4 results"", ""Fastenal beats by $0.01, misses on revenue"", ""Fastenal Meets Q4 Earnings, Gross Margin Remains Weak - Analyst Blog Fastenal Company 's ( FAST ) adjusted earnings of 40 cents per share in the fourth quarter of 2014 were in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Earnings grew 21.2% year over year driven by improved sales and higher pre-tax profits. Fastenal reported net sales of $926.3 million, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $938 million by 1.2%. Net sales, however, increased 13.8% year over year as underlying markets bettered, vending and construction trends improved, and comparisons eased. Despite improvement in sales and pre-tax margins, gross margins remained weak. Top-Line Growth Continues Fastenal's total average daily sales growth rate was 15.7%, up from 7.5% in the prior-year quarter, owing to increase in sales volume. However, foreign exchange dragged third-quarter daily sales growth rate by 0.6%. Daily sales growth was 14.6% in October, 15.3% in November and 17.4% in December, much higher than a respective 7.7%, 8.2% and 6.7% in the corresponding prior-year months. Daily sales to manufacturing customers (representing almost 50% of revenues) grew 13.8%, higher than 7.2% in the prior-year quarter. Daily sales growth rates to manufacturing customers improved as fasteners as well as non-fastener sales increased during the quarter. The daily sales growth rates of fastener products (used mainly for industrial production and accounting for over 40% of the company's business) were 11.4%, better than 1.9% in the comparable year-ago quarter due to easier comparisons. Sales to customers engaged in light and medium-duty manufacturing are improving. The heavy manufacturing business (approximately one-fifth of the company's business) also improved in 2014 after suffering in 2013. A major portion of the heavy manufacturing business is fastener driven. Non-fastener product sales (used mainly for maintenance) increased 19%, up from 12% in the prior-year quarter and 17.6% in the last quarter. The non-fastener business picked up due to improvement in the industrial vending business. In the non-residential construction market, daily sales to non-residential construction customers (representing 20% to 25% of revenues) grew 12.6%, up from 2.8% in the prior-year quarter and 9.3% in the previous quarter due to improvement in construction trends. Vending Trends Continue to Improve As of Dec 31, 2014, the company operated 46,855 vending machines (irrespective of the type of machine), up 2.8% sequentially and 14.9% year over year. During the quarter, the company signed 4,108 machine contracts, up 0.9% sequentially. Daily sales growth to customers using vending machines was 20%, down from 21.9% in the earlier quarter. The vending machines now account for 39.3% of the company's sales, higher than 37.8% last quarter. Vending trends have been improving through 2014 after remaining soft in 2013 as management's recent efforts to improve the quality of signings/installs seems to be yielding results. Even though number of customers using vending declined sequentially, percentage of vending customers and signings improved. Gross Margins Weak; Pre-Tax Margins Improve In the fourth quarter, gross margin declined 10 basis points (bps) year over year and 30 bps sequentially to 50.5%. Fastenal's gross margins are contracting as management's focus shifts toward top-line improvement. Additionally, lack of inflation, an unfavorable product/customer mix, pricing and competitive pressures are hurting gross margins despite gradual improvement in the top line. Moreover, the fourth quarter is seasonally the softest as sales slow down during the holiday months of November and December. Construction activity also softens during this time. The softer sales result in lower utilization of Fastenal's trucking network which hurt gross margins. Increase in average store size is also pulling down gross margins as larger stores have greater business with larger customers generating lower gross margins. Gross margins at the largest stores are roughly 90 bps below the company average. However, operating margins at the largest stores are 350 bps above the company average. Accordingly, consistent with its \""Pathway to Profit\"" strategy, management strongly emphasizes on increasing the store size as they have higher operating margins. This led to a 110 bps improvement in pre-tax margins to 20.4% in the quarter despite higher employee-related costs. Fiscal 2014 Results Fastenal's earnings of $1.67 per share in fiscal 2014 increased 10.6% year over year and beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.66 by a penny. The company reported net sales of $3.73 billion, up 12.2% year over year. The net sales slightly missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.74 billion. Fastenal's gross margins in 2014 dropped to 50.8% from 51.7% in 2013 and 51.5% in 2012. Stocks to Consider Fastenal carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Other stocks in the broader building sector worth considering are Lowe's Companies Inc. ( LOW ), USG Corporation ( USG ) and Headwaters Inc. ( HW ). While USG Corporation and Headwaters sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), Lowe's carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report LOWES COS (LOW): Free Stock Analysis Report HEADWATERS INC (HW): Free Stock Analysis Report USG CORP (USG): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Company (FAST) Earnings In Line, Sales Miss - Tale of the Tape Fastenal Company ( FAST ) is a national wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies. It distributes its products through company-owned stores mostly located in North America. The company has gradually grown from a fastener distributor to a full-line industrial supplier. After struggling for several quarters, Fastenal's top line turned around in 2014 as underlying markets improved, vending re-vamped, sales improvement efforts showed results and comparisons eased. However, Fastenal's margins are contracting as management's focus shifts away to top-line improvement. An unfavorable product mix, pricing and competitive pressures are hurting gross margins. Investors should also note the recent earnings estimate revisions for FAST, as the consensus estimate has been moving higher. Moreover, FAST has a mixed history in earnings season. Fastenal has delivered in line earnings results in two of the last four quarters, making for an average negative surprise of 0.06%. Currently, FAST has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), but that could definitely change following Fastenal's earnings report which was just released. We have highlighted some of the key stats from this just-revealed announcement below: Earnings: FAST delivered in line earnings. Our consensus earnings estimate called for EPS of $0.40/share, and the company also reported EPS of $0.40. Investors should note that these figures take out stock option expenses. Revenues: FAST reported revenues of $926.3 million. This missed our consensus estimate of 938 million. Key Stats to Note: Fastenal's total average daily sales growth rate in the reported quarter was 15.7%, up from 7.5% in the prior-year quarter, owing to increase in sales volume. Check back later for our full write up on this FAST earnings report later! Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days . Click to get this free report >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""UPDATE: Fastenal Posts Higher Q4 Earnings"", ""Fastenal Approves 2M Share Buyback"", ""Fastenal Reports Q4 EPS of $0.40 vs $0.39 Est"", ""Must Watch Stocks for January 15, 2015"", ""Earnings Scheduled For January 15, 2015"", ""Fastenal sales miss a concern"", ""Fastenal's (FAST) CEO Lee Hein on Q4 2014 Results - Earnings Call Transcript"", ""Fastenal Reports Sturdy Q4, But Concerns Linger"", ""Fastenal Meets Q4 Earnings, Gross Margin Remains Weak - Analyst Blog"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Q4 2014 Results - Earnings Call Webcast"", ""Fastenal's Fourth Quarter Earnings Results Have Sent Its Shares Higher - Should You Consider It Now?"", ""Fastenal Company (FAST) Earnings In Line, Sales Miss - Tale of the Tape"", ""More on Fastenal's Q4 results"", ""Fastenal beats by $0.01, misses on revenue""]"
FAST,2015-01-16,17.6723,18.2171,17.5835,18.1994,"[""Company News for January 16, 2015 - Corporate Summary"", ""Update: Fastenal Meets Earnings Estimates, But Gross Margins Remain Weak"", ""Company News for January 16, 2015 - Corporate Summary"", ""Update: Fastenal Meets Earnings Estimates, But Gross Margins Remain Weak"", ""Company News for January 16, 2015 - Corporate Summary \u2022 Shares of Fastenal Company ( FAST ) declined 2.1% after reporting fourth quarter net sales of $926.3 million, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $938 million \u2022 BlackRock, Inc.'s ( BLK ) shares decreased 1% after posting fourth quarter adjusted revenues of $2.68 billion, lower than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.86 billion \u2022 Shares of Pilgrim's Pride Corporation ( PPC ) jumped 9.6% after announcing that the company will pay a special dividend of $5.77 a share, payable on Feb 17 \u2022 Best Buy Co., Inc.'s ( BBY ) shares plunged 14.1% after forecasting that company's sales may decline in the first half of 2015 due to deflation and weak demand Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report BLACKROCK INC (BLK): Free Stock Analysis Report PILGRIMS PRIDE (PPC): Free Stock Analysis Report BEST BUY (BBY): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Company News for January 16, 2015 - Corporate Summary"", ""Update: Fastenal Meets Earnings Estimates, But Gross Margins Remain Weak""]"
FAST,2015-01-20,18.225,18.372,18.075,18.2586,"[""Fastenal - Great Growth And Dividends Come At A Steep Price"", ""Fastenal - Great Growth And Dividends Come At A Steep Price"", ""Fastenal - Great Growth And Dividends Come At A Steep Price""]"
FAST,2015-01-21,18.1786,18.5162,18.1105,18.448,
FAST,2015-01-22,18.5636,18.7689,18.3366,18.68,
FAST,2015-01-23,18.6978,18.8172,18.5833,18.6188,
FAST,2015-01-26,18.6001,18.7225,18.5034,18.5418,"[""Fastenal: Priced Right For 12% Returns Over The Next Decade"", ""Being Cheap, Best of Munger, a Rare Bezos Interview, and Other Links"", ""Fastenal: Priced Right For 12% Returns Over The Next Decade"", ""Being Cheap, Best of Munger, a Rare Bezos Interview, and Other Links"", ""Fastenal: Priced Right For 12% Returns Over The Next Decade"", ""Being Cheap, Best of Munger, a Rare Bezos Interview, and Other Links""]"
FAST,2015-01-27,18.2882,18.2882,17.9703,18.2586,"Fastenal Company (FAST) Ex-Dividend Date Scheduled for January 28, 2015 Fastenal Company ( FAST ) will begin trading ex-dividend on January 28, 2015. A cash dividend payment of $0.28 per share is scheduled to be paid on February 27, 2015. Shareholders who purchased FAST stock prior to the ex-dividend date are eligible for the cash dividend payment. This represents an 12% increase over the prior quarter. The previous trading day's last sale of FAST was $46.1, representing a -11.7% decrease from the 52 week high of $52.21 and a 14.73% increase over the 52 week low of $40.18. FAST is a part of the Consumer Services sector, which includes companies such as Home Depot, Inc. ( HD ) and Lowe's Companies, Inc. ( LOW ). FAST's current earnings per share, an indicator of a company's profitability, is $1.67. Zacks Investment Research reports FAST's forecasted earnings growth in 2015 as 14.9%, compared to an industry average of 2.9%. For more information on the declaration, record and payment dates, visit the FAST Dividend History page. Our Dividend Calendar has the full list of stocks that have an ex-dividend today. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2015-01-28,18.3238,18.4066,18.077,18.1016,
FAST,2015-01-29,18.0236,18.2635,17.8914,18.2062,
FAST,2015-01-30,18.0612,18.2586,17.9161,17.9684,
FAST,2015-02-02,17.9802,18.2704,17.7927,18.1994,"[""Fastenal: Strong Moat, But What About Its Castle?"", ""Fastenal: Strong Moat, But What About Its Castle?"", ""Fastenal: Strong Moat, But What About Its Castle?""]"
FAST,2015-02-03,18.377,18.5398,18.304,18.526,
FAST,2015-02-04,18.0651,18.069,17.0149,17.083,"[""Fastenal January Sales up 6.9%"", ""Option Alert: FAST March 2015 $43 Put 10,000 Contract Trade On Ask @ $1.55"", ""Notable Option Activity For February 4: FAST, MSFT, FOXA, CCE, BTU, MRVL, AMD"", ""S&P 500 Stocks With Most Active Options Today: PRGO, HCBK, SJM, FAST, LRCX"", ""S&P 500 Stocks With Most Active Options Today: PRGO, HCBK, SJM, FAST, LRCX"", ""Notable Option Activity For February 4: FAST, MSFT, FOXA, CCE, BTU, MRVL, AMD"", ""Option Alert: FAST March 2015 $43 Put 10,000 Contract Trade On Ask @ $1.55"", ""Fastenal January Sales up 6.9%"", ""S&P 500 Stocks With Most Active Options Today: PRGO, HCBK, SJM, FAST, LRCX"", ""Notable Option Activity For February 4: FAST, MSFT, FOXA, CCE, BTU, MRVL, AMD"", ""Option Alert: FAST March 2015 $43 Put 10,000 Contract Trade On Ask @ $1.55"", ""Fastenal January Sales up 6.9%""]"
FAST,2015-02-05,17.0465,17.1471,16.856,17.0228,"[""Fastenal Company (FAST) Down 8% on Soft January Sales - Analyst Blog"", ""Fastenal Company (FAST) Down 8% on Soft January Sales - Analyst Blog"", ""Fastenal Company (FAST) Down 8% on Soft January Sales - Analyst Blog Shares of Fastenal Company ( FAST ) plunged almost 8% after it announced January sales, which indicated a moderating top-line growth. January net sales, released on Feb 4, rose 6.9% year over year to $313.5 million. Daily sales for the month grew 12% to $14.93 million, softer than 17.4% in Dec 2014. In fact, the daily sales increase recorded in January was the slowest since last April. Currency posed a 0.8% headwind in the month, higher than 0.3% last month. However, the daily sales growth rate was better than 6.7% last year. The industrial and construction supplies wholesale distributor serves customers in the manufacturing and non-residential construction markets. Both the end markets witnessed moderating growth. Daily sales to manufacturing customers (representing almost 50% of revenues) grew 10.5%, slowing from 15.6% in December. Daily sales to non-residential construction customers (representing 20% to 25% of revenues) grew 9.8%, slower than 19% in December. After struggling in 2013, Fastenal's top line turned around in 2014 as underlying markets improved, vending re-vamped, sales improvement efforts showed results and comparisons eased. Hence, the significant slowdown in January sales, despite easier comparisons due to tough weather conditions last year, raised investors' concern resulting in the share price decline. Moreover, Fastenal's gross margins are contracting as management's focus shifts toward top-line improvement. Additionally, lack of inflation, an unfavorable product/customer mix, pricing and competitive pressures are hurting gross margins. Stocks to Consider Fastenal carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Better-ranked stocks in the broader building sector are Lowe's Companies Inc. ( LOW ), USG Corporation ( USG ) and Headwaters Incorporated ( HW ). While USG Corporation and Headwaters sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), Lowe's carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report LOWES COS (LOW): Free Stock Analysis Report HEADWATERS INC (HW): Free Stock Analysis Report USG CORP (USG): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Company (FAST) Down 8% on Soft January Sales - Analyst Blog""]"
FAST,2015-02-06,17.0879,17.2656,16.933,17.1303,
FAST,2015-02-09,17.1126,17.3277,17.0524,17.1017,
FAST,2015-02-10,17.2449,17.2449,16.8984,17.2034,
FAST,2015-02-11,17.1639,17.2449,17.0346,17.0682,"[""Fastenal EVP, Sales Steven Rucinski To Retire May 15"", ""Fastenal EVP, Sales Steven Rucinski To Retire May 15"", ""Fastenal EVP, Sales Steven Rucinski To Retire May 15""]"
FAST,2015-02-12,17.0524,17.1333,16.5816,17.0929,
FAST,2015-02-13,17.1896,17.5223,17.0929,17.1985,"[""Fastenal Down 12% Year-To-Date, Opportunity For Long-Term Investors"", ""Fastenal Down 12% Year-To-Date, Opportunity For Long-Term Investors"", ""Fastenal Down 12% Year-To-Date, Opportunity For Long-Term Investors""]"
FAST,2015-02-17,17.2113,17.3416,17.1333,17.2399,"[""Fastenal: As Share Price Drops, Insiders Begin Buying Again"", ""How's Fastenal (FAST) Poised for 2015: Should You Invest? - Analyst Blog"", ""How's Fastenal (FAST) Poised for 2015: Should You Invest? - Analyst Blog"", ""Fastenal: As Share Price Drops, Insiders Begin Buying Again"", ""How's Fastenal (FAST) Poised for 2015: Should You Invest? - Analyst Blog On Feb 16, we issued an updated research report on Fastenal Company ( FAST ). On Jan 15, Fastenal reported mixed fourth-quarter 2014 results wherein earnings of 40 cents per share came in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate. However, earnings grew 21.2% year over year as higher sales and expense control offset gross margin weakness. Though sales marginally missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate, it grew 13.8% year over year as underlying markets bettered, vending and construction trends improved, and comparisons eased. After struggling for several quarters, Fastenal's top line turned around in 2014. End-market slowdown and broader economic uncertainty were lowering fastener sales which, in turn, weighed down Fastenal's top line in 2013. In order to accelerate sales growth, the company took the strategic decision to increase sales personnel at its stores which largely boosted sales in 2014. Importantly, easy comparisons from a relatively weaker 2013 also contributed to the sales growth rates in 2014. In fact, fasteners recovered slightly in 2014 after struggling in 2013. Moreover, vending trends improved in all the quarters of 2014 and the construction business showed signs of improvement. However, Fastenal's margins are contracting as management's focus shifts away to top-line improvement. Lack of inflation, unfavorable product mix (less fasteners which generate higher margins), pricing and competitive pressures are hurting gross margins despite gradual top-line improvement. Fastenal's 2014 gross margins dropped to 50.8% from 51.7% in 2013 and 51.5% in 2012. Increase in average store size is also pulling down gross margins as larger stores have greater business with larger customers generating lower gross margins. Gross margins at the largest stores are below the company average. However, operating margins at the largest stores are 450 basis points (bps) above the company average. This led to 110 bps improvement in pre-tax margins to 20.4% in the fourth quarter. A larger store size leads to better earnings leverage by spreading operating costs over higher sales, thereby improving pre-tax margins. Consistent with Fastenal's \""Pathway to Profit\"" strategy, management strongly emphasizes on increasing the store size as they have higher operating/pre-tax margins. Management warned that gross margin could fall \""closer to 50%\"" over time as the average monthly store size rises from $100,000 to $160,000 during the next few years. However, as the store size increases, operating/pre-tax margins should continue to improve. Also, during the fourth-quarter conference call, management warned that sales at stores located in the oil producing regions (Texas, Western Pennsylvania, Western Canada, etc.) are expected to be hurt in the near term by the slowing economy due to lower oil prices. Approximately 10% to 12% of Fastenal's sales were from stores located in these states. However, management is expecting to balance the lost sales with lower fuel costs resulting from the dip in oil prices. Overall, continued top-line momentum coupled with better operating margins under the Pathway to Profit strategy should offset the lower gross margins to drive EPS growth in 2015. However, pricing gains are likely to remain subdued in the current low-inflation environment. Stocks to Consider Fastenal carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Better-ranked stocks in the broader building sector are Lowe's Companies Inc. ( LOW ), Masco Corp. ( MAS ) and Headwaters Inc. ( HW ). All three companies carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report LOWES COS (LOW): Free Stock Analysis Report MASCO (MAS): Free Stock Analysis Report HEADWATERS INC (HW): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""How's Fastenal (FAST) Poised for 2015: Should You Invest? - Analyst Blog"", ""Fastenal: As Share Price Drops, Insiders Begin Buying Again""]"
FAST,2015-02-18,17.2449,17.5261,17.233,17.4225,
FAST,2015-02-19,17.4107,17.5429,17.3653,17.386,"[""To Reinvest or Not Reinvest: That Is the Question"", ""Fastenal: A Wide-Moat High-Growth Play With A Dividend Approaching 3%"", ""Fastenal: A Wide-Moat High-Growth Play With A Dividend Approaching 3%"", ""To Reinvest or Not Reinvest: That Is the Question"", ""Fastenal: A Wide-Moat High-Growth Play With A Dividend Approaching 3%"", ""To Reinvest or Not Reinvest: That Is the Question""]"
FAST,2015-02-20,17.3731,17.3731,17.1945,17.3061,
FAST,2015-02-23,17.2991,17.3515,17.0484,17.0761,
FAST,2015-02-24,17.0731,17.1333,16.9231,17.0405,"[""Highest Yielding Dividend Stocks From Nasdaq 100"", ""Highest Yielding Dividend Stocks From Nasdaq 100"", ""Highest Yielding Dividend Stocks From Nasdaq 100""]"
FAST,2015-02-25,17.0228,17.2083,16.9813,17.1728,"[""Lumber Liquidators Plunges On Disappointing Earnings"", ""Lumber Liquidators Plunges On Disappointing Earnings"", ""Lumber Liquidators Plunges On Disappointing Earnings""]"
FAST,2015-02-26,17.1896,17.2034,17.0593,17.0781,
FAST,2015-02-27,17.1511,17.1827,16.8076,16.8145,
FAST,2015-03-02,16.7938,16.8145,16.5638,16.7938,
FAST,2015-03-03,16.704,16.8106,16.6042,16.6309,"[""Fastenal: A Company With A Large Moat In A Fragmented Industry"", ""Option Alert: Fastenol Apr $40 Call; 1759 Contract Trade at Ask @$2.55; Now $41.41"", ""Fastenal: A Company With A Large Moat In A Fragmented Industry"", ""Option Alert: Fastenol Apr $40 Call; 1759 Contract Trade at Ask @$2.55; Now $41.41"", ""Fastenal: A Company With A Large Moat In A Fragmented Industry""]"
FAST,2015-03-04,16.169,16.3436,15.9696,16.1137,"[""Premarket Gainers / Losers as of 9:10 em"", ""Large volume of Fastenal put options purchased"", ""Fastenal Feb Sales Up 8.6%"", ""Benzinga's Top #PreMarket Losers"", ""Morning Market Losers"", ""Stocks Hitting 52-Week Lows"", ""Raymond James Downgrades Fastenal to Market Perform"", ""Raymond James Downgrades Fastenal to Market Perform"", ""Stocks Hitting 52-Week Lows"", ""Morning Market Losers"", ""Benzinga's Top #PreMarket Losers"", ""Fastenal Feb Sales Up 8.6%"", ""Premarket Gainers / Losers as of 9:10 em"", ""Large volume of Fastenal put options purchased"", ""Fastenal Enters Oversold Territory The DividendRank formula at Dividend Channel ranks a coverage universe of thousands of dividend stocks , according to a proprietary formula designed to identify those stocks that combine two important characteristics - strong fundamentals and a valuation that looks inexpensive. Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) presently has an excellent rank, in the top 25% of the coverage universe, which suggests it is among the top most \""interesting\"" ideas that merit further research by investors. But making Fastenal Co. an even more interesting and timely stock to look at, is the fact that in trading on Wednesday, shares of FAST entered into oversold territory, changing hands as low as $39.55 per share. We define oversold territory using the Relative Strength Index, or RSI, which is a technical analysis indicator used to measure momentum on a scale of zero to 100. A stock is considered to be oversold if the RSI reading falls below 30. In the case of Fastenal Co., the RSI reading has hit 28.4 - by comparison, the universe of dividend stocks covered by Dividend Channel currently has an average RSI of 53.4. A falling stock price - all else being equal - creates a better opportunity for dividend investors to capture a higher yield. Indeed, FAST's recent annualized dividend of 1.12/share (currently paid in quarterly installments) works out to an annual yield of 2.73% based upon the recent $41.10 share price. A bullish investor could look at FAST's 28.4 RSI reading today as a sign that the recent heavy selling is in the process of exhausting itself, and begin to look for entry point opportunities on the buy side. Among the fundamental datapoints dividend investors should investigate to decide if they are bullish on FAST is its dividend history. In general, dividends are not always predictable; but, looking at the history chart below can help in judging whether the most recent dividend is likely to continue. According to the ETF Finder at ETF Channel, FAST makes up 1.32% of the First Trust NASDAQ-100 Ex-Technology Sector Index Fund ETF (Symbol: QQXT) which is trading lower by about 0.9% on the day Wednesday. Click here to find out what 9 other oversold dividend stocks you need to know about \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Nasdaq 100 Movers: FAST, SNDK In early trading on Wednesday, shares of SanDisk ( SNDK ) topped the list of the day's best performing components of the Nasdaq 100 index, trading up 2.0%. Year to date, SanDisk has lost about 17.7% of its value. And the worst performing Nasdaq 100 component thus far on the day is Fastenal ( FAST ), trading down 3.1%. Fastenal is lower by about 16.3% looking at the year to date performance. Two other components making moves today are VimpelCom ( VIP ), trading down 3.0%, and Equinix ( EQIX ), trading up 1.1% on the day. VIDEO: Nasdaq 100 Movers: FAST, SNDK The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Raymond James Downgrades Fastenal to Market Perform"", ""Stocks Hitting 52-Week Lows"", ""Morning Market Losers"", ""Benzinga's Top #PreMarket Losers"", ""Fastenal Feb Sales Up 8.6%"", ""Premarket Gainers / Losers as of 9:10 em"", ""Large volume of Fastenal put options purchased""]"
FAST,2015-03-05,16.09,16.4928,16.0308,16.4364,
FAST,2015-03-06,16.3131,16.471,16.238,16.4088,
FAST,2015-03-09,16.3772,16.5954,16.2963,16.5392,"[""Fastenal's Sales Disappoint Again in February; Shares Down - Analyst Blog"", ""Fastenal's Sales Disappoint Again in February; Shares Down - Analyst Blog"", ""Fastenal's Sales Disappoint Again in February; Shares Down - Analyst Blog Shares of Fastenal Company FAST declined around 1% since it announced soft February sales numbers on Mar 4, mirroring similarly weak results in January. Fastenal's share price has dipped around 14% this year. February net sales rose 8.6% year over year to $298.2 million. Daily sales grew 8.6% to $14.91 million, softer than 12% rise in January. In fact, the daily sales increase recorded in February was the slowest since April last year. However, the growth rate was better than 7.7% recorded last year. The industrial and construction supplies wholesale distributor serves customers in the manufacturing and non-residential construction markets. Both the end markets witnessed moderating growth. Daily sales to manufacturing customers (representing almost 50% of revenues) grew 6.4%, slowing from 10.5% in January. Daily sales to non-residential construction customers (representing 20% to 25% of revenues) also grew 6.4%, slower than 9.8% in January. Fastenal's February sales were hurt by currency headwinds, lower sales from oil & gas industry and severe weather conditions. During the fourth-quarter conference call held in January, management noted that approximately 10% to 12% of sales were from stores located in oil producing regions (Texas, Western Pennsylvania, Western Canada and others). Management warned that sales in these states are expected to be hurt by slowing economy due to lower oil prices . Currency posed a 1% headwind in the month, higher than 0.8% last month. After struggling in 2013, Fastenal's top line turned around in 2014 as underlying markets improved, vending re-vamped, sales improvement efforts yielded results and comparisons eased. Hence, the significant slowdown in sales in January and February, despite easier comparisons due to tough weather conditions last year raised investors' concern leading to share price decline. Moreover, Fastenal's gross margins are contracting as management's focus shifts toward top-line improvement. Additionally, lack of inflation, an unfavorable product/customer mix, pricing and competitive pressures are hurting gross margins. Stocks to Consider Fastenal carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Better-ranked stocks in the broader building sector are Tile Shop Holdings, Inc. TTS , Trex Co. Inc. TREX , and Gra\u00f1a y Montero SAA GRAM . While Trex and Gra\u00f1a y Montero sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), Tile Shop carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report TREX COMPANY (TREX): Free Stock Analysis Report TILE SHOP HLDGS (TTS): Free Stock Analysis Report GRANA Y MONTERO (GRAM): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal's Sales Disappoint Again in February; Shares Down - Analyst Blog""]"
FAST,2015-03-10,16.4,16.6082,16.2282,16.4316,"[""Buh-Bye Wal-Mart, Hello Emerson Electric, Qualcomm And AbbVie"", ""Buh-Bye Wal-Mart, Hello Emerson Electric, Qualcomm And AbbVie"", ""Buh-Bye Wal-Mart, Hello Emerson Electric, Qualcomm And AbbVie""]"
FAST,2015-03-11,16.474,16.548,16.3131,16.3585,
FAST,2015-03-12,16.5114,16.6112,16.316,16.5914,"[""Tracking The Sequoia Fund - Q4 2014"", ""Tracking The Sequoia Fund - Q4 2014"", ""Tracking The Sequoia Fund - Q4 2014""]"
FAST,2015-03-13,16.5302,16.6734,16.2756,16.5224,"[""Ruane Cunniff Sells Portions of Five of its Top 10 Stakes"", ""Ruane Cunniff Sells Portions of Five of its Top 10 Stakes"", ""Ruane Cunniff Sells Portions of Five of its Top 10 Stakes""]"
FAST,2015-03-16,16.5588,16.775,16.5114,16.7316,"[""Oil Is Not Well!"", ""Oil Is Not Well!"", ""Oil Is Not Well!""]"
FAST,2015-03-17,16.621,17.6012,16.621,17.234,
FAST,2015-03-18,17.1935,17.3781,17.0435,17.3416,
FAST,2015-03-19,17.3071,17.3229,17.1017,17.1866,
FAST,2015-03-20,17.3229,17.386,17.0543,17.1165,
FAST,2015-03-23,17.1205,17.2202,16.9566,17.083,
FAST,2015-03-24,17.0978,17.3416,17.0543,17.1551,
FAST,2015-03-25,17.2321,17.2794,16.9507,16.9507,
FAST,2015-03-26,16.8678,16.9645,16.7316,16.779,"[""Portfolio Changes For The First Quarter Of 2015"", ""Fastenal To Buyback 4M Shares"", ""Fastenal To Buyback 4M Shares"", ""Portfolio Changes For The First Quarter Of 2015"", ""Fastenal To Buyback 4M Shares"", ""Portfolio Changes For The First Quarter Of 2015""]"
FAST,2015-03-27,16.7118,16.7977,16.5994,16.6615,"[""Long-Term Investors Should Consider Fastenal"", ""Long-Term Investors Should Consider Fastenal"", ""Long-Term Investors Should Consider Fastenal""]"
FAST,2015-03-30,16.7188,16.9932,16.7188,16.9142,"[""My Dividend Portfolio: Adding Fastenal"", ""My Dividend Portfolio: Adding Fastenal"", ""My Dividend Portfolio: Adding Fastenal""]"
FAST,2015-03-31,16.8708,16.926,16.7316,16.7681,
FAST,2015-04-01,16.7089,16.8145,16.5668,16.6902,"[""Nintai Returns: Q1 2015"", ""Fastenal - A Best-Of-Breed Company With An Attractive Risk/Reward Profile"", ""Nintai Returns: Q1 2015"", ""Fastenal - A Best-Of-Breed Company With An Attractive Risk/Reward Profile"", ""Nintai Returns: Q1 2015"", ""Fastenal - A Best-Of-Breed Company With An Attractive Risk/Reward Profile""]"
FAST,2015-04-02,16.7118,16.7602,16.5816,16.6112,"[""My Strategy For Objective, Emotionless Dividend Growth Investing: Q1 2015 Update"", ""My Strategy For Objective, Emotionless Dividend Growth Investing: Q1 2015 Update"", ""My Strategy For Objective, Emotionless Dividend Growth Investing: Q1 2015 Update""]"
FAST,2015-04-06,16.5668,16.7404,16.5224,16.6448,
FAST,2015-04-07,16.471,16.627,16.2114,16.3249,"[""Buy The Sector Dips Portfolio: The Industrials Sector"", ""Cleveland Research Downgrades Fastenal to Neutral"", ""Northcoast Research Downgrades Fastenal to Neutral"", ""Northcoast Research Downgrades Fastenal to Neutral"", ""Cleveland Research Downgrades Fastenal to Neutral"", ""Buy The Sector Dips Portfolio: The Industrials Sector"", ""Northcoast Research Downgrades Fastenal to Neutral"", ""Cleveland Research Downgrades Fastenal to Neutral"", ""Buy The Sector Dips Portfolio: The Industrials Sector""]"
FAST,2015-04-08,16.324,16.4612,16.2825,16.3742,
FAST,2015-04-09,16.4148,16.4335,16.1966,16.3398,
FAST,2015-04-10,16.3436,16.389,16.1423,16.1926,"[""MSC Industrial Suffering From Weakening Markets And Execution Issues"", ""What's Ailing Fastenal Company (FAST) in Q1 Earnings? - Analyst Blog"", ""MSC Industrial Suffering From Weakening Markets And Execution Issues"", ""What's Ailing Fastenal Company (FAST) in Q1 Earnings? - Analyst Blog"", ""What's Ailing Fastenal Company (FAST) in Q1 Earnings? - Analyst Blog Fastenal CompanyFAST is set to report first quarter 2015 results on Apr 14, before the market opens. Last quarter, Fastenal delivered in-line results as a strong top-line performance was offset by weaker margins. Let's see how things are shaping up for this announcement. Factors to Consider this Quarter Fastenal took the strategic decision to increase sales personnel at its stores in order to increase sales. This strategy largely boosted sales during 2014. Also vending trends improved throughout the year and the construction business showed signs of improvement. However, monthly sales data released for January and February (included in the first quarter) shows that the top-line improvement has weakened. Daily sales grew 8.6% in February and 12% in January much softer than 17.4% in December 2014. In fact, the daily sales increase recorded in February as the slowest since April last year. We believe that sales in these months were hurt by currency headwinds, lower sales from the oil & gas industry and severe weather conditions. During the fourth-quarter conference call held in January, management noted that approximately 10% to 12% of sales were from stores located in oil producing regions (Texas, Western Pennsylvania, Western Canada and others). Management warned that sales in these states are expected to be hurt by slowing economy due to lower oil prices . These headwinds are expected to be reflected in the overall results of the first quarter of 2015. As it is, Fastenal's gross margins are contracting as management's focus shifts toward top-line improvement. Additionally, lack of inflation, an unfavorable product/customer mix, pricing and competitive pressures are hurting gross margins. Earnings Whispers? Our proven model does not conclusively show that Fastenal is likely to beat earnings this quarter. That is because a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1, 2 or 3 for this to happen. That is not the case here, as you will see below. Zacks ESP: The ESP for Fastenal is -2.38% as the Most Accurate estimate stands at 41 cents while the Zacks Consensus Estimate is higher at 42 cents. Zacks Rank: Fastenal's Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) increases the predictive power of ESP. However, we need to have a positive ESP to be confident about an earnings surprise. We caution against stocks with Zacks Rank #4 and 5 (Sell-rated stocks) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions momentum. Other Stocks to Consider Here are some other companies in the construction sector for investors to consider, that, according to our model have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter: Plum Creek Timber Co. Inc. PCL with Earnings ESP of +4.55% and a Zacks Rank #3. Installed Building Products, Inc. IBP with Earnings ESP of +10.00% and a Zacks Rank #3. Watsco Inc. WSO with Earnings ESP of +3.39% and a Zacks Rank #3. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report WATSCO INC (WSO): Free Stock Analysis Report PLUM CREEK TMBR (PCL): Free Stock Analysis Report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report INSTALLED BUILD (IBP): Get Free Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""MSC Industrial Suffering From Weakening Markets And Execution Issues"", ""What's Ailing Fastenal Company (FAST) in Q1 Earnings? - Analyst Blog""]"
FAST,2015-04-13,16.2282,16.3092,16.1028,16.1966,"[""10 Top Dividend Nasdaq Dogs Nail 10% To 20% April Upsides; 2 Flop 5% And 7%"", ""Notable earnings before Tuesday's open"", ""Fastenal declares $0.28 dividend"", ""Notable earnings before Tuesday's open"", ""Fastenal declares $0.28 dividend"", ""10 Top Dividend Nasdaq Dogs Nail 10% To 20% April Upsides; 2 Flop 5% And 7%"", ""Investors Should Look Beyond the Headlines This Week This week, earnings season will get into full flow. We have become accustomed to that being a good thing for the stock market. Around two thirds of S&P 500 companies typically beat analysts\u2019 estimates and the market reacts accordingly. In financial markets, however, consistent patterns are dangerous. When good news is the norm any deviation from that norm, no matter how small, can create an oversized reaction; a few prominent misses early in the season could cause a significant selloff. The question, then, is how likely are earnings to disappoint? With JP Morgan Chase (JPM), Wells Fargo (WFC), Bank of America (BAC), Citigroup (C) and Goldman Sachs (GS) all reporting in the next couple of days it is only natural that a lot of people will be focused on bank earnings this week. There are several reasons to think that, as conventional wisdom suggests, bank earnings will fit the pattern of positive \u201csurprises\u201d. The Fed is still providing banks with cheap money, and there are signs that credit requirements in many areas are gradually beginning to ease. As the chart below (from the Federation of Independent Businesses: reproduced in a Harvard Business School paper \u201cThe State of Small Business Lending\u2026\u201d by Karen Gordon Mills and Brayden McCarthy) indicates, small business owners\u2019 perception of credit availability was almost back to normal by this time last year. Increased lending to small businesses and the higher interest rates associated with them, of course, increases profit margins for banks, and should be positive for earnings. The volatility that was common in equity, currency and commodity markets in the first quarter will presumably lead to reasonable trading profits as well. On the other side of the coin, a slowing housing market will be a drag, particularly on the likes of Wells Fargo who are prominent mortgage lenders. On balance, however, financials are likely to deliver what is expected and lean toward beats of some kind. The problem is that that will give a false sense of confidence. Anybody who paid attention to the chaos of 2008/9 and the subsequent return of Wall Street to big bonuses is only too aware of one thing; the fortunes of the big banks have very little bearing on the broader economy. A better indicator of overall economic health will come from other sectors. We will get a measure of the aforementioned slowdown in housing this week, when building products suppliers Grainger (GWW) and Fastenal (FAST) report. The bad weather in the first quarter will no doubt be a valid excuse to some extent if either or both of these companies disappoint, but any weakness in guidance would be a red flag for investors. The recovery in the housing market has been an essential part of the overall recovery and a significant slowdown would have serious consequences. On the tech side, commentary will presumably be focused on Netflix (NFLX)\u2019 earnings on Wednesday, but once again, the broader significance of those results is questionable. Netflix is a remarkable success story. As the video rental business that was their base has died the company has reinvented itself and thrived. That is an amazing achievement but tells us nothing about the state of the economy. Look to a company like Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), who report on Thursday for a more reliable indicator of overall economic strength or weakness. In short, smart investors will be looking beyond the headlines this week. While attention is focused on the banks and Netflix, none of those results will have any broader significance. If, as I suspect, we are approaching a quite major correction in US stocks, it will be as a result of uncertain real world economic conditions, both within the U.S. and globally. How much money bank trading desks have made and how many people are watching Pretty Little Liars will not tell us how likely that is. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Pre-Market Earnings Report for April 14, 2015 : JNJ, WFC, JPM, FAST, SJR The following companies are expected to report earnings prior to market open on 04/14/2015. Visit our Earnings Calendar for a full list of expected earnings releases. Johnson & Johnson ( JNJ ) is reporting for the quarter ending March 31, 2015. The large cap pharmaceutical company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 9 analysts that follow the stock is $1.52. This value represents a 1.30% decrease compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year JNJ has beat the expectations every quarter. The highest one was in the 4th calendar quarter where they beat the consensus by 1.6%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2015 Price to Earnings ratio for JNJ is 16.51 vs. an industry ratio of 21.30. Wells Fargo & Company ( WFC ) is reporting for the quarter ending March 31, 2015. The bank company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 14 analysts that follow the stock is $0.98. This value represents a 6.67% decrease compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year WFC has met analyst expectations three times and beat the expectations the other quarter. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2015 Price to Earnings ratio for WFC is 13.00 vs. an industry ratio of 13.60. J P Morgan Chase & Co ( JPM ) is reporting for the quarter ending March 31, 2015. The bank company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 13 analysts that follow the stock is $1.39. This value represents a 8.59% increase compared to the same quarter last year. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2015 Price to Earnings ratio for JPM is 10.60 vs. an industry ratio of 13.60. Fastenal Company ( FAST ) is reporting for the quarter ending March 31, 2015. The building company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 9 analysts that follow the stock is $0.42. This value represents a 10.53% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year FAST has met analyst expectations three times and beat the expectations the other quarter. The \""days to cover\"" for this stock exceeds 10 days. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2015 Price to Earnings ratio for FAST is 21.63 vs. an industry ratio of 25.90. Shaw Communications Inc. ( SJR ) is reporting for the quarter ending February 28, 2015. The cable tv company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 3 analysts that follow the stock is $0.32. This value represents a 23.81% decrease compared to the same quarter last year. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2015 Price to Earnings ratio for SJR is 15.53 vs. an industry ratio of -2.00, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Notable earnings before Tuesday's open"", ""Fastenal declares $0.28 dividend"", ""10 Top Dividend Nasdaq Dogs Nail 10% To 20% April Upsides; 2 Flop 5% And 7%""]"
FAST,2015-04-14,16.8826,16.9961,16.316,16.9092,"[""Fastenal's (FAST) CEO Lee Hein on Q1 2015 Results - Earnings Call Transcript"", ""Fastenal"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Q1 2015 Results - Earnings Call Webcast"", ""Fastenal's Q1 Earnings Beat Estimates, Revenues Fall Short - Analyst Blog"", ""Heard on Fastenal's conference call"", ""More on Fastenal's Q1"", ""Fastenal beats by $0.02, misses on revenue"", ""Fastenal Company (FAST) Earnings Beat, Sales Miss - Tale of the Tape"", ""Earnings Scheduled For April 14, 2015"", ""Fastenal Q1 EPS $0.43 vs $0.41 est, Revenue $953.3M vs $950.9M est"", ""Fastenal Q1 Earnings Top Views, Shares Rise"", ""US Stock Futures Down Ahead Of Business Inventories Data"", ""Morning Market Gainers"", ""Morning Market Gainers"", ""US Stock Futures Down Ahead Of Business Inventories Data"", ""Fastenal Q1 Earnings Top Views, Shares Rise"", ""Fastenal Q1 EPS $0.43 vs $0.41 est, Revenue $953.3M vs $950.9M est"", ""Earnings Scheduled For April 14, 2015"", ""Fastenal"", ""Fastenal's (FAST) CEO Lee Hein on Q1 2015 Results - Earnings Call Transcript"", ""Heard on Fastenal's conference call"", ""Fastenal's Q1 Earnings Beat Estimates, Revenues Fall Short - Analyst Blog"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Q1 2015 Results - Earnings Call Webcast"", ""Fastenal Company (FAST) Earnings Beat, Sales Miss - Tale of the Tape"", ""More on Fastenal's Q1"", ""Fastenal beats by $0.02, misses on revenue"", ""Fastenal's Q1 Earnings Beat Estimates, Revenues Fall Short - Analyst Blog Fastenal CompanyFAST reported adjusted earnings of 43 cents per share in the first quarter of 2015, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 42 cents by 2.4%. Earnings grew 13.2% year over year driven by higher sales and lower expenses. Fastenal Company - Earnings Surprise | FindTheCompany Fastenal reported net sales of $953.3 million, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $964 million by 1.1%. Net sales, however, increased 8.8% year over year. The increase was driven by higher prices of non-fastener products, partially offset by price deflation of fastener products. Behind the Headline Numbers Fastenal's total average daily sales growth rate was 8.8%, up from 8.7% in the prior-year quarter, owing to an increase in sales volume. However, foreign exchange dragged first-quarter daily sales growth rate by 1%. First quarter revenue results were unfavorably impacted by poor weather in North America, economic softness, currency headwinds and lower sales from the oil & gas industry. Daily sales growth was 5.6% in March, 8.6% in February and 12% in January compared with 11.6%, 7.7% and 6.7% increases, respectively in the corresponding year-ago months. Daily sales to manufacturing customers (representing almost 50% of revenues) grew 6.9%, lower than 9% growth in the prior-year quarter. Daily sales growth rate of fastener products (used mainly for industrial production and accounting for approximately 40% of the company's business) was 5.5%, better than 1.6% in the year-ago quarter due to improved sales of fasteners. Non-fastener product sales (used mainly for maintenance) increased 11.7%, down from 14.2% growth in the prior-year quarter and 19% in the last quarter. In the non-residential construction market, daily sales to non-residential construction customers (representing 20% to 25% of revenues) grew 6.2%, up from 2.9% in the prior-year quarter and 12.6% in the previous quarter. Vending Trends Continue to Improve As of Mar 31, 2015, the company operated 48,545 vending machines (irrespective of the type of machine), up 3.6% sequentially and 15.2% year over year. During the quarter, the company signed 3,962 machine contracts, up 15.6% from last quarter. Daily sales growth to customers using vending machines was 12.3%, down from 20% in the previous quarter. The vending machines now account for 40.5% of the company's sales, higher than 39.3% in the prior quarter. Vending trends improved through 2014 after remaining soft in 2013 as management's recent efforts to improve the quality of signings/installs paid off. Even though the number of customers using vending declined sequentially, the percentage of vending customers and signings improved during the quarter. Gross Margins Down Y/Y, Improve Sequentially Fastenal's gross margins are contracting as management's focus shifts toward top-line improvement. Gross margin in the first quarter of 2015 declined 40 basis points (bps) year over year, owing to unfavorable product and customer mix. However it improved 30 bps sequentially to 50.8% on the back of improving leverage of trucking network and better execution. As a percentage of sales, the company's operating and administrative expenses were down 140 bps year over year to 29.4% driven by expense control. Fastenal carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). However, better-ranked stocks in the construction sector include Toll Brothers Inc. TOL , Tile Shop Holdings, Inc. TTS and DR Horton Inc. DHI . While Toll Brothers sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), Tile Shop Holdings and DR Horton carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report TOLL BROTHERS (TOL): Free Stock Analysis Report D R HORTON INC (DHI): Free Stock Analysis Report TILE SHOP HLDGS (TTS): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Earnings Reaction History: Fastenal Co., 50.0% Follow-Through Indicator, 3.4% Sensitive Expected Earnings Release: 04/14/2015, Premarket Avg. Extended-Hours Dollar Volume: $663,871 Fastenal Co. ( FAST ) is due to issue its quarterly earnings report in the upcoming extended-hours session. Given its history, traders can expect light trading in the issue immediately following its quarterly earnings announcement. Historical earnings event related premarket and after-hours trading activity in FAST indicates that the price change in the extended hours is likely to be of limited value in forecasting additional price movement by the following regular session close. Last 12 Qtrs Positive Only Price Reactions Percent of time added to extended-hours gains: 28.6% Average next regular session additional gain: 5.6% Over the prior three fiscal years (12 quarters), when shares of FAST rose in the extended-hours session in reaction to its earnings announcement, history shows that 28.6% of the time (2 events) the stock posted additional gains in the following regular session by an average of 5.6%. Last 12 Qtrs Negative Only Price Reactions Percent of time added to extended-hours losses: 100% Average next regular session additional loss: 1.2% Over that same historical period, when shares of FAST dropped in the extended-hours in reaction to its earnings announcement, history shows that 100.0% of the time (3 events) the stock dropped further, adding to the extended-hours losses by an average of 1.2% by the following regular session close. Data provided by the MT Pro service at MTNewswires.com. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. Copyright (C) 2016 MTNewswires.com. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Daily Dividend Report: GM, TEP, ETH, FAST, CMS, AGNC, GT, AOS General Motors ( GM ) Bdeclared a second quarter 2015 dividend of 36 cents per share on its common stock, an increase of 20 percent from the 30-cent quarterly dividend paid since the first quarter of 2014. This increase is consistent with the company's capital allocation framework to generate high returns on investments in the business, maintain an investment-grade balance sheet and return capital to shareholders. The second quarter dividend is payable Tuesday, June 23, 2015 to all common stockholders of record as of Wednesday, June 10, 2015. Tallgrass Energy Partners ( TEP ) declared a quarterly cash distribution to partners of $0.52 per common unit for the first quarter of 2015, or $2.08 on an annualized basis. This represents a 60 percent increase from the first quarter of 2014 and a 7.2 percent sequential increase from the fourth quarter 2014 distribution of $0.485. The quarterly distribution will be paid on Thursday, May 14, 2015, to unitholders of record as of the close of business on Friday, April 24, 2015. Ethan Allen Interiors ( ETH ) has declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of $0.14 per share, an increase of 16.7%, which will be payable to shareholders of record as of July 9, 2015 and will be paid on July 24, 2015. The Fastenal Company ( FAST ) declared a dividend of $0.28 per share to be paid in cash on May 26, 2015 to shareholders of record at the close of business on April 28, 2015. CMS Energy has declared a quarterly dividend on the company's common stock. The dividend is 29 cents per share. It is payable May 29, 2015, to shareholders of record on May 8, 2015. American Capital Agency ( AGNC ) has declared a cash dividend of $0.22 per share of common stock for April 2015. The dividend is payable on May 8, 2015 to common shareholders of record as of April 30, 2015, with an ex-dividend date of April 28, 2015. The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company (GT) have declared a quarterly dividend of 6 cents per share of common stock. The dividend is payable June 1, 2015, to shareholders of record on May 1, 2015. And, A. O. Smith Corporation (AOS) declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of $.19 per share on the company's Common Stock and Class A Common Stock. The dividend is payable on May 15 to shareholders of record April 30. VIDEO: Daily Dividend Report: GM, TEP, ETH, FAST, CMS, AGNC, GT, AOS The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Nasdaq 100 Movers: WYNN, FAST In early trading on Tuesday, shares of Fastenal ( FAST ) topped the list of the day's best performing components of the Nasdaq 100 index, trading up 2.6%. Year to date, Fastenal has lost about 13.6% of its value. And the worst performing Nasdaq 100 component thus far on the day is Wynn Resorts ( WYNN ), trading down 2.7%. Wynn Resorts is lower by about 12.6% looking at the year to date performance. Two other components making moves today are Avago Technologies ( AVGO ), trading down 2.2%, and Vodafone Group ( VOD ), trading up 1.3% on the day. VIDEO: Nasdaq 100 Movers: WYNN, FAST The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Morning Market Gainers"", ""US Stock Futures Down Ahead Of Business Inventories Data"", ""Fastenal Q1 Earnings Top Views, Shares Rise"", ""Fastenal Q1 EPS $0.43 vs $0.41 est, Revenue $953.3M vs $950.9M est"", ""Earnings Scheduled For April 14, 2015"", ""Fastenal"", ""Fastenal's (FAST) CEO Lee Hein on Q1 2015 Results - Earnings Call Transcript"", ""Heard on Fastenal's conference call"", ""Fastenal's Q1 Earnings Beat Estimates, Revenues Fall Short - Analyst Blog"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Q1 2015 Results - Earnings Call Webcast"", ""Fastenal Company (FAST) Earnings Beat, Sales Miss - Tale of the Tape"", ""More on Fastenal's Q1"", ""Fastenal beats by $0.02, misses on revenue"", ""Intel shares rise on in-line earnings report CSX shares advance on earnings beat, dividend hike Intel shares rallied in the extended session Tuesday after the chip maker reported quarterly results in-line with Wall Street estimates.""]"
FAST,2015-04-15,16.9142,16.9961,16.6398,16.7366,"[""Company News for April 15, 2015 - Corporate Summary"", ""The Nuts And Bolts Of Industrial Distributor Moats"", ""Company News for April 15, 2015 - Corporate Summary"", ""The Nuts And Bolts Of Industrial Distributor Moats"", ""Company News for April 15, 2015 - Corporate Summary \u2022 Shares of Fastenal Company ( FAST ) gained 4.4% after the company reported first quarter earnings per share of $0.43, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate by a cent \u2022 JB Hunt Transport Services Inc.'s ( JBHT ) shares advanced 4.7% after the company posted first quarter earnings per share of $0.78, more than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.72 \u2022 Shares of Pep Boys - Manny, Moe & Jack ( PBY ) declined 7.2% after the company reported fourth quarter loss per share of $0.19, in contrast to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of profit of $0.03 \u2022 Shares of Triangle Petroleum Corporation ( TPLM ) gained 1.7% after the company posted fourth quarter earnings per share of $0.06, more than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.02 Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report HUNT (JB) TRANS (JBHT): Free Stock Analysis Report PEP BOYS M M &J (PBY): Free Stock Analysis Report TRIANGLE PETROL (TPLM): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Company News for April 15, 2015 - Corporate Summary"", ""The Nuts And Bolts Of Industrial Distributor Moats""]"
FAST,2015-04-16,16.779,16.8362,16.5076,16.5994,
FAST,2015-04-17,16.5144,16.5954,16.3486,16.4048,"[""Why I Am Exiting My Position In General Electric."", ""Guru Stocks at 52-Week Lows: UPS, HST, KORS, FAST, TIF"", ""Guru Stocks at 52-Week Lows: UPS, HST, KORS, FAST, TIF"", ""Why I Am Exiting My Position In General Electric."", ""Guru Stocks at 52-Week Lows: UPS, HST, KORS, FAST, TIF"", ""Why I Am Exiting My Position In General Electric.""]"
FAST,2015-04-20,16.4966,16.5756,16.3654,16.5114,"[""W.W. Grainger - Enthusiasm About The Buyback Program Is Offset By A Soft Operating Performance"", ""W.W. Grainger - Enthusiasm About The Buyback Program Is Offset By A Soft Operating Performance"", ""W.W. Grainger - Enthusiasm About The Buyback Program Is Offset By A Soft Operating Performance""]"
FAST,2015-04-21,16.5954,16.779,16.5392,16.695,"[""Fastenal - Smooth Operating Performance Could Create A Long-Term Opportunity"", ""Fastenal Has What It Takes To Hold Together Your Dividend Growth Portfolio"", ""Fastenal Has What It Takes To Hold Together Your Dividend Growth Portfolio"", ""Fastenal - Smooth Operating Performance Could Create A Long-Term Opportunity"", ""Fastenal Has What It Takes To Hold Together Your Dividend Growth Portfolio"", ""Fastenal - Smooth Operating Performance Could Create A Long-Term Opportunity""]"
FAST,2015-04-22,16.7366,16.926,16.6902,16.8274,
FAST,2015-04-23,16.7404,17.1017,16.7276,17.0257,"[""Fastenal: Think Twice About Buying If You Are A Value And Growth Investor"", ""Fastenal: Think Twice About Buying If You Are A Value And Growth Investor"", ""Fastenal Company (FAST) Ex-Dividend Date Scheduled for April 24, 2015 Fastenal Company ( FAST ) will begin trading ex-dividend on April 24, 2015. A cash dividend payment of $0.28 per share is scheduled to be paid on May 26, 2015. Shareholders who purchased FAST prior to the ex-dividend date are eligible for the cash dividend payment. This represents an 12% increase over the same period a year ago. At the current stock price of $41.58, the dividend yield is 2.69%. The previous trading day's last sale of FAST was $41.58, representing a -18.44% decrease from the 52 week high of $50.98 and a 5.37% increase over the 52 week low of $39.46. FAST is a part of the Consumer Services sector, which includes companies such as Home Depot, Inc. ( HD ) and Lowe's Companies, Inc. ( LOW ). FAST's current earnings per share, an indicator of a company's profitability, is $1.72. Zacks Investment Research reports FAST's forecasted earnings growth in 2015 as 10.36%, compared to an industry average of 8.1%. For more information on the declaration, record and payment dates, visit the FAST Dividend History page. Our Dividend Calendar has the full list of stocks that have an ex-dividend today. Interested in gaining exposure to FAST through an Exchange Traded Fund [ETF]? The following ETF(s) have FAST as a top-10 holding: WBI SMID Tactical Yield Shares ( WBIC ). The top-performing ETF of this group is WBIC with an decrease of -4.39% over the last 100 days. It also has the highest percent weighting of FAST at 3.96%. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal: Think Twice About Buying If You Are A Value And Growth Investor""]"
FAST,2015-04-24,17.0553,17.0553,16.778,16.9596,
FAST,2015-04-27,17.0149,17.4591,16.933,17.2775,
FAST,2015-04-28,17.2291,17.4807,17.1106,17.4037,"[""Fastenal - Recent Quarter Shows Operating Leverage Taking Hold"", ""Fastenal - Recent Quarter Shows Operating Leverage Taking Hold"", ""Fastenal - Recent Quarter Shows Operating Leverage Taking Hold""]"
FAST,2015-04-29,17.3445,17.6801,17.235,17.5429,
FAST,2015-04-30,17.5341,17.6249,17.2893,17.3633,
FAST,2015-05-01,17.4009,17.5133,17.2893,17.4521,
FAST,2015-05-04,17.4481,17.615,17.4167,17.5795,
FAST,2015-05-05,17.4215,17.4433,16.9221,16.9645,
FAST,2015-05-06,16.9675,17.0475,16.8046,16.9823,"[""Fastenal's April Sales Grow Slightly Amid Industrial Slump - Analyst Blog"", ""Fastenal's April Sales Grow Slightly Amid Industrial Slump - Analyst Blog"", ""Fastenal's April Sales Grow Slightly Amid Industrial Slump - Analyst Blog Fastenal CompanyFAST released its sales numbers for April which was slightly better than March. Nevertheless, April sales growth fell short of market expectations as industrial demand continues to weaken. April net sales rose 6.1% year over year to $334.5 million. Daily sales grew 6.1% to $15.20 million, slightly better than 5.6% rise in March. However, the growth rate was much weaker than 10% recorded in April last year. The industrial and construction supplies wholesale distributor serves customers in the manufacturing and non-residential construction markets. Both the end markets witnessed moderating growth. Daily sales to manufacturing customers (representing almost 50% of revenues) grew 4.6%, better than a 3.9% increase in March. Daily sales to non-residential construction customers (representing 20% to 25% of revenues) also grew 3.3%, better than 2.7% improvement in March. After struggling in 2013, Fastenal's top line turned around in 2014 as underlying markets improved, vending re-vamped, sales improvement efforts yielded results and comparisons eased. However, sales slowed down significantly in the first quarter of 2015 due to currency headwinds, lower sales from oil & gas industry, severe weather conditions during January and February and overall weakness in industrial economy. A strong dollar significantly hurt the company's export related activity. Moreover, Fastenal's gross margins are contracting as management's focus shifts toward top-line improvement. Additionally, lack of inflation, an unfavorable product/customer mix, strong emphasis on growing average store sales, pricing and competitive pressures are hurting gross margins. Stocks to Consider Fastenal carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Better-ranked stocks in the broader building sector are Meritage Homes Corp. MTH , KB Home KBH and Toll Brothers, Inc. TOL . While Toll Brothers sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), the other two stocks have a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report TOLL BROTHERS (TOL): Free Stock Analysis Report KB HOME (KBH): Free Stock Analysis Report MERITAGE HOMES (MTH): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal's April Sales Grow Slightly Amid Industrial Slump - Analyst Blog""]"
FAST,2015-05-07,16.925,17.1905,16.925,17.1165,
FAST,2015-05-08,17.3091,17.5755,17.1807,17.4037,"[""Investor Friendly Management"", ""Investor Friendly Management"", ""Investor Friendly Management""]"
FAST,2015-05-11,17.3554,17.4009,17.2291,17.3011,
FAST,2015-05-12,17.2508,17.5893,17.1442,17.5223,
FAST,2015-05-13,17.5223,17.5854,17.4137,17.4481,
FAST,2015-05-14,17.5341,17.6327,17.4729,17.6279,"[""Fastenal - Dividend Fact Sheet"", ""Fastenal - Dividend Fact Sheet"", ""Fastenal - Dividend Fact Sheet""]"
FAST,2015-05-15,17.6475,17.6881,17.3969,17.4255,
FAST,2015-05-18,17.3731,17.5025,17.2311,17.3841,
FAST,2015-05-19,17.3731,17.3929,17.156,17.3219,
FAST,2015-05-20,17.3445,17.4037,17.2853,17.3445,
FAST,2015-05-21,17.3258,17.5025,17.3091,17.3929,"[""Dividend Growth All Stars: 20 Dividend Stocks That Will Keep Your Income Growing (Part 4)"", ""Dividend Growth All Stars: 20 Dividend Stocks That Will Keep Your Income Growing (Part 4)"", ""Dividend Growth All Stars: 20 Dividend Stocks That Will Keep Your Income Growing (Part 4)""]"
FAST,2015-05-22,17.3307,17.4097,17.2547,17.2725,
FAST,2015-05-26,17.2725,17.3307,17.1738,17.2557,"[""Mairs & Power Small Cap Fund Q1 2015 Letter"", ""Mairs & Power Small Cap Fund Q1 2015 Letter"", ""Mairs & Power Small Cap Fund Q1 2015 Letter""]"
FAST,2015-05-27,17.2853,17.3841,17.1767,17.3633,
FAST,2015-05-28,17.3129,17.4097,17.2725,17.3347,
FAST,2015-05-29,17.3091,17.3515,16.8777,16.9092,
FAST,2015-06-01,17.0228,17.2044,16.8254,16.9803,"[""Tracking The Sequoia Fund - Q1 2015 Update"", ""Tracking The Sequoia Fund - Q1 2015 Update"", ""Tracking The Sequoia Fund - Q1 2015 Update""]"
FAST,2015-06-02,16.8806,17.233,16.8786,17.158,
FAST,2015-06-03,17.2459,17.3347,17.0623,17.3258,
FAST,2015-06-04,17.2547,17.3091,17.1442,17.1689,"[""Fastenal's (FAST) May Sales Dampened by Industrial Slump - Analyst Blog"", ""Fastenal's (FAST) May Sales Dampened by Industrial Slump - Analyst Blog"", ""Fastenal's (FAST) May Sales Dampened by Industrial Slump - Analyst Blog Fastenal CompanyFAST released its sales figures for May, which were lower than April sales. May net sales rose a marginal 0.3% year over year to $314.4 million compared with $334.5 million last month. In fact, April net sales had risen 6.1% year over year. Daily sales grew 5.3% to $15.72 million, down from 6.1% rise in April. The daily growth rate was much weaker than 13.5% recorded in May last year. Currency had an unfavorable impact of 0.9% in the month, compared with 0.5% negative impact last month. This industrial and construction supplies wholesale distributor serves customers in the manufacturing and non-residential construction markets. Both the end markets witnessed decelerating growth in the month. Daily sales to manufacturing customers (representing almost 50% of revenues) grew 4.1%, weaker than a 4.6% increase in Apr 2015. Daily sales to non-residential construction customers (representing 20% to 25% of revenues) also grew 1.0%, much softer than 3.3% improvement in Apr 2015. Fastenal's strategic decision to increase sales personnel at its stores and increase the number of district and regional leaders supporting stores drove revenues in 2014. However, recent revenue results have been unfavorably impacted by poor weather in North America, economic softness, currency headwinds and lower sales from the oil & gas industry. Some of these headwinds are expected to continue in the upcoming quarters. Moreover, an unfavorable product mix, strong emphasis on growing average store sales, pricing and competitive pressure have been hurting the company's gross margin. Fastenal carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Stocks to Consider Better-ranked stocks in the broader building sector include Tecnoglass Inc. TGLS , Travis Perkins plc TVPKF and Universal Forest Products Inc. UFPI . All the three companies have a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days . Click to get this free report >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report UNIVL FST PRODS (UFPI): Free Stock Analysis Report TRAVIS PERKINS (TVPKF): Free Stock Analysis Report TECNOGLASS INC (TGLS): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal's (FAST) May Sales Dampened by Industrial Slump - Analyst Blog""]"
FAST,2015-06-05,17.1531,17.1876,16.9961,17.0623,
FAST,2015-06-08,17.0257,17.0879,16.9092,16.9132,
FAST,2015-06-09,16.9132,17.0593,16.8806,16.9803,"[""HD Supply Q1 Earnings Soar Despite Rough Weather"", ""HD Supply Q1 Earnings Soar Despite Rough Weather"", ""HD Supply Q1 Earnings Soar Despite Rough Weather""]"
FAST,2015-06-10,17.0781,17.2459,17.0781,17.1807,
FAST,2015-06-11,17.235,17.2725,17.0879,17.2459,
FAST,2015-06-12,17.1738,17.233,17.0879,17.1215,"[""Why Fastenal's Lack Of Excess Is Troubling"", ""My 30 Stocks For 30 Years: Q2 2015 Buys"", ""My 30 Stocks For 30 Years: Q2 2015 Buys"", ""Why Fastenal's Lack Of Excess Is Troubling"", ""My 30 Stocks For 30 Years: Q2 2015 Buys"", ""Why Fastenal's Lack Of Excess Is Troubling""]"
FAST,2015-06-15,17.0228,17.084,16.85,17.0593,
FAST,2015-06-16,17.0099,17.1876,16.929,17.1738,
FAST,2015-06-17,17.2044,17.4167,17.1531,17.3929,
FAST,2015-06-18,17.4679,17.7048,17.4137,17.6841,
FAST,2015-06-19,17.6633,17.6762,17.4729,17.5093,"[""Executive Compensation At Fastenal Is Modest And Transparent"", ""Executive Compensation At Fastenal Is Modest And Transparent"", ""Executive Compensation At Fastenal Is Modest And Transparent""]"
FAST,2015-06-22,17.6387,17.7187,17.5223,17.6614,
FAST,2015-06-23,17.7216,17.7216,17.5557,17.615,
FAST,2015-06-24,17.6347,17.6801,17.5093,17.5341,
FAST,2015-06-25,17.5429,17.5835,17.3693,17.4097,
FAST,2015-06-26,17.4639,17.5893,17.3969,17.5587,
FAST,2015-06-29,17.4481,17.4639,17.1847,17.1945,
FAST,2015-06-30,17.3633,17.3761,17.1649,17.1847,
FAST,2015-07-01,17.2627,17.2804,17.0938,17.1807,"[""Nintai Returns: Q2 2015"", ""Nintai Returns: Q2 2015"", ""Nintai Returns: Q2 2015""]"
FAST,2015-07-02,17.1807,17.2627,16.9882,17.1531,
FAST,2015-07-06,17.0524,17.2291,17.0524,17.1264,"[""My 30 Stocks For 30 Years: Q2 2015 Update"", ""My 30 Stocks For 30 Years: Q2 2015 Update"", ""My 30 Stocks For 30 Years: Q2 2015 Update""]"
FAST,2015-07-07,17.2044,17.4305,17.0465,17.4097,
FAST,2015-07-08,17.3475,17.4009,17.0228,17.1136,
FAST,2015-07-09,17.2547,17.3515,17.0593,17.1106,
FAST,2015-07-10,17.2725,17.3347,17.1471,17.2409,"[""What's in Store for Fastenal Company (FAST) This Earnings? - Analyst Blog"", ""What's in Store for Fastenal Company (FAST) This Earnings? - Analyst Blog"", ""What's in Store for Fastenal Company (FAST) This Earnings? - Analyst Blog Fastenal CompanyFAST is set to report second-quarter 2015 results on Jul 14, before the market opens. Last quarter, Fastenal delivered a positive surprise of 2.38%. Let's see how things are shaping up for this announcement. Factors to Consider this Quarter Fastenal's strategic decision to increase the number of sales personnel at its stores as well as district and regional leaders supporting stores drove revenues in 2014. However, in the first quarter, revenues were unfavorably impacted by poor weather in North America, economic softness, currency headwinds and lower sales from the oil & gas industry. Some of these headwinds are expected to continue in the soon-to-be reported quarter. In fact, monthly sales data released for April and May (included in the second quarter) show that though the top line improved in April, it declined sequentially in May. Daily sales grew 6.1% in April which softened to 5.3% in May,. Fastenal serves customers in the manufacturing and non-residential construction markets. Both end-markets witnessed decelerating growth in May. In addition, currency had an unfavorable impact of 0.9% in May, compared with negative 0.5% in April. Moreover, an unfavorable product mix, strong emphasis on growing average store sales, pricing and competitive pressure have been hurting the company's gross margin. The company expects gross margin to continue to decline in the upcoming quarters but operating margins are expected to improve somewhat on the back of improving SG&A leverage. Earnings Whispers? Our proven model does not conclusively show that Fastenal is likely to beat earnings this quarter. That is because a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), #2 (Buy) or #3 (Hold) for this to happen. That is not the case here, as you will see below. Zacks ESP: The Earnings ESP is 0.00% as both the Most Accurate estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate stand at 47 cents. Zacks Rank: Fastenal's Zacks Rank #3 increases the predictive power of ESP. However, we need to have a positive ESP to be confident about an earnings surprise. We caution against stocks with Zacks Rank #4 and #5 (Sell-rated stocks) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions momentum. Stocks to Consider Here are some companies in the construction sector, that, according to our model have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter: Owens Corning OC with an Earnings ESP of +1.89% and a Zacks Rank #1. KBR, Inc. KBR with an Earnings ESP of +32.14% and a Zacks Rank #1. Ryland Group Inc. RYL with an Earnings ESP of +9.59% and a Zacks Rank #3. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report KBR INC (KBR): Free Stock Analysis Report RYLAND GRP INC (RYL): Free Stock Analysis Report OWENS CORNING (OC): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""What's in Store for Fastenal Company (FAST) This Earnings? - Analyst Blog""]"
FAST,2015-07-13,17.3219,17.4679,17.2409,17.4433,"[""Notable earnings before Tuesday's open"", ""Fastenal declares $0.28 dividend"", ""Most & Least Shorted Stocks Ahead Of Earnings"", ""Most & Least Shorted Stocks Ahead Of Earnings"", ""Notable earnings before Tuesday's open"", ""Fastenal declares $0.28 dividend"", ""Most & Least Shorted Stocks Ahead Of Earnings"", ""Notable earnings before Tuesday's open"", ""Fastenal declares $0.28 dividend""]"
FAST,2015-07-14,16.8925,17.2133,16.6902,16.7464,"[""Fastenal sales hit by oil slump"", ""Fastenal's (FAST) CEO Lee Hein on Q2 2015 Results - Earnings Call Transcript"", ""Fastenal Q2 Earnings Beat Views, But Oil Hits Sales"", ""Fastenal beats by $0.01, misses on revenue"", ""More on Fastenal's Q2"", ""Fastenal Company (FAST) Beats Earnings, Sales Miss - Tale of the Tape"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Beats Q2 Earnings, Oil & Gas Lower Sales - Analyst Blog"", ""Stocks Creep Up In Mixed Trade; Micron, GoPro, Ambarella Climb"", ""7 Stocks You Should Be Watching Today"", ""Earnings Scheduled For July 14, 2015"", ""Fastenal Announces Q2 EPS $0.48 vs $0.47 est, Revenue $997.8M vs $1.01B est"", ""Fastenal Announces Q2 EPS $0.48 vs $0.47 est, Revenue $997.8M vs $1.01B est"", ""Earnings Scheduled For July 14, 2015"", ""7 Stocks You Should Be Watching Today"", ""Fastenal sales hit by oil slump"", ""Fastenal's (FAST) CEO Lee Hein on Q2 2015 Results - Earnings Call Transcript"", ""Stocks Creep Up In Mixed Trade; Micron, GoPro, Ambarella Climb"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Beats Q2 Earnings, Oil & Gas Lower Sales - Analyst Blog"", ""Fastenal Q2 Earnings Beat Views, But Oil Hits Sales"", ""Fastenal Company (FAST) Beats Earnings, Sales Miss - Tale of the Tape"", ""More on Fastenal's Q2"", ""Fastenal beats by $0.01, misses on revenue"", ""Nasdaq 100 Movers: AAL, MU In early trading on Tuesday, shares of Micron Technology ( MU ) topped the list of the day's best performing components of the Nasdaq 100 index, trading up 10.4%. Year to date, Micron Technology has lost about 44.4% of its value. And the worst performing Nasdaq 100 component thus far on the day is American Airlines Group ( AAL ), trading down 1.9%. American Airlines Group is lower by about 22.4% looking at the year to date performance. Two other components making moves today are Fastenal ( FAST ), trading down 1.8%, and SanDisk Corp. ( SNDK ), trading up 4.2% on the day. VIDEO: Nasdaq 100 Movers: AAL, MU The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal (FAST) Beats Q2 Earnings, Oil & Gas Lower Sales - Analyst Blog Fastenal CompanyFAST reported adjusted earnings of 48 cents per share in the second quarter of 2015, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 47 cents by 2.1%. Earnings grew 9.1% year over year as the weak sales performance was offset by better pre-tax margins. Sales Remain Weak Net sales of $997.8 million increased 5% year over year, but missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.017 billion by 1.1%. After struggling in 2013, Fastenal's top line turned around in 2014 as underlying markets improved, vending re-vamped, sales improvement efforts yielded results and comparisons eased. In order to accelerate sales growth, Fastenal took the strategic decision to increase sales personnel at its stores which largely boosted sales in 2014. However, sales slowed down significantly in the first half of 2015 due to lower sales from the oil & gas industry and overall weakness in the industrial economy. Fastenal garners approximately 10% to 12% of its sales from stores located in the oil producing regions (Texas, Western Pennsylvania, Western Canada, etc.) where sales are being hurt by a slowing economy due to lower oil prices . Fastenal's total average daily sales growth rate was 5% in the second quarter, much less than 12.1% in the prior-year quarter. Foreign exchange dragged second-quarter daily sales growth rate by 1%. A strong dollar significantly hurt the company's export related activity. Daily sales growth was 3.7% in June, 5.3% in May and 6.1% in April lower than 12.7%, 13.5% and 10% improvement, respectively, in the corresponding year-ago months. The industrial and construction supplies wholesale distributor serves customers in the manufacturing and non-residential construction markets. Both of these end markets witnessed moderating growth due to weak industrial environment. Daily sales to manufacturing customers (representing almost 50% of revenues) grew 3.8%, down from 11.2% growth in the prior-year quarter and 6.9% in the previous quarter. Daily sales growth rates to manufacturing customers softened due to subdued sales of both fasteners and non-fasteners. Daily sales growth rate of fastener products (used mainly for industrial production and accounting for nearly 40% of the company's business) remained flat in the quarter, much weaker than 5.5% improvement each in the previous and the year-ago quarter. Lower demand from heavy machinery manufacturing customer base - mainly from those engaged in oil and gas business - hurt fastener sales as this customer base contracted their production requirements. The heavy manufacturing business represents approximately one-fifth of the company's business. Non-fastener product sales (used mainly for maintenance) increased 9%, down from 17.1% growth in the prior-year quarter and 11.7% in the last quarter. The non-fastener business also weakened over the last six months as improved vending trends were offset by overall weakness in the industrial environment. In the non-residential construction market, daily sales to non-residential construction customers (representing 20% to 25% of revenues) grew 1.6%, down from 7.5% in the prior-year quarter as well as 6.2% in the previous quarter. Slowdown in the energy sector also hurt sales in this market. Vending Trends Continue to Improve As of Jun 30, 2015, Fastenal operated 50,620 vending machines, up 15.7% year over year. During the quarter, the company signed 5,144 machine contracts, up almost 30% from the last quarter. Daily sales growth to customers using vending machines was 8.6%, down from 12.3% in the previous quarter. The vending machines now account for 40.9% of the company's sales, higher than 40.5% in the prior quarter. Vending trends improved through 2014 and the first half of 2015 after remaining soft in 2013 as management's recent efforts to improve the quality of signings/installs paid off. Even though the daily sales growth to customers using vending declined sequentially, the percentage of vending customers and signings improved. Gross Margins Down, Pre-Tax Margins Improve Gross margin in the second quarter declined 50 basis points (bps) both year over year and sequentially to 50.3%. Lack of inflation, unfavourable product mix (less fasteners which generate higher margins) and pricing and competitive pressures are affecting gross margins. A strong emphasis on growing average store sales is also pulling down gross margins. Under its Pathway-to-Profit initiative, Fastenal focuses on increasing the average store size (measured in terms of monthly sales). As the average store size increases, gross margins will decline due to higher mix of larger customers which generate lower gross margins. However, larger store size leads to better earnings leverage by spreading operating costs over higher sales and thereby improves pre-tax margins. This resulted in an 80 bps improvement in pre-tax margins to 22.6% in the reported quarter. The company recorded operating and administrative expenses (SG&A) of $276.6 million in the quarter, almost flat year over year. Stocks to Consider Fastenal has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Some better-ranked stocks in the broader building sector are The Home Depot, Inc. HD , Lennar Corp. LEN and Gibraltar Industries, Inc. ROCK . While Lennar and Gibraltar Industries sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), Home Depot carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days.Click to get this free report >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report HOME DEPOT (HD): Free Stock Analysis Report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report LENNAR CORP -A (LEN): Free Stock Analysis Report GIBRALTAR INDUS (ROCK): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Company (FAST) Beats Earnings, Sales Miss - Tale of the Tape Fastenal Company ( FAST ) is a national wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies. It distributes its products through company-owned stores mostly located in North America. The company has gradually grown from a fastener distributor to a full-line industrial supplier. After struggling in 2013, Fastenal's top line turned around in 2014 as underlying markets improved, vending revamped, sales improvement efforts yielded results and comparisons eased. However, sales slowed down significantly in the first quarter of 2015 due to currency headwinds, lower sales from oil & gas industry, severe weather conditions and overall weakness in industrial economy. Fastenal's gross margins are contracting as management's focus shifts toward top-line improvement. Investors should also note the recent earnings estimate revisions for FAST, as the consensus estimate has been moving downwards. Moreover, FAST has a mixed history in earnings season. Fastenal has delivered in line earnings results in three of the last four quarters, making for an average positive surprise of 0.60%. Currently, FAST has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), but that could definitely change following Fastenal's earnings report which was just released. We have highlighted some of the key stats from this just-revealed announcement below: Earnings: FAST beat on earnings. Our consensus earnings estimate called for EPS of $0.47/share, and the company reported EPS of $0.48. Investors should note that these figures take out stock option expenses. Revenues: FAST reported revenues of $997.8 million. This missed our consensus estimate of $1.017 billion. Key Stats to Note: Fastenal's total average daily sales growth rate was 5.0%, much less than 12.1% in the prior-year quarter. Share price: In-active in pre-market trading . Check back later for our full write up on this FAST earnings report later! Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days.Click to get this free report >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Announces Q2 EPS $0.48 vs $0.47 est, Revenue $997.8M vs $1.01B est"", ""Earnings Scheduled For July 14, 2015"", ""7 Stocks You Should Be Watching Today"", ""Fastenal sales hit by oil slump"", ""Fastenal's (FAST) CEO Lee Hein on Q2 2015 Results - Earnings Call Transcript"", ""Stocks Creep Up In Mixed Trade; Micron, GoPro, Ambarella Climb"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Beats Q2 Earnings, Oil & Gas Lower Sales - Analyst Blog"", ""Fastenal Q2 Earnings Beat Views, But Oil Hits Sales"", ""Fastenal Company (FAST) Beats Earnings, Sales Miss - Tale of the Tape"", ""More on Fastenal's Q2"", ""Fastenal beats by $0.01, misses on revenue""]"
FAST,2015-07-15,16.7582,17.0879,16.7385,16.9014,"[""Is Fastenal A Buy After The Recent Decline?"", ""Company News for July 15, 2015 - Corporate Summary"", ""Company News for July 15, 2015 - Corporate Summary"", ""Is Fastenal A Buy After The Recent Decline?"", ""Company News for July 15, 2015 - Corporate Summary \u2022 Micron Technology, Inc.'s ( MU ) shares soared 11.4% following news that China's state-owned investment company Tsinghua Unigroup Ltd may bid $23 billion for Micron, valuing the company at $21 per share \u2022 Shares of Fastenal Company ( FAST ) declined 4% after reporting second quarter net sales of $997.8 million, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.017 billion \u2022 Spirit Airlines, Inc.'s ( SAVE ) shares slumped 7.4% after anticipating second quarter operating margin between 21% and 21.5%, compared to earlier guided range of 24.5% to 26.5% \u2022 Shares of Navient Corporation ( NAVI ) plunged 10.6% after forecasting full year earnings per share of $1.85, lower than the prior projection of $2.20 Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report MICRON TECH (MU): Free Stock Analysis Report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report SPIRIT AIRLINES (SAVE): Free Stock Analysis Report NAVIENT CORP (NAVI): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Company News for July 15, 2015 - Corporate Summary"", ""Is Fastenal A Buy After The Recent Decline?""]"
FAST,2015-07-16,16.7958,17.1471,16.773,17.0781,"[""Fastenal Caught Up In The Distributor Slowdown"", ""Fastenal Caught Up In The Distributor Slowdown"", ""Fastenal Caught Up In The Distributor Slowdown""]"
FAST,2015-07-17,17.0623,17.0692,16.8382,17.0524,"[""Revisiting Fastenal"", ""Grainger Slashes Full-Year Guidance, Tops Q2 EPS"", ""Grainger Slashes Full-Year Guidance, Tops Q2 EPS"", ""Revisiting Fastenal"", ""Grainger Slashes Full-Year Guidance, Tops Q2 EPS"", ""Revisiting Fastenal""]"
FAST,2015-07-20,17.0741,17.2508,17.0099,17.1876,"[""New Fastenal CEO Hein to drop to COO, Oberton returns as CEO"", ""Time Is Illusory. Events May Be, Too"", ""New Fastenal CEO Hein to drop to COO, Oberton returns as CEO"", ""Time Is Illusory. Events May Be, Too"", ""New Fastenal CEO Hein to drop to COO, Oberton returns as CEO"", ""Time Is Illusory. Events May Be, Too""]"
FAST,2015-07-21,17.1165,17.1905,16.8135,16.8806,"[""KeyBanc Initiates Coverage on Fastenal at Sector Weight"", ""KeyBanc Initiates Coverage on Fastenal at Sector Weight"", ""KeyBanc Initiates Coverage on Fastenal at Sector Weight""]"
FAST,2015-07-22,16.9369,17.0692,16.475,16.5638,"[""KeyBanc Prefers These 2 Industrial Names Over The Rest Of The Pack"", ""KeyBanc Prefers These 2 Industrial Names Over The Rest Of The Pack"", ""KeyBanc Prefers These 2 Industrial Names Over The Rest Of The Pack""]"
FAST,2015-07-23,16.5312,16.5964,16.3486,16.4582,"Fastenal Company (FAST) Ex-Dividend Date Scheduled for July 24, 2015 Fastenal Company ( FAST ) will begin trading ex-dividend on July 24, 2015. A cash dividend payment of $0.28 per share is scheduled to be paid on August 25, 2015. Shareholders who purchased FAST prior to the ex-dividend date are eligible for the cash dividend payment. This marks the 3rd quarter that FAST has paid the same dividend. At the current stock price of $40.66, the dividend yield is 2.75%. The previous trading day's last sale of FAST was $40.66, representing a -16.04% decrease from the 52 week high of $48.43 and a 3.04% increase over the 52 week low of $39.46. FAST is a part of the Consumer Services sector, which includes companies such as Home Depot, Inc. ( HD ) and Lowe's Companies, Inc. ( LOW ). FAST's current earnings per share, an indicator of a company's profitability, is $1.76. Zacks Investment Research reports FAST's forecasted earnings growth in 2015 as 9.94%, compared to an industry average of 19.8%. For more information on the declaration, record and payment dates, visit the FAST Dividend History page. Our Dividend Calendar has the full list of stocks that have an ex-dividend today. Interested in gaining exposure to FAST through an Exchange Traded Fund [ETF]? The following ETF(s) have FAST as a top-10 holding: WBI SMID Tactical Yield Shares ( WBIC ). The top-performing ETF of this group is WBIC with an increase of 0.08% over the last 100 days. It also has the highest percent weighting of FAST at 3.96%. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2015-07-24,16.4838,16.5598,16.3072,16.4335,
FAST,2015-07-27,16.4335,16.5401,16.2992,16.4493,
FAST,2015-07-28,16.5244,16.7701,16.475,16.7572,"[""Industrials: How Market Illness Spreads"", ""Fastenal Polipnick Buys 2,500 Shares @$40.03/Share -Form 4"", ""Fastenal Polipnick Buys 2,500 Shares @$40.03/Share -Form 4"", ""Industrials: How Market Illness Spreads"", ""Fastenal Polipnick Buys 2,500 Shares @$40.03/Share -Form 4"", ""Industrials: How Market Illness Spreads""]"
FAST,2015-07-29,16.7404,16.9369,16.6477,16.9092,
FAST,2015-07-30,16.8332,16.928,16.7484,16.776,
FAST,2015-07-31,16.8332,17.2389,16.7908,17.1748,"[""Opportunities In The Industrial Sector"", ""Opportunities In The Industrial Sector"", ""Opportunities In The Industrial Sector""]"
FAST,2015-08-03,17.1303,17.2153,16.315,16.9882,
FAST,2015-08-04,16.9241,17.1402,16.8688,16.9596,
FAST,2015-08-05,16.9922,17.1067,16.6566,16.7701,
FAST,2015-08-06,16.7701,16.8283,16.4454,16.4582,
FAST,2015-08-07,16.4838,16.545,16.2776,16.4088,
FAST,2015-08-10,16.5312,16.7404,16.5244,16.6428,
FAST,2015-08-11,16.545,16.554,16.2223,16.315,
FAST,2015-08-12,16.2262,16.63,16.2055,16.5974,"14.3% of XLI Holdings Seeing Recent Insider Buys A look at the weighted underlying holdings of the Industrial Select Sector SPDR Fund ( XLI ) shows an impressive 14.3% of holdings on a weighted basis have experienced insider buying within the past six months. General Electric Co (Symbol: GE), which makes up 10.36% of the Industrial Select Sector SPDR Fund ( XLI ), has seen 5 directors and officers purchase shares in the past six months, according to the recent Form 4 data. The ETF holds a total of $708,308,853 worth of GE, making it the #1 largest holding. The table below details the recent insider buying activity observed at GE: GE - last trade: $25.71 - Recent Insider Buys: And Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST), the #44 largest holding among components of the Industrial Select Sector SPDR Fund ( XLI ), shows 3 directors and officers as recently filing Form 4's indicating purchases. The ETF holds $39,638,967 worth of FAST, which represents approximately 0.58% of the ETF's total assets at last check. The recent insider buying activity observed at FAST is detailed in the table below: FAST - last trade: $39.77 - Recent Insider Buys: 10 ETFs With Stocks That Insiders Are Buying » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2015-08-13,16.5401,16.5648,16.4187,16.4316,"Fastenal executive vice president buys 1,000 shares The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2015-08-14,16.3792,16.545,16.3723,16.4966,"[""Top 10 Industrial Stocks For Dividend Growth And Income"", ""Top 10 Industrial Stocks For Dividend Growth And Income"", ""Top 10 Industrial Stocks For Dividend Growth And Income""]"
FAST,2015-08-17,16.4226,16.6477,16.3526,16.5558,"[""The Best Companies Of The Machinery Industry - August 2015"", ""M&R Capital Management Buys Allergan in Q2 2015"", ""Fastenal's Industrial Vending Gains Traction, Hits a Milestone"", ""M&R Capital Management Buys Allergan in Q2 2015"", ""The Best Companies Of The Machinery Industry - August 2015"", ""Fastenal's Industrial Vending Gains Traction, Hits a Milestone"", ""M&R Capital Management Buys Allergan in Q2 2015"", ""The Best Companies Of The Machinery Industry - August 2015"", ""Fastenal's Industrial Vending Gains Traction, Hits a Milestone""]"
FAST,2015-08-18,16.548,16.7316,16.548,16.704,"When You Should Root Against Your Own Stocks Wait - what? Yes, that's right. It may sound improbable that the man considered the greatest investor of all time would actively hope that any of his firm's stocks would struggle. But when you consider what Buffett wrote to Berkshire investors in his 2011 year-end letter, and the fact that U.S. Bancorp approved a $3 billion share buyback plan earlier this year, the strange idea starts to make sense: ""The logic is simple,"" Buffett wrote in that letter. ""If you are going to be a net buyer of stocks in the future, either directly with your own money or indirectly (through your ownership of a company that is repurchasing shares), you are hurt when stocks rise. You benefit when stocks swoon."" As usual, Buffett's logic is sound, and exemplifies the sort of value-minded contrarian thinking that sets him and other highly successful investors apart from the rest. If you hold shares of USB for the long term, you should want the firm to get as good a deal as possible on its shares (so long as its underlying business remains strong). That way, it can buy as many shares as possible for that $3 billion. And the more shares it repurchases, the more valuable the remaining outstanding shares -- your shares -- become. Of course, rooting against a stock that you own is as hard as it for a Red Sox fan to root for the Yankees. Buffett acknowledges that. ""Emotions,"" he says, ""too often complicate the matter: Most people, including those who will be net buyers in the future, take comfort in seeing stock prices advance. These shareholders resemble a commuter who rejoices after the price of gas increases, simply because his tank contains a day's supply."" For more than a decade, I have been running a computer model that mimics Buffett's approach (as outlined in the book Buffettology, written by Buffett's former daughter-in-law and colleague Mary Buffett). I use the model to choose stocks for the ""Patient Investor"" portfolio I track on my website, and since its late-2003 inception, the 10-stock, monthly rebalanced portfolio has outpaced the broader market, returning 141% (7.8% annualized) vs. the S&P 500's return of 97% (6.0% annualized; all figures through August 14). My Buffett-inspired strategy looks at a number of fundamental and financial criteria, generally seeking solid balance sheets, reasonable valuations, and a long track record of consistent performance. In addition, it offers bonus points for firms that have been buying back their own shares. Given the boom in share buybacks we've seen in recent years, you don't have to look very far for companies that are buying back their own stock, and several stocks that my Buffett-inspired model is high are in the midst of share repurchase plans. Though the very idea probably makes you cringe, these are the types of stocks you might want to buy, and then hope the market sours on them for a while. FactSet Research Systems Inc. ( FDS ): This Connecticut-based global financial data and analytical applications provider ($7 billion market cap) has increased earnings in every year of the past decade, one reason it gets high marks from my Buffett model. Two more: It has just $35 million in long-term debt vs. $233 million in annual earnings and has averaged a 10-year return on equity of 29.6% -- a sign of the ""durable competitive advantage"" Buffett likes his investments to have. FactSet repurchased $70.2 million worth of its shares during the last quarter, and had $212.7 million still authorized for further repurchases. Polaris Industries ( PII ): The Minnesota-based company makes off-road vehicles (including all-terrain and side-by-side vehicles and snowmobiles) and on-road vehicles (including motorcycles and small electric vehicles). The $9-billion-market-cap firm increased its share repurchase program by four million shares earlier this year. Its fundamentals are quite Buffett-like: Polaris has averaged a return on equity of 42.1% over the past decade, part of why it gets strong interest from my Buffett-based model. The approach also likes that it has increased earnings per share in all but two years of the past decade, and has less debt ($399 million) than annual earnings ($464 million). Fastenal ( FAST ): Another Minnesota-based firm, Fastenal ($12 billion market cap) sells an array of industrial products, operating approximately 2,700 stores located primarily in North America with additional locations in Asia, Europe, Central and South America, and Africa. Fastenal has spent approximately $295 million buying back its stock in the last twelve months, saying that the valuation of the shares made it worth using some of its cash that way rather than on paying more dividends. My Buffett-based model sees a lot to like about Fastenal. The firm's EPS have dipped in just one year of the past decade; it has more than twice as much in annual earnings as it does in debt; and it has generated a 22.8% return on equity and a 20.9% return on retained earnings over the past decade. Cognizant Technology Solutions ( CTSH ): Cognizant is a provider of custom information technology, consulting and business process outsourcing services. The firm ($41 billion market cap) last year increased its stock repurchase program from $1.5 billion to $2.0 billion, and extended the term of the program to December 31, 2015. Cognizant gets high marks from my Buffett-based model. Its EPS have risen in every year of the past decade; it could pay off its $913 million in debt in less than a year, if it wanted to, given its $1.5 billion in annual earnings; and its 10-year average ROE is an impressive 20.8%. Dril-Quip ( DRQ ): This Houston-based firm is a leading manufacturer of highly engineered offshore drilling and production equipment, which is well suited for use in deepwater, harsh environment and severe service applications. Earlier this year, the company announced that it had authorized a $100 million stock repurchase program with no set expiration date. Oil-related stocks have been hit quite hard by the oil price plunge we have seen over the past year, and Dril-Quip is no exception. But the stock has a number of Buffett-type fundamentals, including its lack of any long-term debt, its 15.2% return on retained earnings over the past decade, and its 8.6% earnings yield. I'm long FAST, FDS, PII, CTSH, DRQ. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2015-08-19,16.63,16.7,16.3792,16.548,
FAST,2015-08-20,16.4138,16.471,16.1463,16.1542,
FAST,2015-08-21,16.1028,16.2992,16.0249,16.0742,
FAST,2015-08-24,15.5599,15.9331,15.0654,15.3428,"[""When You Should Root Against Your Own Stocks"", ""3 Dividend Gems Trading Below Fair Value With Over 3% Yields"", ""Baird Downgrades Fastenal to Neutral, Lowers PT to $44.00"", ""Baird Downgrades Fastenal to Neutral, Lowers PT to $44.00"", ""3 Dividend Gems Trading Below Fair Value With Over 3% Yields"", ""When You Should Root Against Your Own Stocks"", ""FAST Dividend Yield Pushes Past 3% Looking at the universe of stocks we cover at Dividend Channel , in trading on Monday, shares of Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) were yielding above the 3% mark based on its quarterly dividend (annualized to $1.12), with the stock changing hands as low as $36.73 on the day. Dividends are particularly important for investors to consider, because historically speaking dividends have provided a considerable share of the stock market's total return. To illustrate, suppose for example you purchased shares of the S&P 500 ETF ( SPY ) back on 12/31/1999 - you would have paid $146.88 per share. Fast forward to 12/31/2012 and each share was worth $142.41 on that date, a decrease of $4.67/share over all those years. But now consider that you collected a whopping $25.98 per share in dividends over the same period, for a positive total return of 23.36%. Even with dividends reinvested, that only amounts to an average annual total return of about 1.6%; so by comparison collecting a yield above 3% would appear considerably attractive if that yield is sustainable. Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) is an S&P 500 company, giving it special status as one of the large-cap companies making up the S&P 500 Index. In general, dividend amounts are not always predictable and tend to follow the ups and downs of profitability at each company. In the case of Fastenal Co., looking at the history chart for FAST below can help in judging whether the most recent dividend is likely to continue, and in turn whether it is a reasonable expectation to expect a 3% annual yield. According to the ETF Finder at ETF Channel, FAST makes up 1.87% of the First Trust RBA Quality Income ETF (Symbol: QINC) which is trading relatively unchanged on the day Monday. Click here to find out which 9 other dividend stocks just recently went on sale \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Enters Oversold Territory The DividendRank formula at Dividend Channel ranks a coverage universe of thousands of dividend stocks , according to a proprietary formula designed to identify those stocks that combine two important characteristics - strong fundamentals and a valuation that looks inexpensive. Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) presently has an excellent rank, in the top 25% of the coverage universe, which suggests it is among the top most \""interesting\"" ideas that merit further research by investors. But making Fastenal Co. an even more interesting and timely stock to look at, is the fact that in trading on Monday, shares of FAST entered into oversold territory, changing hands as low as $36.73 per share. We define oversold territory using the Relative Strength Index, or RSI, which is a technical analysis indicator used to measure momentum on a scale of zero to 100. A stock is considered to be oversold if the RSI reading falls below 30. In the case of Fastenal Co., the RSI reading has hit 29.3 - by comparison, the universe of dividend stocks covered by Dividend Channel currently has an average RSI of 31.9. A falling stock price - all else being equal - creates a better opportunity for dividend investors to capture a higher yield. Indeed, FAST's recent annualized dividend of 1.12/share (currently paid in quarterly installments) works out to an annual yield of 2.86% based upon the recent $39.18 share price. A bullish investor could look at FAST's 29.3 RSI reading today as a sign that the recent heavy selling is in the process of exhausting itself, and begin to look for entry point opportunities on the buy side. Among the fundamental datapoints dividend investors should investigate to decide if they are bullish on FAST is its dividend history. In general, dividends are not always predictable; but, looking at the history chart below can help in judging whether the most recent dividend is likely to continue. According to the ETF Finder at ETF Channel, FAST makes up 1.87% of the First Trust RBA Quality Income ETF (Symbol: QINC) which is trading relatively unchanged on the day Monday. Click here to find out what 9 other oversold dividend stocks you need to know about \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Baird Downgrades Fastenal to Neutral, Lowers PT to $44.00"", ""3 Dividend Gems Trading Below Fair Value With Over 3% Yields"", ""When You Should Root Against Your Own Stocks""]"
FAST,2015-08-25,15.5511,15.6033,15.1424,15.1809,
FAST,2015-08-26,15.5155,15.6655,15.405,15.6221,
FAST,2015-08-27,15.7317,16.0061,15.6951,15.9903,
FAST,2015-08-28,15.8788,16.0298,15.8097,15.8699,"[""Sequoia Fund Comments on Fastenal"", ""Sequoia Fund Comments on Fastenal"", ""Sequoia Fund Comments on Fastenal Question: I had a question on Fastenal ( NASDAQ:FAST ) - your thoughts on its net margins as the company pushes into non-fastener products and larger customers. And then maybe a little bit on Fastenal versus Grainger. Chase Sheridan: I will start with the margins. There has been a lot of discussion around gross margin because Fastenal's average customer size has been ... its large customers have been growing faster than the rest of the business; so the gross margins have been coming down a little bit. Fastenal has gross margins north of 50%, which is almost unheard of in industrial distribution. Fastenal's operating margins are north of 21%, which is also highly unusual. I expect the gross margins to come down over time. But I expect the operating margin to rise over time. That is because it is more efficient to serve these larger customers. Management makes that argument on a quarterly basis when it reports its result. Management always tries to talk about how its average revenue per store is growing. Ruane Cunniff Undervalued Stocks Ruane Cunniff Top Growth Companies Ruane Cunniff High Yield stocks Ruane Cunniff Undervalued Stocks Ruane Cunniff Top Growth Companies Ruane Cunniff High Yield stocks When we first bought it, Fastenal was growing the store base rapidly. In its early days, Fastenal was growing its store base by over 30% a year and it was still growing by 14% when I joined the firm in 2006. That growth rate is now zero. So the company does not have a lot of low volume new stores depressing its margins. As a result, as the existing store base grows in terms of the average sales per store, those stores become more efficient. The second part of the question was how do we think about Fastenal versus Grainger. We like both businesses. We follow Grainger closely. It is an excellent business with a wide moat. Jim Ryan at Grainger has done a very good job. It is tempting to say we could own both of them. So far, we just own Fastenal, though. Question: Do you find it more difficult today to find good stocks? Because it is lucky if you find one good stock a year. A Picasso sold this week for something astronomical. Why is it that wealth cannot find a good home in a stock and instead goes into art? It is harder and harder, it seems, to find - absent technology stocks - a good investment today. Am I wrong? David Poppe: Yes, it is definitely harder to find good stocks today. The market has gone up, has compounded 14% a year for the last five years through April 30. I think we are up about 17% a year over that time. That is roughly a doubling in stock prices. You cannot say that it is probable that we are going to compound at 17% over the next five years. No one knows how we will perform. But we are in an environment where more modest returns going forward are more likely than what we have seen in those five years. From Ruane, Cunniff & Goldfarb Investor Day 2015 Transcript Part II - Sequoia Fund . Read More: Ruane, Cunniff & Goldfarb Investor Day 2015 Transcript Part II - Sequoia Fund Sequoia Fund Comments on Google About GuruFocus: GuruFocus.com tracks the stocks picks and portfolio holdings of the world's best investors. This value investing site offers stock screeners and valuation tools. And publishes daily articles tracking the latest moves of the world's best investors. GuruFocus also provides promising stock ideas in 3 monthly newsletters sent to Premium Members . This article first appeared on GuruFocus . The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Sequoia Fund Comments on Fastenal""]"
FAST,2015-08-31,15.7771,15.9499,15.6349,15.8097,"[""Tracking The Sequoia Fund - Q2 2015 Update"", ""19 Best Stocks For Value Investors This Week - 8/29/15"", ""Tracking The Sequoia Fund - Q2 2015 Update"", ""19 Best Stocks For Value Investors This Week - 8/29/15"", ""Tracking The Sequoia Fund - Q2 2015 Update"", ""19 Best Stocks For Value Investors This Week - 8/29/15""]"
FAST,2015-09-01,15.5225,15.6221,15.3151,15.3625,
FAST,2015-09-02,15.6173,15.8008,15.5699,15.7248,"[""The MnM Portfolio, August 2015: Ep. 6 - Getting Into The FAST Lane!"", ""The MnM Portfolio, August 2015: Ep. 6 - Getting Into The FAST Lane!"", ""The MnM Portfolio, August 2015: Ep. 6 - Getting Into The FAST Lane!""]"
FAST,2015-09-03,15.6527,15.7583,15.3783,15.4425,
FAST,2015-09-04,15.2816,15.4681,15.2184,15.3823,
FAST,2015-09-08,15.6261,15.9597,15.5885,15.9331,
FAST,2015-09-09,16.0357,16.0979,15.7081,15.7367,"[""The All-Value Team: 35 Dividend Stocks With Yields Higher Than Their 5-Year Averages (Part 7)"", ""The All-Value Team: 35 Dividend Stocks With Yields Higher Than Their 5-Year Averages (Part 7)"", ""The All-Value Team: 35 Dividend Stocks With Yields Higher Than Their 5-Year Averages (Part 7)""]"
FAST,2015-09-10,15.6843,15.9903,15.6419,15.8443,
FAST,2015-09-11,15.7367,15.8659,15.6655,15.862,
FAST,2015-09-14,15.8314,15.8788,15.5639,15.6755,"[""Credit Suisse Assumes Fastenal at Neutral, Announces $47.00 PT"", ""Credit Suisse Assumes Fastenal at Neutral, Announces $47.00 PT"", ""Credit Suisse Assumes Fastenal at Neutral, Announces $47.00 PT""]"
FAST,2015-09-15,15.7317,15.9331,15.6497,15.8659,
FAST,2015-09-16,15.8097,15.9706,15.7683,15.9597,
FAST,2015-09-17,15.9854,15.9854,15.6913,15.7405,
FAST,2015-09-18,15.4977,15.6005,15.2313,15.252,
FAST,2015-09-21,15.3181,15.4346,15.1888,15.252,
FAST,2015-09-22,15.1375,15.2481,14.9618,15.018,"[""What Matters in a Company's Management"", ""Is Fastenal Repeating Its Past? Not So Fast"", ""What Matters in a Company's Management"", ""Is Fastenal Repeating Its Past? Not So Fast"", ""Nasdaq 100 Movers: SPLS, TRIP In early trading on Tuesday, shares of Tripadvisor ( TRIP ) topped the list of the day's best performing components of the Nasdaq 100 index, trading down 0.1%. Year to date, Tripadvisor has lost about 8.5% of its value. And the worst performing Nasdaq 100 component thus far on the day is Staples ( SPLS ), trading down 4.6%. Staples is lower by about 28.7% looking at the year to date performance. Two other components making moves today are NetApp ( NTAP ), trading down 4.2%, and Fastenal ( FAST ), trading down 0.2% on the day. VIDEO: Nasdaq 100 Movers: SPLS, TRIP The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""What Matters in a Company's Management In a response to one of my recent articles, a reader sent me a note asking how I define great management in a potential or existing investment. There are currently three major buckets in how I measure management's capabilities, performance and ethics. These are strategic and operational outcomes, compensation and intellectual honesty. I will go into further detail in each of these later, but for now, let me say we evaluate each prospective and existing management team with the following questions: Does the team have the capability of being great management? I look for relevant professional experience, training and background. It's unlikely we will invest in a security software business run by a Ph.D. in nuclear engineering and no relevant experience in the field. It doesn't rule the company out, but it definitely reduces the chance. Warren Buffett Recent Buys Does performance demonstrate strategic/operational and governance skills? Here I look for data generally outside of Wall Street's more normal approach. Are the team members great allocators of capital? Do they get the highest efficiency from their organization? Is the organization including the board fully aligned in its mission? I care less about how the stock price has performed than how intrinsic value has increased over the long term. Are management and shareholders generally aligned? I say generally because a corporation isn't always about shareholders. Sometimes tough decisions are made (healthcare costs, capital spending) that might affect shareholder returns that are in the best interests of the company and the environment in which it operates. Compensation plays a big part in answering this question. Is management honest with itself, its corporation and its key stakeholders ? In this I look for recognition of learnings and mistakes in the annual reports, quarterly conference calls and communications with shareholders. Senior management who won't take responsibility or acknowledge failures is fooling itself into thinking there is nothing left to learn. Intellectual and emotional stagnation are the death knell for industrial performance and competitive advantages. So, how do you go about and measure whether management is someone you want to partner with? At the Nintai Charitable Trust, we use the following criteria to answer the four questions above. Strategic and operational outcomes In this category we want to see specific data that shows management are utilizing a smart strategy and have a great handle on operations. Several items fall under this. M&A Activity : Most of the data suggests that M&A activity is a long-term detriment to a corporation's intrinsic value. Any activity on this front I like to be supported by measured milestones and investment metrics. In my career, I've generally found great management is far more successful in bolt-on acquisitions than industry or corporate changing events. A holding in the Nintai Charitable Trust - T. Rowe Price ( NASDAQ:TROW ) - has done a great job ignoring the demands of investment bankers and steering clear of large M&A deals and taking on large amounts of debt. Operational Measures : Here I look for long-term management performance with an emphasis on 10-year returns. These include return on equity, return on capital, and return on capital vs. return of capital. The latter represents management's view on whether capital can be allocated internally for projects that will generate excellent returns or return the capital to shareholders in the form of dividends or stock buybacks. As Science of Hitting pointed out earlier this week, he looks for buybacks to take place at a discount to intrinsic value. We concur. NCT's holding Fastenal ( NASDAQ:FAST ) has done a great job focusing on operational returns with an eagle eye. With a five-year ROE of 26% and five-year ROC of 25%, management has generated great long-term returns for its investors. Compensation : The last 10 years has proven how difficult it is to align management's needs with shareholder needs when it comes to compensation. Everything from the stock options backdating scandal [1] to the growth of CEO pay has created a rather dismal picture of corporate governance. I'm not locked into any specific policy related to compensation, but I do have several criteria I think are important. First, management should not be rewarded for failure. It seems nearly every failed CEO leaves these days with a shocking golden parachute that would make the golden calf itself blush. Second, success should be defined by long-term value creation. Whether it is book value or some other measure, one thing it shouldn't be is tied to the company's stock price. Long-time NCT holding Expeditors International ( NASDAQ:EXPD ) has utilized incentive pay as well as operational margins to give bonuses to all staff. From top to bottom, staff is incentivized to create long-term value for the company. Intellectual honesty Perhaps the hardest thing to measure is management's intellectual honesty. What I mean by this is the acknowledgement of intellectual and emotional learnings gleaned through successes and failures. I look for this in public disclosures such as 10-Qs, 10-Ks, Annual Report commentary and quarterly conference calls. Second, I look for clear explanations in plain English that lay out the issues faced, options presented, decisions made and outcomes generated. Third, unequivocal acknowledgements of failure go a long way to building confidence in our investments. Last, it's great to hear from management learnings they've gleaned and how it has affected their strategy and management. An example of this is NCT's Fastenal that addresses specific questions about financials in both its quarterly calls and investor meetings. The company is open about mistakes it has made and what its learned from them. Conclusions When you purchase a piece of a company, you are going into business with a management team chosen by your duly elected representatives (the board of directors). We think it's vital that as an owner you fully understand their abilities, skills, ethics and goals. More importantly, it is vital you have set criteria on which you can measure their performance. While there is no perfect process that can protect investors against poor management decisions, as investors, we can at least choose who we do business with in our portfolio. As always I look forward to your thoughts and comments. ?????????????? Mr. Macpherson serves as CIO of the Nintai Charitable Trust and Director of Marketing with Dorfman Value Investments. Much of his writing will consist of thoughts on the Nintai Charitable Trust portfolio. Unless otherwise stated, views represented in his articles are based on his role as CIO of the trust that he personally manages. [1] The Wall Street Journal was a leader in coverage of this story. In the end nearly 340 publicly traded companies were investigated. An example was Jeffrey Rich of Affiliated Computer Services (ACS is now part of Xerox [XRX]). In a total of six grants, Rich had a one in 300 billion chance of receiving grants on the exact dates of corporate stock lows (see below). ACS' options program was - like many others - a disgrace to its shareholders and the industry in general. Read More: Jeff Auxier: 'Investors Are Confusing Volatility for Risk; Panic Is Not Knowing What You Own' About GuruFocus: GuruFocus.com tracks the stocks picks and portfolio holdings of the world's best investors. This value investing site offers stock screeners and valuation tools. And publishes daily articles tracking the latest moves of the world's best investors. GuruFocus also provides promising stock ideas in 3 monthly newsletters sent to Premium Members . This article first appeared on GuruFocus . The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""What Matters in a Company's Management"", ""Is Fastenal Repeating Its Past? Not So Fast""]"
FAST,2015-09-23,15.0358,15.1089,14.8779,14.9618,
FAST,2015-09-24,14.871,15.0832,14.7614,15.0486,"Interesting FAST Put And Call Options For May 2016 Investors in Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) saw new options begin trading this week, for the May 2016 expiration. One of the key inputs that goes into the price an option buyer is willing to pay, is the time value, so with 239 days until expiration the newly trading contracts represent a potential opportunity for sellers of puts or calls to achieve a higher premium than would be available for the contracts with a closer expiration. At Stock Options Channel , our YieldBoost formula has looked up and down the FAST options chain for the new May 2016 contracts and identified one put and one call contract of particular interest. The put contract at the $35.00 strike price has a current bid of $2.50. If an investor was to sell-to-open that put contract, they are committing to purchase the stock at $35.00, but will also collect the premium, putting the cost basis of the shares at $32.50 (before broker commissions). To an investor already interested in purchasing shares of FAST, that could represent an attractive alternative to paying $36.14/share today. Because the $35.00 strike represents an approximate 3% discount to the current trading price of the stock (in other words it is out-of-the-money by that percentage), there is also the possibility that the put contract would expire worthless. The current analytical data (including greeks and implied greeks) suggest the current odds of that happening are 57%. Stock Options Channel will track those odds over time to see how they change, publishing a chart of those numbers on our website under the contract detail page for this contract . Should the contract expire worthless, the premium would represent a 7.14% return on the cash commitment, or 10.91% annualized - at Stock Options Channel we call this the YieldBoost . Below is a chart showing the trailing twelve month trading history for Fastenal Co., and highlighting in green where the $35.00 strike is located relative to that history: Turning to the calls side of the option chain, the call contract at the $37.00 strike price has a current bid of $2.15. If an investor was to purchase shares of FAST stock at the current price level of $36.14/share, and then sell-to-open that call contract as a ""covered call,"" they are committing to sell the stock at $37.00. Considering the call seller will also collect the premium, that would drive a total return (excluding dividends, if any) of 8.33% if the stock gets called away at the May 2016 expiration (before broker commissions). Of course, a lot of upside could potentially be left on the table if FAST shares really soar, which is why looking at the trailing twelve month trading history for Fastenal Co., as well as studying the business fundamentals becomes important. Below is a chart showing FAST's trailing twelve month trading history, with the $37.00 strike highlighted in red: Considering the fact that the $37.00 strike represents an approximate 2% premium to the current trading price of the stock (in other words it is out-of-the-money by that percentage), there is also the possibility that the covered call contract would expire worthless, in which case the investor would keep both their shares of stock and the premium collected. The current analytical data (including greeks and implied greeks) suggest the current odds of that happening are 53%. On our website under the contract detail page for this contract , Stock Options Channel will track those odds over time to see how they change and publish a chart of those numbers (the trading history of the option contract will also be charted). Should the covered call contract expire worthless, the premium would represent a 5.95% boost of extra return to the investor, or 9.09% annualized, which we refer to as the YieldBoost . The implied volatility in the put contract example, as well as the call contract example, are both approximately 26%. Meanwhile, we calculate the actual trailing twelve month volatility (considering the last 252 trading day closing values as well as today's price of $36.14) to be 23%. For more put and call options contract ideas worth looking at, visit StockOptionsChannel.com. Top YieldBoost Calls of the Nasdaq 100 » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2015-09-25,15.0881,15.1829,14.944,15.0585,
FAST,2015-09-28,15.0309,15.0654,14.713,14.8216,
FAST,2015-09-29,14.8572,14.9973,14.7654,14.9697,
FAST,2015-09-30,15.1276,15.2816,14.8454,15.018,"[""Fastenal's Exceptional Dividend Growth Vs. Slow And Steady"", ""Fastenal's Exceptional Dividend Growth Vs. Slow And Steady"", ""Fastenal's Exceptional Dividend Growth Vs. Slow And Steady""]"
FAST,2015-10-01,15.0881,15.173,14.4268,14.561,"[""Option Alert: $FAST Oct $35 Put Sweep; 3487 Contracts @Ask @$0.85; Now $35.33"", ""Option Alert: $FAST Oct $35 Put Sweep; 3487 Contracts @Ask @$0.85; Now $35.33""]"
FAST,2015-10-02,14.3459,14.7654,14.1317,14.7614,"[""The MnM Portfolio, September 2015: Ep. 7 - The Portfolio Transformation Continues"", ""The MnM Portfolio, September 2015: Ep. 7 - The Portfolio Transformation Continues"", ""The MnM Portfolio, September 2015: Ep. 7 - The Portfolio Transformation Continues""]"
FAST,2015-10-05,14.8148,15.1306,14.799,15.099,
FAST,2015-10-06,15.1809,15.2648,15.0141,15.2007,
FAST,2015-10-07,15.2767,15.6173,15.2678,15.6033,"[""13 Dividend Stocks Passing Rigorous Quality, Growth And Valuation Filter Criteria"", ""13 Dividend Stocks Passing Rigorous Quality, Growth And Valuation Filter Criteria"", ""13 Dividend Stocks Passing Rigorous Quality, Growth And Valuation Filter Criteria""]"
FAST,2015-10-08,15.4977,16.0249,14.9973,16.011,"[""Fastenal boosting Northwest presence with Fasteners acquisition"", ""Fastenal to Acquire Certain Assets of Fasteners, Inc.; Terms Not Disclosed"", ""Fastenal to Acquire Certain Assets of Fasteners, Inc.; Terms Not Disclosed"", ""Fastenal boosting Northwest presence with Fasteners acquisition"", ""Fastenal to Acquire Certain Assets of Fasteners, Inc.; Terms Not Disclosed"", ""Fastenal boosting Northwest presence with Fasteners acquisition""]"
FAST,2015-10-09,15.9854,16.1581,15.8571,15.9903,"[""What's in Store for Fastenal Company (FAST) This Earnings Season?"", ""What's in Store for Fastenal Company (FAST) This Earnings Season?"", ""What's in Store for Fastenal Company (FAST) This Earnings Season?""]"
FAST,2015-10-12,16.0693,16.0693,15.8314,15.9193,"[""Notable earnings before Tuesday's open"", ""Fastenal declares $0.28 dividend"", ""Notable earnings before Tuesday's open"", ""Fastenal declares $0.28 dividend"", ""January 2018 Options Now Available For Fastenal (FAST) Investors in Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) saw new options become available today, for the January 2018 expiration. One of the key inputs that goes into the price an option buyer is willing to pay, is the time value, so with 830 days until expiration the newly available contracts represent a potential opportunity for sellers of puts or calls to achieve a higher premium than would be available for the contracts with a closer expiration. At Stock Options Channel , our YieldBoost formula has looked up and down the FAST options chain for the new January 2018 contracts and identified one put and one call contract of particular interest. The put contract at the $37.00 strike price has a current bid of $3.50. If an investor was to sell-to-open that put contract, they are committing to purchase the stock at $37.00, but will also collect the premium, putting the cost basis of the shares at $33.50 (before broker commissions). To an investor already interested in purchasing shares of FAST, that could represent an attractive alternative to paying $38.71/share today. Because the $37.00 strike represents an approximate 4% discount to the current trading price of the stock (in other words it is out-of-the-money by that percentage), there is also the possibility that the put contract would expire worthless. The current analytical data (including greeks and implied greeks) suggest the current odds of that happening are 58%. Stock Options Channel will track those odds over time to see how they change, publishing a chart of those numbers on our website under the contract detail page for this contract . Should the contract expire worthless, the premium would represent a 9.46% return on the cash commitment, or 4.16% annualized - at Stock Options Channel we call this the YieldBoost . Below is a chart showing the trailing twelve month trading history for Fastenal Co., and highlighting in green where the $37.00 strike is located relative to that history: Turning to the calls side of the option chain, the call contract at the $40.00 strike price has a current bid of $2.40. If an investor was to purchase shares of FAST stock at the current price level of $38.71/share, and then sell-to-open that call contract as a \""covered call,\"" they are committing to sell the stock at $40.00. Considering the call seller will also collect the premium, that would drive a total return (excluding dividends, if any) of 9.53% if the stock gets called away at the January 2018 expiration (before broker commissions). Of course, a lot of upside could potentially be left on the table if FAST shares really soar, which is why looking at the trailing twelve month trading history for Fastenal Co., as well as studying the business fundamentals becomes important. Below is a chart showing FAST's trailing twelve month trading history, with the $40.00 strike highlighted in red: Considering the fact that the $40.00 strike represents an approximate 3% premium to the current trading price of the stock (in other words it is out-of-the-money by that percentage), there is also the possibility that the covered call contract would expire worthless, in which case the investor would keep both their shares of stock and the premium collected. The current analytical data (including greeks and implied greeks) suggest the current odds of that happening are 51%. On our website under the contract detail page for this contract , Stock Options Channel will track those odds over time to see how they change and publish a chart of those numbers (the trading history of the option contract will also be charted). Should the covered call contract expire worthless, the premium would represent a 6.20% boost of extra return to the investor, or 2.73% annualized, which we refer to as the YieldBoost . The implied volatility in the put contract example is 23%, while the implied volatility in the call contract example is 27%. Meanwhile, we calculate the actual trailing twelve month volatility (considering the last 251 trading day closing values as well as today's price of $38.71) to be 23%. For more put and call options contract ideas worth looking at, visit StockOptionsChannel.com. Top YieldBoost Calls of the Nasdaq 100 \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Week Ahead: Earnings Season Needs To Be About Reflection, Not Reaction The market\u2019s focus this week will be on earnings, as some key companies reveal their calendar Q3 results. That is as it should be, but somehow a return of focus to the most basic of fundamentals, the profitability of corporations, feels weird. There have been so many different news stories, rumors and fears driving market action in recent weeks - China, the Fed, the prospect of another government shutdown, etc - that paying attention to the results and prospects of the businesses that make up the market seems sort of quaint. At its heart, though, that is what the stock market is about. All the other things are just factors that enable predictions about the potential for profitability, and nobody is better placed to make those predictions than the boards of the companies whose stock is concerned. That is why, even at times like this when bigger, macro concerns are front and center, the biggest moves in stocks come following earnings, or, often more accurately, following the forward guidance that often accompany them. That fact, that the historical results are often less influential than the forward guidance, frequently confuses those new to the market watching game. We\u2019ve all seen it. A stock in which we are interested jumps initially on a beat of both the top and bottom lines, only to go into free fall shortly afterwards as the CEO tells analysts on a conference call that the next quarter or two are looking shaky. At times like this, when traders and investors are worried about the overall prospects for growth, negative sentiments like that have even more of an effect. That is why retail investors are best advised to use caution in the next couple of weeks as earnings season gets into full swing. The results from the last quarter will have far less weight than the less reliable forward looking statements, and the reaction to bad news is likely to be bigger than that which greets positive outlooks. It will be better this time around to look for trends in certain sectors and industries rather than to react to the earnings of individual companies. This week will give us important indications of that nature in three important areas. A host of reports from major banks begins on Tuesday when JP Morgan (JPM) reports, followed by Bank of America (BAC) and Wells Fargo (WFC) on Wednesday, and Citigroup (C) on Thursday along with several other smaller and regional players. The comments from management in all cases will give us insight, not only into the state of the consumer credit markets, but also the prospects for the sector as interest rates begin to rise. Another release to watch tomorrow is Fastenal (FAST). Their position as a major supplier to both the construction and manufacturing industries will make their comments on the prospects for their market of interest to a wide range of investors. They also supply products to the oil and gas industry, but better clues as to the future there will come on Thursday when Schlumberger (SLB) will release their results. That one bears particularly close attention as the sentiment around energy has been so negative that any hint of improvement could be the catalyst for a major jump in sector stocks. The important thing, though, is that as earnings start to come thick and fast, traders and investors need to look at this season in a slightly different way. In the current environment, the reported results for the last quarter are likely to prove to have less significance than usual. Instead it will be the forward looking statements that follow that will cause moves, both in the general market and in individual stocks. That means that sober reflection rather than immediate reaction will be the order of the day. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Pre-Market Earnings Report for October 13, 2015 : JNJ, FAST, PVTB, DFRG, ENZ The following companies are expected to report earnings prior to market open on 10/13/2015. Visit our Earnings Calendar for a full list of expected earnings releases. Johnson & Johnson ( JNJ ) is reporting for the quarter ending September 30, 2015. The large cap pharmaceutical company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 11 analysts that follow the stock is $1.44. This value represents a 4.00% decrease compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year JNJ has beat the expectations every quarter. The highest one was in the 2nd calendar quarter where they beat the consensus by 1.18%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2015 Price to Earnings ratio for JNJ is 15.48 vs. an industry ratio of 4.90, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Fastenal Company ( FAST ) is reporting for the quarter ending September 30, 2015. The building company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 8 analysts that follow the stock is $0.47. This value represents a 4.44% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year FAST has met analyst expectations twice and beat the expectations the other two quarters. The \""days to cover\"" for this stock exceeds 13 days. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2015 Price to Earnings ratio for FAST is 21.66 vs. an industry ratio of 22.30. PrivateBancorp, Inc. ( PVTB ) is reporting for the quarter ending September 30, 2015. The bank (midwest) company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 8 analysts that follow the stock is $0.55. This value represents a 7.84% increase compared to the same quarter last year. PVTB missed the consensus earnings per share in the 4th calendar quarter of 2014 by -6%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2015 Price to Earnings ratio for PVTB is 17.85 vs. an industry ratio of 14.50, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Del Frisco's Restaurant Group, Inc. ( DFRG ) is reporting for the quarter ending September 30, 2015. The restaurant company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 5 analysts that follow the stock is $0.04. This value represents a 50.00% decrease compared to the same quarter last year. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2015 Price to Earnings ratio for DFRG is 16.67 vs. an industry ratio of 26.40. Enzo Biochem, Inc. ( ENZ ) is reporting for the quarter ending July 31, 2015. The biomedical (gene) company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 1 analyst that follows the stock is $-0.06. This value represents a no change for the same quarter last year. ENZ missed the consensus earnings per share in the 2nd calendar quarter of 2015 by -16.67%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2015 Price to Earnings ratio for ENZ is -12.50 vs. an industry ratio of 1.20. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Notable earnings before Tuesday's open"", ""Fastenal declares $0.28 dividend""]"
FAST,2015-10-13,15.6695,15.9143,15.2678,15.5699,"[""Fastenal EPS in-line, misses on revenue"", ""Fastenal Company (FAST) Beats Earnings, Sales Miss in Q3"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Q3 2015 Results - Earnings Call Webcast"", ""Fastenal's (FAST) CEO, Willard Oberton on Q3 2015 Results - Earnings Call Transcript"", ""Again? Fastenal names new CEO"", ""Q3 Update: Core Changes To My Whistler And Income Growth Portfolio"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Beats on Q3 Earnings, Oil & Gas Sales Hurt"", ""Earnings Scheduled For October 13, 2015"", ""7 Stocks You Should Be Watching Today"", ""Fastenal Reports Q3 EPS $0.47, Inline, Sales $995.25M vs $1.01B Est."", ""Fastenal Posts Higher Q3 Profit"", ""US Stock Futures Down; JPMorgan Earnings In Focus"", ""US Stock Futures Down; JPMorgan Earnings In Focus"", ""Fastenal Posts Higher Q3 Profit"", ""Fastenal Reports Q3 EPS $0.47, Inline, Sales $995.25M vs $1.01B Est."", ""7 Stocks You Should Be Watching Today"", ""Earnings Scheduled For October 13, 2015"", ""Q3 Update: Core Changes To My Whistler And Income Growth Portfolio"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Beats on Q3 Earnings, Oil & Gas Sales Hurt"", ""Fastenal's (FAST) CEO, Willard Oberton on Q3 2015 Results - Earnings Call Transcript"", ""Again? Fastenal names new CEO"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Q3 2015 Results - Earnings Call Webcast"", ""Fastenal Company (FAST) Beats Earnings, Sales Miss in Q3"", ""Fastenal EPS in-line, misses on revenue"", ""Nasdaq 100 Movers: JD, WYNN In early trading on Tuesday, shares of Wynn Resorts ( WYNN ) topped the list of the day's best performing components of the Nasdaq 100 index, trading up 1.7%. Year to date, Wynn Resorts has lost about 51.3% of its value. And the worst performing Nasdaq 100 component thus far on the day is JD.com ( JD ), trading down 2.8%. JD.com is showing a gain of 20.6% looking at the year to date performance. Two other components making moves today are Fastenal ( FAST ), trading down 2.5%, and Tesla Motors ( TSLA ), trading up 1.6% on the day. VIDEO: Nasdaq 100 Movers: JD, WYNN The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Company (FAST) Beats Earnings, Sales Miss in Q3 Fastenal CompanyFAST is a national wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies. It distributes its products through company-owned stores mostly located in North America. The company has gradually grown from a fastener distributor to a full-line industrial supplier. After struggling in 2013, Fastenal's top line turned around in 2014 as underlying markets improved, vending revamped, sales improvement efforts yielded results and comparisons eased. However, sales slowed down again in 2015 due to currency headwinds, lower sales from oil & gas industry, severe weather conditions and overall weakness in industrial economy. Moreover, Fastenal's gross margins are contracting as management's focus shifts toward top-line improvement. Investors should also note the recent earnings estimate revisions for FAST, as the consensus estimate has been moving downwards. Moreover, FAST has a mixed history in earnings season. Fastenal has delivered in line earnings results in two of the last four quarters, making for an average positive surprise of 1.13%. Currently, FAST has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), but that could definitely change following Fastenal's earnings report which was just released. We have highlighted some of the key stats from this just-revealed announcement below: Earnings: FAST beat on earnings. Our consensus earnings estimate called for EPS of $0.46/share, and the company reported EPS of $0.47. Investors should note that these figures take out stock option expenses. Revenues: FAST reported revenues of $995.3 million. This missed our consensus estimate of $1.005 billion. Key Stats to Note: Fastenal's total average daily sales growth rate was 1.5%, much less than 14.3% in the prior-year quarter. Share price: In-active in pre-market trading . Check back later for our full write up on this FAST earnings report later! Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal (FAST) Beats on Q3 Earnings, Oil & Gas Sales Hurt Fastenal CompanyFAST reported adjusted earnings of 47 cents per share in the third quarter of 2015 and beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 46 cents by 2.2%. Earnings grew 4.4% year over year as a weak sales performance was offset by better pre-tax margins. Sales Remain Weak Net sales of $995.3 million increased 1.5% year over year, but missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.005 billion by almost 1%. However, sales slowed down significantly in the first three quarters of 2015. This Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company's top line was hurt due to lower sales to its customers in the oil & gas industry, a stronger U.S dollar and overall weakness in the industrial economy. Quarterly performance was also hurt by softness in net sales at the Canadian business, which increased about 6% in local currency during the quarter, compared to a 10% increase in the previous quarter. Fastenal's total average daily sales growth rate was 1.5% in the third quarter, much lower than 14.3% in the prior-year quarter. Foreign exchange dragged third-quarter daily sales growth rate by 1.4%. A strong dollar significantly hurt the company's export-related activities. Daily sales were hurt by minimal price increase of non-fastener products and price deflation of fastener products. Daily sales declined 0.3% in September, while it grew 1.6% in August and 3.2% in July. In comparison, the company recorded daily sales growth of 12.9%, 15% and 14.7%, respectively, in the corresponding year-ago months. This industrial and construction supplies wholesale distributor serves customers in manufacturing and non-residential construction markets. Both these end-markets witnessed moderating growth due to a weak industrial environment. Daily sales to manufacturing customers (representing almost 50% of revenues) grew 1.1%, down from 13.7% growth in the prior-year quarter and 3.8% in the previous quarter. Daily sales growth rates to manufacturing customers softened due to subdued sales of both fasteners and non-fasteners. Daily sales growth rate of fastener products (used mainly for industrial production and accounting for nearly 40% of the company's business) declined 4.4% in the quarter, much weaker than the flat results recorded in the previous quarter and a 9.9% increase in the year-ago quarter. Lower demand from the heavy machinery manufacturing customer base - mainly from those engaged in oil and gas business - hurt fastener sales as production requirements from this group declined. The heavy manufacturing business represents approximately one-fifth of the company's business. Non-fastener product sales (used mainly for maintenance) increased 5.9%, down from 17.6% growth in the prior-year quarter and 9% in the last quarter. The non-fastener business also weakened over the last few months as improved vending trends were offset by overall weakness in the industrial environment. In the non-residential construction market, daily sales to non-residential construction customers (representing 20% to 25% of revenues) declined 1.7%, down from a 9.3% increase in the prior-year quarter and 1.6% in the previous quarter. Slowdown in the energy sector also hurt sales in this market. Vending Trends Continue to Improve As of Sep 30, 2015, Fastenal operated 53,547 vending machines, up 17.4% year over year. During the quarter, the company signed 4,689 machine contracts, down almost 9% from the last quarter. Daily sales growth rate to customers using vending machines was 4.8%, down from 8.6% in the previous quarter. Vending machines now account for 42.1% of the company's sales, higher than 40.9% in the prior quarter. After remaining soft in 2013, vending trends improved through 2014 and the first three quarters of 2015, as management's recent efforts on enhancing the quality of signings/installs paid off. Even though daily sales growth to customers using vending declined sequentially, percentage of vending customers and signings improved. Gross Margins Down, Pre-Tax Margins Improve Gross margin of 50.5% in the third quarter of 2015 declined 30 basis points (bps) year over year but increased 20 bps sequentially. Strong emphasis on growing average store sales is also pulling down gross margins. Under its Pathway-to-Profit initiative, Fastenal focuses on increasing the average store size (measured in terms of monthly sales). As the average store size increases, gross margins will decline due to a higher mix of larger customers which generate lower margins. However, lower supplier incentives due to softer net sales and tighter inventory levels drove the sequential improvement. However, a larger store size leads to better earnings leverage by spreading operating costs by higher sales, thereby improving pre-tax margins. This resulted in an improvement of 30 bps in pre-tax margins to 22% in the reported quarter. Stocks to Consider Some better-ranked stocks in the construction sector include Builders FirstSource, Inc. BLDR , The Home Depot, Inc. HD and Tempur Sealy International Inc. TPX . All these stocks carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report HOME DEPOT (HD): Free Stock Analysis Report BUILDERS FIRSTS (BLDR): Free Stock Analysis Report TEMPUR SEALY (TPX): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Daily Dividend Report: FAST, AOS, HPT, SNH, AM The Fastenal Company ( FAST ) declared a dividend of $0.28 per share to be paid in cash on November 24, 2015 to shareholders of record at the close of business on October 27, 2015. A. O. Smith Corporation ( AOS ) declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of $.19 per share on the company's Common Stock and Class A Common Stock. The dividend is payable on Nov. 16 to shareholders of record Oct. 30. Hospitality Properties Trust ( HPT ) announced a regular quarterly common share distribution of $0.50 per common share ($2.00 per share per year). This distribution will be paid to HPT's common shareholders of record as of the close of business on October 23, 2015 and distributed on or about November 19, 2015. Senior Housing Properties Trust ( SNH )announced a regular quarterly common share distribution of $0.39 per common share ($1.56 per share per year). This distribution will be paid to SNH's common shareholders of record as of the close of business on October 23, 2015 and distributed on or about November 19, 2015. Antero Resources Midstream Management declared a cash distribution of $0.205 per unit ($0.82 per unit annualized) for the third quarter of 2015. The distribution represents an 8% increase quarter-over-quarter and the Partnership's third consecutive quarterly distribution increase since its initial public offering in November 2014. The distribution will be payable on November 30, 2015 to unitholders of record as of November 11, 2015. VIDEO: Daily Dividend Report: FAST, AOS, HPT, SNH, AM The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""US Stock Futures Down; JPMorgan Earnings In Focus"", ""Fastenal Posts Higher Q3 Profit"", ""Fastenal Reports Q3 EPS $0.47, Inline, Sales $995.25M vs $1.01B Est."", ""7 Stocks You Should Be Watching Today"", ""Earnings Scheduled For October 13, 2015"", ""Q3 Update: Core Changes To My Whistler And Income Growth Portfolio"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Beats on Q3 Earnings, Oil & Gas Sales Hurt"", ""Fastenal's (FAST) CEO, Willard Oberton on Q3 2015 Results - Earnings Call Transcript"", ""Again? Fastenal names new CEO"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Q3 2015 Results - Earnings Call Webcast"", ""Fastenal Company (FAST) Beats Earnings, Sales Miss in Q3"", ""Fastenal EPS in-line, misses on revenue""]"
FAST,2015-10-14,15.5599,15.7139,15.3507,15.5303,"[""Updated Thoughts On Fastenal"", ""Company News for October 14, 2015"", ""Fastenal Meets Expectations, But Earnings And Revenue Growth Slowing (Video)"", ""Thoughts On Fastenal's Growth"", ""Some Thoughts on Fastenal Following Recent Earnings Report"", ""Some Thoughts on Fastenal Following Recent Earnings Report"", ""Thoughts On Fastenal's Growth"", ""Fastenal Meets Expectations, But Earnings And Revenue Growth Slowing (Video)"", ""Company News for October 14, 2015"", ""Updated Thoughts On Fastenal"", ""Company News for October 14, 2015 \u2022 Wausau Paper Corp.'s ( WPP ) shares soared 40.2% after SCA, a Swedish paper and hygiene products manufacturing company, agreed to acquire Wausau Paper for $513 million \u2022 Shares of FMC Corp. ( FMC ) declined 3.1% after lowering its adjusted earnings outlook for 2015 to a band of $2.35 to $2.45 per share from its earlier view of $3.00 to $3.30 per share \u2022 Fastenal Company's ( FAST ) shares decreased 2.2% after reporting third quarter revenues of $995.3 million, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.005 billion \u2022 Shares of Twitter, Inc. ( TWTR ) gained 1.1% after announcing a restructuring program, which will include a reduction of around 8% of company's workforce Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report FMC CORP (FMC): Free Stock Analysis Report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report TWITTER INC (TWTR): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Some Thoughts on Fastenal Following Recent Earnings Report"", ""Thoughts On Fastenal's Growth"", ""Fastenal Meets Expectations, But Earnings And Revenue Growth Slowing (Video)"", ""Company News for October 14, 2015"", ""Updated Thoughts On Fastenal""]"
FAST,2015-10-15,15.5975,15.6497,15.3625,15.6349,
FAST,2015-10-16,15.5471,15.5471,15.2066,15.3783,"[""A 'FAST' Profit Illustrates The Effect Of Stock Sales On Your Dividend Income"", ""Fastenal No Longer Goes Fast, Wait For Better Entry Levels"", ""Four Solid Dividend Payers With Yields Near the Historical High"", ""My 30 Stocks For 30 Years: Q3 2015 Update"", ""Running On Empty"", ""401(k) Reconstructed: 2015 Q3 Review"", ""Fastenal No Longer Goes Fast, Wait For Better Entry Levels"", ""Running On Empty"", ""A 'FAST' Profit Illustrates The Effect Of Stock Sales On Your Dividend Income"", ""401(k) Reconstructed: 2015 Q3 Review"", ""Four Solid Dividend Payers With Yields Near the Historical High"", ""My 30 Stocks For 30 Years: Q3 2015 Update"", ""Fastenal No Longer Goes Fast, Wait For Better Entry Levels"", ""Running On Empty"", ""A 'FAST' Profit Illustrates The Effect Of Stock Sales On Your Dividend Income"", ""401(k) Reconstructed: 2015 Q3 Review"", ""Four Solid Dividend Payers With Yields Near the Historical High"", ""My 30 Stocks For 30 Years: Q3 2015 Update""]"
FAST,2015-10-19,15.3013,15.3911,15.0911,15.1928,
FAST,2015-10-20,15.1375,15.3863,15.0832,15.1967,
FAST,2015-10-21,15.2184,15.3467,15.0447,15.1424,
FAST,2015-10-22,15.2263,15.8659,15.2263,15.8008,"Fastenal Company (FAST) Ex-Dividend Date Scheduled for October 23, 2015 Fastenal Company ( FAST ) will begin trading ex-dividend on October 23, 2015. A cash dividend payment of $0.28 per share is scheduled to be paid on November 24, 2015. Shareholders who purchased FAST prior to the ex-dividend date are eligible for the cash dividend payment. This marks the 4th quarter that FAST has paid the same dividend. At the current stock price of $36.91, the dividend yield is 3.03%. The previous trading day's last sale of FAST was $36.91, representing a -23.79% decrease from the 52 week high of $48.43 and a 7.14% increase over the 52 week low of $34.45. FAST is a part of the Consumer Services sector, which includes companies such as Home Depot, Inc. ( HD ) and Lowe's Companies, Inc. ( LOW ). FAST's current earnings per share, an indicator of a company's profitability, is $1.78. Zacks Investment Research reports FAST's forecasted earnings growth in 2015 as 7.65%, compared to an industry average of 22.2%. For more information on the declaration, record and payment dates, visit the FAST Dividend History page. Our Dividend Calendar has the full list of stocks that have an ex-dividend today. Interested in gaining exposure to FAST through an Exchange Traded Fund [ETF]? The following ETF(s) have FAST as a top-10 holding: WBI SMID Tactical Yield Shares ( WBIC ). The top-performing ETF of this group is WBIC with an decrease of -7.54% over the last 100 days. It also has the highest percent weighting of FAST at 3.96%. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2015-10-23,15.8847,16.0574,15.7031,16.013,
FAST,2015-10-26,15.9607,16.1561,15.8571,15.9005,
FAST,2015-10-27,15.7573,15.8758,15.5619,15.8373,
FAST,2015-10-28,15.9143,16.244,15.8175,16.1246,
FAST,2015-10-29,16.1009,16.1729,15.9913,16.1324,
FAST,2015-10-30,16.1561,16.2558,16.1413,16.1818,
FAST,2015-11-02,16.1917,16.7474,16.1561,16.6319,
FAST,2015-11-03,16.621,16.8579,16.5658,16.7474,"Insiders Bullish on Certain Holdings of FTA A look at the weighted underlying holdings of the First Trust Large Cap Value AlphaDEX Fund ( FTA ) shows an impressive 11.8% of holdings on a weighted basis have experienced insider buying within the past six months. General Motors Co. (Symbol: GM), which makes up 0.95% of the First Trust Large Cap Value AlphaDEX Fund ( FTA ), has seen 4 directors and officers purchase shares in the past six months, according to the recent Form 4 data. The ETF holds a total of $9,951,033 worth of GM, making it the #6 largest holding. The table below details the recent insider buying activity observed at GM: GM - last trade: $35.57 - Recent Insider Buys: And Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST), the #177 largest holding among components of the First Trust Large Cap Value AlphaDEX Fund ( FTA ), shows 5 directors and officers as recently filing Form 4's indicating purchases. The ETF holds $1,790,330 worth of FAST, which represents approximately 0.17% of the ETF's total assets at last check. The recent insider buying activity observed at FAST is detailed in the table below: FAST - last trade: $40.25 - Recent Insider Buys: 10 ETFs With Stocks That Insiders Are Buying » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2015-11-04,16.7691,16.8767,16.5874,16.621,
FAST,2015-11-05,16.6586,17.2083,16.546,17.0405,"Fastenal Breaks Above 200-Day Moving Average - Bullish for FAST In trading on Thursday, shares of Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) crossed above their 200 day moving average of $40.92, changing hands as high as $41.64 per share. Fastenal Co. shares are currently trading up about 2.5% on the day. The chart below shows the one year performance of FAST shares, versus its 200 day moving average: Looking at the chart above, FAST's low point in its 52 week range is $34.45 per share, with $48.43 as the 52 week high point - that compares with a last trade of $41.23. According to the ETF Finder at ETF Channel, FAST makes up 2.11% of the First Trust RBA Quality Income ETF (Symbol: QINC) which is trading higher by about 0.1% on the day Thursday. Click here to find out which 9 other dividend stocks recently crossed above their 200 day moving average » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2015-11-06,17.1087,17.1087,16.7217,16.9764,
FAST,2015-11-09,16.932,16.9369,16.621,16.7691,
FAST,2015-11-10,16.7346,16.8767,16.5914,16.7178,
FAST,2015-11-11,16.8184,16.8184,16.4808,16.6152,
FAST,2015-11-12,16.5252,16.7306,15.9518,15.9725,
FAST,2015-11-13,15.9557,16.1867,15.8936,15.9518,
FAST,2015-11-16,15.938,16.1867,15.9103,16.1867,
FAST,2015-11-17,15.9557,16.2242,15.9557,16.0525,
FAST,2015-11-18,16.1246,16.4187,16.0081,16.4,
FAST,2015-11-19,16.3654,16.3654,16.1472,16.3072,"[""Top 5 Picks For 2016"", ""Top 5 Picks For 2016"", ""Top 5 Picks For 2016"", ""Top 5 Picks For 2016"", ""Top 5 Picks For 2016""]"
FAST,2015-11-20,16.4,16.5658,16.3398,16.4088,
FAST,2015-11-23,16.3792,16.4888,16.318,16.4148,
FAST,2015-11-24,16.3604,16.5164,16.2331,16.4502,
FAST,2015-11-25,16.5252,16.6082,16.4464,16.5578,"[""Fastenal: A Great Company At A Fair Price"", ""Fastenal: A Great Company At A Fair Price"", ""Fastenal: A Great Company At A Fair Price""]"
FAST,2015-11-27,16.5707,16.698,16.5282,16.6664,
FAST,2015-11-30,16.698,16.8066,16.6082,16.7691,
FAST,2015-12-01,16.8688,16.9843,16.7474,16.9092,
FAST,2015-12-02,16.8579,16.9211,16.5282,16.5864,"[""Tracking The Sequoia Fund: Q3 2015 Update"", ""Tracking The Sequoia Fund: Q3 2015 Update"", ""Tracking The Sequoia Fund: Q3 2015 Update""]"
FAST,2015-12-03,16.5944,16.6832,16.1778,16.2982,
FAST,2015-12-04,16.3654,16.6496,16.3259,16.5864,"This last jobs hurdle could trip up markets Critical intelligence before the U.S. market opens Everyone’s been describing today’s NFP report as the “last hurdle” before a rate hike. But some folks have fretted that it could be more like a wall, in the wake of Super Mario turning all Grinch yesterday."
FAST,2015-12-07,16.5746,16.9004,16.4888,16.8718,"Fastenal's November Sales Dampened by Industrial Slump Fastenal CompanyFAST released its sales figures for the month of November. November net sales rose 4.1% year over year to $298.2 million. Daily sales declined 1.1% to $14.9 million. Unfavorable currency impacted sales by 1.4% in the month, worse than the impact of 1.2% last month. The November sales growth rate was softer than that of October. The daily sales decline of 1.1% in November was also worse than the 0.8% decline in Oct 2015. This industrial and construction supplies wholesale distributor serves customers in the manufacturing as well as non-residential construction markets. Notably, both the end markets witnessed decelerating growth in the month. Daily sales to manufacturing customers declined 1.6%, wider than the 0.7% decrease in October. Daily sales to non-residential construction customers (representing 20% to 25% of revenues) also decreased 5.1%, worse than the 4.7% decline recorded in October. Though Fastenal's earnings per share and revenues increased year over year in the first three quarters of 2015, revenues softened significantly during the period. This was primarily due to weakness in the industrial fasteners business. Revenues were also hurt by lower sales to customers in the oil & gas industry, a stronger U.S. dollar, softness in the Canadian business and overall weakness in the industrial economy. Fastenal carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Stocks to Consider Some better-ranked stocks in the broader building sector include Tecnoglass Inc. TGLS , Builders FirstSource, Inc. BLDR and The Home Depot, Inc. HD . While Tecnoglass sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), Builders FirstSource and The Home Depot hold a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report HOME DEPOT (HD): Free Stock Analysis Report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report BUILDERS FIRSTS (BLDR): Free Stock Analysis Report TECNOGLASS INC (TGLS): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2015-12-08,16.6112,16.7553,16.5046,16.6112,
FAST,2015-12-09,16.5214,16.9092,16.4888,16.621,
FAST,2015-12-10,16.6082,16.7217,16.5016,16.5914,
FAST,2015-12-11,16.3398,16.5746,16.2242,16.3111,
FAST,2015-12-14,16.3694,16.4888,16.1818,16.4888,
FAST,2015-12-15,16.5914,16.6664,16.3762,16.4582,"[""Follow Free Cash Flow Not EPS"", ""Follow Free Cash Flow Not EPS"", ""Follow Free Cash Flow Not EPS""]"
FAST,2015-12-16,16.5914,16.7514,16.3762,16.6496,
FAST,2015-12-17,16.7069,16.7306,16.395,16.5252,"[""Dividend Contenders: 36 Increases Expected In The Next 11 Weeks"", ""Director Heise Buys 5,000 Shares of Fastenal @$39.75/Share -Form 4"", ""Director Heise Buys 5,000 Shares of Fastenal @$39.75/Share -Form 4"", ""Dividend Contenders: 36 Increases Expected In The Next 11 Weeks"", ""5 Key Indicators for 5 Industrial Stocks in 2016 While we don't believe in macroeconomic speculation at the Motley Fool, we admit that sometimes key insights into a company's prospects can be explained by looking closely at an industry or macro economic indicator. After all, it's hard for even the best company to fight against strong economic tides. With that in mind, the information in the following 5 charts give a rough idea of how the underlying industries of the 5 companies in question might fare in the year ahead. ISM Manufacturing We'll start with the Institute for Supply Management, or ISM, purchasing managers index. It's one of the longest-running and most widely used U.S. manufacturing indicators. A reading above 50 indicates expansion. As you can see in the chart below, the manufacturing index has weakened in 2015, especially compared to the services index. ISM Purchasing Managers Index data by YCharts . This is bad news for industrial sector in general and particularly for industrial supply companies like Fastenal . Selling industrial fasteners to the manufacturing industry is tough when activity is contracting. For example, Fastenal's daily sales growth in the year to November is down 1.6% to manufacturing customers. Any further weakening in the index in 2016 and Fastenal will surely suffer. Baker Hughes rig count The ISM indicator is useful as a broad indicator, but it doesn't specifically capture the weakness in heavy machinery capital spending -- an area of exposure for Fastenal. One way to monitor oil capital spending, particularly in the upstream oil sector, is to look at Baker Hughes North American rotary rig count, a measure of the total active drilling rigs in North America, and the key indicator to follow for an oil services company like Halliburton . As you can see, it tends to correlate with the price of crude oil . U.S. Rotary Rigs data by YCharts . Halliburton is exposed to upstream oil activity, and generates the majority of its operating income from North America. Meanwhile, Baker Hughes, a company Halliburton is intending to merge with, also tends to generate around half its revenue from North America. Construction However, it's not all doom and gloom in the industrial world, as the construction, automotive, and aerospace sectors have notably outperformed. The leading indicator to follow in U.S. construction is the Architectural Billings Index, or ABI, from the American Institute of Architects. A reading above 50 indicates expansion. As you can see below, all of its subcomponents grew in the fall of 2015, with institutional in positive territory for the last 17 months, residential recovering from a correction in the first half of 2015. Commercial/Industrial has been more varied, but still positive in nine of the last 12 months. All of which is good for a company like United Technologies which generates half its revenue from its Otis elevators and climate, controls, and security, (CCS) segments. Indeed, the company expects Otis' new equipment sales to be up 10% in the Americas in 2016, helping to offset high-single-digit declines in China. Total Otis sales are expected to be up low single-digits in 2016. Meanwhile, United Technologies expects its CCS sales to be up low single-digits, with global residential and commercial heating ventilation and air conditioning sales expected to rise mid single-digits. Automotive and aerospace Automotive and aerospace were the standout areas in the industrial sector during the last year. However, there are uncertainties over China's contribution to growth in both industries going forward. China produces roughly a quarter of the world's vehicles -- a market share that has more than doubled since 2007, and its production growth is key to a company like Johnson Controls . The company intends to spinoff its automotive experience segment (car interiors and seating) in 2016 and conditions in China are key to a successful execution. As you can see in the following chart, China's passenger car sales growth has bounced back strongly in late 2015 following a tax break in October. Moreover, Johnson Controls expects Chinese automotive production to increase nearly 11% in 2016. Will China's auto sales bounce back be short-lived? Finally, one sector of the industrial economy has seen upgrades to expectations from its leading body. The International Air Transport Association recently upgraded its forecast for worldwide airline profitability in 2015, which is usually good news for Boeing Company investors. It now expects $33 billion compared to a previous estimate for $29.6 billion. Airline profits are expected to continue growing strongly in 2016, and that should by good news for Boeing's attempts to generate new commercial aircraft orders -- particularly at a time when low oil prices are reducing demand for newer more energy efficient aircraft -- and for United Technologies' aerospace businesses. All told, the industrial sector has seen mixed performance in 2015 and it looks likely to continue in 2016. It's hard to tell where energy prices are headed, or the sustainability of China's recent auto sales boost, but North American construction prospects look good, while global aerospace appears to be holding up well. The next billion-dollar iSecret The world's biggest tech company forgot to show you something at its recent event, but a few Wall Street analysts and the Fool didn't miss a beat: There's a small company that's powering their brand-new gadgets and the coming revolution in technology. And we think its stock price has nearly unlimited room to run for early in-the-know investors! To be one of them, just click here . The article 5 Key Indicators for 5 Industrial Stocks in 2016 originally appeared on Fool.com. Lee Samaha has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Halliburton. The Motley Fool owns shares of Johnson Controls. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days . We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy . Copyright \u00a9 1995 - 2015 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy . The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Director Heise Buys 5,000 Shares of Fastenal @$39.75/Share -Form 4"", ""Dividend Contenders: 36 Increases Expected In The Next 11 Weeks""]"
FAST,2015-12-18,16.4335,16.5016,16.1265,16.1532,
FAST,2015-12-21,16.2114,16.3259,15.8847,16.0485,
FAST,2015-12-22,16.1206,16.5618,16.0308,16.5618,"[""From Bad To Worse For MSC Industrial's Core Markets"", ""From Bad To Worse For MSC Industrial's Core Markets"", ""From Bad To Worse For MSC Industrial's Core Markets""]"
FAST,2015-12-23,16.6496,17.0672,16.321,17.0484,"FAST Crosses Above Key Moving Average Level In trading on Wednesday, shares of Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) crossed above their 200 day moving average of $40.45, changing hands as high as $40.73 per share. Fastenal Co. shares are currently trading up about 1.4% on the day. The chart below shows the one year performance of FAST shares, versus its 200 day moving average: Looking at the chart above, FAST's low point in its 52 week range is $34.45 per share, with $48.43 as the 52 week high point - that compares with a last trade of $40.69. According to the ETF Finder at ETF Channel, FAST makes up 2.14% of the First Trust RBA Quality Income ETF (Symbol: QINC) which is trading up by about 0.3% on the day Wednesday. Click here to find out which 9 other dividend stocks recently crossed above their 200 day moving average » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2015-12-24,17.0524,17.2547,16.9408,17.1541,
FAST,2015-12-28,17.1027,17.1896,16.9241,17.1087,
FAST,2015-12-29,17.1945,17.3406,17.1451,17.2083,
FAST,2015-12-30,17.2241,17.3287,17.1363,17.1541,
FAST,2015-12-31,17.1126,17.1985,16.8619,16.8688,
FAST,2016-01-04,16.627,16.627,16.3398,16.6082,
FAST,2016-01-05,16.7385,16.7592,16.2084,16.4266,"[""Avondale Partners Initiates Coverage on Fastenal at Market Perform, Announces $42.00 PT"", ""Avondale Partners Initiates Coverage on Fastenal at Market Perform, Announces $42.00 PT"", ""Avondale Partners Initiates Coverage on Fastenal at Market Perform, Announces $42.00 PT""]"
FAST,2016-01-06,16.2479,16.6754,16.1206,16.471,"[""The Fourth Annual Portfolio Picks Of The Dow & S&P 500"", ""The Fourth Annual Portfolio Picks Of The Dow & S&P 500"", ""The Fourth Annual Portfolio Picks Of The Dow & S&P 500""]"
FAST,2016-01-07,16.1917,16.3704,15.9725,16.1364,"[""MSC Industrial Managing The Downturn"", ""5 Dividend Paying Companies With No, Or Very Little Debt (Part 2)"", ""5 Dividend Paying Companies With No, Or Very Little Debt (Part 2)"", ""MSC Industrial Managing The Downturn"", ""5 Dividend Paying Companies With No, Or Very Little Debt (Part 2)"", ""MSC Industrial Managing The Downturn""]"
FAST,2016-01-08,16.2331,16.3604,15.9795,16.0337,"[""A Really Bad Investing Idea"", ""A Really Bad Investing Idea"", ""A Really Bad Investing Idea""]"
FAST,2016-01-11,16.1157,16.168,15.9143,16.0722,
FAST,2016-01-12,16.1601,16.3398,16.0416,16.2943,"[""My Strategy For Market Fear And Panic"", ""My Strategy For Market Fear And Panic"", ""My Strategy For Market Fear And Panic""]"
FAST,2016-01-13,16.321,16.4335,15.9686,16.0229,"Don’t Panic! 3 Back-to-Basics Stocks to Buy For the Rebound InvestorPlaceInvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips If your crystal ball predicted the market carnage that kicked off the New Year, congratulations. Take that money you pulled out on December 31 and celebrate. For the other 99%, it's time to grin and bear it a bit. This should help soften the blow… The first five days of the new trading year saw the worst 5-day start in S&P 500 history, and the Nasdaq Composite took a 7% beating. The last thing you should do: panic. Instead, think smart and plan ahead with this 'buy' list of solid stocks that were beaten down a bit, yet represent good value and opportunity on downturns. The 10 Best Stocks to Buy for 2016 Here are three stocks that fit the bill, with long-term business models, solid financials, current dividends that beat the pants off the 10-year Treasury note, and rising future dividends. Consistently Beat Wall Street to the Stocks They Want to Buy Using Just One Number Once you master this strategy you'll never again be dependent on others for trade ideas, AND you'll know how to manage your PE Gap Trades for maximum profits.Get The One Number Here Fastenal ( FAST ) Founded nearly 50 years ago, Fastenal ( FAST ) is the largest fastener distributor in the U.S., operating through 2,700 stores, in all 50 states, and in 20 countries throughout the world. Fastenal's product lines cut across two primary segments: threaded fasteners (bolts, screws, nuts, studs and washers), and miscellaneous supplies and hardware (pins, machinery keys, wire roping, struts and rivets). In addition to these products, Fastenal carries a lineup of hydraulic and pneumatic cutting tools, material handling equipment and janitorial supplies. In other words, Fastenal carries the basics for a wide range of sectors and uses, from the smallest nuts and bolts to fleet vehicles. It's this diversification that allows the company to avoid damaging slowdowns in any one economic sector or segment. Fastenal's stock is down over 15% in the last year, despite a 14% growth rate in the past five years, and three consecutive years of earnings and free cash flow growth. With its continued solid free cash flow position, Fastenal has increased its annual dividend over the past five consecutive years, with an annualized 14.8% growth in the last three, and 12% since 2012 according to Dividend.com . With a dividend yield of just under 2.9% and a 60% payout yield, investors should expect continued growth in the annual payouts. If you're looking for another reason to believe in the value of Fastenal, consider that Sequoia Fund, an owner of Berkshire Hathaway ( BRK.A , BRK.B ) shares, has a large position in Fastenal. The bottom line on Fastenal is that it looks like a great nuts-and-bolts stock to keep in mind on any weakness. Further up the chain is this long-term buy that's similar to Fastenal, but on an even bigger scale… W.W. Grainger ( GWW ) I've been enamored with W.W. Grainger ( GWW ) for quite some time, and with great reason: it's one of the steadiest dividend stocks around. Grainger is a major distributor of facilities maintenance, industrial, and commercial supplies. The lineup includes pumps, motors, safety products, power tools and transmission systems, test instruments, and welding equipment. In fact, Grainger has more than 4,500 manufactures that supply it with over 1.4 million products for over 2 million customers. Grainger's worldwide market opportunity is worth over $380 billion, and it attacks that market with both brick and mortar outlets and distribution centers, and a thriving online ecommerce business which it expects to continue growing. Grainger is well positioned for that growth, as more than 15% of its ecommerce business comes in through mobile devices (according to its 2015 Fact Book ). Despite its growth in revenues, earnings, and free cash flow, GWW is down over 20% in the last year ,and trades at just under 17 times trailing earnings. The company has raised its dividend for 46 consecutive years (a Dividend Aristocrat ), and with a 2.4% dividend yield, investors should consider GWW any time they see an opportunity to pounce on this long-standing building block stock. Finally, we get to another back-to-basics stock with an even larger cast of products… Illinois Tool Works ( ITW ) Yet another Dividend Aristocrat that's taken it on the chin with a 10% one-year drop is multi-disciplined manufacturer/distributor Illinois Tools Works ( ITW ). From its roots as a small machine shop operation in Chicago founded in 1912, ITW is now a $30 billion market cap giant operating through seven business units , including automotive original equipment maker parts, food equipment, welding, construction products, test and measurement and electronics, and polymers and fluids. ITW's diversity is critical; no one segment accounts for more than 20% of total income. That's a very similar model to Johnson & Johnson ( JNJ ) and, like JNJ, it's served the company, and investors, quite well. To keep things streamlined, ITW has undergone some changes -streamlining operations by merging business lines, cutting down on redundant operations and, in some cases, selling non-core assets. The result has been some ups and downs on the top and bottom lines the past two fiscal (December 31) years, but free cash flow remained strong throughout. Indeed, with just over $2 billion in operating cash flow (not to mention $3 billion in cash), ITW has maintained its 52-year string of consecutive annual dividend increases, with annual growth since 2012 at just under 15% and a recent 13.4% increase announced in August. With a 2.62% dividend yield, management focused on continued cost cutting to keep expenses in line, and trading at well under 20 times trailing earnings, ITW is the last of our back-to-basic stocks to set your sights on amid the pullbacks and turmoil. This post originally appeared on mainstreetinvestor.com . More From InvestorPlace 5 Defense Stocks to Buy to Safeguard Your Portfolio5 Stocks to Buy for January5 Tech Stocks That Suddenly Look a LOT Sweeter Consistently Beat Wall Street to the Stocks They Want to Buy Using Just One Number Once you master this strategy you'll never again be dependent on others for trade ideas, AND you'll know how to manage your PE Gap Trades for maximum profits.Get The One Numbe The post Don't Panic! 3 Back-to-Basics Stocks to Buy For the Rebound appeared first on InvestorPlace . The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2016-01-14,16.1117,16.3427,15.7031,16.2203,"[""Notable earnings before Friday's open"", ""Fastenal declares $0.30 dividend"", ""Fastenal makes Lisowski interim chief financial officer"", ""Fastenal Increases Qtr. Dividend From $0.28 To $0.30/Share"", ""Fastenal Names Sheryl Lisowski Interim Chief Financial Officer"", ""Fastenal Names Sheryl Lisowski Interim Chief Financial Officer"", ""Fastenal Increases Qtr. Dividend From $0.28 To $0.30/Share"", ""Fastenal makes Lisowski interim chief financial officer"", ""Notable earnings before Friday's open"", ""Fastenal declares $0.30 dividend"", ""What Awaits Fastenal Company (FAST) in Q4 Earnings? Fastenal CompanyFAST is set to report fourth-quarter and full-year 2015 results on Jan 15, before the market opens. Last quarter, Fastenal delivered a positive surprise of 2.17%. Let's see how things are shaping up for this announcement. Factors to Consider this Quarter Although Fastenal's earnings per share and revenues increased year over year in the first three quarters of 2015, revenues were hurt significantly by weakness in sales of the industrial fasteners during the period. Revenues was also hurt by lower sales to customers in the oil & gas industry, a stronger U.S. dollar, softness in the Canadian business and overall weakness in the industrial economy. Some of these headwinds are expected to continue into the upcoming quarter as well. Moreover, the lack of price inflation, an unfavorable product mix, and pricing and competitive pressures are hurting Fastenal's gross margins. Nonetheless, vending trends improved during the first three quarters of 2015 as efforts on improving the quality of signings/installs paid off. This trend is expected to continue into the fourth quarter as well. Management's cost control initiatives are also impressive and should provide bottom-line support in the upcoming quarter. Earnings Whispers Our proven model does not conclusively show that Fastenal is likely to beat earnings this quarter. That is because a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), #2 (Buy) or #3 (Hold) for this to happen. Unfortunately, that is not the case here, as you will see below. Zacks ESP: The Earnings ESP is 0.00% as both the Most Accurate estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate stand at 40 cents. Zacks Rank: Fastenal's Zacks Rank #3 increases the predictive power of ESP. However, we need to have a positive ESP to be confident about an earnings surprise. However, we caution against stocks with Zacks Rank #4 and #5 (Sell-rated stocks) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing a negative estimate revisions momentum. Stocks to Consider Here are some companies in the construction sector, that, according to our model, have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter: Toll Brothers Inc. TOL , with an Earnings ESP of +2.33% and a Zacks Rank #3. Summit Materials, Inc. SUM , with an Earnings ESP of +7.14% and a Zacks Rank #1. Potlatch Corporation PCH , with an Earnings ESP of +16.67% and a Zacks Rank #3. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report POTLATCH CORP (PCH): Free Stock Analysis Report TOLL BROTHERS (TOL): Free Stock Analysis Report SUMMIT MATERLS (SUM): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Pre-Market Earnings Report for January 15, 2016 : WFC, C, USB, BLK, PNC, FAST, RF The following companies are expected to report earnings prior to market open on 01/15/2016. Visit our Earnings Calendar for a full list of expected earnings releases. Wells Fargo & Company ( WFC ) is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2015. The bank company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 14 analysts that follow the stock is $1.02. This value represents a no change for the same quarter last year. WFC missed the consensus earnings per share in the 2nd calendar quarter of 2015 by -0.96%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2015 Price to Earnings ratio for WFC is 11.98 vs. an industry ratio of 12.20. Citigroup Inc. ( C ) is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2015. The bank company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 10 analysts that follow the stock is $1.04. This value represents a 1633.33% increase compared to the same quarter last year. C missed the consensus earnings per share in the 4th calendar quarter of 2014 by -33.33%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2015 Price to Earnings ratio for C is 8.22 vs. an industry ratio of 12.20. U.S. Bancorp ( USB ) is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2015. The bank company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 14 analysts that follow the stock is $0.79. This value represents a 1.28% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year USB has met analyst expectations twice and beat the expectations the other two quarters. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2015 Price to Earnings ratio for USB is 12.34 vs. an industry ratio of 12.20, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. BlackRock, Inc. ( BLK ) is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2015. The finance/investment management company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 10 analysts that follow the stock is $4.82. This value represents a no change for the same quarter last year. In the past year BLK has beat the expectations every quarter. The highest one was in the 3rd calendar quarter where they beat the consensus by 10.86%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2015 Price to Earnings ratio for BLK is 15.48 vs. an industry ratio of 10.10, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. ( PNC ) is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2015. The bank company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 13 analysts that follow the stock is $1.80. This value represents a 2.17% decrease compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year PNC has beat the expectations every quarter. The highest one was in the 3rd calendar quarter where they beat the consensus by 6.74%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2015 Price to Earnings ratio for PNC is 11.82 vs. an industry ratio of 12.20. Fastenal Company ( FAST ) is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2015. The building company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 9 analysts that follow the stock is $0.40. This value represents a no change for the same quarter last year. In the past year FAST has met analyst expectations once and beat the expectations the other three quarters. The \""days to cover\"" for this stock exceeds 16 days. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2015 Price to Earnings ratio for FAST is 21.66 vs. an industry ratio of 18.60, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Regions Financial Corporation ( RF ) is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2015. The banks (southeast) company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 16 analysts that follow the stock is $0.19. This value represents a 35.71% increase compared to the same quarter last year. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2015 Price to Earnings ratio for RF is 11.11 vs. an industry ratio of 17.10. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Names Sheryl Lisowski Interim Chief Financial Officer"", ""Fastenal Increases Qtr. Dividend From $0.28 To $0.30/Share"", ""Fastenal makes Lisowski interim chief financial officer"", ""Notable earnings before Friday's open"", ""Fastenal declares $0.30 dividend""]"
FAST,2016-01-15,14.5088,16.0031,14.5048,15.5679,"[""8 Companies Showing Confidence With Increased Dividends"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Q4 2015 Results - Earnings Call Webcast"", ""Fastenal's (FAST) CEO Dan Florness on Q4 2015 Results - Earnings Call Transcript"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Tumbles on Weak Earnings"", ""Fastenal misses by $0.01, revenue in-line"", ""Earnings Scheduled For January 15, 2016"", ""7 Stocks To Watch For January 15, 2016"", ""Fastenal Q4 EPS $0.39 vs $0.40 est, Revenue $922.79M vs $922.54M est"", ""10 Stocks Moving In Friday's Pre-Market Session"", ""Fastenal Spikes to High of $38.73"", ""Fastenal Spikes to High of $38.73"", ""10 Stocks Moving In Friday's Pre-Market Session"", ""Fastenal Q4 EPS $0.39 vs $0.40 est, Revenue $922.79M vs $922.54M est"", ""7 Stocks To Watch For January 15, 2016"", ""Earnings Scheduled For January 15, 2016"", ""8 Companies Showing Confidence With Increased Dividends"", ""Fastenal's (FAST) CEO Dan Florness on Q4 2015 Results - Earnings Call Transcript"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Tumbles on Weak Earnings"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Q4 2015 Results - Earnings Call Webcast"", ""Fastenal misses by $0.01, revenue in-line"", ""China Shadow Looms Over Q4 Earnings Friday, January 15, 2016 Another day and another China-centered overnight sell-off that weighs on U.S. stocks at the open. This comes after Thursday's stock market rebound that appeared to indicate that the worst could be behind us. But this morning's fresh downturn in Chinese stocks and oil prices shows that the 2016 sell-off still has room to go. Chinese stocks ended their Friday session -3.6% lower, pushing the Shanghai Composite index 20% below its December 2015 high and its lowest level since 2014. The catalyst for today's sell-off was the December bank loan report that showed a bigger-than-expected decline in loan demand from the month before. There were also unconfirmed reports that Chinese banks have stopped accepting stocks as a collateral for loans. The market's reaction to the monthly bank loan report isn't so much a reflection of the top-tier status of the economic reading - which it isn't - but rather a function of how fragile sentiment is currently. Nervous and jittery Chinese investors are fleeing at the first sign of trouble, and the rest of the world is following them. The China and associated global growth worries are very much present in Q4 earnings reports as well. The weak Intel ( INTC ) report on Thursday and this morning's soft reading from industrial-components supplier Fastenal ( FAST ) are directly or indirectly a function of this uncertain macro backdrop. Even J.P. Morgan's ( JPM ) strong report cautioned about the impact of the weak global cross-currents on the U.S. economy, which seems to be showing up in this morning's soft December Retail Sales reading seems to corroborate. The Citigroup ( C ) and Wells Fargo ( WFC ) earnings reports this morning follow the pattern set by J.P. Morgan; they aren't as strong as the J.P. Morgan report was, but are nevertheless better than expected. The Q4 reporting cycle gains pace next week with 40 S&P 500 members coming out with results. Sheraz Mian Director of Research Note: In addition to this daily pre-open article about the market, economy, and the corporate earnings picture, Sheraz Mian also provides detailed earnings analysis in his weekly Earnings Trends and Earnings Preview reports. If you want an email notification each time Sheraz Mian publishes a new article, please click here . Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report CITIGROUP INC (C): Free Stock Analysis Report INTEL CORP (INTC): Free Stock Analysis Report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report JPMORGAN CHASE (JPM): Free Stock Analysis Report WELLS FARGO-NEW (WFC): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal (FAST) Misses on Q4 Earnings, Oil & Gas Sales Hurt Fastenal CompanyFAST reported adjusted earnings of 39 cents per share in the fourth quarter of 2015, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate and the prior year quarter earnings of 40 cents by 2.5%, owing to a weak sales performance. Fastenal Company - Earnings Surprise | FindTheBest Sales Remain Weak Mostly in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate, net sales of $922.8 million decreased 0.4% year over year. Net sales were weak during the quarter mainly due to a drop in consumer discretionary spending and increased frequency of customer plant shutdowns in the last two months of 2015. Sales slowed down significantly in all quarters of 2015. This Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company's top line was hurt by lower sales to its customers in the oil & gas industry, a stronger U.S dollar and overall weakness in the industrial economy. Quarterly performance was also hurt by softness in net sales at the Canadian business, which increased about 4% in local currency during the quarter, compared to a 6% increase in the previous quarter. During the fourth quarter of 2015, the company incurred an additional expense of $4 million, as the company terminated its manufacturing joint venture in Brazil and settled other disputes. While these actions will benefit the company's growth in the long term, fourth-quarter sales were hurt by its immediate financial impact. Fastenal's total average daily sales declined 2% in the fourth quarter, much lower than the 15.7% increase in the prior-year quarter. Foreign exchange dragged the daily sales growth rate in the quarter by 1.3%. On a monthly basis, daily sales declined 3.8% in December, 1.1% in November and 0.8% in October. In comparison, the company had recorded daily sales growth of 17.4%, 15.3% and 14.6%, respectively, in the corresponding year-ago months. This industrial and construction supplies wholesale distributor serves customers in the manufacturing and non-residential construction markets. Daily sales to manufacturing customers (representing almost 50% of revenues) declined 2.2%, down from growth of 13.8% in the prior-year quarter and 1.1% in the previous quarter. The daily sales growth rate to manufacturing customers softened due to subdued sales of both fasteners and non-fasteners. The daily sales growth rate of fastener products (used mainly for industrial production and accounting for nearly 40% of the company's business) declined 6.2% in the quarter, compared with the 4.4% decline recorded in the previous quarter and the 11.4% increase in the year-ago quarter. Lower demand from the heavy machinery manufacturing customer base, mainly from those engaged in oil and gas business, hurt fastener sales due to lower production requirements. Non-fastener product sales (used mainly for maintenance) increased 1.2%, down from growth of 19% in the prior-year quarter and 5.9% in the last quarter. The non-fastener business also weakened over the last few months as improved vending trends were offset by overall weakness in the industrial environment. In the non-residential construction market, daily sales to non-residential construction customers (representing 20% to 25% of revenues) declined 6.1%, which compared unfavorably with a 12.6% increase in the prior-year quarter and a 1.7% decline in the previous quarter. Volatility and softer energy prices hurt sales in this market. Vending Trends Continue to Improve As of Dec 31, 2015, Fastenal operated 55,510 vending machines, up 18.5% year over year. During the quarter, the company signed 4,016 machine contracts, down 14.4% from the last quarter. The daily sales growth rate to customers using vending machines was 0.7%, down from 4.8% in the previous quarter. Vending machines now account for 43.9% of the company's sales, higher than 42.1% in the prior quarter. After remaining soft in 2013, vending trends improved through 2014 and 2015, as management's recent efforts on enhancing the quality of signings/installs paid off. Even though daily sales growth to customers using vending and signings declined sequentially, the percentage of vending customers improved. Gross Margins Down Gross margin of 49.9% in the fourth quarter of 2015 declined 60 basis points (bps) year over year and sequentially from 50.5% in fourth-quarter 2014 and third-quarter 2015. Gross margin was below the company's average of around 50% owing to a drop in the consumer discretionary spending, and an unfavorable customer mix and product mix. The customer mix shifted toward the large account end-market, which produces low-margin gross profit but stronger operating income. The product mix shifted from high-margin fastener products to non-fastener products. In fact, the company expects these trends to continue in the future as well. Financial Update Fastenal had cash and cash equivalents of $129.0 million as of Dec 31, 2015, compared with $111.8 million as of Sep 30, 2015. On Jan 14, 2016, the company's board of directors approved a 7.1% hike in its quarterly dividend to 30 cents from 28 cents. The raised dividend of 30 cents will be paid in cash on Feb 26, 2016 to shareholders of record as on Jan 29, 2016. Stocks to Consider Some better-ranked stocks in the construction sector include Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. BECN , Tecnoglass Inc. TGLS and Builders FirstSource, Inc. BLDR . Beacon Roofing Supply and Tecnoglass sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), while Builders FirstSource carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days.Click to get this free report >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report BEACON ROOFING (BECN): Free Stock Analysis Report BUILDERS FIRSTS (BLDR): Free Stock Analysis Report TECNOGLASS INC (TGLS): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Daily Dividend Report: BLK, O, FAST, OHI, KALU, C, CL, DFS, PAYX BlackRock ( BLK ) announced a 5% increase in the quarterly cash dividend to $2.29 per share of common stock, payable March 23, 2016, to shareholders of record at the close of business on March 7, 2016. Realty Income Corporation ( O ) has declared an increase in the company's common stock monthly cash dividend to $0.1985 per share from $0.191 per share. The dividend is payable on February 16, 2016 to shareholders of record as of February 1, 2016. The Fastenal Company ( FAST ) reported its board of directors declared a dividend of $0.30 per share to be paid in cash on February 26, 2016 to shareholders of record at the close of business on January 29, 2016. Omega Healthcare Investors ( OHI ) declared a common stock dividend of $0.57 per share, increasing the quarterly common dividend by $0.01 per share over the previous quarter. The common stock dividend is payable Tuesday, February 16, 2016 to common stockholders of record as of the close of business on Tuesday, February 2, 2016. Kaiser Aluminum Corporation ( KALU ) has declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.45 per share representing a 12.5% increase over the prior quarter's dividend. The dividend will be payable on February 12, 2016 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on January 25, 2016. Citigroup declared a quarterly dividend on Citigroup's common stock of $0.05 per share, payable on February 26, 2016 to stockholders of record on February 1, 2016. Colgate-Palmolive Company (CL) declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.38 per common share, payable on February 16, 2016, to shareholders of record on January 25, 2016. Discover Financial Services declared a quarterly cash dividend on its Fixed Rate Non-Cumulative Perpetual Preferred Stock, Series B, in the amount of $16.25 per share. The dividend equals $0.40625 per depositary share, each representing 1/40th interest in a share of the Series B Preferred Stock. The dividend will be payable on February 29, 2016, to the holders of record at the close of business on February 10, 2016. The Board of Directors also declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.28 per share of common stock payable on February 18, 2016, to holders of record at the close of business on February 4, 2016. Paychex (PAYX) declared a regular quarterly dividend of $.42 per share payable February 16, 2016 to shareholders of record February 1, 2016. VIDEO: Daily Dividend Report: BLK, O, FAST, OHI, KALU, C, CL, DFS, PAYX The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal (FAST) Shares Cross 3% Yield Mark Looking at the universe of stocks we cover at Dividend Channel , in trading on Friday, shares of Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) were yielding above the 3% mark based on its quarterly dividend (annualized to $1.12), with the stock changing hands as low as $35.10 on the day. Dividends are particularly important for investors to consider, because historically speaking dividends have provided a considerable share of the stock market's total return. To illustrate, suppose for example you purchased shares of the S&P 500 ETF ( SPY ) back on 12/31/1999 - you would have paid $146.88 per share. Fast forward to 12/31/2012 and each share was worth $142.41 on that date, a decrease of $4.67/share over all those years. But now consider that you collected a whopping $25.98 per share in dividends over the same period, for a positive total return of 23.36%. Even with dividends reinvested, that only amounts to an average annual total return of about 1.6%; so by comparison collecting a yield above 3% would appear considerably attractive if that yield is sustainable. Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) is an S&P 500 company, giving it special status as one of the large-cap companies making up the S&P 500 Index. In general, dividend amounts are not always predictable and tend to follow the ups and downs of profitability at each company. In the case of Fastenal Co., looking at the history chart for FAST below can help in judging whether the most recent dividend is likely to continue, and in turn whether it is a reasonable expectation to expect a 3% annual yield. According to the ETF Finder at ETF Channel, FAST makes up 1.96% of the First Trust RBA Quality Income ETF (Symbol: QINC) which is trading lower by about 2.5% on the day Friday. Click here to find out which 9 other dividend stocks just recently went on sale \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Spikes to High of $38.73"", ""10 Stocks Moving In Friday's Pre-Market Session"", ""Fastenal Q4 EPS $0.39 vs $0.40 est, Revenue $922.79M vs $922.54M est"", ""7 Stocks To Watch For January 15, 2016"", ""Earnings Scheduled For January 15, 2016"", ""8 Companies Showing Confidence With Increased Dividends"", ""Fastenal's (FAST) CEO Dan Florness on Q4 2015 Results - Earnings Call Transcript"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Tumbles on Weak Earnings"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Q4 2015 Results - Earnings Call Webcast"", ""Fastenal misses by $0.01, revenue in-line""]"
FAST,2016-01-19,15.7238,15.8847,15.025,15.1918,"Instant Analysis: Fastenal Reports Q4 2015, Raises Its Dividend by 7% What happened? Industrial and construction materials supplier Fastenal simultaneously released its Q4 and full-year 2015 figures and declared an increase in its dividend. For the quarter, the company posted net sales of just under $923 million, an incremental decline from the Q4 2014 figure. Net profit came in at $112 million ($0.39 per share), or 3% lower on a year-over-year basis. Both line items were slightly below analyst expectations of $923 million in revenue and EPS of $0.40. The differences were more pronounced in the full year, with net sales rising 4% to $3.9 billion, and bottom line increasing 5% to $516 million ($1.77). Fastenal declared a new quarterly dividend of $0.30 per share, an increase of 7% over the preceding amount. This will be dispensed on Feb. 26 to stockholders of record as of Jan. 29. The new payout yields a robust 3.2% on the current share price, well exceeding the 2.3% average of stocks on the S&P 500 index. It also eclipses the yields of peer suppliers MSC Industrial Direct and W.W. Grainger . Does it matter? None of these developments were particularly striking. The lower quarterly figures were entirely expected, particularly given the struggles of the oil and gas industry, which forms a big part of Fastenal's customer base. MSC Industrial Direct, which is also highly exposed to that business, also saw revenue and profitability drop in its most recently reported quarter. As for the dividend increase, that -- in conjunction with an ongoing share repurchase program -- seems to be more an attempt to support the stock than a strong mark of confidence in the business. In the press release detailing the results and heralding the distribution increase, Fastenal showed concern for the development of its share price -- which over the past year has declined by 16% -- and indicated it would continue to buy back stock, presumably to help it rise. A good-size dividend should play into that strategy, so we can expect the new level to at least be maintained for some time. This should help keep income investors attracted to the stock, particularly when those yield comparisons are made to MSC Industrial Direct and W.W. Grainger. The next billion-dollar iSecret The world's biggest tech company forgot to show you something at its recent event, but a few Wall Street analysts and the Fool didn't miss a beat: There's a small company that's powering their brand-new gadgets and the coming revolution in technology. And we think its stock price has nearly unlimited room to run for early in-the-know investors! To be one of them, just click here . The article Instant Analysis: Fastenal Reports Q4 2015, Raises Its Dividend by 7% originally appeared on Fool.com. Eric Volkman has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends MSC Industrial Direct. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days . We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy . Copyright © 1995 - 2016 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy . The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2016-01-20,15.021,15.2313,14.5354,15.0941,"[""Fastenal Battered Down By The Industrial Recession"", ""Fastenal Battered Down By The Industrial Recession"", ""Fastenal Battered Down By The Industrial Recession""]"
FAST,2016-01-21,15.1553,15.4395,14.9174,15.3477,"[""Some Notes On Fastenal's Results"", ""Fastenal: Struggling Due to Commodity Rout"", ""The MnM Portfolio Supplement - Looking For Opportunities In The Sell-Off Of 2016"", ""Distribution NOW: How Bad Can It Get?"", ""Some Notes On Fastenal's Results"", ""Distribution NOW: How Bad Can It Get?"", ""Fastenal: Struggling Due to Commodity Rout"", ""The MnM Portfolio Supplement - Looking For Opportunities In The Sell-Off Of 2016"", ""Some Notes On Fastenal's Results"", ""Distribution NOW: How Bad Can It Get?"", ""Fastenal: Struggling Due to Commodity Rout"", ""The MnM Portfolio Supplement - Looking For Opportunities In The Sell-Off Of 2016""]"
FAST,2016-01-22,15.5925,15.7485,15.3023,15.6951,
FAST,2016-01-25,15.6291,15.7317,15.1888,15.2056,"Can Fastenal Company (FAST) Beat the Odds in Fiscal 2016? On Jan 22, we issued an updated research report on Fastenal CompanyFAST . On Jan 15, 2016, the distributor of industrial and construction supplies, reported fourth-quarter 2015 and full-year results. Fastenal's fourth-quarter adjusted earnings of 39 cents per share missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate and year ago level by 2.5% due to soft sales. Sales, on the other hand, met estimates, but decreased 0.4% year over year. Moreover, the company's fourth-quarter gross margin of 49.9% was below the company's long-term average of around 50%. Gross margin was hurt owing to a drop in the discretionary spending power of Fastenal's customers, and unfavorable customer and product mix. Sales slowed down significantly in all the quarters of 2015. The company's top line was hurt by lower sales to customers in the oil & gas industry, a stronger U.S. dollar and overall weakness in the industrial economy. Another company hurt by strong U.S dollar is Masco Corporation MAS . Fastenal's results were also hurt by an unfavorable product mix, which has shifted toward non-fastener products. Since, fasteners have a higher margin than non-fastener products, the overall product mix has become unfavorable. In particular, the rate of decline of Industrial fasteners sales has worsened owing to lower demand from the heavy machinery manufacturing customer base, mainly from those engaged in the oil & gas business. Weakness in fasteners is hurting revenues and margin. Going ahead, this situation is unlikely to improve any time soon. Some other companies hurt by scenario in the oil & gas industry includes Lennar Corporation LEN , and PulteGroup Inc. PHM . Nonetheless, vending trends improved in the year as efforts on improving the quality of signings/installs paid off. This trend is expected to continue in 2016 as well. In fact, the company intends to increase its investment in the vending program this year and expects it to deliver better results through 2016 and beyond. Management's cost control initiatives are also impressive and should provide bottom-line support over the near term. Moreover, on Jan 14, 2016, the company's board of directors approved a 7.1% hike in its quarterly dividend to 30 cents from 28 cents. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days . Click to get this free report >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report MASCO (MAS): Free Stock Analysis Report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report PULTE GROUP ONC (PHM): Free Stock Analysis Report LENNAR CORP -A (LEN): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2016-01-26,15.4109,15.7979,15.3507,15.7109,"[""Valuation Dashboard: Industrials - Update"", ""Valuation Dashboard: Industrials - Update"", ""Fastenal Company (FAST) Ex-Dividend Date Scheduled for January 27, 2016 Fastenal Company ( FAST ) will begin trading ex-dividend on January 27, 2016. A cash dividend payment of $0.3 per share is scheduled to be paid on February 26, 2016. Shareholders who purchased FAST prior to the ex-dividend date are eligible for the cash dividend payment. This represents an 7.14% increase over the prior quarter. The previous trading day's last sale of FAST was $36.82, representing a -20.9% decrease from the 52 week high of $46.55 and a 6.88% increase over the 52 week low of $34.45. FAST is a part of the Consumer Services sector, which includes companies such as Home Depot, Inc. ( HD ) and Lowe's Companies, Inc. ( LOW ). FAST's current earnings per share, an indicator of a company's profitability, is $1.78. Zacks Investment Research reports FAST's forecasted earnings growth in 2016 as 3.33%, compared to an industry average of 17.7%. For more information on the declaration, record and payment dates, visit the FAST Dividend History page. Our Dividend Calendar has the full list of stocks that have an ex-dividend today. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Valuation Dashboard: Industrials - Update""]"
FAST,2016-01-27,15.6735,16.167,15.5441,15.8462,"[""Reliance Steel & Aluminum Can Outperform In 2016, Despite A Sober Outlook For The Economy, Stock Market"", ""WESCO Hammered Down, But Margin Questions Linger"", ""WESCO Hammered Down, But Margin Questions Linger"", ""Reliance Steel & Aluminum Can Outperform In 2016, Despite A Sober Outlook For The Economy, Stock Market"", ""WESCO Hammered Down, But Margin Questions Linger"", ""Reliance Steel & Aluminum Can Outperform In 2016, Despite A Sober Outlook For The Economy, Stock Market""]"
FAST,2016-01-28,15.8758,16.4108,15.8195,16.3852,
FAST,2016-01-29,16.4434,16.8915,16.3624,16.8915,
FAST,2016-02-01,17.5785,17.7443,16.4522,16.8451,
FAST,2016-02-02,16.5894,16.6615,16.2361,16.2992,"[""Mairs & Power Comments on Fastenal"", ""Mairs & Power Comments on Fastenal"", ""Mairs & Power Comments on Fastenal""]"
FAST,2016-02-03,16.4522,16.7977,16.0298,16.5076,"[""Dividend Increases (And Cuts) For January 2016"", ""Dividend Increases (And Cuts) For January 2016"", ""Dividend Increases (And Cuts) For January 2016""]"
FAST,2016-02-04,17.2853,18.5092,17.2853,18.1302,"Why Cummins, Piper Jaffray, and Fastenal Jumped Today Image source: Fastenal. The stock market posted modest gains on Thursday, sending the Dow to an 80-point gain and the S&P 500 to a small percentage rise. The day was more volatile than the quiet-looking final numbers would suggest, and stocks traded in a fairly wide range as investors tried to balance the impact of falling oil prices against a sharply lower U.S. dollar to figure out the near-term direction of the market. Earnings season continued to have an impact on individual stocks, and Cummins , Piper Jaffray , and Fastenal were winners in finishing with strong advances on the day. Cummins climbed 8% despite posting fourth-quarter earnings that missed expectations. The engine maker reported a 6% revenue decline, and substantial impairment and restructuring charges sent GAAP net income down by about two-thirds. Conditions continued to deteriorate across most of the company's global footprint, and currency impacts were only partially to blame for the poor results. Yet even though Cummins gave guidance that pointed to further sales declines in 2016, investors appear to have taken today's market action as indicative of a turnaround in the commodities market. Such a turnaround could help Cummins sell more engines, as long as end-users that have had to rein in their capital spending start to buy more equipment that includes Cummins' products. If global markets become weak again, then Cummins' gains today could be short-lived. Piper Jaffray soared 16% after posting its fourth-quarter results Thursday morning. Adjusted net income for the asset manager climbed by more than 40%, and the company produced record adjusted net revenues despite seeing a decline of greater than 20% in assets under management over the past year. Piper CEO Andrew Duff heralded the company's record revenues and pointed to expansion efforts as essential to the company's overall growth strategy. In particular, moves to boost hiring in Piper's financial institutions group and the acquisition of energy-focused investment bank Simmons & Company International should help the company take full advantage of opportunities as they arise, and that bodes well for Piper's long-term trajectory. Finally, Fastenal gained 10%. The distributor of industrial and construction supplies released January sales metrics that showed net sales falling 1.6% from year-ago levels during the month. Adjusted for a smaller number of business days, however, daily sales growth came in up 3.3%. Sales gains in manufacturing were relatively similar to those in non-residential construction, and Fastenal's sales of various fastener products lagged compared to its other product lines. Because of acquisitions and organic growth, Fastenal's personnel counts have risen more than 11% in the past year. Even with its earnings having been under pressure toward the end of 2015, the potential for a turnaround in the industrial sector could lift Fastenal further in the months to come. The next billion-dollar iSecret The world's biggest tech company forgot to show you something at its recent event, but a few Wall Street analysts and the Fool didn't miss a beat: There's a small company that's powering their brand-new gadgets and the coming revolution in technology. And we think its stock price has nearly unlimited room to run for early in-the-know investors! To be one of them, just click here . The article Why Cummins, Piper Jaffray, and Fastenal Jumped Today originally appeared on Fool.com. Dan Caplinger has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Cummins. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days . We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy . Copyright © 1995 - 2016 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy . The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2016-02-05,18.0316,18.221,17.8262,18.0177,"Market Close Report: NASDAQ Composite index closes at 4,509.56 up 5.32 points Thursday's session closes with the NASDAQ Composite Index at 4,509.56. The total shares traded for the NASDAQ was over 2.14 billion. Advancers stocks led declining by 1.46 to 1 ratio. There were 1687 advancers and 1157 decliners for the day. On the NASDAQ Stock Exchange 7 stocks reached a 52 week high and 40 reaching lows. The most active, advancers, decliners, unusual volume and most active by dollar volume can be monitored intraday on the Most Active Stocks page. The NASDAQ 100 index closed down -.1% for the day; a total of -4.2 points. The current value is 4,167.77. Monster Beverage Corporation ( MNST ) had the largest percent change down (-4.79%) while Fastenal Company ( FAST ) had the largest percent change gain rising 9.84%. The Dow Jones index closed up .49% for the day; a total of 79.92 points. The current value is 16,416.58. Nike, Inc. ( NKE ) had the largest percent change down (-3.71%) while Caterpillar, Inc. ( CAT ) had the largest percent change gain rising 4.25%. NASDAQ Market Wrap As of 2/4/2016 5:16:04 PM BILLIONS OF 2.14 NASDAQ SHARES TRADED TODAY 7 STOCKS REACHED A 52 WEEK HIGH 40 THOSE REACHING LOWS TOTALEDFastenal Company [FAST]TOPS ADVANCERS LISTOF NASDAQ 100 INDEX % 9.84 ROSE The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2016-02-08,17.8756,18.4332,17.7127,18.1846,"[""The Monday Morning Kickoff - Re-Thinking Growth Prospects And Favoring Dividend Stocks"", ""The Monday Morning Kickoff - Re-Thinking Growth Prospects And Favoring Dividend Stocks"", ""The Monday Morning Kickoff - Re-Thinking Growth Prospects And Favoring Dividend Stocks""]"
FAST,2016-02-09,18.0128,18.4332,17.9782,18.0612,
FAST,2016-02-10,18.23,18.298,17.5361,17.6051,"[""Jeff Auxier Takes Plunge in Fastenal, a Stock From Watchlist"", ""Option Alert: FAST May16 45.0 Calls: 1050 @ ASK $1.80: 1055 traded vs 1590 OI: $42.28 Ref"", ""Option Alert: FAST May16 45.0 Calls: 1050 @ ASK $1.80: 1055 traded vs 1590 OI: $42.28 Ref"", ""Jeff Auxier Takes Plunge in Fastenal, a Stock From Watchlist"", ""Option Alert: FAST May16 45.0 Calls: 1050 @ ASK $1.80: 1055 traded vs 1590 OI: $42.28 Ref"", ""Jeff Auxier Takes Plunge in Fastenal, a Stock From Watchlist""]"
FAST,2016-02-11,17.5399,17.6101,17.0583,17.4995,
FAST,2016-02-12,17.7275,17.9467,17.4511,17.9279,
FAST,2016-02-16,18.226,18.2516,17.9309,18.1944,"[""Valuation Dashboard: Industrials - Update"", ""Valuation Dashboard: Industrials - Update"", ""Snatch This Bargain Even Cheaper Than Director Satterlee Did There's an old saying on Wall Street about insider buying: there are many possible reasons to sell a stock, but only one reason to buy. Back on February 8, Fastenal Co.'s Director, Scott Satterlee, invested $110,107.20 into 2,500 shares of FAST, for a cost per share of $44.04. Bargain hunters tend to pay particular attention to insider buys like this one, because presumably the only reason an insider would take their hard-earned cash and use it to buy stock of their company in the open market, is that they expect to make money. In trading on Tuesday, bargain hunters could buy shares of Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) and achieve a cost basis 1.7% cheaper than Satterlee, with shares changing hands as low as $43.28 per share. Fastenal Co. shares are currently trading up about 0.7% on the day. The chart below shows the one year performance of FAST shares, versus its 200 day moving average: Looking at the chart above, FAST's low point in its 52 week range is $34.45 per share, with $44.44 as the 52 week high point - that compares with a last trade of $43.55. By comparison, below is a table showing the prices at which FAST insider buying was recorded over the last six months: The current annualized dividend paid by Fastenal Co. is $1.20/share, currently paid in quarterly installments, and its most recent dividend ex-date was on 01/27/2016. Below is a long-term dividend history chart for FAST, which can be of good help in judging whether the most recent dividend with approx. 2.8% annualized yield is likely to continue. FAST makes up 2.03% of the First Trust RBA Quality Income ETF (Symbol: QINC) Click here to find out which 9 other dividend bargains you can buy cheaper than insiders \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Valuation Dashboard: Industrials - Update""]"
FAST,2016-02-17,18.2724,18.7195,18.226,18.5014,"Insiders Were Right: FAST Makes New 52-Week High In trading on Wednesday, shares of Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) touched a new 52-week high of $44.90/share. That's a 30.33% rise, or $10.45 per share from the 52-week low of $34.45 set back on 10/02/2015. That means at today's intraday high, any investor who purchased FAST stock any time over the past 52 weeks has an unrealized gain, including company insiders. Over the past six months, insiders have been scooping up shares, and those bets are now paying off handsomely. As summarized by the table below, FAST has seen 4 different instances of insiders buying over the trailing six month period. The chart below shows where FAST has traded over the past year, with the 50-day and 200-day moving averages included. In afternoon trading on Wednesday, FAST shares are changing hands at $44.76/share, slightly below the new 52-week high. Ten Bargains You Can Buy Cheaper Than The Insiders Did » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2016-02-18,18.5014,18.7886,18.3514,18.5636,"Insiders Buy the Holdings of DTN ETF A look at the weighted underlying holdings of the WisdomTree Dividend ex-Financials Fund ( DTN ) shows an impressive 10.2% of holdings on a weighted basis have experienced insider buying within the past six months. Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST), which makes up 1.03% of the WisdomTree Dividend ex-Financials Fund ( DTN ), has seen 4 directors and officers purchase shares in the past six months, according to the recent Form 4 data. The ETF holds a total of $8,422,791 worth of FAST, making it the #52 largest holding. The table below details the recent insider buying activity observed at FAST: FAST - last trade: $44.42 - Recent Insider Buys: 10 ETFs With Stocks That Insiders Are Buying » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2016-02-19,18.3998,18.6396,18.2704,18.5972,"[""Insiders Bailing On Fastenal - There's A Reason For That"", ""Insiders Bailing On Fastenal - There's A Reason For That"", ""Insiders Bailing On Fastenal - There's A Reason For That""]"
FAST,2016-02-22,18.7659,19.0117,18.7067,18.8942,"[""Following Alpha: Sequoia Fund - Q4 2015 Review"", ""Following Alpha: Sequoia Fund - Q4 2015 Review"", ""Following Alpha: Sequoia Fund - Q4 2015 Review""]"
FAST,2016-02-23,18.7235,18.913,18.5182,18.5537,
FAST,2016-02-24,18.3918,18.6356,18.0908,18.536,"[""Tracking Ruane, Cunniff, & Goldfarb's Portfolio - Q4 2015 Update"", ""WDC Still NASDAQ Analyst Favorite Lead Dog For February"", ""WDC Still NASDAQ Analyst Favorite Lead Dog For February"", ""Tracking Ruane, Cunniff, & Goldfarb's Portfolio - Q4 2015 Update"", ""WDC Still NASDAQ Analyst Favorite Lead Dog For February"", ""Tracking Ruane, Cunniff, & Goldfarb's Portfolio - Q4 2015 Update""]"
FAST,2016-02-25,18.601,18.7718,18.3346,18.7718,
FAST,2016-02-26,18.8439,18.9515,18.7028,18.835,"[""Building The Bull Story For HD Supply"", ""Building The Bull Story For HD Supply"", ""Building The Bull Story For HD Supply""]"
FAST,2016-02-29,18.8459,19.0354,18.7768,18.8626,"[""Tracking The Sequoia Fund - Q4 2015 Update"", ""Tracking The Sequoia Fund - Q4 2015 Update"", ""Tracking The Sequoia Fund - Q4 2015 Update""]"
FAST,2016-03-01,19.0511,19.5871,18.9347,19.4509,"[""Stocks Hitting 52-Week Highs"", ""Option Alert: FAST Mar16 46.0 Puts: 12673 @ ASK $1.10: 15k traded vs 160 OI: Earnings 4/12 $46.67 Re"", ""Option Alert: FAST Mar16 46.0 Puts: 12673 @ ASK $1.10: 15k traded vs 160 OI: Earnings 4/12 $46.67 Re"", ""Stocks Hitting 52-Week Highs"", ""Option Alert: FAST Mar16 46.0 Puts: 12673 @ ASK $1.10: 15k traded vs 160 OI: Earnings 4/12 $46.67 Re"", ""Stocks Hitting 52-Week Highs""]"
FAST,2016-03-02,19.4509,19.5349,19.1677,19.3699,
FAST,2016-03-03,19.3433,19.6424,19.2229,19.5763,
FAST,2016-03-04,19.1548,19.4135,18.6208,19.2535,"Nasdaq 100 Movers: FAST, AVGO In early trading on Friday, shares of Broadcom ( AVGO ) topped the list of the day's best performing components of the Nasdaq 100 index, trading up 5.5%. Year to date, Broadcom has lost about 0.2% of its value. And the worst performing Nasdaq 100 component thus far on the day is Fastenal ( FAST ), trading down 3.4%. Fastenal is showing a gain of 11.3% looking at the year to date performance. Two other components making moves today are Endo International ( ENDP ), trading down 2.7%, and Skyworks Solutions ( SWKS ), trading up 2.8% on the day. VIDEO: Nasdaq 100 Movers: FAST, AVGO The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2016-03-07,19.1459,19.5191,19.0897,19.293,"[""Genesco (GCO) to Report Q4 Earnings: What's in the Cards? Genesco Inc.GCO is slated to report fourth-quarter fiscal 2016 results on Mar 11. In the last quarter, the company had delivered a positive earnings surprise of 7.7%. Let's see how things are shaping up for this announcement. Factors Influencing This Quarter Genesco recently posted a 5% increase in its holiday comparable store sales (comps), mainly on the back of robust performance witnessed at its Journeys Group division, which has been consistently performing well. Management remained impressed with its overall sales trends across North America even amid a tough holiday season. However, the company lowered its adjusted earnings guidance for fiscal 2016, anticipating the impact of the Lids Sports Group's excess inventory clearance on its results. The company envisions earnings per share in the range of $4.30-$4.40, compared with the prior expectation of $4.50-$4.60. However, Genesco recently divested its Lids Team Sports unit to BSN SPORTS, in an effort to revitalize the performance of this division. While the company's earnings surprise history provides a negative picture, we remain encouraged by its persistent omni-channel endeavors, which are likely to be the key growth drivers. Earnings Whispers Our proven model does not conclusively show that Genesco is likely to beat earnings this quarter. This is because a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1, 2 or 3 for this to happen. This is not the case here, as you will see below: Zacks ESP: Genesco has an Earnings ESP of -1.85%. This is because the Most Accurate estimate of $2.12 stands below the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.16. Zacks Rank: Genesco's Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) increases the predictive power of ESP. However, we need to have a positive ESP to be confident about an earnings surprise. We caution against stocks with a Zacks Rank #4 or 5 (Sell-rated stocks) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions. Stocks That Warrant a Look Here are some companies you may want to consider as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements: Zumiez, Inc. ZUMZ has an Earnings ESP of +2.08% and a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). GameStop Corp. GME has an Earnings ESP of +0.44% and a Zacks Rank #3. Fastenal Company FAST has an Earnings ESP of +2.27% and a Zacks Rank #3. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days.Click to get this free report >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report ZUMIEZ INC (ZUMZ): Free Stock Analysis Report GENESCO INC (GCO): Free Stock Analysis Report GAMESTOP CORP (GME): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Citi Trends (CTRN) Q4 Earnings: Will it Outdo Sales Softness? Citi Trends Inc.CTRN is slated to report fourth-quarter fiscal 2015 results on Mar 11, before the opening bell. In the last quarter, the company reported break-even results, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of earnings of 2 cents. Let's see how things are shaping up for this announcement. Factors Influencing this Quarter Last month, Citi Trends reported soft sales results for fourth-quarter fiscal 2015. The company's total sales for the quarter ended Jan 30, 2016, slipped 2.8% to $176.1 million from $181.1 million recorded a year ago. Comparable store sales (comps) for the 13-week period fell 5.0%, as against a 13.9% jump reported in the year-ago period. The soft comps performance was due to comps declines during the holiday season (November and December) that followed into January. The slump in January comps is mainly attributable to a delayed start to tax refunds. Overall, fourth-quarter comps remained soft owing to unseasonable warm weather, which in turn adversely impacted apparel sales. However, the company witnessed gross margin expansion in the fourth quarter as well as fiscal 2015, benefitting from efficient inventory management coupled with the new merchandise planning and allocation structure. The latest system enables the company to plan inventory by class, weather zone and store, to about 50% of its merchandise classes. This keeps us optimistic about the bottom line results for the fourth quarter. Earnings Whispers Our proven model does not conclusively show that Citi Trends is likely to beat earnings this quarter. This is because a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1, 2 or 3 for this to happen. This is not the case here, as you will see below: Zacks ESP: Earnings ESP for Citi Trends is currently pegged at 0.00%. This is because both the Most Accurate estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate are at 28 cents. Zacks Rank: Citi Trends carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), which increases the predictive power of ESP. However, the company's ESP of 0.00% makes surprise prediction difficult. We caution against stocks with a Zacks Rank #4 or 5 (Sell-rated stocks) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions. Stocks that Warrant a Look Here are some companies you may want to consider as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter: Zumiez Inc. ZUMZ has an Earnings ESP of +2.08% and a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). GameStop Corp. GME has an Earnings ESP of +0.44% and a Zacks Rank #3. Fastenal Company FAST has an Earnings ESP of +2.27% and a Zacks Rank #3. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days . Click to get this free report >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report ZUMIEZ INC (ZUMZ): Free Stock Analysis Report CITI TRENDS INC (CTRN): Free Stock Analysis Report GAMESTOP CORP (GME): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Posts Soft February Sales, Fasteners Sales Slump Fastenal CompanyFAST has released disappointing sales figures for the month of February, as the company continued to report weakness in the industrial fasteners business. February net sales increased 7.7% year over year to $321.3 million. Daily sales improved 2.6% to $15.3 million. Unfavorable currency impacted sales by 0.8% in the month, less than a negative impact of 1.2% last month. However, the daily sales growth rate of 2.6% in February was softer than the 3.3% increase in January. We note that this industrial and construction supplies wholesale distributor serves customers in the manufacturing as well as non-residential construction markets. Notably, both the end markets witnessed decelerating growth in the month. Daily sales to manufacturing customers inched up 1.5%, slightly lower than 1.9% growth in January. Daily sales to non-residential construction customers (representing 20% to 25% of revenues) were flat year over year, worse than the 1.2% increase in Jan 2016. Further, daily sales of Fasteners products dipped 0.5%, which was worse than the 0.4% decline recorded in January. Fastenal's revenues have softened significantly over the past few quarters primarily due to weakness in the industrial fasteners business. Revenues were also hurt by lower sales to customers in the oil & gas industry, a stronger U.S. dollar, softness in the Canadian business and overall weakness in the industrial economy. Fastenal currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Stocks to Consider Some better-ranked stocks in the broader building sector include Gibraltar Industries, Inc. ROCK , Builders FirstSource, Inc. BLDR and Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. BECN . While Builders FirstSource and Gibraltar Industries sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), Beacon Roofing holds a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report BEACON ROOFING (BECN): Free Stock Analysis Report BUILDERS FIRSTS (BLDR): Free Stock Analysis Report GIBRALTAR INDUS (ROCK): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""What's in Store for Hibbett Sports' (HIBB) Q4 Earnings? Hibbett Sports, Inc.HIBB is slated to report fourth-quarter fiscal 2016 results on Mar 11. In the last quarter, the company had delivered a positive earnings surprise of 8.8%. Let's see how things are shaping up for this announcement. Factors Influencing This Quarter Hibbett has outperformed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by an average of 5.2% over the past four quarters. The company's earnings in the previous quarter benefited from solid back-to-school sales, improved margins and lower costs, along with continued gains from its merchandise initiatives. This also encouraged management to raise its earnings guidance for fiscal 2016. The company now envisions earnings in the range of $2.87-$2.94 per share, compared with $2.80-$2.90 projected earlier. However, Hibbett's top line came in below expectations in the third quarter due to the significant sales decline in the company's colder weather category items. Further, the company now anticipates comparable store sales growth to be close to flat, compared with flat-to-low single-digit growth expected earlier, thus making us somewhat cautious of the upcoming results. Earnings Whispers Our proven model does not conclusively show that Hibbett is likely to beat earnings this quarter. This is because a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1, 2 or 3 for this to happen. This is not the case here, as you will see below: Zacks ESP: Hibbett has an Earnings ESP of 0.00%. This is because the Most Accurate estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate are both pegged at 76 cents. Zacks Rank: Hibbett carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), which increases the predictive power of ESP. However, the company's ESP of 0.00% makes surprise prediction difficult. We caution against stocks with a Zacks Rank #4 or 5 (Sell-rated stocks) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions. Stocks That Warrant a Look Here are some companies you may want to consider as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements: Zumiez, Inc. ZUMZ has an Earnings ESP of +2.08% and a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). GameStop Corp. GME has an Earnings ESP of +0.44% and a Zacks Rank #3. Fastenal Company FAST has an Earnings ESP of +2.27% and a Zacks Rank #3. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days.Click to get this free report >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report ZUMIEZ INC (ZUMZ): Free Stock Analysis Report GAMESTOP CORP (GME): Free Stock Analysis Report HIBBET SPORTS (HIBB): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Zumiez (ZUMZ) to Post Q4 Earnings: Is Another Beat Likely? We expect the Washington-based retailer of sports-related teen apparel, Zumiez Inc.ZUMZ to beat expectations when it reports fourth-quarter 2015 results on Mar 10. Why a Likely Positive Surprise? Our proven model shows that Zumiez may beat earnings because it has the right combination of two key components. Zacks ESP: Zumiez currently has an Earnings ESP of +2.08%. This is because the Most Accurate estimate stands at 49 cents, while the Zacks Consensus Estimate is pegged at 48 cents. A favorable Zacks ESP serves as a meaningful and leading indicator of a likely positive earnings surprise. Zacks Rank: Zumiez carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Note that stocks with a Zacks Rank #1, 2 or 3 have a significantly higher chance of beating earnings. Conversely, Sell-rated stocks (#4 or 5) should never be considered going into an earnings announcement. The combination of Zumiez's Zacks Rank #2 and Earnings ESP of +2.08% makes us reasonably confident of a positive earnings beat. What is Driving the Better-than-Expected Earnings? Despite the lingering soft comparable-store sales trend, Zumiez has gained some momentum due to its focus on turning its performance around by testing new brands; analyzing every aspect of its business across brands and geographies; reviewing its coordinated marketing and product plans; and revisiting its promotional strategies along with the strategic use of private label. Further, the company remains optimistic about its performance in the European market. Though the company posted soft January sales, it reiterated its previously announced guidance for the fourth quarter, anticipating sales in the range of $237-$239 million, with earnings per share of 45-47 cents. Moreover, Zumiez's focus on investing in global expansion, enhancing omni-channel capacities and its customer-centric approach, bode well. Alongside, shareholder-friendly moves underscore its financial strength. Zumiez has topped the Zacks Consensus Estimate in the trailing four quarters with an average positive surprise of 6.04%, with in line results in three quarters. In the last concluded quarter, the company delivered an earnings beat of 24.14%. Other Stocks to Consider Zumiez is not the only firm looking up this earnings season. The following companies are also likely to beat earnings in the to-be-reported quarter: Amazon.com, Inc. AMZN has an Earnings ESP of +89.83% and a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). GameStop Corp. GME has an Earnings ESP of +0.44% and a Zacks Rank #3. Fastenal Company FAST has an Earnings ESP of +2.27% and a Zacks Rank #3. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days . Click to get this free report >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report AMAZON.COM INC (AMZN): Free Stock Analysis Report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report ZUMIEZ INC (ZUMZ): Free Stock Analysis Report GAMESTOP CORP (GME): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2016-03-08,19.2753,19.5072,18.9712,19.3957,"[""Fastenal started with Buy at Argus"", ""Valuation Dashboard: Industrials - Update"", ""Argus Research Initiates Coverage on Fastenal at Buy, Announces $57.00 PT"", ""Benzinga's Top Initiations"", ""Benzinga's Top Initiations"", ""Argus Research Initiates Coverage on Fastenal at Buy, Announces $57.00 PT"", ""Valuation Dashboard: Industrials - Update"", ""Fastenal started with Buy at Argus"", ""Benzinga's Top Initiations"", ""Argus Research Initiates Coverage on Fastenal at Buy, Announces $57.00 PT"", ""Valuation Dashboard: Industrials - Update"", ""Fastenal started with Buy at Argus""]"
FAST,2016-03-09,19.4943,19.6138,19.3533,19.5713,
FAST,2016-03-10,19.5763,19.6306,19.3137,19.5713,
FAST,2016-03-11,19.6819,19.7224,19.3779,19.5191,"[""The Stocks That Moved The S&P, Dow And Nasdaq Today"", ""The Stocks That Moved The S&P, Dow And Nasdaq Today"", ""Is the Worst Over for Fastenal? Fastenal has felt the pressure from the downward trend in demand from companies associated with the oil and gas industry, as well as the strong U.S. dollar. That said, the company still generates excess free cash flow and has actually grown in-store sales. Earnings and revenue increased 5% and 4%, respectively, year over year in the most recent earnings report. I expect the company to grow free cash flow in the years ahead. Should this thesis play out, it would be just one of the many reasons Fastenal could be a buy right now. Stock prices surged after the company's recent earnings release in January, but shares were still down 11% from the highs in 2014. Let's see if Fastenal is a buy at current levels. FAST data by YCharts . Still a leading business-to-business supplier Fastenal originated in 1967 as a supplier of threaded fasteners -- screws, nuts, and bolts. Today, although the industry is quite fragmented, the company counts itself as one of the leading sellers of business-to-business supplies to end users. The company sells supplies through 2,637 stores in 22 countries and employs more than 18,000 people. Fastenal has four times as many stores as the next largest competitor. What makes the company great is its strategy of placing stores next to its distribution network of 14 centers in North America. The proximity of the stores to the distribution centers allows the local stores to operate at a higher-than-average profitability level versus the competition. Fastenal expects to open another 60 to 75 stores in 2016, a rate consistent with that of years past. Competitive advantages not as troubled as the market indicates Fastenal has many critics who challenge the sustainability of the company's competitive advantages. Many argue that Fastenal's competitors could easily access the same products through other companies. Substitute products are a legitimate concern; however, Fastenal's business model appears to be far superior to the competition's. At 50.37% and 21.42% gross and operating margins, Fastenal generates abnormally high margins in the industry. Any company producing these kinds of margins will invite competition, but the company's well-placed distribution centers give it an advantage and a barrier to entry because of the high capital outlay involved in building such distribution centers. Also, Fastenal is known as having one of the best customer service teams in the industry. The company's broad market coverage and in-house distribution give it a scale advantage over the competition, as Fastenal continues to take share from smaller local players. Above-average industry margins should continue as the company continues to roll out on-site industrial vending machines; as of year-end 2015, it had 55,510 vending machines, a nearly 19% increase over 2014. I believe the company's competitive position is intact for now. The business model should keep potential competitors out for the time being, but investors should keep an eye out for declining margins and revenues. Long runway for growth Fastenal's broad product line at convenient locations has helped the company grow over the years. The bundling of products into a \""one-stop shop\"" has significant advantages to the buyer and seller in the form of cost and pricing. Not only does this type of business model create a \""sticky\"" customer relationship, but it also creates unique customer offerings for specific company projects and demands. The company is positioned well for growth, as management sees the potential for 3,500 stores in North America. The current store count sits around 2,600, leaving plenty of room for growth in North America alone. Is the worst over for Fastenal? Fastenal is a long-term play -- its shares aren't for those looking to make a quick buck. Over the last five years, the company has grown earnings 22% and dividends 23% annually. FAST EPS Diluted (Annual) data by YCharts . While not cheap by historical measures, the stock appears reasonably priced for a company with sustainable competitive advantages that should compound investors' returns over the long term -- providing you can stomach gut-wrenching volatility until the industry rebounds. It appears the worst may be over for Fastenal. A secret billion-dollar stock opportunity The world's biggest tech company forgot to show you something, but a few Wall Street analysts and the Fool didn't miss a beat: There's a small company that's powering their brand-new gadgets and the coming revolution in technology. And we think its stock price has nearly unlimited room to run for early in-the-know investors! To be one of them, just click here . The article Is the Worst Over for Fastenal? originally appeared on Fool.com. Luke Neely has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days . We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy . Copyright \u00a9 1995 - 2016 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy . The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""The Stocks That Moved The S&P, Dow And Nasdaq Today""]"
FAST,2016-03-14,19.5072,19.6099,19.4243,19.5516,"[""Goldman Downgrades Ecolab Citing Expectations Investors Will Revalue Firm In Lieu Of Similar Actions Already Taken In Monsanto, Fastenal, & C.H. Robinson Worldwide"", ""Goldman Downgrades Ecolab Citing Expectations Investors Will Revalue Firm In Lieu Of Similar Actions Already Taken In Monsanto, Fastenal, & C.H. Robinson Worldwide"", ""Goldman Downgrades Ecolab Citing Expectations Investors Will Revalue Firm In Lieu Of Similar Actions Already Taken In Monsanto, Fastenal, & C.H. Robinson Worldwide""]"
FAST,2016-03-15,19.3513,19.6641,18.8192,19.596,"3 Short Squeeze Plays: Fastenal Company (FAST), Deere & Company (DE) and Darden Restaurants, Inc. (DRI) InvestorPlace InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips What a difference a few weeks can make in the stock markets. The S&P 500 is now challenging its 2016 highs as short sellers are adding slowly to their bets against the market. Click to Enlarge This combination means that there are more potential short squeeze opportunities for those of us ready to comb through the data. This time around, our short squeeze models identified 34 S&P 500 companies that are set up for bullish moves based on their charts and recent short interest. This is by far the largest number of companies within the benchmark index that we've seen qualify for this list year-to-date - a reflection of the market's recent strength. A word of caution, though: While this market has helped to raise all boats in the harbor, the market's internals and technical trends continue to suggest that the recent volatility storm is all but over. 5 Great Stocks for the Future of Fintech That said, we've identified three short squeeze candidates that appear ready to outpace the market: Fastenal Company ( FAST ), Deere & Company ( DE ) and Darden Restaurants, Inc. ( DRI ). Short Squeeze Stocks: Fastenal Company (FAST) Low interest rates and continued activity in the real estate market continue to favor housing-related stocks like Fastenal. Year-to-date, Fastenal stock has led the market considerably, returning 15% and maintaining technical dominance. Short interest on Fastenal stock is holding at its highest levels in more than two year as the bears keel trying to call a top in FAST - a costly mistake. The 18.7 short interest ratio is excessive for almost any stock, but especially for one trading with the technical and relative strength that has carried Fastenal against the rest of the market. Wall Street analysts' buy recommendations on Fastenal shares currently weigh in at a paltry 18%, with 80% of the same group sitting in the ""hold"" category. This indicates that the stock is far from representing a ""crowded"" trade, which good news for those holding or buying the shares now. Watch for a break above $47.50 to slingshot Fastenal shares 10% higher to a short-term target of $52.50. Short Squeeze Stocks: Deere & Company (DE) Nothing runs like a Deere, right? While Deere is sliding a bit of late, it's still breaking away from the market as it moves back into intermediate-term bull market territory on recent positive fundamental improvements. Short sellers are betting against a move into bull territory, as the short interest ratio is hovering near two-year highs at a hefty 9.1, meaning that any moves higher will start to squeeze the bears. Analyst recommendations on Deere & Company stock are bearishly biased as only 17% of the analysts covering the stock have it ranked a buy. A move back into bull market territory will likely force some upgrades, helping to drive prices even higher. 6 Cheap Dividend Stocks You Can't Afford to Ignore Watch for a break above $85 to trigger the next short covering rally for Deere & Company, with a target of $100. Short Squeeze Stocks: Darden Restaurants, Inc. (DRI) Darden has made its way to the short squeeze list multiple times over the last two years, each time resulting in great short squeeze results. This month, the casual dining giant makes its way back up the list as short sellers are again increasing their bearish bets. Short interest in that latest report showed an increase of 10% on Darden stock, bring the number shares short on the stock to its highest level since November 2014! The short squeeze that occurred at that time shot DRI from $48 to $63 (31%) in a matter of six months. The current short squeeze scenario looks very similar to the November 2014 signal as the stock is once again breaking through to new highs. Fundamentally, the restructuring of Darden - including the recent spinoff of Four Corners Property Trust Inc ( FCPT ) - is paying off to Darden's business and bottom line. Of course, Wall Street is still sitting on the sidelines, with only 39% of the analysts tracking DRI rating it a buy. The strong technical breakout to new highs will shake some upgrades out of Wall Street, helping to fuel the short covering rally that is likely to drive Darden stock to the $80 level. As of this writing, Johnson Research Group did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities. More From InvestorPlace 3 Retail Stocks to Buy and Hold for 2016 … And BeyondWill Target (TGT) Get a Boost From the Internet?GoPro Inc (GPRO) Stock: Bears Cut Loose; Is It Time to Buy? The post 3 Short Squeeze Plays: Fastenal Company (FAST), Deere & Company (DE) and Darden Restaurants, Inc. (DRI) appeared first on InvestorPlace . The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2016-03-16,19.4135,19.7836,19.2447,19.749,
FAST,2016-03-17,19.7589,20.4893,19.7194,20.3827,"[""Stifel Nicolaus Maintains Buy on Fastenal, Raises PT to $51.00"", ""Option Alert: FAST Apr16 49.0 Puts Sweep: 1276 @ ASK $2.15: 1286 traded vs 17 OI: Earnings 4/12 $48.35 Ref"", ""Option Alert: FAST Apr16 49.0 Puts Sweep: 1276 @ ASK $2.15: 1286 traded vs 17 OI: Earnings 4/12 $48.35 Ref"", ""Stifel Nicolaus Maintains Buy on Fastenal, Raises PT to $51.00"", ""This Sector Is Already Up 16% in 2016 It's been a difficult first quarter for the industrial sector, with China's growth slowing, talk of an industrial recession in the U.S., and the European Central Bank cutting interest rates to stimulateEurope 's economy. Yet somehow, industrial supply companies . , , and are up an average 16% in 2016. What's going on, and can it continue? KMT data by YCharts . Industrial conditions worsening There is little doubt that conditions grew worse during the fourth quarter, and most companies have been cautious with their guidance in their most recent reports -- not usually a good sign. For example, Kennametal Inc. , a major product supplier to MSC Industrial and Fastenal, referred to a U.S. industrial recession on the company'searnings callin February, when CFO Jan Kees Van Gaalen outlined a cut in full-year guidance (Kennametal's fiscal year ends in July): Regular Fool readers already know how conditions remained soft at MSC Industrial in the fourth quarter, and that Wesco International saw deterioration in core sales growth in all of its key end markets. Meanwhile Fastenal's fastener sales -- around 40% of its total business and the key to its industrial business -- declined 6.2% in the fourth quarter. However, markets tend to anticipate economic conditions, and the appreciation of the industrial supply sector -- usually seen as highly cyclical -- is an indication the market is pricing in some sort of recovery in the second half. But is there any evidence for this? I have three pieces of evidence: U.S. macroeconomic data suggests a bottoming process is forming. The widely followed Institute for Supply Management (ISM) data has been a bit more positive lately. Monthly sales trends and anecdotal evidence from the industrial supply companies suggest a recovery in the second half. A look at U.S. industrial and manufacturing production suggests, albeit tenuously, that a trough was formed in December. Recall that the company results discussed above encompassed this period, so relatively better conditions could show up in future earnings figures. Hard macroeconomic data is also backed up by the ISM survey data. As you can see below, manufacturing has picked up a bit in 2016 (index readings above 50 indicate expansion) and the non-manufacturing index remains in positive territory. ISM Purchasing Managers Index data by YCharts . Sales trends and company commentary Wesco International CEO John Engel outlined how its request-for-proposal activity level grew successively each quarter in 2015. In this case, RFPs are solicitations for industrial supply companies to submit business proposals. Meanwhile, on MSC Industrial'searnings call CFO Rustom Jilla suggested that average daily sales would be down 4% in January and February -- not fantastic, but better than the 5.9% decline reported in November. Fastenal always gives great monthly data. Here is a chart of daily sales growth for its stores open more than five years (it's better to use mature stores to analyze sales data). A look at Grainger's daily sales growth in U.S. stores reveals very similar sales trends. Where next for the industrial supply companies? There is no guarantee that the tentative trends outlined above will continue in 2015, so it's probably too early to get out the bunting. On the other hand, it looks like the U.S. could be over the worst of the industrial slowdown. Moreover, the industrial supply companies will have weaker numbers to compare with going into the second half of 2016. For investors looking to play this theme and jump in ahead of the next move upward in a sector, it's probably a good idea to focus on broader industrial stocks with a heavy U.S. focus. The industrial supply companies are always early in the cycle, and their stock price movements and sales trends could be signalling a better second half for the industrial sector. A secret billion-dollar stock opportunity The world's biggest tech company forgot to show you something, but a few Wall Street analysts and the Fool didn't miss a beat: There's a small company that's powering their brand-new gadgets and the coming revolution in technology. And we think its stock price has nearly unlimited room to run for early in-the-know investors! To be one of them, just click here . The article This Sector Is Already Up 16% in 2016 originally appeared on Fool.com. Lee Samaha has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends MSC Industrial Direct. The Motley Fool recommends Wesco International. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days . We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy . Copyright \u00a9 1995 - 2016 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy . The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Option Alert: FAST Apr16 49.0 Puts Sweep: 1276 @ ASK $2.15: 1286 traded vs 17 OI: Earnings 4/12 $48.35 Ref"", ""Stifel Nicolaus Maintains Buy on Fastenal, Raises PT to $51.00""]"
FAST,2016-03-18,20.4794,20.4932,20.209,20.434,
FAST,2016-03-21,20.4242,20.8239,20.3422,20.7736,"[""Avondale Partners Maintains Market Perform on Fastenal, Raises PT to $49.00"", ""UPDATE: Avondale Partners Remains Concerned With Transportation Inventories And A Plateauing Auto-Cycle"", ""UPDATE: Avondale Partners Remains Concerned With Transportation Inventories And A Plateauing Auto-Cycle"", ""Avondale Partners Maintains Market Perform on Fastenal, Raises PT to $49.00"", ""UPDATE: Avondale Partners Remains Concerned With Transportation Inventories And A Plateauing Auto-Cycle"", ""Avondale Partners Maintains Market Perform on Fastenal, Raises PT to $49.00""]"
FAST,2016-03-22,20.6176,20.7647,20.3334,20.3788,"[""Sterne Agee CRT Initiates Coverage on Fastenal at Neutral"", ""Sterne Agee CRT Initiates Coverage On Distribution Group Amid 'Extremely Low' Expectations"", ""Sterne Agee CRT Initiates Coverage On Distribution Group Amid 'Extremely Low' Expectations"", ""Sterne Agee CRT Initiates Coverage on Fastenal at Neutral"", ""Should You Dump Lumber Liquidators Post Dismal Earnings? Are you still holding shares of home furnishing retailer, Lumber Liquidators Holdings, Inc.LL and waiting for a miracle to take the stock higher in 2016? If yes, then you might lose more money as chances are very slim that the stock, which lost its value by nearly 57% in the past one year, will take a U-turn in the near term. Usually investors want their portfolio to have stocks with a solid track record of earnings beat, surging share price and a favorable recommendation. Let's delve deeper and find out why Lumber Liquidators is no more a favorite pick for investors. Recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (\""CDC\"") announced that the risk of cancer from the company's flooring products is much higher than reported earlier. The study found a high level of formaldehyde, a well-known carcinogen, in the company's flooring products. Per CDC, exposure to the company's laminate flooring may cause cancer in 6 to 30 people per 100,000, up from the previous estimate of 2 to 9 persons per 100,000. The use of Chinese laminate flooring may increase respiratory problems for people suffering from asthma and lung disease. Even healthy people may face problems such as eye, nose and throat irritation. Lumber Liquidators has been in troubled waters since a report aired on \""60 Minutes\"" on Mar 1, 2015, accused it of selling Chinese flooring laminates containing formaldehyde levels that far exceed California's standards. These legal troubles have left a serious dent in Lumber Liquidators' bottom and top lines. The company's bottom line has lagged the Zacks Consensus Estimate in the trailing six quarters, with an average earnings miss of a whopping 432.4%. The company has also not performed well on the revenue front, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate in six out of the trailing seven quarters. Following dismal earnings, analysts trimmed the company's earnings estimates. In the past 30 days, the company's loss estimate for 2016 has widened to 56 cents from a loss of 24 cents. On the other hand, over the same time frame, the company's loss estimate for the first quarter of 2016 has moved up to a loss of 29 cents from a loss of 16 cents. Take a Look at Other Stocks Lumber Liquidators, which shares space with Lowe's Companies, Inc. LOW , has a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). Why buy a company that is bogged down by lawsuits and mending its reputation when there are plenty of other companies not dealing with such issues, and with rising earnings estimates? If you want to own a company in the same space, consider Fastenal Company FAST and Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. BECN . Both these stocks hold a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days . Click to get this free report >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report LOWES COS (LOW): Free Stock Analysis Report BEACON ROOFING (BECN): Free Stock Analysis Report LUMBER LIQUIDAT (LL): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Sterne Agee CRT Initiates Coverage On Distribution Group Amid 'Extremely Low' Expectations"", ""Sterne Agee CRT Initiates Coverage on Fastenal at Neutral""]"
FAST,2016-03-23,20.4014,20.4429,20.2613,20.3373,
FAST,2016-03-24,20.281,20.4468,20.1724,20.3669,
FAST,2016-03-28,20.434,20.434,20.126,20.2002,
FAST,2016-03-29,20.0886,20.4281,20.0185,20.4192,
FAST,2016-03-30,20.516,20.5278,20.3008,20.3788,"[""5 Of My Long-Term Holdings"", ""5 Of My Long-Term Holdings"", ""5 Of My Long-Term Holdings""]"
FAST,2016-03-31,20.4104,20.4429,20.289,20.4104,"[""Why Restoration Hardware Rallied Despite Q4 Earnings Miss Restoration Hardware Holdings, Inc.RH posted a negative earnings surprise in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2015 after reporting earnings beat for seven consecutive quarters. Adjusted earnings per share in the fourth quarter were 98 cents, well below the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.39. The figure also declined 3.9% year over year. GAAP earnings in the reported quarter came in at 79 cents per share compared with $1.02 earned in the prior-year quarter. The company's fourth-quarter results were negatively impacted by shipment delays. Recently, the company launched two businesses - RH Modern and RH Teen. While the RH Modern division is focused on manufacturing luxury furniture with a modern twist, RH Teen engages in the making of superior quality furniture, linens, lightning and decor for teens. The initial response to RH Modern has been exceptional, however, only a few vendors are facing problems related to trial of this new product. This in turn is causing delay in shipments and is also hampering the quarterly results. However, analysts are optimistic about the company's prospects in this business line as they believe that the problem is temporary and will be resolved soon. The recent 4% rally in the company's stock price reinforces analyst confidence on the stock. Apart from launching the new businesses, the company has adopted various initiatives like product category expansion, stores transformation and multi-channel platform, and infrastructure enhancement to drive growth. Quarter in Detail Though revenues increased 11.1% to $647.2 million, the figure lagged the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $712 million, marking the third miss in the last seven quarters. Apart from delayed shipping, the revenue miss can also be attributed to currency fluctuation. Restoration Hardware's comparable brand revenues, including direct revenues, went up 9% year over year compared with 24% in the prior-year quarter. Further, the company's direct and store revenues came in at $328.4 million and $318.8 million, advancing 8% and 15% year over year, respectively. Meanwhile, adjusted operating income increased 0.5% to $74.2 million from the year-ago quarter while adjusted operating margin contracted 120 basis points to 11.5%. Store Update At the end of fourth-quarter 2015, Restoration Hardware operated 69 retail outlets, including 53 legacy galleries, 6 large format galleries, 4 next generation design galleries, 1 RH Modern Gallery and 5 Baby & Child galleries. The company also has 17 outlets across the U.S. and Canada. Balance Sheet Restoration Hardware, which shares space with Williams-Sonoma Inc. WSM , ended the quarter with cash and cash equivalents of $349.9 million, merchandise inventories of $725.4 million, convertible senior notes (net) worth $298.3 million due in 2019 and $221.5 million due in 2020, and total shareholders' equity of $886.2 million. Outlook To resolve production delays at RH Modern, the company plans to invest this year which will impact the company's fiscal 2016 financial numbers. This will reduce the company's revenue by nearly $15 million and adjusted EPS by 22 cents in fiscal 2016. For fiscal 2016, management projects net revenue growth in the range of low to mid-single digit. The company expects adjusted EPS to be nearly flat to marginally down year over year. Capital expenditures are projected in the range of $175 million to $200 million. For the first quarter of fiscal 2016, the company expects net revenues in the range of $452 million to $456 million compared with $422 million reported in the prior fiscal. Adjusted earnings per share are likely to be between 4 cents and 6 cents compared with 23 cents reported in the first quarter of fiscal 2015. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the first quarter is currently pegged at 18 cents per share, which could witness a sharp downward revision in the coming days. Zacks Rank & Stocks to Consider Restoration Hardware currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Better-ranked stocks in the retail sector include Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. BECN and Fastenal Company FAST . Both the stocks hold a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days . Click to get this free report >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report BEACON ROOFING (BECN): Free Stock Analysis Report WILLIAMS-SONOMA (WSM): Free Stock Analysis Report RESTORATION HDW (RH): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Investors should avoid these momentum stocks \u2018at any price\u2019 \u2018High momentum stocks may be at further risk in early April\u2019: J.P. Morgan So far this year, with the exception of Facebook, momentum stocks are failing to live up to expectations, prompting a J.P. Morgan strategist on Thursday to recommend that investors avoid them at \u201cany price.\u201d""]"
FAST,2016-04-01,20.1162,20.3926,19.8112,20.3788,"[""Stifel Nicolaus Downgrades Fastenal to Hold"", ""Benzinga's Top Downgrades"", ""Benzinga's Top Downgrades"", ""Stifel Nicolaus Downgrades Fastenal to Hold"", ""Benzinga's Top Downgrades"", ""Stifel Nicolaus Downgrades Fastenal to Hold""]"
FAST,2016-04-04,20.3067,20.3146,19.6987,19.7313,"[""The Vetr community has upgraded $FAST to 4.5-Stars."", ""The Stocks That Moved The S&P, Dow And Nasdaq Today"", ""The Stocks That Moved The S&P, Dow And Nasdaq Today"", ""The Vetr community has upgraded $FAST to 4.5-Stars."", ""3 Boring Stocks That Are Great Buys in April Following a weak start to the year, markets have posted strong returns last month. Gains have come on the back of two major factors, a decline in rate hike fears and resurgence in oil prices . Stocks gained again on the first trading day of the month, raising hopes of better times ahead. However, concerns continue to linger just beneath the surface, even though they are being ignored at this point in time. This is why it is necessary to pick stocks from stolid, safe sectors which may look boring but provide resilience if volatility recurs. Strong March Performance An increase in oil prices was one of the major reasons for last month's remarkable performance. Rising possibilities of a production freeze, a weaker-than-expected rise in crude inventories and a decline in the oil rig count played major roles in boosting oil prices. Meanwhile, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) decided to keep interest rates flat at between 0.25% and 0.50% and its new forecast reduced the number of rate hikes likely this year from four to two. Data on job additions and GDP also remained promising. Oil, Economic Worries Persist However, familiar concerns continue to persist beneath the surface. The FOMC also mentioned last month that \""global and financial developments continue to pose risks,\"" which was one of the primary reasons why it did not hike rates. Additionally, the committee reduced its forecast for economic growth and offered an inflation rate outlook for this year which was weaker than that expected earlier. Meanwhile, the future of an agreement on a possible oil production freeze among major producers continues to remain tenuous. WTI and Brent Crude have lost 7% and 3% last week. Meanwhile, an important member of Saudi Arabia's oil family said last Friday that it will freeze production only if other large producers, including Iran also do so. Additionally, dismal manufacturing data emerged from Japan. U.S. economic data continued to remain mixed in nature. While employment and manufacturing reports showed gains, construction spending and auto sales data were disappointing. Essential Building Blocks One way of guarding against a market reversal is to invest in stolid yet dependable industries. Boring at first glance, these companies deliver steady, even impressive returns. Of course, corporate history is littered with the likes of Sears Holdings Corporation SHLD and Xerox Corporation XRX which no longer dominate the mindscape of investors. Old world advertising has fallen by the way side as Alphabet Inc. GOOGL and its ilk has taken control through the power of digital advertising. Innovation has reduced the importance of these names significantly. However, some businesses are insulated against innovation to a great degree or can resist it for significant periods of time. This includes such names as Fastenal Company FAST and Balchem Corp. BCPC , the first of which is in the business of nuts and bolts. Meanwhile, the second sells products which provide nutrition to livestock. They continue to perform appreciably well and have literally stood the test of time. Our Choices Despite strong market performance in recent times, it may still be necessary to insulate your portfolio against possible volatility. One of the ways of doing this is investing in so called boring stocks which have provided significant returns over long periods. At the same time, it is important to select companies which can provide significant returns over the short term as well. We have narrowed down our search based on a good Zacks Rank and other relevant metrics. Tyson Foods, Inc.TSN produces, distributes and markets chicken, beef, pork, prepared foods and allied products. Tyson Foods has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and projected growth for the current year is 25.3%. Its earnings estimate for the current year has improved by 9.3% over the last 30 days. The Clorox CompanyCLX is engaged in the production, marketing and sale of consumer products in the U.S. and international markets. Clorox has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and projected growth for the current year is 7.4%. Its earnings estimate for the current year has improved by 1.2% over the last 30 days. Kellogg CompanyK manufactures and markets ready-to-eat cereals and convenience foods (including cookies, crackers, toaster pastries, cereal bars, fruit-flavored snacks, frozen waffles and veggie foods), and savory snacks. Kellogg has a Zacks Rank #2 and projected growth for the current year is 4.5%. Its earnings estimate for the current year has improved by 0.4% over the last 30 days. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days.Click to get this free report >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report TYSON FOODS A (TSN): Free Stock Analysis Report KELLOGG CO (K): Free Stock Analysis Report XEROX CORP (XRX): Free Stock Analysis Report CLOROX CO (CLX): Free Stock Analysis Report ALPHABET INC-A (GOOGL): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Nasdaq 100 Movers: FB, TSLA In early trading on Monday, shares of Tesla Motors ( TSLA ) topped the list of the day's best performing components of the Nasdaq 100 index, trading up 3.2%. Year to date, Tesla Motors registers a 2.1% gain. And the worst performing Nasdaq 100 component thus far on the day is Facebook ( FB ), trading down 2.4%. Facebook is showing a gain of 8.3% looking at the year to date performance. Two other components making moves today are Fastenal ( FAST ), trading down 1.7%, and Yahoo! ( YHOO ), trading up 2.8% on the day. VIDEO: Nasdaq 100 Movers: FB, TSLA The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""First Trust Materials AlphaDEX Fund -- Insider Buying Index Registering 10.5% A look at the weighted underlying holdings of the First Trust Materials AlphaDEX Fund (Symbol: FXZ) shows an impressive 10.5% of holdings on a weighted basis have experienced insider buying within the past six months. Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST), which makes up 1.43% of the First Trust Materials AlphaDEX Fund (Symbol: FXZ), has seen 2 directors and officers purchase shares in the past six months, according to the recent Form 4 data. The ETF holds a total of $1,261,886 worth of FAST, making it the #32 largest holding. The table below details the recent insider buying activity observed at FAST: FAST - last trade: $48.93 - Recent Insider Buys: And Southern Copper Corp (Symbol: SCCO), the #35 largest holding among components of the First Trust Materials AlphaDEX Fund (Symbol: FXZ), shows 2 directors and officers as recently filing Form 4's indicating purchases. The ETF holds $1,104,830 worth of SCCO, which represents approximately 1.25% of the ETF's total assets at last check. The recent insider buying activity observed at SCCO is detailed in the table below: SCCO - last trade: $27.56 - Recent Insider Buys: 10 ETFs With Stocks That Insiders Are Buying \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Beacon Roofing Acquires Lyf-Tym: Why is it a Strategic Buy? Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc.BECN has acquired Charlotte, NC-based distributor of siding, windows, gutters, vinyl railings and related products, Lyf-Tym Building Products. With this buyout, Beacon will further solidify its presence in the Carolinas and Southern Virginia where there is strong demand for complementary products, while better serving its customers with broader product offerings. Founded in 1966, Lyf-Tym currenly operates six branches, with two locations in Charlotte and branches in Hickory, Monroe, and Greensboro, NC as well as Roanoke, VA. Lyf-Tym also fabricates gutters and aluminum-reinforced vinyl railings systems from its fabrication facility in Charlotte, NC. The acquisition will be a strategic fit for Beacon Roofing. Lyf-Tym is known as a high quality supplier of siding, windows, gutters and railings that will complement Beacon Roofing's existing business in the Carolinas and Southern Virginia. The company will thus be able to capitalize on the solid demand for complementary products in these regions. Beacon Roofing has expanded its business through strategic acquisitions and diversification of its product offering. Last October, Beacon Roofing acquired Roofing Supply Group for approximately $1.1 billion. The buyout will help the company to expand its geographic footprint as well as provide better product diversification and customer service. Moreover, the RSG acquisition will improve the company's earnings per share with a minimum accretion of 30 cents in fiscal 2016. Again, in Dec 2015, Beacon Roofing acquired three companies, RCI Roofing Supply of Omaha, Roofing and Insulation Supply of Dallas, and Statewide Wholesale of Denver. These acquisitions will provide the company with additional geographic and product density. Beacon Roofing also continues to focus on organic greenfield growth. It opened 6 new Beacon branches in 2015, 26 new branches in 2014, and 10 new branches in 2013. These 42 new branch locations in the past three years have allowed the company to strategically penetrate deeper into many of its existing markets as well as enter new markets. The greenfields are located in markets that have strong dynamics, making it easier for the company to establish its presence and gain local market share. Further, Beacon Roofing's record first quarter has set a strong pace for fiscal 2016. For the balance of the year, the company will retain its focus on sales growth, gross margin stability and improving operating leverage. The company will also benefit from increase in roofing and re-roofing demand. Beacon Roofing currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Other Picks from the Sector Other favourably ranked stocks in the sector include Headwaters Inc. HW , Gibraltar Industries, Inc. ROCK and Fastenal Company FAST . While Headwaters sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), both Gibraltar Industries and Fastenal carry a Zacks Rank #2. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days.Click to get this free report >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report HEADWATERS INC (HW): Free Stock Analysis Report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report BEACON ROOFING (BECN): Free Stock Analysis Report GIBRALTAR INDUS (ROCK): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""The Stocks That Moved The S&P, Dow And Nasdaq Today"", ""The Vetr community has upgraded $FAST to 4.5-Stars.""]"
FAST,2016-04-05,20.2968,20.2968,19.5111,19.7352,"[""BMO Capital Initiates Coverage on Fastenal at Market Perform, Announces $50.00 PT"", ""Benzinga's Top Initiations"", ""Benzinga's Top Initiations"", ""BMO Capital Initiates Coverage on Fastenal at Market Perform, Announces $50.00 PT"", ""The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: Alphabet, Fastenal, Tyson Foods, Clorox and Kellogg For Immediate Release Chicago, IL - April 05, 2016 - Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include Alphabet Inc. ( GOOGL ), Fastenal Company ( FAST ), Tyson Foods, Inc. ( TSN ), The Clorox Company ( CLX ) and Kellogg Company ( K ). Today, Zacks is promoting its ''Buy'' stock recommendations. Get #1Stock of the Day pick for free . Here are highlights from Monday's Analyst Blog: 3 Boring Stocks That Are Great Buys for April Following a weak start to the year, markets have posted strong returns last month. Gains have come on the back of two major factors, a decline in rate hike fears and resurgence in oil prices . Stocks gained again on the first trading day of the month, raising hopes of better times ahead. However, concerns continue to linger just beneath the surface, even though they are being ignored at this point in time. This is why it is necessary to pick stocks from stolid, safe sectors which may look boring but provide resilience if volatility recurs. Strong March Performance An increase in oil prices was one of the major reasons for last month's remarkable performance. Rising possibilities of a production freeze, a weaker-than-expected rise in crude inventories and a decline in the oil rig count played major roles in boosting oil prices. Meanwhile, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) decided to keep interest rates flat at between 0.25% and 0.50% and its new forecast reduced the number of rate hikes likely this year from four to two. Data on job additions and GDP also remained promising. Oil, Economic Worries Persist However, familiar concerns continue to persist beneath the surface. The FOMC also mentioned last month that \""global and financial developments continue to pose risks,\"" which was one of the primary reasons why it did not hike rates. Additionally, the committee reduced its forecast for economic growth and offered an inflation rate outlook for this year which was weaker than that expected earlier. Meanwhile, the future of an agreement on a possible oil production freeze among major producers continues to remain tenuous. WTI and Brent Crude have lost 7% and 3% last week. Meanwhile, an important member of Saudi Arabia's oil family said last Friday that it will freeze production only if other large producers, including Iran also do so. Additionally, dismal manufacturing data emerged from Japan. U.S. economic data continued to remain mixed in nature. While employment and manufacturing reports showed gains, construction spending and auto sales data were disappointing. Essential Building Blocks One way of guarding against a market reversal is to invest in stolid yet dependable industries. Boring at first glance, these companies deliver steady, even impressive returns. Of course, corporate history is littered with companies which no longer dominate the mindscape of investors. Old world advertising has fallen by the way side as Alphabet Inc. ( GOOGL ) and its ilk has taken control through the power of digital advertising. Innovation has reduced the importance of these names significantly. However, some businesses are insulated against innovation to a great degree or can resist it for significant periods of time. This includes such names as Fastenal Company ( FAST ) and Balchem Corp., the first of which is in the business of nuts and bolts. Meanwhile, the second sells products which provide nutrition to livestock. They continue to perform appreciably well and have literally stood the test of time. Our Choices Despite strong market performance in recent times, it may still be necessary to insulate your portfolio against possible volatility. One of the ways of doing this is investing in so called boring stocks which have provided significant returns over long periods. At the same time, it is important to select companies which can provide significant returns over the short term as well. We have narrowed down our search based on a good Zacks Rank and other relevant metrics. Tyson Foods, Inc. ( TSN ) produces, distributes and markets chicken, beef, pork, prepared foods and allied products. Tyson Foods has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and projected growth for the current year is 25.3%. Its earnings estimate for the current year has improved by 9.3% over the last 30 days. The Clorox Company ( CLX ) is engaged in the production, marketing and sale of consumer products in the U.S. and international markets. Clorox has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and projected growth for the current year is 7.4%. Its earnings estimate for the current year has improved by 1.2% over the last 30 days. Kellogg Company ( K ) manufactures and markets ready-to-eat cereals and convenience foods (including cookies, crackers, toaster pastries, cereal bars, fruit-flavored snacks, frozen waffles and veggie foods), and savory snacks. Kellogg has a Zacks Rank #2 and projected growth for the current year is 4.5%. Its earnings estimate for the current year has improved by 0.4% over the last 30 days. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days.Click to get this free report >> About Zacks Equity Research Zacks Equity Research provides the best of quantitative and qualitative analysis to help investors know what stocks to buy and which to sell for the long-term. Continuous coverage is provided for a universe of 1,150 publicly traded stocks. Our analysts are organized by industry which gives them keen insights to developments that affect company profits and stock performance. Recommendations and target prices are six-month time horizons. Zacks \""Profit from the Pros\"" e-mail newsletter provides highlights of the latest analysis from Zacks Equity Research. Subscribe to this free newsletter today . Find out What is happening in the stock market today on zacks.com. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report ALPHABET INC-A (GOOGL): Free Stock Analysis Report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report TYSON FOODS A (TSN): Free Stock Analysis Report CLOROX CO (CLX): Free Stock Analysis Report KELLOGG CO (K): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Benzinga's Top Initiations"", ""BMO Capital Initiates Coverage on Fastenal at Market Perform, Announces $50.00 PT""]"
FAST,2016-04-06,19.7076,19.9918,19.2141,19.6237,"Lumber Liquidators Holdings (LL) in Focus: Stock Up 10.8% Lumber Liquidators Holdings, Inc.LL was a big mover last session, as the company saw its shares rise almost 11% on the day. The upside came after the company won a lawsuit alleging its negligence in informing consumers about the presence of formaldehyde in some of the products. This led to more shares changing hands than in a normal session. This breaks the recent trend of the company, as the stock is now trading above the volatile price range of $11.07 to $13.94 in the past one-month time frame. The company has seen no estimate revision over the past 30 days, while the Zacks Consensus Estimate remained unchanged. The recent price action is encouraging though, so make sure to keep a close watch on this firm in the near future. Lumber Liquidators currently has a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) while its Earnings ESP is 0.00%. A better-ranked stock in the same space is Fastenal Company FAST with a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Is LL going up? Or down? Predict to see what others think: Up or Down Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days.Click to get this free report >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report LUMBER LIQUIDAT (LL): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2016-04-07,19.5832,19.7273,19.3265,19.4589,"[""Avondale Partners Maintains Market Perform on Fastenal, Raises PT to $51.00"", ""Avondale Partners Maintains Market Perform on Fastenal, Raises PT to $51.00"", ""MSC Industrial Direct Earnings: Something for Both Bulls and Bears 's second-quarter results were a mix of positives and negatives, and there is something in them for glass-half-full and -empty proponents. Its end markets aren't improving, but they aren't getting much worse. The company continues to execute well and maintain gross margin, but sales growth is disappointing. It was truly a mixed quarter, so let's take a closer look at the details and what to expect going forward. MSC Industrial's second quarter: The raw numbers In common with fellow industrial supply companies, and have been flying high in 2016. It's a sign that the market is anticipating a bottoming process in U.S. industrial conditions. However, the evidence from MSC Industrial's second quarter is tantalizingly vague. Th e headline numbers: As you can see above, revenue c ame in below the midpoint of guidance -- a sign that end-market conditions were weaker than expected -- but the company executed well with gross margin at the high end of expectations and operating expenses below guidance. In addition, management claims that MSC Industrial is gaining market share -- a key objective as part of its expansion strategy. In one sense, a depressed marketplace throws up opportunities for the large players such as MSC, Fastenal, and Grainger to grab share in what is a highly fragmented market. Into the details A look at average daily sales growth by month shows how the improvement seen in December failed to carry through into MSC Industrial's second quarter. This is somewhat disappointing given that Fastenal and Grainger had both reported relative improvement in early 2016. Moreover, the company's core manufacturing sales (68% of revenue in the quarter) saw growth weaken in the quarter. In contrast, non-manufacturing sales growth was stronger on a sequential basis. PRESENTATIONS. On a more positive note, management's guidance indicates that conditions are likely to get better. A brief summary of company expectations for the third quarter: Guidance for sales of $729 million to $741 million. Average daily sales declining 3% in the quarter, representing a relative improvement compared to recent months. Gross margin expected to remain stable at 45% plus or minus 0.2%. EPS expected to be $0.98 to $1.02. Also, commentary on the earnings call suggested overall conditions were stabilizing. CEO Erik Gershwind said, \""W e just completed a survey of our customers and the prevailing sentiment is that business will at least stay the same and possibly improve in the months ahead,\"" and he then described how \""we historically see roughly a four-month lag between movements in sentiment indices and our growth rates.\"" In other words, the current numbers may not look good, but conditions appear to be stabilizing and could improve in a few months' time. It won't be plain sailing However, any improvement is unlikely to be linear or even consistent. As you can see in the average daily sales chart (second chart above), sales are erratic and sensitive. On the earnings call, CFO Rustom Jilla described how March started strongly but then descended into \""mid-month softness\"" led by weakness in oil and gas and heavy equipment and machinery, the usual culprits. More surprising was the \"" weakness in aerospace driven by a push out in orders of commercial aircraft and in government, the timing of quarter-end budget crunches.\"" It's a salutary reminder of how uneven and bumpy the recovery since 2010 has been. Assuming that, end demand will grow in an orderly fashion. Looking ahead In the third quarter, investors will be looking to see if the relatively better industrial data translates into some improvement -- or at least stabilization -- in MSC Industrial's sales growth. Meanwhile, management needs to carry on executing and increasing productivity while grabbing market share. In the end, these actions will prepare the company for substantive margin expansion, if and when sales start growing again. All told, MSC Industrial is executing well, and there are signs of improvement to come, but it hasn't shown up in the results just yet. The stupid-simple way to score a 22% dividend There's nothing better than cold, hard cash. That's why the savviest investors are using five simple dividend \""tricks\"" to unlock the mountains of cash stocks are delivering to investors on a silver platter. to learn how you could score your cut of the profits too! The article MSC Industrial Direct Earnings: Something for Both Bulls and Bears originally appeared on Fool.com. Lee Samaha has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends MSC Industrial Direct. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days . We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy . Copyright \u00a9 1995 - 2016 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy . The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Avondale Partners Maintains Market Perform on Fastenal, Raises PT to $51.00""]"
FAST,2016-04-08,19.6631,19.8349,19.5803,19.6306,"What Awaits Fastenal Company (FAST) in Q1 Earnings? Fastenal CompanyFAST is set to report first-quarter 2016 results on Apr 12, before the market opens. Last quarter, Fastenal delivered a negative surprise of 2.50%. Let's see how things are shaping up for this announcement. Factors to Consider this Quarter Fastenal reported disappointing sales and profits in the fourth quarter of 2015. Revenues were hurt by lower sales to customers in the oil & gas industry, a stronger U.S. dollar, softness in the Canadian business and overall weakness in the industrial economy. We do not expect any significant improvement in sales in the to-be reported quarter as well. Sales of Industrial fasteners have been declining since the past few quarters due to lower demand from the heavy machinery manufacturing customer base, mainly from those engaged in the oil & gas business, which resulted from lower production requirements. Since the volatility in the oil & gas business continues, industrial fasteners sales are unlikely to improve in the soon-to-be reported quarter. Lack of price inflation, an unfavorable product mix, and pricing and competitive pressures are hurting gross margins. The product mix has shifted from high-margin fastener products to lower margin non-fastener products. The customer mix has shifted toward the large-account end-market, which produces low-margin gross profit but stronger operating income. In fact, the company expects these trends to continue. Nonetheless, vending trends improved in 2015 as efforts to improve the quality of signings/installs paid off. This trend is expected to benefit results in the to-be reported quarter. Management's cost control initiatives are also impressive and should support the bottom line. Earnings Whispers Our proven model does not conclusively show that Fastenal is likely to beat earnings this quarter. This is because a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), #2 (Buy) or #3 (Hold) for this to happen. Unfortunately, that is not the case here, as you will see below. Zacks ESP: The Earnings ESP is 0.00% as both the Most Accurate estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate stand at 44 cents. Zacks Rank: Fastenal's Zacks Rank #2 increases the predictive power of ESP. However, we need to have a positive ESP to be confident about an earnings surprise. However, we caution against stocks with Zacks Rank #4 and #5 (Sell-rated stocks) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions momentum. Stocks to Consider Here are some companies in the construction sector, that, according to our model, have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter: CEMEX, S.A.B. de C.V. CX , with an Earnings ESP of +66.67% and a Zacks Rank #1. Headwaters Incorporated HW , with an Earnings ESP of +11.11% and a Zacks Rank #1. Trex Co. Inc. TREX with an Earnings ESP of +1.54% and a Zacks Rank #2. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report TREX COMPANY (TREX): Free Stock Analysis Report HEADWATERS INC (HW): Free Stock Analysis Report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report CEMEX SA ADR (CX): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2016-04-11,19.7076,19.8329,19.4943,19.5516,"[""As Alcoa Kicks Off March Quarter Earnings, We See More Reasons To Be Cautious"", ""Materials ETFs Pop As Investors Gird For 'Steep Decline' In Earnings"", ""Fastenal declares $0.30 dividend"", ""Notable earnings before Tuesday's open"", ""Option Alert: FAST Apr16 48.0 Calls: 1000 @ ASK $0.85: 2739 traded vs 508 OI: Earnings tmrrw Before Open $46.95 Ref"", ""Option Alert: FAST Apr16 48.0 Calls: 1000 @ ASK $0.85: 2739 traded vs 508 OI: Earnings tmrrw Before Open $46.95 Ref"", ""Notable earnings before Tuesday's open"", ""Fastenal declares $0.30 dividend"", ""Materials ETFs Pop As Investors Gird For 'Steep Decline' In Earnings"", ""As Alcoa Kicks Off March Quarter Earnings, We See More Reasons To Be Cautious"", ""Alcoa, CSX, Fastenal, J.P. Morgan and Delta Airlines are part of Zacks Earnings Preview: For Immediate Release Chicago, IL - April 11, 2016 - Zacks.com releases the list of companies likely to issue earnings surprises. This week's list includes Alcoa ( AA ), CSX Corp ( CSX ), Fastenal ( FAST ), J.P. Morgan ( JPM ) and Delta Airlines ( DAL ) . To see more earnings analysis, visit http://at.zacks.com/?id=3207 . Every day, Zacks.com makes their Bull Stock of the Day available, free of charge. To see it, click here . Q1 Earnings Season Takes the Spotlight Alcoa ( AA ) may no longer be as relevant to the U.S. economy and the stock market as it may have been at some stage in its long life. But the company's name gets plenty of sunshine from the widely-held belief that its earnings report kick-stars each quarterly reporting cycle. Many in the market even see the company's earnings report as a leading indicator of what to expect from the rest of corporate America. But that is most likely overstating the company's bellwether status, notwithstanding aluminum's significance to the automotive, aircraft manufacturing and construction end markets. The bottom line is that the relevance of Alcoa's results and outlook is fairly limited; it doesn't tell us much beyond what may be useful for the broader industrial metals space. Results the day after Alcoa's report from railroad operator CSX Corp ( CSX ) and industrial nuts-and-bolts supplier Fastenal ( FAST ) have a lot more relevance to the economically sensitive parts of the U.S. economy. In total, we will get results 14 S&P 500 members this week, including all the money center banks. Here are this week's key earnings reports Monday (4/11): Alcoa is the key report today after the close, with the company expected to earn 2 cents in EPS on $5.3 billion in revenues. Estimates have been under pressure given the commodity price headwinds, with the current EPS estimates one-third of what was expected three months back. The stock has responded negatively to recent earnings releases irrespective of whether the surprises were positive or otherwise. Tuesday (4/12): Fastenal is the key report in the morning while CSX Corp will report after the close. Fastenal is expected to earn 44 cents on $975 million in revenues compared to EPS of 43 cents on $953 million in revenues in the year-earlier quarter. CSX is expected to report 37 cents in EPS on $2.7 billion in revenues vs. 45 cents EPS on $3.02 billion in revenues in the year-earlier quarter. Estimates and the stock have been under pressure lately given headwinds from the weakness in coal and overall soft demand backdrop from the manufacturing sector. Wednesday (4/13): J.P. Morgan ( JPM ) will report results before the market's open, with the bank expected to earn $1.26 in EPS on $23.9 billion in revenues, which will compare to $1.45 in EPS on $24.1 billion in revenues in the 2015 quarter. J.P. Morgan shares are down almost -12% year to date on the back of the broadly unfavorable backdrop for the major banks (Finance has been the weakest performing sector of the market year to date). J.P. Morgan and its peers have been weighed down by the flattening yield curve, a weak capital markets and investment banking business as a result of heightened market volatility and rising estimates of provision expenses as a results of the Energy sector's deteriorating credit profile. J.P. Morgan's Q1 EPS estimate of $1.26 is down -17% from what was expected two months back. For the Finance sector as a whole, total Q1 earnings are expected to be down -10.7% on -4.7% lower revenues. Thursday (4/14): Delta Airlines ( DAL ) reports after the close. Delta is expected to earn $1.29 in EPS on $9.24 billion in revenues vs. EPS of 44 cents on $9.4 billion in revenues in the year-earlier period. Friday (4/15): Citigroup is the key report in the morning, with the bank expected to earn $1.04 in EPS on $17.7 billion in revenues vs. $1.39 in EPS on $19.7 billion in revenues in the March 2015 period. Here are four key points to know about the Q1 earnings season. First , Q1 estimates fell sharply over the last three months and are continuing to come down. Total earnings for the quarter are expected to be down -11.1% on -2.3% lower revenues. Earnings growth is expected to be negative for 11 of the 16 Zacks sectors, including Technology and Finance, the two largest in the index. Second , the negative earnings growth in Q1 will be the fourth quarter in a row of earnings declines for the S&P 500 index. The headwinds remain unchanged from other recent periods, essentially a combination of Energy sector weakness, the dollar strength and global growth constraints. Please note that Q1 earnings growth would still be in the negative even on an ex-Energy basis. Third , the magnitude of negative revisions that Q1 estimates suffered over the last three months has been the highest of all recent quarters in the comparable periods. Fresh weakness in oil prices at the start of the period was no doubt a big driver of pushing estimates down. But Energy isn't the only sector that suffered negative revisions. In fact, estimates fell for 14 of the 16 Zacks sectors since the start of the period, with only two sectors (Utilities & Retail) experiencing modest positive revisions. Fourth , the growth challenge isn't restricted to Q1 or the preceding few quarters; it is actually no better for the current and following quarters either. Total 2016 Q2 earnings are currently expected to be down -5.5% on -2.1% lower revenues, a growth pace that will go down more in the coming days as companies report Q1 results and guide lower for Q2. All of this year's growth has effectively evaporated, with the modest positive growth for 2016 as a whole entirely a function of current expectations for the last quarter of the year. The Ever Falling Estimates Estimates for 2016 Q1 started coming down at an accelerated pace as companies predominantly guided lower on the 2015 Q4 earnings calls, consistent with the trend we have been seeing for more than two years now. Total Q1 earnings for companies in the S&P 500 are currently expected to be down -11.1% from the same period last year, a material decline from the -1.1% decline expected at the start of the quarter. Zacks \""Profit from the Pros\"" e-mail newsletter provides highlights of the latest analysis from Zacks Equity Research. Subscribe to this free newsletter today . Find out What is happening in the stock market today on zacks.com. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report ALCOA INC (AA): Free Stock Analysis Report CSX CORP (CSX): Free Stock Analysis Report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report JPMORGAN CHASE (JPM): Free Stock Analysis Report DELTA AIR LINES (DAL): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Pre-Market Earnings Report for April 12, 2016 : FAST, PERY The following companies are expected to report earnings prior to market open on 04/12/2016. Visit our Earnings Calendar for a full list of expected earnings releases. Fastenal Company ( FAST ) is reporting for the quarter ending March 31, 2016. The building company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 9 analysts that follow the stock is $0.44. This value represents a 2.33% increase compared to the same quarter last year. FAST missed the consensus earnings per share in the 4th calendar quarter of 2015 by -2.5%. The \""days to cover\"" for this stock exceeds 16 days. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2016 Price to Earnings ratio for FAST is 25.48 vs. an industry ratio of 16.00, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Perry Ellis International Inc. ( PERY ) is reporting for the quarter ending January 31, 2016. The textile company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 3 analysts that follow the stock is $0.35. This value represents a 400.00% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year PERY and beat the expectations the other three quarters. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2016 Price to Earnings ratio for PERY is 9.93 vs. an industry ratio of 27.50. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Option Alert: FAST Apr16 48.0 Calls: 1000 @ ASK $0.85: 2739 traded vs 508 OI: Earnings tmrrw Before Open $46.95 Ref"", ""Notable earnings before Tuesday's open"", ""Fastenal declares $0.30 dividend"", ""Materials ETFs Pop As Investors Gird For 'Steep Decline' In Earnings"", ""As Alcoa Kicks Off March Quarter Earnings, We See More Reasons To Be Cautious"", ""Why the worst earnings quarter since 2009 may be a good thing First-quarter earnings season kicks into gear Monday, and what is expected to be the worst quarter in terms of declining profits may actually mark an inflection point, as the headwinds that battered fundamentals for a year finally appear to be abating.""]"
FAST,2016-04-12,18.7432,19.2377,18.7432,18.8863,"[""Are There Any Deals Among The Dividend Contenders?"", ""More on Fastenal's Q1"", ""Fastenal's (FAST) CEO Daniel Florness on Q1 2016 Results - Earnings Call Transcript"", ""Fastenal Company (FAST) Down Ahead of Quarterly Earnings"", ""Stocks Open Modestly Higher; Juniper Dives On Q1 Warning"", ""Nintai Charitable Trust's"", ""Fastenal misses by $0.01, misses on revenue"", ""Earnings Scheduled For April 12, 2016"", ""7 Stocks You Should Be Watching Today"", ""Fastenal Q1 EPS $0.44 vs $0.45 est, Revenue $986.7M vs $988.6M est"", ""10 Stocks Moving In Tuesday's Pre-Market Session"", ""How Long Will This Trading Range Persist?"", ""After-Hours Recap: Medivation, Valeant, CSX & More"", ""After-Hours Recap: Medivation, Valeant, CSX & More"", ""How Long Will This Trading Range Persist?"", ""10 Stocks Moving In Tuesday's Pre-Market Session"", ""Fastenal Q1 EPS $0.44 vs $0.45 est, Revenue $986.7M vs $988.6M est"", ""7 Stocks You Should Be Watching Today"", ""Earnings Scheduled For April 12, 2016"", ""Nintai Charitable Trust's"", ""Fastenal Company (FAST) Down Ahead of Quarterly Earnings"", ""Fastenal's (FAST) CEO Daniel Florness on Q1 2016 Results - Earnings Call Transcript"", ""Stocks Open Modestly Higher; Juniper Dives On Q1 Warning"", ""More on Fastenal's Q1"", ""Are There Any Deals Among The Dividend Contenders?"", ""Fastenal misses by $0.01, misses on revenue"", ""Fastenal Company's Q1 Earnings in line, Sales Beats Fastenal CompanyFAST is a national wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies. It distributes its products through company-owned stores mostly located in North America. The company has gradually grown from a fastener distributor to a full-line industrial supplier. Weakness in sales of the industrial fasteners, lower sales to customers in the oil & gas industry, a stronger U.S. dollar, softness in the Canadian business and overall weakness in the industrial economy is hurting the company's sales. However, Fastenal's vending trends improved in 2015 as efforts on improving the quality of signings/installs paid off. Investors should also note the recent earnings estimate revisions for FAST has been mostly upward. Moreover, FAST has a favorable history in earnings season. Fastenal has delivered three positive earnings surprises in the last four quarters, making an average positive surprise of 1.05%. Currently, FAST has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), but that could definitely change following Fastenal's earnings report which was just released. We have highlighted some of the key stats from this just-revealed announcement below: Earnings: FAST reported in line results. The company reported EPS of $0.44, in line with our consensus earnings estimate. Investors should note that these figures take out stock option expenses. Revenues: FAST reported revenues of $986.7 million, which surpassed our consensus estimate of $984 million. Key Stats to Note: Fastenal's daily sales rose 1.9%, much less than 8.8% increase in the prior-year quarter. However, daily sales improved from 2% decline reported in the prior quarter. Share price: Share prices declined 2.43% in the pre-market trading . Check back later for our full write up on this FAST earnings report later! Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Questions Q1 Earnings Season Must Answer Tuesday, April 12, 2016 The major indexes are on track for a modestly positive open on the back of oil market gains, but the focus is shifting to the Q1 earnings season, which ramps up in the coming days. Many in the market see the sharp drop in Q1 EPS estimates over the last three months as providing companies with easy paths towards positive earnings surprises. That's a plausible argument, and the ratio of earnings surprises this earnings cycle could very well surpass what we have been seeing in other recent periods. The question is whether positive earnings and revenue surprises will be enough to push stocks higher. I doubt it. More than positive earnings and revenue surprises, market participants will be looking to management's guidance for the current and coming quarters. We see this in play in the market's reaction this morning's report from Fastenal ( FAST ) and Monday evening's Alcoa ( AA ) release. Both of these reports were OK relative to Q1 estimates, but they fail to inspire confidence about the current period. Management's guidance will determine how estimates for the current period evolve over the coming days as companies report Q1 results. Current estimates put S&P 500 earnings growth in 2016 Q2 at a decline of -5.5% on -3.3% lower revenues, which will be the 5th quarter in a row of negative earnings growth for the index. We know that these estimates will come down in the coming days. But the question is whether they will go down as much as Q1 estimates did over the last three months, or we will see an improvement on the revisions front? The answer to that question will determine how stocks perform over the next four weeks. Sheraz Mian Director of Research Note: In addition to this daily pre-open article about the market, economy, and the corporate earnings picture, Sheraz Mian also provides detailed earnings analysis in his weekly Earnings Trends and Earnings Preview reports. If you want an email notification each time Sheraz Mian publishes a new article, please click here . Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report ALCOA INC (AA): Free Stock Analysis Report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report SPDR-SP 500 TR (SPY): ETF Research Reports To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Consumer Sector Update for 04/12/2016: PERY, FAST, KO, CVS, DIS, MCD, WMT Top Consumer Shares: WMT: flat MCD: +0.7% DIS: -0.1% CVS: -0.7% KO: +0.3% Consumer shares were mixed ahead of the opening bell Tuesday. In consumer stocks news, Fastenal ( FAST ) fell in pre-market trading after the provider of construction supplies reported Q1 net earnings of $126.2 million, or $0.44 per diluted share, down from last year's $127.6 million, or $0.43 per diluted share, with operating costs rising year-over-year to $290.2 million. The Capital IQ consensus is also for $0.44. Sales, however, grew to $986.7 million from $469.3 million, missing the mean estimate of $988.6 million. The company will be paying a quarterly cash dividend of $0.30 per common share on May 24 to shareholders of record at the close of business on April 26. FAST shares were down 3.6% at $45.25, with a 52-week range of $34.45 - $49.99. Perry Ellis International ( PERY ) rose in pre-market trading after the apparel company, reported Q4 adjusted net earnings of $0.35 per share, up from $0.07 per share in the prior year period and in line with the Street estimate provided by Capital IQ. Revenues were $214.4 million, down slightly from $217.7 million reported for the same period last year and in line with the Street estimate. For full year 2017, the company expects adjusted earnings to range from $1.90 to $1.95 per share on revenues of between $910 million and $915 million. The Street estimates were $1.93 and $914.4 million on EPS and revenues, respectively. PERY shares were up 3.3% at $18.42, with a 52-week range of $15.73 - $28.19. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. Copyright (C) 2016 MTNewswires.com. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Daily Dividend Report: O, FAST, GT, AOS Realty Income ( O ) has declared the 550th consecutive common stock monthly dividend. The dividend amount of $0.199 per share, representing an annualized amount of $2.388 per share, is payable on May 16, 2016 to shareholders of record as of May 2, 2016. The Fastenal Company ( FAST ) reported its board of directors declared a dividend of $0.30 per share to be paid in cash on May 24, 2016 to shareholders of record at the close of business on April 26, 2016. The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company ( GT ) has declared a quarterly dividend of 7 cents per share of common stock. The dividend is payable June 1, 2016, to shareholders of record on May 2, 2016. The payout represents an annual rate of 28 cents per share. A. O. Smith Corporation ( AOS ) declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of $.24 per share on the company's Common Stock and Class A Common Stock. The dividend is payable on May 16 to shareholders of record April 29. VIDEO: Daily Dividend Report: O, FAST, GT, AOS The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal (FAST) Q1 Earnings In Line, Gross Margin Soft Fastenal CompanyFAST reported adjusted earnings of 44 cents per share in the first quarter of 2016, in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Earnings rose 2.3% year over year. Net sales of $986.7 million beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $984 million by 0.3% and increased 3.5% year over year. The net sales increase was driven by higher unit sales at older store locations during the quarter. Net sales at the Canadian business increased about 7% in local currency during the quarter, better than a 4% increase in the previous quarter. However, sales were hurt by price deflation of fastener products and unfavorable currency translation.The top line was also adversely impacted by lower sales to its customers in the oil & gas industry, a stronger U.S dollar and overall weakness in the industrial economy. Fastenal's total average daily sales increased 1.9% in the first quarter of 2016, much lower than an 8.8% increase in the prior-year quarter. However, it was better than a 2% decline reported in the fourth quarter. Foreign exchange dragged down daily sales growth rate in the quarter by 0.8%. On a monthly basis, daily sales remained flat in March but increased 2.6% in February and 3.3% in January. The company had recorded daily sales growth of 5.6%, 8.6% and 12%, respectively, in the corresponding year-ago months. This industrial and construction supplies wholesale distributor serves customers in the manufacturing and non-residential construction markets. Daily sales to manufacturing customers (representing almost 50% of revenues) rose 0.9%, down from growth of 6.9% in the prior-year quarter, but better than 2.2% decline reported in the previous quarter. The daily sales growth rate of fastener products (used mainly for industrial production and accounting for nearly 40% of the company's business) declined 1.7% in the quarter, compared with a 5.5% increase in the year-ago quarter and a 6.2% decline recorded in the previous quarter. Lower demand from the heavy machinery manufacturing customer base, mainly from those engaged in oil and gas business, hurt fastener sales due to lower production requirements. Non-fastener product sales (used mainly for maintenance) increased 4.7%, compared to increase of 11.7% in the prior-year quarter and 1.2% in the last quarter. The non-fastener business also weakened over the last few months as improved vending trends were offset by overall weakness in the industrial environment. In the non-residential construction market, daily sales to non-residential construction customers (representing 20% to 25% of revenues) declined 0.4% as against a 6.2% increase in the prior-year quarter. Volatility and softer energy prices hurt sales in this market. However, daily sales decline was narrower than 6.1% decline reported in the previous quarter. Vending Trends Continue to Improve As of Mar 31, 2016, Fastenal operated 56,889 vending machines, up 17.2% year over year. During the quarter, the company signed 4,647 machine contracts, up 15.7% from the last quarter. The daily sales growth rate to customers using vending machines was 3.6%, up from 0.7% in the previous quarter. Vending machines now account for 44.5% of the company's sales, higher than 43.9% in the prior quarter. After remaining soft in 2013, vending trends improved through 2014 and 2015, as management's recent efforts on enhancing the quality of signings/installs paid off. Gross Margin Down Gross margin of 49.8% in the first quarter of 2016 declined 100 basis points (bps) year over year and 10 bps sequentially. Gross margin was below the company's average of around 50% owing to an unfavorable customer mix and product mix. The customer mix shifted toward the large account end-market, which produces low-margin gross profit but stronger operating income. The product mix shifted from high-margin fastener products to non-fastener products. In fact, the company expects these trends to continue in the future as well. Fastenal Company has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Stocks to Consider Some better-ranked stocks in the construction sector include Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. BECN , Gibraltar Industries, Inc. ROCK and Headwaters Inc. HW . All three companies sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days . Click to get this free report >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report HEADWATERS INC (HW): Free Stock Analysis Report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report BEACON ROOFING (BECN): Free Stock Analysis Report GIBRALTAR INDUS (ROCK): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Earnings Reaction History: Fastenal Co., 44.4% Follow-Through Indicator, 3.0% Sensitive Expected Earnings Release: 04/12/2016, Premarket Avg. Extended-Hours Dollar Volume: $529,354 Fastenal Co. ( FAST ) is due to issue its quarterly earnings report in the upcoming extended-hours session. Given its history, traders can expect light trading in the issue immediately following its quarterly earnings announcement. Historical earnings event related premarket and after-hours trading activity in FAST indicates that the price change in the extended hours is likely to be of limited value in forecasting additional price movement by the following regular session close. Last 12 Qtrs Positive Only Price Reactions Percent of time added to extended-hours gains: 0% Average next regular session additional gain: 0% There have not been any meaningful extended-hours earnings related price reactions over the previous 3 years (12 quarters) in this direction. Last 12 Qtrs Negative Only Price Reactions Percent of time added to extended-hours losses: 100% Average next regular session additional loss: 1.4% Over that same historical period, when shares of FAST dropped in the extended-hours in reaction to its earnings announcement, history shows that 100.0% of the time (4 events) the stock dropped further, adding to the extended-hours losses by an average of 1.4% by the following regular session close. Data provided by the MT Pro service at MTNewswires.com. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. Copyright (C) 2016 MTNewswires.com. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""After-Hours Recap: Medivation, Valeant, CSX & More"", ""How Long Will This Trading Range Persist?"", ""10 Stocks Moving In Tuesday's Pre-Market Session"", ""Fastenal Q1 EPS $0.44 vs $0.45 est, Revenue $986.7M vs $988.6M est"", ""7 Stocks You Should Be Watching Today"", ""Earnings Scheduled For April 12, 2016"", ""Nintai Charitable Trust's"", ""Fastenal Company (FAST) Down Ahead of Quarterly Earnings"", ""Fastenal's (FAST) CEO Daniel Florness on Q1 2016 Results - Earnings Call Transcript"", ""Stocks Open Modestly Higher; Juniper Dives On Q1 Warning"", ""More on Fastenal's Q1"", ""Are There Any Deals Among The Dividend Contenders?"", ""Fastenal misses by $0.01, misses on revenue"", ""S&P 500 closes in positive territory for 2016 as crude oil rallies Juniper Networks slumps, Marathon Oil soars The S&P 500 closes in positive territory for the year and the Dow Jones Industrial Average had its best day in a month on Tuesday as oil futures rallied to settle at their highest levels of 2016.""]"
FAST,2016-04-13,18.8863,19.1577,18.7837,19.0857,
FAST,2016-04-14,19.1459,19.1933,19.0008,19.065,"[""Credit Suisse Maintains Neutral on Fastenal, Raises PT to $44.00"", ""Credit Suisse Maintains Neutral on Fastenal, Raises PT to $44.00"", ""Credit Suisse Maintains Neutral on Fastenal, Raises PT to $44.00""]"
FAST,2016-04-15,19.065,19.1775,18.8676,19.0827,
FAST,2016-04-18,19.0551,19.1845,18.9594,19.0463,
FAST,2016-04-19,19.1143,19.2279,19.0057,19.0511,
FAST,2016-04-20,19.0511,19.2229,18.9831,19.0827,
FAST,2016-04-21,19.4341,19.4341,18.9347,18.9831,"Fastenal Company (FAST) Ex-Dividend Date Scheduled for April 22, 2016 Fastenal Company ( FAST ) will begin trading ex-dividend on April 22, 2016. A cash dividend payment of $0.3 per share is scheduled to be paid on May 24, 2016. Shareholders who purchased FAST prior to the ex-dividend date are eligible for the cash dividend payment. This represents an 7.14% increase over the same period a year ago. At the current stock price of $45.81, the dividend yield is 2.62%. The previous trading day's last sale of FAST was $45.81, representing a -8.36% decrease from the 52 week high of $49.99 and a 32.98% increase over the 52 week low of $34.45. FAST is a part of the Consumer Services sector, which includes companies such as Home Depot, Inc. ( HD ) and Lowe's Companies, Inc. ( LOW ). FAST's current earnings per share, an indicator of a company's profitability, is $1.78. Zacks Investment Research reports FAST's forecasted earnings growth in 2016 as 3.22%, compared to an industry average of 29%. For more information on the declaration, record and payment dates, visit the FAST Dividend History page. Our Dividend Calendar has the full list of stocks that have an ex-dividend today. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2016-04-22,18.9288,19.1391,18.9288,19.1311,
FAST,2016-04-25,19.0788,19.2437,19.0511,19.1193,
FAST,2016-04-26,19.1193,19.5625,19.0511,19.4885,"[""Baron Funds Comments on Fastenal Co."", ""Baron Funds Comments on Fastenal Co."", ""Baron Funds Comments on Fastenal Co.""]"
FAST,2016-04-27,19.4756,19.9168,19.4589,19.8922,
FAST,2016-04-28,19.7441,20.1202,19.7204,19.8171,"[""Grainger Seems To Be A Little Confused"", ""Grainger Seems To Be A Little Confused"", ""Grainger Seems To Be A Little Confused""]"
FAST,2016-04-29,19.6543,19.8092,19.4283,19.6187,
FAST,2016-05-02,19.6779,19.7243,19.3295,19.7155,
FAST,2016-05-03,19.5191,19.6286,19.2101,19.4411,
FAST,2016-05-04,19.3897,19.3897,18.988,19.1075,
FAST,2016-05-05,19.2151,19.6681,19.1075,19.5191,
FAST,2016-05-06,19.4579,19.6335,19.4223,19.4933,
FAST,2016-05-09,19.4756,19.4933,19.2081,19.3551,"[""Baron Partners Fund Commentary on Fastenal Co."", ""The Vetr community has downgraded $FAST to 3.5-Stars"", ""The Vetr community has downgraded $FAST to 3.5-Stars"", ""Baron Partners Fund Commentary on Fastenal Co."", ""The Vetr community has downgraded $FAST to 3.5-Stars"", ""Baron Partners Fund Commentary on Fastenal Co.""]"
FAST,2016-05-10,19.4933,19.6237,19.2071,19.5674,"Baron Partners Fund Commentary on Fastenal Co. Shares of Fastenal Co. , ( NASDAQ:FAST ) a leading distributor of industrial supplies, rose during the first quarter after reporting improving sales trends to start the year. We view the sequential strengthening of sales as evidence of abating energy and F/X headwinds as well as share gains in manufacturing and construction end markets. Based on several growth initiatives, including Vending and On-Site programs, we believe Fastenal is poised to deliver outstanding customer service to its key accounts and generate accelerating earnings growth over the next two years. (Matt Weiss) From Baron Partners Fund f irst quarter -…-6 commentary. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 7 Warning Signs with TSLA. Click here to check it out. TSLA 15-Year Financial Data The intrinsic value of TSLA Peter Lynch Chart of TSLA Warning! GuruFocus has detected 7 Warning Signs with TSLA. Click here to check it out. MANU 15-Year Financial Data The intrinsic value of MANU Peter Lynch Chart of MANU Warning! GuruFocus has detected 6 Warning Sign with FAST. Click here to check it out. FAST 15-Year Financial Data The intrinsic value of FAST Peter Lynch Chart of FAST Read More: Irst quarter -…-6 commentary Note of portfolio 555'8 About GuruFocus: GuruFocus.com tracks the stocks picks and portfolio holdings of the world's best investors. This value investing site offers stock screeners and valuation tools. And publishes daily articles tracking the latest moves of the world's best investors. GuruFocus also provides promising stock ideas in 3 monthly newsletters sent to Premium Members . This article first appeared on GuruFocus . The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2016-05-11,19.521,19.5871,19.3799,19.4125,
FAST,2016-05-12,19.4795,19.5516,19.1075,19.1311,
FAST,2016-05-13,19.1351,19.3157,18.9623,19.0689,"Why Home Depot Inc Ranks As a Top 15 Pick (HD) InvestorPlace InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips A study of analyst recommendations at the major brokerages shows that Home Depot Inc ( HD ) is the #9 broker pick, on average, out of the 30 stocks making up the Dow Jones Industrial Average , according to ETF Channel . Home Depot also comes in above the median of analyst picks among the broader S&P 500 Index components, claiming the #175 spot out of 500. Investors often interpret analyst opinions from different angles - a popular analyst pick could mean that many sharp minds individually came to the same bullish conclusion, and therefore the stock should do well, but it could also mean that if the company stumbles, that would come as a negative surprise. START SLIDESHOW : The Top 15 Broker Darlings of the Dow: Current Top Analyst Picks » From the other direction, when companies have a low rank among analysts, it isn't necessarily the case that investors should conclude that the stock will perform poorly. It can, of course, but a bullish investor could also take the contrarian angle and read into the data that there is lots of room for upside because the stock is so out of favor. 10 Stocks to Buy for a Set-It-and-Forget-It Summer Portfolio For these reasons, we at ETF Channel find value to putting together these rankings, because both the top and the bottom ends of the lists can often make for some interesting stock picking ideas for further research. More From InvestorPlace 7 ""Cheap"" Stocks to Buy for Big Bucks 7 Dow Jones Stocks That Still Have Some Bite The post Why Home Depot Inc Ranks As a Top 15 Pick (HD) appeared first on InvestorPlace . The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2016-05-16,19.1262,19.3295,19.0561,19.1687,"[""FAST Company - Faster Than Competitors"", ""FAST Company - Faster Than Competitors"", ""FAST Company - Faster Than Competitors""]"
FAST,2016-05-17,19.1735,19.2949,18.9515,18.9515,
FAST,2016-05-18,18.9288,19.2151,18.8893,19.0315,
FAST,2016-05-19,18.8666,18.9673,18.6376,18.6623,
FAST,2016-05-20,18.7452,18.9179,18.4896,18.8074,
FAST,2016-05-23,18.8251,18.9179,18.7452,18.8113,
FAST,2016-05-24,18.8893,19.2151,18.8853,19.1597,"[""Amazon's Push Into Business E-Commerce An $18 Billion Opportunity?"", ""Amazon's Push Into Business E-Commerce An $18 Billion Opportunity?"", ""Amazon's Push Into Business E-Commerce An $18 Billion Opportunity?""]"
FAST,2016-05-25,19.1854,19.3079,19.1223,19.2615,
FAST,2016-05-26,19.2989,19.3709,19.2615,19.3197,
FAST,2016-05-27,19.3295,19.3641,19.2219,19.2861,"[""Tracking Ruane, Cunniff, & Goldfarb's Portfolio - Q1 2016 Update"", ""Tracking The Sequoia Fund - Q1 2016 Update"", ""Materials ETF Benefiting From Its Building Stocks"", ""Materials ETF Benefiting From Its Building Stocks"", ""Tracking The Sequoia Fund - Q1 2016 Update"", ""Tracking Ruane, Cunniff, & Goldfarb's Portfolio - Q1 2016 Update"", ""Materials ETF Benefiting From Its Building Stocks"", ""Tracking The Sequoia Fund - Q1 2016 Update"", ""Tracking Ruane, Cunniff, & Goldfarb's Portfolio - Q1 2016 Update""]"
FAST,2016-05-31,19.3295,19.4371,19.1933,19.2989,"[""What To Make Of Fastenal's First Quarter"", ""What To Make Of Fastenal's First Quarter"", ""Will Conns (CONN) Continue its Dismal Trend in Q1 Earnings? Conns Inc.CONN is slated to release first-quarter fiscal 2017 results on Jun 2. Last quarter, the company had delivered a significant negative earnings surprise of 59.3%. In fact, it has underperformed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by an average of 36.5% over the trailing four quarters. Let's see how things are shaping up for this announcement. Factors Influencing this Quarter Conns has posted lower-than-expected earnings for two straight quarters now, reflecting softness in comparable store sales (comps) and high year-over-year delinquencies. The company recently reported sales and delinquency data for the month and first quarter ended Apr 2016, with comps declining 1.9% and 3.4%, respectively. On excluding the impact of Conns' decision to discontinue the sale of video game products, digital cameras and certain tablets, comps for April remained flat while dropping 1.3% for the quarter. Moreover, the greater than 60-day delinquency rate expanded by 20 basis points year over year, as of Apr 30, 2016, on account of persistent deceleration in portfolio growth rate. Hence, we remain cautious about the company's performance in the to-be-reported quarter. Earnings Whispers Our proven model does not conclusively show that Conns is likely to beat estimates this quarter. This is because a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1, 2 or 3 for this to happen. This is not the case here, as you will see below: Zacks ESP: Earnings ESP for Conns is currently pegged at 0.00%. This is because both the Most Accurate estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate are pegged at breakeven. Zacks Rank: Conns carries a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell). We caution against stocks with a Zacks Rank #4 or 5 (Sell-rated stocks) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions. Stocks Poised to Beat Earnings Estimates Here are some companies you may want to consider as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat: Ctrip.com International Ltd. CTRP , expected to report earnings on Jun 1, has an Earnings ESP of +17.91% and a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Nike Inc. NKE , expected to report earnings on Jun 23, has an Earnings ESP of +2.08% and a Zacks Rank #3. Fastenal Company FAST , expected to report earnings on Jul 12, has an Earnings ESP of +17.91% and a Zacks Rank #3. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days.Click to get this free report >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report CTRIP.COM INTL (CTRP): Free Stock Analysis Report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report CONNS INC (CONN): Free Stock Analysis Report NIKE INC-B (NKE): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""What To Make Of Fastenal's First Quarter""]"
FAST,2016-06-01,19.2861,19.4025,19.065,19.3877,"[""How To Generate Profit In Over-Valued Markets"", ""How To Generate Profit In Over-Valued Markets"", ""How To Generate Profit In Over-Valued Markets""]"
FAST,2016-06-02,19.3463,19.5151,19.2377,19.5023,"[""The Vetr community has upgraded $FAST to 4.5-Stars."", ""The Vetr community has upgraded $FAST to 4.5-Stars."", ""Will Lululemon (LULU) Q1 Earnings Disappoint Estimates? Lululemon Athletica Inc.LULU is slated to release first-quarter fiscal 2016 results on Jun 8. Last quarter, the company delivered a positive earnings surprise of 6.3%. In the trailing four quarters, the company has reported in-line results in two and positive earnings surprise in one quarter, while in the remaining one quarter, earnings lagged estimates. Lululemon has delivered an average positive surprise of 0.2% in the last four quarters. Let's see how things are shaping up for this announcement. LULULEMON ATHLT Price and Consensus LULULEMON ATHLT Price and Consensus | LULULEMON ATHLT Quote Factors Influencing this Quarter Going into fiscal 2016, Lululemon remains confident of resuming earnings growth driven on the back of continued top-line momentum, gross margin expansion and efficient inventory management. As a result, the company provided an encouraging guidance for fiscal 2016. For the first quarter, Lululemon expects revenues in the range of $483-$488 million, with constant dollar comps growth in the mid-single digits range. Lululemon anticipates earnings in the band of 28-30 cents per share, compared with 34 cents in the year-ago quarter. Also, the company's four newly formulated growth strategies that target to double revenues to about $4 billion and more than double earnings by 2020, demonstrate prospects for long-term growth. However, the company remains prone to unfavorable currency movements, which are expected to hurt results throughout fiscal 2016. Management expects modest SG&A deleverage in the year, which is partially accountable to currency movements. This raises concerns for the company's performance during the year. Earnings Whispers Our proven model does not conclusively show that Lululemon is likely to beat earnings this quarter. This is because a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) for this to happen. This is not the case here, as you will see below: Zacks ESP: Earnings ESP for Lululemon is currently -3.23%. This is because the Most Accurate estimate of 30 cents is below the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 31 cents. Zacks Rank: Lululemon currently has a Zacks Rank #3, which increases the predictive power of ESP. However, the company's ESP of -3.23% makes surprise prediction difficult. We caution against stocks with a Zacks Rank #4 or 5 (Sell-rated stocks) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions. Stocks That Warrant a Look Here are some companies you may want to consider as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements: Nike Inc. NKE , expected to report earnings on Jun 23, has an Earnings ESP of +2.08% and a Zacks Rank #3. Fastenal Company FAST , expected to report earnings on Jul 12, has an Earnings ESP of +4.17% and a Zacks Rank #3. Aaron's Inc. AAN , expected to report earnings on Jul 22, has an Earnings ESP of +1.75% and a Zacks Rank #3. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Day s. Click to get this free report >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report AARONS INC (AAN): Free Stock Analysis Report LULULEMON ATHLT (LULU): Free Stock Analysis Report NIKE INC-B (NKE): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""The Vetr community has upgraded $FAST to 4.5-Stars.""]"
FAST,2016-06-03,19.4983,19.5397,19.1291,19.369,
FAST,2016-06-06,19.1351,19.2299,18.8538,19.2151,"Nasdaq 100 Movers: FAST, WFM In early trading on Monday, shares of Whole Foods Market ( WFM ) topped the list of the day's best performing components of the Nasdaq 100 index, trading up 2.6%. Year to date, Whole Foods Market registers a 4.4% gain. And the worst performing Nasdaq 100 component thus far on the day is Fastenal ( FAST ), trading down 2.2%. Fastenal is showing a gain of 10.7% looking at the year to date performance. Two other components making moves today are Incyte Corporation ( INCY ), trading down 2.0%, and Ctrip.com International ( CTRP ), trading up 1.9% on the day. VIDEO: Nasdaq 100 Movers: FAST, WFM The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2016-06-07,19.1933,19.2911,19.0956,19.1785,"[""Sequoia Fund Cuts Almost Half of Stake in Valeant"", ""Sequoia Fund Cuts Almost Half of Stake in Valeant"", ""Sequoia Fund Cuts Almost Half of Stake in Valeant""]"
FAST,2016-06-08,19.2437,19.3413,19.1687,19.2811,"Ruane Cunniff's Sequoia Fund Reduces Stake in Valeant Several days after appointing an investment committee and new holding restrictions in response to substantial losses on Valeant Pharmaceuticals ( VRX ), the Sequoia Fund sold a substantial portion of its investment in the company. The filing from a week ago and made public Tuesday afternoon documented a 47% reduction in the Sequoia FundAAAs Valeant position, to 16.1 million shares from 30.3 million shares. It also shrank the fundAAAs ownership of the company to 4.7% from 8.8%. The previous Friday, Ruane, Cunniff and Goldfarb, the fundAAAs managers, had informed clients of their plan to form a committee to oversee all investments and their weightings in the portfolio. They also changed their guidelines to limit the value of a single holding to 20% of the portfolioAAAs assets under management, with the exception of Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:BRK.A)(NYSE:BRK.B) Valeant was the largest position in Ruane Cunniff ( Trades , Portfolio )AAAs portfolio since at least June 2011. The holding grew past 20% in the third quarter 2013, and management continued to buy until it reached its peak weighting of 36% in the second quarter 2015. By September, accounting missteps and short-seller accusations sparked ValeantAAAs 90% loss of market value over the past 10 months that dragged the typically disciplined, outperforming Sequoia Fund to a loss of 28%, compared to a 6% rise in the S&P 500. The negative impact led to the retirement of Ruane Cunniff ( Trades , Portfolio )AAAs CEO, Robert Goldfarb, though the firm said in the April client note that its investment philosophy AAA finding companiesAAA intrinsic values through intense research and letting management create value AAA would remain intact. ValeantAAAs price fell a further 15% Tuesday when it lowered full-year guidance for 2016 in its first quarter financial statement after missing the deadline for filing early in the year. The revenue guidance range dropped to between $9.9 billion and $10.1 billion, from between $11 billion and $11.2 billion, and adjusted non-GAAP earnings per share to a range of $6.60 and $7, from $8.50 and $9.50. Valeant, which has drawn criticism for its growth strategy of absorbing smaller drug companies and raising the price of their drugs, also increased its commitment to research and development 85% to $103 million. Most of the capital channeled to its dermatology portfolio. Another substantial stakeholder, Bill Ackman ( Trades , Portfolio ), has maintained his position as it contributed to an 18.6% loss for his Pershing Square hedge fund for the year through May. Last year, it led his firmAAAs holdings to a 20.5% loss, the worst in its history. As a Valeant board member since March, Ackman, who has a 9% stake, has opted to work with the company to fix its problems and helped recruit Joe Papa of Perrigo ( PRGO ) to succeed Michael Pearson as chairman and CEO. AAAThere is much work to do at Valeant, which, among other issues, includes restoring the dermatology business to growth while working out transition issues with its new Walgreens distribution arrangement, accelerating the growth of About GuruFocus: GuruFocus.com tracks the stocks picks and portfolio holdings of the world's best investors. This value investing site offers stock screeners and valuation tools. And publishes daily articles tracking the latest moves of the world's best investors. GuruFocus also provides promising stock ideas in 3 monthly newsletters sent to Premium Members . This article first appeared on GuruFocus . The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2016-06-09,19.2437,19.2949,18.9831,19.0137,
FAST,2016-06-10,18.8074,18.9179,18.5675,18.687,
FAST,2016-06-13,18.6139,18.7817,18.3346,18.4412,"[""Option Alert: FAST Jan17 57.5 Puts Sweep: 959 @ ASK $15.50: 1000 traded vs 0 OI: Earnings 7/12 $43.89 Ref"", ""Option Alert: FAST Jan17 57.5 Puts Sweep: 959 @ ASK $15.50: 1000 traded vs 0 OI: Earnings 7/12 $43.89 Ref"", ""Option Alert: FAST Jan17 57.5 Puts Sweep: 959 @ ASK $15.50: 1000 traded vs 0 OI: Earnings 7/12 $43.89 Ref""]"
FAST,2016-06-14,18.456,18.5744,18.3346,18.5518,"[""Watch These 7 Huge Put Purchases In Tuesday Trade"", ""Watch These 7 Huge Put Purchases In Tuesday Trade"", ""Watch These 7 Huge Put Purchases In Tuesday Trade"", ""6 Stocks With \u2018Massive Competitive Advantages\u2019 Polen Focus Growth fund has beaten the market by holding dominant firms with great returns on equity.""]"
FAST,2016-06-15,18.4974,18.609,18.4194,18.4342,"[""Fastenal Shares Down ~0.2% Ahead of William Blair Growth Stock Conference Presentation"", ""Fastenal Shares Down ~0.2% Ahead of William Blair Growth Stock Conference Presentation"", ""Fastenal Shares Down ~0.2% Ahead of William Blair Growth Stock Conference Presentation""]"
FAST,2016-06-16,18.3702,18.6534,18.2496,18.5744,
FAST,2016-06-17,18.5744,18.6909,18.378,18.6455,
FAST,2016-06-20,18.9258,19.1262,18.836,18.8853,
FAST,2016-06-21,18.8853,19.0186,18.7314,18.8498,
FAST,2016-06-22,18.912,19.0057,18.8232,18.8459,
FAST,2016-06-23,19.0423,19.1311,18.9515,19.1035,
FAST,2016-06-24,18.4146,18.5991,18.2428,18.3414,"[""An Extraordinary Anomaly: Executive Compensation"", ""An Extraordinary Anomaly: Executive Compensation"", ""An Extraordinary Anomaly: Executive Compensation""]"
FAST,2016-06-27,18.1421,18.2013,17.6841,17.9042,"Agree To Buy Fastenal Co. At $35, Earn 8.4% Using Options Investors considering a purchase of Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) stock, but tentative about paying the going market price of $42.45/share, might benefit from considering selling puts among the alternative strategies at their disposal. One interesting put contract in particular, is the January 2018 put at the $35 strike, which has a bid at the time of this writing of $2.95. Collecting that bid as the premium represents a 8.4% return against the $35 commitment, or a 5.4% annualized rate of return (at Stock Options Channel we call this the YieldBoost ). Selling a put does not give an investor access to FAST's upside potential the way owning shares would, because the put seller only ends up owning shares in the scenario where the contract is exercised. And the person on the other side of the contract would only benefit from exercising at the $35 strike if doing so produced a better outcome than selling at the going market price. ( Do options carry counterparty risk? This and six other common options myths debunked ). So unless Fastenal Co. sees its shares decline 17.6% and the contract is exercised (resulting in a cost basis of $32.05 per share before broker commissions, subtracting the $2.95 from $35), the only upside to the put seller is from collecting that premium for the 5.4% annualized rate of return. Worth considering, is that the annualized 5.4% figure actually exceeds the 2.8% annualized dividend paid by Fastenal Co. by 2.6%, based on the current share price of $42.45. And yet, if an investor was to buy the stock at the going market price in order to collect the dividend, there is greater downside because the stock would have to fall 17.61% to reach the $35 strike price. Always important when discussing dividends is the fact that, in general, dividend amounts are not always predictable and tend to follow the ups and downs of profitability at each company. In the case of Fastenal Co., looking at the dividend history chart for FAST below can help in judging whether the most recent dividend is likely to continue, and in turn whether it is a reasonable expectation to expect a 2.8% annualized dividend yield. Below is a chart showing the trailing twelve month trading history for Fastenal Co., and highlighting in green where the $35 strike is located relative to that history: The chart above, and the stock's historical volatility, can be a helpful guide in combination with fundamental analysis to judge whether selling the January 2018 put at the $35 strike for the 5.4% annualized rate of return represents good reward for the risks. We calculate the trailing twelve month volatility for Fastenal Co. (considering the last 251 trading day closing values as well as today's price of $42.45) to be 26%. For other put options contract ideas at the various different available expirations, visit the FAST Stock Options page of StockOptionsChannel.com. In mid-afternoon trading on Monday, the put volume among S&P 500 components was 871,160 contracts, with call volume at 958,307, for a put:call ratio of 0.91 so far for the day, which is unusually high compared to the long-term median put:call ratio of .65. In other words, there are lots more put buyers out there in options trading so far today than would normally be seen, as compared to call buyers. Find out which 15 call and put options traders are talking about today . Top YieldBoost Puts of the Nasdaq 100 » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2016-06-28,18.0296,18.1046,17.8015,17.9486,
FAST,2016-06-29,18.072,18.2468,17.994,18.2132,
FAST,2016-06-30,18.2428,18.6228,18.1964,18.611,"[""Option Alert: FAST Jul16 45.0 Puts Sweep: 2194 @ ASK $1.65: 2194 traded vs 374 OI: Earnings 7/12 Before Open $44.10 Ref"", ""Option Alert: FAST Jul16 45.0 Puts Sweep: 2194 @ ASK $1.65: 2194 traded vs 374 OI: Earnings 7/12 Before Open $44.10 Ref"", ""Option Alert: FAST Jul16 45.0 Puts Sweep: 2194 @ ASK $1.65: 2194 traded vs 374 OI: Earnings 7/12 Before Open $44.10 Ref""]"
FAST,2016-07-01,18.5853,19.0383,18.46,18.988,"[""Metals-Heavy ETFs Escape Major Damage From Brexit Selling"", ""Watch These 5 Huge Put Purchases In Friday Trade"", ""Watch These 5 Huge Put Purchases In Friday Trade"", ""Metals-Heavy ETFs Escape Major Damage From Brexit Selling"", ""Investors Love Vulcan Materials' Results Like A Rock When President Obama signed a $305 billion highway bill into law last December, it was good news for Vulcan Materials ( VMC ). For one, it meant Vulcan stood to gain more than any other building materials company from the legislation. But it also was one of many signs that the provider of aggregates -- crushed stone, sand and gravel -- is now paving a path to prosperity, a year after it was losing money. Another positive sign came late last month, when Britain decided to exit the European Union. The move rattled global markets, but Vulcan was among a handful of stocks that stood up well during the selling frenzy. Showing strength, its stock dipped just 0.4% on June 24, while the Dow industrials fell 611 points. Chief Executive Tom Hill told analysts on a recent earnings call that several things have come together for the company, most notably a long-term housing recovery. There also has been better execution on customer deliveries, fixed-cost leveraging and lower costs of goods sold. Meanwhile, prices continue to migrate upward toward longer-term higher return on capital. [ibdchart symbol=\""VMC\"" type=\""daily\"" size=\""threequarter\"" position=\""leftchart\"" ]Hill also said the housing recovery still has legs. \""I want to emphasize that we continue to believe that the recovery in our markets still has a long way to go. Our business is in the midst of a long, gradual recovery in demand,\"" he said. \""This is, to our way of thinking, a recovery with real staying power.\"" Market Leader Vulcan is the nation's largest pure-play maker of aggregate building materials. Public works account for about 50% of construction materials spending, and the Fixing America's Surface Transportation ( FAST ) Act allocated funds for work on U.S. roads, bridges, public transit and rail transportation systems over the next five years. Of the remainder, commercial buildings account for 30% of construction materials spending, and housing makes up the final 20%. With incomes slowly rising and housing recovery steady, driven by low interest rates and unemployment, Vulcan's prospects are bright, according to BB&T Capital Markets analyst Adam Thalhimer. \""When I talk to private aggregates companies, they point to Vulcan as the best-run company in the space. They are the most consistent,\"" Thalhimer said in an interview with IBD. Thalhimer said it's really not a complicated business. Vulcan's sales are all domestic. \""Their cash cow is turning big rocks into little rocks\"" and selling them, he said. He has a buy rating on Vulcan with a 135 price target. Crushing Estimates Birmingham, Ala.-based Vulcan, also a major producer of aggregates-based construction materials such as asphalt and ready-mixed concrete, crushed profit estimates in its most recent quarter, reporting 26 cents fiscal-first-quarter earnings per share on May 3, swinging from a 16-cent loss in the same quarter a year earlier. That was more than triple the analyst consensus estimate of 7 cents a share. The company recorded a 20% hike in first-quarter revenue to $755 million, easily beating forecasts for $711 million, while gross profit climbed 112%. \""It is certainly true that you can't extrapolate the full picture from a single quarter's results, but when you look at our results in the context of the last several quarters, you see very solid and improving fundamentals,\"" Hill said on the May 3 call with analysts. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters call for earnings per share to climb 52% in the current quarter vs. the same quarter in 2015, to $1. Revenue is projected to grow 13% to $1.1 billion. Vulcan operates 315 sites that produce construction aggregates and more than 100 facilities that produce asphalt and/or concrete. It's costly to transport rocks and other construction materials, so Vulcan's nationwide quarry-to-construction-site reach gives it a defensible market position, according to D.A. Davidson analyst Brent Thielman. \""It does come down to local domination,\"" Thielman told IBD. \""You're not going to get outsiders in your end markets once you're in there and serving addressable areas,\"" because it's just too costly for smaller companies to ship rocks long distances. Thielman has a neutral rating on Vulcan, based on its strong stock valuation, with a 115 price target. Top Performer RBC Capital Markets analyst Robert Wetenhall called out Vulcan in a June 17 client note as a top performer in its markets. Wetenhall noted that housing starts for the month of May increased by 9.5% to a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 1.167 million units, topping estimates of 1.15 million. \""From an investment standpoint, we remain confident that a healthy labor market will continue supporting a slow and steady recovery in the housing market,\"" Wetenhall said. He has an outperform rating on Vulcan with a 114.08 price target. In February, Vulcan expanded its management team, including creating new positions. Stan Bass, who was a vice president with responsibility for the company's Western and Mountain West divisions, was named to the newly created post of chief growth officer. CEO Hill said in making the announcement that an executive growth officer was needed because \""our company is poised for a new era of strategic growth, building on our unparalleled positions in recovering and growing markets across the United States.\"" Additionally, former general counsel Michael Mills was named to the newly created chief administrative officer post. Former assistant counsel Jerry Perkins stepped up to the general counsel position. Brock Lodge, who previously was manager of Vulcan's Western division, including its strategic California operations, was promoted to president of that division. Rivals Although Vulcan is the 800-pound gorilla of construction aggregates in the U.S., it has competition. Martin Marietta Materials ( MLM ) is the other large, publicly traded aggregates supplier. But the Raleigh, N.C.-based company also sells specialty chemicals such as magnesia and has aggressively pursued the cement market . Like Vulcan, Martin Marietta boasts a best-possible 99 IBD Composite Rating, meaning its stock has outperformed at least 99% of all stocks on key metrics such as sales and profit growth in recent quarters. Large international companies also have a toehold in the U.S. market, including Ireland's CRH ( CRH ), the largest company in the building materials group, with nearly $26 billion annual sales vs. about $3.6 billion each for Vulcan and Martin Marietta. However, CRH also sells security gates and fencing, bricks, shutters, awnings and other items. It's a fragmented market, and large local aggregate materials suppliers also vie in some regional markets, though they're much smaller than Vulcan and Martin Marietta. Vulcan's stock price reached a new intraday high of 120.83 Thursday and matched it again on Friday, its highest point since June 2007, just before the start of the 2007-2009 recession. Shares ended trading on both days around 120, and shares were down slightly Tuesday after the holiday weekend to end the day at 119.66. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Watch These 5 Huge Put Purchases In Friday Trade"", ""Metals-Heavy ETFs Escape Major Damage From Brexit Selling""]"
FAST,2016-07-05,18.8804,18.9436,18.4816,18.607,"[""NASDAQ Index Brokers Make Gilead Top Dog For June/July"", ""NASDAQ Index Brokers Make Gilead Top Dog For June/July"", ""NASDAQ Index Brokers Make Gilead Top Dog For June/July""]"
FAST,2016-07-06,18.2852,18.6692,18.2388,18.5902,
FAST,2016-07-07,18.6228,18.8498,18.5774,18.7501,"[""Harry Is Back: Buy, Hold, And Collect Forever"", ""Morgan Stanley Initiates Coverage on Fastenal at Equal-weight, Announces $46.00 PT"", ""Benzinga's Top Initiations"", ""Benzinga's Top Initiations"", ""Morgan Stanley Initiates Coverage on Fastenal at Equal-weight, Announces $46.00 PT"", ""Harry Is Back: Buy, Hold, And Collect Forever"", ""Benzinga's Top Initiations"", ""Morgan Stanley Initiates Coverage on Fastenal at Equal-weight, Announces $46.00 PT"", ""Harry Is Back: Buy, Hold, And Collect Forever""]"
FAST,2016-07-08,18.8755,18.9752,18.7225,18.9623,"[""Fastenal Company (FAST) Q2 Earnings: What's in the Cards? Fastenal CompanyFAST is set to report second-quarter 2016 results on Jul 12, before the market opens. Last quarter, Fastenal delivered in line results. The company has posted two positive earnings surprises in the past four quarters. However, it has an average four-quarter negative surprise of 0.45%. FASTENAL Price and EPS Surprise FASTENAL Price and EPS Surprise | FASTENAL Quote Let's see how things are shaping up for this announcement. Factors to Consider this Quarter Fastenal's revenues are being hurt by lower sales to customers in the oil & gas industry, softness in the Canadian business and overall weakness in the industrial economy. These trends are likely to impact results in the soon-to-be reported quarter. Moreover, lack of price inflation, an unfavorable product mix, and pricing and competitive pressure are hurting gross margins. The product mix has shifted from high-margin fastener products to lower margin non-fastener products. The customer mix has shifted toward the large-account end-market, which produces low gross margins but stronger operating income. Indeed, the company does not see any improvement in gross margin rates through the rest of 2016 as well. Estimates have been going down ahead of the company's second quarter earnings release. These trends are reflected in May 2016 sales figures, as the company continued to report weakness in the fasteners business. While May net sales increased 6.2% year over year, daily sales improved 1.1%, which was softer than the 3.8% increase in April. Unfavorable currency impacted sales by 0.5% in the month, compared to a negative impact of 0.4% last month. On a positive note, vending trends improved in the first quarter of 2016 as efforts to improve the quality of signings/installs paid off. The company intends to increase its investment in the vending program and expects it to outperform through 2016 and beyond. Earnings Whispers Our proven model does not conclusively show that Fastenal is likely to beat earnings this quarter. This is because a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), #2 (Buy) or #3 (Hold) for this to happen. Unfortunately, that is not the case here, as you will see below. Zacks ESP: The Earnings ESP is 0.00% as both the Most Accurate estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate stand at 48 cents. Zacks Rank : Fastenal's Zacks Rank #3 increases the predictive power of ESP. However, we need to have a positive ESP to be confident about an earnings surprise. However, we caution against stocks with Zacks Rank #4 and #5 (Sell-rated stocks) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions momentum. Stocks to Consider Here are some companies in the construction sector, that, according to our model, have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter: Louisiana-Pacific Corp. LPX , with an Earnings ESP of +4.0% and a Zacks Rank #1. Owens Corning OC , with an Earnings ESP of +9.41% and a Zacks Rank #2. Potlatch Corporation PCH , with an Earnings ESP of +42.86% and a Zacks Rank #2. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report OWENS CORNING (OC): Free Stock Analysis Report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report LOUISIANA PAC (LPX): Free Stock Analysis Report POTLATCH CORP (PCH): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Previewing the Q2 Earnings Season Alcoa ( AA ) may no longer be as relevant to the U.S. economy and the stock market, but the company's name gets plenty of sunshine from the widely-held belief that its earnings report kick-starts each quarterly reporting cycle. Many in the market even see the company's earnings report as a leading indicator of what to expect from the rest of corporate America. But that is most likely overstating the company's status, notwithstanding aluminum's growing role in the automotive, aircraft manufacturing and construction end markets. The bottom line is that the relevance of Alcoa's results and outlook is fairly limited; it doesn't tell us much beyond what may be useful for the broader industrial metals space. Results the day after Alcoa's report from industrial nuts-and-bolts supplier Fastenal ( FAST ) and the following day (July 13th) from railroad operator CSX Corp. ( CSX ) have a lot more relevance to the economically sensitive parts of the U.S. economy. This week will bring earnings results from 30 companies, including 13 S&P 500 members that include most of the money center banks. These wouldn't be the first Q2 reports as companies with fiscal quarters ending in May have already been coming out with results and those reports get counted as part of the Q2 tally. In total, 23 S&P 500 members with fiscal quarters ending in May have reported Q2 results already. The chart below shows the weekly calendar of Q2 earnings reports for the S&P 500 index. Expectations for the Quarter Total earnings are expected to be down -6.2% on -0.6% lower revenues, with growth in negative territory for 9 of the 16 Zacks sectors. This will be the 5th quarter in a row of negative earnings growth for the S&P 500 index. As has been the pattern in other recent periods, the Energy sector remains the biggest drag on the aggregate growth picture, with total earnings for the sector expected to be down -76.8% on -27% lower revenues. Excluding the Energy sector, earnings for the rest of the index would be down -3.0%. The table below shows the summary picture for Q2 contrasted with what was actually achieved in the preceding period. Estimates for Q2 faithfully followed the well-trodden path of previous quarters, as the chart below shows. As negative as this revisions trend looks, it is nevertheless an improvement over what we had seen in the comparable period(s) in other recent quarters. The improved commodity-price backdrop and the reduced dollar drag are some of the explanations for this development. It will be interesting to see if this trend of decelerated negative revisions will continue this earnings season. But we will have to wait a few more weeks to get a better read on this development after companies start reporting June quarter results and guide towards Q3 estimates. Current estimates for Q3 are showing flat growth from the year-earlier level. Standout Sectors While Energy stands out for its very tough comparisons, there is not much positive growth coming from the other major sectors either. The Finance and Technology sectors, the two biggest earnings contributors in the S&P 500 index, are also expected to see earnings decline in Q2 from the year-earlier levels. For the Finance sector, total Q2 earnings are expected to be down -6.6% on -0.5% lower revenues, which will follow -6.9% decline in the sector's earnings in the preceding quarter. It has been a tough period for the sector, with benchmark treasury yields going down the summary 2012 record lows on the back of the Brexit surprise and Fed expectations. This low interest rate environment is a big restraint on the group's earnings power through continued pressures on net interest margins. The recent completion of the Fed stress tests has improved the outlook for share buybacks and dividend increases across the major banks space, but the group's earnings outlook continues to remain under pressure, as recent estimate cuts to all the major banks show. On the docket for reports this week include J.P. Morgan ( JPM ) on Thursday (7/14), while Citigroup ( C ) and Wells Fargo ( WFC ) will report the following day (Friday - 7/15). The Technology sector, total earnings are expected to be down -6.4% on +2.7% higher revenues, which would follow the sector's -4.5% earnings decline on +0.4% higher revenues in Q1. The big culprit for the Tech sector's weak showing this quarter (as well as last one) is Apple ( AAPL ), whose June quarter earnings are expected to be down -28.4% on -15.2% lower revenues from the same period last year. Excluding Apple, the Tech sector's Q2 earnings would be down only -0.9% (Apple alone brings in roughly a fifth of the Tech sector's total earnings). On the positive side, Q2 earnings are expected be up at Autos (up +8.2%), Construction (+8.9%), Conglomerates (+11.8%), and Utilities (+21%). The Utilities and Conglomerate sectors' strong growth numbers are solely due to easy comparisons at AES Corp ( AES ) and General Electric ( GE ), respectively. Expectations Beyond Q2 The chart below shows current quarterly earnings growth expectations for the index in 2016 Q2 and the following four quarters contrasted with actual declines in the preceding four quarters. As you can see, Q2 is on track to be the 5th quarter in row of earnings declines and estimates of Q3 growth starting to go deeper into negative territory as well. The only meaningful positive earnings growth this year is expected to come from the last quarter of the year, which is then expected to continue into 2017 when earnings for the S&P 500 index are expected to be up in double-digits. We will see if those estimates will hold up as we reach the last quarter of the year. But given what we have seen over the last few quarters, the odds don't look that favorable. Note : Want more articles from this author? Scroll up to the top of this article and click the FOLLOW AUTHOR button to get an email each time a new article is published. Note : For a complete analysis of 2016 Q2 estimates, please check out weekly Earnings Trends report . Here is a list of the 30 companies reporting this week, including 13 S&P 500 members . Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report WELLS FARGO-NEW (WFC): Free Stock Analysis Report JPMORGAN CHASE (JPM): Free Stock Analysis Report GENL ELECTRIC (GE): Free Stock Analysis Report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report CSX CORP (CSX): Free Stock Analysis Report CITIGROUP INC (C): Free Stock Analysis Report AES CORP (AES): Free Stock Analysis Report APPLE INC (AAPL): Free Stock Analysis Report ALCOA INC (AA): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2016-07-11,19.0561,19.2131,18.9831,19.0186,"[""Fastenal declares $0.30 dividend"", ""Notable earnings before Tuesday's open"", ""Option Alert: FAST Jul16 47.0 Calls Sweep: 1282 @ ASK $0.43: 5854 traded vs 1295 OI: Earnings tmrrw Before Open $45.59 Ref"", ""Option Alert: FAST Jul16 47.0 Calls Sweep: 1282 @ ASK $0.43: 5854 traded vs 1295 OI: Earnings tmrrw Before Open $45.59 Ref"", ""Notable earnings before Tuesday's open"", ""Fastenal declares $0.30 dividend"", ""Watch Out for Building Product Stocks' Earnings on Jul 12 According to our earnings preview report , construction companies are scheduled to post an 8.9% year-over-year increase in earnings in the second quarter of 2016, lower than the 27.5% increase recorded in the first quarter. On the other hand, the revenue projections are fairly optimistic with sales likely to increase 5.2% year over year, better than the 3.9% increase reported in the preceding quarter. Despite volatility in the U.S. stock market, uncertainty surrounding the Fed rate hike, panic in the global financial markets triggered by the unexpected Brexit vote and volatile gasoline prices, the homebuilding market remained stable. More importantly, the departure of U.K. from the European Union is believed to have no major impact on the sector. Last month, homebuilders Lennar Corporation LEN and KB Home KBH reported better-than-expected second-quarter results, beating estimates for both earnings and sales. Despite a slower sales trend in the Houston market, both companies recorded a double-digit increase in home deliveries and new home orders in a successful spring selling season. In fact, stronger job data for June is encouraging. The month reported an addition of 287,000 jobs in the market, which represents the highest in eight months. With improved job prospects and historically low mortgage rates, more young adults will opt to purchase their own homes, which will eventually drive the top line in the homebuilding space. In addition, the home remodeling market is also picking up pace. These factors eventually lead to higher demand for building products. On Jul 12, two of the building product companies are scheduled to report their quarterly results. Let us steal a peek into how the companies are placed ahead of the release. Fastenal Company FAST Based in Winona, MN, Fastenal Company is a national wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies. The company is set to report results before the market opens. Last quarter, Fastenal posted in-line results. Meanwhile, the company has posted two positive earnings surprises in the past four quarters. However, it has an average four-quarter negative surprise of 0.45%. FASTENAL Price and EPS Surprise FASTENAL Price and EPS Surprise | FASTENAL Quote The company has an Earnings ESP of -2.08% and a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter is pegged at 48 cents. Fastenal's revenues are being hurt by lower sales to customers in the oil & gas industry, softness in the Canadian business and overall weakness in the industrial economy. These trends are likely to impact results in the soon-to-be reported quarter. Moreover, lack of price inflation, an unfavorable product mix and pricing and competitive pressure are hurting gross margins. Gypsum Management and Supply, Inc. GMS Based in Tucker, GA, Gypsum Management and Supply is a North American distributor of wallboard and suspended ceilings systems. The company initiated its initial public offering on May 25. The company is set to report fourth-quarter results before the market opens. GMS INC Price and EPS Surprise GMS INC Price and EPS Surprise | GMS INC Quote The company has an Earnings ESP of 0.00% and a Zacks Rank #3. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter is pegged at 42 cents. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report LENNAR CORP -A (LEN): Free Stock Analysis Report KB HOME (KBH): Free Stock Analysis Report GMS INC (GMS): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Alcoa, Fastenal, CSX, J.P. Morgan and Apple are part of Zacks Earnings Preview For Immediate Release Chicago, IL - July 11, 2016 - Zacks.com releases the list of companies likely to issue earnings surprises. This week's list includes Alcoa ( AA ), Fastenal ( FAST ), CSX Corp. ( CSX ), J.P. Morgan ( JPM ) and Apple ( AAPL ) . To see more earnings analysis, visit https://at.zacks.com/?id=3207 . Every day, Zacks.com makes their Bull Stock of the Day available, free of charge.To see it, click here . Previewing Q2 Earnings Season Alcoa ( AA ) may no longer be as relevant to the U.S. economy and the stock market, but the company's name gets plenty of sunshine from the widely-held belief that its earnings report kick-starts each quarterly reporting cycle. Many in the market even see the company's earnings report as a leading indicator of what to expect from the rest of corporate America. But that is most likely overstating the company's status, notwithstanding aluminum's growing role in the automotive, aircraft manufacturing and construction end markets. The bottom line is that the relevance of Alcoa's results and outlook is fairly limited; it doesn't tell us much beyond what may be useful for the broader industrial metals space. Results the day after Alcoa's report from industrial nuts-and-bolts supplier Fastenal ( FAST ) and the following day (July 13th) from railroad operator CSX Corp. ( CSX ) have a lot more relevance to the economically sensitive parts of the U.S. economy. This week will bring earnings results from 30 companies, including 13 S&P 500 members that include most of the money center banks. These wouldn't be the first Q2 reports as companies with fiscal quarters ending in May have already been coming out with results and those reports get counted as part of the Q2 tally. In total, 23 S&P 500 members with fiscal quarters ending in May have reported Q2 results already. Expectations for the Quarter Total earnings are expected to be down -6.2% on -0.6% lower revenues, with growth in negative territory for 9 of the 16 Zacks sectors. This will be the 5th quarter in a row of negative earnings growth for the S&P 500 index. As has been the pattern in other recent periods, the Energy sector remains the biggest drag on the aggregate growth picture, with total earnings for the sector expected to be down -76.8% on -27% lower revenues. Excluding the Energy sector, earnings for the rest of the index would be down -3.0%. As negative as this revisions trend looks, it is nevertheless an improvement over what we had seen in the comparable period(s) in other recent quarters. The improved commodity-price backdrop and the reduced dollar drag are some of the explanations for this development. It will be interesting to see if this trend of decelerated negative revisions will continue this earnings season. But we will have to wait a few more weeks to get a better read on this development after companies start reporting June quarter results and guide towards Q3 estimates. Current estimates for Q3 are showing flat growth from the year-earlier level. Standout Sectors While Energy stands out for its very tough comparisons, there is not much positive growth coming from the other major sectors either. The Finance and Technology sectors, the two biggest earnings contributors in the S&P 500 index, are also expected to see earnings decline in Q2 from the year-earlier levels. For the Finance sector, total Q2 earnings are expected to be down -6.6% on -0.5% lower revenues, which will follow -6.9% decline in the sector's earnings in the preceding quarter. It has been a tough period for the sector, with benchmark treasury yields going down the summary 2012 record lows on the back of the Brexit surprise and Fed expectations. This low interest rate environment is a big restraint on the group's earnings power through continued pressures on net interest margins. The recent completion of the Fed stress tests has improved the outlook for share buybacks and dividend increases across the major banks space, but the group's earnings outlook continues to remain under pressure, as recent estimate cuts to all the major banks show. On the docket for reports this week include J.P. Morgan ( JPM ) on Thursday (7/14). The Technology sector, total earnings are expected to be down -6.4% on +2.7% higher revenues, which would follow the sector's -4.5% earnings decline on +0.4% higher revenues in Q1. The big culprit for the Tech sector's weak showing this quarter (as well as last one) is Apple ( AAPL ), whose June quarter earnings are expected to be down -28.4% on -15.2% lower revenues from the same period last year. Excluding Apple, the Tech sector's Q2 earnings would be down only -0.9% (Apple alone brings in roughly a fifth of the Tech sector's total earnings). On the positive side, Q2 earnings are expected be up at Autos (up +8.2%), Construction (+8.9%), Conglomerates (+11.8%), and Utilities (+21%). The Utilities and Conglomerate sectors' strong growth numbers are solely due to easy comparisons. About the Zacks Rank Since 1988, the Zacks Rank has proven that \""Earnings estimate revisions are the most powerful force impacting stock prices.\"" Since inception in 1988, #1 Rank stocks have generated an average annual return of +28%. During the 2000-2002 bear market, Zacks #1 Rank stocks gained +43.8%, while the S&P 500 tumbled -37.6%. Also note that the Zacks Rank system has just as many Strong Sell recommendations (Rank #5) as Strong Buy recommendations (Rank #1). Since 1988, Zacks Rank #5 stocks have significantly underperformed the S&P 500 (+3% versus +10%). Thus, the Zacks Rank system allows investors to truly manage portfolio trading effectively. Zacks \""Profit from the Pros\"" e-mail newsletter offers continuous coverage of the industries and the stocks poised to outperform the market. Click to subscribe to this free newsletter today . About Zacks Zacks.com is a property of Zacks Investment Research, Inc., which was formed in 1978. The later formation of the Zacks Rank, a proprietary stock picking system; continues to outperform the market by nearly a 3 to 1 margin. The best way to unlock the profitable stock recommendations and market insights of Zacks Investment Research is through our free daily email newsletter; Profit from the Pros. In short, it's your steady flow of Profitable ideas GUARANTEED to be worth your time! Register for your free subscription to Profit from the Pros . Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/zacksresearch Join us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Zacks-Investment-Research/57553657748?ref=ts Zacks Investment Research is under common control with affiliated entities (including a broker-dealer and an investment adviser), which may engage in transactions involving the foregoing securities for the clients of such affiliates. Media Contact Zacks Investment Research 800-767-3771 ext. 9339 support@zacks.com https://www.zacks.com Zacks.com provides investment resources and informs you of these resources, which you may choose to use in making your own investment decisions. Zacks is providing information on this resource to you subject to the Zacks \""Terms and Conditions of Service\"" disclaimer. www.zacks.com/disclaimer . Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report ALCOA INC (AA): Free Stock Analysis Report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report CSX CORP (CSX): Free Stock Analysis Report JPMORGAN CHASE (JPM): Free Stock Analysis Report APPLE INC (AAPL): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Option Alert: FAST Jul16 47.0 Calls Sweep: 1282 @ ASK $0.43: 5854 traded vs 1295 OI: Earnings tmrrw Before Open $45.59 Ref"", ""Notable earnings before Tuesday's open"", ""Fastenal declares $0.30 dividend""]"
FAST,2016-07-12,18.3414,18.7432,18.1016,18.3612,"[""Fastenal misses by $0.03, misses on revenue"", ""More on Fastenal's Q2"", ""Fastenal's (FAST) CEO Daniel Florness on Q2 2016 Results - Earnings Call Transcript"", ""5 Stocks You Should Be Watching Today"", ""Earnings Scheduled For July 12, 2016"", ""Fastenal Q2 EPS $0.45 vs $0.48 est, Revenue $1.01B vs $1.02B est"", ""Fastenal Q2 Results Miss Expectations"", ""A Peek Into The Markets: U.S. Stock Futures Gain; Alcoa Earnings Beat Views"", ""The Market In 5 Minutes: Alcoa Kicks Off Earnings Season"", ""15 Stocks Moving In Tuesday's Pre-Market Session"", ""8 Biggest Mid-Day Losers For Tuesday"", ""8 Biggest Mid-Day Losers For Tuesday"", ""15 Stocks Moving In Tuesday's Pre-Market Session"", ""The Market In 5 Minutes: Alcoa Kicks Off Earnings Season"", ""A Peek Into The Markets: U.S. Stock Futures Gain; Alcoa Earnings Beat Views"", ""Fastenal Q2 Results Miss Expectations"", ""Fastenal Q2 EPS $0.45 vs $0.48 est, Revenue $1.01B vs $1.02B est"", ""Earnings Scheduled For July 12, 2016"", ""5 Stocks You Should Be Watching Today"", ""Fastenal's (FAST) CEO Daniel Florness on Q2 2016 Results - Earnings Call Transcript"", ""More on Fastenal's Q2"", ""Fastenal misses by $0.03, misses on revenue"", ""Earnings Reaction History: Fastenal Co., 33.3% Follow-Through Indicator, 3.0% Sensitive Expected Earnings Release: 07/12/2016, Premarket Avg. Extended-Hours Dollar Volume: $664,348 Fastenal Co. ( FAST ) is due to issue its quarterly earnings report in the upcoming extended-hours session. Given its history, traders can expect light trading in the issue immediately following its quarterly earnings announcement. Historical earnings event related premarket and after-hours trading activity in FAST indicates that the price change in the extended hours is likely to be of limited value in forecasting additional price movement by the following regular session close. Last 12 Qtrs Positive Only Price Reactions Percent of time added to extended-hours gains: 0% Average next regular session additional gain: 0% There have not been any meaningful extended-hours earnings related price reactions over the previous 3 years (12 quarters) in this direction. Last 12 Qtrs Negative Only Price Reactions Percent of time added to extended-hours losses: 75% Average next regular session additional loss: 1.2% Over that same historical period, when shares of FAST dropped in the extended-hours in reaction to its earnings announcement, history shows that 75.0% of the time (3 events) the stock dropped further, adding to the extended-hours losses by an average of 1.2% by the following regular session close. Data provided by the MT Pro service at MTNewswires.com. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. Copyright (C) 2016 MTNewswires.com. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal (FAST) Misses Q2 Earnings & Sales, Margins Down Fastenal Company FAST reported lower-than expected results in the second quarter of 2016, missing estimates for both earnings and sales. Shares declined almost 4% in pre-market trading . Earnings Miss Adjusted earnings of 45 cents per share in the second quarter missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 48 cents by 6.25%. Earnings also declined 6.3% year over year due to weak sales and margins. Fastenal Company (FAST) Street EPS & Surprise Percent - Last 5 Quarters | FindTheCompany Sales Remain Weak Net sales of $1.01 billion missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.02 billion by 0.8%. Sales increased 1.6% year over year. Net sales at the Canadian business increased about 4% in local currency during the quarter while it was less than 7% increase in the previous quarter. Fires in Western Canada in the month of May hurt sales in the country. Fastenal's total average daily sales increased 1.6% in the second quarter of 2016, much lower than a 5% increase in the prior-year quarter. It was also softer than 1.9% increase reported in the first quarter. Foreign exchange dragged down daily sales growth rate in the quarter by 0.4% while acquisitions added 0.6% to sales. Fastenal's sales, in the past few quarters, have been affected by price deflation of fastener products, currency headwinds and lack of new products and services. The top line has been adversely impacted by lower sales to manufacturing and construction customers due to overall weakness in the industrial economy. On a monthly basis, daily sales remained flat in June but increased 3.8% in April and 1.1% in May. The growth rates fell short of 6.1%, 5.3% and 3.7%, respectively, in April, May and June of 2015. This industrial and construction supplies wholesale distributor serves customers in the manufacturing and non-residential construction markets. Daily sales to manufacturing customers (representing almost 50% of revenues) rose 0.7%, down from growth of 3.8% in the prior-year quarter and 0.9% in the previous quarter. The daily sales growth rate of fastener products (used mainly for industrial production and accounting for nearly 40% of the company's business) declined 2.4% in the quarter, compared to flat in the year-ago quarter and a 1.7% decline recorded in the previous quarter. Price deflation of fasteners and lower demand from the heavy machinery manufacturing customer base -- due to lower production requirements -- has been hurting fastener sales. Non-fastener product sales (used mainly for maintenance) increased 4.7%, same as last quarter but much less than an increase of 9% in the prior-year quarter. Though the non-fastener business is doing better than fasteners driven by strong vending trends, it has nonetheless weakened in the last eight quarters due to prevailing weakness in the industrial environment. In the non-residential construction market, daily sales to non-residential construction customers (representing 20% to 25% of revenues) declined 1.7% as against a 1.6% increase in the prior-year quarter and a decline of 0.4% in the previous quarter. Volatility and softer energy prices impacted sales in this market. Vending Trends Continue to Improve As of Jun 30, 2016, Fastenal operated 58,346 vending machines, up 15.3% year over year. During the quarter, the company signed 4,869 machine contracts, up 4.8% from the last quarter. The daily sales to customers with industrial vending grew 2.7% year over year. Vending machines now account for 44.6% of the company's sales, higher than 44.5% in the prior quarter. After remaining soft in 2013, vending trends improved through 2014 and 2015 as well as the first half of 2016, as the management's efforts on enhancing the quality of signings/installs paid off. Margins Decline Gross margin of 49.5% in the second quarter of 2016 declined 80 basis points (bps) year over year and 30 bps sequentially. Gross margin was hurt by an unfavorable customer mix and product mix. The customer mix shifted towards the large account end-market, which produces low gross margins but stronger operating profits. The product mix shifted from high-margin fastener products to non-fastener products. Pre-tax earnings declined 7.7% to $207.8 million due to higher payroll costs. Pre-tax margins declined 210 bps to 20.5% in the quarter. Fastenal Company has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). FASTENAL Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise FASTENAL Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise | FASTENAL Quote Stocks to Consider Some better-ranked stocks in the building products sector include Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. BECN , The Home Depot, Inc. HD and Lowe's Companies, Inc. LOW . While Beacon Roofing Supply sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), The Home Depot and Lowe's Companies carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days.Click to get this free report >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report HOME DEPOT (HD): Free Stock Analysis Report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report LOWES COS (LOW): Free Stock Analysis Report BEACON ROOFING (BECN): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""S&P 500 Movers: FAST, STX In early trading on Tuesday, shares of Seagate Technology pc ( STX ) topped the list of the day's best performing components of the S&P 500 index, trading up 20.3%. Year to date, Seagate Technology has lost about 20.9% of its value. And the worst performing S&P 500 component thus far on the day is Fastenal ( FAST ), trading down 2.6%. Fastenal is showing a gain of 8.3% looking at the year to date performance. Two other components making moves today are Newmont Mining ( NEM ), trading down 2.3%, and American Airlines Group ( AAL ), trading up 8.7% on the day. VIDEO: S&P 500 Movers: FAST, STX The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Nasdaq 100 Movers: FAST, STX In early trading on Tuesday, shares of Seagate Technology pc ( STX ) topped the list of the day's best performing components of the Nasdaq 100 index, trading up 19.8%. Year to date, Seagate Technology has lost about 21.3% of its value. And the worst performing Nasdaq 100 component thus far on the day is Fastenal ( FAST ), trading down 2.7%. Fastenal is showing a gain of 8.2% looking at the year to date performance. Two other components making moves today are Kraft Heinz ( KHC ), trading down 1.4%, and American Airlines Group ( AAL ), trading up 8.3% on the day. VIDEO: Nasdaq 100 Movers: FAST, STX The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal (FAST) Misses Q2 Earnings and Sales Fastenal Company FAST is a national wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies. It distributes its products through company-owned stores mostly located in North America. The company has gradually grown from a fastener distributor to a full-line industrial supplier. Weakness in sales of the industrial fasteners, lower sales to customers in the oil & gas industry, a stronger U.S. dollar, softness in the Canadian business and overall weakness in the industrial economy is hurting the company's sales. However, Fastenal's vending trends are improving as efforts on improving the quality of signings/installs paid off. Investors should also note the recent earnings estimate revisions for FAST has been mostly downwards. However, FAST has an average history in earnings season. Fastenal has delivered two positive earnings surprises in the last four quarters, making an average positive surprise of 0.45%. Currently, FAST has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), but that could definitely change following Fastenal's earnings report which was just released. We have highlighted some of the key stats from this just-revealed announcement below: FASTENAL Price and EPS Surprise FASTENAL Price and EPS Surprise | FASTENAL Quote Earnings: FAST missed earnings. Our consensus earnings estimate called for EPS of $0.48/share, and the company reported EPS of $0.45/share. Investors should note that these figures take out stock option expenses. Revenues: FAST reported revenues of $1.01 billion, which missed our consensus estimate of $1.02 billion. Key Stats to Note: Fastenal's total average daily sales increased 1.6% in the second quarter of 2016, much lower than a 5% increase in the prior-year quarter. It was also softer than 1.9% increase reported in the first quarter. Share price: Share prices declined 0.8% in the pre-market trading . Check back later for our full write up on this FAST earnings report later! Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days.Click to get this free report >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Tuesday's ETF with Unusual Volume: SPYG The SPDR S&P 500 Growth ETF ( SPYG ) is seeing unusually high volume in afternoon trading Tuesday, with over 687,000 shares traded versus three month average volume of about 33,000. Shares of SPYG were up about 0.6% on the day. Components of that ETF with the highest volume on Tuesday were Micron Tech ( MU ), trading up about 5.2% with over 26.7 million shares changing hands so far this session, and General Electric ( GE ), up about 0.6% on volume of over 22.0 million shares. Illumina ( ILMN ) is the component faring the best Tuesday, up by about 6.7% on the day, while Fastenal ( FAST ) is lagging other components of the SPDR S&P 500 Growth ETF, trading lower by about 3.1%. VIDEO: Tuesday's ETF with Unusual Volume: SPYG The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Why Barrick Gold Corporation (USA) (ABX), Fastenal Company (FAST) and LendingClub Corp (LC) Are 3 of Today\u2019s Worst Stocks InvestorPlace InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips Following through on yesterday's move into record-high territory (though with more zeal than Monday's action), the S&P 500 advanced 0.7% on Tuesday to close at 2152.62. There was no major news behind the rally. It was just built on raw momentum. Of course, that raw momentum didn't lift every name out there. Barrick Gold Corporation (USA) (NYSE: ABX ), Fastenal Company (NASDAQ: FAST ) and LendingClub Corp (NYSE: LC ) each managed to log a losing day, and for completely understandable reasons. Barrick Gold Corporation (USA) (ABX) Finally forced to decide between gold, bonds and stocks, investors chose stocks on Tuesday, largely discarding gold and bonds in the process. Bond values were lower to the tune of 1.4% today, while gold prices fell 1.7%. The ripple effect of gold's meltdown was magnified for gold mining stocks like Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd (USA) (NYSE: AEM ) and Randgold Resources Ltd. (ADR) (NASDAQ: GOLD ), which were down 2.2% and 4.4% - respectively - today. Leading the bearish charge for gold mining stocks, however, was Barrick Gold. ABX ended the day down more than 6%. 10 Stocks That Will Hold Back Your Retirement ActivTrades chief analyst Carlo Alberto de Casa commented on the day's setback for gold : \""Tensions in Britain are easing for now, as the country will soon have a new prime minister. With the British pound gaining some ground, demand for gold and other safe havens is decreasing.\"" The British pound's rise didn't mean a whole lot for the U.S. dollar on Tuesday, which was flat. Gold's setback happened without the help of a soaring greenback, suggesting the tumble was more feeling-based than numbers-driven. Fastenal Company (FAST) Industrial supply outfit Fastenal fell short of analyst estimates last quarter, whether you're talking about the top line or the bottom line. In its second quarter of 2016, Fastenal earned 45 cents per share of FAST on $1.01 billion worth of revenue. Problem: The pros were calling for a bottom line of 48 cents per share on sales of $1.02 billion. Fanning the bearish flames for the 3.4% FAST made today was the fact that Q2 is the third straight quarter the company missed earnings estimates , and analysts were only expecting the company to match the year-ago per share bottom line. Moreover, the pros were only calling for revenue growth of 2.5%. Fastenal Company couldn't even pick that low-hanging fruit. LendingClub Corp (LC) Finally, although the news technically surfaced on Monday, it didn't propagate - and worry LendingClub shareholders - until today. That is, the government may be about to scrutinize the online lending industry, including LC, even further. CLF Stock: When Will Cliffs Natural Resources Inc Step Off the Edge? In short, earlier this week it was made clear that the Financial Stability Oversight Council is increasingly concerned about the inherent dangers of a relatively unregulated lending industry . Fanning the bearish flames that ultimately sent LC shares more than 6% lower on Tuesday was Monday evening's report from the Wall Street Journal that the company's charge-off rates had risen by 38% since 2013 . The rising charge-off rate coincides with a near halving of the frequency the lender verified income for the same timeframe. It's not unlike the start of the subprime lending crisis of 2008, though in this case, prevention measures designed to contain such a contagion could end up crimping LendingClub's operation. As of this writing, James Brumley did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities. More From InvestorPlace The 10 Best Dividend Stocks to Buy for the Remainder of the Year 7 F-Rated Stocks Exposed in All the Wrong Places The post Why Barrick Gold Corporation (USA) (ABX), Fastenal Company (FAST) and LendingClub Corp (LC) Are 3 of Today's Worst Stocks appeared first on InvestorPlace . The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""8 Biggest Mid-Day Losers For Tuesday"", ""15 Stocks Moving In Tuesday's Pre-Market Session"", ""The Market In 5 Minutes: Alcoa Kicks Off Earnings Season"", ""A Peek Into The Markets: U.S. Stock Futures Gain; Alcoa Earnings Beat Views"", ""Fastenal Q2 Results Miss Expectations"", ""Fastenal Q2 EPS $0.45 vs $0.48 est, Revenue $1.01B vs $1.02B est"", ""Earnings Scheduled For July 12, 2016"", ""5 Stocks You Should Be Watching Today"", ""Fastenal's (FAST) CEO Daniel Florness on Q2 2016 Results - Earnings Call Transcript"", ""More on Fastenal's Q2"", ""Fastenal misses by $0.03, misses on revenue"", ""Shares of Fastenal fall 1.8% in early trade to $44.53 to lead S&P 500 laggards"", ""Dow, S&P 500 close at record highs Nasdaq Composite closes at first year-to-date gain for 2016 The Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 index on Tuesday both closed at fresh all-time highs, supported by a rally in energy shares and stronger-than-expected earnings from Alcoa Inc.""]"
FAST,2016-07-13,18.3266,18.4007,18.0631,18.154,"Company News for July 13, 2016 • RR Donnelley & Sons Co ( RRD ) shares advanced 2% on reports that Xerox Corp ( XRX ) is in talks with the company to buy RR Donnelley • Shares of Shire PLC ( SHPG ) rose 4.8% on news that the FDA has approved the company's ophthalmology drug Xiidra, a treatment of dry eye disease • Fastenal Company's ( FAST ) shares decreased 3.5% after posting fiscal second quarter adjusted earnings of $0.45 per share, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 3 cents • Shares of Blackstone Group LP ( BX ) increased 2% following news that the company is in talks with China Vanke Co Ltd and its partners to sell some of Blackstone's property firms for $1.9 billion Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report XEROX CORP (XRX): Free Stock Analysis Report SHIRE PLC-ADR (SHPG): Free Stock Analysis Report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report BLACKSTONE GRP (BX): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2016-07-14,18.2684,18.3414,18.1421,18.154,"[""I Expect Some Downside Correction On Fastenal At Current Levels"", ""Sequoia Fund Letter: Valeant Was A Mistake"", ""MSC Industrial's Struggles Shouldn't Be Ignored"", ""BMO Sees 3 Drivers Benefiting Fastenal Sales Growth In 2017"", ""BMO Sees 3 Drivers Benefiting Fastenal Sales Growth In 2017"", ""MSC Industrial's Struggles Shouldn't Be Ignored"", ""I Expect Some Downside Correction On Fastenal At Current Levels"", ""Sequoia Fund Letter: Valeant Was A Mistake"", ""New Strong Sell Stocks for July 14th Here are 5 stocks added to the Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell) List today: \u2022 Alaska Air Group, Inc.ALK is a holding company that has two principal subsidiaries: Alaska Airlines, Inc. and Horizon Air Industries, Inc that provide passenger and cargo services. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings has been revised 3.7% downward over the last 30 days. \u2022 The Blackstone Group L.P.BX is one of the world's leading investment and advisory firms. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings has declined 8.8% over the last 30 days. \u2022 Fastenal CompanyFAST is a national wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies. It has seen the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings being revised 3.4% downward over the last 30 days. \u2022 Knight Transportation Inc.KNX is a short to medium-haul, dry van truckload carrier operating in the western region of the U.S. The Zacks Consensus Estimate revision for its current year earnings was a negative 3.6% over the last 30 days. \u2022 L Brands, Inc.LB operates as a retailer of women's intimate and other apparel, beauty and personal care products and accessories primarily in the U.S. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings has moved 0.1% lower over the last 30 days. View the entire Zacks Rank #5 List . Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report ALASKA AIR GRP (ALK): Free Stock Analysis Report KNIGHT TRANSN (KNX): Free Stock Analysis Report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report BLACKSTONE GRP (BX): Free Stock Analysis Report L BRANDS INC (LB): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""BMO Sees 3 Drivers Benefiting Fastenal Sales Growth In 2017"", ""MSC Industrial's Struggles Shouldn't Be Ignored"", ""I Expect Some Downside Correction On Fastenal At Current Levels"", ""Sequoia Fund Letter: Valeant Was A Mistake""]"
FAST,2016-07-15,18.2635,18.298,18.1727,18.2171,"[""BMO's 'favorite ideas for new money'"", ""BMO's 'favorite ideas for new money'"", ""AMN Healthcare Services, Fastenal, Align Technology, Mettler-Toledo and Helen of Troy highlighted as Zacks Bull and Bear of the Day For Immediate Release Chicago, IL - July 15, 2016 - Zacks Equity Research highlights AMN Healthcare Services ( AHS ) as the Bull of the Day and Fastenal ( FAST ) as the Bear of the Day. In addition, Zacks Equity Research provides analysis on Align Technology Inc. ( ALGN ), Mettler-Toledo ( MTD ) and Helen of Troy ( HELE ). Here is a synopsis of all five stocks: Bull of the Day: AMN Healthcare Services ( AHS ) is a $2 billion medical staffing company that specializes in temporary/travel and permanent assignments across the US. They provide physician and nursing recruitment and placement services for thousands of hospitals, clinics, medical centers, government facilities, and other healthcare organizations. The company is expected to reach revenues of $1.86 billion this year, representing 27% year-over-year growth. And the bottom line is strong too with the current Zacks Consensus EPS estimate at $2.24 from three analysts, for 36% annual profit growth. Next year's growth projections are not as strong, but still impressive at 9% on the top line and 11.3% at the bottom. New Highs on Strong Employment Trends After finding strong support at $34 in May following a 22% earnings beat, AHS shares barely flinched during the Brexit correction. The stock hit new all-time highs just above $41 on June 8 and only pulled back to $38 in late June. The month of July has seen nothing less than 5 new highs as the strong jobs data, especially in the Healthcare sector, bodes well for second quarter results due on August 4. According to the Labor Department's May JOLTS report (Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey), which was released on Tuesday July 12, data for May in the healthcare and social assistance category were positive for healthcare staffing. Job openings growth accelerated to 10.4% YoY on a seasonally-adjusted basis from 3.4% in April while growth in \""quits\"" also saw an increase to 10.6% in May from 8.5% in April. Intelligent Healthcare Labor Solutions To provide insight into how AMN is more than a staffing, recruiting and placement firm, a testimonial from a customer that required specialized consulting is appropriate. The client was a major nonprofit healthcare provider who needed a new staffing structure. Here's what the chief nursing executive said about AMN's approach to the problem and the solid outcomes, courtesy of the AMN website Testimonials page... \""Our large organization did not have true centralized staffing, so AMN Consultants came in, worked side-by-side with us and helped put together a fully functional staffing office. With the help of these outside experts, we were able to execute our goals much more quickly and more efficiently and to do what's right for our patients. \""Implemented solutions resulted in dramatically increased staffing efficiency and effectiveness. Spending on agency staff and payroll costs declined, saving the healthcare system approximately $5.6 million annually.\"" With this approach to intelligent, system-focused solutions, AMN Healthcare Services appears to be an important player in a growing field. Bear of the Day : Fastenal ( FAST ) reported second quarter EPS on Tuesday July 12 and missed the Zacks Consensus by 3-cents, or 6.25%. Earnings were down 5.4% compared to the year-ago quarter while revenues were up 1.6% year over year to $1.01 billion. Gross margins were 49.5% and also disappointed analysts as they contracted 80 bps vs. 50.3% in 2Q15. Operating margins were 20.6%, which contracted 100 bps vs. 22.6% a year ago. Analysts responded quickly and unison to the report by lowering EPS estimates for this year and next. The Zacks Consensus for 2016 profit estimates fell from $1.82 to $1.76 while 2017 projections were knocked down from $1.96 to $1.88. Respectively, these new EPS estimates represent flat growth for this year and only 6.77% for next year. Global Uncertainty Clouds Outlook Fastenal is strongly associated with the threaded screws, bolts, and other fasteners that give the company its namesake, but it also sells industrial and construction supplies grouped into ten other product lines including tools, metal cutting tools, fluid transfer components and accessories for hydraulic and pneumatic power, material handling and storage products, janitorial and paper products, electrical supplies, welding supplies, safety supplies, and raw materials. The company has over 2,600 branches throughout the US, Canada, Mexico and Europe along with 13 distribution centers. CEO Daniel Florness suggested that the industrial economy likely showed incremental weakening Q2. Management spoke about the Construction segment in particular where they saw a slowdown in their energy customers in both May and June. This is clearly an effect of energy companies holding off on projects that are typically seen in the spring and summer. Moreover, Fastenal is witnessing projects that were still going on from a year ago not being replaced. Management also estimated that several temporary plant shutdowns impacted the month of June by ~1.0% revenue growth. Trading at 23 times next year's EPS projection, Fastenal is neither a value play nor a growth play. Keep your eye on the Zacks Rank to let you know when that changes. Additional content: A New Running of the Bulls: Zacks Market Strategy Summer is peaking. The lousiest start for stocks in a New Year on record has reversed. The S&P500 finally broke out of a tight mid-2016 range. The S&P500 passed (in mid-July) its all-time high seen in June 2015. This index technical is very important to bulls. The 12-month forward look on earnings growth matters in mid-summer. Consensus sees +0.8% in annual S&P500 EPS growth for 2016 and a hockey stick +13.4% for 2017. In 2015, the S&P500 saw -1.1%. In 2014, it saw +4.8%. The U.S. Economy Heats Up on Both Tracks The latest June ISM surveys say it all. The U.S. economy has stayed on track. (1) U.S. manufacturers grew in June at the fastest pace in 15 months, signaling a clear if modest uptrend after a bout of extended weakness. (2) On top of that, economic activity in the non-manufacturing sector grew in June for the 77 th consecutive month. (3) If it is my guess, the U.K. Brexit event will be a non-event for U.S. consumers. (4) However, for firms and banks, Brexit will delay any inward investment into the U.K. by U.S. and non-U.S. groups alike. The optimistic thing that can be noted about the post-Brexit situation in the U.K. is the government -- all of it, previous ones, future ones and the present one -- have time to sort this out. As an economist who thinks mightily of the U.K. and its long history, I hope they do. They can do this. They can emerge with a positive and forward-looking solution for their country. To summarize the U.S. macro situation, a Fed economist duly noted: \""\u2026 While the average gain of 152,000 jobs per month represents a slowdown relative to the robust pace of the past few years, it is well above the level needed to support further improvement in overall labor market conditions, estimated to be in the range of 60,000 to 100,000 new jobs per month.\"" Yes, the U.S. remains in expansion. Recent monthly labor market evidence emerged conclusive. The U.S. created 287K jobs in June, bouncing back after adding just 11K new jobs in May. June was the biggest job addition this year. Zacks Sector/Industry/Company Telescope-and 3 Stock Picks Sector Winners: Heath Care got back to the top of the sector pack in late June. The industry leader here became the Drug companies, particularly the Large Caps. The other sector surge was seen from the Info Tech sector, with the Electronics and Semiconductor industries leading the way. Sector Losers: The big surprise sector loser was Consumer Discretionary. It fell all the way back to Very Unattractive. Downgrades hit the Consumer Staples and Materials sectors too. The industry exception was Steel, with new tariffs on China dumping. Financials also took a hit. Major banks struggle with the ever-continuing sink of interest rates -- now into negative territory on $11 trillion of bonds. (1) Health Care went back to Very Attractive. Drugs led the way on the upgrade. Medical Care is still attractive. Medical Products rests at Market Weight. Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stock: Align Technology Inc. ( ALGN ) Align Technology Inc. designs, manufactures and markets the Invisalign System, a proprietary method for treating malocclusion(a misalignment or incorrect relation between the teeth of two dental arches when they approach each other as jaws close).The System corrects malocclusion using a series of clear, removable appliances that gently move teeth to a desired final position. (2) Info Tech rose all the way to Very Attractive. Electronics and Semiconductors led the way back. Zacks #2 Rank (Buy) stock: Mettler-Toledo ( MTD ) Mettler-Toledo is the world's largest manufacturer and marketer of weighing instruments for use in laboratory, industrial and food retailing applications (3) Consumer Staples fell back one notch to Attractive. Food/Drug Retail, and Misc. Staples, & Tobacco all look good again. Food fell back to Market. Zacks #2 Rank (Buy) stock: Helen of Troy ( HELE ) Helen of Troy Limited is a leading designer, producer and marketer of brand name consumer products. The Company's products include hair dryers, curling irons, hair setters, women's shavers, brushes, combs, hair accessories, home hair clippers, mirrors, foot baths, body massagers, depilatories and paraffin baths. (4) Materials fell back one notch to Attractive. The best is Containers & Glass and Steel. Metals-Non-Ferrous look better, as gold and silver prices rise. (5) Telcos stayed a Market Weight. (6) Utilities stayed a Market Weight. (7) Energy stayed a Market Weight. The best are the Pipelines. Drillers remain in the tank, along with Oil-Misc. (8) Industrials fell one notch to Unattractive. Machinery-Electrical is the sole strong industry. Railroads, Industrial Products & Services, Machinery, Construction-Building Services, and Airlines all slipped. (9) Financials stayed Unattractive. Major Banks are struggling with negative rates. Investment Banking & Brokering sees a Brexit stall in deals. The best industry niche looks to be Real Estate. (10) Consumer Discretionary fell to Very Unattractive. Auto and Consumer Electronics industries look poor. Apparel and Leisure Services also took a hit. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report >> Get today's Zacks #1 Stock of the Day with your free subscription to Profit from the Pros newsletter: About the Bull and Bear of the Day Every day, the analysts at Zacks Equity Research select two stocks that are likely to outperform (Bull) or underperform (Bear) the markets over the next 3-6 months. About the Analyst Blog Updated throughout every trading day, the Analyst Blog provides analysis from Zacks Equity Research about the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. About Zacks Equity Research Zacks Equity Research provides the best of quantitative and qualitative analysis to help investors know what stocks to buy and which to sell for the long-term. Continuous analyst coverage is provided for a universe of 1,150 publicly traded stocks. Our analysts are organized by industry which gives them keen insights to developments that affect company profits and stock performance. Recommendations and target prices are six-month time horizons. Zacks \""Profit from the Pros\"" e-mail newsletter provides highlights of the latest analysis from Zacks Equity Research. Click here to subscribe to this free newsletter today . About Zacks Zacks.com is a property of Zacks Investment Research, Inc., which was formed in 1978. The later formation of the Zacks Rank, a proprietary stock picking system; continues to outperform the market by nearly a 3 to 1 margin. The best way to unlock the profitable stock recommendations and market insights of Zacks Investment Research is through our free daily email newsletter; Profit from the Pros. In short, it's your steady flow of Profitable ideas GUARANTEED to be worth your time! Register for your free subscription to Profit from the Pros . Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/zacksresearch Join us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Zacks-Investment-Research/57553657748?ref=ts Zacks Investment Research is under common control with affiliated entities (including a broker-dealer and an investment adviser), which may engage in transactions involving the foregoing securities for the clients of such affiliates. Media Contact Zacks Investment Research 800-767-3771 ext. 9339 support@zacks.com https://www.zacks.com Zacks.com provides investment resources and informs you of these resources, which you may choose to use in making your own investment decisions. Zacks is providing information on this resource to you subject to the Zacks \""Terms and Conditions of Service\"" disclaimer. www.zacks.com/disclaimer . Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report AMN HLTHCR SVCS (AHS): Free Stock Analysis Report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report ALIGN TECH INC (ALGN): Free Stock Analysis Report METTLER-TOLEDO (MTD): Free Stock Analysis Report HELEN OF TROY (HELE): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Bear of the Day: Fastenal (FAST) Fastenal (FAST) reported second quarter EPS on Tuesday July 12 and missed the Zacks Consensus by 3-cents, or 6.25%. Earnings were down 5.4% compared to the year-ago quarter while revenues were up 1.6% year over year to $1.01 billion. Gross margins were 49.5% and also disappointed analysts as they contracted 80 bps vs. 50.3% in 2Q15. Operating margins were 20.6%, which contracted 100 bps vs. 22.6% a year ago. Analysts responded quickly and unison to the report by lowering EPS estimates for this year and next. The Zacks Consensus for 2016 profit estimates fell from $1.82 to $1.76 while 2017 projections were knocked down from $1.96 to $1.88. Respectively, these new EPS estimates represent flat growth for this year and only 6.77% for next year. Global Uncertainty Clouds Outlook Fastenal is strongly associated with the threaded screws, bolts, and other fasteners that give the company its namesake, but it also sells industrial and construction supplies grouped into ten other product lines including tools, metal cutting tools, fluid transfer components and accessories for hydraulic and pneumatic power, material handling and storage products, janitorial and paper products, electrical supplies, welding supplies, safety supplies, and raw materials. The company has over 2,600 branches throughout the US, Canada, Mexico and Europe along with 13 distribution centers. CEO Daniel Florness suggested that the industrial economy likely showed incremental weakening Q2. Management spoke about the Construction segment in particular where they saw a slowdown in their energy customers in both May and June. This is clearly an effect of energy companies holding off on projects that are typically seen in the spring and summer. Moreover, Fastenal is witnessing projects that were still going on from a year ago not being replaced. Management also estimated that several temporary plant shutdowns impacted the month of June by ~1.0% revenue growth. Trading at 23 times next year's EPS projection, Fastenal is neither a value play nor a growth play. Keep your eye on the Zacks Rank to let you know when that changes. Kevin Cook is a Senior Stock Strategist for Zacks Investment Research where he runs the Tactical Trader portfolio. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""BMO's 'favorite ideas for new money'""]"
FAST,2016-07-18,18.1796,18.2132,17.999,18.0197,
FAST,2016-07-19,17.9378,17.9713,17.7403,17.7937,"[""Tracking Ruane, Cunniff, & Goldfarb's Portfolio - Q2 2016 Update"", ""Tracking Ruane, Cunniff, & Goldfarb's Portfolio - Q2 2016 Update"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Shares Cross Below 200 DMA In trading on Tuesday, shares of Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) crossed below their 200 day moving average of $42.91, changing hands as low as $42.46 per share. Fastenal Co. shares are currently trading off about 1% on the day. The chart below shows the one year performance of FAST shares, versus its 200 day moving average: Looking at the chart above, FAST's low point in its 52 week range is $34.45 per share, with $49.99 as the 52 week high point - that compares with a last trade of $42.55. According to the ETF Finder at ETF Channel, FAST makes up 1.44% of the First Trust NASDAQ-100 Ex-Technology Sector Index Fund ETF (Symbol: QQXT) which is trading lower by about 0.7% on the day Tuesday. Click here to find out which 9 other dividend stocks recently crossed below their 200 day moving average \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Tracking Ruane, Cunniff, & Goldfarb's Portfolio - Q2 2016 Update""]"
FAST,2016-07-20,17.7364,17.9792,17.5923,17.8401,
FAST,2016-07-21,17.8193,17.8529,17.4847,17.539,"[""The Happy Gilmore Market And My Search For Attractive Multiples At Today's Prices"", ""The Happy Gilmore Market And My Search For Attractive Multiples At Today's Prices"", ""The Happy Gilmore Market And My Search For Attractive Multiples At Today's Prices""]"
FAST,2016-07-22,17.5479,17.8243,17.5133,17.7867,
FAST,2016-07-25,17.7255,17.8173,17.6772,17.7029,
FAST,2016-07-26,17.7325,17.843,17.614,17.7275,
FAST,2016-07-27,17.7374,17.7621,17.5873,17.6949,
FAST,2016-07-28,17.6743,17.9852,17.6565,17.9467,"[""2 Avoids And 1 Potential Buy"", ""2 Avoids And 1 Potential Buy"", ""2 Avoids And 1 Potential Buy""]"
FAST,2016-07-29,17.9358,18.1421,17.8588,18.0532,
FAST,2016-08-01,18.0661,18.1372,17.8657,17.9437,
FAST,2016-08-02,17.923,17.9832,17.6427,17.6565,
FAST,2016-08-03,17.6565,17.7709,17.5873,17.7621,
FAST,2016-08-04,18.075,18.2586,17.8973,17.9072,"Nasdaq 100 Movers: HSIC, MU In early trading on Thursday, shares of Micron Technology ( MU ) topped the list of the day's best performing components of the Nasdaq 100 index, trading up 3.4%. Year to date, Micron Technology has lost about 1.3% of its value. And the worst performing Nasdaq 100 component thus far on the day is Henry Schein ( HSIC ), trading down 7.6%. Henry Schein is showing a gain of 5.0% looking at the year to date performance. Two other components making moves today are Tripadvisor ( TRIP ), trading down 6.8%, and Fastenal ( FAST ), trading up 1.9% on the day. VIDEO: Nasdaq 100 Movers: HSIC, MU The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2016-08-05,17.9516,18.1174,17.9101,18.1046,
FAST,2016-08-08,18.15,18.2092,18.071,18.0957,
FAST,2016-08-09,18.1372,18.1638,17.8953,17.9407,
FAST,2016-08-10,17.9407,18.0325,17.8479,17.9358,"These 62 Big Blue Chips Are on the Move (ABEV, ALL, BLK, HRS) InvestorPlace InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips During these busy times, it pays to stay on top of the latest profit opportunities, and today's blog post should be a great place to start. After taking a close look at the latest data on institutional buying pressure and each company's fundamental health, I decided to revise my Portfolio Grader recommendations for 62 big blue chips. 9 Stocks to Buy That Will Sprint Past Everything Else Chances are that you have at least one of these stocks in your portfolio, so you may want to give this list a skim and act accordingly. This Week's Ratings Changes: To stay on top of my latest stock ratings, plug your holdings into Portfolio Grader, my proprietary stock screening tool. You may get started here . More From InvestorPlace 7 No-Name Tech Stocks That Will Make You Rich 10 Losers That Will Be 2017's Best Stocks to Buy The post These 62 Big Blue Chips Are on the Move (ABEV, ALL, BLK, HRS) appeared first on InvestorPlace . The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2016-08-11,18.0661,18.4264,18.0622,18.3434,"Fastenal Breaks Above 200-Day Moving Average - Bullish for FAST In trading on Thursday, shares of Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) crossed above their 200 day moving average of $43.31, changing hands as high as $43.43 per share. Fastenal Co. shares are currently trading up about 2.2% on the day. The chart below shows the one year performance of FAST shares, versus its 200 day moving average: Looking at the chart above, FAST's low point in its 52 week range is $34.45 per share, with $49.99 as the 52 week high point - that compares with a last trade of $43.49. According to the ETF Finder at ETF Channel, FAST makes up 4.14% of the First Trust RBA Quality Income ETF (Symbol: QINC) which is trading up by about 0.6% on the day Thursday. Click here to find out which 9 other dividend stocks recently crossed above their 200 day moving average » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2016-08-12,18.296,18.4164,18.23,18.3484,"[""John Hussman Buys Infosys, Southern"", ""John Hussman Buys Infosys, Southern"", ""John Hussman Buys Infosys, Southern""]"
FAST,2016-08-15,18.3326,18.536,18.3326,18.4896,"[""Top 10 Industrial Sector Stocks For Q3 2016"", ""Top 10 Industrial Sector Stocks For Q3 2016"", ""Top 10 Industrial Sector Stocks For Q3 2016""]"
FAST,2016-08-16,18.4796,18.4915,18.3582,18.3632,
FAST,2016-08-17,18.4224,18.4313,18.296,18.4126,
FAST,2016-08-18,18.458,18.5764,18.2616,18.536,
FAST,2016-08-19,18.4758,18.6001,18.3386,18.5804,
FAST,2016-08-22,18.4758,18.6652,18.4066,18.6494,
FAST,2016-08-23,18.8212,18.8212,18.5666,18.5932,"7 Retail Stocks to Avoid Post Dismal Earnings With the second-quarter earnings season now effectively behind us, the retail sector is the only one still hogging the limelight, as a few stocks are lined up to report their financials. The conclusion derived from recent reports of retailers is that this sector's performance has not lived up to the expectations. For more details on earnings of this sector and others, please read our Earnings Trends report. The initial assumptions that the improved household buying power, as a result of energy savings, would reflect in the retail sector's results, failed to translate much into reality. Market experts believe that global economic headwinds such as yet-to-recover Chinese economy, Brexit, softness in the Eurozone and fluctuating commodity prices hurt consumers' sentiment. Analysts pointed out that a competitive retail landscape, foreign currency headwinds, aggressive pricing strategy or promotional activities adopted to win back consumers might be the culprit behind the lower-than-expected performance. With respect to the retail stocks' Q2 scorecard, as of Aug 19, we have results from 37 retailers on the S&P 500 index (out of the 44 total), wherein total earnings grew 3.9% from the year-ago period and revenues increased 4.3%. However, only 59.5% companies beat earnings estimates (the second lowest for the entire S&P 500 index), while only 43.2% have surpassed revenue expectations. The decent-looking growth picture, however, is a reflection of strong results at Amazon.com, Inc.AMZN . Once we exclude Amazon from the retail sector results, the comparisons start looking unfavorable. Thus, as we gear up to enter another earnings season, it is time again to reshuffle your portfolio, and get rid of stocks that may hurt your returns. Here we have highlighted seven Retail-Wholesale stocks that posted a negative earnings surprise in the last concluded quarter. These stocks are also witnessing downward revisions in estimates and carry a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) or 5 (Strong Sell). Falling estimates clearly indicate analysts' skepticism about the future performance of these stocks. 7 Retail Stocks to Shun Now Beware of Advance Auto Parts, Inc.AAP that delivered lower-than-expected second-quarter 2016 results and holds a Zacks Rank #5. The company's quarterly earnings of $1.90 per share missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 10.8%. This automotive aftermarket parts provider has underperformed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by an average of 4.8% over the trailing four quarters. Following the dismal performance, the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $7.44 and $8.23 for 2016 and 2017 has dropped 36 cents and 44 cents, respectively, over the past 30 days. Don't let your portfolio fall prey to Fiesta Restaurant Group, Inc.FRGI carrying a Zacks Rank #5. The company's second-quarter 2016 earnings of 34 cents per share trailed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 15%. The parent company of the Pollo Tropical and Taco Cabana fast casual restaurant brands has underperformed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by an average of 6.8% over the trailing four quarters. Following the drab results, the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.34 and $1.50 for 2016 and 2017 has decreased 17 cents and 21 cents, respectively, over the past 30 days. TravelCenters of America LLCTA , which carries a Zacks Rank #5, also does not deserve a place in your list of stocks. The company continued with its dismal run as it reported second-quarter 2016 results. The quarterly earnings of 9 cents per share came in way below the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 16 cents. This operator of travel center and convenience store locations has underperformed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by an average of 95% over the trailing four quarters. Following a disappointing quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 11 cents and 68 cents for 2016 and 2017 has tumbled 18 cents and 14 cents, respectively, over the past 30 days. TripAdvisor, Inc.TRIP is another touch-me-not stock that delivered lower-than-expected second-quarter 2016 results and holds a Zacks Rank #5. The company's quarterly earnings of 28 cents a share missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 9.7%. This online travel research company has underperformed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by an average of 2.6% over the trailing four quarters. Following the dismal performance, the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.14 and $1.52 for 2016 and 2017 has declined 13 cents and 17 cents, respectively, over the past 30 days. Another stock that you should forget for now is Stage Stores, Inc.SSI , carrying a Zacks Rank #4. The company's second-quarter fiscal 2016 earnings of 3 cents a share lagged the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 5 cents. This operator of specialty department stores has underperformed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by an average of 33.5% over the trailing four quarters. Following the miserable performance, the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 18 cents and 30 cents for fiscal 2016 and fiscal 2017 has declined 5 cents and 9 cents, respectively, over the past 30 days. Adding Fastenal CompanyFAST to your portfolio might also hurt your overall return. This Zacks Rank #4 company posted second-quarter 2016 earnings of 45 cents per share, which fell short of the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 6.3%. The company, which is engaged in the wholesale distribution of industrial and construction supplies, has underperformed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by an average of 1.7% over the trailing four quarters. Following the murky performance, the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.75 and $1.86 for 2016 and 2017 has dropped 7 cents and 11 cents, respectively, over the past 60 days. Last but not the least is Noodles & CompanyNDLS , which carries a Zacks Rank #4. The company reported second-quarter 2016 loss of 3 cents per share, wider than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of a loss of 2 cents. This operator of a fast-casual restaurant chain has underperformed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by an average of 45.2% over the trailing four quarters. Following the disappointing results, the Zacks Consensus Estimate of a loss of 11 cents and 2 cents for 2016 and 2017 has decreased 16 cents and 15 cents, respectively, over the past 30 days. Bottom Line Remember the idiom, ""A stitch in time saves nine""? It simply means that timely action may prevent serious loss later on. You can apply the same principle to your portfolio. Exiting the underperforming stock at the right time helps maximize your portfolio's return. Thus, for the time being, you can shift your focus to better-ranked retail stocks. Investors can confidently end their search at stocks with a better Zacks Rank status of either #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy), which encompasses its strong fundamentals, promises price movement and highlights analysts' constructive view on the same via positive estimate revisions. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days.Click to get this free report >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report AMAZON.COM INC (AMZN): Free Stock Analysis Report ADVANCE AUTO PT (AAP): Free Stock Analysis Report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report STAGE STORES (SSI): Free Stock Analysis Report TRAVELCENTERS (TA): Free Stock Analysis Report FIESTA RESTRNT (FRGI): Free Stock Analysis Report TRIPADVISOR INC (TRIP): Free Stock Analysis Report NOODLES & CO (NDLS): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2016-08-24,18.5092,18.61,18.4264,18.454,
FAST,2016-08-25,18.4461,18.4836,18.3582,18.4668,"[""Macquarie Initiates Coverage on Fastenal at Neutral"", ""Macquarie Initiates Coverage on Fastenal at Neutral"", ""Macquarie Initiates Coverage on Fastenal at Neutral""]"
FAST,2016-08-26,18.5221,18.6771,18.3682,18.4758,
FAST,2016-08-29,18.454,18.5981,18.384,18.5804,
FAST,2016-08-30,18.602,18.6564,18.4066,18.4758,
FAST,2016-08-31,18.45,18.454,18.1332,18.2013,
FAST,2016-09-01,18.2644,18.3158,17.9279,18.0829,"[""Tracking The Sequoia Fund - Q2 2016 Update"", ""Tracking The Sequoia Fund - Q2 2016 Update"", ""Tracking The Sequoia Fund - Q2 2016 Update""]"
FAST,2016-09-02,18.2132,18.384,18.1204,18.296,"[""15 Stocks Which Plummeted Three Days On Increasing Volume"", ""15 Stocks Which Plummeted Three Days On Increasing Volume"", ""15 Stocks Which Plummeted Three Days On Increasing Volume""]"
FAST,2016-09-06,18.3434,18.4126,18.0789,18.1243,"[""The Vetr community has downgraded $FAST to 3-Stars"", ""The Vetr community has downgraded $FAST to 3-Stars"", ""The Vetr community has downgraded $FAST to 3-Stars""]"
FAST,2016-09-07,17.923,17.9437,17.5735,17.8479,"Nasdaq 100 Movers: WFM, WDC In early trading on Wednesday, shares of Western Digital topped the list of the day's best performing components of the Nasdaq 100 index, trading up 11.0%. Year to date, Western Digital has lost about 12.1% of its value. And the worst performing Nasdaq 100 component thus far on the day is Whole Foods Market, trading down 5.6%. Whole Foods Market is lower by about 13.5% looking at the year to date performance. Two other components making moves today are Fastenal, trading down 2.8%, and American Airlines Group, trading up 5.2% on the day. VIDEO: Nasdaq 100 Movers: WFM, WDC The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2016-09-08,17.8479,17.9022,17.7374,17.8095,"[""Get 12% Like Dave Ramsey? It Might Be Possible, And Simpler Than Believed"", ""Get 12% Like Dave Ramsey? It Might Be Possible, And Simpler Than Believed"", ""Get 12% Like Dave Ramsey? It Might Be Possible, And Simpler Than Believed""]"
FAST,2016-09-09,17.6387,17.8243,17.1323,17.1373,
FAST,2016-09-12,16.9981,17.2537,16.9369,17.1915,"[""Fastenal: A Buy Below $40, As A Wager On A Cyclical Upturn In The Industrial Economy"", ""Fastenal: A Buy Below $40, As A Wager On A Cyclical Upturn In The Industrial Economy"", ""Fastenal (FAST): Moving Average Crossover Alert Fastenal CompanyFAST could be a stock to avoid from a technical perspective, as the firm is seeing unfavorable trends on the moving average crossover front. Recently, the 50 Day Moving Average for FAST broke out below the 200 Day Simple Moving Average, suggesting short-term bearishness. This has already started to take place, as the stock has moved lower by 6.6% in the past four weeks. And with the recent moving average crossover, investors have to think that more unfavorable trading is ahead for FAST stock. If that wasn't enough Fastenal isn't looking too great from an earnings estimate revision perspective either. It appears as though many analysts have been reducing their earnings expectations for the stock lately, which is usually not a good sign of things to come. Consider that in the last 30 days, 3 estimates have been reduced, while one has moved higher. Add this in to a similar move lower in the consensus estimate, and there is plenty of reason to be bearish here. That is why we currently have a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) on this stock and are looking for it to underperform in the weeks ahead. So either avoid this stock or consider jumping ship until the estimates and technical factors turn around for FAST. Confidential from Zacks Beyond this Tale of the Tape, would you like to see Zacks' best recommendations that are not available to the public? Our Executive VP, Steve Reitmeister, knows when key trades are about to be triggered and which of our experts has the hottest hand. Click to see them now>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal: A Buy Below $40, As A Wager On A Cyclical Upturn In The Industrial Economy""]"
FAST,2016-09-13,17.0701,17.2665,16.9556,17.0721,
FAST,2016-09-14,17.0208,17.1689,16.8885,17.0119,"[""Predictable Companies Lead to Increased Value Opportunities"", ""Predictable Companies Lead to Increased Value Opportunities"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Shares Cross 3% Yield Mark Looking at the universe of stocks we cover at Dividend Channel , in trading on Wednesday, shares of Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) were yielding above the 3% mark based on its quarterly dividend (annualized to $1.20), with the stock changing hands as low as $39.99 on the day. Dividends are particularly important for investors to consider, because historically speaking dividends have provided a considerable share of the stock market's total return. To illustrate, suppose for example you purchased shares of the S&P 500 ETF ( SPY ) back on 12/31/1999 - you would have paid $146.88 per share. Fast forward to 12/31/2012 and each share was worth $142.41 on that date, a decrease of $4.67/share over all those years. But now consider that you collected a whopping $25.98 per share in dividends over the same period, for a positive total return of 23.36%. Even with dividends reinvested, that only amounts to an average annual total return of about 1.6%; so by comparison collecting a yield above 3% would appear considerably attractive if that yield is sustainable. Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) is an S&P 500 company, giving it special status as one of the large-cap companies making up the S&P 500 Index. In general, dividend amounts are not always predictable and tend to follow the ups and downs of profitability at each company. In the case of Fastenal Co., looking at the history chart for FAST below can help in judging whether the most recent dividend is likely to continue, and in turn whether it is a reasonable expectation to expect a 3% annual yield. According to the ETF Finder at ETF Channel, FAST makes up 4.00% of the First Trust RBA Quality Income ETF (Symbol: QINC) which is trading lower by about 0.1% on the day Wednesday. Click here to find out which 9 other dividend stocks just recently went on sale \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Predictable Companies Lead to Increased Value Opportunities""]"
FAST,2016-09-15,16.9941,17.2449,16.9241,17.234,
FAST,2016-09-16,17.08,17.0938,16.8293,16.9211,
FAST,2016-09-19,17.0336,17.1965,17.004,17.1323,"[""Baron Funds Comments on Fastenal Co."", ""Baron Funds Comments on Fastenal Co."", ""Baron Funds Comments on Fastenal Co.""]"
FAST,2016-09-20,17.1876,17.1876,16.856,16.8579,"[""Fastenal Keeps the Business Going"", ""Fastenal Keeps the Business Going"", ""Fastenal Keeps the Business Going""]"
FAST,2016-09-21,16.8757,17.0287,16.8688,16.9941,
FAST,2016-09-22,17.1323,17.2063,17.1027,17.1235,
FAST,2016-09-23,17.0593,17.2005,17.008,17.0741,
FAST,2016-09-26,16.9823,17.0741,16.9507,16.9764,
FAST,2016-09-27,16.9083,17.0741,16.8994,17.0553,"[""\u2013\u2026 Stocks John Rogers Keeps Buying John Rogers ( Trades , Portfolio ) is the founder of Ariel Investment LLC, which he started in -98'. He is also a long-term Forbes columnist, writing a column called \""Patient Investor.\"" In both the first and second quarters, the guru bought shares in the following stocks. Cullen/Frost Bankers Inc . ( CFR ) In the first quarter, the guru increased his stake by 8-.44% and slightly increased it by -.89% in the second quarter. The guru currently holds \u2026.\u20265% of outstanding shares of the stock. The company is a financial holding company and a bank holding company. It offers commercial and consumer banking services, trust and investment management, mutual funds, investment banking, leasing and item processing services. Charles de Vaulx Undervalued Stocks Charles de Vaulx Top Growth Companies Charles de Vaulx High Yield stocks Charles de Vaulx Undervalued Stocks Charles de Vaulx Top Growth Companies Charles de Vaulx High Yield stocks John Rogers Undervalued Stocks John Rogers Top Growth Companies John Rogers High Yield stocks The largest shareholder among the gurus is Ken Fisher (Trades, Portfolio) with \u2026.4-% of outstanding shares, followed by Third Avenue Management (Trades, Portfolio) with \u2026.-'%, Ray Dalio (Trades, Portfolio) with \u2026.\u2026-%, David Dreman (Trades, Portfolio) with \u2026.\u2026-% and Meridian Funds (Trades, Portfolio) with \u2026.\u2026-%. Fastenal Co. ( FAST ) In the first quarter, the investor increased his stake by -\u2026.'8% and increased it by '.\u20267% in the second quarter. The guru currently holds \u2026.\u2026-% of outstanding shares of the stock. Fastenal is engaged in the wholesale distribution of industrial and construction supplies in North America. The company offers bolts, nuts, screws, studs and related washers, and miscellaneous supplies and hardware. Ruane Cunniff (Trades, Portfolio) is the largest shareholder of the company among the gurus, with 4.-9% of outstanding shares followed by Ron Baron (Trades, Portfolio) with \u2026.87%, Mairs and Power (Trades, Portfolio) with \u2026.76%, Jim Simons (Trades, Portfolio) with \u2026.-7%, John Hussman (Trades, Portfolio) with \u2026.\u20266% and Paul Tudor Jones (Trades, Portfolio) with \u2026.\u2026-%. W.W. Grainger Inc. ( GWW ) During first quarter, Rogers increased his stake by -\u2026.49% and by '.-4% in the second. He currently holds \u2026.\u2026-% of outstanding shares of the company, which is a distributor of maintenance, repair and operating supplies and other related products and services used by businesses and institutions in the United States and Canada, with expanding operations. The largest shareholder among the gurus is First Eagle Investment (Trades, Portfolio) with '% of outstanding shares, followed by Jeremy Grantham (Trades, Portfolio) with \u2026.'-%, Joel Greenblatt (Trades, Portfolio) with \u2026.\u20269%, Meridian Funds (Trades, Portfolio) with \u2026.\u20265%, Jim Simons (Trades, Portfolio) with \u2026.\u20264%, Chuck Royce (Trades, Portfolio) with \u2026.\u20264% and Ray Dalio (Trades, Portfolio) with \u2026.\u2026-%. Novartis AG ADR. ( NVS ) In the first quarter, the guru increased his stake by -8.\u2026-% and increased it by --.45% in the second. The company is engaged in the research, development, manufacturing and marketing of healthcare products and pharmaceuticals. Dodge & Cox is the largest shareholder of the company among the gurus, with -.86% of outstanding shares, followed by PRIMECAP Management (Trades, Portfolio) with \u2026.87%, Ken Fisher (Trades, Portfolio) with \u2026.-7%, Manning & Napier Advisors Inc. with \u2026.-5%, Jim Simons (Trades, Portfolio) with \u2026.\u20269% and Sarah Ketterer (Trades, Portfolio) with \u2026.\u2026-%. Gulf Island Fabrication Inc. ( GIFI ) In the first quarter, the investor boosted his stake by -4\u2026.69% and increased it by -5.79% in the second. The investor currently holds 4.9'% of outstanding shares of the stock. Gulf Island is a fabricator of offshore drilling and production platforms and other specialized structures used in the development and production of offshore oil and gas reserves. Another notable shareholder among the gurus is John Rogers (Trades, Portfolio) with 4.78% of outstanding shares, followed by Jim Simons (Trades, Portfolio) with -.'4%. Costco Wholesale Corp. ( COST ) During the fist quarter, Rogers increased his stake by 5.48% and largely increased it by -55.97% in the second quarter. The investor currently holds \u2026.\u2026-% of outstanding shares of the stock. The company offers its members low prices on a limited selection of nationally branded and select private-label products in merchandise categories. Warren Buffett (Trades, Portfolio) is the largest shareholder of the company among the gurus, with \u2026.99% of outstanding shares, followed by Spiros Segalas (Trades, Portfolio) with \u2026.66%, Chris Davis (Trades, Portfolio) with \u2026.48%, Jeremy Grantham (Trades, Portfolio) with \u2026.-%, Ruane Cunniff (Trades, Portfolio) with \u2026.-4%, Jim Simons (Trades, Portfolio) with \u2026.\u20268% and RS Investment Management (Trades, Portfolio) with \u2026.\u2026-%. Morgan Stanley . (MS) In the first quarter, the guru increased his stake by -7.\u20266% and increased it by --.84% in the second. The guru currently holds \u2026.\u2026-% of outstanding shares of the stock. The company, through its subsidiaries and affiliates, provides financial products and services to a diversified group of clients and customers, including corporations, governments, financial institutions and individuals. The largest shareholder among the gurus is Jeff Ubben (Trades, Portfolio) with -.99% of outstanding shares, followed by Richard Pzena (Trades, Portfolio) with \u2026.67%, Diamond Hill Capital (Trades, Portfolio) with \u2026.64%, T Rowe Price Equity Income Fund (Trades, Portfolio) with \u2026.6-%, HOTCHKIS & WILEY with \u2026.'9%, Spiros Segalas (Trades, Portfolio) with \u2026.'%, Ken Heebner (Trades, Portfolio) with \u2026.-4% and Mario Gabelli (Trades, Portfolio) with \u2026.-%. Brooks Automation Inc. (BRKS) In the first quarter, the investor increased his stake by -58.44% and by 5.'4% in the second. The investor currently holds -.\u20265% of outstanding shares of the stock. Brooks is a provider of automation and cryogenic solutions for multiple markets, including semiconductor manufacturing and life sciences. The largest shareholder among the gurus is Barrow, Hanley, Mewhinney & Strauss with 8.'6% of outstanding shares, followed by Chuck Royce (Trades, Portfolio) with 4.5%. Capital Southwest Corp. (CSWC) In the first quarter, the guru increased his stake by -78.76% and boosted it again by -4'.56% in the second quarter. The guru currently holds '.84% of outstanding shares of the stock. Capital Southwest is an investment company engaged in the acquisitions and investments in a range of industry segments. Its portfolio consists of private companies, in which it has controlling interests and has minority interests. Third Avenue Management (Trades, Portfolio) is another notable shareholder of the company among the gurus, with \u2026.96% of outstanding shares, followed by Murray Stahl (Trades, Portfolio) with \u2026.--% and Paul Tudor Jones (Trades, Portfolio) with \u2026.\u20267%. Kindred Biosciences Inc . (KIN) In the first quarter, the investor added 4'.6-% to his stake and he increased it again by '.\u2026-% in the second quarter. The investor currently holds -8.58% of outstanding shares of the stock. Another notable shareholder among the gurus is Seth Klarman (Trades, Portfolio) with -5.-5% of outstanding shares, followed by Jim Simons (Trades, Portfolio) with -.5-% and Chuck Royce (Trades, Portfolio) with \u2026.74%. Disclosure: I do not own any shares of any stocks mentioned in this article. Start a free 7-day trial of Premium Membership to GuruFocus. About GuruFocus: GuruFocus.com tracks the stocks picks and portfolio holdings of the world's best investors. This value investing site offers stock screeners and valuation tools. And publishes daily articles tracking the latest moves of the world's best investors. GuruFocus also provides promising stock ideas in 3 monthly newsletters sent to Premium Members . This article first appeared on GuruFocus . The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""The Big Winner No Matter Who Wins In November We're less than six weeks from the November elections, and election season usually has investors picking stocks based on the prospective policies of candidates, leading to a certain amount of market volatility. Uncertainty around the global economy and monetary policy has only helped to boost volatility this election season. But betting on stocks that win on one particular candidate is a crap shoot at best, especially in this election. Clinton and Trump differ so radically across nearly every talking point that betting on stocks favored by a particular party means the potential for massive losses if the other candidate wins. The Real Clear Politics aggregate of national polls puts Clinton's lead at just 2.3%, close to the tightest the race has been for months. Nobody is able to call this one yet. Unbelievable as it may seem, the candidates actually do agree on one topic. They've both made one particular sector of the economy a key position of their platform. For that sector, the news after November could range from good to very good and a leader in the space is primed to takeoff. This Sector Is About To Get A Government Jumpstart While unprecedented monetary stimulus helped to boost stock prices over the last seven years, it didn't do much to jumpstart the U.S. economy. Retail sales and industrial production both disappointed last month, even as the Fed tried to ease markets into the next rate increase. As the Fed closes the tap on monetary stimulus, there's just one source that can help to keep the economy growing. Both candidates have made fiscal stimulus a key to their economic plans. Government spending has been a drag on U.S. economic growth, with Stifel Nicolaus estimating that fiscal contraction has cost GDP 0.8% on an annualized basis since 2009. Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton has proposed a $275 billion infrastructure plan and has released a report showing that every $1 billion in infrastructure spending creates 13,000 jobs. Clinton's plan calls for $50 billion annually spent on roads and bridges over five years, in addition to $25 billion to seed an infrastructure bank that could raise another $225 billion in private investment. Trump pointed to the nation's worsening infrastructure in his acceptance of the Republican nomination saying, \""Our roads and bridges are falling apart and our airports are in third-word condition.\"" The real estate mogul is characteristically vague on an estimate of total spending, but has said his plan would be at least double Clinton's amount. A report by the American Society of Civil Engineers found a needed $5.2 trillion in infrastructure spending to bring the network up to an acceptable level by 2040. The ASCE has warned the government for several years of the crumbling infrastructure, and U.S. roads and bridges earned a D+ in its last assessment. Either outcome in November would be a win for construction and engineering firms in the country. The sector is already seeing a lift from the December 2015 passage of the Fixing America's Surface Transportation ( FAST ) Act, a five-year $305 billion spending bill for surface transportation and investment. This Company Leads In The Most Basic Sector Inputs Vulcan Materials (NYSE: VMC ) is the country's largest supplier of construction aggregates like crushed stone, sand and gravel, with public-sector contracts accounting for half its shipments. The company has made cost-cutting and debt repayment a priority over the last several years, paying down $791 million in debt and increasing its operating margin to 18% from just 7% in 2013. The company recently completed a four-year turnaround in 2013, reducing debt by $800 million and divesting more than $1 billion in non-core assets. On a demand recovery in late 2013, Vulcan has been able to increase gross profit per ton by 18% and reauthorized its share repurchase program last year. Shipments last year increased to 178 million tons, still 43% below the 255 million tons the company sees in normal demand over the next several years. Reaching full industry demand could help Vulcan more than double its earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) from $944 million over the last four quarters to $2 billion. Analysts expect earnings of $4.04 per share over the next four quarters, an increase of 42% over trailing earnings and based on a 15% increase in sales to $4.08 billion. My target is for $140 per share on a more modest 35 times earnings and a continued repurchase program. Risks To Consider: Infrastructure spending would still have to pass Congress and could take some time to flow through to commercial activity . Action To Take: Take advantage of the momentum in infrastructure spending with shares of Vulcan Materials which should benefit over several years of increased construction aggregates demand. Editor's Note: We don't yet know who our next president will be. But one truth is impossible to ignore : for nearly two centuries our economy (and investment landscape) has disintegrated in an election year. And it's going to happen again... discover 3 election-proof investments that will be impervious to the nation's losses . The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. \u00a9 Copyright 2001-2016 StreetAuthority, LLC. All Rights Reserved. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2016-09-28,17.1087,17.2765,17.0445,17.2577,"[""The Big Winner No Matter Who Wins In November (VMC) InvestorPlace InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips We're less than six weeks from the November elections, and election season usually has investors picking stocks based on the prospective policies of candidates, leading to a certain amount of market volatility. Uncertainty around the global economy and monetary policy has only helped to boost volatility this election season. But betting on stocks that win on one particular candidate is a crap shoot at best, especially in this election. Clinton and Trump differ so radically across nearly every talking point that betting on stocks favored by a particular party means the potential for massive losses if the other candidate wins. The Real Clear Politics aggregate of national polls puts Clinton's lead at just 2.3%, close to the tightest the race has been for months. Nobody is able to call this one yet. Unbelievable as it may seem, the candidates actually do agree on one topic. They've both made one particular sector of the economy a key position of their platform. For that sector, the news after November could range from good to very good and a leader in the space is primed to takeoff. This Sector Is About To Get A Government Jumpstart While unprecedented monetary stimulus helped to boost stock prices over the last seven years, it didn't do much to jumpstart the U.S. economy. Retail sales and industrial production both disappointed last month, even as the Fed tried to ease markets into the next rate increase. 7 Debt-Free Stocks That Will Survive the Coming Bear Market As the Fed closes the tap on monetary stimulus, there's just one source that can help to keep the economy growing. [More from StreetAuthority.com: 5 Economic Shocks That Could Turn The Markets ] Both candidates have made fiscal stimulus a key to their economic plans. Government spending has been a drag on U.S. economic growth, with Stifel Nicolaus estimating that fiscal contraction has cost GDP 0.8% on an annualized basis since 2009. Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton has proposed a $275 billion infrastructure plan and has released a report showing that every $1 billion in infrastructure spending creates 13,000 jobs. Clinton's plan calls for $50 billion annually spent on roads and bridges over five years, in addition to $25 billion to seed an infrastructure bank that could raise another $225 billion in private investment. Trump pointed to the nation's worsening infrastructure in his acceptance of the Republican nomination saying, \""Our roads and bridges are falling apart and our airports are in third-word condition.\"" The real estate mogul is characteristically vague on an estimate of total spending, but has said his plan would be at least double Clinton's amount. A report by the American Society of Civil Engineers found a needed $5.2 trillion in infrastructure spending to bring the network up to an acceptable level by 2040. The ASCE has warned the government for several years of the crumbling infrastructure, and U.S. roads and bridges earned a D+ in its last assessment. Either outcome in November would be a win for construction and engineering firms in the country. The sector is already seeing a lift from the December 2015 passage of the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, a five-year $305 billion spending bill for surface transportation and investment. This Company Leads In The Most Basic Sector Inputs Vulcan Materials Company ( VMC ) is the country's largest supplier of construction aggregates like crushed stone, sand and gravel, with public-sector contracts accounting for half its shipments. The company has made cost-cutting and debt repayment a priority over the last several years, paying down $791 million in debt and increasing its operating margin to 18% from just 7% in 2013. [More from StreetAuthority.com: 5 Undervalued Dividend Stocks To Protect Your Portfolio ] The company recently completed a four-year turnaround in 2013, reducing debt by $800 million and divesting more than $1 billion in non-core assets. On a demand recovery in late 2013, Vulcan has been able to increase gross profit per ton by 18% and reauthorized its share repurchase program last year. Shipments last year increased to 178 million tons, still 43% below the 255 million tons the company sees in normal demand over the next several years. Reaching full industry demand could help Vulcan more than double its earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) from $944 million over the last four quarters to $2 billion. Analysts expect earnings of $4.04 per share over the next four quarters, an increase of 42% over trailing earnings and based on a 15% increase in sales to $4.08 billion. My target is for $140 per share on a more modest 35 times earnings and a continued repurchase program. [More from StreetAuthority.com: This OTC Stock Is Bigger Than Facebook ] Risks To Consider: Infrastructure spending would still have to pass Congress and could take some time to flow through to commercial activity . 3 Reasons Why Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN) Is Going to $1,000 Action To Take: Take advantage of the momentum in infrastructure spending with shares of Vulcan Materials which should benefit over several years of increased construction aggregates demand. Editor's Note: We don't yet know who our next president will be. But one truth is impossible to ignore : for nearly two centuries our economy (and investment landscape) has disintegrated in an election year. And it's going to happen again\u2026 discover 3 election-proof investments that will be impervious to the nation's losses . StreetAuthority's mission is to help individual investors earn above-average profits by providing a source of independent, unbiased - and most of all, profitable - investing ideas. Unlike traditional publishers, StreetAuthority doesn't simply regurgitate the lateststock market news Instead, we provide in-depth research, plus specific investment ideas and immediate action to take based on the latest market events. Visit us atStreetAuthority.com. Related Articles Weak iPhone 7 Sales Will Mean Problems For This Telecom Giant The Turnaround Story With A 20% Yield More From InvestorPlace 10 Stocks That Should Be in Your Portfolio Right Now 8 International Stocks Priced to Beat the U.S. The post The Big Winner No Matter Who Wins In November (VMC) appeared first on InvestorPlace . The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Constellation Brands (STZ) Q2 Earnings: A Surprise in Store? Constellation Brands Inc.STZ is slated to release second-quarter fiscal 2017 results on Oct 5. Last quarter, the company had delivered a positive earnings surprise of 1.99%. In fact, it has outperformed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by an average of 8.9% over the trailing four quarters. Let's see how things are shaping up for this announcement. CONSTELLATN BRD Price and EPS Surprise CONSTELLATN BRD Price and EPS Surprise | CONSTELLATN BRD Quote Factors Influencing this Quarter Constellation Brands has been gaining from its strategy of boosting growth via acquisitions, efforts to include new products in its wine and spirits businesses as well as strong demand for beer. The company's top and bottom lines are benefiting from strength in the beer business, improving trends at its wine and spirits business, and solid overall depletion trends. This assisted the company to post its seventh straight earnings beat in the last reported quarter. Further, the company's impressive outlook for fiscal 2017 reflects that it expects these robust trends to continue in the future. While these factors make us hopeful of Constellation Brands' upcoming results, we prefer to remain somewhat cautious, given the intense competition in the industry from other major players and the risk of increasing taxes. Earnings Whispers Our proven model does not conclusively show that Constellation Brands is likely to beat estimates this quarter. This is because a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1, 2 or 3 for this to happen. This is not the case here, as you will see below: Zacks ESP: Earnings ESP for Constellation Brands is currently 0.00%. This is because both the Most Accurate estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate are pegged at $1.66. Zacks Rank: Constellation Brands carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Though a favorable Zacks Rank increases the predictive power of ESP, the company's ESP of 0.00% makes surprise prediction difficult. We caution against stocks with a Zacks Rank #4 or 5 (Sell-rated stocks) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions. Stocks Poised to Beat Earnings Estimates Here are some companies you may want to consider as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat: Fastenal Company FAST , scheduled to report earnings on Oct 11, has an Earnings ESP of +2.22% and a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Mondelez International Inc. MDLZ , anticipated to report earnings on Oct 26, has an Earnings ESP of +2.33% and a Zacks Rank #3. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here . Newell Brands Inc. NWL , expected to report earnings on Nov 4, has an Earnings ESP of +6.85% and a Zacks Rank #3. Confidential from Zacks Beyond this Analyst Blog, would you like to see Zacks' best recommendations that are not available to the public? Our Executive VP, Steve Reitmeister, knows when key trades are about to be triggered and which of our experts has the hottest hand. Click to see them now>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report NEWELL BRANDS (NWL): Free Stock Analysis Report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report CONSTELLATN BRD (STZ): Free Stock Analysis Report MONDELEZ INTL (MDLZ): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2016-09-29,17.1915,17.4215,17.0593,17.2449,
FAST,2016-09-30,17.3149,17.7345,17.2804,17.6427,"Micron Technology (MU) Q4 Earnings: What's in the Cards? Micron Technology Inc. MU is set to report fourth-quarter fiscal 2016 results on Oct 4. Last quarter, the company posted a positive earnings surprise of 27.27%. It is worth noting that Micron has outperformed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three out of the four preceding quarters with an average positive earnings surprise of 19.02%. Let us see how things are shaping up for this announcement. Factors to Consider Micron reported mixed third-quarter fiscal 2016 results. While the top line missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate, the bottom line fared better than the same. The year-over-year comparisons on both the counts were unfavorable, primarily due to softness in the PC segment. Also, pricing pressure in client SSD and lower-than-expected sales of trade Non-Volatile products impacted the top line. However, the acquisitions of Elpida and Rexchip (now known as Micron Memory Japan, Inc. and Micron Memory Taiwan Co., Ltd., respectively) will increase Micron's traction in the memory market. Micron is positive about the product launches and growing demand, particularly SSD products. The company has been constantly innovating in memory technologies, spanning DRAM, NAND and NOR Flash memory solutions, which are being widely used in the latest mobile computing devices as well as in consumer, networking and embedded products. However, Western Digital Corporation WDC , a key player in the NAND space, could increase competition in the industry. MICRON TECH Price and EPS Surprise MICRON TECH Price and EPS Surprise | MICRON TECH Quote Earnings Whispers? Our proven model does not conclusively show that Micron will beat earnings estimates this quarter. This is because a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1, 2 or 3 for this to happen. That is not the case here as you will see below. Zacks ESP: Both the Most Accurate estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate stand at a loss of 9 cents. Hence, the difference is 0.00%. Zacks Rank: Micron has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). We caution against stocks with a Zacks Rank #4 and 5 (Sell-rated stocks) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions momentum. Stocks to Consider Here are some other companies, which you may want to consider as our model shows that they have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat in their upcoming release: DragonWave Inc. DRWI with an Earnings ESP of +29.47% and a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here Fastenal Company FAST with an Earnings ESP of +2.22% and a Zacks Rank #3. . Confidential from Zacks Beyond this Analyst Blog, would you like to see Zacks' best recommendations that are not available to the public? Our Executive VP, Steve Reitmeister, knows when key trades are about to be triggered and which of our experts has the hottest hand. Click to see them now>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report WESTERN DIGITAL (WDC): Free Stock Analysis Report DRAGONWAVE INC (DRWI): Free Stock Analysis Report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report MICRON TECH (MU): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2016-10-03,17.5597,17.8588,17.5093,17.8045,"[""First Two Weeks Of October EPS Estimates All In One Place"", ""First Two Weeks Of October EPS Estimates All In One Place"", ""First Two Weeks Of October EPS Estimates All In One Place""]"
FAST,2016-10-04,17.8519,17.8894,17.4353,17.5055,"Ruby Tuesday (RT) Q1 Earnings Preview: What's in Store? TN-based casual dining foodservice retailer, Ruby Tuesday, Inc.RT is scheduled to report its first-quarter fiscal 2017 figures on Oct 6, after market closes. Let's see how things are shaping up for this announcement. Factors Likely to Influence this Quarter The company recently announced preliminary results for first-quarter fiscal 2017. Ruby Tuesday expects adjusted loss in the range of 10 cents to 12 cents per share. Meanwhile, total revenue, including franchise revenue, is projected to come around $256.7 million. On the other hand, comps are anticipated to be down roughly 2.7% in the to-be-reported quarter. The company has an Earnings ESP of 0.00% and the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter is pegged at a loss of 11 cents per share. Notably, the company reported a loss of 3 cents per share in the year-ago quarter. RUBY TUESDAY Price and EPS Surprise RUBY TUESDAY Price and EPS Surprise | RUBY TUESDAY Quote In fact, Ruby Tuesday has incurred losses in four out of the last six quarters. Moreover, higher labor costs and other expenses are expected to take a toll on the company's profits in the quarter as well. Also, traffic may continue to decline due to persistent softness in the casual dining industry and attractive discount offerings by competitors. Nonetheless, Ruby Tuesday is aggressively pursuing brand transformation initiatives. Menu innovation, limited time offers, streamlining of operations, increased marketing efforts and digital initiatives coupled with re-imaging of restaurants should draw customers and likely boost the quarterly results. Stocks to Consider According to our quantitative model, a company needs the right combination of two key factors - a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) - to increase its odds of an earnings surprise. Here are some companies to consider as our model shows they have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter: Wingstop Inc. WING has an Earnings ESP of +9.09% and a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here . Buffalo Wild Wings Inc. BWLD has an Earnings ESP of +4.00% and a Zacks Rank #2. Fastenal Company FAST has an Earnings ESP of +2.22% and a Zacks Rank #3. Confidential from Zacks Beyond this Analyst Blog, would you like to see Zacks' best recommendations that are not available to the public? Our Executive VP, Steve Reitmeister, knows when key trades are about to be triggered and which of our experts has the hottest hand. Click to see them now>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report BUFFALO WLD WNG (BWLD): Free Stock Analysis Report WINGSTOP INC (WING): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2016-10-05,17.6229,17.7709,17.5963,17.6989,
FAST,2016-10-06,17.6614,18.071,17.6515,18.0444,"Is a Beat in Store for Fastenal (FAST) this Earnings Season? Fastenal CompanyFAST is set to report third-quarter 2016 results on Oct 11, before the market opens. Last quarter, Fastenal posted a negative earnings surprise of 6.25%. The company has posted two positive earnings surprises in the past four quarters. However, it has an average four-quarter negative surprise of 1.65%. Let's see how things are shaping up for this announcement. Why a Likely Positive Surprise? Our proven model shows that Fastenal is likely to beat earnings because it has the right combination of two key ingredients. Zacks ESP:Earnings ESP , which represents the difference between the Most Accurate estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate, stands at +2.22%. This is a meaningful and leading indicator of a likely positive earnings surprise. The Most Accurate estimate is pegged at 46 cents while the Zacks Consensus Estimate stands at 45 cents. A favorable Zacks ESP serves as a meaningful and leading indicator of a likely positive earnings surprise. Zacks Rank: Fastenal carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Note that stocks with Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 have a significantly higher chance of beating earnings estimates. Meanwhile, Sell-rated stocks (Zacks Rank #4 and 5) should never be considered going into an earnings announcement. FASTENAL Price and EPS Surprise FASTENAL Price and EPS Surprise | FASTENAL Quote What is Driving the Better-Than-Expected Earnings? Fastenal is a wholesale distributor to industrial and construction customers. It serves the manufacturing and non-residential construction markets. Fastenal's revenues are being hurt by lower sales in the oil & gas industry and softness in the Canadian business. These trends are likely to impact results in the soon-to-be reported quarter. The bearish trend had affected Jul 2016 sales figures, as the company continued to report weakness in its fasteners business. Net sales in July decreased 7.2% while daily sales improved 2.1%. The picture was quite impressive in the month of August. Net sales in the month increased 9.9% year over year while daily sales improved 0.3%, softer than the July figure. Unfavorable currency impacted sales by 0.3% in the both the months. Indeed, lack of price inflation, an unfavorable product mix along with pricing and competitive pressure are hurting gross margins. The product mix has shifted from high-margin fastener products to lower margin non-fastener offerings. The customer mix has shifted toward the large-account end-market, which produces low gross margin but high operating income. However, on a positive note, vending trends improved in the second quarter of 2016. After remaining soft in 2013, vending trends improved through 2014 and 2015 as well as the first half of 2016, as management's efforts toward enhancing the quality of signings/installs paid off. The company intends to increase its investments in the vending program and expects it to outperform in 2016 and beyond. For the third quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings stands at $1.64, reflecting a 39.3% year-over-year decrease. Meanwhile, the estimate for revenues is pegged at $3.97 billion, implying 2.53% growth. Stocks to Consider Here are some companies to consider as our model shows they have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter: Wingstop Inc. WING has an Earnings ESP of +9.09% and a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here . Buffalo Wild Wings Inc. BWLD has an Earnings ESP of +4.00% and a Zacks Rank #2. Builders FirstSource, Inc. BLDR with an Earnings ESP of +13.16% and a Zacks Rank #3. Confidential from Zacks Beyond this Analyst Blog, would you like to see Zacks' best recommendations that are not available to the public? Our Executive VP, Steve Reitmeister, knows when key trades are about to be triggered and which of our experts has the hottest hand. Click to see them now>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report BUILDERS FIRSTS (BLDR): Free Stock Analysis Report BUFFALO WLD WNG (BWLD): Free Stock Analysis Report WINGSTOP INC (WING): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2016-10-07,17.9437,18.0493,17.7956,17.8627,"[""Top NASDAQ Dividend Dog Is VOD For October Gains"", ""Top NASDAQ Dividend Dog Is VOD For October Gains"", ""Top NASDAQ Dividend Dog Is VOD For October Gains""]"
FAST,2016-10-10,17.9358,17.9605,17.7374,17.7867,"[""Stocks Jump: S&P 500 Retakes 50-Day As Mylan Surges, Twitter Dives"", ""Notable earnings before Tuesday's open"", ""Fastenal declares $0.30 dividend"", ""Alcoa, Chip Gear Stocks For Your Tuesday Investing Action Plan"", ""Notable earnings before Tuesday's open"", ""Fastenal declares $0.30 dividend"", ""Alcoa, Chip Gear Stocks For Your Tuesday Investing Action Plan"", ""Stocks Jump: S&P 500 Retakes 50-Day As Mylan Surges, Twitter Dives"", ""Pre-Market Earnings Report for October 11, 2016 : AA, FAST, OZRK, STAF The following companies are expected to report earnings prior to market open on 10/11/2016. Visit our Earnings Calendar for a full list of expected earnings releases. Alcoa Inc. ( AA ) is reporting for the quarter ending September 30, 2016. The mining company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 8 analysts that follow the stock is $0.35. This value represents a 66.67% increase compared to the same quarter last year. AA missed the consensus earnings per share in the 3rd calendar quarter of 2015 by -50%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2016 Price to Earnings ratio for AA is 24.70 vs. an industry ratio of -1.80, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Fastenal Company ( FAST ) is reporting for the quarter ending September 30, 2016. The building company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 9 analysts that follow the stock is $0.45. This value represents a 4.26% decrease compared to the same quarter last year. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2016 Price to Earnings ratio for FAST is 24.31 vs. an industry ratio of 16.80, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Bank of the Ozarks ( OZRK ) is reporting for the quarter ending September 30, 2016. The banks (southeast) company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 5 analysts that follow the stock is $0.59. This value represents a 13.46% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year OZRK has met analyst expectations once and beat the expectations the other three quarters. The \""days to cover\"" for this stock exceeds 15 days. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2016 Price to Earnings ratio for OZRK is 16.84 vs. an industry ratio of 16.60, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Staffing 360 Solutions, Inc. ( STAF ) is reporting for the quarter ending August 31, 2016. The staffing company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 1 analyst that follows the stock is $-0.20. This value represents a 47.37% increase compared to the same quarter last year. The last two quarters STAF had negative earnings surprises; the latest report they missed by -145.83%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2017 Price to Earnings ratio for STAF is -1.92 vs. an industry ratio of 20.00. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Notable earnings before Tuesday's open"", ""Fastenal declares $0.30 dividend"", ""Alcoa, Chip Gear Stocks For Your Tuesday Investing Action Plan"", ""Stocks Jump: S&P 500 Retakes 50-Day As Mylan Surges, Twitter Dives""]"
FAST,2016-10-11,17.6051,18.0622,16.7562,16.8757,"[""Stock Open Lower; Apple, Caterpillar, Airlines Climb"", ""Fastenal misses by $0.01, revenue in-line"", ""Fastenal's (FAST) CEO Dan Florness on Q3 2016 Results - Earnings Call Transcript"", ""5 Stocks You Should Be Watching Today"", ""Earnings Scheduled For October 11, 2016"", ""Fastenal Q3 EPS $0.44 vs $0.45 est, Revenue $1.01B vs $1.01B est"", ""Fastenal Reports Q3 EPS $0.44 vs $0.47 in Same Qtr. Last Year, Sales $1.013B"", ""Investors' Response Muted To Fastenal's Mixed Q3 Results"", ""A Peek Into The Markets: U.S. Stock Futures Edge Lower; Alcoa Drops Following Q3 Results"", ""The Market In 5 Minutes: Oil Freeze, Alcoa Earnings, And Galaxy Note 7's Farewell"", ""The Market In 5 Minutes: Oil Freeze, Alcoa Earnings, And Galaxy Note 7's Farewell"", ""A Peek Into The Markets: U.S. Stock Futures Edge Lower; Alcoa Drops Following Q3 Results"", ""Investors' Response Muted To Fastenal's Mixed Q3 Results"", ""Fastenal Reports Q3 EPS $0.44 vs $0.47 in Same Qtr. Last Year, Sales $1.013B"", ""Fastenal Q3 EPS $0.44 vs $0.45 est, Revenue $1.01B vs $1.01B est"", ""Earnings Scheduled For October 11, 2016"", ""5 Stocks You Should Be Watching Today"", ""Fastenal's (FAST) CEO Dan Florness on Q3 2016 Results - Earnings Call Transcript"", ""Stock Open Lower; Apple, Caterpillar, Airlines Climb"", ""Fastenal misses by $0.01, revenue in-line"", ""Daily Dividend Report: PG, FAST, WDFC, CLDT The Board of Directors of Procter & Gamble declared a quarterly dividend of $0.6695 per share on the Common Stock, payable on or after November 15, 2016, to Common Stock shareholders of record at the close of business on October 21, 2016. P&G has been paying a dividend for 126 consecutive years since its incorporation in 1890 and has increased its dividend for 60 consecutive years. The Fastenal Company reported its board of directors declared a dividend of $0.30 per share to be paid in cash on November 22, 2016 to shareholders of record at the close of business on October 25, 2016. WD-40 today announced that its board of directors declared on Tuesday, October 11, 2016 its regular quarterly dividend of $0.42 per share, payable October 31, 2016 to stockholders of record at the close of business on October 21, 2016. Chatham Lodging Trust, a lodging real estate investment trust that invests in upscale, extended-stay hotels and premium-branded, select-service hotels and owns 133 hotels wholly or through joint ventures, today announced that its board of trustees has declared a monthly common share dividend of $0.11 for October 2016. The common dividend is payable November 25, 2016, to shareholders of record on October 31, 2016. VIDEO: Daily Dividend Report: PG, FAST, WDFC, CLDT The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal (FAST) Misses Q3 Earnings, Core Business Hurts Fastenal CompanyFAST reported lower-than expected results in the third quarter of 2016, missing estimates for both earnings and sales. Shares declined almost 0.3% in pre-market trading . Earnings Miss Adjusted earnings of 44 cents per share in the third quarter missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 45 cents by 2.2%. Earnings also declined 6.4% year over year due to higher expenses and weak margins. Sales Detail Net sales of $1,013.1 million missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1,014 million by 0.1%. Sales, however, increased 1.8% year over year. Daily sales growth at the Canadian business was about 5% in the quarter while it was 4% increase in the previous quarter. Fastenal's total average daily sales increased 1.8% in the third quarter of 2016, higher than a 1.5% increase in the prior-year quarter. It was also higher than 1.6% increase reported in the second quarter. Foreign exchange dragged down daily sales growth rate in the quarter by 0.1% while acquisitions added 0.6% to sales. Fastenal's sales, in the past few quarters, have been affected by price deflation of fastener products, currency headwinds and lack of new products and services. The top line has been adversely impacted by lower sales to manufacturing and construction customers due to overall weakness in the industrial economy. On a monthly basis, daily sales increased 2.8% in September, 0.3% in August and 2.1% in July. The growth rates were -0.3%, 1.6% and 3.2%, respectively, in September, August and July of 2015. This industrial and construction supplies wholesale distributor serves customers in the manufacturing and non-residential construction markets. Daily sales to manufacturing customers (representing almost 50% of revenues) rose 1%, down from growth of 1.1% in the prior-year quarter but up from 0.7% in the previous quarter. The daily sales growth rate of fastener products (used mainly for industrial production and accounting for approximately 35-40% of the company's business) declined 2.9% in the quarter, compared to 4.4% decline in the year-ago quarter and a 2.4% decline recorded in the previous quarter. Price deflation of fasteners and lower demand from the heavy machinery manufacturing customer base -- due to lower production requirements -- has been hurting fastener sales. Non-fastener product sales (used mainly for maintenance) increased 4.9%, lower than 5.9% growth in the year ago quarter but higher than an increase of 4.7% in the prior-year quarter. Though the non-fastener business is doing better than fasteners driven by strong vending trends, it has nonetheless weakened in the last eight quarters due to prevailing weakness in the industrial environment. In the non-residential construction market, daily sales to non-residential construction customers (representing 20% to 25% of revenues) declined 1.9% as against a 1.7% decrease in the prior-year quarter and a decline of 1.7% in the previous quarter. Volatility and softer energy prices impacted sales in this market. Vending Trends Continue to Improve As of Sep 30, 2016, Fastenal operated 60,400 vending machines, up 12.8% year over year. During the quarter, the company signed 4,783 machine contracts, up 2% from the last year quarter. Vending machines now account for 45% of the company's sales, higher than 44.6% in the prior quarter. After remaining soft in 2013, vending trends improved through 2014 and 2015 as well as the first nine months of 2016, as the management's efforts on enhancing the quality of signings/installs paid off. FASTENAL Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise FASTENAL Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise | FASTENAL Quote Margins Decline Gross margin of 49.3% in the third quarter of 2016 declined 120 basis points (bps) year over year and 20 bps sequentially. Gross margin was hurt by an unfavorable customer mix and product mix. Pre-tax earnings declined 8.2% to $201.2 million. Pre-tax margins declined 210 bps to 19.9% in the quarter. Fastenal Company has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Financials Cash and cash equivalents was $147 million as of Sep 30, 2016, up from $129 million as on Dec 31, 2015. Long-term debt was $432.4 million, up from $303 million at 2015-end. Stocks to Consider Some better-ranked stocks in the building products sector include The Home Depot, Inc. HD and BMC Stock Holdings, Inc. BMCH . While BMC Stock Holdings sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), The Home Depot carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Peer Release Builders FirstSource, Inc. BLDR has an Earnings ESP of 0.00% and a Zacks Rank #1. The company is expected to release earnings on Nov 3, 2016. Confidential from Zacks Beyond this Analyst Blog, would you like to see Zacks' best recommendations that are not available to the public? Our Executive VP, Steve Reitmeister, knows when key trades are about to be triggered and which of our experts has the hottest hand. Click to see them now>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report HOME DEPOT (HD): Free Stock Analysis Report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report BUILDERS FIRSTS (BLDR): Free Stock Analysis Report BMC STOCK HLDGS (BMCH): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal (FAST) Misses Q3 Earnings and Sales Fastenal CompanyFAST is a national wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies. It distributes its products through company-owned stores mostly located in North America. The company has gradually grown from a fastener distributor to a full-line industrial supplier. Weakness in sales of the industrial fasteners, lower sales to customers in the oil & gas industry, a stronger U.S. dollar, softness in the Canadian business and overall weakness in the industrial economy is hurting the company's sales. However, Fastenal's vending trends are improving as efforts on improving the quality of signings/installs paid off. Investors should also note the recent earnings estimate revisions for FAST has been mostly stable in the last 30 days. However, FAST has an average history in earnings season. Fastenal has delivered two positive earnings surprises in the last four quarters, making an average negative surprise of 1.65%. Currently, FAST has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), but that could definitely change following Fastenal's earnings report which was just released. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. FASTENAL Price and EPS Surprise FASTENAL Price and EPS Surprise | FASTENAL Quote We have highlighted some of the key stats from this just-revealed announcement below: Earnings: FAST missed earnings. Our consensus earnings estimate called for EPS of 45 cents per share, and the company reported EPS of 44 cents per share. Investors should note that these figures take out stock option expenses. Revenues: FAST reported revenues of $1,013.1 million, which missed our consensus estimate of $1,014 million. Key Stats to Note: Fastenal's total average daily sales increased 1.8% in the third quarter of 2016, higher than a 1.5% increase in the prior-year quarter. It was also higher than 1.6% increase reported in the second quarter. Check back later for our full write up on this FAST earnings report later! Confidential from Zacks Beyond this Tale of the Tape, would you like to see Zacks' best recommendations that are not available to the public? Our Executive VP, Steve Reitmeister, knows when key trades are about to be triggered and which of our experts has the hottest hand. Click to see them now>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""The Market In 5 Minutes: Oil Freeze, Alcoa Earnings, And Galaxy Note 7's Farewell"", ""A Peek Into The Markets: U.S. Stock Futures Edge Lower; Alcoa Drops Following Q3 Results"", ""Investors' Response Muted To Fastenal's Mixed Q3 Results"", ""Fastenal Reports Q3 EPS $0.44 vs $0.47 in Same Qtr. Last Year, Sales $1.013B"", ""Fastenal Q3 EPS $0.44 vs $0.45 est, Revenue $1.01B vs $1.01B est"", ""Earnings Scheduled For October 11, 2016"", ""5 Stocks You Should Be Watching Today"", ""Fastenal's (FAST) CEO Dan Florness on Q3 2016 Results - Earnings Call Transcript"", ""Stock Open Lower; Apple, Caterpillar, Airlines Climb"", ""Fastenal misses by $0.01, revenue in-line""]"
FAST,2016-10-12,16.8293,16.8293,16.4789,16.4966,"[""11 Stocks Which Plummeted Three Days On Increasing Volume"", ""Fastenal's Q3 Results Fail To Signal An Inflection Point In Demand"", ""Fastenal's Q3 Results Fail To Signal An Inflection Point In Demand"", ""11 Stocks Which Plummeted Three Days On Increasing Volume"", ""How Home Depot Inc Ranks As a Top Analyst Pick (HD) InvestorPlace InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips A study of analyst recommendations at the major brokerages shows that Home Depot Inc ( HD ) is the #6 broker pick, on average, out of the 30 stocks making up the Dow Jones Industrial Average , according to ETF Channel . Home Depot also comes in above the median of analyst picks among the broader S&P 500 Index components, claiming the #118 spot out of 500. START SLIDESHOW : The Top 15 Broker Darlings of the Dow: Current Top Analyst Picks \u00bb From the other direction, when companies have a low rank among analysts, it isn't necessarily the case that investors should conclude that the stock will perform poorly. It can, of course, but a bullish investor could also take the contrarian angle and read into the data that there is lots of room for upside because the stock is so out of favor. 10 Hot Stocks That Made Millionaires in 10 Years For these reasons, we at ETF Channel find value to putting together these rankings, because both the top and the bottom ends of the lists can often make for some interesting stock picking ideas for further research. More From InvestorPlace The 10 Best Stocks to Buy for the Rest of 2016 7 Huge Swing Trades to Make for the Fourth Quarter 5 Stocks to Sell Now or Short Into the Ground The post How Home Depot Inc Ranks As a Top Analyst Pick (HD) appeared first on InvestorPlace . The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal's Q3 Results Fail To Signal An Inflection Point In Demand"", ""11 Stocks Which Plummeted Three Days On Increasing Volume""]"
FAST,2016-10-13,16.393,16.4068,16.0189,16.1926,
FAST,2016-10-14,16.1028,16.316,15.9193,16.1926,
FAST,2016-10-17,16.1788,16.2776,16.1246,16.1601,"[""Fastenal - Strong Business Model Gives It A Key Advantage"", ""Industrial Strength"", ""Fastenal - Strong Business Model Gives It A Key Advantage"", ""Industrial Strength"", ""Fastenal - Strong Business Model Gives It A Key Advantage"", ""Industrial Strength""]"
FAST,2016-10-18,16.3249,16.3792,15.9953,16.1157,"[""Stumbling Out Of The Gates"", ""Stumbling Out Of The Gates"", ""Nasdaq 100 Movers: ROST, NFLX In early trading on Tuesday, shares of Netflix ( NFLX ) topped the list of the day's best performing components of the Nasdaq 100 index, trading up 19.1%. Year to date, Netflix registers a 3.9% gain. And the worst performing Nasdaq 100 component thus far on the day is Ross Stores ( ROST ), trading down 0.8%. Ross Stores is showing a gain of 18.7% looking at the year to date performance. Two other components making moves today are Fastenal ( FAST ), trading down 0.6%, and Ctrip.com International ( CTRP ), trading up 2.9% on the day. VIDEO: Nasdaq 100 Movers: ROST, NFLX The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""LOW Named Top 25 SAFE Dividend Stock Increasing Payments For Decades Lowe's Companies Inc (Symbol: LOW) has been named to the Dividend Channel ''S.A.F.E. 25'' list, signifying a stock with above-average ''DividendRank'' statistics including a strong 2.0% yield, as well as a superb track record of at least two decades of dividend growth, according to the most recent ''DividendRank'' report. According to the ETF Finder at ETF Channel , Lowe's Companies Inc is a member of the iShares S&P 1500 Index ETF ( ITOT ), and is also an underlying holding representing 0.68% of the SPDR S&P Dividend ETF ( SDY ), which holds $96,302,640 worth of LOW shares. Lowe's Companies Inc (Symbol: LOW) made the \""Dividend Channel S.A.F.E. 25\"" list because of these qualities: S . Solid return - hefty yield and strong DividendRank characteristics; A. Accelerating amount - consistent dividend increases over time; F . Flawless history - never a missed or lowered dividend; E. Enduring - at least two decades of dividend payments. The annualized dividend paid by Lowe's Companies Inc is $1.40/share, currently paid in quarterly installments, and its most recent dividend ex-date was on 10/17/2016. Below is a long-term dividend history chart for LOW, which the report stressed as being of key importance. LOW operates in the Home Improvement Stores sector, among companies like Home Depot Inc ( HD ), and Fastenal Co. ( FAST ). Top 25 S.A.F.E. Dividend Stocks Increasing Payments For Decades \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Stumbling Out Of The Gates""]"
FAST,2016-10-19,16.1522,16.4522,16.0555,16.4354,
FAST,2016-10-20,16.4354,16.5224,16.3654,16.389,"[""7 Notable Stocks Trading Ex-Dividend Friday, October 21"", ""7 Notable Stocks Trading Ex-Dividend Friday, October 21"", ""7 Notable Stocks Trading Ex-Dividend Friday, October 21""]"
FAST,2016-10-21,16.3101,16.3852,16.1542,16.3298,"[""October Surprise"", ""October Surprise"", ""October Surprise""]"
FAST,2016-10-24,16.4354,16.6319,16.4068,16.5726,
FAST,2016-10-25,16.5392,16.5894,16.3742,16.4444,
FAST,2016-10-26,16.393,16.7582,16.3565,16.6062,"[""It's Time To Get Attached To This Solid Dividend Payer And Protect Your Portfolio"", ""It's Time To Get Attached To This Solid Dividend Payer And Protect Your Portfolio"", ""It's Time To Get Attached To This Solid Dividend Payer And Protect Your Portfolio""]"
FAST,2016-10-27,16.627,16.6546,16.3298,16.3654,"[""Stock Exchange: Oscar And Airlines; Fastenal And U.S. Silica Attractive Trades"", ""Stock Exchange: Oscar And Airlines; Fastenal And U.S. Silica Attractive Trades"", ""Stock Exchange: Oscar And Airlines; Fastenal And U.S. Silica Attractive Trades By Jeff Miller : Each week, Felix and Oscar host a poker game. We listen in on current trading ideas in the few minutes before the game starts. They like to call this their \""Stock Exchange.\"" I am the only human present, and the only one using fundamental analysis. Their methods are excellent, as you will learn if you join us for a few weeks. As the time frames and risk profiles differ, so do the stock ideas. This is the only place you can get several great technical ideas each week, along with a response based upon the fundamentals. I have placed more background at the end of the article. Each week features a different expert. The names help you pick a favorite trading style. Comments, dissent, and specific stock questions are welcome! This Week's Ideas - Focus on Oscar Our featured expert is Oscar. Vince (our modeling guru) designed Oscar to be an aggressive sector trader. The time horizon is about three weeks. Oscar's trading universe is over 30 sectors. Unlike most other sector models, Oscar uses baskets of stocks chosen through a statistical analysis of actual trading. If there are important gaps, we use an ETF instead. Oscar takes more chances than the other models, but employs two elements of risk control: Using a basket eliminates single stock risk, where something surprising happens to a single company. Oscar goes to cash or bonds when market conditions are poor. Even if you do not trade market sectors, Oscar's top choices are a good place to begin your own research. Here are the ideas for this week, beginning with Oscar, our featured expert. Oscar I still like the Energy and Utilities sectors we've been discussing lately, but the U.S. Global Jets ETF ( JETS ) is my pick for this week. This is a sector that's underperformed for the past 6 months, but has still shown some overall steady growth. This would be an example of the \""sleeper\"" everyone wants to pick up for their weekly fantasy football team. You can see the same below with American Airlines ( AAL ). It is one of the major holdings in JETS - and it's not hard to see why. If you're looking for a stock like the overall industry, AAL is likely your best bet. J: O: No! I found this one on my own. And I don't care for the Jets, no matter who is at quarterback. J: Richard Branson said that you can become a millionaire by starting with a billion dollars and buying an airline. O: Who is Richard Branson? I am going by the chart. J: At least you picked a company that has earnings, although we only have three years of history since the last bankruptcy. O: You are so negative! I said it was a sleeper. J: Right. Fantasy football. You are not even playing in the office fantasy pool. O: That is child's play. I am in a league with some of those Chicago models. Any of us could win your league. Holmes As people should know by now, I love to buy the dips. (See last week's Stock Exchange for more information about Holmes). This week, Fastenal ( FAST ) is on my buy list. This wholesale distributer of industrial and construction supplies has suffered mightily since April, but it looks to me like it's ready for a bounce, and I'm ready to pounce. I'll be very cautious and get out below $37, but I'm looking for a rebound to $41.25 or better. J: O: That is why I use stops. Felix I have studiously selected Basic Materials: Metals and Minerals this week. U.S. Silica ( SLCA ) is a prime textbook example of what a chart should be. It has great momentum and should be around for a long time. J: F: Look at the chart. J: Look at this chart from Chuck Carnevale. Only losses this year. F: Questions for Felix anpere of SeekingAlpha says: Felix: Hi anpere, you've a long list of energy stocks, and my opinion is not specific to those, but to energy. I, too, have a long list of energy holdings, and I hope they are all winners! Good luck with your picks, they should coincide with mine! Felix: I rate DIS near the bottom of the 700-stock universe. Jeff: I think it is OK - reasonable value now, and projected earnings increases. Felix: SPWR is not in my current trading universe. They are asking me to expand the universe for questions, but have not yet agreed to raise my pay. Jeff: I prefer either a solid record of earnings. If I am choosing to speculate, I need a very good story. I don't see either one in SPWR. Felix: And to my many fans: Please keep your questions coming. I could use the overtime pay! Ask about a specific stock, or perhaps an ETF. I am interested in sectors, but need a representative ETF to help. Athena I do not have a new idea this week. Most of my choices are from April, and they are all doing well. J: No new idea? What do you think we are paying you for? A: Wisdom. Sometimes the smartest course is to do nothing. I like my current positions. The only soft one is Carter ( CRI ), which just did well on earnings. J: You do not do any earnings forecasts. A: The chart tells all... you just need to pay attention. Background on the Stock Exchange What is this about? Since launching this series, I have had good questions on three general themes. Here are the questions and some brief answers. The model characters are fun, but please tell me more about what they do. I include the general personality of the model at the end of each article. I will begin featuring one approach each week with more detail, and will soon provide a reference page for readers. Why don't you show a track record on performance? I understand that those trying to sell a newsletter or chat room often provide some sort of time-stamped real-time record. You will find that most of these people are not subject to compliance rules. The \""track records\"" tell you nothing, since they do not have enough trades to get into the \""long run.\"" Confidence in a model comes from knowing how it is developed and tested. I would rather ask a few questions to a developer than see a few months of real-time picks. It is easy to spot the amateurs. Why should I care about these model picks? You probably read many articles with stock ideas. Some are a single idea based upon technical analysis from a source you do not know about. At the Stock Exchange, you get four different recommendations from technical \""experts,\"" as well as some fundamental commentary as a rebuttal. I am not trying to sell anything. We are developing an institutional product. The results are good enough that I am willing to share and discuss with readers. Some of my clients are invested in these models, so I am not going to provide every trade in real time. It is supposed to be interesting and fun! Look at the ideas and do your own research. Questions If you want an opinion about a specific stock or sector, even those we did not mention, just ask! Put questions in the comments. Address them to a specific expert if you wish. Each has a specialty. Who is your favorite? (You can choose me, although my feelings will not be hurt very much if you prefer one of the models). Cast of Characters Felix is fussy, precise, and very cautious. He looks for what is working, but it also must have upside potential. He is an investor who thinks long term. Felix will not usually announce new picks, but he will answer questions, saying what he thinks about specific stocks. He will also comment on favorite themes and sectors. Oscar is naturally optimistic and a bit excitable. He likes to go with winners, and focuses on a one-month time frame. He trades either sector ETFs or a basket of stocks (equally weighted) that reflect a sector. Oscar will mention a favorite sector each week, and will also answer questions about sectors. Holmes is a trader, but a cautious one. Holmes emphasizes asset protection through profit-taking, stops, and trailing stops. He is careful in selecting new positions, and generally looks at an intermediate time frame. While he does not know the definition of \""mean reversion,\"" he loves rebounds! There is no set holding period, but two or three months is not unusual. Holmes will tell us one stock recommended that week. For those who sign up for his email list (no charge, privacy respected, holmes at newarc dot com), he will report exits with a one-day delay. Athena trades more frequently than the others, but still limits risk. Her inspiration helps to find good ideas. Her excellent quant skills find attractive risk/reward opportunities. Her wisdom leads her to exit trades that are not working. Athena will provide a new idea each week. Jeff usually has some comments about stock or market fundamentals. Unlike the other witty participants, he sounds like an old prof. The conversation is light-hearted, but the stock analysis is serious. We own positions in each of the stocks mentioned. See also InsiderInsights.com Daily Round Up 11/8/16: NMFC, NEWM, LBTYA, LBTYK on seekingalpha.com The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Stock Exchange: Oscar And Airlines; Fastenal And U.S. Silica Attractive Trades""]"
FAST,2016-10-28,16.3694,16.5984,16.3604,16.4976,"How WESCO International Surprised the Stock Market Distributing industrial supplies when U.S. industrial production is in a recession is a tough business: Just ask management at WESCO International Inc. (NYSE: WCC) . It gets worse. Much of WESCO's end market consists of precisely the kind of industries (oil and gas, mining, heavy industries, and more) which have largely been responsible for the slowdown in the industrial sector. However, this quarter it was the turn of its construction end markets to disappoint. What happened, and why? WESCO International Inc.'s third-quarter results: The key numbers The headline numbers from the quarter: Net sales declined 3.6%, a figure below the bottom end of the guidance range for a decline of 3% to flat. Operating margin was 5%, compared to the guidance range of 4.9% to 5.3%. Income from operations declined 12.9% to $92.6 million. As you can see above, sales declined more than expected, and margin came in at the low end. In this context, it's no surprise that management lowered its expectations for the full year: Full-year sales forecast to decline by 3% to 2%, compared to a previous forecast for a decline of 2% to flat. Full-year operating margin now forecast lower at 4.5% to 4.6%, compared to a previous forecast of 4.6% to 4.8%. Adjusted diluted earnings per share now expected in the range of $3.75 to $3.90, compared to a previously forecast range of $3.85 to $4.10. Clearly, the difficult third quarter took its toll, and management was forced to cut guidance across the board. In fact, the only positive change to expectations was that free cash flow is now expected to represent more than 125% of adjusted net income, compared to a previous forecast of more than 100%. WESCO is doing a good job of generating cash in a slowdown. But don't get too excited, because it's partly to do with taking on less inventory and reducing accounts payable -- things are likely to reverse if sales improve. What happened with WESCO's quarter? Going into the results, investors had cause to be blase about events. After all, when WESCO's industrial-supply peer Fastenal Company (NASDAQ: FAST) reported, Fastenal's CEO Dan Florness outlined end markets that were little changed in the quarter. However, Fastenal is more of a general industrial supplier, while WESCO has more exposure (direct and indirect) to areas of relative weakness in the industrial economy. A quick look at organic sales growth by end market demonstrates weakness across each area: All reported organic sales declined. However, as stated above, management expected a sales decline in the quarter, it's just that construction sales in particular were disappointing. WESCO CEO John Engel put it clearly in the earnings release: ""Sales were below expectations, reflecting a decline in construction in both the U.S. and Canada."" As you can see above, industrial sales (in which the company has heavy exposure to oil and gas, metals, and mining customers) has had a difficult time in the last two years -- it's no surprise to see ongoing weakness there. Moreover, management claimed that outside of construction, its end markets performed as expected. Construction weakness Regarding the weakness in construction, a few themes emerged from the earnings report: Outside of commodities (oil and gas, metals, and mining) the company continues to expect a ""modest uptrend in nonresidential construction."" Management reported ""continued weakness with contractors serving the industrial market."" Nonresidential construction activity is still significantly below the 2008 peak. When pushed on the issue, WESCO's management candidly admitted that results were disappointing; however, it claimed they were not due to canceled activity, but rather to project-timing issues causing delays. Here again, it appears that exposure to oil and gas and the industrial sector (specifically, industrial construction) has hurt the company. Looking ahead All told, a combination of factors hit WESCO in the quarter. It's especially disappointing because just last quarter, management had guided analysts toward its construction markets being between flat and up low single digits for the full year (a stronger outlook than that given at the end of its fiscal 2015). Going forward, investors will be hoping industrial conditions turn positive, so supply companies like Fastenal and WESCO can flourish again. A secret billion-dollar stock opportunity The world's biggest tech company forgot to show you something, but a few Wall Street analysts and the Fool didn't miss a beat: There's a small company that's powering their brand-new gadgets and the coming revolution in technology. And we think its stock price has nearly unlimited room to run for early in-the-know investors! To be one of them, just click here . Lee Samaha has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Wesco International. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days . We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy . The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2016-10-31,16.5726,16.619,16.4612,16.5894,
FAST,2016-11-01,16.6319,16.6546,16.2598,16.3427,
FAST,2016-11-02,16.3742,16.4226,16.2114,16.2795,
FAST,2016-11-03,16.3466,16.4354,16.244,16.4306,"[""MSC Industrial Paddling Hard Just To Stay In Place"", ""MSC Industrial Paddling Hard Just To Stay In Place"", ""MSC Industrial Paddling Hard Just To Stay In Place""]"
FAST,2016-11-04,16.471,16.9369,16.4612,16.7859,
FAST,2016-11-07,16.9941,17.2991,16.9902,17.2833,
FAST,2016-11-08,17.2695,17.4659,17.1047,17.2873,
FAST,2016-11-09,17.0129,18.7146,16.929,18.5537,
FAST,2016-11-10,18.7106,19.2781,18.7106,19.1173,"[""The MnM Portfolio, Oct 2016: Ep. 20 - I Should Just Call It The Pi\u00f1ata Portfolio!"", ""The MnM Portfolio, Oct 2016: Ep. 20 - I Should Just Call It The Pi\u00f1ata Portfolio!"", ""The MnM Portfolio, Oct 2016: Ep. 20 - I Should Just Call It The Pi\u00f1ata Portfolio!""]"
FAST,2016-11-11,19.0531,19.1845,18.4866,18.8459,"Vroom! Vroom! A Top Fund Bets On Leading Stocks Like Ferrari Things are breaking in favor of manager Joseph Fath and the T. Rowe Price Growth Stock Fund ( PRGFX ) he manages. The $44.6 billion portfolio was outperforming 98% of its large-cap growth fund rivals tracked by Morningstar Inc. over the three months, going into Thursday. That could help lift the mutual fund , which has been roughly in the middle of the pack so far this year, back to its longer-term record of outperformance, as Fath approaches his three-year anniversary at the helm in January. Over the past three years the fund's average annual gain of 9.53% has topped 85% of its peers, which averaged 7.37% yearly. The S&P 500 notched a 9.18% annual pace. The fund's recent rally stems from the market's rotation back toward the type of growth stocks that Fath favors. Earlier in the year, the market was rewarding deep cyclical stocks. ""That's not an area we play,"" Fath said. Fath prefers stocks with superior growth in earnings and cash flow, in good times or bad. The fund's long-term success has made it one of IBD's Best Mutual Funds 2016 Award winners . It outperformed the S&P 500 over the one-, three-, five- and 10-year periods ended Dec. 31. Only 9% of U.S. diversified stock funds accomplished that. And it was in the top 100 in three categories: all U.S. equity, all growth funds and all large caps. How is the fund managing this rebound? Eight of its 10 largest holdings as of Sept. 30 had IBD Composite Ratings of 83 or better. Five of its top 10 new buys also had Comp Ratings of at least 83. IBD'S TAKE:The Composite Rating, which starts at 1 and runs to 99, combines IBD's five performance ratings. Stocks poised to move higher often have a Comp Rating of 95 or higher, which means that they've outperformed 95% of all other stocks in terms of their Composite Rating. Here's where to learn more about reading the Comp Rating road signs . MasterCard ( MA ) is one the fund's top holdings. It has trended higher since early July, and it did well on Wednesday, the first day after Donald Trump's election victory. But it pulled back on Thursday, finishing 4% below its all-time high. Illinois Tool Works ( ITW ) is among the fund's top buys. The stock has rallied this month, adding 8% this week. Many investors look at it as a way to benefit from investments in U.S. infrastructure under a Trump administration. Fath instead is focused on the stock's ongoing fundamentals, not its potential macroeconomic drivers. ""It's more of a mergers-and-acquisitions story within industrials,"" he said. ""And it is a disciplined, well-run company with seven business units. They're all doing well, all pushing margin structure over 20%. Only the welding unit is under pressure."" Fath added that the company management has executed ""good deployment of capital. They've gotten rid of bad stuff, focused on their best stuff and made good deals in recent years."" Another of his holdings, Martin Marietta ( MLM ), is more of a Trump infrastructure play, he says. The stock, which has an IBD Composite Rating of 94, gapped up 12% on Wednesday on massive volume and was up again Thursday. That puts Martin Marietta shares above the level at which you'd want to buy them under CAN SLIM rules. IBD'S TAKE:CAN SLIM rules establish buy ranges above buy points to keep investors from ""chasing"" stocks beyond low-risk buy zones. Leading stocks executing powerful gap-up breakouts operate according to a slightly different set of rules. The company produces crushed stone, and an other aggregates for construction. Earnings per share grew 886%, 56% and 22% the past three quarters. The company stands to benefit from programs like the Free and Secure Trade ( FAST ) program, which is a commercial clearance program for known low-risk shipments entering the United States from Canada and Mexico. ""(Those programs) have been slow to roll out but are ramping up now,"" he said. Also, Fath sees the company's low single-digit volume and high single-digit pricing as set to recover into high single-digit growth as the heavy rain and flooding in the Southeast that hurt them earlier this year have passed. Many investors expect certain financial stocks to benefit from a lighter regulatory burden during a Trump regime as well as from a rising-rate environment. Morgan Stanley (MS) gapped up 7% on Wednesday and was up again Thursday. Trading around 38, that left the big financial firm's shares extended above their 32.47 buy point. ""(A bullish outlook for a) lot of financials is predicated on a rising-rate environment,"" Fath said. ""We think Morgan Stanley is a good company-specific story."" Fath likes Morgan Stanley's heightened focus on wealth management. And the company's bank is becoming a bigger source of income and profit as the firm does more lending. Ferrari (RACE) is another holding that Fath likes. The Italy-based sports- and luxury-car maker was spun off from Fiat just over a year ago. ""This stock does not get a lot of attention,"" Fath said. ""European car analysts follow it. But it is really a luxury goods company. It does not have a lot of capital requirements and it does have a lot of demand backlog."" The company enjoys production growth of roughly 4% a year, Fath says. And it has annual pricing power of about 3% to 5%. ""This is a company that can grow in the midteens for the rest of the decade,"" Fath said. ""Other luxury goods makers like Hermes trade at much higher multiples. In today's market, we like a company that can be defensive as well as offensive."" Generally, superwealthy consumers don't downshift their car buying even during a time of slow or uncertain economic growth, Fath says. RELATED: Franklin's DynaTech Wins With Stocks Of Innovators What Fidelity Trend Fund Likes About Apple, Amazon and Alphabet The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2016-11-14,18.9387,19.3345,18.8942,19.1933,"[""10 Stocks That Rallied Four Days, Then Sold Off On Friday"", ""10 Stocks That Rallied Four Days, Then Sold Off On Friday"", ""10 Stocks That Rallied Four Days, Then Sold Off On Friday""]"
FAST,2016-11-15,19.2467,19.2615,19.0373,19.1903,
FAST,2016-11-16,19.1637,19.2387,19.0453,19.1903,
FAST,2016-11-17,19.1637,19.3087,19.0581,19.1331,
FAST,2016-11-18,19.1173,19.1913,19.0373,19.0669,
FAST,2016-11-21,19.1469,19.2703,19.0581,19.2615,"[""\u2014' Questions With Thomas Macpherson of Nintai Partners"", ""Dividend Contenders: 23 Increases Expected By The End Of January"", ""Dividend Contenders: 23 Increases Expected By The End Of January"", ""\u2014' Questions With Thomas Macpherson of Nintai Partners"", ""Dividend Contenders: 23 Increases Expected By The End Of January"", ""\u2014' Questions With Thomas Macpherson of Nintai Partners""]"
FAST,2016-11-22,19.3265,19.5645,19.2111,19.5437,"[""A Chicken In Every Pot"", ""A Chicken In Every Pot"", ""A Chicken In Every Pot""]"
FAST,2016-11-23,19.5733,19.7915,19.4529,19.6809,
FAST,2016-11-25,19.6661,19.7362,19.5803,19.7362,"[""Top 5 Picks For 2017"", ""Top 5 Picks For 2017"", ""Top 5 Picks For 2017""]"
FAST,2016-11-28,19.7026,19.7934,19.5645,19.7313,"Fastenal Drives Vending Process, Margins Remain a Concern On Nov 28, we issued an updated research report on Fastenal CompanyFAST - a national wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies, mainly serving the manufacturing and non-residential construction markets. Fastenal reported lower-than-expected results in the third quarter of 2016, missing estimates for both earnings and sales. Adjusted earnings of 44 cents per share in the third quarter missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 45 cents by 2.2%. Earnings also declined 6.4% year over year due to higher expenses and weak margins. Net sales of $1,013.1 million lagged the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1,014 million by 0.1%. Sales, however, increased 1.8% year over year. Fastenal's sales, in the past few quarters, have been affected by price deflation of fastener products, currency headwinds and lack of new products and services. The top line has been impacted by lower sales to manufacturing and construction customers due to overall weakness in the industrial economy. Weak Margins Lack of inflation, unfavorable product mix, strong emphasis on growing average store sales, pricing and competitive pressure have been hurting the gross margin for quite sometime now. In fact, gross margin of 49.3% in the third quarter of 2016, 49.5% in the second quarter of 2016, 49.8% in the first quarter of 2016 and 49.9% in the fourth quarter of 2015 was below the company's long-term average of around 50%. The customer mix shifted toward the large-account end-market, which produces low-margin gross profit but stronger operating income. The product mix shifted from high-margin fastener products to lower margin non-fastener products. In fact, the company does not see any improvement in gross margin rates through the rest of 2016 as well. FAST Solutions Profitable Fastenal has adopted FAST Solutions, an industrial vending process that has the potential to revolutionize the industrial distribution system and boost profits. The company has installed vending machines at customer locations which also provide information on the products. Industrial vending is one of the primary growth drivers for Fastenal and has the potential to significantly increase sales and profits. As of Sep 30, 2016, Fastenal operated 60,400 vending machines, up 12.8% year over year. During the quarter, the company signed 4,783 machine contracts, up 2% from the earlier-year quarter. Vending machines now account for 45% of the company's sales, higher than 44.6% in the prior quarter. Fastenal currently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). Stocks to Consider Better-ranked stocks in the Retail-Wholesale sector include Domino's Pizza, Inc. DPZ , McDonald's Corp. MCD and Papa John's International Inc. PZZA . Domino's Pizza sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and is expected to witness a 22.1% increase in full-year 2016 earnings. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here . McDonald's carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and is likely to see a 14.2% rise in full-year 2016 earnings. Papa John's - a Zacks Rank #2 stock - is expected to witness a 19.9% increase in full-year 2016 earnings. Zacks' Best Private Investment Ideas In addition to the recommendations that are available to the public on our website, how would you like to follow all Zacks' private buys and sells in real time? Our experts cover all kinds of trades… from value to momentum . . . from stocks under $10 to ETF and option moves . . . from stocks that corporate insiders are buying up to companies that are about to report positive earnings surprises. You can even look inside exclusive portfolios that are normally closed to new investors. Starting today, for the next month, you can have unrestricted access. Click here for Zacks' private trades >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report FASTENAL (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report DOMINOS PIZZA (DPZ): Free Stock Analysis Report MCDONALDS CORP (MCD): Free Stock Analysis Report PAPA JOHNS INTL (PZZA): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2016-11-29,19.6977,20.0648,19.6503,20.0106,
FAST,2016-11-30,20.0846,20.3808,19.9454,20.1744,"[""Tracking Ruane, Cunniff & Goldfarb's Portfolio - Q3 2016 Update"", ""Tracking Ruane, Cunniff & Goldfarb's Portfolio - Q3 2016 Update"", ""Tracking Ruane, Cunniff & Goldfarb's Portfolio - Q3 2016 Update""]"
FAST,2016-12-01,20.2188,20.585,20.1162,20.211,
FAST,2016-12-02,20.2366,20.434,20.0866,20.355,
FAST,2016-12-05,20.6255,20.9453,20.5061,20.6749,"[""Fastenal upgraded at William Blair"", ""William Blair Upgrades Fastenal to Outperform"", ""Benzinga's Top Upgrades"", ""Benzinga's Top Upgrades"", ""William Blair Upgrades Fastenal to Outperform"", ""Fastenal upgraded at William Blair"", ""Benzinga's Top Upgrades"", ""William Blair Upgrades Fastenal to Outperform"", ""Fastenal upgraded at William Blair""]"
FAST,2016-12-06,20.4034,20.6206,20.0886,20.5564,"[""HD Supply Edges Past Views; Fastenal, Grainger Near Buy Points"", ""The Most And Least Loved Stocks In The S&P 500"", ""HD Supply Edges Past Views; Fastenal, Grainger Near Buy Points"", ""The Most And Least Loved Stocks In The S&P 500"", ""HD Supply Edges Past Views; Fastenal, Grainger Near Buy Points"", ""The Most And Least Loved Stocks In The S&P 500""]"
FAST,2016-12-07,20.5476,20.9552,20.355,20.9256,"[""10 Stocks That Rallied Four Days, Then Sold Off Yesterday"", ""10 Stocks That Rallied Four Days, Then Sold Off Yesterday"", ""10 Stocks That Rallied Four Days, Then Sold Off Yesterday""]"
FAST,2016-12-08,20.9127,20.9858,20.8101,20.9088,
FAST,2016-12-09,20.9256,20.9749,20.7519,20.8575,
FAST,2016-12-12,20.8792,20.9177,20.666,20.8121,"[""Option Alert: FAST May17 52.5 Calls Sweep: 782 @ ASK $1.55: 1788 traded vs 1 OI: Earnings 1/13 Before Open (est) $48.80 Ref"", ""Option Alert: FAST May17 52.5 Calls Sweep: 782 @ ASK $1.55: 1788 traded vs 1 OI: Earnings 1/13 Before Open (est) $48.80 Ref"", ""Option Alert: FAST May17 52.5 Calls Sweep: 782 @ ASK $1.55: 1788 traded vs 1 OI: Earnings 1/13 Before Open (est) $48.80 Ref""]"
FAST,2016-12-13,20.8358,20.8397,20.5248,20.6838,"[""Watch These 7 Huge Call Purchases In Tuesday Trade"", ""Watch These 7 Huge Call Purchases In Tuesday Trade"", ""Watch These 7 Huge Call Purchases In Tuesday Trade""]"
FAST,2016-12-14,20.7381,20.8476,20.5199,20.5643,"[""Can 20 Financial Ratios Measure A Company's Moat Just Like Morningstar?"", ""Can 20 Financial Ratios Measure A Company's Moat Just Like Morningstar?"", ""Can 20 Financial Ratios Measure A Company's Moat Just Like Morningstar?""]"
FAST,2016-12-15,20.5772,20.7588,20.4123,20.6117,
FAST,2016-12-16,20.6512,20.743,20.44,20.4498,"[""Dividend Contenders: 32 Increases Expected In The Next 11 Weeks"", ""Dividend Contenders: 32 Increases Expected In The Next 11 Weeks"", ""Dividend Contenders: 32 Increases Expected In The Next 11 Weeks""]"
FAST,2016-12-19,20.4222,20.5772,20.2968,20.44,
FAST,2016-12-20,20.5288,20.8219,20.4222,20.6542,
FAST,2016-12-21,20.6423,20.7163,20.4883,20.4883,
FAST,2016-12-22,20.4844,20.4883,20.2928,20.442,
FAST,2016-12-23,20.4459,20.5416,20.3422,20.4883,
FAST,2016-12-27,20.51,20.7124,20.4478,20.5693,
FAST,2016-12-28,20.6078,20.6117,20.1162,20.1646,
FAST,2016-12-29,20.2366,20.3215,20.059,20.0926,"[""NASDAQ Index Gets Overbought At Year-End"", ""NASDAQ Index Gets Overbought At Year-End"", ""NASDAQ Index Gets Overbought At Year-End""]"
FAST,2016-12-30,20.211,20.28,19.8596,19.9938,"[""\u20145 Questions With Andy Berger of Punch Card Research"", ""\u20145 Questions With Andy Berger of Punch Card Research"", ""\u20145 Questions With Andy Berger of Punch Card Research""]"
FAST,2017-01-03,20.1744,20.3244,19.7638,19.981,
FAST,2017-01-04,20.0629,20.1942,19.9652,20.0758,"[""A Different Model Has Made A Difference For Lawson Products"", ""A Different Model Has Made A Difference For Lawson Products"", ""A Different Model Has Made A Difference For Lawson Products""]"
FAST,2017-01-05,20.4034,20.4262,19.7155,19.8428,
FAST,2017-01-06,19.8507,19.9652,19.6711,19.7934,
FAST,2017-01-09,19.7717,19.8596,19.6444,19.6503,
FAST,2017-01-10,19.676,19.8428,19.6217,19.7934,
FAST,2017-01-11,19.9366,20.3422,19.898,20.1862,
FAST,2017-01-12,20.3294,20.4972,20.0688,20.432,"[""Avondale upgrades Fastenal on improving backdrop"", ""Avondale Partners Upgrades Fastenal to Market Outperform, Raises Target to $54.00"", ""8 Biggest Price Target Changes For Thursday"", ""8 Biggest Price Target Changes For Thursday"", ""Avondale Partners Upgrades Fastenal to Market Outperform, Raises Target to $54.00"", ""Avondale upgrades Fastenal on improving backdrop"", ""8 Biggest Price Target Changes For Thursday"", ""Avondale Partners Upgrades Fastenal to Market Outperform, Raises Target to $54.00"", ""Avondale upgrades Fastenal on improving backdrop""]"
FAST,2017-01-13,20.4883,20.51,20.3521,20.4498,
FAST,2017-01-17,20.4034,20.6334,20.2288,20.5357,"[""Notable earnings before Wednesday's open"", ""Fastenal declares $0.32 dividend"", ""A Significant Recovery Already Being Factored Into MSC Industrial Shares"", ""Q4 2016 Real-Time Call Brief"", ""Notable earnings before Wednesday's open"", ""Fastenal declares $0.32 dividend"", ""A Significant Recovery Already Being Factored Into MSC Industrial Shares"", ""Pre-Market Earnings Report for January 18, 2017 : C, GS, USB, ASML, AMTD, NTRS, FAST, CBSH The following companies are expected to report earnings prior to market open on 01/18/2017. Visit our Earnings Calendar for a full list of expected earnings releases. Citigroup Inc. ( C ) is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2016. The bank company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 9 analysts that follow the stock is $1.12. This value represents a 5.66% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year C has beat the expectations every quarter. The highest one was in the 3rd calendar quarter where they beat the consensus by 7.76%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2016 Price to Earnings ratio for C is 12.50 vs. an industry ratio of 16.40. Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. ( GS ) is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2016. The investment bankers company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 9 analysts that follow the stock is $4.76. This value represents a 1.71% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year GS has beat the expectations every quarter. The highest one was in the 3rd calendar quarter where they beat the consensus by 26.42%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2016 Price to Earnings ratio for GS is 15.48 vs. an industry ratio of 32.30. U.S. Bancorp ( USB ) is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2016. The bank company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 12 analysts that follow the stock is $0.81. This value represents a 2.53% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year USB has met analyst expectations twice and beat the expectations the other two quarters. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2016 Price to Earnings ratio for USB is 15.92 vs. an industry ratio of 16.40. ASML Holding N.V. ( ASML ) is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2016. The capital goods company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 3 analysts that follow the stock is $1.06. This value represents a 43.24% increase compared to the same quarter last year. ASML missed the consensus earnings per share in the 3rd calendar quarter of 2016 by -2.8%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2016 Price to Earnings ratio for ASML is 32.79 vs. an industry ratio of 19.50, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. TD Ameritrade Holding Corporation ( AMTD ) is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2016. The investment bankers company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 10 analysts that follow the stock is $0.41. This value represents a 5.13% increase compared to the same quarter last year. AMTD missed the consensus earnings per share in the 3rd calendar quarter of 2016 by -7.89%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2017 Price to Earnings ratio for AMTD is 26.71 vs. an industry ratio of 32.30. Northern Trust Corporation ( NTRS ) is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2016. The bank company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 7 analysts that follow the stock is $1.14. This value represents a 15.15% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year NTRS has met analyst expectations once and beat the expectations the other three quarters. The days to cover, as reported in the 12/30/2016 short interest update, increased 125.81% from previous report on 12/15/2016. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2016 Price to Earnings ratio for NTRS is 20.93 vs. an industry ratio of 16.40, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Fastenal Company ( FAST ) is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2016. The building company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 9 analysts that follow the stock is $0.38. This value represents a 2.56% decrease compared to the same quarter last year. The \""days to cover\"" for this stock exceeds 12 days. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2016 Price to Earnings ratio for FAST is 27.91 vs. an industry ratio of 18.10, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Commerce Bancshares, Inc. ( CBSH ) is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2016. The bank (midwest) company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 9 analysts that follow the stock is $0.67. This value represents a 11.67% increase compared to the same quarter last year. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2016 Price to Earnings ratio for CBSH is 21.62 vs. an industry ratio of 19.00, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Q4 2016 Real-Time Call Brief"", ""Notable earnings before Wednesday's open"", ""Fastenal declares $0.32 dividend"", ""A Significant Recovery Already Being Factored Into MSC Industrial Shares""]"
FAST,2017-01-18,20.436,21.9432,20.0017,21.732,"[""Stock Indexes Tread Water; Will Bears Follow On Tuesday's Losses?"", ""Q4 2016 Real-Time Call Brief"", ""Nasdaq, S&P 500 Pull Off A Win, Dow Lags; Netflix Soars On Earnings Beat"", ""Fastenal's (FAST) CEO Dan Florness on Q4 2016 Results - Earnings Call Transcript"", ""Fastenal Company (FAST) Hikes with Earnings In Wings"", ""Fastenal beats by $0.02, misses on revenue"", ""More on Fastenal's Q4"", ""Stifel: Fastenal may gain after gross margin uptick"", ""Fastenal Company 2016 Q4 - Results - Earnings Call Slides"", ""Earnings Scheduled For January 18, 2017"", ""10 Stocks You Should Be Watching Today"", ""Fastenal Q4 EPS $0.40 vs $0.38 Est, Revenue $947.9K vs $951.7K Est"", ""A Peek Into The Markets: U.S. Stock Futures Edge Higher Ahead Of Economic Data, Yellen Speech"", ""A Peek Into The Markets: U.S. Stock Futures Edge Higher Ahead Of Economic Data, Yellen Speech"", ""Fastenal Q4 EPS $0.40 vs $0.38 Est, Revenue $947.9K vs $951.7K Est"", ""10 Stocks You Should Be Watching Today"", ""Earnings Scheduled For January 18, 2017"", ""Nasdaq, S&P 500 Pull Off A Win, Dow Lags; Netflix Soars On Earnings Beat"", ""Fastenal's (FAST) CEO Dan Florness on Q4 2016 Results - Earnings Call Transcript"", ""Stock Indexes Tread Water; Will Bears Follow On Tuesday's Losses?"", ""Fastenal Company (FAST) Hikes with Earnings In Wings"", ""Fastenal Company 2016 Q4 - Results - Earnings Call Slides"", ""Stifel: Fastenal may gain after gross margin uptick"", ""More on Fastenal's Q4"", ""Fastenal beats by $0.02, misses on revenue"", ""S&P 500 Movers: KSS, FAST In early trading on Wednesday, shares of Fastenal ( FAST ) topped the list of the day's best performing components of the S&P 500 index, trading up 3.3%. Year to date, Fastenal registers a 6.1% gain. And the worst performing S&P 500 component thus far on the day is Kohl's ( KSS ), trading down 5.5%. Kohl's is lower by about 20.8% looking at the year to date performance. Two other components making moves today are Target ( TGT ), trading down 4.9%, and Qualcomm ( QCOM ), trading up 2.8% on the day. VIDEO: S&P 500 Movers: KSS, FAST The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal (FAST) Beats Q4 Earnings, Misses Sales Fastenal CompanyFAST is a national wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies. It distributes its products through company-owned stores mostly located in North America. The company has gradually grown from a fastener distributor to a full-line industrial supplier. Investors should also note the recent earnings estimate revisions for FAST has been mostly stable in the last 30 days. However, Fastenal has delivered negative earnings surprises in three of the last four quarters, making an average negative surprise of 2.74%. Currently, FAST has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), but that could definitely change following Fastenal's earnings report which was just released. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. We have highlighted some of the key stats from this just-revealed announcement below: Earnings: FAST surpassed earnings. Our consensus earnings estimate called for EPS of 38 cents per share, and the company reported EPS of 40 cents per share. Investors should note that these figures take out stock option expenses. Fastenal Company Price and EPS Surprise Fastenal Company Price and EPS Surprise | Fastenal Company Quote Revenues: FAST reported revenues of $947.95 million, which missed our consensus estimate of $951.35 million. Key Stats to Note: Fastenal's total average daily sales increased 2.7% in the fourth quarter of 2016. It was also higher than 1.8% increase reported in the third quarter. Check back later for our full write up on this FAST earnings report later! Zacks' Top 10 Stocks for 2017 In addition to the stocks discussed above, would you like to know about our 10 finest buy-and-hold tickers for the entirety of 2017? Who wouldn't? As of early December, the 2016 Top 10 produced 5 double-digit winners including oil and natural gas giant Pioneer Natural Resources which racked up a stellar +50% gain. The new list is painstakingly hand-picked from 4,400 companies covered by the Zacks Rank. Be among the very first to see it>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Co. (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Why Fastenal, Mead Johnson Nutrition, and CoLucid Pharmaceuticals Jumped Today The stock market was mixed on Wednesday, as the Dow Jones Industrials fell 22 points even as the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite rose slightly on the day. Investors continue to expect an improving economy that will likely spur the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates, and that led to some solid results from the financial sector today. Yet many see markets being stuck in a holding pattern until after the inauguration, when the new president will have an opportunity to make good on promises to change government policy in a number of key areas. Meanwhile, some individual stocks posted extensive gains, and Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST) , Mead Johnson Nutrition (NYSE: MJN) , and CoLucid Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: CLCD) were among the best performers on Wednesday. Below, we'll look more closely at these stocks to tell you why they did so well. Image source: Fastenal. Fastenal climbs on rising earnings Fastenal gained 6% after the maker of fasteners and other industrial products for business customers reported its fourth-quarter financial results. The company said revenue was up 3% for the period, pushing net income up by the same percentage and leading to earnings of $0.40 per share. Fastenal has cut its headcount by more than 1,100 employees, due largely to attrition, and net reductions in store counts have played a role in cost control while having little impact on sales. The company's Onsite initiative has helped drive sales with key customers, and the safety-supply business in particular has benefited from availability through industrial vending machines that Fastenal has developed in recent years. With the prospects for the industrial economy looking brighter, Fastenal hopes to ride the coattails of its customers to better results ahead. Mead Johnson rises on takeover rumors Mead Johnson Nutrition climbed 5% on speculation that the maker of infant formula and other nutritional products might be a takeover target. Some believe Nestle could be in the market to acquire Mead Johnson Nutrition, but this isn't the first time the Illinois-based company has seen M&A interest. Reports suggest a major European investment bank could be providing advice on a possible combination of the two companies, but the relatively small jump in the stock reflects investors' skepticism that things will be any different this time around than they have been in the past, when similar ideas were floated. CoLucid gets a buyout bid Finally, CoLucid Pharmaceuticals soared 33%. The small developer of migraine headache treatments announced Wednesday that Eli Lilly (NYSE: LLY) would acquire CoLucid for $960 million. Under the terms of the deal, CoLucid shareholders will receive $46.50 per share in cash. Interestingly, CoLucid's lasmiditan migraine drug was initially discovered at Lilly, but CoLucid licensed the drug 12 years ago. Now that Lilly's priorities have changed, the fit was good, and CoLucid CEO Thomas Mathers said he was \""excited that lasmiditan will be back at Lilly ... for the conclusion of Phase 3 development and potential commercialization.\"" With Lilly's expertise in marketing and development, the outcome might be best for all involved. 10 stocks we like better than Fastenal When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor , has tripled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy right now...and Fastenal wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. Click here to learn about these picks! *Stock Advisor returns as of January 4, 2017. Dan Caplinger has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy . The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Market Close Report: NASDAQ trading volume joins the top ten ranking for the year. NASDAQ Composite Index closes at 5,555.65 Today's session closes with the NASDAQ Composite Index volume reaching the 10th place in the top ten list for this year. The last time the index closed above 1.89 billion shares was on Jan 13 2017. The total shares traded for the NASDAQ was over 1.97 billion. Advancers stocks led declining by 1.28 to 1 ratio. There were 1629 advancers and 1271 decliners for the day. On the NASDAQ Stock Exchange 42 stocks reached a 52 week high and 13 reaching lows. The most active, advancers, decliners, unusual volume and most active by dollar volume can be monitored intraday on the Most Active Stocks page. The NASDAQ 100 index closed up .22% for the day; a total of 11.2 points. The current value is 5,055.85. CSX Corporation ( CSX ) had the largest percent change down (-3.2%) while Fastenal Company ( FAST ) had the largest percent change gain rising 5.81%. The Dow Jones index closed down -.11% for the day; a total of -22.05 points. The current value is 19,804.72. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated ( UNH ) had the largest percent change down (-1.82%) while American Express Company ( AXP ) had the largest percent change gain rising 1.16%. NASDAQ Market Wrap As of 1/18/2017 4:44:02 PM NASDAQ COMPOSITE INDEX 10th VOLUME MILESTONE1.97 billion JOINS 2017TOP TEN 42 STOCKS REACHED A 52 WEEK HIGH 13 THOSE REACHING LOWS TOTALEDFastenal Company [FAST]TOPS ADVANCERS LISTOF NASDAQ 100 INDEX % 5.81 ROSE The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Named Top Dividend Stock With Insider Buying and 2.65% Yield (FAST) In this series, we look through the most recent Dividend Channel''DividendRank'' report, and then we cherry pick only those companies that have experienced insider buying within the past six months. The officers and directors of a company tend to have a unique insider's view of the business, and presumably the only reason an insider would choose to take their hard-earned cash and use it to buy stock in the open market, is that they expect to make money - maybe they find the stock very undervalued, or maybe they see exciting progress within the company, or maybe both. So when stocks turn up that see insider buying, and are also top ranked, investors are wise to take notice. One such company is Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST), which saw buying by Director Michael J. Ancius. Back on October 13, Ancius invested $27,174.00 into 700 shares of FAST, for a cost per share of $38.82. In trading on Wednesday, shares were changing hands as low as $47.00 per share, which is 21.1% above Ancius's purchase price. It should be noted that Ancius has collected $0.30/share in dividends since the time of their purchase, so they are currently up 21.8% on their purchase from a total return basis. Fastenal Co. shares are currently trading +5.64% on the day. The chart below shows the one year performance of FAST shares, versus its 200 day moving average: Looking at the chart above, FAST's low point in its 52 week range is $35.18 per share, with $51.56 as the 52 week high point - that compares with a last trade of $50.98. By comparison, below is a table showing the prices at which insider buying was recorded over the last six months: The DividendRank report noted that among the coverage universe, FAST shares displayed both attractive valuation metrics and strong profitability metrics. The report also cited the strong quarterly dividend history at Fastenal Co., and favorable long-term multi-year growth rates in key fundamental data points. The report stated, '' Dividend investors approaching investing from a value standpoint are generally most interested in researching the strongest most profitable companies, that also happen to be trading at an attractive valuation. That's what we aim to find using our proprietary DividendRank formula, which ranks the coverage universe based upon our various criteria for both profitability and valuation, to generate a list of the top most 'interesting' stocks, meant for investors as a source of ideas that merit further research. '' The annualized dividend paid by Fastenal Co. is $1.28/share, currently paid in quarterly installments, and its most recent dividend ex-date was on 01/30/2017. Below is a long-term dividend history chart for FAST, which the report stressed as being of key importance. Indeed, studying a company's past dividend history can be of good help in judging whether the most recent dividend is likely to continue. The Top DividendRank'ed Stocks With Insider Buying \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal (FAST) Q4 Earnings Beat, Revenues Miss Estimates Fastenal Company'sFAST adjusted earnings of 40 cents per share in the fourth quarter of 2016 surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 38 cents by 5.3%. Earnings grew 2.6% year over year. Sales Detail Net sales of $947.95 million missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $951.35 million by 0.4%. Sales, however, increased 2.7% year over year. Fastenal's daily sales increased 2.7% in the fourth quarter of 2016, higher than a 1.8% increase in the third quarter. Foreign exchange hurt daily sales in the quarter by 0.2% while acquisitions contributed 0.2% to sales. Fastenal's sales, in the past few quarters, have been affected by price deflation of fastener products, currency headwinds and lack of new products and services. The top line has been dented by lower sales to manufacturing and construction customers due to overall weakness in the industrial economy. On a monthly basis, daily sales increased 3.2% in December, 1.2% in November and 3.9% in October of 2016 compared to -3.8%, -1.1% and -0.8%, respectively, in December, November and October of 2015. This industrial and construction supplies wholesale distributor serves customers in the manufacturing and non-residential construction markets. Daily sales to manufacturing customers (representing almost 50% of revenues) rose 3%, better than the 2.2% decline in the prior-year quarter and the 1% rise in the previous quarter. The daily sales growth rate of fastener products (used mainly for industrial production and accounting for approximately 35--40% of the company's business) declined 2.4% in the quarter, compared with a 6.2% drop in the year-ago quarter and a 2.9% decline in the previous quarter. Price deflation of fasteners and lower demand from the heavy machinery manufacturing customer base -- due to lower production requirements -- has been denting fastener sales. Non-fastener product sales (used mainly for maintenance) increased 5.9%, higher than 1.2% recorded in the year-ago quarter and 4.9% in the previous quarter. Though the non-fastener business is doing better than fasteners driven by strong vending trends, it has nonetheless weakened due to softness in the industrial environment. In the non-residential construction market, daily sales to non-residential construction customers (representing 20% to 25% of revenues) declined 1.6% as compared with a 6.1% decrease in the prior-year quarter and a decline of 1.9% in the previous quarter. Volatility and softer energy prices impacted sales in this market. Vending Trends As of Dec 31, 2016, Fastenal operated 62,822 vending machines, up 13.2% year over year. During the quarter, the company signed 3,760 machine contracts, down 6.4% year over year. After a soft 2013, vending trends improved through 2014 and 2015 as well as in 2016 as management's efforts to enhance the quality of signings/installs paid off. Margins Decline Gross margin of 49.8% in the fourth quarter of 2016 declined 10 basis points (bps) year over year but improved 50 bps sequentially. Gross margin was hurt by an unfavorable customer mix and product mix. Pre-tax earnings increased 1.5% to $180.8 million. Pre-tax margins declined 20 bps to 19.1% in the quarter. Fiscal 2016 Results Fastenal's earnings of $1.73 per share in fiscal 2016 decreased 2.3% year over year but managed to beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.72 slightly. The company reported net sales of $3.96 billion, up 2.4% year over year. The net sales were almost on par with the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.97 billion. Financials Cash and cash equivalents were $112.7 million as of Dec 31, 2016, down from $129.0 million as on Dec 31, 2015. Long-term debt was $379.5 million, up from $302.9 million at 2015-end. 2017 Guidance The company plans to continue to open stores in 2017 to sustain and improve its network and drive growth. Fastenal expects net capital expenditures at around $119 million in 2017, a decrease of $64 million or 35% from 2016. Fastenal Co. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Fastenal Co. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise | Fastenal Co. Quote Zacks Rank & Stocks to Consider Fastenal has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Better -ranked stocks in the sector include Bob Evans Farms, Inc. BOBE , The Cheesecake Factory Inc. CAKE and AutoZone, Inc. AZO . Bob Evans carries a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Bob Evans is expected to witness 10.9% growth in fiscal 2017 earnings. Cheesecake Factory -- Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) stock -- is expected to see earnings growth of 19.5% in 2016. AutoZone, also a Zacks Rank #2 company, is expected to see earnings growth of 12.1% in fiscal 2017. Zacks' Top 10 Stocks for 2017 In addition to the stocks discussed above, would you like to know about our 10 finest buy-and-hold tickers for the entirety of 2017? Who wouldn't? As of early December, the 2016 Top 10 produced 5 double-digit winners including oil and natural gas giant Pioneer Natural Resources which racked up a stellar +50% gain. The new list is painstakingly hand-picked from 4,400 companies covered by the Zacks Rank. Be among the very first to see it>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report AutoZone Inc. (AZO): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Co. (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report The Cheesecake Factory Inc. (CAKE): Free Stock Analysis Report Bob Evans Farms Inc. (BOBE): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Daily Dividend Report: O, LLTC, FAST, NTRS, MTX Realty Income ( O ) has declared an increase in the company's common stock monthly cash dividend to $0.2105 per share from $0.2025 per share. The dividend is payable on February 15, 2017 to shareholders of record as of February 1, 2017. The new monthly dividend represents an annualized dividend amount of $2.526 per share as compared to the current annualized dividend amount of $2.43 per share. Linear Technology Corporation ( LLTC ) approved an increase in the Company's quarterly dividend from $0.32 per share to $0.33 per share. A cash dividend of $0.33 per share will be paid on March 7, 2017 to stockholders of record on February 24, 2017. The Fastenal Company of Winona, MN ( FAST ) reported its board of directors declared a dividend of $0.32 per share to be paid in cash on February 28, 2017 to shareholders of record at the close of business on February 1, 2017. Northern Trust Corporation ( NTRS ) has declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.38 per share on its common stock, payable on April 1, 2017, to holders of record at 5:00 p.m. Chicago time on March 3, 2017. Minerals Technologies ( MTX ) declared a regular quarterly dividend of $0.05 per share on the company's common stock. The dividend is payable on March 9, 2017 to stockholders of record on February 17, 2017. VIDEO: Daily Dividend Report: O, LLTC, FAST, NTRS, MTX The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""A Peek Into The Markets: U.S. Stock Futures Edge Higher Ahead Of Economic Data, Yellen Speech"", ""Fastenal Q4 EPS $0.40 vs $0.38 Est, Revenue $947.9K vs $951.7K Est"", ""10 Stocks You Should Be Watching Today"", ""Earnings Scheduled For January 18, 2017"", ""Nasdaq, S&P 500 Pull Off A Win, Dow Lags; Netflix Soars On Earnings Beat"", ""Fastenal's (FAST) CEO Dan Florness on Q4 2016 Results - Earnings Call Transcript"", ""Stock Indexes Tread Water; Will Bears Follow On Tuesday's Losses?"", ""Fastenal Company (FAST) Hikes with Earnings In Wings"", ""Fastenal Company 2016 Q4 - Results - Earnings Call Slides"", ""Stifel: Fastenal may gain after gross margin uptick"", ""More on Fastenal's Q4"", ""Fastenal beats by $0.02, misses on revenue""]"
FAST,2017-01-19,21.6442,21.8337,21.4853,21.5129,"[""Company News for January 19, 2017 \u2022 Shares of Citigroup Inc. ( C ) declined 1.7% after reporting a 9% year-over-year drop in fourth quarter revenues to $17.01 billion, also missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $17.05 billion \u2022 Target Corporation's ( TGT ) shares decreased 5.8% after forecasting fourth quarter adjusted earnings per share of $1.45-1.55, compared to its earlier guidance of between $1.55 and $1.75 \u2022 Shares of Northern Trust Corporation ( NTRS ) dropped 4.7% after posting fourth quarter earnings per share of $1.11, lagging the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.14 \u2022 Fastenal Company's ( FAST ) shares jumped 5.8% after announcing fourth quarter earnings of $0.40, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate by a couple of cents Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Citigroup Inc. (C): Free Stock Analysis Report Target Corp. (TGT): Free Stock Analysis Report Northern Trust Corp. (NTRS): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Co. (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Company (FAST) Climbs: Stock Adds 6% in Session Fastenal CompanyFAST was a big mover last session, as the company saw its shares rise almost 6% on the day. The upside was driven by the company's announcement of better-than-expected earnings for fourth-quarter 2016. The news also led to far more shares changing hands than in a normal session, resulting in solid volume. This breaks the recent trend of the company, as the stock is now trading above the volatile price range of $46.17 to $48.53 in the past one-month time frame. None of the estimates for this stock were revised in the last 30 days, while the Zacks Consensus Estimate also remained unchanged. Yesterday's price action is encouraging though, so make sure to keep a close watch on this firm in the near future. Fastenal Company (FAST) carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) while its Earnings ESP is 0.00%. Fastenal Co. Price Fastenal Co. Price | Fastenal Co. Quote A better-ranked stock in the same industry is Lumber Liquidators Holdings, Inc. LL , carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here . Is FAST going up? Or down? Predict to see what others think: Up or Down Zacks' Best Private Investment Ideas While we are happy to share many articles like this on the website, our best recommendations and most in-depth research are not available to the public. Starting today, for the next month, you can follow all Zacks' private buys and sells in real time. Our experts cover all kinds of trades\u2026 from value to momentum . . . from stocks under $10 to ETF and option moves . . . from stocks that corporate insiders are buying up to companies that are about to report positive earnings surprises. You can even look inside exclusive portfolios that are normally closed to new investors. Click here for Zacks' private trades >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Co. (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Lumber Liquidators Holdings Inc. (LL): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2017-01-20,21.6304,21.884,21.5998,21.806,"[""Liberty Capital Management, Inc. Buys Apple Inc, Alphabet Inc, Celgene Corp, Sells Ford Motor ..."", ""Liberty Capital Management, Inc. Buys Apple Inc, Alphabet Inc, Celgene Corp, Sells Ford Motor ..."", ""Liberty Capital Management, Inc. Buys Apple Inc, Alphabet Inc, Celgene Corp, Sells Ford Motor ...""]"
FAST,2017-01-23,21.7942,21.8929,21.5859,21.6955,"[""6 Dividend Growth Stocks Raising Dividends Like Clockwork InvestorPlace InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips There were several companies over the past week, which raised dividends to shareholders. I isolated six of those companies, which have managed to increase dividends for at least a decade. In general, I look for companies that: 1) Have raised dividends for at least a decade 2) Have managed to grow earnings per share over the past decade 3) Are available at attractive valuations This is a quick and dirty method that I use to determine if a company is worthy of further research or whether I should throw it away from further consideration. This is a qualitative characteristic which is important, because only a certain type of business will have the dependability to manage to grow dividends per share every single year for at least a decade. I then try to analyze further whether dividend hikes were supported by growth in earnings per share over the past decade. I do this in order to determine if this dividend growth was supported by growth in fundamentals, rather than by merely increasing the dividend payout ratio. After a company that passes this test, I check if it has an attractive valuation . Otherwise, I may place an alert if the stock price falls below a certain level. If the stock is attractively valued, I will analyze it and determine if it is a buy. Here are the six companies features this week: CMS Energy Corporation ( CMS ) operates as an energy company primarily in Michigan. It operates through three segments: Electric Utility, Gas Utility, and Enterprises. The company raised its quarterly dividend by 7.20% to 33.25 cents per share. This marked the 11th annual dividend increase for this dividend contender. Over the past five years, CMS energy has raised its annual dividend at a rate of 8.10% per year. The company has also managed to grow earnings per share from $1.23 in 2008 to an estimated $2.02 in 2016. Currently, the stock is overvalued at 20.90 times forward earnings and yields 3.10%. I would put it on my list for further research, in case its valuation gets compelling. Consolidated Edison, Inc. ( ED ), through its subsidiaries, engages in regulated electric, gas, and steam delivery businesses in the United States. The company raised its quarterly dividend by 3% to 69 cents per share. This marked the 43rd annual dividend increase for this dividend champion . Over the past decade, Consolidated Edison has raised its annual dividend at a rate of 1.50% per year. The slow dividend growth was due to slow growth in earnings per share and the high dividend payout ratio 78%of a decade ago. Earnings per share grew from $2.54 in 2006 to an estimated $3.97 for 2016. Currently, the stock is selling at 18.40 times earnings and yields 3.80%. Due to the slow growth in earnings and dividends, I view the stock as a hold at best. The 7 Best Monthly Dividend Stocks for 2017 Fastenal Company ( FAST ), together with its subsidiaries, engages in the wholesale distribution of industrial and construction supplies in the United States, Canada, and internationally. It offers fasteners, and other industrial and construction supplies primarily under the Fastenal name. The company raised its quarterly dividend by 6.70% to 32 cents per share. This marked the 18th annual dividend increase for this dividend contender. Over the past decade, Fastenal has raised its annual dividend at a rate of 19.60% per year. This was supported by the growth in earnings per share from 66 cents in 2006 to an estimated $1.71 for 2016. Currently, the stock is overvalued at 30 times forward earnings but yields 2.50%. I like the story, and I would consider initiating a position on dips below $34 - $35/share. Unfortunately, my buy limit order to buy Fastenal stock has been sitting patiently for quite some time. Realty Income Corp ( O ) is a publicly traded real estate investment trust which makes investments in commercial real estate. The REIT raised its monthly dividend by 4% to 21.05 cents per share. The monthly dividend company has raised dividends to its shareholders for 23 years in a row. Over the past decade, Realty Income has raised its annual dividend at a rate of 4.70% per year. I like the slow and steady nature of this defensive business model, where you rent out commercial properties to a diverse list of tenants, under long-term leases with built in rent escalation clauses. Long-term readers do know that we require a decent valuation before entering a buy order. Currently, the stock is overvalued at 20.70 times forward FFO and yields 4.20%. I would consider Realty Income attractively priced on dips below $51/share. 10 Dividend Growth Stocks That Simply Print Money Linear Technology Corporation ( LLTC ) designs, manufactures, and markets a line of analog integrated circuits worldwide. The company raised its quarterly dividend by 3.10% to 32 cents/share. This marked the 25th annual dividend increase for this dividend champion. Over the past decade, Linear Technology has raised its annual dividend at a rate of 7.90%/year. Linear Technology has steadily raised earnings per share from $1.39 in 2007 to an estimated $2.18 for FY 2017. Currently, the stock is overvalued at 28.60 times forward earnings and yields 2.10%. The company is expected to be acquired by Analog Devices, Inc. ( ADI ), and the deal is expected to close by the end of 2017. As a result, it makes sense to look elsewhere. Alliant Energy Corporation ( LNT ) operates as a utility holding company that provides regulated electricity and natural gas services to residential, commercial, industrial, and wholesale customers in the Midwest region of the United States. It operates through three segments: Electric, Gas, and Other. This marked the 14th annual dividend increase for this dividend contender. Over the past decade, Alliant Energy has raised its annual dividend at a rate of 7.40% per year. Over the past decade, Alliant Energy has managed to deliver an anemic growth earnings from $1.45/share in 2006 to $1.69 in 2015. The company is expected to earn $1.88 per share in 2016. Currently, the stock is close to being overvalued at 20 times forward earnings and yields 3.30%. As a result of the high valuation, and the lack of consistent earnings growth, I would give the stock a pass at this time. Full Disclosure: Long O More From InvestorPlace 7 Cheap Stocks to Buy That Could Double in 2017 7 \""New Industrial\"" Stocks to Bore You to the Bank The post 6 Dividend Growth Stocks Raising Dividends Like Clockwork appeared first on InvestorPlace . The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Investmentaktiengesellschaft Fuer Langfristige Investoren Tgv Buys Microsoft Corp, Facebook ... Investmentaktiengesellschaft Fuer Langfristige Investoren Tgv New Purchases: FB , Added Positions: MSFT , CACC , TCX, GOOGL, NOV, Reduced Positions:TRUP, LUK, DNOW, Sold Out:DE, BIDU, For the details of INVESTMENTAKTIENGESELLSCHAFT FUER LANGFRISTIGE INVESTOREN TGV's stock buys and sells, go to http://www.gurufocus.com/StockBuy.php?GuruName=INVESTMENTAKTIENGESELLSCHAFT+FUER+LANGFRISTIGE+INVESTOREN+TGV These are the top 5 holdings of INVESTMENTAKTIENGESELLSCHAFT FUER LANGFRISTIGE INVESTOREN TGV Berkshire Hathaway Inc (BRK.A) - 521 shares, 30.9% of the total portfolio. Microsoft Corp ( MSFT ) - 1,405,000 shares, 21.21% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 63.94% Alphabet Inc ( GOOGL ) - 74,645 shares, 14.37% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 1.31% Fastenal Co ( FAST ) - 816,000 shares, 9.31% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 0.12% Alphabet Inc ( GOOG ) - 34,775 shares, 6.52% of the total portfolio. New Purchase: Facebook Inc ( FB ) Investmentaktiengesellschaft Fuer Langfristige Investoren Tgv initiated holdings in Facebook Inc. The purchase prices were between $115.05 and $133.28, with an estimated average price of $122.81. The stock is now traded at around $127.04. The impact to the portfolio due to this purchase was 1.68%. The holdings were 60,000 shares as of 2016-12-31. Added: Microsoft Corp ( MSFT ) Investmentaktiengesellschaft Fuer Langfristige Investoren Tgv added to the holdings in Microsoft Corp by 63.94%. The purchase prices were between $56.92 and $63.62, with an estimated average price of $60.15. The stock is now traded at around $62.74. The impact to the portfolio due to this purchase was 8.27%. The holdings were 1,405,000 shares as of 2016-12-31. Sold Out: Deere & Co (DE) Investmentaktiengesellschaft Fuer Langfristige Investoren Tgv sold out the holdings in Deere & Co. The sale prices were between $84.7 and $103.92, with an estimated average price of $94.02. Sold Out: Baidu Inc (BIDU) Investmentaktiengesellschaft Fuer Langfristige Investoren Tgv sold out the holdings in Baidu Inc. The sale prices were between $161.67 and $184.11, with an estimated average price of $170.19. Reduced: Trupanion Inc (TRUP) Investmentaktiengesellschaft Fuer Langfristige Investoren Tgv reduced to the holdings in Trupanion Inc by 27.93%. The sale prices were between $14.75 and $17.18, with an estimated average price of $16.09. The stock is now traded at around $14.23. The impact to the portfolio due to this sale was -1.15%. Investmentaktiengesellschaft Fuer Langfristige Investoren Tgv still held 668,191 shares as of 2016-12-31. Reduced: Leucadia National Corp (LUK) Investmentaktiengesellschaft Fuer Langfristige Investoren Tgv reduced to the holdings in Leucadia National Corp by 34.51%. The sale prices were between $17.91 and $24, with an estimated average price of $20.87. The stock is now traded at around $23.13. The impact to the portfolio due to this sale was -0.16%. Investmentaktiengesellschaft Fuer Langfristige Investoren Tgv still held 59,600 shares as of 2016-12-31. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 9 Warning Signs with MSFT. Click here to check it out. MSFT 15-Year Financial Data The intrinsic value of MSFT Peter Lynch Chart of MSFT Premium Members This article first appeared on GuruFocus . The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Charting a near-term divergence: Russell 2000 challenges the 50-day average Focus: Technology sector tags 16-year highs, XLK, DE, FAST, NBR, FGEN, IRBT U.S. stocks are lower early Monday, pressured amid political uncertainty, and ahead of a full week of corporate earnings reports. Against this backdrop, the market price action is increasingly technical. The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite topped last week precisely on their respective record closes, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average has balked at near-term resistance early Monday.""]"
FAST,2017-01-24,21.8337,21.8643,21.3905,21.6244,"[""Stonebridge Capital Management Inc Buys Novartis AG, Fastenal Co, Vodafone Group PLC, Sells ..."", ""Manning & Napier Purchases Shares of Fastenal"", ""Stonebridge Capital Management Inc Buys Novartis AG, Fastenal Co, Vodafone Group PLC, Sells ..."", ""Manning & Napier Purchases Shares of Fastenal"", ""Stonebridge Capital Management Inc Buys Novartis AG, Fastenal Co, Vodafone Group PLC, Sells ..."", ""Manning & Napier Purchases Shares of Fastenal""]"
FAST,2017-01-25,21.7083,21.9235,21.5218,21.6165,"[""Earnings, Revenue Beat Rates + Best And Worst Stocks On Earnings"", ""Earnings, Revenue Beat Rates + Best And Worst Stocks On Earnings"", ""Narwhal Capital Management Buys Novartis AG, NXP Semiconductors NV, Wells Fargo & Co, Sells ... Narwhal Capital Management Added Positions: SRCL , CLB , ROP , Reduced Positions:WFC, CMCSA, EXPD, NKE, PAYX, FAST, CAH, PGR, UNP, Sold Out:LNKD, WWAV, For the details of MCDONALD CAPITAL INVESTORS INC's stock buys and sells, go to http://www.gurufocus.com/StockBuy.php?GuruName=MCDONALD+CAPITAL+INVESTORS+INC These are the top 5 holdings of MCDONALD CAPITAL INVESTORS INC Paychex Inc ( PAYX ) - 2,187,319 shares, 12.22% of the total portfolio. Shares reduced by 1.3% Progressive Corp ( PGR ) - 3,740,485 shares, 12.18% of the total portfolio. Shares reduced by 1.02% Wells Fargo & Co ( WFC ) - 2,050,422 shares, 10.37% of the total portfolio. Shares reduced by 3.29% Ecolab Inc ( ECL ) - 924,785 shares, 9.95% of the total portfolio. Shares reduced by 0.91% Fastenal Co ( FAST ) - 2,215,493 shares, 9.55% of the total portfolio. Shares reduced by 1.53% Sold Out: LinkedIn Corp (LNKD) Mcdonald Capital Investors Inc sold out the holdings in LinkedIn Corp. The sale prices were between $187.6 and $195.96, with an estimated average price of $191.72. Sold Out: The WhiteWave Foods Co (WWAV) Mcdonald Capital Investors Inc sold out the holdings in The WhiteWave Foods Co. The sale prices were between $53.55 and $55.6, with an estimated average price of $54.74. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 3 Warning Sign with LNKD. Click here to check it out. LNKD 15-Year Financial Data The intrinsic value of LNKD Peter Lynch Chart of LNKD Premium Members This article first appeared on GuruFocus . The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Earnings, Revenue Beat Rates + Best And Worst Stocks On Earnings""]"
FAST,2017-01-26,21.6274,21.7142,21.3727,21.4369,
FAST,2017-01-27,21.4557,21.4557,21.2513,21.351,"[""High Predictability Stocks: T. Rowe Price, Roper Tech"", ""Check Capital Management Inc Buys CarMax Inc, Spectrum Brands Holdings Inc, Hanesbrands Inc, ..."", ""Make Money Using Analyst Ratings"", ""High Predictability Stocks: T. Rowe Price, Roper Tech"", ""Check Capital Management Inc Buys CarMax Inc, Spectrum Brands Holdings Inc, Hanesbrands Inc, ..."", ""Make Money Using Analyst Ratings"", ""WESCO International Discusses Outlook for 2017 With expectations for a recovery in U.S. industrial output in 2017 already in place, investors in industrial products provider WESCO International, Inc. (NYSE: WCC) must have eagerly awaited the company's fourth-quarter results. In the end, the headline numbers in the quarter were less important than the nuance within them and management's positive outlook for the year. There are subtle but real signs of recovery here, so let's take a closer look at the report and what management said. WESCO International fourth-quarter results: The raw numbers Let's start with the headline figures: Fourth-quarter sales declined 3.7% in the quarter, compared to guidance for a decline of 4% to 1%. Fourth-quarter operating margin of 4.6% came in toward the bottom end of the guidance range of 4.5% to 4.8%. Full-year adjusted diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $3.80 came in toward the low end of the previous guidance range of $3.75 to $3.90. As you can see, the headline numbers were slightly disappointing and in themselves didn't suggest that a recovery is on the way. However, the guidance for 2017 and associated commentary was more positive. First-quarter and full-year guidance for 2017 were as follows: First-quarter sales guidance for a decline of 3% to 0%, with operating margin in the range of 3.8% to 4.1%. Full-year sales guidance for growth of 0% to 4%, with operating margin in the range of 4.4% to 4.6%. Full-year diluted EPS guidance in the range of $3.60 to $4, implying earnings will be flat at the midpoint. Management merely reiterated the guidance given on its outlook call in December, so no surprises there, and no upgrade to 2017 expectations. A quick look at year-over-year growth for each end market demonstrates that three of the company's four end markets remained in negative territory in the quarter. Data source: WESCO International, Inc. CIG = commercial, institutional and government. Chart by author. What management had to say Looking past the numbers, the tone on theearnings callwas a lot more positive: Fourth-quarter sales grew sequentially for the first time in five years. CEO John Engel reported \""improving momentum with our industrial customers\"" -- industrial end markets make up around 36% of WESCO's sales. Within industrial end markets \"" bidding activity levels are up year-over-year and sequentially in the fourth quarter,\"" Engel added. \"" Two of the segments that are part of the segments that are up sequentially are two of our largest segments and that is oil and gas and metals and mining,\"" said Engel. On construction (34% of sales) Engel said, \"" Our outlook for the nonresidential construction market is modestly positive this year.\"" Indeed, other companies have also reported an improving environment. For example, industrial supply company MSC Industrial Direct Co (NYSE: MSM) recently reported some green shoots of recovery in its monthly sales data. In addition, industrial supplier Fastenal Company (NASDAQ: FAST) reported sales growth of 2.7% in December for its stores that have been open for more than five years -- its fastest growth rate since July 2015. Although WESCO's numbers or commentary weren't quite as positive as those given by MSC Industrial or Fastenal, those companies tend to have a higher exposure to maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) spending, which typically improves before capital spending -- where WESCO has heavy exposure -- starts to flow. In addition, the picture of its construction end markets will become a lot clearer toward the spring and summer when construction activity kicks in, while CIG end markets will also be influenced by federal government spending under President Donald Trump. Looking ahead All told, WESCO's numbers were lackluster but the commentary was positive, and companies across the industrial sector are starting to report improving conditions. Investors will want to look out for more budding shoots of recovery before feeling fully confident, but the company appears to be on the right track. 10 stocks we like better than Wesco International When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor , has tripled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Wesco International wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. Click here to learn about these picks! *Stock Advisor returns as of January 4, 2017 Lee Samaha has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends MSC Industrial Direct. The Motley Fool recommends Wesco International. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy . The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Company (FAST) Ex-Dividend Date Scheduled for January 30, 2017 Fastenal Company ( FAST ) will begin trading ex-dividend on January 30, 2017. A cash dividend payment of $0.32 per share is scheduled to be paid on February 28, 2017. Shareholders who purchased FAST prior to the ex-dividend date are eligible for the cash dividend payment. This represents an 6.67% increase over prior dividend payment. The previous trading day's last sale of FAST was $50.37, representing a -2.31% decrease from the 52 week high of $51.56 and a 34.97% increase over the 52 week low of $37.32. FAST is a part of the Consumer Services sector, which includes companies such as Home Depot, Inc. ( HD ) and Lowe's Companies, Inc. ( LOW ). FAST's current earnings per share, an indicator of a company's profitability, is $1.73. Zacks Investment Research reports FAST's forecasted earnings growth in 2017 as 5.97%, compared to an industry average of 13%. For more information on the declaration, record and payment dates, visit the FAST Dividend History page. Our Dividend Calendar has the full list of stocks that have an ex-dividend today. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""High Predictability Stocks: T. Rowe Price, Roper Tech"", ""Check Capital Management Inc Buys CarMax Inc, Spectrum Brands Holdings Inc, Hanesbrands Inc, ..."", ""Make Money Using Analyst Ratings""]"
FAST,2017-01-30,21.3313,21.5188,21.0933,21.5011,
FAST,2017-01-31,21.4645,21.506,21.1221,21.2799,
FAST,2017-02-01,21.351,21.4379,21.1081,21.2543,"[""Two 10%+ Dividend Increases Expected In The First Half Of February"", ""Two 10%+ Dividend Increases Expected In The First Half Of February"", ""Two 10%+ Dividend Increases Expected In The First Half Of February""]"
FAST,2017-02-02,21.1081,21.2039,20.8535,20.9887,
FAST,2017-02-03,21.0993,21.3313,20.9375,21.0055,"[""Option Alert: Fastenal Feb 49.0 Puts Sweep: 629 @ ASK $0.75: 1114 traded vs 372 OI: Earnings 4/11 Before Open (est) $49.06 Ref"", ""Benzinga's Option Alert Recap From February 3"", ""Benzinga's Option Alert Recap From February 3"", ""Option Alert: Fastenal Feb 49.0 Puts Sweep: 629 @ ASK $0.75: 1114 traded vs 372 OI: Earnings 4/11 Before Open (est) $49.06 Ref"", ""Benzinga's Option Alert Recap From February 3"", ""Option Alert: Fastenal Feb 49.0 Puts Sweep: 629 @ ASK $0.75: 1114 traded vs 372 OI: Earnings 4/11 Before Open (est) $49.06 Ref""]"
FAST,2017-02-06,21.1793,21.9235,21.1793,21.584,"[""Fastenal reports figures for January"", ""Watch These 8 Huge Put Purchases In Monday Trade"", ""Option Alert: Fastenal Feb $49 Put; 2000 @Bid @$0.15"", ""Benzinga's Option Alert Recap From February 6"", ""Benzinga's Option Alert Recap From February 6"", ""Option Alert: Fastenal Feb $49 Put; 2000 @Bid @$0.15"", ""Watch These 8 Huge Put Purchases In Monday Trade"", ""Fastenal reports figures for January"", ""Nasdaq 100 Movers: ADSK, HAS In early trading on Monday, shares of Hasbro ( HAS ) topped the list of the day's best performing components of the Nasdaq 100 index, trading up 15.6%. Year to date, Hasbro registers a 22.8% gain. And the worst performing Nasdaq 100 component thus far on the day is Autodesk ( ADSK ), trading down 1.6%. Autodesk is showing a gain of 12.2% looking at the year to date performance. Two other components making moves today are Vodafone Group ( VOD ), trading down 1.1%, and Fastenal ( FAST ), trading up 3.3% on the day. VIDEO: Nasdaq 100 Movers: ADSK, HAS The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Benzinga's Option Alert Recap From February 6"", ""Option Alert: Fastenal Feb $49 Put; 2000 @Bid @$0.15"", ""Watch These 8 Huge Put Purchases In Monday Trade"", ""Fastenal reports figures for January""]"
FAST,2017-02-07,21.4596,21.6106,21.3047,21.3343,"[""Top Dividend Raises And Cuts For January 2017"", ""Top Dividend Raises And Cuts For January 2017"", ""Top Dividend Raises And Cuts For January 2017""]"
FAST,2017-02-08,21.3047,21.4063,21.1675,21.3382,"[""Fastenal Has Run Up Fast"", ""Fastenal Has Run Up Fast"", ""Fastenal Has Run Up Fast""]"
FAST,2017-02-09,21.3649,21.5613,21.2197,21.5228,
FAST,2017-02-10,21.6057,21.7113,21.4339,21.5613,
FAST,2017-02-13,21.7064,21.7715,21.4625,21.4714,
FAST,2017-02-14,21.4033,21.6323,21.3569,21.584,"[""Tracking Ruane, Cunniff, & Goldfarb's Portfolio - Q4 2016 Update"", ""David Rolfe Buys Tractor Supply Co, Fastenal Co, Sells Stericycle, Cognizant Technology ..."", ""David Rolfe Buys Tractor Supply Co, Fastenal Co, Sells Stericycle, Cognizant Technology ..."", ""Tracking Ruane, Cunniff, & Goldfarb's Portfolio - Q4 2016 Update"", ""Top Ranked Momentum Stocks to Buy for February 14th Here are four stocks with buy rank and strong momentum characteristics for investors to consider today, February 14th: Conagra Brands, Inc. (CAG): This manufacturer of packaged foods for retail consumershas a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and witnessedthe Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings rising 0.6% over the last 60 days. ConAgra Foods Inc. Price and Consensus ConAgra Foods Inc. Price and Consensus | ConAgra Foods Inc. Quote Conagra Brands' shares gained 3.3% over the last one month higher than S&P 500's gains of 2.4%. The company possesses a Momentum Score of B. ConAgra Foods Inc. Price ConAgra Foods Inc. Price | ConAgra Foods Inc. Quote Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (RCL): This global cruise vacation companyhas a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and witnessed the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings rising 3.2% over the last 60 days. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Price and Consensus Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Price and Consensus | Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Quote Royal Caribbean Cruises' shares gained 13.4% over the last one month. The company possesses a Momentum Score of B. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Price Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Price | Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Quote Fastenal Company (FAST): This industrial and construction supplies selling company has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and witnessed the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings rising 1.7% over the last 60 days. Fastenal Company Price and Consensus Fastenal Company Price and Consensus | Fastenal Company Quote Fastenal's shares gained 4.3% over the last one month. The company possesses a Momentum Score of B. Fastenal Company Price Fastenal Company Price | Fastenal Company Quote IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. (IDXX): This world leader in providing diagnostic products to the animal health industryhas a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and witnessed the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings rising 3.5% over the last 60 days. IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. Price and Consensus IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. Price and Consensus | IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. Quote IDEXX Laboratories' shares gained 17.3% over the last one month. The company possesses a Momentum Score of A. IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. Price IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. Price | IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. Quote Learn more about the Momentum score and how it is calculated here Zacks' Top 10 Stocks for 2017 In addition to the stocks discussed above, would you like to know about our 10 finest buy-and-hold tickers for the entirety of 2017? Who wouldn't? Last year's market-beating Top 10 portfolio produced 5 double-digit winners. For example, oil and natural gas giant Pioneer Natural Resources and First Republic Bank racked up stellar gains of +44.9% and +44.3% respectively. Now a brand-new list for 2017 has been hand-picked from 4,400 companies covered by the Zacks Rank. See the 2017 Top 10 right now>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (RCL): Free Stock Analysis Report IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. (IDXX): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report ConAgra Foods Inc. (CAG): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""David Rolfe Buys Tractor Supply Co, Fastenal Co, Sells Stericycle, Cognizant Technology ..."", ""Tracking Ruane, Cunniff, & Goldfarb's Portfolio - Q4 2016 Update""]"
FAST,2017-02-15,21.4764,21.6876,21.3697,21.6155,"[""The MnM Portfolio, Jan. 2017: Ep. 23 - Introducing The MnM 401K!"", ""The MnM Portfolio, Jan. 2017: Ep. 23 - Introducing The MnM 401K!"", ""The MnM Portfolio, Jan. 2017: Ep. 23 - Introducing The MnM 401K!""]"
FAST,2017-02-16,21.6106,21.6787,21.3865,21.6787,
FAST,2017-02-17,21.6057,21.7212,21.4517,21.7212,"[""David Rolfe Invests in Tractor Supply, Fastenal"", ""David Rolfe Invests in Tractor Supply, Fastenal"", ""David Rolfe Invests in Tractor Supply, Fastenal""]"
FAST,2017-02-21,21.6827,21.8001,21.5879,21.7883,"Home Depot (HD) Tops Q4 Earnings, Updates Capital Strategy The Home Depot Inc.HD reported better-than-expected bottom-line results for fourth-quarter fiscal 2016, retaining its four-year long trend of beating earnings estimates. Results gained from the company's focus on affording innovative products, boosting interconnected customer experience and driving productivity. Further, the company continued to reap the benefits of a steady housing market recovery and strong customer demand. Consequently, shares of this home improvement retailer increased nearly 2% in the pre-market trading session. Moreover, Home Depot's shares have returned 16.4% in the past one year, outperforming the Zacks categorized Building Products-Retail/Wholesale industry that rose 11.9% in the same time frame. The company posted fiscal fourth-quarter earnings of $1.44 per share, which escalated 23.1% from $1.17 in the year-ago quarter and beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.33. Home Depot, Inc. (The) Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Home Depot, Inc. (The) Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise | Home Depot, Inc. (The) Quote Quarterly Details Net sales advanced 5.8% to $22,207 million from $20,980 million in the year-ago quarter. However, the top line fell short of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $21,806 million. The company's overall comparable-store sales (comps) increased 5.8%, while comps in the U.S. grew 6.3%. Sales growth can be attributable to a 2.9% increase in both number of customer transactions and average ticket. Further, a 5.7% upside in sales per square foot helped the results. Gross profit in the reported quarter improved 5.5% to $7,553 million from $7,156 million in the year-ago quarter, primarily driven by higher sales. However, gross profit margin contracted 10 basis points (bps) to 34%. Improved gross profit led operating income to increase 14.8% to $2,927 million during the fiscal quarter. Further, operating margin expanded 110 bps from the year-ago quarter to 13.2%. Fiscal 2016 Synopsis Home Depot's adjusted earnings for fiscal 2016 came in at $6.45 per share, up 18.1% year over year and ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $6.34. Net sales for the fiscal jumped 6.9% year over year to $94,595 million and cruised ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $94,161 million. Balance Sheet and Cash Flow Home Depot ended fiscal 2016 with cash and cash equivalents of $2,538 million, long-term debt (excluding current maturities) of $22,349 million and shareholders' equity of $4,333 million. In fiscal 2016, the company had generated $9,783 million of net cash from operations. Further, as a part of its capital allocation strategy, the company raised long-term dividend payout ratio to 55% of net earnings, compared with 50% targeted earlier. Further, the company increased quarterly dividend by 29% to 89 cents per share. This dividend, which marks the company's 120th quarterly dividend, will be paid on Mar 23, 2017 to shareholders with record as of Mar 9, 2017. Additionally, the company authorized a new $15 billion share repurchase program, which will replace its existing program. The company's commitment to returning value to shareholders is evident from the share buybacks made since 2002 through Jan 29, 2017. In this period, the company repurchased about 1.3 million shares, which makes for total shareholder returns of over $67 million. Fiscal 2017 Outlook Following the robust fiscal 2016 performance, Home Depot initiated guidance for fiscal 2017. The company project both sales and comps to grow about 4.6%. The company's gross profit margin for fiscal 2017 is expected to contract 15 bps, while operating margin is likely to expand 30 bps. The company targets effective tax rate of nearly 36.3%. Consequently, diluted earnings per share are expected to increase 10.5% to $7.13, including share repurchases worth nearly $5 billion. During the fiscal year, the company anticipates generating cash flow from operating activities of nearly $11.3 billion. Capital spending and depreciation & amortization expense for the fiscal are estimated at about $2 billion each. Further, the company expects opening about six new stores in the fiscal. Zacks Rank Currently, Home Depot carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Better-ranked stocks in the retail space are Fastenal Company FAST , Lumber Liquidators Holdings Inc. LL and Zumiez Inc. ZUMZ , each carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here . Fastenal has gained nearly 15.5% in the last six months. Moreover, it has a long-term earnings growth rate of 16.3%. Lumber Liquidators, with a long-term earnings growth rate of 27.5%, has gained nearly 8.1% in the past one year. Zumiez has jumped 22.5% in the last six months. The stock has a long-term earnings growth rate of 15%. The Best Place to Start Your Stock Search Today, you are invited to download the full list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 """"Strong Buy"""" stocks - absolutely free of charge. Since 1988, Zacks Rank #1 stocks have nearly tripled the market, with average gains of +26% per year. Plus, you can access the list of portfolio-killing Zacks Rank #5 """"Strong Sells"""" and other private research. See these stocks free >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Home Depot, Inc. (The) (HD): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Lumber Liquidators Holdings, Inc (LL): Free Stock Analysis Report Zumiez Inc. (ZUMZ): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2017-02-22,21.7676,21.8406,21.6876,21.7883,"Lumber Liquidators (LL) Posts Narrower-than-Expected Q4 Loss Shares of Lumber Liquidators Holdings, Inc.LL advanced more than 17% on Feb 21, after the company reported narrower-than-expected loss and robust revenues in the fourth quarter of 2016. In the fourth quarter of 2016, the company posted a loss of 20 cents that fared better than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of a loss of 29 cents. In the fourth-quarter of 2015, the company's losses were 73 cents per share. Notably, this is the first quarter in the past six quarters, where the company has reported narrower-than-expected loss. Net sales rose 4.3% to $244.9 million and also surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $242 million. Comparable-store net sales increased 2.8% primarily owing to 3% surge in average sales marginally offset by a 0.2% dip in customers invoiced. However, non-comparable store sales increased $3.6 million in the prior-year quarter. Notably, the company's revenues have beaten the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the second consecutive quarter. In the past six months, the company's shares have gained 10.3%, outperforming the Zacks categorized Building Product-Retail/Wholesale industry which has increased 3.4%. Gross margin for the quarter came in at 32.9% in comparison with 23% in the prior-year quarter. Sharp increase in gross margin can chiefly be attributed to prior-year decrease in the carrying value of the company's inventory of laminate flooring obtained from China, related moldings as well as due to other inventory adjustments and shifts in the mix of products. Balance Sheet and Cash Flow Lumber Liquidators Holdings, Inc Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Lumber Liquidators Holdings, Inc Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise | Lumber Liquidators Holdings, Inc Quote Lumber Liquidators ended the quarter with cash and cash equivalents of $10.3 million compared with $26.7 million in the year-ago quarter. Merchandise inventories at the end of the quarter amounted to $301.9 million compared with $244.4 million at the end of the year-ago quarter. Zacks Rank Lumber Liquidators which shares space with Lowe's Companies, Inc. LOW and The Home Depot, Inc. HD currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Another favorably placed stock in this sector is Fastenal Company FAST , which carries the same rank as Lumber Liquidators. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 (Strong Buy) Rank stocks here . Fastenal's shares have gained nearly 11% in the past three months. Further, the company has an impressive long-term earnings growth rate of 16.3%. Zacks' Top Investment Ideas for Long-Term Profit How would you like to see our best recommendations to help you find today's most promising long-term stocks? Starting now, you can look inside our portfolios featuring stocks under $10, income stocks, value investments and more. These picks, which have double and triple-digit profit potential, are rarely available to the public. But you can see them now. Click here >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Home Depot, Inc. (The) (HD): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Lowe's Companies, Inc. (LOW): Free Stock Analysis Report Lumber Liquidators Holdings, Inc (LL): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2017-02-23,21.8752,21.9472,21.2681,21.3214,"[""Can 20 Financial Ratios Measure A Company's Moat Just Like Morningstar? Update"", ""Can 20 Financial Ratios Measure A Company's Moat Just Like Morningstar? Update"", ""Can 20 Financial Ratios Measure A Company's Moat Just Like Morningstar? Update""]"
FAST,2017-02-24,21.2631,21.4596,21.1585,21.4596,
FAST,2017-02-27,21.4853,21.5909,21.4251,21.5672,"[""Tracking The Sequoia Fund - Q4 2016 Update"", ""Pegasus Partners Ltd. Buys iShares Core S&P Small-Cap, iShares Core S&P Mid-Cap, ..."", ""Tracking The Sequoia Fund - Q4 2016 Update"", ""Pegasus Partners Ltd. Buys iShares Core S&P Small-Cap, iShares Core S&P Mid-Cap, ..."", ""Tracking The Sequoia Fund - Q4 2016 Update"", ""Pegasus Partners Ltd. Buys iShares Core S&P Small-Cap, iShares Core S&P Mid-Cap, ...""]"
FAST,2017-02-28,21.584,21.6057,21.3649,21.43,
FAST,2017-03-01,21.656,21.9186,21.6323,21.8366,"[""Top Research Reports for March 1, 2017"", ""Top Research Reports for March 1, 2017"", ""Top Research Reports for March 1, 2017 Wednesday, March 1, 2017 Today's Research Daily features new research reports on 16 major stocks, including Microsoft (MSFT), Canadian National (CNI) and BP (BP). Microsoft shares lagged the Zacks Tech sector through the fall, but have led the way over the last six months (up +10.9% versus +8.2%) on greater appreciation for the company's reorganization and repositioning. The Zacks analyst points to the company's continuing enterprise strength, benefits from the Office 365 subscription model, strong growth prospects of Azure and promising new products. The acquisition of AI startup Maluuba is a big positive for the company given the growing demand for artificial intelligence techniques throughout the world. The recent announcement of Xbox Game Pass, a subscription-based gaming service, will help Microsoft to win market share from the likes of GameStop. All in all, the company has emerged as a leader in the cloud space that promises momentum on a number of fronts. (You can read the full research report onMicrosofthere . ) Buy-rated Canadian National shares have done really well since the election (up +9.1%) and have also posted healthy gains last year, but failed to outperform the Zacks Rail industry which gained 19.7% over the same period. This was primarily due to coal related headwinds. However, fourth quarter earnings exceeded expectations, driven by lower costs, while revenues increased on a year-over-year basis. The analyst likes this Buy-rated stock's initiatives to reward investors as well as the C$2.5 billion 2017 capital investment plan. The plan complements its efforts to promote safety along with enhancing productivity. (You can read the full research report onCanadian Nationalhere. ) BP 's shares have gained 12.3% over the last one year, outperforming the Zacks categorized Oil & Gas-International Integrated industry which gained 9.9% over the same period, as well as rival Royal Dutch Shell. The analyst is enthused by its latest announcement, that it expects the upstream and downstream segments to contribute significant cash flows over the next five years. Cash flows from the upstream operation will likely be between $13 billion and $14 billion annually. Moreover, the downstream operation is expected to add $9-$10 billion yearly cash flows. However, volatility in commodity prices remains a concern. Moreover, the trailing 12-month return on capital is not very encouraging. (You can read the full research report onBPhere. ) Other noteworthy reports we are featuring today include Monsanto (MON), Adobe (ADBE) and Fastenal (FAST). 8 Stocks with Huge Profit Potential Just released: Driverless Cars: Your Roadmap to Mega-Profits Today. In this latest Special Report, Zacks' Aggressive Growth Strategist Brian Bolan explores a full-blown technological breakthrough in the making - autonomous cars. He also spotlights 8 stocks with tremendous gain potential to feed off this phenomenon. Click to see the stocks right now >> Mark Vickery Senior Editor Note: Sheraz Mian heads the Zacks Equity Research department and is a well-regarded expert of aggregate earnings. He is frequently quoted in the print and electronic media and publishes the weekly Earnings Trends and Earnings Preview reports. If you want an email notification each time Sheraz publishes a new article, please click here >>> Today's Must Read Microsoft (MSFT) Launches New Xbox Subscription Service Canadian National's (CNI) Safety-related Efforts Impress BP Plc (BP) to Generate Significant Cash Flow Through 2021 Featured Reports FirstEnergy (FE) Misses Q4 Earnings, Issues 2017 Guidance As per the covering analyst, FirstEnergy's broadening regulated base and growing transmission lines are expected to boost earnings going forward. Chesapeake (CHK) Beats on Q4 Earnings, Misses Revenues The Zacks analyst agrees that increased price realizations led Chesapeake to post better-than-expected earnings in the fourth quarter. United States Cellular (USM) Tops Q4 Earnings, Revenues Lags The covering analyst believes U.S. Cellular's strategic initiatives drove subscriber additions and earnings in Q4. SunTrust (STI) Poised For Growth Through Cost Saving Plans The Zacks analyst thinks Suntrust's efficient cost saving initiatives makes it well positioned for improved profitability. However, a concentrated loan portfolio may hurt financials in the near term. Integra (IART) Saw a Y/Y rise in Q4 Sales, Headwinds Remains The covering analyst thinks Q4 sales grew on balanced organic growth across all segments. However, rising operating costs and currency woe pulled the share price down than the broader industry. Fastenal's (FAST) Initiatives to Spur Growth, Margins Weak The Zacks analyst believes that Fastenal's cost-control initiative and more vending machine installations will drive growth. Exelixis (EXEL) Reports Q4 Earnings, Focuses on Cabometyx Launch The covering analyst believes that the company will focus on the launch of Cabometyx in the U.S., which is likely to boost revenues in 2017. New Upgrades Haynesville Shale Program to Drive Comstock (CRK) Growth Comstock's large acreage position in the prolific Haynesville Shale play and its low-cost structure has made the Zacks analyst turn bullish on the E&P company. Altra Industrial (AIMC) Up to Buy on Robust Q4 Earnings Altra Industrial's Q4 earnings exceeded the year-ago figure and the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 13.9% and 20.6%, respectively; on robust sales volume, sound pricing conditions and greater operational Monsanto (MON) Upgraded to Buy on Robust Growth Drivers The covering analyst believes that Monsanto is poised to enhance its competency on Bayer's buyout deal , greater innovation and sturdy market response for existing crop-yield boosting solutions. New Downgrades Cabela's (CAB) Misses Q4 Earnings, Hurts Investor Sentiment Cabela's fourth-quarter fiscal 2016 earnings and sales missed estimates. The Zacks analyst think soft economic recovery, deceleration in sporting goods sales and stiff competition hurt its performance IMAX Corp's (IMAX) Q4 Earnings & Sales Fall Y/Y Though pleased with the company's outperformance, the covering analyst is concerned about bottom-line contraction due to higher costs. The top line was hurt due to dismal box-office revenues. Adobe (ADBE) Hurt by Lower End Market Demand The Zacks analyst believes that lower end-market demand as a result of weak global economic conditions could impact Adobe. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Microsoft Corporation (MSFT): Free Stock Analysis Report Monsanto Company (MON): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Canadian National Railway Company (CNI): Free Stock Analysis Report BP p.l.c. (BP): Free Stock Analysis Report Adobe Systems Incorporated (ADBE): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Top Research Reports for March 1, 2017""]"
FAST,2017-03-02,21.7676,22.0162,21.6491,21.6876,"[""Can 20 Financial Ratios Be Used To Find Dividend Growth Companies That Outperform The Market?"", ""Can 20 Financial Ratios Be Used To Find Dividend Growth Companies That Outperform The Market?"", ""The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: Microsoft, Canadian National, BP, Monsanto and Fastenal For Immediate Release Chicago, IL -March 02, 2017 - Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT - Free Report ), Canadian National (NYSE: CNI - Free Report ), BP (NYSE: BP - Free Report ), Monsanto (NYSE: MON - Free Report ) and Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST - Free Report ). Today, Zacks is promoting its ''Buy'' stock recommendations. Get #1Stock of the Day pick for free. Here are highlights from Wednesday's Analyst Blog: Top Research Reports for Thursday: MSFT, CNI, BP Today's Research Daily features new research reports on 16 major stocks, including Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT - Free Report ), Canadian National (NYSE: CNI - Free Report ) and BP (NYSE: BP - Free Report ). Microsoft shares lagged the Zacks Tech sector through the fall, but have led the way over the last six months (up +10.9% versus +8.2%) on greater appreciation for the company's reorganization and repositioning. The Zacks analyst points to the company's continuing enterprise strength, benefits from the Office 365 subscription model, strong growth prospects of Azure and promising new products. The acquisition of AI startup Maluuba is a big positive for the company given the growing demand for artificial intelligence techniques throughout the world. The recent announcement of Xbox Game Pass, a subscription-based gaming service, will help Microsoft to win market share from the likes of GameStop. All in all, the company has emerged as a leader in the cloud space that promises momentum on a number of fronts. (You can read the full research report on Microsofthere. ) Buy-rated Canadian National shares have done really well since the election (up +9.1%) and have also posted healthy gains last year, but failed to outperform the Zacks Rail industry which gained 19.7% over the same period. This was primarily due to coal related headwinds. However, fourth quarter earnings exceeded expectations, driven by lower costs, while revenues increased on a year-over-year basis. The analyst likes this Buy-rated stock's initiatives to reward investors as well as the C$2.5 billion 2017 capital investment plan. The plan complements its efforts to promote safety along with enhancing productivity. (You can read the full research report on Canadian National here. ) BP 's shares have gained 12.3% over the last one year, outperforming the Zacks categorized Oil & Gas-International Integrated industry which gained 9.9% over the same period, as well as rival Royal Dutch Shell. The analyst is enthused by its latest announcement, that it expects the upstream and downstream segments to contribute significant cash flows over the next five years. Cash flows from the upstream operation will likely be between $13 billion and $14 billion annually. Moreover, the downstream operation is expected to add $9-$10 billion yearly cash flows. However, volatility in commodity prices remains a concern. Moreover, the trailing 12-month return on capital is not very encouraging. (You can read the full research report on BP here. ) Other noteworthy reports we are featuring today include Monsanto (NYSE: MON - Free Report ) and Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST - Free Report ). 8 Stocks with Huge Profit Potential Just released: Driverless Cars: Your Roadmap to Mega-Profits Today. In this latest Special Report, Zacks' Aggressive Growth Strategist Brian Bolan explores a full-blown technological breakthrough in the making - autonomous cars. He also spotlights 8 stocks with tremendous gain potential to feed off this phenomenon. Click to see the stocks right now >> About Zacks Equity Research Zacks Equity Research provides the best of quantitative and qualitative analysis to help investors know what stocks to buy and which to sell for the long-term. Continuous coverage is provided for a universe of 1,150 publicly traded stocks. Our analysts are organized by industry which gives them keen insights to developments that affect company profits and stock performance. Recommendations and target prices are six-month time horizons. Strong Stocks that Should Be in the News Many are little publicized and fly under the Wall Street radar. They're virtually unknown to the general public. Yet today's 220 Zacks Rank #1 \""Strong Buys\"" were generated by the stock-picking system that has nearly tripled the market from 1988 through 2015. Its average gain has been a stellar +26% per year. See these high-potential stocks free >>. Get the full Report on MSFT - FREE Get the full Report on CNI - FREE Get the full Report on BP - FREE Get the full Report on MON - FREE Get the full Report on FAST - FREE Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/zacksresearch Join us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Zacks-Investment-Research/57553657748?ref=ts Zacks Investment Research is under common control with affiliated entities (including a broker-dealer and an investment adviser), which may engage in transactions involving the foregoing securities for the clients of such affiliates. Media Contact Zacks Investment Research 800-767-3771 ext. 9339 support@zacks.com https://www.zacks.com/ Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Microsoft Corporation (MSFT): Free Stock Analysis Report Canadian National Railway Company (CNI): Free Stock Analysis Report BP p.l.c. (BP): Free Stock Analysis Report Monsanto Company (MON): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Can 20 Financial Ratios Be Used To Find Dividend Growth Companies That Outperform The Market?""]"
FAST,2017-03-03,21.6935,22.2108,21.6639,22.189,"[""Fastenal to Acquire Regional Distributor Mansco, Terms Not Disclosed"", ""Fastenal to Acquire Regional Distributor Mansco, Terms Not Disclosed"", ""Fastenal to Acquire Regional Distributor Mansco, Terms Not Disclosed""]"
FAST,2017-03-06,22.2018,22.5483,22.0686,22.3677,"[""Fastenal Company (FAST) Signs Agreement to Take Over Mansco"", ""Fastenal reports figures for February"", ""Stocks Stutter At New Highs, Then Improve; GM Sags"", ""Wall Street's M&A Chatter From March 3-5"", ""Wall Street's M&A Chatter From March 3-5"", ""Stocks Stutter At New Highs, Then Improve; GM Sags"", ""Fastenal Company (FAST) Signs Agreement to Take Over Mansco"", ""Fastenal reports figures for February"", ""Fastenal Company (FAST) Signs Agreement to Take Over Mansco Fastenal CompanyFAST has signed an agreement to acquire assets of Manufacturer's Supply Company (Mansco), based in Hudsonville, MI. However, the terms of the deal have not been disclosed. The deal, which is expected to close by the end of March, will boost Fastenal's market footprint with commercial furniture Original Equipment Manufacturers or OEMs. On the other hand, it will provide Mansco with additional tools to serve its customer base. Mansco had generated 2016 sales of approximately $50 million, largely from its flagship Michigan location. The company also has been generating sales at two other facilities in Madison, AL, and McAllen, TX. Fastenal believes that this transaction will likely be accretive to its financials in the first twelve months, though it should not be material to earnings per share. Based in Winona, MN, Fastenal is a national wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies. The company has gradually grown from a fastener distributor to a full-line industrial supplier. It has expanded its product lines to include an internal manufacturing division, government sales, Internet sales, metalworking and industrial vending. If we take a closer look at Fastenal's fourth-quarter earnings release, the top line was soft since 2015 and continued to experience a slowdown throughout 2016, including a contraction of 2.4% in the fourth quarter of 2016. Again, lack of inflation, unfavorable product mix (less fasteners which generate higher margins), strong emphasis on growing average store sales, pricing and competitive pressure are hurting gross margins. Though gross margin improved 50 basis points (bps) sequentially in the fourth quarter, it was still down 10 bps year over year. Overall, 2016 gross margin dropped 80 basis points from the 2015 level. Considering the above factors, the latest acquisition is expected to drive the company's revenues. Stock Performance Shares of Fastenal gained over 20% in the last six months, outperforming the 10.5% gain of the Zacks categorized Building Products - Retail/Wholesale industry. Estimates for the current year and the next moved up over the last 30 days. The company's cost-control initiative (Pathway to Profit) and increased vending machine installations to boost sales should drive the stock's performance in the upcoming quarters as well. Its long-term (3-5 year) EPS growth rate is pegged at 16.3%. Management indicated that the company is in \""a stable margin environment\"" as it believes that recent improvements in margins on non-fasteners in the fourth quarter, a higher mix of sales of exclusive brands and better purchasing can continue to offset the ongoing mix headwinds. Additionally, recent increases in steel and other commodity prices add to the positives. If the company manages to check gross margin erosion in a low-growth environment, its stock price should reflect the same. Zacks Rank & Key Picks Fastenal carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Some better-ranked stocks in the sector include Pier 1 Imports, Inc. PIR , Williams-Sonoma, Inc. WSM and GMS Inc. GMS . Pier 1 sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Pier 1 has an impressive earnings surprise history, beating estimates in three of the last four quarters at an average of 23.21%. Williams-Sonoma is expected to see earnings growth of 1.1% in the current year. GMS is expected to see earnings growth of 19.1% in the current year. Williams-Sonoma and GMS carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Zacks' Top 10 Stocks for 2017 In addition to the stocks discussed above, would you like to know about our 10 finest buy-and-hold tickers for the entirety of 2017? Who wouldn't? Last year's market-beating Top 10 portfolio produced 5 double-digit winners. For example, oil and natural gas giant Pioneer Natural Resources and First Republic Bank racked up stellar gains of +44.9% and +44.3% respectively. Now a brand-new list for 2017 has been hand-picked from 4,400 companies covered by the Zacks Rank. See the 2017 Top 10 right now>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Pier 1 Imports, Inc. (PIR): Free Stock Analysis Report Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (WSM): Free Stock Analysis Report GMS Inc. (GMS): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Wall Street's M&A Chatter From March 3-5"", ""Stocks Stutter At New Highs, Then Improve; GM Sags"", ""Fastenal Company (FAST) Signs Agreement to Take Over Mansco"", ""Fastenal reports figures for February""]"
FAST,2017-03-07,22.3232,22.4605,21.9512,22.0024,
FAST,2017-03-08,22.034,22.109,21.9106,22.034,
FAST,2017-03-09,22.0252,22.2048,21.3915,21.4931,
FAST,2017-03-10,21.6373,21.8504,21.6373,21.7596,"[""Ruane Cunniff Sells Berkshire and Praxair, Exits Walmart"", ""Ruane Cunniff Sells Berkshire and Praxair, Exits Walmart"", ""Ruane Cunniff Sells Berkshire and Praxair, Exits Walmart Ruane, Cunniff & Goldfarb Inc. was founded by William Ruane, and Ruane Cunniff ( Trades , Portfolio )'s current investment committee is directed by Richard Cunniff. He manages a portfolio composed of 92 stocks with a total value of $10.642 billion. During the fourth quarter the guru sold shares in the following stocks: The guru reduced its holding in Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Class A ( BRK.A ) by 19.71% with an impact of -2.39% on the portfolio. It is a conglomerate holding company owning subsidiaries engaged in a number of business activities including property and casualty insurance and reinsurance, utilities and energy, finance, manufacturing, service and retailing. GuruFocus gives the stock a profitability and growth rating of 7 out of 10. While the return on equity (ROE) of 9.05% is underperforming the sector, the return on assets (ROA) of 4.07% is outperforming 75% of the companies in the Global Insurance - Diversified industry. Financial strength has a rating of 7 out of 10 with a cash to debt of 0.85. The largest shareholder among the gurus is Tom Russo (Trades, Portfolio) with 0.3% of outstanding shares followed by Ruane Cunniff with 0.29%, Chris Davis (Trades, Portfolio) with 0.26%, First Eagle Investment (Trades, Portfolio) with 0.09%, Charles de Vaulx (Trades, Portfolio) with 0.08%, Tweedy Browne (Trades, Portfolio) with 0.07%, Tom Gayner (Trades, Portfolio) with 0.07%, Tweedy Browne Global Value with 0.03% and Jim Simons (Trades, Portfolio) with 0.03%. The guru reduced its position in Praxair Inc. ( PX ) by 78.25% with an impact of -1.73% on the portfolio. The company is engaged in the production, distribution and sale of atmospheric and process gases and surface coatings in North America, Europe, South America and Asia. Its products include oxygen, helium, nitrogen and specialty gases among others. Fourth-quarter sales grew 2% year over year, and operating profit was 4% below the prior-year quarter. GuruFocus gives the stock a profitability and growth rating of 7 out of 10. The ROE of 30.39% and ROA of 7.78% are outperforming 75% of the companies in the Global Specialty Chemicals industry. Financial strength has a rating of 5 out of 10. The cash to debt of 0.06 is below the industry median of 0.72. First Eagle Investment is the largest shareholder among the gurus with 1.42% of outstanding shares followed by Davis with 1.04%, PRIMECAP Management (Trades, Portfolio) with 0.54%, Diamond Hill Capital (Trades, Portfolio) with 0.36%, Simons with 0.14%, Ruane Cunniff with 0.12% and Wallace Weitz (Trades, Portfolio) with 0.07%. The investor reduced its shares of Mohawk Industries Inc. ( MHK ) by 25.27%. The trade had an impact of -1.17% on the portfolio. It is a flooring manufacturer that creates products to enhance residential and commercial spaces around the world. The company's segments are: Carpet, Ceramic and Laminate and Wood. During the fourth quarter net earnings were $234 million and diluted earnings per share ( EPS ) was $3.13, an increase of 22% versus the prior year. GuruFocus gives the stock a profitability and growth rating of 8 out of 10. The ROE of 17.34% and ROA of 9.09% are outperforming 80% of the companies in the Global Home Furnishings and Fixtures industry. Financial strength has a rating of 6 out of 10. The cash to debt of 0.05 is below the industry median of 1.07. The largest shareholder among the gurus is Ruane Cunniff with 2.48% of outstanding shares followed by Daniel Loeb (Trades, Portfolio) with 1.62%, David Tepper (Trades, Portfolio) with 0.85%, Steven Cohen (Trades, Portfolio) with 0.59%, Eric Mindich (Trades, Portfolio) with 0.56%, Ron Baron (Trades, Portfolio) with 0.44%, Simons with 0.44% and John Rogers (Trades, Portfolio) with 0.37%. The guru reduced its holding in Fastenal Co. ( FAST ) by 18.01%; the trade had an impact of -0.81% on the portfolio. The company is engaged in the wholesale distribution of industrial and construction supplies in North America. The company offers bolts, nuts, screws, studs and related washers and miscellaneous supplies and hardware. GuruFocus gives the stock a profitability and growth rating of 8 out of 10. The ROE of 26.76% and ROA of 18.81% are outperforming 94% of the companies in the Global Industrial Distribution industry. Financial strength has a rating of 8 out of 10. The cash to debt of 0.29 is below the industry median of 0.89. David Rolfe (Trades, Portfolio) is another notable shareholder among the gurus with 0.86% of outstanding shares followed by Mairs and Power (Trades, Portfolio) with 0.75%, Baron with 0.64%, Diamond Hill Capital with 0.19% and Cohen with 0.06%. The investor exited its position in Walmart Stores Inc. ( WMT ) with an impact of -0.61% on the portfolio. The company operates retail stores in various formats under various banners. Its operations comprise of three reportable business segments, Walmart U.S., Walmart International and Sam's Club, in three categories: retail, wholesale and others. Total revenues grew 1.0%, but net sales decreased 5.1%. It generated $11.9 billion in operating cash flow and returned $3.6 billion to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases. GuruFocus gives the stock a profitability and growth rating of 7 out of 10. The ROE of 17.59% and ROA of 6.81% are outperforming 77% of the companies in the Global Discount Stores industry. Financial strength has a rating of 6 out of 10. The cash to debt of 0.15 is below the industry median of 0.48. The largest shareholder among the gurus is Dodge & Cox with 0.71% of outstanding shares followed by Bill Gates (Trades, Portfolio) with 0.38%, Ken Fisher (Trades, Portfolio) with 0.17%, Richard Pzena (Trades, Portfolio) with 0.16%, Barrow, Hanley, Mewhinney & Strauss with 0.14% and Simons with 0.13%. The investor reduced its stake of Primerica Inc. (PRI) by 25.11% with an impact of -0.5% on the portfolio. It is a distributor of financial products to middle income households in the U.S. and Canada. The company assists its clients in terms of life insurance, mutual funds, annuities and other financial products. GuruFocus gives the stock a profitability and growth rating of 8 out of 10. The ROE of 18.23% and ROA of 1.97% are outperforming 76% of the companies in the Global Insurance - Life industry. Financial strength has a rating of 6 out of 10. The cash to debt of 0.24 is below the industry median of 8.67. Another notable shareholder among the gurus is Baron with 6.41% of outstanding shares followed by Glenn Greenberg (Trades, Portfolio) with 3.52%, RS Investment Management (Trades, Portfolio) with 2.73%, Simons with 0.84%, Paul Tudor Jones (Trades, Portfolio) with 0.04% and David Dreman (Trades, Portfolio) with 0.02%. The guru reduced its shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) by 49.55% with an impact of -0.31% on the portfolio. The company is a financial services firm and a banking institution. Its segments are Consumer and Community Banking, Corporate and Investment Bank, Commercial Banking and Asset Management. Fourth-quarter net income was $6.7 billion compared to $400 million in a quarter before and $1.3 billion in the same quarter of a year before. The company reported earnings per share of $1.71 compared to 13 cents in the third quarter and 39 cents in the fourth quarter of the prior year. GuruFocus gives the stock a profitability and growth rating of 7 out of 10. The ROE of 9.17% and ROA of 1.01% are outperforming 56% of the companies in the Global Banks - Global industry. Financial strength has a rating of 6 out of 10 with cash to debt of 11.31 is above the industry median of 1.88. The largest shareholder among the gurus is Dodge & Cox with 0.75% of outstanding shares followed by PRIMECAP Management with 0.66%, Barrow, Hanley, Mewhinney & Strauss with 0.62%, Davis with 0.47%, Fisher with 0.39%, T Rowe Price Equity Income Fund (Trades, Portfolio) with 0.29% and Bill Nygren (Trades, Portfolio) with 0.17%. Disclosure: I do not own any shares of any stocks mentioned in this article. Start a free seven-day trial of Premium Membership to GuruFocus. Premium Members This article first appeared on GuruFocus . The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Ruane Cunniff Sells Berkshire and Praxair, Exits Walmart""]"
FAST,2017-03-13,21.6906,22.0292,21.5405,22.0162,
FAST,2017-03-14,21.9422,21.9422,21.7004,21.7113,
FAST,2017-03-15,21.8317,22.189,21.7468,22.1042,"[""Here's Why Dollar General's (DG) Q4 Earnings May Disappoint Dollar GeneralDG , one of the largest discount retailers, is slated to report fourth-quarter fiscal 2016 results on Mar 16. In the preceding quarter, Dollar General underperformed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 3.3%. In the trailing four quarters, it beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by an average 1.9%. Let's see how things are shaping up prior to this announcement. What to Expect? The question lingering in investors' minds now is, whether Dollar General will be able to post positive earnings surprise in the quarter to be reported. The current Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter under review is $1.41, reflecting a year-over-year increase of over 8%. We note that the Zacks Consensus Estimate has been stable in the past 30 days. Analysts polled by Zacks expect revenues of $5,976 million, in comparison with $5,287 million reported in the prior-year quarter. We note that the stock has underperformed the Zacks categorized Retail-Discount & Variety industry and the S&P 500 in the past one year. The company's shares have declined 14%, while the Zacks categorized industry has lost 3.4% in the past one year. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 has gained 16.4% during the same time frame. Factors at Play Of late, Dollar General has been bearing the brunt of price deflation and the reduction in SNAP benefits that are weighing on comparable-store sales performance. In third-quarter fiscal 2016, Dollar General informed that price deflation and the reduction in SNAP benefits adversely impacted comparable-store sales by about 150 to 175 basis points. Moreover, the company's lower-than-expected sales in the last 13 quarters remain a matter of concern. On Mar 10, the company provided long-term growth model and stated that it expects earnings to fall in the range of 10% to 15%. However, during third-quarter fiscal 2016 conference call, the company stated that it expects earnings growth for fiscal 2016 to be at the low end of the earlier guidance of 10-15%. However, we believe that the company's commitment toward better price management, cost containment, private label offering, effective inventory management, merchandise and operational initiatives should drive sales and margin trends. Moreover, in order to increase traffic, Dollar General is focusing on both consumables and discretionary categories, and items. Dollar General Corporation Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Dollar General Corporation Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise | Dollar General Corporation Quote What Does the Zacks Model Unveil? Our proven model does not conclusively show that Dollar General is likely to beat earnings estimates this quarter. This is because a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) for this to happen. Dollar General has an Earnings ESP of -0.71% as the Most Accurate estimate is at $1.40, while the Zacks Consensus Estimate is pegged higher at $1.41. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they're reported with our Earnings ESP Filter . Moreover, Dollar General carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). We caution against stocks with a Zacks Rank #4 or 5 (Sell-rated stocks) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions. Stocks Poised to Beat Earnings Estimates Here are some companies you may want to consider as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat: Conagra Brands, Inc. CAG currently has an Earnings ESP of +4.44% and a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here . Constellation Brands, Inc. STZ currently has an Earnings ESP of +2.21% and a Zacks Rank #3. Fastenal Company FAST currently has an Earnings ESP of +2.17% and a Zacks Rank #3. Will You Make a Fortune on the Shift to Electric Cars? Here's another stock idea to consider. Much like petroleum 150 years ago, lithium power may soon shake the world, creating millionaires and reshaping geo-politics. Soon electric vehicles (EVs) may be cheaper than gas guzzlers. Some are already reaching 265 miles on a single charge. With battery prices plummeting and charging stations set to multiply, one company stands out as the #1 stock to buy according to Zacks research. It's not the one you think. See This Ticker Free >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report ConAgra Foods Inc. (CAG): Free Stock Analysis Report Dollar General Corporation (DG): Free Stock Analysis Report Constellation Brands Inc (STZ): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Will PVH Corp.'s (PVH) Q4 Reverse its Earnings Streak? PVH Corp.PVH is scheduled to release fourth-quarter fiscal 2016 results on Mar 22. The big question facing investors is whether this textile-apparel company will be able to deliver a positive earnings surprise in the quarter to be reported. Last quarter, PVH Corp. posted a positive earnings surprise of 7.9%. Further, the company has outperformed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 8.1% in the trailing four quarters. A look at PVH Corp.'s earnings estimates revisions shows that the Zacks Consensus Estimate for both, the fourth quarter and fiscal 2016 has been stable, over the last 30 days. However, the current Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.23 per share for the fiscal fourth quarter reflects a year-over-year decline of 19.4%. Also, analysts polled by Zacks expect revenues of $2.1 billion, down a little over 1% from the year-ago quarter. PVH Corp. Price and EPS Surprise PVH Corp. Price and EPS Surprise | PVH Corp. Quote Factors Influencing this Quarter On the back of solid performance delivered by the company's premium brands - Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger - PVH Corp. has been putting up a superb show even amid a tough macroeconomic backdrop. Consequently, the company has outperformed the Zacks categorized Textile - Apparel Manufacturing industry in the past one year, with a return of 4.5%, compared to the industry's decline of 24.7%. While these factors and a raised forecast for fiscal 2016 highlight its potential, management remains cautious of the overall volatility in the U.S. retail segment, intense promotions and unpredictable global consumer spending. Further, the company's international presence and outlets in various tourist destinations in the U.S. expose it to foreign currency risks in the current scenario. In fact, the company expects currency headwinds to persist and impact results in the fourth quarter and fiscal 2016. Evidently, the company envisions fiscal 2016 adjusted earnings per share in the range of $6.70-6.75, which includes an expected $1.65 per share negative impact from currency headwinds. Revenues for fiscal 2016 are anticipated to grow 2% year over year, while on a currency neutral basis revenues are expected to rise about 3%. For the fourth quarter, the company expects total revenue to dip 1% year over year, while it is anticipated to inch up 1% on a constant-currency basis. Further, fourth quarter revenues are expected to bear the brunt of Mexico deconsolidation and the licensing agreement with G-III Apparel Group, Ltd. Adjusted earnings per share for the fourth quarter are expected to be $1.13-$1.18, including 23 cents per share negative impact from currency translations. Thus, we remain somewhat apprehensive of the company's ability to maintain its robust earnings surprise trend. Earnings Whispers Our proven model does not conclusively show that PVH Corp. is likely to beat estimates this quarter. This is because a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) for this to happen. This is not the case here, as you will see below: Zacks ESP: PVH Corp. currently has an Earnings ESP of 0.00%. This is because both, the Most Accurate estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate are pegged at $1.23. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they're reported with our Earnings ESP Filter . Zacks Rank: PVH Corp. carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). We caution against Sell-rated stocks (#4 or 5) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions. Stocks Poised to Beat Earnings Estimates Here are some companies you may want to consider as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat: Conagra Brands, Inc. CAG , expected to release earnings on Apr 6, currently has an Earnings ESP of +4.44% and a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here Constellation Brands, Inc. STZ , slated to report earnings on Apr 6, currently has an Earnings ESP of +2.21% and a Zacks Rank #3. Fastenal Company FAST , expected to release earnings on Apr 11, currently has an Earnings ESP of +2.17% and a Zacks Rank #3. Will You Make a Fortune on the Shift to Electric Cars? Here's another stock idea to consider. Much like petroleum 150 years ago, lithium power may soon shake the world, creating millionaires and reshaping geo-politics. Soon electric vehicles (EVs) may be cheaper than gas guzzlers. Some are already reaching 265 miles on a single charge. With battery prices plummeting and charging stations set to multiply, one company stands out as the #1 stock to buy according to Zacks research. It's not the one you think. See This Ticker Free >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report ConAgra Foods Inc. (CAG): Free Stock Analysis Report PVH Corp. (PVH): Free Stock Analysis Report Constellation Brands Inc (STZ): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2017-03-16,22.0962,22.1644,21.9008,21.9512,
FAST,2017-03-17,22.0765,22.268,21.8752,22.2166,"[""Look Where Consumers Are Spending Money - Cramer's Mad Money (3/16/17)"", ""Look Where Consumers Are Spending Money - Cramer's Mad Money (3/16/17)"", ""Finish Line (FINL) to Post Q4 Earnings: What's in the Cards? The Finish Line, Inc.FINL is scheduled to release fourth-quarter fiscal 2017 results on Mar 24. The big question facing investors is, whether this leading mall-based specialty retailer will be able to deliver a positive earnings surprise in the quarter to be reported. Though Finish Line has outperformed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by an average of 5.3% in the trailing four quarters, last quarter it posted a negative earnings surprise of 33.3%. A look at Finish Line's earnings estimates revisions shows that the Zacks Consensus Estimate for both the fourth quarter and fiscal 2017 has been stable over the last 30 days. However, the current Zacks Consensus Estimate of 71 cents per share for the fiscal fourth quarter reflects a year-over-year decline of 14.6%. Also, analysts polled by Zacks expect revenues of $554.2 million, down 4.5% from the year-ago quarter. The Finish Line, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise The Finish Line, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise | The Finish Line, Inc. Quote Factors Influencing this Quarter Finish Line has underperformed the Zacks categorized Retail - Apparel/Shoe industry in the past six months. Shares of the company have slumped 27.5% over the past six months compared with the industry's decline of 12.5%. Finish Line delivered lower-than-expected results in the last quarter, which was largely hampered by weakness in the soft goods category. Following the fiscal third quarter, management stated that it expects the soft goods category to remain unfavorable in the near term. Also, a delay in tax refunds is expected to shift February sales into March, thus weighing on the fiscal fourth-quarter top line. Considering these factors, management forecasted fiscal fourth-quarter comps to decline in a range of 3-5%, while earnings were projected in a range of 68-73 cents per share. Moreover, an intensely promotional retail environment is expected to dent product margins, which is anticipated to decline 150-200 basis points. Nonetheless, thanks to the absence of additional costs related to the the supply chain disruption experienced in the year-ago period, the company expects SG&A expenses to improve as a percentage of sales. Also, the company remains focused on solidifying its foundation, expanding its footwear division and strengthening its ties with Macy's. The company also remains on track with its stores and e-commerce expansion, which is likely to attract more traffic and drive sales. However, given the aforementioned challenges and a conservative outlook, we prefer to wait and see what is in store for Finish Line in the upcoming earnings release. Earnings Whispers Our proven model does not conclusively show that Finish Line is likely to beat estimates this quarter. This is because a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) for this to happen. This is not the case here, as you will see below: Zacks ESP: Finish Line currently has an Earnings ESP of 0.00%. This is because both, the Most Accurate estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate are pegged at 71 cents. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they're reported with our Earnings ESP Filter . Zacks Rank: Finish Line's Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) increases the predictive power of ESP. However, the company's ESP of 0.00% makes surprise prediction difficult. We caution against Sell-rated stocks (#4 or 5) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions. Stocks Poised to Beat Earnings Estimates Here are some companies you may want to consider as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat: Conagra Brands, Inc. CAG , slated to release earnings on Apr 6, currently has an Earnings ESP of +4.44% and a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here . Constellation Brands, Inc. STZ , slated to report earnings on Apr 6, currently has an Earnings ESP of +0.73% and a Zacks Rank #3. Fastenal Company FAST , expected to release earnings on Apr 11, currently has an Earnings ESP of +2.17% and a Zacks Rank #3. 5 Trades Could Profit \""\""Big-League\""\"" from Trump Policies If the stocks above spark your interest, wait until you look into companies primed to make substantial gains from Washington's changing course. Today Zacks reveals 5 tickers that could benefit from new trends like streamlined drug approvals, tariffs, lower taxes, higher interest rates, and spending surges in defense and infrastructure. See these buy recommendations now >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report ConAgra Foods Inc. (CAG): Free Stock Analysis Report The Finish Line, Inc. (FINL): Free Stock Analysis Report Constellation Brands Inc (STZ): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Look Where Consumers Are Spending Money - Cramer's Mad Money (3/16/17)""]"
FAST,2017-03-20,22.1802,22.2729,22.0468,22.189,
FAST,2017-03-21,22.2127,22.3035,21.809,21.9136,"[""Will Leggett's (LEG) Long-Term Efforts Help Counter Hurdles? With persistent focus on developing its business portfolio, strategic initiatives and a disciplined capital allocation strategy, Leggett & Platt, IncorporatedLEG remains confident of performing well in future. Moving ahead, the company plans to sustain its solid momentum in 2017, where it aims to achieve volume growth via content gains, new products and enhanced market share. Leggett has successfully completed the first two parts of its long-term strategic plan, which was announced in Nov 2007. These parts focused on divesting low-performing businesses and improvement in margins as well as returns. Currently, management is on track with its third part of the plan, which aims to achieve top-line growth in the range of 4-5% annually. And we believe Leggett has significant operating leverage to accomplish this phase, as it has a considerable amount of retained spare production to meet the demand. Further, the company remains focused on enhancing its business portfolio by increasing investments in areas that provide a competitive edge. Some recent actions include the acquisitions of a manufacturer of aerospace tube assemblies; a distributor of geosynthetic products, and a South African innerspring manufacturer. On the other hand, the company divested four small ventures in 2016. All these actions position Leggett well toward achieving its goals for 2019. Sturdy Performance Leads the Way Leggett performed well in 2016, as it witnessed record EPS, superb EBIT margin, healthy cash flows and its 45th dividend hike. In fact, the company posted its highest ever EBIT margin in 2016, ever since 1999. Going forward, it also expects solid profit margins and increased EPS for 2017 alongside predicting sales growth in the band of 5-8%. Additionally, Leggett outlined its goals for 2019, based on the achievement of its top-third total shareholder return target, over the next three years. These targets include revenues of about $4.75 billion, EBIT margin of 13.3%, EPS of $3.25 and a dividend of $1.70 per share. The company intends to achieve these goals, given a stable macro environment, with decent demand enhancement and persistent content gains as well as product introductions. Leggett & Platt, Incorporated Price and Consensus Leggett & Platt, Incorporated Price and Consensus | Leggett & Platt, Incorporated Quote Concerns/Challenges However, Leggett posted dismal results for fourth-quarter 2016. In fact, its quarterly adjusted earnings from continuing operations of 53 cents per share declined nearly 17% year over year and also came below the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 58 cents. The bottom line was primarily hurt by a sudden inflation in steel costs toward the end of 2016, which is expected to persist in 2017, thereby posing threats. Likewise, the company's sales also fell year over year and missed our estimate. In addition, Leggett remains exposed to major volatility in raw material prices, with steel being one of the company's key raw materials and the steel market being cyclical in nature. Apart from this, the company is also susceptible to fluctuating metal margins as it is a manufacturer of steel rods. These factors are likely to weigh adversely upon the company's performance. Furthermore, the company's significant global presence exposes it to various risks operating internationally. Intense competition coupled with macroeconomic headwinds, also pose significant threats to the company. Bottom Line We noted that this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stock returned 6.3% over the past one year, clearly underperforming the Zacks categorized Furniture industry, which gained 12.8%. Only time will tell whether the company's endeavors will help it combat the aforesaid challenges and, in turn, help the stock propel higher. Leggett boasts a Momentum Score of \""B\"", which boosts confidence. Key Picks Better-ranked stocks in the broader Consumer Discretionary space include Masonite International Corporation DOOR , American Woodmark Corporation AMWD and Fastenal Company FAST . Masonite International Corporation has posted an average earnings beat of 18.1% in the past four quarters. Also, it increased 28.7% over the past six months. The stock currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here . American Woodmark Corporation, which carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) has jumped 27.2%, in the past one year. Moreover, the stock posted an average earnings beat of 10.6% over the trailing four quarters. Fastenal Company, a Zacks Rank #2 stock has a long-term earnings growth rate of 16.3%. Also, the stock rose 28.7%, over the past six months. Will You Make a Fortune on the Shift to Electric Cars? Here's another stock idea to consider. Much like petroleum 150 years ago, lithium power may soon shake the world, creating millionaires and reshaping geo-politics. Soon electric vehicles (EVs) may be cheaper than gas guzzlers. Some are already reaching 265 miles on a single charge. With battery prices plummeting and charging stations set to multiply, one company stands out as the #1 stock to buy according to Zacks research. It's not the one you think. See This Ticker Free >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Leggett & Platt, Incorporated (LEG): Free Stock Analysis Report American Woodmark Corporation (AMWD): Free Stock Analysis Report Masonite International Corporation (DOOR): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""GameStop's (GME) May Disappoint in Q4 Earnings: Here's Why GameStop Corp.GME is slated to report fourth-quarter fiscal 2016 results on Mar 23, after the closing bell. In the previous quarter, the company's earnings surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 4.3%. Notably, in the trailing four quarters, the company surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate with a positive earnings surprise of 5.8%. Let's see how things are shaping up prior to this announcement. What to Expect? The question lingering in investors' minds now is, whether GameStop will be able to post positive earnings surprise in the quarter to be reported. The current Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter under review is $2.29, reflecting a year-over-year decrease of nearly 5%. We note that the Zacks Consensus Estimate has been stable in the past 30 days. Analysts polled by Zacks expect revenues of $3,116 million, in comparison with $3,525 million reported in the prior-year quarter. We note that the stock has underperformed the Zacks categorized Retail-Consumer Electronic industry and the S&P 500 in the past one year. The company's shares have declined 15.1%, while the Zacks categorized industry has gained 12.6% in the past six months. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 has gained 9.4% during the same time frame. Factors at Play GameStop's shares have been hit hard lately and have underperformed the industry in the past six months. The challenging retail landscape, aggressive promotional strategies and waning store traffic have been weighing on the company's performance. Further, this was evident in the company's holiday sales results. The company generated total global sales of $2.50 billion, down 16.4% year over year. Comps decreased 18.7%, reflecting a drop of 26.6% and 13% in November and December, respectively. New hardware sales plunged 30.3% due to significant decline in PlayStation 4 and Xbox One hardware sales. Even the sturdy performance of new hardware, such as the Nintendo NES Classic failed to act as the savior. Following a sluggish holiday season, management expects comps to decline in the range of 16-18% in the final quarter compared with 7-12% drop projected earlier. For fiscal 2016, GameStop envisions comps to decline between 10% and 12% compared with the prior estimate of 6.5-9.5% decline. However, management reiterated its earnings projection. GameStop continues to expect earnings in the band of $2.23 to $2.38 for the fourth quarter and between $3.65 and $3.80 per share for the fiscal year. GameStop's basic concern is the weakness prevailing in new software sales, which is heightening apprehensions about the impact of digital downloads on the same. What Does the Zacks Model Unveil? Our proven model does not conclusively show that GameStop is likely to beat earnings estimates this quarter. This is because a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) for this to happen.GameStop has an Earnings ESP of 0.00% as both the Most Accurate estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate are pegged at $2.29. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they're reported with our Earnings ESP Filter . Moreover, GameStop carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). We caution against stocks with a Zacks Rank #4 or 5 (Sell-rated stocks) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions. Stocks Poised to Beat Earnings Estimates Here are some companies you may want to consider as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat: Conagra Brands, Inc. CAG currently has an Earnings ESP of +4.44% and a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here . Fastenal Company FAST currently has an Earnings ESP of +2.17% and a Zacks Rank #2. Constellation Brands, Inc. STZ currently has an Earnings ESP of +0.73% and a Zacks Rank #3. Will You Make a Fortune on the Shift to Electric Cars? Here's another stock idea to consider. Much like petroleum 150 years ago, lithium power may soon shake the world, creating millionaires and reshaping geo-politics. Soon electric vehicles (EVs) may be cheaper than gas guzzlers. Some are already reaching 265 miles on a single charge. With battery prices plummeting and charging stations set to multiply, one company stands out as the #1 stock to buy according to Zacks research. It's not the one you think. See This Ticker Free >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report ConAgra Foods Inc. (CAG): Free Stock Analysis Report Gamestop Corporation (GME): Free Stock Analysis Report Constellation Brands Inc (STZ): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2017-03-22,21.9847,22.2295,21.8406,22.1516,"Fastenal Vending Machine Installation, Cost Saving Bode Well On Mar 21, we issued an updated research report on Fastenal CompanyFAST - a national wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies. The company is boosting sales performance at stores through additional sales support and vending machine installations. The company's cost-saving initiative, Pathway-to-Profit, also bodes well. Meanwhile, shares of Fastenal outperformed the Zacks categorized Building Products - Retail/Wholesale industry in the past six months. Also, analysts' expectations have been trending upward. The current quarter has seen two upward estimate revisions in the past 60 days, while full-year estimates have seen five upward revisions over the same time frame. As a result, the current quarter and year consensus estimates moved north, justifying the company's Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). What's Driving FAST? Fastenal has adopted FAST Solutions, an industrial vending process that has the potential to revolutionize the industrial distribution system and increase profitability. Industrial vending is one of the primary growth drivers for the company. In fact, the company is optimizing its vending machines to drive signings and boost efficiency. Also, in order to increase profitability, the company has gradually grown from a fastener distributor to a full-line industrial supplier. It has expanded its product lines to include an internal manufacturing division, government sales, Internet sales, metalworking and industrial vending. The Pathway-to-Profit program is also encouraging. Under this, the company focuses on increasing the average store size which leads to better earnings leverage by spreading operating costs over higher sales and thereby driving pre-tax margins. However, unfavorable product mix and the on-site rollout continue to exert pressure on margins. Lack of inflation, strong emphasis on growing average store sales, pricing and competitive pressure are hurting gross margins. Overall, gross margin in 2016 dropped 80 basis points from the 2015 level. Nonetheless, management believes that the recent improvement in margins (improved 50 bps sequentially in fourth quarter) on non-fasteners, a higher mix of sales of exclusive brands and better purchasing will continue to offset the ongoing headwinds. Additionally, recent increases in steel and other commodity prices add to the positives. Other Key Picks Investors may consider other favorably ranked stocks in the Retail Wholesale sector like BMC Stock Holdings, Inc. BMCH , Bob Evans Farms, Inc. BOBE and Darden Restaurants, Inc. DRI . BMC Stock sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and is expected to witness 52.9% growth in 2017 earnings. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here . Bob Evans, a Zacks Rank #2 stock, surpassed earnings in all of the past four quarters, the average beat being 12.5%. Darden, also a Zacks Rank #2 company, is expected to witness 11.2% growth in fiscal 2017 earnings. 5 Trades Could Profit ""Big-League"" from Trump Policies If the stocks above spark your interest, wait until you look into companies primed to make substantial gains from Washington's changing course. Today Zacks reveals 5 tickers that could benefit from new trends like streamlined drug approvals, tariffs, lower taxes, higher interest rates, and spending surges in defense and infrastructure. See these buy recommendations now >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Darden Restaurants, Inc. (DRI): Free Stock Analysis Report Bob Evans Farms, Inc. (BOBE): Free Stock Analysis Report BMC Stock Holdings, Inc. (BMCH): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2017-03-23,22.109,22.2018,21.8366,21.8504,"[""Option Alert: Fastenal Apr 50.0 Puts: 700 @ ASK $0.85: 700 traded vs 538 OI: Earnings 4/11 Before Open (est) $51.53 Ref"", ""Option Alert: Fastenal Apr 50.0 Puts: 700 @ ASK $0.85: 700 traded vs 538 OI: Earnings 4/11 Before Open (est) $51.53 Ref"", ""Option Alert: Fastenal Apr 50.0 Puts: 700 @ ASK $0.85: 700 traded vs 538 OI: Earnings 4/11 Before Open (est) $51.53 Ref""]"
FAST,2017-03-24,21.9106,22.034,21.6264,21.7419,
FAST,2017-03-27,21.4645,21.5228,21.2069,21.4339,
FAST,2017-03-28,21.4063,21.8504,21.2889,21.7922,
FAST,2017-03-29,21.737,22.0074,21.6284,21.9393,"[""Fastenal Reaches Analyst Target Price In recent trading, shares of Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) have crossed above the average analyst 12-month target price of $50.14, changing hands for $50.88/share. When a stock reaches the target an analyst has set, the analyst logically has two ways to react: downgrade on valuation, or, re-adjust their target price to a higher level. Analyst reaction may also depend on the fundamental business developments that may be responsible for driving the stock price higher - if things are looking up for the company, perhaps it is time for that target price to be raised. There are 7 different analyst targets contributing to that average for Fastenal Co., but the average is just that - a mathematical average. There are analysts with lower targets than the average, including one looking for a price of $35.00. And then on the other side of the spectrum one analyst has a target as high as $56.00. The standard deviation is $7.01. But the whole reason to look at the average FAST price target in the first place is to tap into a \""wisdom of crowds\"" effort, putting together the contributions of all the individual minds who contributed to the ultimate number, as opposed to what just one particular expert believes. And so with FAST crossing above that average target price of $50.14/share, investors in FAST have been given a good signal to spend fresh time assessing the company and deciding for themselves: is $50.14 just one stop on the way to an even higher target, or has the valuation gotten stretched to the point where it is time to think about taking some chips off the table? Below is a table showing the current thinking of the analysts that cover Fastenal Co.: The average rating presented in the last row of the above table above is from 1 to 5 where 1 is Strong Buy and 5 is Strong Sell. This article used data provided by Zacks Investment Research via Quandl.com . Get the latest Zacks research report on FAST - FREE . The Top 25 Broker Analyst Picks of the S&P 500 \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Bed Bath & Beyond (BBBY) Q4 Earnings: Stock to Disappoint? Bed Bath & Beyond Inc.BBBY is scheduled to release fourth-quarter fiscal 2016 results on Apr 5. The big question facing investors is, whether this leading home furnishings retailer will be able to deliver a positive earnings surprise in the quarter to be reported. Bed Bath & Beyond has been delivering negative earnings surprises for three straight quarters now. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for both, fourth-quarter and fiscal 2017 has been stable, over the last 30 days. However, the current Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.78 per share for the fiscal fourth quarter reflects a year-over-year decline of 4.1%. Nonetheless, analysts polled by Zacks expect revenues of $3.5 billion, up 2.5% from the year-ago quarter. Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. Price and EPS Surprise Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. Price and EPS Surprise | Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. Quote Factors Influencing this Quarter Bed, Bath & Beyond has underperformed the Zacks categorized Retail - Miscellaneous/Diversified industry in the past one year. Shares of the company have slumped 20.2% over the past year, as compared with the industry's decline of 6.4%. The company has been reeling under the impact of sluggish mall traffic for a while now. This was also evident from Bed, Bath & Beyond's last quarterly results, wherein slow traffic in stores more than offset online sales growth, thereby leading to a dismal outcome. Further, the gross margin remained pressurized owing to higher direct-to-customer shipping expenses, as well as a rise in coupon costs. Moreover, the company witnessed a rise in selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses due to higher payroll and payroll-related expenses, as well as an increase in technology expenses. Management expects these factors to linger and consequently impact gross margin and SG&A expense in fiscal 2016, which is likely to dent the company's bottom-line. Considering these factors and the current business trends, along with the expected impact from the company's recent acquisitions of One Kings Lane, and PersonalizationMall.com, management provided its fiscal 2016 earnings guidance. The company envisions fiscal 2016 earnings per share at the lower end of its historical range of $4.50 to a little over $5.00. Additionally, given its international exposure, Bed, Bath & Beyond remains prone to foreign currency headwinds. Adverse currency has troubled the company to a great extent in the past and hence, any persistence of currency woes remains a challenge for Bed, Bath & Beyond. All said, it seems unlikely for the company to break its dismal earnings surprise trend this quarter. Earnings Whispers Our proven model does not conclusively show that Bed, Bath & Beyond is likely to beat estimates this quarter. This is because a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) for this to happen. This is not the case here, as you will see below: Zacks ESP: Bed, Bath & Beyond currently has an Earnings ESP of 0.00%. This is because both, the Most Accurate estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate are pegged at $1.78. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they're reported with our Earnings ESP Filter . Zacks Rank: Bed, Bath & Beyond currently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). We caution against Sell-rated stocks (#4 or 5) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions. Stocks Poised to Beat Earnings Estimates Here are some companies you may want to consider as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat: Fastenal Company FAST , expected to release earnings on Apr 11, currently has an Earnings ESP of +2.17% and a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here . Yum China Holdings, Inc. YUMC , slated to release earnings on Apr 5, currently has an Earnings ESP of +2.86% and a Zacks Rank #3. Tupperware Brands Corporation TUP , slated to report earnings on Apr 25, currently has an Earnings ESP of +3.23% and a Zacks Rank #3. More Stock News: 8 Companies Verge on Apple-Like Run Did you miss Apple's 9X stock explosion after they launched their iPhone in 2007? Now 2017 looks to be a pivotal year to get in on another emerging technology expected to rock the market. Demand could soar from almost nothing to $42 billion by 2025. Reports suggest it could save 10 million lives per decade which could in turn save $200 billion in U.S. healthcare costs. A bonus Zacks Special Report names this breakthrough and the 8 best stocks to exploit it. Like Apple in 2007, these companies are already strong and coiling for potential mega-gains. Click to see them right now >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Tupperware Brands Corporation (TUP): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Yum China Holdings Inc. (YUMC): Free Stock Analysis Report Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. (BBBY): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2017-03-30,21.9136,21.9986,21.7596,21.9798,
FAST,2017-03-31,21.9472,22.1821,21.804,22.0608,
FAST,2017-04-03,21.9235,22.265,21.737,21.9847,
FAST,2017-04-04,21.9136,22.2522,21.8584,22.1702,
FAST,2017-04-05,22.3065,22.5898,22.0992,22.1476,"Lowe's Marching Ahead of the Industry: What's Behind Rally? In the past three months, Lowe's Companies, Inc.LOW has exhibited an impressive run in the index. The stock has not only outperformed the Zacks categorized Building Product-Retail/Wholesale industry but also the broader sector. In the said period, the stock has increased 15%, while the industry gained 11.3%. Meanwhile the broader Retail-Wholesale sector advanced 5.5%. An improving job scenario, gradual recovery in the housing market and merchandising initiatives along with efforts to provide better omni-channel customer experience bode well for Lowe's. It also remains well positioned to reap the benefits of strategic acquisitions done earlier such as that of Orchard Supply Hardware Stores, ATG Stores and RONA. Stock on a Value Oriented Path While the stock has outperformed the industry as well as the broader sector there is still a value-oriented path ahead, as validated by Value Score of ""B"". Considering price-to-book (P/B) ratio, Lowe's looks pretty attractive when compared with the industry. The stock has a trailing 12-month P/B ratio of 11.03, which is above its median level of 9.55 but below the high level of 11.29 scaled in the past one year. On the contrary, the trailing 12-month P/B ratio for the industry is 17.13. Impressive Performance & Decent Outlook We observed that after two straight quarters of earnings miss, the company posted positive earnings surprise of 8.9% in the final quarter of fiscal 2016. Net sales also beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate, after missing the same in the preceding two quarters. The better-than-expected results prompted management to provide an encouraging outlook for fiscal 2017. Management now projects total sales growth of approximately 5% and expects comparable sales to increase about 3.5% during fiscal 2017. The company now anticipates fiscal 2017 earnings to be approximately $4.64 per share, up significantly from $3.99 posted in fiscal 2016. Estimates Spiraling Upward Following the sturdy results and upbeat outlook, the Zacks Consensus Estimate has been trending upwards. In the past 60 days, both the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $4.63 for fiscal 2017 and $5.23 for fiscal 2018 has increased 10 cents and 11 cents, respectively. Moreover, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the first quarter of fiscal 2017 has jumped by 3 cents to $1.06 in the same time frame. What Could Limit the Growth? Analysts pointed that stiff competition from The Home Depot, Inc. HD and cannibalization still remain matters of concern. Moreover, the company's customers remain sensitive to macroeconomic factors including interest rate hikes, increase in fuel and energy costs, credit availability, unemployment levels, and high household debt levels. This may negatively impact Lowe's discretionary spending, and in turn its growth and profitability. Zacks Rank &Stocks to Consider Lowe's currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Better-ranked stocks in the space include Builders FirstSource, Inc. BLDR and Fastenal Company FAST both carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here . Builders FirstSource delivered an average positive earnings surprise of 45.4% in the trailing four quarters, while Fastenal has a long-term earnings growth rate of 16.3%. Zacks' Best Private Investment Ideas In addition to the recommendations that are available to the public on our website, how would you like to follow all Zacks' private buys and sells in real time? Our experts cover all kinds of trades… from value to momentum . . . from stocks under $10 to ETF and option moves . . . from stocks that corporate insiders are buying up to companies that are about to report positive earnings surprises. You can even look inside exclusive portfolios that are normally closed to new investors. Starting today, for the next month, you can have unrestricted access. Click here for Zacks' private trades >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Home Depot, Inc. (The) (HD): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Lowe's Companies, Inc. (LOW): Free Stock Analysis Report Builders FirstSource, Inc. (BLDR): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2017-04-06,22.1516,22.1644,21.7774,21.8238,"Bartosiak: Trading Fastenal's (FAST) Earnings with Options On Wednesday, April 12th, Fastenal (FAST) will release its first quarter earnings results before the bell. The company is a Zacks Rank 2 (Buy), and have a Value, Growth, and Momentum score of D. In our video David will take a look at the current state of Fastenal, their past earnings announcements, and he'll give us his thoughts on their upcoming earnings call. Furthermore, David will also give us insight on how to play the options market. Fastenal in Focus Fastenal Company sells industrial and construction supplies grouped into eleven product lines. The traditional Fastenal® product line consists of threaded fasteners and other miscellaneous supplies. The Company also sells, in its other ten product lines, tools, metal cutting tool blades and blade resharpening services, fluid transfer components and accessories for hydraulic and pneumatic power, material handling and storage products, janitorial and paper products, electrical supplies, welding supplies, safety supplies, and raw materials. Fastenal is expected to report earnings at $0.46 per share according to the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Last quarter they reported earnings at $0.47, beating expectations by a penny. Their average EPS surprise is 2.96%. Fastenal Company Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Fastenal Company Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise | Fastenal Company Quote Bottom Line How should investors play Fastenal ahead of their earnings report? For insights on the best options trades, then tune in 9:00 am tomorrow to see David's thoughts. Zacks' Best Private Investment Ideas While we are happy to share many articles like this on the website, our best recommendations and most in-depth research are not available to the public. Starting today, for the next month, you can follow all Zacks' private buys and sells in real time. Our experts cover all kinds of trades… from value to momentum . . . from stocks under $10 to ETF and option moves . . . from stocks that corporate insiders are buying up to companies that are about to report positive earnings surprises. You can even look inside exclusive portfolios that are normally closed to new investors. Click here for Zacks' private trades >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2017-04-07,21.8456,21.9008,21.4379,21.5149,
FAST,2017-04-10,21.584,21.6906,21.3599,21.6017,"Is Fastenal (FAST) Set to Beat Earnings Estimates in Q1? We expect Fastenal CompanyFAST to beat expectations when it reports first-quarter 2017 results before the opening bell on Apr 12. Last quarter, the company reported a positive earnings surprise of 5.26%. However, it failed to surpass the expectations in two of the last four quarters, with the average being negative 0.80%. Let's see how things are shaping up prior to this announcement. Why a Likely Positive Surprise? Our proven model shows that Fastenal is likely to beat earnings because it has the right combination of two key components. Zacks ESP: Fastenal has an Earnings ESP of +2.17%. That is because the Most Accurate estimate is 47 cents while the Zacks Consensus Estimate is pegged lower at 46 cents. A favorable Zacks ESP serves as a meaningful and leading indicator of a likely positive earnings surprise. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they're reported with our Earnings ESP Filter . Zacks Rank: Fastenal currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Note that stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 or 3 (Hold) have a significantly higher chance of beating earnings estimates. Conversely, stocks with a Zacks Rank #4 or 5 (Sell rated) should never be considered going into an earnings announcement. The combination of Fastenal's Zacks Rank #2 and +2.17% ESP makes us reasonably confident of a positive earnings beat. What is Driving the Better-Than-Expected Earnings? Fastenal is a wholesale distributor to industrial and construction customers. It serves the manufacturing and non-residential construction markets. Industrial and manufacturing activity are the major drivers of the business and Fastenal business looks to benefit if the new presidential administration successfully lowers the corporate tax rate and speed up domestic infrastructure spending. During the fourth-quarter 2016earnings call management had already indicated that the company is in ""a stable margin environment"" as it believes that recent improvements in margins on non-fasteners, a higher mix of sales of exclusive brands and better purchasing can continue to offset the ongoing mix headwinds. Additionally, recent increases in steel and other commodity prices also add to the positives. However, Fastenal's top line was soft since 2015 and continued to experience a slowdown throughout 2016, including a contraction of 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Again, lack of inflation, unfavorable product mix (less fasteners which generate higher margins), strong emphasis on growing average store sales, pricing and competitive pressure are hurting gross margins. Though gross margin improved 50 basis points (bps) sequentially in the fourth quarter, it was still down 10 bps year over year. Overall, 2016 gross margin dropped 80 basis points from the 2015 level. If we take a closer look at the company's sales trend, Fastenal's net sales for February increased 1.1% and that for January 9% year over year. The daily sales growth rate was 6.1% in February, higher than the 3.8% increase in Jan 2017. Although daily sales remained stagnant for the most part, it did show pulse in recent times. For the first quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings stands at 46 cents, reflecting a 4.6% year-over-year increase. Meanwhile, the estimate for revenues is pegged at $1.03 billion, implying 4.7% growth. Fastenal Company Price and EPS Surprise Fastenal Company Price and EPS Surprise | Fastenal Company Quote Stocks to Consider Here are some companies in the Retail-Wholesale sector, that, according to our model, have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter: Group 1 Automotive, Inc. GPI has an Earnings ESP of +1.75% and a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here . The company is expected to release quarterly results on Apr 26. J.C. Penney Company, Inc. Holding Company JCP has an Earnings ESP of +70% and a Zacks Rank #3. The company is expected to release quarterly results on May 12. Tractor Supply Company TSCO has an Earnings ESP of +1.89% and a Zacks Rank #3. The company is slated to release quarterly results on Apr 26. Zacks' Hidden Trades While we share many recommendations and ideas with the public, certain moves are hidden from everyone but selected members of our portfolio services. Would you like to peek behind the curtain today and view them? Starting now, for the next month, I invite you to follow all Zacks' private buys and sells in real time from value to momentum...from stocks under $10 to ETF to option movers...from insider trades to companies that are about to report positive earnings surprises (we've called them with 80%+ accuracy). You can even look inside portfolios so exclusive that they are normally closed to new investors. Click here for Zacks' secret trade>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (GPI): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Tractor Supply Company (TSCO): Free Stock Analysis Report J.C. Penney Company, Inc. Holding Company (JCP): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2017-04-11,21.584,21.6284,21.1921,21.5613,"[""Fastenal Company Announces Cash Dividend"", ""Fastenal Company Announces Cash Dividend"", ""Top Ranked Momentum Stocks to Buy for April 11th Here are four stocks with buy rank and strong momentum characteristics for investors to consider today, April 11th: Fastenal Company (FAST): This wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplieshas a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and witnessedthe Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings increasing 1.1% over the last 60 days. Fastenal Company Price and Consensus Fastenal Company Price and Consensus | Fastenal Company Quote Fastenal's shares gained 8.4% over the last three months higher than S&P 500's gains of 3.8%. The company possesses a Momentum Score of A. Fastenal Company Price Fastenal Company Price | Fastenal Company Quote CEMEX, S.A.B. de C.V. (CX): This major cement company has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and witnessed the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings rising 11.4% over the last 60 days. Cemex S.A.B. de C.V. Price and Consensus Cemex S.A.B. de C.V. Price and Consensus | Cemex S.A.B. de C.V. Quote CEMEX's shares gained 19% over the last three months. The company possesses a Momentum Score of A. Cemex S.A.B. de C.V. Price Cemex S.A.B. de C.V. Price | Cemex S.A.B. de C.V. Quote Kennametal Inc. (KMT): This wear-resistant products provider has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and witnessed the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings increasing 1.5% over the last 60 days. Kennametal Inc. Price and Consensus Kennametal Inc. Price and Consensus | Kennametal Inc. Quote Kennametal's shares gained 16.9% over the last three months. The company possesses a Momentum Score of A. Kennametal Inc. Price Kennametal Inc. Price | Kennametal Inc. Quote Potlatch Corporation (PCH): This real estate investment trusthas a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and witnessed the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings rising 6.5% over the last 60 days. Potlatch Corporation Price and Consensus Potlatch Corporation Price and Consensus | Potlatch Corporation Quote Potlatch's shares gained 14% over the last three months. The company possesses a Momentum Score of A. Potlatch Corporation Price Potlatch Corporation Price | Potlatch Corporation Quote See the full list of top ranked stocks here Learn more about the Momentum score and how it is calculated here Zacks' Top 10 Stocks for 2017 In addition to the stocks discussed above, would you like to know about our 10 finest buy-and-hold tickers for the entirety of 2017? Who wouldn't? Last year's market-beating Top 10 portfolio produced 5 double-digit winners. For example, oil and natural gas giant Pioneer Natural Resources and First Republic Bank racked up stellar gains of +44.9% and +44.3% respectively. Now a brand-new list for 2017 has been hand-picked from 4,400 companies covered by the Zacks Rank. See the 2017 Top 10 right now>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Potlatch Corporation (PCH): Free Stock Analysis Report Kennametal Inc. (KMT): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Cemex S.A.B. de C.V. (CX): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Pre-Market Earnings Report for April 12, 2017 : DAL, FAST, SJR, MYCC The following companies are expected to report earnings prior to market open on 04/12/2017. Visit our Earnings Calendar for a full list of expected earnings releases. Delta Air Lines, Inc. ( DAL ) is reporting for the quarter ending March 31, 2017. The airline company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 9 analysts that follow the stock is $0.73. This value represents a 44.70% decrease compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year DAL has met analyst expectations once and beat the expectations the other three quarters. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2017 Price to Earnings ratio for DAL is 8.94 vs. an industry ratio of 19.70. Fastenal Company ( FAST ) is reporting for the quarter ending March 31, 2017. The building company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 8 analysts that follow the stock is $0.46. This value represents a 4.55% increase compared to the same quarter last year. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2017 Price to Earnings ratio for FAST is 27.11 vs. an industry ratio of 15.70, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Shaw Communications Inc. ( SJR ) is reporting for the quarter ending February 28, 2017. The cable tv company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 2 analysts that follow the stock is $0.23. This value represents a 35.29% increase compared to the same quarter last year. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2017 Price to Earnings ratio for SJR is 20.49 vs. an industry ratio of 21.10. ClubCorp Holdings, Inc. ( MYCC ) is reporting for the quarter ending March 31, 2017. The leisure (recreational) company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 8 analysts that follow the stock is $-0.08. This value represents a 38.46% increase compared to the same quarter last year. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2017 Price to Earnings ratio for MYCC is 37.44 vs. an industry ratio of 16.90, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Noteworthy Tuesday Option Activity: LDOS, FAST, SEAS Among the underlying components of the Russell 3000 index, we saw noteworthy options trading volume today in Leidos Holdings Inc (Symbol: LDOS), where a total of 4,925 contracts have traded so far, representing approximately 492,500 underlying shares. That amounts to about 65.1% of LDOS's average daily trading volume over the past month of 756,805 shares. Especially high volume was seen for the $50 strike put option expiring April 21, 2017 , with 1,641 contracts trading so far today, representing approximately 164,100 underlying shares of LDOS. Below is a chart showing LDOS's trailing twelve month trading history, with the $50 strike highlighted in orange: Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) options are showing a volume of 13,127 contracts thus far today. That number of contracts represents approximately 1.3 million underlying shares, working out to a sizeable 64.7% of FAST's average daily trading volume over the past month, of 2.0 million shares. Particularly high volume was seen for the $50 strike call option expiring May 19, 2017 , with 2,837 contracts trading so far today, representing approximately 283,700 underlying shares of FAST. Below is a chart showing FAST's trailing twelve month trading history, with the $50 strike highlighted in orange: And SeaWorld Entertainment Inc. (Symbol: SEAS) saw options trading volume of 9,822 contracts, representing approximately 982,200 underlying shares or approximately 59.8% of SEAS's average daily trading volume over the past month, of 1.6 million shares. Particularly high volume was seen for the $15 strike put option expiring September 15, 2017 , with 6,661 contracts trading so far today, representing approximately 666,100 underlying shares of SEAS. Below is a chart showing SEAS's trailing twelve month trading history, with the $15 strike highlighted in orange: For the various different available expirations for LDOS options , FAST options , or SEAS options , visit StockOptionsChannel.com. Today's Most Active Call & Put Options of the S&P 500 \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Company Announces Cash Dividend""]"
FAST,2017-04-12,20.5604,20.6334,19.8013,19.827,"[""Stocks Drift To Weak Close; Dollar Drops On Trump Comments"", ""Stock Indexes Dip; Delta Air Up, Pier 1 Down"", ""Fastenal Company (FAST) Dropped with Earnings Expected"", ""Stock Open Slightly Lower; Biotechs Busy; Delta Rises"", ""7 Stocks To Watch For April 12, 2017"", ""Earnings Scheduled For April 12, 2017"", ""Fastenal Reports Q1 EPS $0.46, Inline, Sales $1.048B vs $1.04B Est."", ""A Peek Into The Markets: U.S. Stock Futures Mostly Lower Ahead Of Treasury Budget Data"", ""A Peek Into The Markets: U.S. Stock Futures Mostly Lower Ahead Of Treasury Budget Data"", ""Fastenal Reports Q1 EPS $0.46, Inline, Sales $1.048B vs $1.04B Est."", ""Earnings Scheduled For April 12, 2017"", ""7 Stocks To Watch For April 12, 2017"", ""Stocks Drift To Weak Close; Dollar Drops On Trump Comments"", ""Stock Indexes Dip; Delta Air Up, Pier 1 Down"", ""Fastenal Company (FAST) Dropped with Earnings Expected"", ""Stock Open Slightly Lower; Biotechs Busy; Delta Rises"", ""Earnings Season Preview It\u2019s that time again! This morning Delta Airlines (DAL) and industrial and building products supply company Fastenal (FAST) reported earnings for the first quarter of the calendar year 2017. Tomorrow, JP Morgan Chase (JPM), Citibank (C) and Wells Fargo (WFC) will follow suit. Earnings season is upon us. Over the next few weeks we will hear results from hundreds of major corporations, and given that the stock market has been bogged down and moving essentially sideways for a couple of weeks those earnings numbers could easily decide the direction of the next move. So, what can we expect? So far the indications are mixed. Both Delta and Fastenal essentially matched expectations on the bottom line and reported better than expected revenues, but Delta surged on a positive outlook while Fastenal is down nearly five percent despite the decent results. The most interesting thing here is what happened to Fastenal, as it highlights one of the potential problems that we may see over the next few weeks, where even beats may not be good enough for traders. Generally, earnings are supportive of the market. There is a kind of dance played out throughout the year by analysts, executives, and investors - it is in the interest of the boards of public companies to under-promise and over-deliver when it comes to earnings, as the market reaction to a positive surprise can be so exaggerated. Wall Street analysts base their forecasts for earnings off of the outlook given by the companies, so inevitably they too tend to underestimate. That is why two thirds of companies beat EPS expectations on average every quarter. As the Fastenal situation this morning shows, though, even if that pattern is repeated this time around it still may not be enough to push stocks in general higher. The problem is that the official consensus expectation is not the only thing by which actual results are judged. There is also another number built into stock pricing as earnings approach, the so-called \u201cwhisper number.\u201d This is the result expected by traders that may differ from the published analysts\u2019 consensus. Over the last few months, as the \u201cTrump Trade\u201d has continued and there have been signs of reflation in the global economy, traders have become increasingly optimistic. Indeed, the Trump trade itself is based more on optimism and assumptions than reality. It is reasonable to assume that tax cuts, both corporate and personal, are coming at some point and also that the general business environment will be improved. So far, though, the one major policy shift that has been attempted, in healthcare, has been an embarrassing failure. Despite that, optimism persists in the pricing of stocks. That general sense of optimism based on politics can also be seen in the whisper numbers for earnings. There have been a lot of upward revisions already to analysts\u2019 estimates, yet the whisper numbers generally still outstrip those upwardly revised expectations. For example, according to earningswhispers.com all three major banks releasing earnings tomorrow are expected to beat expectations, if you see what I mean. This raises the question: Have expectations gotten out of hand? If so, then even a decent earnings season could be seen as somewhat of a disappointment and could, when combined with the geopolitical tensions that have weighed on the market in recent days, send stocks lower. Over time, the trend towards reflation and better growth globally will be supportive, but from where we are now, a temporary dislocation, even in the face of the usual earnings beats, looks distinctly possible. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Enters Oversold Territory The DividendRank formula at Dividend Channel ranks a coverage universe of thousands of dividend stocks , according to a proprietary formula designed to identify those stocks that combine two important characteristics - strong fundamentals and a valuation that looks inexpensive. Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) presently has an excellent rank, in the top 25% of the coverage universe, which suggests it is among the top most \""interesting\"" ideas that merit further research by investors. But making Fastenal Co. an even more interesting and timely stock to look at, is the fact that in trading on Wednesday, shares of FAST entered into oversold territory, changing hands as low as $47.01 per share. We define oversold territory using the Relative Strength Index, or RSI, which is a technical analysis indicator used to measure momentum on a scale of zero to 100. A stock is considered to be oversold if the RSI reading falls below 30. In the case of Fastenal Co., the RSI reading has hit 29.7 - by comparison, the universe of dividend stocks covered by Dividend Channel currently has an average RSI of 52.2. A falling stock price - all else being equal - creates a better opportunity for dividend investors to capture a higher yield. Indeed, FAST's recent annualized dividend of 1.28/share (currently paid in quarterly installments) works out to an annual yield of 2.54% based upon the recent $50.34 share price. A bullish investor could look at FAST's 29.7 RSI reading today as a sign that the recent heavy selling is in the process of exhausting itself, and begin to look for entry point opportunities on the buy side. Among the fundamental datapoints dividend investors should investigate to decide if they are bullish on FAST is its dividend history. In general, dividends are not always predictable; but, looking at the history chart below can help in judging whether the most recent dividend is likely to continue. According to the ETF Finder at ETF Channel, FAST makes up 1.39% of the First Trust NASDAQ-100 Ex-Technology Sector Index Fund ETF (Symbol: QQXT) which is trading lower by about 0.1% on the day Wednesday. Click here to find out what 9 other oversold dividend stocks you need to know about \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal (FAST) Reports In-Line Q1 Earnings, Revenues Beat Fastenal Company 's FAST earnings of 46 cents per share in the first quarter of 2017 came in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Earnings grew 6.2% year over year. Sales Detail Net sales of $1,047.7 million surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1,033 million by 1.4%. Sales also grew 6.2% year over year driven by higher units owing to increase in sales at existing store locations and growth in industrial vending business and existing Onsite locations. Fastenal's daily sales grew 6.2% in the quarter, higher than the 2.7% increase in the fourth quarter of 2016. On a monthly basis, daily sales increased 8.4% in March, 6.1% in February and 3.8% in January 2017 compared with 0.0%, 2.6% and 3.3%, respectively, in the year-ago comparable periods. Sales of fastener products (used mainly for industrial production and accounting for approximately 35.6% of the company's first quarter sales) increased 0.8% in the quarter. Non-fastener product sales (used mainly for maintenance and represented 64.4% of the quarterly sales) increased 9.4%. Vending Trends and Other Growth Drivers As of Mar 31, 2017, Fastenal operated 64,430 vending machines, up 13.3% year over year. During the quarter, the company signed 5,437 machine contracts, up 17% year over year. After a soft 2013, vending trends improved through 2014, 2015 and 2016 as management's efforts to enhance the quality of signings/installs paid off. Fastenal signed 64 new Onsite locations during the quarter, up 33.3% from 48 signings a year ago. As of Mar 31, 2017, the company had 437 active sites, representing an increase of 51.2%. Additionally, Fastenal signed 43 new national account contracts in the first quarter (representing 48.4% of its total revenues in the quarter). Net sales from its national account customers grew 9.2% in the quarter year over year. Margins Decline Gross margin of 49.4% in the first quarter of 2017 declined 40 basis points (bps) year over year. The decline stemmed from unfavorable customer mix and product mix. Its major growth initiatives (i.e. Onsite locations, non-fastener products, national accounts) tend to have lower gross profits. Moreover, higher freight expenses due to increased business activity and expenses related to the final stage of a new inventory tracking system add to the woes. Operating margin also declined 10 bps year over year to 20.3% in the quarter mainly due to lower gross profit level. Financials Cash and cash equivalents were $134.3 million as of Mar 31, 2017, up from $112.7 million as of Dec 31, 2016. Long-term debt was $354.1 million, down from $379.5 million at the end of 2016. 2017 Outlook The company plans to continue opening stores in 2017 to sustain and improve its network, and drive growth. Fastenal Company Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Fastenal Company Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise | Fastenal Company Quote Zacks Rank & Other Key Picks Fastenal carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Other stocks worth considering in the same space are Tecnoglass Inc TGLS , BMC Stock Holdings, Inc. BMCH and Builders FirstSource, Inc. BLDR . Tecnoglass carries a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here . Tecnoglass is expected to witness 23.3% growth in 2017 revenues. BMC, a Zacks Rank #2 stock, expects earnings growth of 52.9% in 2017. Builders FirstSource, also a Zacks Rank #2 company, expects earnings growth of 28.1% in 2017. Zacks' Best Private Investment Ideas While we are happy to share many articles like this on the website, our best recommendations and most in-depth research are not available to the public. Starting today, for the next month, you can follow all Zacks' private buys and sells in real time. Our experts cover all kinds of trades\u2026 from value to momentum . . . from stocks under $10 to ETF and option moves . . . from stocks that corporate insiders are buying up to companies that are about to report positive earnings surprises. You can even look inside exclusive portfolios that are normally closed to new investors. Click here for Zacks' private trades >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Builders FirstSource, Inc. (BLDR): Free Stock Analysis Report Tecnoglass Inc. (TGLS): Free Stock Analysis Report BMC Stock Holdings, Inc. (BMCH): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Nasdaq 100 Movers: TSCO, AAL In early trading on Wednesday, shares of American Airlines Group ( AAL ) topped the list of the day's best performing components of the Nasdaq 100 index, trading up 2.4%. Year to date, American Airlines Group has lost about 3.6% of its value. And the worst performing Nasdaq 100 component thus far on the day is Tractor Supply ( TSCO ), trading down 5.9%. Tractor Supply is lower by about 12.5% looking at the year to date performance. Two other components making moves today are Fastenal ( FAST ), trading down 5.3%, and eBay ( EBAY ), trading up 1.3% on the day. VIDEO: Nasdaq 100 Movers: TSCO, AAL The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""S&P 500 Movers: TSCO, HPQ In early trading on Wednesday, shares of HP ( HPQ ) topped the list of the day's best performing components of the S&P 500 index, trading up 3.6%. Year to date, HP registers a 22.5% gain. And the worst performing S&P 500 component thus far on the day is Tractor Supply ( TSCO ), trading down 6.3%. Tractor Supply is lower by about 12.9% looking at the year to date performance. Two other components making moves today are Fastenal ( FAST ), trading down 5.3%, and American Airlines Group ( AAL ), trading up 2.4% on the day. VIDEO: S&P 500 Movers: TSCO, HPQ The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Q1 Earnings Tip-Off: Delta (DAL) and Fastenal (FAST) Wednesday, April 12, 2017 Q1 earnings season sees its first two big S&P 500 firms reporting this week: Delta Air Lines DAL and industrial and contraction supplies company Fastenal FAST . Delta beat its bottom line estimate by 4 cents to 77 cents per share, on $9.15 billion in sales for the quarter, a twinge below the $9.16 billion expected. Guidance improved for Q2 at Delta as well, as positive year-over-year comps gets closer for the airline major. Shares of DAL are up nearly 2.7% in the pre-market, though they're still down roughly 5% year-to-date. For Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) Fastenal, the company just met earnings expectations of 46 cents per share on better-than expected revenues of $1.05 billion. Average daily sales for Q1 rose to 6.2%. Shares are selling off on this news to the tune of 4.6%, but consider that Fastenal - an important cog in the wheel for domestic construction and infrastructure - is up more than 25% since the November 8 election, and this looks like profit-booking from this vista. For a detailed look at Q1 earnings, please check out Zacks Director of Research Sheraz Mian's latest Earnings Preview: Can Banks Get Their Mojo Back? Looking for a stock with a big upswing this morning? BlackBerry BBRY has zoomed up more than 16% in today's pre-market following an announcement that an arbitration case has awarded the smartphone pioneer $815 million from Qualcomm QCOM . That said, approaching $9 per share is still within the long tail of lowered valuation in this company's trading history. This Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company had a Style Score (Value, Growth, Momentum) of C ahead of the arbitration decision. March Import Prices have been released ahead of the opening bell today, with a -0.2% number month over month in-line with expectations. February's headline figure doubled from +0.2% to +0.4%, though year over year is 4.2%, down from the 4.8% year-over-year read a month ago. Subtract petroleum prices and this number jumps to +0.2%; it was +0.3% a month ago, and has been left unchanged. Export Prices also came in-line this morning at +0.2%, following an unrevised +0.3% for February. Both Imports and Exports hovering around a zero balance indicates overall equilibrium, and if we'd prefer to see one side hotter than the other it would be the Export side, which it is. A good report, but nothing earth-shattering. Mark Vickery Senior Editor Questions or comments about this article and/or its author? Click here>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Delta Air Lines, Inc. (DAL): Free Stock Analysis Report QUALCOMM Incorporated (QCOM): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report BlackBerry Limited (BBRY): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal (FAST) Q1 Earnings Meet Expectations, Sales Top Fastenal CompanyFAST is a national wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies. It distributes its products through company-owned stores mostly located in North America. The company has gradually grown from a fastener distributor to a full-line industrial supplier. Investors should note that the recent earnings estimate for FAST has been moving upward in the last 30 days. However, Fastenal has delivered negative earnings surprises in two of the last four quarters, making an average negative surprise of 0.80%. Currently, FAST has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), but that could definitely change following Fastenal's earnings report which was just released. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. We have highlighted some of the key stats from this just-revealed announcement below: Earnings: FAST meets expectation. The company reported EPS of 46 cents per share, in line with the Zacks Consensus estimate. Fastenal Company Price and EPS Surprise Fastenal Company Price and EPS Surprise | Fastenal Company Quote Revenues : FAST reported revenues of $1.05 billion, which surpassed our consensus estimate of $1.03 billion. Key Stats to Note : Fastenal's total average daily sales increased 6.2% in the quarter. Check back later for our full write up on this FAST earnings report later! Zacks' Best Private Investment Ideas While we are happy to share many articles like this on the website, our best recommendations and most in-depth research are not available to the public. Starting today, for the next month, you can follow all Zacks' private buys and sells in real time. Our experts cover all kinds of trades\u2026 from value to momentum . . . from stocks under $10 to ETF and option moves . . . from stocks that corporate insiders are buying up to companies that are about to report positive earnings surprises. You can even look inside exclusive portfolios that are normally closed to new investors. Click here for Zacks' private trades >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""What Happened in the Stock Market Today Stocks fell on Wednesday, with both the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI) and the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) indexes declining by more than 0.25%. Today's stock market Data source: Yahoo! Finance. Financial stocks underperformed the broader market as the popular Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (NYSEMKT: XLF) declined 0.8%. On the other hand, an uptick in gold prices produced solid gains for the second straight day for Direxion Daily Jr Gold Miners Bull 3X ETF (NYSEMKT: JNUG) , which rose 4%. As for individual stocks, both Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) and Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST) attracted heavy investor interest following their quarterly earnings reports. Delta's improving outlook Delta shares dipped 0.5% after the company posted quarterly results that included disappointing sales and profit growth -- but also a few tantalizing hints of a rebound ahead. Revenue per available seat mile fell 0.5%, missing management's guidance that called for an increase of 1% at the midpoint. Rising costs, especially on fuel, contributed to a sharp drop in profitability as operating income dove 32%. Yet the company believes that profitability will show solid improvements over the next three quarters of the year. It sees revenue speeding up and is encouraged by the fact that March was the first month of positive passenger unit revenue since November 2015. Fuel costs aren't likely to pinch profits through the rest of 2017, either. \""With an improving revenue profile and further improvement as our cost growth moderates in the second half, we are on track to expand margins for the balance of the year,\"" Chief Financial Officer Paul Jacobson said. Delta's guidance calls for operating margin to grow to between 17% and 19% in the fiscal second quarter as revenue per available seat mile rises 1% to 3%. Fastenal's profitability dip Shares of industrial supply specialist Fastenal lost 8% after the company announced fiscal first-quarter earnings results. Revenue improved 6.2% to reach $1.05 billion and earnings rose at the exact same pace to $0.46 per share. The actual sales figure was a hair higher than consensus estimates while Wall Street analysts were right on the mark with their EPS projections. Fastenal executives said they were encouraged by a pickup in the industry following a relatively weak 2016 fiscal year. \""We are pleased with the improving pace of business growth,\"" CEO Dan Florness said. \""This is a welcome sign of improving business activity and of the traction we are gaining in our growth drivers,\"" he added. One drawback of the success in these growth initiatives is that they tend to carry lower margins than the core business. That was a key factor behind a 40-basis-point decline in gross profit margin, to 49.4% of sales. But Fastenal managed to offset most of this drop through discipline around administrative and operational expenses. As a result, bottom-line earnings rose at a slightly faster pace than revenue, to $134 million. Looking forward, investors can expect Fastenal to slowly shrink its store footprint as it continues to adjust to the weak industry conditions that marked last year's results. At the same time, it aims to aggressively invest in growth initiatives like its network of industrial vending machine sites, which could keep pressure on its profit margin. Offer from The Motley Fool: The 10 best stocks to buy now Motley Fool co-founders Tom and David Gardner have spent more than a decade beating the market. In fact, the newsletter they run, Motley Fool Stock Advisor , has tripled the S&P 500!* Tom and David just revealed their ten top stock picks for investors to buy right now. Click here to get access to the full list! * Stock Advisor returns as of 4/3/2017. Demitrios Kalogeropoulos has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy . The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Daily Dividend Report: PG, QCOM, CAT, O, FAST The Procter & Gamble Company ( PG ) declared an increased quarterly dividend of $0.6896 per share on the Common Stock and on the Series A and Series B ESOP Convertible Class A Preferred Stock of the Company, payable on or after May 15, 2017, to Common Stock shareholders of record at the close of business on April 21, 2017, and to Series A and Series B ESOP Convertible Class A Preferred Stock shareholders of record at the start of business on April 21, 2017. This represents a 3% increase compared to the prior quarterly dividend. Qualcomm ( QCOM ) announced a quarterly cash dividend of $0.57 per common share, payable on June 21, 2017, to stockholders of record at the close of business on May 31, 2017. The new dividend rate, originally announced at the Company's annual meeting on March 7, represents a 7.5% increase above the prior quarterly dividend. Caterpillar ( CAT ) voted to maintain the quarterly cash dividend of seventy-seven cents ($0.77) per share of common stock, payable May 20, 2017, to stockholders of record at the close of business on April 24, 2017. Realty Income ( O ) has declared the 562nd consecutive common stock monthly dividend. The dividend amount of $0.211 per share, representing an annualized amount of $2.532 per share, is payable on May 15, 2017 to shareholders of record as of May 1, 2017. The ex-dividend date for May's dividend is April 27, 2017. The Fastenal Company ( FAST ) reported its board of directors declared a dividend of $0.32 per share to be paid in cash on May 24, 2017 to shareholders of record at the close of business on April 26, 2017. VIDEO: Daily Dividend Report: PG, QCOM, CAT, O, FAST The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""A Peek Into The Markets: U.S. Stock Futures Mostly Lower Ahead Of Treasury Budget Data"", ""Fastenal Reports Q1 EPS $0.46, Inline, Sales $1.048B vs $1.04B Est."", ""Earnings Scheduled For April 12, 2017"", ""7 Stocks To Watch For April 12, 2017"", ""Stocks Drift To Weak Close; Dollar Drops On Trump Comments"", ""Stock Indexes Dip; Delta Air Up, Pier 1 Down"", ""Fastenal Company (FAST) Dropped with Earnings Expected"", ""Stock Open Slightly Lower; Biotechs Busy; Delta Rises""]"
FAST,2017-04-13,19.9188,20.1518,19.5023,19.5082,
FAST,2017-04-17,19.5319,19.6424,19.3621,19.6187,"Instant Analysis: What Fastenal's Results Mean to the Industrial Sector What happened? Industrial supply company Fastenal Company (NASDAQ: FAST) recently reported its first-quarter earnings, and in common with its peer MSC Industrial Direct Co Inc (NYSE: MSM) , the company beat sales expectations in the quarter. However, also like MSC Industrial, the stock sold off heavily post earnings. MSM data by YCharts . Does it matter? There are three separate reasons that Fastenal's earnings are significant. First, industrial supply companies are early indicators of a pickup in manufacturing and nonresidential construction activity. As you can see below, Fastenal's daily sales growth, in both sectors, has improved markedly in recent months -- a good sign for the industrial sector. Second, while sales were good, Fastenal's results mimicked MSC Industrial's in the sense that pricing and margin were somewhat disappointing. When a cyclical company sees its sales turning, it's reasonable to expect prices to increase and margin to improve -- translating into strong profit growth. However, MSC Industrial's management sees the pricing environment as still ""challenging"" and the ""modest"" pricing increase implemented in February is not expected to be material to its upcoming quarter. Meanwhile, Fastenal's gross margin declined to 49.4% from 49.8% in last year's first quarter. Furthermore, operating income margin declined to 20.3% from 20.4%. Sure, Fastenal met earnings-per-share expectations, but that was due to sales being better than expected rather than margin expansion. Finally, the strong market reaction to both sets of earnings is perhaps a sign that industrial valuations are a little stretched right now and optimism of a recovery in U.S. industrial production is largely baked into stock valuations. What it means If you are a long-term investor and focused on the fundamentals of both stocks, and there was nothing in the earnings to make you materially change your investment case, then the initial sell-off is not something you should unduly worry about. Pricing and margin are concerns at both companies, but it's probably too soon in the cycle to make any firm conclusions, as the recovery is still in its early stages. If you are looking at MSC Industrial's and Fastenal's sales data from a broader market perspective, then it's a further confirmation that U.S. manufacturing and nonresidential end markets have entered 2017 in good shape -- and that's good news. 10 stocks we like better than Fastenal When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor , has tripled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Fastenal wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. Click here to learn about these picks! *Stock Advisor returns as of April 3, 2017 Lee Samaha has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends MSC Industrial Direct. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy . The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2017-04-18,19.2871,19.5279,18.9465,18.9574,"[""Argus Research Upgrades Fastenal to Buy, Announces $54.00 Price Target"", ""The Market In 5 Minutes"", ""Benzinga's Top Upgrades, Downgrades For April 18, 2017"", ""Investors May Have Just Found A Good Entry Point In Fastenal"", ""Investors May Have Just Found A Good Entry Point In Fastenal"", ""Benzinga's Top Upgrades, Downgrades For April 18, 2017"", ""The Market In 5 Minutes"", ""Argus Research Upgrades Fastenal to Buy, Announces $54.00 Price Target"", ""Market Close Report: NASDAQ Composite index closes at 5,849.47 down -7.32 points Tuesday's session closes with the NASDAQ Composite Index at 5,849.47. The total shares traded for the NASDAQ was over 1.67 billion. Declining stocks led advancers by 1.27 to 1 ratio. There were 1259 advancers and 1597 decliners for the day. On the NASDAQ Stock Exchange 29 stocks reached a 52 week high and 33 those reaching lows totaled. The most active, advancers, decliners, unusual volume and most active by dollar volume can be monitored intraday on the Most Active Stocks page. The NASDAQ 100 index closed down -.14% for the day; a total of -7.54 points. The current value is 5,391.66. Fastenal Company ( FAST ) had the largest percent change down (-3.36%) while Microchip Technology Incorporated ( MCHP ) had the largest percent change gain rising 1.52%. The Dow Jones index closed down -.55% for the day; a total of -113.64 points. The current value is 20,523.28. Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (The) ( GS ) had the largest percent change down (-4.72%) while Coca-Cola Company (The) ( KO ) had the largest percent change gain rising .95%. NASDAQ Market Wrap As of 4/18/2017 4:44:02 PM BILLIONS OF 1.67 NASDAQ SHARES TRADED TODAY 29 STOCKS REACHED A 52 WEEK HIGH 33 THOSE REACHING LOWS TOTALEDMicrochip Technology Incorporated [MCHP]TOPS ADVANCERS LISTOF NASDAQ 100 INDEX % 1.52 ROSE The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Investors May Have Just Found A Good Entry Point In Fastenal"", ""Benzinga's Top Upgrades, Downgrades For April 18, 2017"", ""The Market In 5 Minutes"", ""Argus Research Upgrades Fastenal to Buy, Announces $54.00 Price Target""]"
FAST,2017-04-19,19.2871,19.4904,19.1123,19.4667,"[""Credit Suisse Upgrades Fastenal to Outperform"", ""Credit Suisse Upgrades Fastenal to Outperform"", ""Credit Suisse Upgrades Fastenal to Outperform""]"
FAST,2017-04-20,19.5161,19.674,19.4163,19.4766,"Ex-Dividend Reminder: Fastenal, Lowe's Companies and AZZ Looking at the universe of stocks we cover at Dividend Channel , on 4/24/17, Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST), Lowe's Companies Inc (Symbol: LOW), and AZZ Inc (Symbol: AZZ) will all trade ex-dividend for their respective upcoming dividends. Fastenal Co. will pay its quarterly dividend of $0.32 on 5/24/17, Lowe's Companies Inc will pay its quarterly dividend of $0.35 on 5/10/17, and AZZ Inc will pay its quarterly dividend of $0.17 on 5/10/17. As a percentage of FAST's recent stock price of $45.59, this dividend works out to approximately 0.70%, so look for shares of Fastenal Co. to trade 0.70% lower - all else being equal - when FAST shares open for trading on 4/24/17. Similarly, investors should look for LOW to open 0.42% lower in price and for AZZ to open 0.31% lower, all else being equal. Below are dividend history charts for FAST, LOW, and AZZ, showing historical dividends prior to the most recent ones declared. Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) : Lowe's Companies Inc (Symbol: LOW) : AZZ Inc (Symbol: AZZ) : In general, dividends are not always predictable, following the ups and downs of company profits over time. Therefore, a good first due diligence step in forming an expectation of annual yield going forward, is looking at the history above, for a sense of stability over time. This can help in judging whether the most recent dividends from these companies are likely to continue. If they do continue, the current estimated yields on annualized basis would be 2.81% for Fastenal Co., 1.69% for Lowe's Companies Inc, and 1.23% for AZZ Inc. In Thursday trading, Fastenal Co. shares are currently up about 0.3%, Lowe's Companies Inc shares are up about 1.1%, and AZZ Inc shares are off about 5.8% on the day. Click here to learn which 25 S.A.F.E. dividend stocks should be on your radar screen » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2017-04-21,19.5319,19.6493,19.3571,19.5911,"[""Fastenal Company (FAST) Ex-Dividend Date Scheduled for April 24, 2017 Fastenal Company ( FAST ) will begin trading ex-dividend on April 24, 2017. A cash dividend payment of $0.32 per share is scheduled to be paid on May 24, 2017. Shareholders who purchased FAST prior to the ex-dividend date are eligible for the cash dividend payment. This represents an 6.67% increase over prior dividend payment. At the current stock price of $45.47, the dividend yield is 2.82%. The previous trading day's last sale of FAST was $45.47, representing a -13.78% decrease from the 52 week high of $52.74 and a 20.61% increase over the 52 week low of $37.70. FAST is a part of the Consumer Services sector, which includes companies such as Home Depot, Inc. ( HD ) and Lowe's Companies, Inc. ( LOW ). FAST's current earnings per share, an indicator of a company's profitability, is $1.75. Zacks Investment Research reports FAST's forecasted earnings growth in 2017 as 8.09%, compared to an industry average of 10.8%. For more information on the declaration, record and payment dates, visit the FAST Dividend History page. Our Dividend Calendar has the full list of stocks that have an ex-dividend today. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Are industrials going to disappoint this earnings season? Wall Street has become cautious about GE and Honeywell after disappointing numbers from Grainger A sharp slide for W.W. Grainger Inc. shares has heightened fears the broader U.S. industrial sector may be a disappointment for investors this earnings season.""]"
FAST,2017-04-24,19.9346,19.983,19.5072,19.5861,
FAST,2017-04-25,19.6375,19.8142,19.5417,19.7224,"[""Sawgrass Asset Management Llc Buys Nike, Illinois Tool Works, The Cooper, Sells Dollar Tree, ..."", ""Sawgrass Asset Management Llc Buys Nike, Illinois Tool Works, The Cooper, Sells Dollar Tree, ..."", ""What CSX Corporation Earnings Mean for Other Industrial Stocks Railroads always give great color on the economy, and if the latest earnings report from CSX Corporation (NASDAQ: CSX) is anything to go by, then overall conditions are definitely improving in the U.S. industrial economy. That said, it's not an even recovery, and some parts of the economy are improving more than others. Let's take a look at the details in the latest numbers and what they mean for investors. CSX Corporation reports earnings Overall, it was a pretty good earnings report from CSX, with the company managing to leverage 3% volume growth (our main focus) into 10% revenue growth thanks to a 7% increase in revenue per unit. In fact, excluding the impact of a $173 million restructuring charge, operating income rose 25.7% to $885 million. The pricing increase -- year-over-year all-in pricing increased 3.5% on a same-store-sales basis in the quarter -- is in line with what CSX and key peer Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE: UNP) reported in their fourth-quarter results in January. Union Pacific reported a 1% core pricing increase in the fourth quarter , compared to CSX's 2.8% increase. CSX's first-quarter number indicates strengthening conditions. Moreover, CSX's operating income margin ratio of 30.8% continues to reflect its productivity improvements as it seeks to play catch-up with Union Pacific's margin. CSX Operating Margin (TTM) data by YCharts . Volume detail CSX's results and commentary are obviously good news for the railroad industry, and so are most of its volume data. Data source: CSX Corporation. Volume measured by carload units. Year-over-year growth. The three industry winners from the earnings report were construction, automotive, and the related metalworking industry. For example, CSX claimed that the minerals volume increase was largely due to aggregate shipments relating to construction project activity. Similarly, management claimed that the metals and equipment volume increase was due to \""improved steel production\"" and \""increased construction related activity.\"" These results and commentary mimic what the industrial supply companies like Fastenal Company (NASDAQ: FAST) and MSC Industrial Direct Co (NYSE: MSM) have been saying about the economy. For example, Fastenal's last two quarters have seen a notable pickup in its nonresidential construction and manufacturing daily sales growth. Meanwhile, MSC Industrial recently reported its first positive sales growth figure in its manufacturing end markets since the third quarter of 2015. This bodes well for a multi-industrial company like Illinois Tool Works (NYSE: ITW) , which has heavy exposure to welding, construction, and automotive products -- particularly relevant because CSX referred to automotive volume increases \""driven by SUV and truck shipments, as North American vehicle production increased versus prior year.\"" Illinois Tool Works reports earnings on Monday, April 24. Weaker areas The agricultural market remains challenging -- not good news for investors in companies like Deere and CSX. There have been declines in the export grain market, while fertilizer sales saw reduced demand for nitrogen \""reflecting the anticipated shift of acres from corn to soybeans.\"" As you can see below, key crop prices remain at low levels relative to recent years. US Corn Farm Price Received data by YCharts . Moreover, forest products saw mixed performance. The positive came from good momentum in the housing market and building in general. However, CSX management's reference to \""headwinds from electronic substitution\"" continuing to impact paper product shipments suggests there could be a structural problem with the paper industry. Looking ahead CSX's earnings report was a net positive for the industrial economy, and it was good to see ongoing strength in the automotive sector -- a question-mark area of the economy in 2017 -- while the return to growth in minerals and metals reflects an improving industrial and construction environment. Just don't expect agriculture to participate just yet. 10 stocks we like better than CSX When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor , has tripled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy right now... and CSX wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. Click here to learn about these picks! *Stock Advisor returns as of April 3, 2017 Lee Samaha has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends MSC Industrial Direct. The Motley Fool recommends CSX and Illinois Tool Works. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy . The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Sawgrass Asset Management Llc Buys Nike, Illinois Tool Works, The Cooper, Sells Dollar Tree, ...""]"
FAST,2017-04-26,19.7461,19.8428,19.6691,19.7589,"[""Strs Ohio Buys Total System Services, Spirit Airlines, Fastenal Co, Sells Acuity Brands, Boeing ..."", ""Strs Ohio Buys Total System Services, Spirit Airlines, Fastenal Co, Sells Acuity Brands, Boeing ..."", ""Strs Ohio Buys Total System Services, Spirit Airlines, Fastenal Co, Sells Acuity Brands, Boeing ...""]"
FAST,2017-04-27,19.7895,19.829,19.4579,19.5733,
FAST,2017-04-28,19.5783,19.5783,19.2485,19.2723,"This ETF Holds Stocks Insiders Want to Own A look at the weighted underlying holdings of the Vanguard Industrials ETF ( VIS ) shows an impressive 13.6% of holdings on a weighted basis have experienced insider buying within the past six months. Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST), which makes up 0.49% of the Vanguard Industrials ETF ( VIS ), has seen 2 directors and officers purchase shares in the past six months, according to the recent Form 4 data. The ETF holds a total of $14,939,725 worth of FAST, making it the #43 largest holding. The table below details the recent insider buying activity observed at FAST: FAST - last trade: $45.38 - Recent Insider Buys: And Macquarie Infrastructure Corporation (Symbol: MIC), the #84 largest holding among components of the Vanguard Industrials ETF ( VIS ), shows 5 directors and officers as recently filing Form 4's indicating purchases. The ETF holds $7,093,120 worth of MIC, which represents approximately 0.23% of the ETF's total assets at last check. The recent insider buying activity observed at MIC is detailed in the table below: MIC - last trade: $80.68 - Recent Insider Buys: 10 ETFs With Stocks That Insiders Are Buying » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2017-05-01,19.3551,19.3551,18.9199,19.2071,"[""Shaker Investments Llc Buys Snap-on Inc, Abiomed Inc, LCI Industries Inc, Sells Argan Inc, ..."", ""Shaker Investments Llc Buys Snap-on Inc, Abiomed Inc, LCI Industries Inc, Sells Argan Inc, ..."", ""Shaker Investments Llc Buys Snap-on Inc, Abiomed Inc, LCI Industries Inc, Sells Argan Inc, ...""]"
FAST,2017-05-02,19.3295,19.4647,19.2683,19.445,
FAST,2017-05-03,19.3245,19.6671,19.3245,19.52,"[""Option Alert: Fastenol May 45.0 Calls Sweep: 945 @ ASK $0.95: 945 traded vs 2752 OI: Earnings 7/11 Before Open [est] $45.06 Ref"", ""Benzinga's Option Alert Recap From May 3"", ""Benzinga's Option Alert Recap From May 3"", ""Option Alert: Fastenol May 45.0 Calls Sweep: 945 @ ASK $0.95: 945 traded vs 2752 OI: Earnings 7/11 Before Open [est] $45.06 Ref"", ""Benzinga's Option Alert Recap From May 3"", ""Option Alert: Fastenol May 45.0 Calls Sweep: 945 @ ASK $0.95: 945 traded vs 2752 OI: Earnings 7/11 Before Open [est] $45.06 Ref""]"
FAST,2017-05-04,19.9346,20.1014,19.4529,19.6375,"[""Watch These 8 Huge Call Purchases In Thursday Trade"", ""Watch These 8 Huge Call Purchases In Thursday Trade"", ""Why WESCO International Stock Dropped 12% in April What happened? The stock price of industrial distribution company WESCO International (NYSE: WCC) fell around 12% in April driven by a disappointing set of first-quarter earnings. As you can see in the chart below it's not been a happy time for investors in industrial wholesale and distribution stocks. Fastenal Company (NASDAQ: FAST) and MSC Industrial Co Inc. (NYSE: MSM) have also reported disappointing results this earnings season. WCC data by YCharts . While all of these companies have reported an improving end-market environment -- in line with a broadly improving industrial economy in 2017 -- and sales have been improving, they have disappointed with margin. For example, Fastenal saw its operating income decline in the first-quarter to 20.3% from 20.4% in the same period last-year. Meanwhile, MSC Industrial spoke of a pricing environment that \""remains challenging\"" and management doesn't expect much help from pricing in the near-term. WESCO's operating margin of 3.8% in the first-quarter came in at the bottom end of its guidance range and CFO Dave Schulz also spoke of pricing pressure in the quarter. So what? It matters because the strong run-up in share prices of stocks in the sector has been built upon hopes of an industrial recovery -- and recoveries usually bring about a combination of revenue growth and margin expansion. Unfortunately, the latter hasn't happened yet. Moreover, cost pressures are rising as metals & minerals prices have generally increased in the last year. Now what? WESCO's CEO John Engel talked of a \""lag effect\"" before price increases start to push through. Essentially, this is the argument that as the recovery gathers steam pricing conditions will improve as the slack in the sector is picked up. If he's right -- and the historical chart below suggests he is -- then the recent dip in stock prices is a good buying opportunity. You would be buying into companies that are set to expand sales and margin -- earnings should grow significantly. WCC Operating Margin (TTM) data by YCharts . On the other hand, there is no telling the strength or longevity of the industrial recovery, and therefore whether industrial supply companies will be able to gain traction on pricing in 2017. 10 stocks we like better than Wesco International When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor , has tripled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Wesco International wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. Click here to learn about these picks! *Stock Advisor returns as of May 1, 2017 Lee Samaha has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends MSC Industrial Direct. The Motley Fool recommends Wesco International. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy . The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Watch These 8 Huge Call Purchases In Thursday Trade""]"
FAST,2017-05-05,19.6227,19.7717,19.4125,19.7056,"[""Hiding in Plain Sight"", ""Hiding in Plain Sight"", ""Hiding in Plain Sight""]"
FAST,2017-05-08,19.6691,19.824,19.6039,19.754,
FAST,2017-05-09,19.754,19.8378,19.5358,19.6266,
FAST,2017-05-10,19.6138,19.7194,19.4233,19.6227,
FAST,2017-05-11,19.522,19.5615,19.1391,19.4015,
FAST,2017-05-12,19.3551,19.4193,19.2071,19.2969,
FAST,2017-05-15,19.4144,19.4233,18.9515,19.065,"[""Stocks Hold Gains; These 2 Security Stocks Hit Buy Points"", ""Stocks Hold Gains; These 2 Security Stocks Hit Buy Points"", ""Relative Strength Alert For Fastenal The DividendRank formula at Dividend Channel ranks a coverage universe of thousands of dividend stocks , according to a proprietary formula designed to identify those stocks that combine two important characteristics - strong fundamentals and a valuation that looks inexpensive. Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) presently has an excellent rank, in the top 25% of the coverage universe, which suggests it is among the top most \""interesting\"" ideas that merit further research by investors. But making Fastenal Co. an even more interesting and timely stock to look at, is the fact that in trading on Monday, shares of FAST entered into oversold territory, changing hands as low as $44.305 per share. We define oversold territory using the Relative Strength Index, or RSI, which is a technical analysis indicator used to measure momentum on a scale of zero to 100. A stock is considered to be oversold if the RSI reading falls below 30. In the case of Fastenal Co., the RSI reading has hit 28.9 - by comparison, the universe of dividend stocks covered by Dividend Channel currently has an average RSI of 52.5. A falling stock price - all else being equal - creates a better opportunity for dividend investors to capture a higher yield. Indeed, FAST's recent annualized dividend of 1.28/share (currently paid in quarterly installments) works out to an annual yield of 2.87% based upon the recent $44.74 share price. A bullish investor could look at FAST's 28.9 RSI reading today as a sign that the recent heavy selling is in the process of exhausting itself, and begin to look for entry point opportunities on the buy side. Among the fundamental datapoints dividend investors should investigate to decide if they are bullish on FAST is its dividend history. In general, dividends are not always predictable; but, looking at the history chart below can help in judging whether the most recent dividend is likely to continue. According to the ETF Finder at ETF Channel, FAST makes up 1.32% of the First Trust NASDAQ-100 Ex-Technology Sector Index Fund ETF (Symbol: QQXT) which is trading up by about 0.1% on the day Monday. Click here to find out what 9 other oversold dividend stocks you need to know about \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Stocks Hold Gains; These 2 Security Stocks Hit Buy Points""]"
FAST,2017-05-16,19.0186,19.1015,18.8192,18.9603,"Provident Investment Management, Inc. Buys Gentex Corp, Bioverativ Inc, Aptevo Therapeutics ... Provident Investment Management, Inc. New Purchases: GNTX , APVO , Added Positions: BIVV , TSCO, GILD, DG, WAB, SWKS, SUB, Reduced Positions:ZLTQ, IPGP, ORLY, AZPN, TROW, ROP, SHPG, FDS, SPY, IVV, Sold Out:KMX, WBA, ABBV, OPK, For the details of Provident Investment Management, Inc.'s stock buys and sells, go to http://www.gurufocus.com/StockBuy.php?GuruName=Provident+Investment+Management%2C+Inc. These are the top 5 holdings of Provident Investment Management, Inc. Visa Inc ( V ) - 417,173 shares, 6.91% of the total portfolio. Shares reduced by 0.2% The Priceline Group Inc ( PCLN ) - 18,912 shares, 6.27% of the total portfolio. Shares reduced by 0.93% Fastenal Co ( FAST ) - 562,910 shares, 5.4% of the total portfolio. Shares reduced by 0.08% Skyworks Solutions Inc ( SWKS ) - 295,098 shares, 5.39% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 1.33% Air Lease Corp ( AL ) - 738,964 shares, 5.34% of the total portfolio. Shares reduced by 0.44% New Purchase: Gentex Corp (GNTX) Provident Investment Management, Inc. initiated holdings in Gentex Corp. The purchase prices were between $20.14 and $22.07, with an estimated average price of $20.99. The stock is now traded at around $19.82. The impact to the portfolio due to this purchase was 4.53%. The holdings were 1,139,569 shares as of 2017-03-31. New Purchase: Aptevo Therapeutics Inc (APVO) Provident Investment Management, Inc. initiated holdings in Aptevo Therapeutics Inc. The purchase prices were between $1.78 and $2.86, with an estimated average price of $2.09. The stock is now traded at around $2.08. The impact to the portfolio due to this purchase was 0.01%. The holdings were 13,787 shares as of 2017-03-31. Added: Bioverativ Inc (BIVV) Provident Investment Management, Inc. added to the holdings in Bioverativ Inc by 714.64%. The purchase prices were between $41.82 and $54.46, with an estimated average price of $47.97. The stock is now traded at around $55.22. The impact to the portfolio due to this purchase was 2.38%. The holdings were 266,623 shares as of 2017-03-31. Sold Out: CarMax Inc (KMX) Provident Investment Management, Inc. sold out the holdings in CarMax Inc. The sale prices were between $58.87 and $68.6, with an estimated average price of $64.97. Sold Out: Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc (WBA) Provident Investment Management, Inc. sold out the holdings in Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. The sale prices were between $80.47 and $87.61, with an estimated average price of $83.86. Sold Out: AbbVie Inc (ABBV) Provident Investment Management, Inc. sold out the holdings in AbbVie Inc. The sale prices were between $60 and $66.55, with an estimated average price of $62.87. Sold Out: OPKO Health Inc (OPK) Provident Investment Management, Inc. sold out the holdings in OPKO Health Inc. The sale prices were between $7.43 and $9.38, with an estimated average price of $8.42. Reduced: ZELTIQ Aesthetics Inc (ZLTQ) Provident Investment Management, Inc. reduced to the holdings in ZELTIQ Aesthetics Inc by 91.39%. The sale prices were between $40.71 and $55.93, with an estimated average price of $50.14. The stock is now traded at around $56.48. The impact to the portfolio due to this sale was -3.21%. Provident Investment Management, Inc. still held 35,676 shares as of 2017-03-31. Reduced: T. Rowe Price Group Inc (TROW) Provident Investment Management, Inc. reduced to the holdings in T. Rowe Price Group Inc by 53.88%. The sale prices were between $66.45 and $76.97, with an estimated average price of $70.91. The stock is now traded at around $71.83. The impact to the portfolio due to this sale was -0.22%. Provident Investment Management, Inc. still held 12,688 shares as of 2017-03-31. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 3 Warning Sign with BIVV. Click here to check it out. BIVV 15-Year Financial Data The intrinsic value of BIVV Peter Lynch Chart of BIVV Premium Members This article first appeared on GuruFocus . The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2017-05-17,18.8093,18.8992,18.228,18.2458,"FAST Crosses Above 3% Yield Territory Looking at the universe of stocks we cover at Dividend Channel , in trading on Wednesday, shares of Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) were yielding above the 3% mark based on its quarterly dividend (annualized to $1.28), with the stock changing hands as low as $42.32 on the day. Dividends are particularly important for investors to consider, because historically speaking dividends have provided a considerable share of the stock market's total return. To illustrate, suppose for example you purchased shares of the S&P 500 ETF ( SPY ) back on 12/31/1999 - you would have paid $146.88 per share. Fast forward to 12/31/2012 and each share was worth $142.41 on that date, a decrease of $4.67/share over all those years. But now consider that you collected a whopping $25.98 per share in dividends over the same period, for a positive total return of 23.36%. Even with dividends reinvested, that only amounts to an average annual total return of about 1.6%; so by comparison collecting a yield above 3% would appear considerably attractive if that yield is sustainable. Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) is an S&P 500 company, giving it special status as one of the large-cap companies making up the S&P 500 Index. In general, dividend amounts are not always predictable and tend to follow the ups and downs of profitability at each company. In the case of Fastenal Co., looking at the history chart for FAST below can help in judging whether the most recent dividend is likely to continue, and in turn whether it is a reasonable expectation to expect a 3% annual yield. According to the ETF Finder at ETF Channel, FAST makes up 1.28% of the First Trust NASDAQ-100 Ex-Technology Sector Index Fund ETF (Symbol: QQXT) which is trading lower by about 1.5% on the day Wednesday. Click here to find out which 9 other dividend stocks just recently went on sale » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2017-05-18,18.2062,18.6139,18.077,18.5221,
FAST,2017-05-19,18.5458,18.9673,18.4748,18.7965,
FAST,2017-05-22,18.8005,19.1637,18.7718,19.1381,
FAST,2017-05-23,19.1519,19.1815,18.9041,19.0847,
FAST,2017-05-24,18.5083,19.1429,18.5083,18.8232,
FAST,2017-05-25,18.8755,18.8804,18.5862,18.6722,"Nasdaq 100 Movers: FAST, ULTA In early trading on Thursday, shares of Ulta Beauty topped the list of the day's best performing components of the Nasdaq 100 index, trading up 3.5%. Year to date, Ulta Beauty registers a 13.9% gain. And the worst performing Nasdaq 100 component thus far on the day is Fastenal, trading down 1.0%. Fastenal is lower by about 8.0% looking at the year to date performance. Two other components making moves today are Celgene, trading down 0.6%, and Netflix, trading up 3.3% on the day. VIDEO: Nasdaq 100 Movers: FAST, ULTA The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2017-05-26,18.6771,18.8755,18.5744,18.7511,
FAST,2017-05-30,18.7797,18.8419,18.607,18.6642,"[""Will Zumiez' (ZUMZ) Surprise Streak Snap in Q1 Earnings?"", ""Will Zumiez' (ZUMZ) Surprise Streak Snap in Q1 Earnings?"", ""Will Zumiez' (ZUMZ) Surprise Streak Snap in Q1 Earnings? Zumiez Inc.ZUMZ is slated to release first-quarter fiscal 2017 results on Jun 1. The question lingering in investors' minds is whether this specialty retailer of action sports related apparel, footwear and accessories will be able to deliver a positive earnings surprise in the quarter to be reported. In the trailing four quarters, the company outperformed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by an average of 31.4%. Notably, Zumiez has delivered positive earnings surprises consistently in the last six quarters. Let's see how things are shaping up prior to this announcement. Zumiez Inc. Price and EPS Surprise Zumiez Inc. Price and EPS Surprise | Zumiez Inc. Quote What to Expect? The current Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter under review is pegged at a loss of 20 cents, wider than the year-ago loss of 8 cents. Further, we noted that our loss estimate has widened in the past 30 days, by a couple of cents. On the positive side, analysts polled by Zacks expect revenues of $179.4 million, up about 3.7% from the year-ago quarter. Zumiez forms part of the Retail - Wholesale sector. Per the latest Earnings Trends , as of May 24, the Retail - Wholesale sector's earnings are expected to inch up 0.5%, with 3.1% revenues growth. Factors at Play Zumiez recently came up with comparable store sales (comps) and sales data for the four-week period ended Apr 29, 2017. The company recorded a 7.8% increase in April comps, which marked its second consecutive month of comps growth. Also, net sales for the month advanced 10.3% year over year. However, management tweaked its bottom-line outlook for the first quarter owing to a higher-than-expected tax rate. The company now projects bottom-line results for first-quarter fiscal 2017 at the lower end of its previous guidance of net loss per share of 17-21 cents. The previous projection (provided during the fourth-quarter fiscal 2017 earnings release) remained dismal on account of a challenging retail environment stemming from sluggish mall traffic, volatile consumer spending and macroeconomic volatility. These factors have been largely weighing upon investors' sentiment, evident from the company's bearish run as it approaches its earnings release. Notably, shares of Zumiez have dropped 4.5% over the past five trading sessions. Moreover, the company has slumped 26.5% over the last three months, underperforming the Zacks categorized Retail - Apparel/Shoes industry's drop of 14.5%. Nevertheless, Zumiez remains on track with cost-control efforts and multi-year growth targets, which are aimed at generating greater profits and shareholder-value in the long run. Further, the company's strategic initiatives, focus on omni-channel growth, authentic lifestyle positioning and commitment to customer service position it well to gain market share. Given the mixed signals, it remains to be seen whether Zumiez will break or maintain its solid positive surprise trend. What the Zacks Model Unveils? Our proven model does not conclusively show that Zumiez is likely to beat estimates this quarter. This is because a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) for this to happen. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they're reported with our Earnings ESP Filter . Zumiez currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), which increases the predictive power of ESP. However, the company has an Earnings ESP of -5.00% as the Most Accurate estimate of a loss of 21 cents is wider than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of a loss of 20 cents. The combination of Zumiez' Zacks Rank #3 and negative ESP makes surprise prediction difficult. Stocks Poised to Beat Earnings Estimates Here are some companies you may want to consider as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat: Fred's, Inc. FRED has an Earnings ESP of +16.67% and a Zacks Rank #3. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here . Lithia Motors, Inc. LAD has an Earnings ESP of +0.91% and a Zacks Rank #3. Fastenal Company FAST has an Earnings ESP of +4.08% and a Zacks Rank #3. More Stock News: 8 Companies Verge on Apple-Like Run Did you miss Apple's 9X stock explosion after they launched their iPhone in 2007? Now 2017 looks to be a pivotal year to get in on another emerging technology expected to rock the market. Demand could soar from almost nothing to $42 billion by 2025. Reports suggest it could save 10 million lives per decade which could in turn save $200 billion in U.S. healthcare costs. A bonus Zacks Special Report names this breakthrough and the 8 best stocks to exploit it. Like Apple in 2007, these companies are already strong and coiling for potential mega-gains. Click to see them right now >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Lithia Motors, Inc. (LAD): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Zumiez Inc. (ZUMZ): Free Stock Analysis Report Fred's, Inc. (FRED): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Lululemon (LULU) Q1 Earnings: What's in Store for the Stock? Lululemon Athletica Inc.LULU is set to release first-quarter fiscal 2017 results on Jun 1. The question lingering in investors' minds is if this yoga-inspired athletic apparel company will be able to deliver a positive earnings surprise in the to-be reported quarter. In the trailing four quarters, the company outperformed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by an average of 2.1%, though it delivered a negative earnings surprise in the last reported quarter. Let's see how things are shaping up prior to this announcement. lululemon athletica inc. Price and EPS Surprise lululemon athletica inc. Price and EPS Surprise | lululemon athletica inc. Quote What to Expect? The current Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter under review is 28 cents, reflecting a year-over year decline of 5.1%. We note that the Zacks Consensus Estimate has been stable in the last 30 days. On the positive side, analysts polled by Zacks expect revenues of $512.7 million, up about 3.5% from the year-ago quarter. Lululemon forms part of the Consumer Discretionary sector. Per the latest Earnings Trends , as of May 24, the Consumer Discretionary sector's earnings are expected to advance 13.9%, with 12.5% revenues growth. Factors at Play While the prospects for the Consumer Discretionary sector appear favorable for the first quarter, we are not sure if Lululemon will be able to follow the industry trends. Incidentally, the company has underperformed the Zacks categorized Consumer Discretionary sector over the last three months, with its shares having plunged 26.2% against the sector's growth of 3.3%. This bearish run is mainly accountable to management's soft first-quarter outlook, which was provided with Lululemon's last quarterly earnings report. The drab view was based on sluggish traffic in stores and lower conversions on Lululemon's e-Commerce site, as it entered the first quarter. Based on those trends, Lululemon projected revenues in the range of $510-$515 million, with constant dollar comps expected to decline in the low single-digits range. A likely improvement in product margin is expected to boost gross margin. However, deleverage in product and supply chain costs, and occupancy and depreciation expense due to bleak sales in the fiscal first quarter may hurt results. Further, the company predicts SG&A expenses deleverage of about 100-150 bps in first-quarter fiscal 2017, based on the sluggish comps trends. All said, Lululemon predicted earnings in the range of 25-27 cents per share, lower than the prior-year figure of 30 cents. Nonetheless, the company remains focused on improving its e-Commerce and store trends, through strategies like solidifying product assortment, enhancing website and accelerating its omni-channel model. Additionally, the company is committed toward achieving its goal of doubling revenues and more than doubling earnings by 2020. These factors encouraged management to issue a decent view for fiscal 2017. Given the mixed signals, let's wait and see if Lululemon can counter the aforementioned obstacles with its growth initiatives. What the Zacks Model Unveils? Our proven model does not conclusively show that Lululemon is likely to beat earnings estimates this quarter. This is because a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) for this to happen. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they're reported with our Earnings ESP Filter . Lululemon currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), which increases the predictive power of ESP. However, the company has an Earnings ESP of 0.00% as both the Most Accurate estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate are pegged at 28 cents. The combination of Lululemon' Zacks Rank #3 and ESP of 0.00% makes surprise prediction difficult. Stocks Poised to Beat Earnings Estimates Here are some companies you may want to consider as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat. Fred's, Inc. FRED has an Earnings ESP of +16.67% and a Zacks Rank #3. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here . Lithia Motors, Inc. LAD has an Earnings ESP of +0.91% and a Zacks Rank #3. Fastenal Company FAST has an Earnings ESP of +4.08% and a Zacks Rank #3. More Stock News: 8 Companies Verge on Apple-Like Run Did you miss Apple's 9X stock explosion after they launched their iPhone in 2007? Now 2017 looks to be a pivotal year to get in on another emerging technology expected to rock the market. Demand could soar from almost nothing to $42 billion by 2025. Reports suggest it could save 10 million lives per decade which could in turn save $200 billion in U.S. healthcare costs. A bonus Zacks Special Report names this breakthrough and the 8 best stocks to exploit it. Like Apple in 2007, these companies are already strong and coiling for potential mega-gains. Click to see them right now >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Lithia Motors, Inc. (LAD): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report lululemon athletica inc. (LULU): Free Stock Analysis Report Fred's, Inc. (FRED): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Will Zumiez' (ZUMZ) Surprise Streak Snap in Q1 Earnings?""]"
FAST,2017-05-31,18.6297,18.6406,18.2764,18.6198,"[""Option Alert: Fastenal Jun 44.0 Calls Sweep: 4000 @ ASK $0.45: 4000 traded vs 287 OI: Earnings 7/11 Before Open (est) $43.05 Ref"", ""Option Alert: Fastenal Jun 44.0 Calls Sweep: 4000 @ ASK $0.45: 4000 traded vs 287 OI: Earnings 7/11 Before Open (est) $43.05 Ref"", ""Option Alert: Fastenal Jun 44.0 Calls Sweep: 4000 @ ASK $0.45: 4000 traded vs 287 OI: Earnings 7/11 Before Open (est) $43.05 Ref""]"
FAST,2017-06-01,18.6642,18.9041,18.5221,18.8093,"[""Watch These 10 Huge Call Purchases In Thursday Trade"", ""Watch These 10 Huge Call Purchases In Thursday Trade"", ""Watch These 10 Huge Call Purchases In Thursday Trade""]"
FAST,2017-06-02,19.7678,19.7678,18.9919,19.0965,"[""Longbow Research Upgrades Fastenal to Buy, Announces $55 Price Target"", ""JP Morgan Initiates Coverage On Fastenal with Neutral Rating, Announces $46.00 Price Target"", ""Benzinga's Top Upgrades, Downgrades For June 2, 2017"", ""Benzinga's Top Upgrades, Downgrades For June 2, 2017"", ""JP Morgan Initiates Coverage On Fastenal with Neutral Rating, Announces $46.00 Price Target"", ""Longbow Research Upgrades Fastenal to Buy, Announces $55 Price Target"", ""Benzinga's Top Upgrades, Downgrades For June 2, 2017"", ""JP Morgan Initiates Coverage On Fastenal with Neutral Rating, Announces $46.00 Price Target"", ""Longbow Research Upgrades Fastenal to Buy, Announces $55 Price Target""]"
FAST,2017-06-05,19.0965,19.4193,18.9919,19.2595,"[""Option Alert: Fastenal Jun 46.0 Calls Sweep: 1001 @ ASK $0.35: 1006 traded vs 321 OI: Earnings 7/11 Before Open (est) $44.72 Ref"", ""Option Alert: Fastenal Jun 46.0 Calls Sweep: 1001 @ ASK $0.35: 1006 traded vs 321 OI: Earnings 7/11 Before Open (est) $44.72 Ref"", ""Why Lowe's Companies is a Top Socially Responsible Dividend Stock (LOW) Lowe's Companies Inc (Symbol: LOW) has been named a Top Socially Responsible Dividend Stock by Dividend Channel , signifying a stock with above-average ''DividendRank'' statistics including a strong 2.0% yield, as well as being recognized by prominent asset managers as being a socially responsible investment, through analysis of social and environmental criteria. Environmental criteria include considerations like the environmental impact of the company's products and services, as well as the company's efficiency in terms of its use of energy and resources. Social criteria include elements such as human rights, child labor, corporate diversity, and the company's impact on society - for instance, taken into consideration would be business activities tied to weapons, gambling, tobacco, and alcohol. According to the ETF Finder at ETF Channel , Lowe's Companies Inc is a member of the iShares MSCI KLD 400 Social Index Fund ETF ( DSI ), making up 0.73% of the underlying holdings of the fund, which owns $6,187,170 worth of LOW shares. The annualized dividend paid by Lowe's Companies Inc is $1.64/share, currently paid in quarterly installments, and its most recent dividend ex-date was on 07/24/2017. Below is a long-term dividend history chart for LOW, which the DividendRank report stressed as being of key importance. Indeed, studying a company's past dividend history can be of good help in judging whether the most recent dividend is likely to continue. LOW operates in the Home Improvement Stores sector, among companies like Home Depot Inc ( HD ), and Fastenal Co. ( FAST ). Top 25 Socially Responsible Dividend Stocks - Income To Feel Good About \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Option Alert: Fastenal Jun 46.0 Calls Sweep: 1001 @ ASK $0.35: 1006 traded vs 321 OI: Earnings 7/11 Before Open (est) $44.72 Ref""]"
FAST,2017-06-06,18.8942,18.9742,18.0612,18.1598,"[""Stocks Rebound From Open; Apple Rally Fades, RV Maker Surges"", ""Stocks Rebound From Open; Apple Rally Fades, RV Maker Surges"", ""S&P 500 Movers: FAST, AMD In early trading on Tuesday, shares of Advanced Micro Devices ( AMD ) topped the list of the day's best performing components of the S&P 500 index, trading up 5.8%. Year to date, Advanced Micro Devices registers a 4.8% gain. And the worst performing S&P 500 component thus far on the day is Fastenal ( FAST ), trading down 4.9%. Fastenal is lower by about 9.6% looking at the year to date performance. Two other components making moves today are Dollar General Corp ( DG ), trading down 2.6%, and PACCAR ( PCAR ), trading up 4.2% on the day. VIDEO: S&P 500 Movers: FAST, AMD The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Market Close Report: NASDAQ Composite index closes at 6,275.06 down -20.62 points Tuesday's session closes with the NASDAQ Composite Index at 6,275.06. The total shares traded for the NASDAQ was over 2.07 billion. Declining stocks led advancers by 1.62 to 1 ratio. There were 1112 advancers and 1797 decliners for the day. On the NASDAQ Stock Exchange 53 stocks reached a 52 week high and 30 those reaching lows totaled. The most active, advancers, decliners, unusual volume and most active by dollar volume can be monitored intraday on the Most Active Stocks page. The NASDAQ 100 index closed down -.36% for the day; a total of -21.35 points. The current value is 5,856.77. Fastenal Company ( FAST ) had the largest percent change down (-5.72%) while NetEase, Inc. ( NTES ) had the largest percent change gain rising 3.18%. The Dow Jones index closed down -.23% for the day; a total of -47.81 points. The current value is 21,136.23. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. ( WMT ) had the largest percent change down (-1.66%) while Exxon Mobil Corporation ( XOM ) had the largest percent change gain rising 1.36%. NASDAQ Market Wrap As of 6/6/2017 4:44:02 PM BILLIONS OF 2.07 NASDAQ SHARES TRADED TODAY 53 STOCKS REACHED A 52 WEEK HIGH 30 THOSE REACHING LOWS TOTALEDNetEase, Inc. [NTES]TOPS ADVANCERS LISTOF NASDAQ 100 INDEX % 3.18 ROSE The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Nasdaq 100 Movers: FAST, PCAR In early trading on Tuesday, shares of PACCAR ( PCAR ) topped the list of the day's best performing components of the Nasdaq 100 index, trading up 4.1%. Year to date, PACCAR registers a 1.5% gain. And the worst performing Nasdaq 100 component thus far on the day is Fastenal ( FAST ), trading down 4.9%. Fastenal is lower by about 9.6% looking at the year to date performance. Two other components making moves today are Dollar Tree ( DLTR ), trading down 2.1%, and Cerner ( CERN ), trading up 1.1% on the day. VIDEO: Nasdaq 100 Movers: FAST, PCAR The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Stocks Rebound From Open; Apple Rally Fades, RV Maker Surges"", ""UPDATE: Fastenal shares slump 4.8% after 'neutral' daily May sales Shares of Fastenal Co. slumped 4.8% Tuesday to lead S&P 500 decliners, after the maker of fasteners, tools and supplies for manufacturers reported May daily sales that were slightly below some estimates. The company said daily sales rose 9.7% and were up 9.5% in the U.S. Macquarie analyst Hamzah Mazari said he was expecting a growth rate of about 10%, and said it was net neutral for the stock with historical sequential trends slightly weaker. \""Recall, over the last five years, May sales usually are up sequentially ~2%, but note April was unusually strong (~8.9%) on a tougher comp,\"" he wrote in a note. Macquarie rates Fastenal neutral with a $50 12-month stock price target, which is 17.5% above its current trading level. Fastenal shares have fallen 9.3% in 2017, while the S&P 500 has gained 9%.""]"
FAST,2017-06-07,18.1954,18.5034,18.1648,18.1904,
FAST,2017-06-08,18.07,18.4372,18.0612,18.298,
FAST,2017-06-09,18.298,18.8824,18.298,18.7718,
FAST,2017-06-12,18.7264,19.2219,18.5666,18.9742,"[""John Wiley & Sons (JW-A) Q4 Earnings: Will It Disappoint?"", ""Kroger (KR) to Report Q1 Earnings: What's in the Cards?"", ""John Wiley & Sons (JW-A) Q4 Earnings: Will It Disappoint?"", ""Kroger (KR) to Report Q1 Earnings: What's in the Cards?"", ""Kroger (KR) to Report Q1 Earnings: What's in the Cards? The Kroger Co.KR is slated to release first-quarter fiscal 2017 results on Jun 15. In the trailing four quarters, it outperformed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by an average of roughly 1%. In the preceding quarter, the company reported in-line earnings. Let's see how things are shaping up prior to this announcement. The question lingering in investors' minds now is whether Kroger will be able to post positive earnings surprise in the quarter to be reported. The current Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter under review is 57 cents, reflecting a year-over-year decline of over 18%. We note that the Zacks Consensus Estimate has been stable in the past 30 days. Analysts polled by Zacks expect revenues of $35,475 million, up more than 2% from the year-ago quarter. Factors at Play A dominant position among the nation's largest grocery retailers enables Kroger to sustain sales growth, expand store base and boost market share. We believe there remain enormous opportunities to augment identical supermarket sales, alleviate gross margin pressure and improve operating margin. In our view, Kroger's long-term earnings per share growth rate target of 8-11% seem achievable. However, stiff competition, deflationary environment and cautious consumer spending are making things tough for the company. Management had earlier projected first-quarter earnings in the band of 55-59 cents a share. Kroger Company (The) Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Kroger Company (The) Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise | Kroger Company (The) Quote What Does the Zacks Model Unveil? Our proven model does not conclusively show that Kroger is likely to beat earnings estimates this quarter. This is because a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) for this to happen. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here . Kroger has an Earnings ESP of 0.00% as both the Most Accurate estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate are pegged at 57 cents. Kroger's Zacks Rank #3 increases the predictive power of ESP. However, we need to have a positive ESP to be confident about an earnings surprise. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they're reported with our Earnings ESP Filter . Stocks Poised to Beat Earnings Estimates Here are some companies you may want to consider as our model shows that these have the favorable combination of elements to post an earnings beat: Darden Restaurants, Inc. DRI has an Earnings ESP of +1.74% and a Zacks Rank #2. Expedia, Inc. EXPE has an Earnings ESP of +3.28% and a Zacks Rank #3. Fastenal Company FAST has an Earnings ESP of +2.04% and a Zacks Rank #3. More Stock News: This Is Bigger than the iPhone! It could become the mother of all technological revolutions. Apple sold a mere 1 billion iPhones in 10 years but a new breakthrough is expected to generate more than 27 billion devices in just 3 years, creating a $1.7 trillion market. Zacks has just released a Special Report that spotlights this fast-emerging phenomenon and 6 tickers for taking advantage of it. If you don't buy now, you may kick yourself in 2020. Click here for the 6 trades >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Expedia, Inc. (EXPE): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Darden Restaurants, Inc. (DRI): Free Stock Analysis Report Kroger Company (The) (KR): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""John Wiley & Sons (JW-A) Q4 Earnings: Will It Disappoint?"", ""Kroger (KR) to Report Q1 Earnings: What's in the Cards?""]"
FAST,2017-06-13,18.9081,19.0315,18.6494,18.7314,
FAST,2017-06-14,18.761,18.8093,18.4184,18.6297,
FAST,2017-06-15,18.5636,18.9159,18.5636,18.8291,"Nasdaq 100 Movers: MAT, PCAR In early trading on Thursday, shares of PACCAR ( PCAR ) topped the list of the day's best performing components of the Nasdaq 100 index, trading up 1.4%. Year to date, PACCAR registers a 1.4% gain. And the worst performing Nasdaq 100 component thus far on the day is Mattel ( MAT ), trading down 8.1%. Mattel is lower by about 26.1% looking at the year to date performance. Two other components making moves today are JD.com ( JD ), trading down 3.4%, and Fastenal ( FAST ), trading up 1.1% on the day. VIDEO: Nasdaq 100 Movers: MAT, PCAR The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2017-06-16,18.6386,19.1597,18.6386,19.1519,
FAST,2017-06-19,19.3069,19.4193,19.1539,19.2485,"7 Stocks to Buy on the Verge of Double-Digit Breakouts InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips The stock market has spent much of the early summer months ""melting higher"" as investors have been hesitant to push their cash into a market that refuses to budge from all-time highs. Of course, we know there are always quality stocks to buy out there, regardless of what the market is doing. Source: Shutterstock Breakout stocks, comeback stocks, you name it - the market always provides ways to pad our accounts with fast profits. What's on our radar right now? The recent pullback in the market, which has a large number of tech stocks sitting pretty according to a number of things - our scoring models, longer-term technicals and, naturally, fundamentals. Specifically, we've recently identified a list of about 15 stocks that have seen short-term weakness, but now appear ready to shift back into breakout mode. Today, we want to focus on the seven best stocks of the bunch. The 10 Best High-Yield Stocks Here's a look at seven stocks, all clustered in the tech sector, to buy for some early summer rally returns. Stocks to Buy for Double-Digit Breakouts: Xilinx (XLNX) 3-Month Upside Potential: 11% When you think of hot semiconductor companies, you think of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMD ), Nvidia Corporation (NASDAQ: NVDA ) or Micron Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: MU ). Xilinx, Inc. (NASDAQ: XLNX ) hasn't provided the same caliber of returns over the past year, but it's still up by more than 45% in 52 weeks to easily outpace every major market index. Xilinx's last earnings report helped trigger a breakout above $64. Now, traders are looking at the stock as another bullish prospect with earnings just about a month down the road. XLNX shares have been stuck in a range between $64 and $68, which has been great for the chart watchers as they have been able to collect a lot of profits in this well-defined range. I expect this to change. As July's earnings slowly begin to approach, we're going to see more participation in the technical bounce from $64. That added participation will help XLNX break through $68 this time around and drive even more of a breakout. Our models like Xilinx shares to cross $73 before the company's next announcement. Stocks to Buy for Double-Digit Breakouts: International Business Machines (IBM) Source: Shutterstock 3-Month Upside Potential: 20% International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE: IBM ) has been a market laggard for most of the year, down 4% versus an S&P 500 that has gained more than 8% year-to-date. On a slightly longer 12-month basis, IBM shares are only up 2% compared to the S&P 500's returns of 17%. Needless to say, IBM stock hasn't been a winner. Yet. IBM shares just spent the past month trading at a consolidation level of $150. If you look at historical charts, you'll find that this is actually a key level for IBM, and should serve as a long-term bottom. A rally won't be without its challenges. A break below $150 will bring about a new round of selling pressure. Meanwhile, IBM's 50-day moving average - just overhead at $156 - is declining and preparing to apply its own downward force. However, a break above this mark will take IBM stock to a challenge at their 20-month trendline, and a break above that will put shares back into a bull market for the first time in three months. 10 Stocks Ready for a BIG Move - In Either Direction That'll attract the long-term buyers and really get IBM into gear. We see prices as high as $180 in IBM's future. Stocks to Buy for Double-Digit Breakouts: Fastenal (FAST) Source: Shutterstock 3-Month Upside Potential: 12% Fastenal Company (NASDAQ: FAST ) shares have suffered following the company's most recent earnings report, which failed to impress. However, political uncertainty has also affected industrial companies such as Fastenal, whose shares are trading 4% lower for the year and flat for the past 12 months. Despite this, our models are forecasting a technical breakout for FAST shares over the next few weeks that have the potential to change the stock's direction into a breakout. The stock is currently fighting its 50-day moving average - in my opinion, the most important trendline for any stock. A break above this trendline, currently at $44.81, will immediately put the shares in position to challenge their 200-day moving average at $45.43. Clearing these two technical hurdles in a short period of time will change the trajectory of Fastenal's price trend. Our models indicate a price target of $50. Stocks to Buy for Double-Digit Breakouts: Netflix (NFLX) Source: Via Netflix 3-Month Upside Potential: 11% Streaming giant Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ: NFLX ) has suffered a 10% decline of late. However, this massive pullback has set up a perfect buying opportunity for nimble chart watchers. See, the 10% correction took NFLX stock to an almost perfect test of the 100-day moving average. Currently, this trendline is sitting at $148 - just below today's lows. A hold of this trendline will maintain an intermediate-term bullish outlook. That decline has also taken Netflix shares to an oversold reading for the first time since April. 10 Great Stocks You Didn't Know Existed There's a group of technical traders that are always looking for the opportunity to get into Netflix on a pullback. The recent drop has put the ball on the tee, and our models suggest these traders will hit it out of the park - good for a breakout to $170. Stocks to Buy for Double-Digit Breakouts: Alibaba (BABA) Source: Shutterstock 3-Month Upside Potential: 12% Calling for a breakout in Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (NYSE: BABA ) might seem silly or cliche, depending on your viewpoint. After all, that's all Alibaba has been doing of late. Still, our models indicate that BABA stock will remain a leader throughout the rest of 2017. The opportunity for Alibaba at this point is the ""buy the dip"" breakout. Shares have seen a crowd of traders sell the news after their earnings release a few weeks ago. The stock dipped from about $148 to a base at $135 where it started its most recent rally. The technical crowd is grabbing these shares on this dip, and at strong volume no less. In other words, this rally will set a course for prices above recent highs. For now, our model is suggesting prices between $150-$155, which moves Alibaba back into new high territory. Stocks to Buy for Double-Digit Breakouts: Garmin (GRMN) Source: slgckgc via Flickr (modified) 3-Month Upside Potential: 12% Garmin Ltd. (NASDAQ: GRMN ) is one of those companies that has been putting up numbers that traders have just been ignoring. But that's an opportunity for those of us willing to front-run the moment everyone else figures out they should own this stock. Right now, Garmin shares are matching the market's performance as they trade above 8% higher year-to-date, but the stock has been stuck in a range that looks ready to release and allow shares to rally significantly. We just watched the stock get support from the 50-day again, and shares are now heading toward $53 again on rising volume. This indicates that the crowd is starting to take note of the potential breakout. Our model loves the fact that 0% of the analysts covering the stock have it ranked a buy, which means there is room for upgrades to drive a breakout. In addition, there are still some shorts that are trying to get out of the shares, which helps fuel the rally. The 7 Best ETFs to Buy for World Domination A break above $53 is going to target a breakout above $55, likely to the $57-$58 level, as Garmin sill then be trading in a technical bull market! Stocks to Buy for Double-Digit Breakouts: Adobe Systems (ADBE) Source: Shutterstock 3-Month Upside Potential: 11% Last is Adobe Systems Incorporated (NASDAQ: ADBE ), which you'll need to keep an eye on very soon, as it's set to announce earnings on Tuesday afternoon. A crowd of traders are scooping up ADBE on a strong ""buy the rumor"" rally since bouncing off its 50-day moving average last week. In all honesty, there was a great technical trade there for those who were looking at this pre-earnings strength. And normally, short interest on the stock is much higher than its current 1.5 days to cover, which suggests to us that we won't see as much of a shot higher in the immediate response to earnings. Still, our historical data shows that Adobe is a strong performer around earnings season. And the stock is lightly recommended by the analyst community, with just 79% of those covering ADBE - which is up 45% over the past year! - ranking it a buy. Here's how our models see this breakout playing out: Adobe should see a little selling pressure after its Tuesday announcement. This will set things up for a buyable dip that will allow nimble traders to grab this stock at a bargain. From there, the models are targeting a move above $155. As of this writing, Johnson Research Group did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities. The post 7 Stocks to Buy on the Verge of Double-Digit Breakouts appeared first on InvestorPlace . The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2017-06-20,19.2161,19.2259,18.6297,18.6386,
FAST,2017-06-21,18.681,18.681,18.3544,18.4244,
FAST,2017-06-22,18.456,18.5991,18.376,18.456,
FAST,2017-06-23,18.4856,18.6919,18.3998,18.4906,
FAST,2017-06-26,18.526,18.5744,18.2714,18.3958,
FAST,2017-06-27,18.5034,18.526,18.1105,18.1648,
FAST,2017-06-28,18.2902,18.4146,18.2506,18.3098,
FAST,2017-06-29,18.3276,18.448,18.1421,18.3444,
FAST,2017-06-30,18.53,18.8617,18.3918,18.7768,"Nasdaq 100 Movers: MU, FAST In early trading on Friday, shares of Fastenal ( FAST ) topped the list of the day's best performing components of the Nasdaq 100 index, trading up 1.8%. Year to date, Fastenal has lost about 7.8% of its value. And the worst performing Nasdaq 100 component thus far on the day is Micron Technology ( MU ), trading down 4.1%. Micron Technology is showing a gain of 37.7% looking at the year to date performance. Two other components making moves today are Viacom ( VIAB ), trading down 2.3%, and Cintas Corporation ( CTAS ), trading up 1.3% on the day. VIDEO: Nasdaq 100 Movers: MU, FAST The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2017-07-03,18.6386,19.0521,18.6386,18.9919,
FAST,2017-07-05,19.0521,19.1015,18.7965,19.0472,
FAST,2017-07-06,18.9693,19.2821,18.8853,19.0097,
FAST,2017-07-07,19.0354,19.0709,18.8232,18.9307,"[""4 Top Banks Report Earnings, Amazon Prime Touts Amazon Prime: Investing Action Plan"", ""4 Top Banks Report Earnings, Amazon Prime Touts Amazon Prime: Investing Action Plan"", ""3 Top Stocks on Sale This Quarter It's always useful to look for stocks that have underperformed the market and their sector because it can illuminate some great investing ideas. In this regard, General Electric Company (NYSE: GE) , MSC Industrial Direct Co (NYSE: MSM) and Fastenal Company (NASDAQ: FAST) are all stocks investors should be taking a closer look at, and here's why. FAST data by YCharts . General Electric Company With a market cap of nearly $240 billion, GE's size dictates that its stock performance is a large determinant of how the industrial sector performs in general -- a fact that makes its significant under-performance even more notable. So, what's gone wrong with GE's stock in 2017? As ever, it's a matter of conjecture, but it's clear that analysts don't think the company will hit its earnings targets . Moreover, the company missed revenue targets in 2016 and disappointed with weak free cash flow in the first quarter, while questions have been asked about its core power segment and oil & gas operations. It's not been a happy time for GE investors. However, what matters now is the investment proposition going forward, and despite disappointing the investment community in recent times, GE's underlying growth prospects still look good . A combination of cost cuts -- structural and unit cost production reductions -- earnings-enhancing deals with Baker Hughes and Alstom , digital initiatives, and the potential for significant restructuring when new CEO John Flannery completes his review are all potentially positive catalysts for GE. Meanwhile, the stock's valuation stands at a discount to its peers. GE PE Ratio (Forward) data by YCharts . MSC Industrial Direct Co and Fastenal end markets improving One of the reasons the industrial sector has done well in 2017 is the return to growth of U.S. industrial production. That's good news for U.S. manufacturing, and it's good news for industrial supply companies like MSC Industrial and Fastenal. Indeed, both companies have reported a significant uptick in end market conditions. Readers already know that Fastenal's first quarter saw the company reporting mid single-digit growth in daily sales growth in both of its end markets (manufacturing and non-residential construction) for the first time since the spring of 2015. Meanwhile, the following chart of average daily sales growth at MSC Industrial demonstrates the improvement in end markets. Pricing and margin remain challenging The improvement in sales is one thing, but unfortunately, it hasn't been accompanied by a significant improvement in both companies' pricing power, and consequently, margin growth has been challenged. This is somewhat disappointing since during many cyclical recoveries, companies see revenue and margin expanding leading to a significant pick-up in earnings. Both companies have generated less-than-stellar performance on margin. FAST Gross Profit Margin (Quarterly) data by YCharts . Essentially, the recovery hasn't been strong enough to allow any of the industrial supply companies to have any pricing power as yet. For example, here is MSC Industrial Erik Gershwind on the earnings call: \""To be clear, even if things pick up, competition remains fierce, and the pricing environment remains challenging.\"" The company did implement a small price increase in February, but according to Gershwind, \""it is not material to our overall results, nor do we expect it to be so for our fiscal third quarter.\"" For the record, MSC's gross margin in the second quarter was 44.7%, a decline of 40 basis points (where 100 basis points is 1%) compared to the same period last year. By coincidence, Fastenal's gross margin was also down 40 basis points to 49.4% in its first quarter. Around 30 basis points of the decline was due to an unfavorable customer and sales mix. Relatively more sales to large customers dilute margin -- MSC Industrial tends to see a similar dynamic -- and relatively more non-fastener sales. As CEO Dan Florness pointed out in the earnings call when talking about gross margin, \""fastener product line runs in the 50s, our non-fastener products as a group run in the 40s.\"" While some of Fastenal's gross margin issues are structural -- the company is deliberately growing national accounts and non-fastener sales -- it's still not in a position to increase pricing. Here is CFO Holden Lewis on the earnings call: \""Pricing was not a meaningful factor in the quarter. Price is something that we just continue to review at this point.\"" However, if the recovery continues -- as you can see below, leading industrial indicators indicate ongoing strength -- then it's reasonable to expect that Fastenal and MSC Industrial will be able to increase pricing in due course, which could be good news for stock holders. US Industrial Production Index data by YCharts . Looking ahead The aim of GE's new CEO will surely be to regain investor confidence, and he has a good opportunity to do this as GE has solid underlying growth prospects. Meanwhile, Fastenal and MSC Industrial are likely to see a better pricing environment in the future provided the industrial recovery continues. 10 stocks we like better than General Electric When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor , has tripled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy right now...and General Electric wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. Click here to learn about these picks! *Stock Advisor returns as of June 5, 2017. Lee Samaha has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends MSC Industrial Direct. The Motley Fool owns shares of General Electric. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy . The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""4 Top Banks Report Earnings, Amazon Prime Touts Amazon Prime: Investing Action Plan""]"
FAST,2017-07-10,18.8705,19.0315,18.7037,18.8705,"[""Can Fastenal Company (FAST) Pull a Surprise in Q2 Earnings?"", ""Can Fastenal Company (FAST) Pull a Surprise in Q2 Earnings?"", ""Can Fastenal Company (FAST) Pull a Surprise in Q2 Earnings? Fastenal CompanyFAST is slated to report second-quarter 2017 results on Jul 12, before the opening bell. Last quarter, the company's earnings met the Zacks Consensus Estimate. The company surpassed expectations in only one of the last four quarters, the average being a negative 0.80%. Let's see how things are shaping up prior to this announcement. Factors to Consider Increased installation of industrial vending machines is expected to boost sales and profits in the to-be-reported quarter as it is one of the primary growth drivers for Fastenal. The company is also increasing the proportion of safety supplies in its total revenue that will likely help it to drive its top line. We are also encouraged by Fastenal's acquisition of certain assets of industrial and fastener supply distributor -- Manufacturer's Supply Company (Mansco) in Mar 2017. This ensures Fastenal's presence in markets where it has not meaningfully contributed in the past. Moreover, a continual increase in the number of on-site locations is likely to expand Fastenal's market share and contribute to the quarterly results. However, we are apprehensive about Fastenal's unfavorable product mix, pricing and competitive pressure that are hurting the gross margin for quite sometime now. Gross margin in the first quarter of 2017 contracted 40 bps to 49.4% from the prior-year quarter due to a change in customer and product mix, higher freight costs, and expenses related to an inventory tracking initiative for international markets. The trend is likely to continue in the to-be-reported quarter. Notably, management believes that the second quarter of 2017 will see lower operating cash flows. For the quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings stands at 50 cents, reflecting a 10.6% year-over-year increase. Meanwhile, the estimate for revenues is pegged at $1.10 billion, implying 8.7% growth. Earnings Whispers Our proven model does not conclusively show that Fastenal is likely to beat earnings this quarter. That is because a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) for this to happen. That is not the case here as you will see below. Zacks ESP : Fastenal has an Earnings ESP of 0.00%. That is because both the Most Accurate estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate are pegged at 50 cents. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they're reported with our Earnings ESP Filter . Fastenal Company Price and EPS Surprise Fastenal Company Price and EPS Surprise | Fastenal Company Quote Zacks Rank : Fastenal has a Zacks Rank #3, which increases the predictive power of ESP. However, the company's 0.00% ESP makes surprise prediction difficult. Meanwhile, we caution against stocks with a Zacks Ranks #4 or 5 (Sell-rated stocks) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions. Stocks to Consider Here are some companies in the Retail-Wholesale sector that, according to our model, have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter: McDonald's Corporation MCD has an Earnings ESP of +4.94% and a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here . The company is slated to release quarterly results on Jul 25. America's Car-Mart, Inc. CRMT has an Earnings ESP of +11.11% and a Zacks Rank #3. The company is expected to release quarterly results on Aug 17. Abercrombie & Fitch Company ANF has an Earnings ESP of +8.82% and a Zacks Rank #3. The company is expected to release quarterly results on Aug 29. Will You Make a Fortune on the Shift to Electric Cars? Here's another stock idea to consider. Much like petroleum 150 years ago, lithium power may soon shake the world, creating millionaires and reshaping geo-politics. Soon electric vehicles (EVs) may be cheaper than gas guzzlers. Some are already reaching 265 miles on a single charge. With battery prices plummeting and charging stations set to multiply, one company stands out as the #1 stock to buy according to Zacks research. It's not the one you think. See This Ticker Free >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report America's Car-Mart, Inc. (CRMT): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Abercrombie & Fitch Company (ANF): Free Stock Analysis Report McDonald's Corporation (MCD): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Can Fastenal Company (FAST) Pull a Surprise in Q2 Earnings?""]"
FAST,2017-07-11,18.913,18.9643,18.5666,18.8005,"[""Yellen May Trigger Stocks, Banks; Amazon Reviews: Investing Action Plan"", ""Confluence Investment Management Llc Buys Polaris Industries Inc, Fastenal Co, General Electric ..."", ""Confluence Investment Management Llc Buys Polaris Industries Inc, Fastenal Co, General Electric ..."", ""Yellen May Trigger Stocks, Banks; Amazon Reviews: Investing Action Plan"", ""Insiders Bullish on Certain Holdings of DTN A look at the weighted underlying holdings of the WisdomTree U.S. Dividend ex-Financials Fund ( DTN ) shows an impressive 10.1% of holdings on a weighted basis have experienced insider buying within the past six months. Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST), which makes up 0.77% of the WisdomTree U.S. Dividend ex-Financials Fund ( DTN ), has seen 4 directors and officers purchase shares in the past six months, according to the recent Form 4 data. The ETF holds a total of $6,655,887 worth of FAST, making it the #79 largest holding. The table below details the recent insider buying activity observed at FAST: FAST - last trade: $43.75 - Recent Insider Buys: 10 ETFs With Stocks That Insiders Are Buying \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Noteworthy Tuesday Option Activity: KORS, FAST, SQ Looking at options trading activity among components of the Russell 3000 index, there is noteworthy activity today in Michael Kors Holdings Ltd (Symbol: KORS), where a total volume of 9,380 contracts has been traded thus far today, a contract volume which is representative of approximately 938,000 underlying shares (given that every 1 contract represents 100 underlying shares). That number works out to 49.7% of KORS's average daily trading volume over the past month, of 1.9 million shares. Especially high volume was seen for the $32.50 strike put option expiring July 28, 2017 , with 1,808 contracts trading so far today, representing approximately 180,800 underlying shares of KORS. Below is a chart showing KORS's trailing twelve month trading history, with the $32.50 strike highlighted in orange: Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) saw options trading volume of 13,090 contracts, representing approximately 1.3 million underlying shares or approximately 49.6% of FAST's average daily trading volume over the past month, of 2.6 million shares. Particularly high volume was seen for the $49 strike put option expiring August 18, 2017 , with 2,000 contracts trading so far today, representing approximately 200,000 underlying shares of FAST. Below is a chart showing FAST's trailing twelve month trading history, with the $49 strike highlighted in orange: And Square Inc (Symbol: SQ) options are showing a volume of 34,174 contracts thus far today. That number of contracts represents approximately 3.4 million underlying shares, working out to a sizeable 47.5% of SQ's average daily trading volume over the past month, of 7.2 million shares. Particularly high volume was seen for the $30 strike call option expiring December 15, 2017 , with 5,046 contracts trading so far today, representing approximately 504,600 underlying shares of SQ. Below is a chart showing SQ's trailing twelve month trading history, with the $30 strike highlighted in orange: For the various different available expirations for KORS options , FAST options , or SQ options , visit StockOptionsChannel.com. Today's Most Active Call & Put Options of the S&P 500 \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Confluence Investment Management Llc Buys Polaris Industries Inc, Fastenal Co, General Electric ..."", ""Yellen May Trigger Stocks, Banks; Amazon Reviews: Investing Action Plan""]"
FAST,2017-07-12,20.0037,20.1014,17.7107,18.4332,"[""Stock Futures Spike On Yellen Comments; Two Airline Stocks Take Off"", ""Earnings Scheduled For July 12, 2017"", ""6 Stocks To Watch For July 12, 2017"", ""Fastenal Reports Q2 EPS $0.52 vs $0.50 Est., Sales $1.122B vs $1.11B Est."", ""A Peek Into The Markets: U.S. Stock Futures Gain; Yellen Testimony In Focus"", ""22 Stocks Moving In Wednesday's Pre-Market Session"", ""Fastenal Was Up Big, Now Down Big After Q2 Beat"", ""Mid-Day Market Update: Ocular Therapeutix Drops After Major Setback In Dextenza; I.D. Systems Shares Surge"", ""Baird Upgrades Fastenal to Outperform"", ""Mid-Afternoon Market Update: NASDAQ Up Over 1%; MSC Industrial Shares Plummet"", ""Mid-Afternoon Market Update: NASDAQ Up Over 1%; MSC Industrial Shares Plummet"", ""Baird Upgrades Fastenal to Outperform"", ""Mid-Day Market Update: Ocular Therapeutix Drops After Major Setback In Dextenza; I.D. Systems Shares Surge"", ""Fastenal Was Up Big, Now Down Big After Q2 Beat"", ""22 Stocks Moving In Wednesday's Pre-Market Session"", ""A Peek Into The Markets: U.S. Stock Futures Gain; Yellen Testimony In Focus"", ""Fastenal Reports Q2 EPS $0.52 vs $0.50 Est., Sales $1.122B vs $1.11B Est."", ""6 Stocks To Watch For July 12, 2017"", ""Earnings Scheduled For July 12, 2017"", ""Stock Futures Spike On Yellen Comments; Two Airline Stocks Take Off"", ""Mid-Day Market Update: Ocular Therapeutix Drops After Major Setback In Dextenza; I.D. Systems Shares Surge Midway through trading Wednesday, the Dow traded up 0.67 percent to 21,553.29 while the NASDAQ climbed 0.83 percent to 6,244.87. The S&P also rose, gaining 0.67 percent to 2,441.84. Leading and Lagging Sectors Non-cyclical consumer goods & services shares rose by 1.18 percent in the US market on Wednesday. Top gainers in the sector included Microvision, Inc. (NASDAQ: MVIS ), and ACI Worldwide Inc (NASDAQ: ACIW ). In trading on Wednesday, financial shares rose by just 0.5 percent. Meanwhile, top losers in the sector included Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina, Inc. (NASDAQ: PEBK ), down 3 percent, and Och-Ziff Capital Management Group LLC (NYSE: OZM ), down 2 percent. Top Headline Fastenal Company (NASDAQ: FAST ) posted stronger-than-expected results for its second quarter. Fastenal posted quarterly earnings of $0.52 per share on revenue of $1.122 billion. However, analysts were expecting earnings of $0.50 per share on sales of $1.11 billion. Equities Trading UP I.D. Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: IDSY ) shares shot up 15 percent to $6.40. I.D. Systems priced 2.6 million share offering at $5.75 per share and announced plans to buy Keytroller for $9 million. Shares of Nam Tai Property Inc. (NYSE: NTP ) got a boost, shooting up 22 percent to $9.95. Kaisa Group Holdings reported a 17.7 percent stake in Nam Tai Property. NRG Energy Inc (NYSE: NRG ) shares were also up, gaining 19 percent to $19.33 after the company reported launch of transformation plan targeting $2.5 billion to $4 billion targeted asset sale net cash proceeds plus removal of $13 billion debt. NRG Energy also raised its FY17 outlook. Equities Trading DOWN Ocular Therapeutix Inc (NASDAQ: OCUL ) shares dropped 18 percent to $6.20 after the biopharmaceutical company confirmed a major setback for its eye drug Dextenza, a therapy used for the treatment of ocular pain following ophthalmic surgery. Ocular confirmed in a press release after Tuesday's close it has received a Complete Response Letter ( CRL ) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration relating to its re-submission of a New Drug Application ( CRL ) for Dextenza. The CRL states that the FDA can't approve the company's NDA in its present form. Shares of Alder Biopharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ: ALDR ) were down 13 percent to $10.60. Alder BioPharmaceuticals announced intent to offer 12.5 million shares. MSC Industrial Direct Co Inc (NYSE: MSM ) was down, falling around 15 percent to $74.14. MSC Industrial Direct reported in-line profit for its third quarter, but issued weak earnings forecast for the current quarter. Commodities In commodity news, oil traded up 1.07 percent to $45.52 while gold traded up 0.46 percent to $1,220.30. Silver traded up 1.21 percent Wednesday to $15.935, while copper rose 0.47 percent to $2.6845. Eurozone European shares were higher today. The eurozone's STOXX 600 climbed 1.70 percent, the Spanish Ibex Index rose 1.20 percent, while Italy's FTSE MIB Index surged 1.59 percent. Meanwhile the German DAX climbed 1.61 percent, and the French CAC 40 gained 1.87 percent while U.K. shares rose 1.11 percent. Economics Domestic crude supplies slipped 7.6 million barrels for the week ended July 7, the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported. However, analysts were expecting a drop of 2.6 million barrels. Gasoline stockpiles dropped 1.6 million barrels, while distillate stockpiles rose 3.1 million barrels last week. The Treasury will auction 10-year notes at 1:00 p.m. ET. The Federal Open Market Committee will release Beige book report at 2:00 p.m. ET. Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank President Esther George is set to speak in Denver at 2:15 p.m. ET. \u00a9 2017 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Profit with More New & Research . Gain access to a streaming platform with all the information you need to invest better today. Click here to start your 14 Day Trial of Benzinga Professional The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal (FAST) Tops Q2 Earnings & Revenues, Margins Improve Fastenal Company'sFAST earnings of 52 cents per share in the second quarter of 2017 surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 50 cents by 4%. Earnings also grew 13.4% year over year. Sales Detail Net sales of $1,121.5 million surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1,110 million by 1%. Sales grew 10.6% year over year driven by higher units owing to improvement in underlying market demand and growth in industrial vending business and existing Onsite locations. Fastenal's daily sales grew 10.6% in the quarter, higher than the 6.2% increase in the first quarter of 2017. On a monthly basis, daily sales increased 13% in June, 9.7% in May and 8.9% in April, compared with 0.0%, 1.1% and 3.8%, respectively, a year ago. Sales of fastener products (used mainly for industrial production and accounting for approximately 36.1% of the company's second-quarter sales) increased 7.9% in the quarter, 3.6% of which came from the acquisition of the Manufacturers Supply Company ('Mansco') business. Non-fastener product sales (used mainly for maintenance and represented 63.9% of the quarterly sales) increased 12.2%. Vending Trends and Other Growth Drivers As of Jun 30, 2017, Fastenal operated 66,577 vending machines, up 14.1% year over year. During the quarter, the company signed 4,881 machine contracts, up 0.3% year over year. After a soft 2013, vending trends improved through 2014, 2015 and 2016 as management's efforts to enhance the quality of signings/installs paid off. Fastenal signed 68 new Onsite locations during the quarter, up 54.5% from 44 signings a year ago. As of Jun 30, 2017, the company had 486 active sites, representing an increase of 45.9%. Additionally, Fastenal signed 51 new national account contracts in the second quarter (representing 47.8% of its total revenues in the quarter). Net sales from its national account customers grew 13.2% in the quarter on a year-over-year basis. In order to better serve its customers, Fastenal introduced additional product Stock Keeping units (SKUs) in many of its branches at the end of 2015 and through much of 2016. This initiative is referred to as Customer Service Project 16 (CSP 16). In the second quarter of 2017, products added as part of various CSP initiatives accounted for 15% of net sales, and daily sales of these products grew 12.3% year over year. Margins Gross margin of 49.8% in the second quarter of 2017 improved 30 basis points (bps) year over year. The upside was driven by improvement in supply chain initiatives, including relative growth in the sales of Fastenal brands, increased discipline in purchasing throughout the organization, and more efficient utilization of fleet. However, changes in product and customer mix continued to adversely affect gross profit, as did the addition of Mansco. Operating margin improved 60 bps year over year to 21.2% in the quarter, mainly driven by higher gross profit and lower operating and administrative expenses. Fastenal Company Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Fastenal Company Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise | Fastenal Company Quote Financials Cash and cash equivalents were $115.1 million as of Jun 30, 2017, up from $112.7 million as of Dec 31, 2016. Long-term debt was $436.2 million, up from $379.5 million at the end of 2016. Zacks Rank & Other Key Picks Fastenal carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). A few other top-ranked stocks in the Retail-Wholesale sector are Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. PLAY , McDonald's Corporation MCD and The Home Depot, Inc. HD . Dave & Buster's sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), while the other two companies carry a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here . Dave & Buster's is expected to see 23.2% growth in fiscal 2018 earnings. McDonald's is likely to witness 12.3% earnings growth in 2017. Home Depot expects earnings growth of 12% in fiscal 2018. More Stock News: 8 Companies Verge on Apple-Like Run Did you miss Apple's 9X stock explosion after they launched their iPhone in 2007? Now 2017 looks to be a pivotal year to get in on another emerging technology expected to rock the market. Demand could soar from almost nothing to $42 billion by 2025. Reports suggest it could save 10 million lives per decade which could in turn save $200 billion in U.S. healthcare costs. A bonus Zacks Special Report names this breakthrough and the 8 best stocks to exploit it. Like Apple in 2007, these companies are already strong and coiling for potential mega-gains. Click to see them right now >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Home Depot, Inc. (The) (HD): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report McDonald's Corporation (MCD): Free Stock Analysis Report Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. (PLAY): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal (FAST) Beats Q2 Earnings & Revenue Estimates Fastenal CompanyFAST is a national wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies. It distributes its products through company-owned stores mostly located in North America. The company has gradually grown from a fastener distributor to a full-line industrial supplier. Investors should note that the recent earnings estimate for FAST has been moving upward in the last 30 days. However, Fastenal has delivered negative earnings surprises in two of the last four quarters, making an average negative surprise of 0.80%. Currently, FAST has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), but that could definitely change following Fastenal's earnings report which was just released. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. We have highlighted some of the key stats from this just-revealed announcement below: Earnings : FAST reported EPS of 52 cents per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 50 cents. Fastenal Company Price and EPS Surprise Fastenal Company Price and EPS Surprise | Fastenal Company Quote Revenues : FAST reported revenues of $1,121.5 million, which surpassed our consensus estimate of $1,110 million. Key Stats to Note : Fastenal's average daily sales increased 10.6% in the quarter. Stock Price Movement : Shares rose 3.2% in pre-market trading , at the time of writing. Check back later for our full write up on this FAST earnings report later! More Stock News: 8 Companies Verge on Apple-Like Run Did you miss Apple's 9X stock explosion after they launched their iPhone in 2007? Now 2017 looks to be a pivotal year to get in on another emerging technology expected to rock the market. Demand could soar from almost nothing to $42 billion by 2025. Reports suggest it could save 10 million lives per decade which could in turn save $200 billion in U.S. healthcare costs. A bonus Zacks Special Report names this breakthrough and the 8 best stocks to exploit it. Like Apple in 2007, these companies are already strong and coiling for potential mega-gains. Click to see them right now >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""NASDAQ Composite Index closes up 16.91 points for the week, rising for the 4th straight day Wednesday's session closes with the NASDAQ Composite Index 67.87 This is the 4th straight day of increase for the index. The total shares traded for the NASDAQ was over 2.01 billion. Advancers stocks led declining by 2.62 to 1 ratio. There were 2097 advancers and 799 decliners for the day. On the NASDAQ Stock Exchange 75 stocks reached a 52 week high and 23 those reaching lows totaled. The most active, advancers, decliners, unusual volume and most active by dollar volume can be monitored intraday on the Most Active Stocks page. The NASDAQ 100 index closed up 1.21% for the day; a total of 69.15 points. The current value is 5,778.95. Fastenal Company ( FAST ) had the largest percent change down (-2%) while Activision Blizzard, Inc ( ATVI ) had the largest percent change gain rising 5.24%. The Dow Jones index closed up .57% for the day; a total of 123.07 points. The current value is 21,532.14. J P Morgan Chase & Co ( JPM ) had the largest percent change down (-.34%) while E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company ( DD ) had the largest percent change gain rising 2.75%. NASDAQ Market Wrap As of 7/12/2017 4:44:02 PM NASDAQ COMPOSITE INDEX th 4 ADVANCES FOR THE CONSECUTIVE DAY 75 STOCKS REACHED A 52 WEEK HIGH 23 THOSE REACHING LOWS TOTALEDActivision Blizzard, Inc [ATVI]TOPS ADVANCERS LISTOF NASDAQ 100 INDEX % 5.24 ROSE The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Mid-Afternoon Market Update: NASDAQ Up Over 1%; MSC Industrial Shares Plummet Toward the end of trading Wednesday, the Dow traded up 0.65 percent to 21,547.08 while the NASDAQ climbed 1.06 percent to 6,259.12. The S&P also rose, gaining 0.81 percent to 2,445.16. Leading and Lagging Sectors Non-cyclical consumer goods & services shares rose by 1.25 percent in the US market on Wednesday. Top gainers in the sector included Microvision, Inc. (NASDAQ: MVIS ), and ACI Worldwide Inc (NASDAQ: ACIW ). In trading on Wednesday, financial shares rose by just 0.5 percent. Meanwhile, top losers in the sector included Old Point Financial Corporation (NASDAQ: OPOF ), down 3 percent, and Och-Ziff Capital Management Group LLC (NYSE: OZM ), down 4 percent. Top Headline Fastenal Company (NASDAQ: FAST ) posted stronger-than-expected results for its second quarter. Fastenal posted quarterly earnings of $0.52 per share on revenue of $1.122 billion. However, analysts were expecting earnings of $0.50 per share on sales of $1.11 billion. Equities Trading UP I.D. Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: IDSY ) shares shot up 15 percent to $6.40. I.D. Systems priced 2.6 million share offering at $5.75 per share and announced plans to buy Keytroller for $9 million. Shares of Nam Tai Property Inc. (NYSE: NTP ) got a boost, shooting up 21 percent to $9.95. Kaisa Group Holdings reported a 17.7 percent stake in Nam Tai Property. NRG Energy Inc (NYSE: NRG ) shares were also up, gaining 22 percent to $19.86 after the company reported launch of transformation plan targeting $2.5 billion to $4 billion targeted asset sale net cash proceeds plus removal of $13 billion debt. NRG Energy also raised its FY17 outlook. Equities Trading DOWN Ocular Therapeutix Inc (NASDAQ: OCUL ) shares dropped 18 percent to $6.23 after the biopharmaceutical company confirmed a major setback for its eye drug Dextenza, a therapy used for the treatment of ocular pain following ophthalmic surgery. Ocular confirmed in a press release after Tuesday's close it has received a Complete Response Letter ( CRL ) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration relating to its re-submission of a New Drug Application ( CRL ) for Dextenza. The CRL states that the FDA can't approve the company's NDA in its present form. Shares of Alder Biopharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ: ALDR ) were down 17 percent to $10.15. Alder BioPharmaceuticals announced intent to offer 12.5 million shares. MSC Industrial Direct Co Inc (NYSE: MSM ) was down, falling around 14 percent to $74.69. MSC Industrial Direct reported in-line profit for its third quarter, but issued weak earnings forecast for the current quarter. Commodities In commodity news, oil traded up 1.53 percent to $45.73 while gold traded up 0.36 percent to $1,219.10. Silver traded up 0.98 percent Wednesday to $15.90, while copper rose 0.41 percent to $2.683. Eurozone European shares closed higher today. The eurozone's STOXX 600 climbed 1.52 percent, the Spanish Ibex Index rose 1.07 percent, while Italy's FTSE MIB Index surged 1.52 percent. Meanwhile the German DAX climbed 1.52 percent, and the French CAC 40 gained 1.59 percent while U.K. shares rose 1.19 percent. Economics Domestic crude supplies slipped 7.6 million barrels for the week ended July 7, the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported. However, analysts were expecting a drop of 2.6 million barrels. Gasoline stockpiles dropped 1.6 million barrels, while distillate stockpiles rose 3.1 million barrels last week. The Federal Open Market Committee released Beige book report. \u00a9 2017 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Profit with More New & Research . Gain access to a streaming platform with all the information you need to invest better today. Click here to start your 14 Day Trial of Benzinga Professional The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Mid-Afternoon Market Update: NASDAQ Up Over 1%; MSC Industrial Shares Plummet"", ""Baird Upgrades Fastenal to Outperform"", ""Mid-Day Market Update: Ocular Therapeutix Drops After Major Setback In Dextenza; I.D. Systems Shares Surge"", ""Fastenal Was Up Big, Now Down Big After Q2 Beat"", ""22 Stocks Moving In Wednesday's Pre-Market Session"", ""A Peek Into The Markets: U.S. Stock Futures Gain; Yellen Testimony In Focus"", ""Fastenal Reports Q2 EPS $0.52 vs $0.50 Est., Sales $1.122B vs $1.11B Est."", ""6 Stocks To Watch For July 12, 2017"", ""Earnings Scheduled For July 12, 2017"", ""Stock Futures Spike On Yellen Comments; Two Airline Stocks Take Off"", ""Fastenal shares jump 7.6% premarket after earnings beat Shares of industrial and construction supplies company Fastenal Co. surged 7.6% Wednesday, after the company topped profit and revenue estimates for the second quarter. Winona, Mn.-based Fastenal said it had net income of $148.9 million, or 52 cents a share, in the quarter, up from $131.5 million, or 45 cents a share, in the year-earlier period. Sales climbed 10.6% to $1.122 billion from $1.01 billion. The FactSet consensus was for EPS of 50 cents and sales of $1.11 billion. \""The second quarter of 2017 felt more like Fastenal,\"" Chief Executive Dan Florness said in a statement. \""We have grown well over the last year, but market headwinds have masked this growth.\"" The company signed 41,881 industrial vending machines in the quarter, up 0.3% from the year-earlier period. It signed 68 new onsite locations, up 54.5%. It had 486 active sites on June 30, up 45.9% from the year earlier. Shares had fallen 7.2% through Tuesday, while the S&P 500 has gained 8%."", ""Dow ends at record, stock market gains after dovish Yellen Tech shares rise for fourth consecutive session U.S. stocks close higher on Wednesday as Federal Reserve Chairwoman Janet Yellen emphasizes the central bank\u2019s gradual approach to normalizing monetary policy and expresses optimism about the economy in congressional testimony.""]"
FAST,2017-07-13,18.7037,18.7037,18.3098,18.6198,"[""4 Reasons Why Home Depot is One of the Best S&P 500 Stocks"", ""Raymond James Upgrades Fastenal to Strong Buy"", ""Benzinga's Top Upgrades, Downgrades For July 13, 2017"", ""Benzinga's Top Upgrades, Downgrades For July 13, 2017"", ""Raymond James Upgrades Fastenal to Strong Buy"", ""4 Reasons Why Home Depot is One of the Best S&P 500 Stocks"", ""4 Reasons Why Home Depot is One of the Best S&P 500 Stocks The Home Depot, Inc.HD has been in investors' good books for quite some time, which is well-reflected from its stock price performance. Evidently, this Georgia-based company's shares have jumped 13.8% year to date, outperforming the Zacks categorized Building Products - Retail/Wholesale industry's growth of 10.2%. So, let's take a closer look at the various parameters, which have been driving this Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) company with long-term earnings growth rate of 13% and a VGM Score of \""B\"". Home Depot Vs Industry Scorecard Robust Earnings History & Outlook Home Depot has a spectacular earnings and sales surprise history. This leading player in the highly-fragmented home improvement industry has been delivering better-than-expected bottom-line results for the five years. The company's top line has topped estimates consistently for the last 12 quarters. Further, the company has been witnessing year-over-year growth in revenues as well as EPS for a long time now. A snapshot of these improvements is visible in the following chart. In last reported first-quarter fiscal 2017, Home Depot maintained these trends. The company continued to reap the benefits of the housing market recovery and high demand. Following the sturdy results, the company raised its earnings per share guidance for fiscal 2017 to $7.15 from $7.13, reflecting year-over-year growth of nearly 11%. All these factors inspire optimism about Home Depot's future performance. Analysts were also not far behind in raising the estimates, as evident from upward revision in the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Evidently, over the last 60 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal 2017 and 2018 increased from $7.19 to $7.23 and $8.07 to $8.11, respectively. Clearly, analysts polled by Zacks are convinced about the stock's upbeat performance in the future. Home Depot, Inc. (The) Price and Consensus Home Depot, Inc. (The) Price and Consensus | Home Depot, Inc. (The) Quote Well, Home Depot's splendid performance has been primarily driven by its superb growth endeavors, which are focused on improving customers' experience. Additionally, its efficient capital allocation has been an attraction for investors. Splendid Growth Endeavors Home Depot has been implementing several initiatives to drive long-term growth. In response to the evolving retail environment, where digital and physical stores go hand in hand, the company remains keen on building its interconnected capabilities. In this regard, the company has taken a number of measures in 2016 including redesigning its website with enhanced features. The benefits from these initiatives were evident from online sales growth of nearly 23% in first-quarter fiscal 2017. Further, Home Depot's interconnected strategy goes beyond the dot.com investments as it continues to invest in fulfillment options to meet the growing demand through the launch of its customer order management system (COM) and the Buy Online Deliver From Store (BODFS) capability. All these endeavors, combined with Home Depot's concentration on enhancing store operations are likely to boost its top- and bottom-line in the long run. Disciplined Capital Strategy Home Depot has always maintained a disciplined capital allocation strategy. The company has remained focused on making investments to develop its business while using the excess cash to enhance shareholder returns through dividend payouts and share buybacks. As evidence of progress on the strategic initiatives and commitment to reward shareholders, the company recently raised its long-term dividend payout ratio to 55% of net earnings. Alongside, management announced a 29% hike in quarterly dividend to 89 cents. Moving to share buybacks, the company bought back 8.5 million shares for nearly $1.25 billion in first-quarter fiscal 2017. In fiscal 2017, the company targets total share repurchases worth $5 billion, with plans to buy back shares worth $3.75 billion through the rest of the fiscal year. All said, we believe that Home Depot is moving in the appropriate direction. With its perfect initiatives and solid background, this home improvement retailer is most likely to keep its momentum going. Looking for More? Target These 3 Retail Stocks Other top-ranked stocks in the same sector include Fastenal Company FAST , Lumber Liquidators Holdings, Inc LL and Burlington Stores, Inc. BURL . Fastenal, with a long-term EPS growth rate of 16% carries a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Lumber Liquidators has a long-term growth rate of 27.5%. The stock carries a Zacks Rank #2 as well. Carrying a Zacks Rank #2, Burlington has a long-term EPS growth rate of 15.9%. The stock also possesses a sturdy earnings surprise history. More Stock News: This Is Bigger than the iPhone! It could become the mother of all technological revolutions. Apple sold a mere 1 billion iPhones in 10 years but a new breakthrough is expected to generate more than 27 billion devices in just 3 years, creating a $1.7 trillion market. Zacks has just released a Special Report that spotlights this fast-emerging phenomenon and 6 tickers for taking advantage of it. If you don't buy now, you may kick yourself in 2020. Click here for the 6 trades >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Home Depot, Inc. (The) (HD): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Lumber Liquidators Holdings, Inc (LL): Free Stock Analysis Report Burlington Stores, Inc. (BURL): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Benzinga's Top Upgrades, Downgrades For July 13, 2017"", ""Raymond James Upgrades Fastenal to Strong Buy"", ""4 Reasons Why Home Depot is One of the Best S&P 500 Stocks""]"
FAST,2017-07-14,18.7225,18.9643,18.4678,18.4944,"[""Orca Investment Management, LLC Buys Alibaba Group Holding, Schnitzer Steel Industries Inc, ..."", ""Orca Investment Management, LLC Buys Alibaba Group Holding, Schnitzer Steel Industries Inc, ..."", ""Orca Investment Management, LLC Buys Alibaba Group Holding, Schnitzer Steel Industries Inc, ...""]"
FAST,2017-07-17,18.4777,18.5636,18.223,18.3326,
FAST,2017-07-18,18.3198,18.7689,18.2862,18.7314,"Tuesday 7/18 Insider Buying Report: AZO, FAST As the saying goes, there are many possible reasons for an insider to sell a stock, but only one reason to buy -- they expect to make money. So let's look at two noteworthy recent insider buys. On Thursday, AutoZone ( AZO )'s Director, William Andrew McKenna, made a $152,100 buy of AZO, purchasing 300 shares at a cost of $507.00 a piece. Bargain hunters are able to bag AZO at a price even lower than McKenna did, with shares changing hands as low as $498.67 at last check today which is 1.6% below McKenna's purchase price. AutoZone is trading off about 0.9% on the day Tuesday. And on Monday, Chief Financial Officer/EVP Holden Lewis purchased $42,507 worth of Fastenal ( FAST ), purchasing 1,000 shares at a cost of $42.51 each. Before this latest buy, Lewis made one other purchase in the past twelve months, buying $43,760 shares for a cost of $43.76 a piece. Fastenal is trading up about 0.8% on the day Tuesday. VIDEO: Tuesday 7/18 Insider Buying Report: AZO, FAST The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2017-07-19,18.7649,18.8005,18.0651,18.4086,"[""Buy These 3 Dividend Stocks to Counter Retail Volatility"", ""Buy These 3 Dividend Stocks to Counter Retail Volatility"", ""Buy These 3 Dividend Stocks to Counter Retail Volatility \"" The four most dangerous words in investing are: 'this time it's different. '\"" - Sir John Templeton The above quote pretty much defines the nature of the stock market. Well, the Retail - Wholesale space is no exception, as the sector has been constantly struggling to keep pace with the evolving consumer trends. Consumers' rapid shifts to online shopping have hit retailers hard, by affecting their top line. Consequently, retailers are in the process of switching from their traditional store concept to the new and attractive omni-channel concept. This in turn has led to intensifying industry competition, which in turn remains a threat for margins. Additionally, unfavorable U.S. retail sales data for the month of June raise doubts over the expected rebound in the economy in the second half of 2017. Retail Won't Let You Down On the contrary, the rebound in oil prices from all-time lows, improving job scenario and a gradual improvement in the housing market signal chances of recovery. Moreover, the Retail - Wholesale sector registered an increase of 15.6% so far this year, compared with the S&P 500 market's growth of 10%. While this outperformance underscores the sector's fundamental strength, it is difficult to ignore the aforementioned industry hurdles. Thus, investors are bound to feel perplexed. However, even amid such uncertainties in the retail industry, investors can still profit. All investors need to do is use the right strategies and strike the correct balance. Safeguard Your Portfolio - Invest in Dividend Stocks To fight the odds, we suggest investing in dividend stocks . Adding dividend stocks to ones portfolio is always a good decision. These stocks not only provide a steady return for countering short-term market challenges but also help to stay afloat in the long term as well. Further, dividend stocks are generally less volatile than non-dividend stocks and proven long-term outperformers. Thus, investors should simply resort to by picking stocks that have the potential to pay steady dividends. 4 Retail Stocks You Can't Miss All said, we used our Zacks Stock Screener to discover three Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) stocks in the retail industry with dividend yields of at least 2.5%. Well, some of these stocks also flaunt a favorable Growth Style Score , thus doubling the treat. Well, our research shows that a Growth Style Score of ''A'' or ''B'.' when combined with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 offer the best opportunities in the growth investing space. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Minneapolis-based Target CorporationTGT is one solid bet, which has a dividend yield of about 4.6%. This departmental store retailer has been actively managing its capital and returning much of its free cash via share repurchases and dividends. In the last reported quarter, Target repurchased shares worth $305 million and paid dividends of $332 million and plans to invest between $2-$2.5 billion of capital in fiscal 2017 and more than $7 billion over the next three years. Flaunting a Growth style score of B, Target's earnings have outperformed our estimate by an average of 16.5% in the trailing four quarters. Target has gained 5.6% in the last month, as against the Zacks categorized Retail - Discount & Variety industry's dip of 1.7%. Investors can also look at Barnes & Noble, Inc.BKS , which has a Growth Score of A. Based in New York, the company is engaged in the retail sale of trade books, mass market paperbacks, children's books, off-price bargain books and magazines. Notably, Barnes & Noble has dividend yield of a solid 8.2%, and long-term EPS growth of 10%. The company, which spent $23 million in share repurchases and $44 million in dividend payments in fiscal 2017, plans to maintain its practice of paying dividends regularly in future as well. Well, the company has surged 12.3% over the last month, when the Retail - Miscellaneous industry dropped 4.2%. We also suggest investing in Fastenal CompanyFAST , which has outperformed our earnings estimate by an average of 1.8% in the trailing four quarters. Based in Minnesota, Fastenal is a national wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies. The company paid dividends worth $92.5 million in the last reported quarter, alongside incurring $56.7 million in share buybacks. Further, management's confidence in its ability to continue with dividend payments reflects the company's sound liquidity position. With a dividend yield of roughly 3%, Fastenal has long-term EPS growth rate of 16%. While Fastenal has gained just 0.5% over the last one month, it has fared better than the Zacks categorized Building Products - Retail industry's drop of 3%. The Bottom Line Dividend payments and share buybacks not only reflect a company's sound financial status but it also speaks about its commitment toward investors. Looking for Stocks with Skyrocketing Upside? Zacks has just released a Special Report on the booming investment opportunities of legal marijuana. Ignited by new referendums and legislation, this industry is expected to blast from an already robust $6.7 billion to $20.2 billion in 2021. Early investors stand to make a killing, but you have to be ready to act and know just where to look. See the pot trades we're targeting>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Target Corporation (TGT): Free Stock Analysis Report Barnes & Noble, Inc. (BKS): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Buy These 3 Dividend Stocks to Counter Retail Volatility""]"
FAST,2017-07-20,18.4146,18.6938,18.383,18.5774,"Ex-Dividend Reminder: Adient, Fastenal and Lowe's Companies Looking at the universe of stocks we cover at Dividend Channel , on 7/24/17, Adient plc (Symbol: ADNT), Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST), and Lowe's Companies Inc (Symbol: LOW) will all trade ex-dividend for their respective upcoming dividends. Adient plc will pay its quarterly dividend of $0.275 on 8/17/17, Fastenal Co. will pay its quarterly dividend of $0.32 on 8/23/17, and Lowe's Companies Inc will pay its quarterly dividend of $0.41 on 8/9/17. As a percentage of ADNT's recent stock price of $70.89, this dividend works out to approximately 0.39%, so look for shares of Adient plc to trade 0.39% lower - all else being equal - when ADNT shares open for trading on 7/24/17. Similarly, investors should look for FAST to open 0.74% lower in price and for LOW to open 0.55% lower, all else being equal. Below are dividend history charts for ADNT, FAST, and LOW, showing historical dividends prior to the most recent ones declared. Adient plc (Symbol: ADNT) : Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) : Lowe's Companies Inc (Symbol: LOW) : In general, dividends are not always predictable, following the ups and downs of company profits over time. Therefore, a good first due diligence step in forming an expectation of annual yield going forward, is looking at the history above, for a sense of stability over time. This can help in judging whether the most recent dividends from these companies are likely to continue. If they do continue, the current estimated yields on annualized basis would be 1.55% for Adient plc, 2.97% for Fastenal Co., and 2.19% for Lowe's Companies Inc. In Thursday trading, Adient plc shares are currently up about 0.9%, Fastenal Co. shares are up about 0.9%, and Lowe's Companies Inc shares are down about 2.6% on the day. Click here to learn which 25 S.A.F.E. dividend stocks should be on your radar screen » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2017-07-21,18.4332,18.6386,18.2062,18.296,"Fastenal Company (FAST) Ex-Dividend Date Scheduled for July 24, 2017 Fastenal Company ( FAST ) will begin trading ex-dividend on July 24, 2017. A cash dividend payment of $0.32 per share is scheduled to be paid on August 23, 2017. Shareholders who purchased FAST prior to the ex-dividend date are eligible for the cash dividend payment. This marks the 3rd quarter that FAST has paid the same dividend. At the current stock price of $43.07, the dividend yield is 2.97%. The previous trading day's last sale of FAST was $43.07, representing a -18.34% decrease from the 52 week high of $52.74 and a 14.24% increase over the 52 week low of $37.70. FAST is a part of the Consumer Services sector, which includes companies such as Home Depot, Inc. ( HD ) and Lowe's Companies, Inc. ( LOW ). FAST's current earnings per share, an indicator of a company's profitability, is $1.82. Zacks Investment Research reports FAST's forecasted earnings growth in 2017 as 10.87%, compared to an industry average of 12.1%. For more information on the declaration, record and payment dates, visit the FAST Dividend History page. Our Dividend Calendar has the full list of stocks that have an ex-dividend today. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2017-07-24,18.4046,18.7521,18.3642,18.7028,"[""Sadoff Investment Management Llc Buys Alphabet Inc, Manulife Financial Corp, Walt Disney Co, ..."", ""Top Ranked Income Stocks to Buy for July 24th"", ""Sadoff Investment Management Llc Buys Alphabet Inc, Manulife Financial Corp, Walt Disney Co, ..."", ""Top Ranked Income Stocks to Buy for July 24th"", ""Top Ranked Income Stocks to Buy for July 24th Here are four stocks with buy rank and strong income characteristics for investors to consider today, July 24th: Ashford Hospitality Prime, Inc. (AHP): This real estate investment trust has witnessed the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings rising 0.6% over the last 60 days. Ashford Hospitality Prime, Inc. Price and Consensus Ashford Hospitality Prime, Inc. Price and Consensus | Ashford Hospitality Prime, Inc. Quote This Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) company has a dividend yield of 5.93%, compared with the industry average of 4.20%. Its five-year average dividend yield is 2.64%. Ashford Hospitality Prime, Inc. Dividend Yield (TTM) Ashford Hospitality Prime, Inc. Dividend Yield (TTM) | Ashford Hospitality Prime, Inc. Quote Best Buy Co., Inc. (BBY): This retailer of technology products has witnessed the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings increasing 4.3% over the last 60 days. Best Buy Co., Inc. Price and Consensus Best Buy Co., Inc. Price and Consensus | Best Buy Co., Inc. Quote This Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) company has a dividend yield of 2.51%, compared with the industry average of 0.46%. Its five-year average dividend yield is 2.8%. Best Buy Co., Inc. Dividend Yield (TTM) Best Buy Co., Inc. Dividend Yield (TTM) | Best Buy Co., Inc. Quote Caterpillar Inc. (CAT): This energy company has witnessed the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings rising 5.1% over the last 60 days. Caterpillar, Inc. Price and Consensus Caterpillar, Inc. Price and Consensus | Caterpillar, Inc. Quote This Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) company has a dividend yield of 2.93%, compared with the industry average of 0.75%. Its five-year average dividend yield is 3.14%. Caterpillar, Inc. Dividend Yield (TTM) Caterpillar, Inc. Dividend Yield (TTM) | Caterpillar, Inc. Quote Fastenal Company (FAST): This wholesale distributor of industrial supplies has witnessed the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings increasing 2.1% over the last 60 days. Fastenal Company Price and Consensus Fastenal Company Price and Consensus | Fastenal Company Quote This Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) company has a dividend yield of 3.02%, compared with the industry average of 0.00%. Its five-year average dividend yield is 2.31%. Fastenal Company Dividend Yield (TTM) Fastenal Company Dividend Yield (TTM) | Fastenal Company Quote See the full list of top ranked stocks here . Find more top income stocks with some of our great premium screens . Will You Make a Fortune on the Shift to Electric Cars? Here's another stock idea to consider. Much like petroleum 150 years ago, lithium power may soon shake the world, creating millionaires and reshaping geo-politics. Soon electric vehicles (EVs) may be cheaper than gas guzzlers. Some are already reaching 265 miles on a single charge. With battery prices plummeting and charging stations set to multiply, one company stands out as the #1 stock to buy according to Zacks research. It's not the one you think. See This Ticker Free >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Caterpillar, Inc. (CAT): Free Stock Analysis Report Best Buy Co., Inc. (BBY): Free Stock Analysis Report Ashford Hospitality Prime, Inc. (AHP): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Sadoff Investment Management Llc Buys Alphabet Inc, Manulife Financial Corp, Walt Disney Co, ..."", ""Top Ranked Income Stocks to Buy for July 24th""]"
FAST,2017-07-25,18.8617,19.3137,18.8005,19.1568,"[""Fayerweather Charles Buys Gilead Sciences Inc, Teleflex Inc, Analog Devices Inc, Sells Enbridge ..."", ""Northcoast Research Initiates Coverage On Fastenal with Buy Rating, Announces $54.00 Price Target"", ""Northcoast Research Initiates Coverage On Fastenal with Buy Rating, Announces $54.00 Price Target"", ""Fayerweather Charles Buys Gilead Sciences Inc, Teleflex Inc, Analog Devices Inc, Sells Enbridge ..."", ""Northcoast Research Initiates Coverage On Fastenal with Buy Rating, Announces $54.00 Price Target"", ""Fayerweather Charles Buys Gilead Sciences Inc, Teleflex Inc, Analog Devices Inc, Sells Enbridge ...""]"
FAST,2017-07-26,19.2199,19.2703,19.0038,19.0769,"[""Lightning Round: Jim Cramer Advises His Viewers On Hertz, Macy's And More"", ""Lightning Round: Jim Cramer Advises His Viewers On Hertz, Macy's And More"", ""Fastenal Named Top Dividend Stock With Insider Buying and 2.91% Yield (FAST) In this series, we look through the most recent Dividend Channel''DividendRank'' report, and then we cherry pick only those companies that have experienced insider buying within the past six months. The officers and directors of a company tend to have a unique insider's view of the business, and presumably the only reason an insider would choose to take their hard-earned cash and use it to buy stock in the open market, is that they expect to make money - maybe they find the stock very undervalued, or maybe they see exciting progress within the company, or maybe both. So when stocks turn up that see insider buying, and are also top ranked, investors are wise to take notice. One such company is Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST), which saw buying by Executive Vice-President William Joseph Drazkowski. Back on July 21, Drazkowski invested $42,359.00 into 1,000 shares of FAST, for a cost per share of $42.36. In trading on Wednesday, shares were changing hands as low as $43.73 per share, which is 3.2% above Drazkowski's purchase price. It should be noted that Drazkowski has collected $0.32/share in dividends since the time of their purchase, so they are currently up 4.0% on their purchase from a total return basis. Fastenal Co. shares are currently trading +0.15% on the day. The chart below shows the one year performance of FAST shares, versus its 200 day moving average: Looking at the chart above, FAST's low point in its 52 week range is $37.70 per share, with $52.74 as the 52 week high point - that compares with a last trade of $44.16. By comparison, below is a table showing the prices at which insider buying was recorded over the last six months: The DividendRank report noted that among the coverage universe, FAST shares displayed both attractive valuation metrics and strong profitability metrics. The report also cited the strong quarterly dividend history at Fastenal Co., and favorable long-term multi-year growth rates in key fundamental data points. The report stated, '' Dividend investors approaching investing from a value standpoint are generally most interested in researching the strongest most profitable companies, that also happen to be trading at an attractive valuation. That's what we aim to find using our proprietary DividendRank formula, which ranks the coverage universe based upon our various criteria for both profitability and valuation, to generate a list of the top most 'interesting' stocks, meant for investors as a source of ideas that merit further research. '' The annualized dividend paid by Fastenal Co. is $1.28/share, currently paid in quarterly installments, and its most recent dividend ex-date was on 07/24/2017. Below is a long-term dividend history chart for FAST, which the report stressed as being of key importance. Indeed, studying a company's past dividend history can be of good help in judging whether the most recent dividend is likely to continue. The Top DividendRank'ed Stocks With Insider Buying \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Lightning Round: Jim Cramer Advises His Viewers On Hertz, Macy's And More""]"
FAST,2017-07-27,18.9574,19.1539,18.8133,19.0363,
FAST,2017-07-28,19.0008,19.1114,18.8093,18.9278,
FAST,2017-07-31,18.9495,19.0245,18.5695,18.6712,
FAST,2017-08-01,18.7304,18.762,18.379,18.684,
FAST,2017-08-02,18.7333,18.7758,18.454,18.679,
FAST,2017-08-03,18.6751,18.7333,18.458,18.5014,"3 Big Stock Charts for Thursday: Fastenal Company (FAST), Applied Materials, Inc. (AMAT) and eBay Inc (EBAY) InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips Maintaining a focus on the fact that the market is entering one of the weaker seasonal periods of the year, traders are wise to maintain a vigil watch on any changing trends in the market. As of this week, we've seen an increase in the number of companies trading below their respective 50-day moving average, signaling that the market may be headed for some weakness. Today's three big stock charts takes a look at the charts of Fastenal Company (NASDAQ: FAST ), Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMAT ) and eBay Inc (NASDAQ: EBAY ) as three stocks that the market should be watching as they fight it out with their critical 50-day trendlines. Fastenal Company (FAST) Fastenal has been a good proxy for the market and industrial companies as they provide products for all types of industrial applications. The company is in the process of falling back into a bearish trend that should have investors selling and traders shorting the stock. FAST shares have been struggling to try to break back above their 50-day moving average. The important trendline is beginning to shift back into a downtrend, which implies bearish conditions are revitalizing. Fastenal is also trading beneath its 20-month moving average which puts the stock in a technical bear market. This bear market trend targets a long-term price of $39. The recent consolidation and tightening technical pattern is setting FAST shares up for a sudden and volatile move. Given the bias of the 50-day moving average, this volatility will be to the downside and result in share prices that immediately move towards $41. Applied Materials, Inc. (AMAT) Semiconductor companies are seeing a flow of cash from this outperforming group back into financials and healthcare companies. The result is that these companies are now starting to see critical technical trends get challenged. 7 Sectors, 7 Top Stocks Poised to Take Off This applies more selling pressure and lowers price targets over the short-term. With that in mind, let's look at the situation on Applied Materials. AMAT stock broke through their 50-day moving average trendline last week and have continued to see additional selling pressure from the technical traders. The move below the 50-day has this critical trendline transitioning into an intermediate-term bearish pattern that will target lower prices for Applied Materials. AMAT shares are also moving into bearish territory according to their MACD and other momentum indicators. At this point, the trend is turning on the technology company with the stock now targeting a price move to $39. eBay Inc (EBAY) Online auctioneer eBay had been holding a leadership role in the market and specifically in the technology sector, though the shares have been trading with increased volatility in comparison to the rest of their peers. Does Chesapeake Energy Corporation (CHK) Stock Have Any Hope Left? Now, EBAY shares are starting to slump and are at risk of falling into an intermediate-term bearish trend. eBay shares are trying to hold on to support at their 50-day moving average. Right now, this trendline is moving higher and still supports a bullish outlook. That said, a break below will begin to increase selling pressure. EBAY shares are also facing chart support at the $35.50. This level has acted as support and resistance for the shares in June and July. A break below this static price will also increase interest in selling the stock. Currently, a price target of $34 is in place from our models as the ""buy the dip"" price to focus on for those looking to add eBay shares to their portfolios. As of this writing, Johnson Research Group did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities. More From InvestorPlace 10 Dogs of 2017 That Will Become 2018's Best Stocks to Buy 7 All-Weather Stocks to Buy for the Next 30 Years 5 Stocks to Sell for August The post 3 Big Stock Charts for Thursday: Fastenal Company (FAST), Applied Materials, Inc. (AMAT) and eBay Inc (EBAY) appeared first on InvestorPlace . The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2017-08-04,18.6652,19.0985,18.6455,19.063,
FAST,2017-08-07,19.063,19.1055,18.7116,18.7205,
FAST,2017-08-08,18.6879,18.755,18.45,18.4668,
FAST,2017-08-09,18.4796,18.7491,18.3444,18.7304,
FAST,2017-08-10,18.6455,18.7531,18.385,18.4106,
FAST,2017-08-11,18.4461,18.6879,18.3544,18.5182,
FAST,2017-08-14,18.5833,18.8459,18.5616,18.7669,"[""Why Is Fastenal (FAST) Down 1.8% Since the Last Earnings Report?"", ""Why Is Fastenal (FAST) Down 1.8% Since the Last Earnings Report?"", ""Why Is Fastenal (FAST) Down 1.8% Since the Last Earnings Report?""]"
FAST,2017-08-15,18.7876,18.7876,18.5566,18.5833,"[""Grandeur Peak Global Advisors, LLC Buys Parex Resources Inc, Athene Holding, Yum China Holdings ..."", ""Grandeur Peak Global Advisors, LLC Buys Parex Resources Inc, Athene Holding, Yum China Holdings ..."", ""Grandeur Peak Global Advisors, LLC Buys Parex Resources Inc, Athene Holding, Yum China Holdings ...""]"
FAST,2017-08-16,18.5695,18.7373,18.5379,18.7304,
FAST,2017-08-17,18.6494,18.6712,18.075,18.0848,"FAST Dividend Yield Pushes Past 3% Looking at the universe of stocks we cover at Dividend Channel , in trading on Thursday, shares of Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) were yielding above the 3% mark based on its quarterly dividend (annualized to $1.28), with the stock changing hands as low as $42.01 on the day. Dividends are particularly important for investors to consider, because historically speaking dividends have provided a considerable share of the stock market's total return. To illustrate, suppose for example you purchased shares of the S&P 500 ETF ( SPY ) back on 12/31/1999 - you would have paid $146.88 per share. Fast forward to 12/31/2012 and each share was worth $142.41 on that date, a decrease of $4.67/share over all those years. But now consider that you collected a whopping $25.98 per share in dividends over the same period, for a positive total return of 23.36%. Even with dividends reinvested, that only amounts to an average annual total return of about 1.6%; so by comparison collecting a yield above 3% would appear considerably attractive if that yield is sustainable. Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) is an S&P 500 company, giving it special status as one of the large-cap companies making up the S&P 500 Index. In general, dividend amounts are not always predictable and tend to follow the ups and downs of profitability at each company. In the case of Fastenal Co., looking at the history chart for FAST below can help in judging whether the most recent dividend is likely to continue, and in turn whether it is a reasonable expectation to expect a 3% annual yield. According to the ETF Finder at ETF Channel, FAST makes up 1.50% of the First Trust NASDAQ-100 Ex-Technology Sector Index Fund ETF (Symbol: QQXT) which is trading lower by about 1.3% on the day Thursday. Click here to find out which 9 other dividend stocks just recently went on sale » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2017-08-18,18.0631,18.1164,17.6703,17.6743,"[""Implied DTN Analyst Target Price: $89 Looking at the underlying holdings of the ETFs in our coverage universe at ETF Channel , we have compared the trading price of each holding against the average analyst 12-month forward target price, and computed the weighted average implied analyst target price for the ETF itself. For the WisdomTree U.S. Dividend ex-Financials Fund ETF (Symbol: DTN), we found that the implied analyst target price for the ETF based upon its underlying holdings is $89.22 per unit. With DTN trading at a recent price near $80.75 per unit, that means that analysts see 10.49% upside for this ETF looking through to the average analyst targets of the underlying holdings. Three of DTN's underlying holdings with notable upside to their analyst target prices are The Gap Inc (Symbol: GPS), Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST), and Exxon Mobil Corp (Symbol: XOM). Although GPS has traded at a recent price of $22.68/share, the average analyst target is 15.58% higher at $26.21/share. Similarly, FAST has 14.29% upside from the recent share price of $41.61 if the average analyst target price of $47.55/share is reached, and analysts on average are expecting XOM to reach a target price of $86.08/share, which is 12.87% above the recent price of $76.26. Below is a twelve month price history chart comparing the stock performance of GPS, FAST, and XOM: Below is a summary table of the current analyst target prices discussed above: Are analysts justified in these targets, or overly optimistic about where these stocks will be trading 12 months from now? Do the analysts have a valid justification for their targets, or are they behind the curve on recent company and industry developments? A high price target relative to a stock's trading price can reflect optimism about the future, but can also be a precursor to target price downgrades if the targets were a relic of the past. These are questions that require further investor research. 10 ETFs With Most Upside To Analyst Targets \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Market Close Report: NASDAQ Composite index closes at 6,216.53 down -5.38 points Friday's session closes with the NASDAQ Composite Index at 6,216.53. The total shares traded for the NASDAQ was over 1.96 billion. Advancers stocks led declining by 1.03 to 1 ratio. There were 1487 advancers and 1439 decliners for the day. On the NASDAQ Stock Exchange 10 stocks reached a 52 week high and 55 those reaching lows totaled. The most active, advancers, decliners, unusual volume and most active by dollar volume can be monitored intraday on the Most Active Stocks page. The NASDAQ 100 index closed down -.09% for the day; a total of -5.41 points. The current value is 5,790.91. Fastenal Company ( FAST ) had the largest percent change down (-2.24%) while Ross Stores, Inc. ( ROST ) had the largest percent change gain rising 10.67%. The Dow Jones index closed down -.35% for the day; a total of -76.22 points. The current value is 21,674.51. Nike, Inc. ( NKE ) had the largest percent change down (-4.37%) while Caterpillar, Inc. ( CAT ) had the largest percent change gain rising .69%. NASDAQ Market Wrap As of 8/18/2017 4:44:01 PM BILLIONS OF 1.96 NASDAQ SHARES TRADED TODAY 10 STOCKS REACHED A 52 WEEK HIGH 55 THOSE REACHING LOWS TOTALEDRoss Stores, Inc. [ROST]TOPS ADVANCERS LISTOF NASDAQ 100 INDEX % 10.67 ROSE The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2017-08-21,17.6367,17.6446,17.2933,17.3731,
FAST,2017-08-22,17.4719,18.0325,17.387,17.9921,
FAST,2017-08-23,17.9279,17.9397,17.7512,17.8894,
FAST,2017-08-24,17.9585,18.0898,17.7789,17.8845,
FAST,2017-08-25,17.9733,18.145,17.8627,18.0177,
FAST,2017-08-28,18.145,18.2862,17.9328,18.072,
FAST,2017-08-29,17.9881,18.2319,17.8707,17.997,
FAST,2017-08-30,17.9328,18.3326,17.846,18.2802,
FAST,2017-08-31,18.3356,18.6316,18.222,18.5478,
FAST,2017-09-01,18.6406,18.7166,18.458,18.4619,
FAST,2017-09-05,18.4304,18.528,18.1944,18.2714,
FAST,2017-09-06,18.4204,18.6406,18.3326,18.4146,
FAST,2017-09-07,18.1727,18.4342,17.7157,18.228,"[""Nasdaq 100 Movers: REGN, CERN In early trading on Thursday, shares of Cerner topped the list of the day's best performing components of the Nasdaq 100 index, trading up 2.5%. Year to date, Cerner registers a 46.3% gain. And the worst performing Nasdaq 100 component thus far on the day is Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, trading down 4.9%. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals is showing a gain of 29.6% looking at the year to date performance. Two other components making moves today are Fastenal, trading down 3.4%, and Shire, trading up 2.3% on the day. VIDEO: Nasdaq 100 Movers: REGN, CERN The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Morning Sector Snapshot: Telecom Climbs, Home Furnishing Stores Slip A look at the sectors with the biggest gains and declines this morning.""]"
FAST,2017-09-08,18.2092,18.5656,18.0848,18.5518,
FAST,2017-09-11,18.6583,18.8705,18.5724,18.6712,"[""Your Easy Guide To Credit Suisse's New Top Stocks List"", ""Your Easy Guide To Credit Suisse's New Top Stocks List"", ""Your Easy Guide To Credit Suisse's New Top Stocks List""]"
FAST,2017-09-12,18.7205,19.0057,18.6751,18.9278,
FAST,2017-09-13,18.8804,19.0245,18.8133,18.9278,
FAST,2017-09-14,18.8617,19.1035,18.8251,18.9307,
FAST,2017-09-15,18.9406,19.1153,18.8459,19.0946,"[""Fastenal Option Alert: Oct 20 $45 Calls Sweep (25) at the Ask: 716 @ $0.9 vs 340 OI; Ref=$43.85"", ""Benzinga's Option Alert Recap From September 15"", ""Benzinga's Option Alert Recap From September 15"", ""Fastenal Option Alert: Oct 20 $45 Calls Sweep (25) at the Ask: 716 @ $0.9 vs 340 OI; Ref=$43.85"", ""Benzinga's Option Alert Recap From September 15"", ""Fastenal Option Alert: Oct 20 $45 Calls Sweep (25) at the Ask: 716 @ $0.9 vs 340 OI; Ref=$43.85""]"
FAST,2017-09-18,19.0897,19.2299,19.0147,19.1667,"[""Watch These 7 Huge Call Purchases In Monday Trade"", ""Watch These 7 Huge Call Purchases In Monday Trade"", ""Agree To Buy Fastenal Co. At $33, Earn 4.2% Using Options Investors considering a purchase of Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) shares, but tentative about paying the going market price of $44.08/share, might benefit from considering selling puts among the alternative strategies at their disposal. One interesting put contract in particular, is the January 2019 put at the $33 strike, which has a bid at the time of this writing of $1.40. Collecting that bid as the premium represents a 4.2% return against the $33 commitment, or a 3.2% annualized rate of return (at Stock Options Channel we call this the YieldBoost ). Selling a put does not give an investor access to FAST's upside potential the way owning shares would, because the put seller only ends up owning shares in the scenario where the contract is exercised. And the person on the other side of the contract would only benefit from exercising at the $33 strike if doing so produced a better outcome than selling at the going market price. ( Do options carry counterparty risk? This and six other common options myths debunked ). So unless Fastenal Co. sees its shares decline 25.3% and the contract is exercised (resulting in a cost basis of $31.60 per share before broker commissions, subtracting the $1.40 from $33), the only upside to the put seller is from collecting that premium for the 3.2% annualized rate of return. Worth considering, is that the annualized 3.2% figure actually exceeds the 2.9% annualized dividend paid by Fastenal Co., based on the current share price of $44.08. And yet, if an investor was to buy the stock at the going market price in order to collect the dividend, there is greater downside because the stock would have to lose 25.31% to reach the $33 strike price. Always important when discussing dividends is the fact that, in general, dividend amounts are not always predictable and tend to follow the ups and downs of profitability at each company. In the case of Fastenal Co., looking at the dividend history chart for FAST below can help in judging whether the most recent dividend is likely to continue, and in turn whether it is a reasonable expectation to expect a 2.9% annualized dividend yield. Below is a chart showing the trailing twelve month trading history for Fastenal Co., and highlighting in green where the $33 strike is located relative to that history: The chart above, and the stock's historical volatility, can be a helpful guide in combination with fundamental analysis to judge whether selling the January 2019 put at the $33 strike for the 3.2% annualized rate of return represents good reward for the risks. We calculate the trailing twelve month volatility for Fastenal Co. (considering the last 251 trading day closing values as well as today's price of $44.08) to be 24%. For other put options contract ideas at the various different available expirations, visit the FAST Stock Options page of StockOptionsChannel.com. Top YieldBoost Puts of the Nasdaq 100 \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Watch These 7 Huge Call Purchases In Monday Trade""]"
FAST,2017-09-19,19.1883,19.3009,19.1193,19.2101,
FAST,2017-09-20,19.3107,19.6315,19.2437,19.369,
FAST,2017-09-21,19.5161,19.6276,19.3236,19.3365,
FAST,2017-09-22,19.1617,19.3493,19.1114,19.2337,
FAST,2017-09-25,19.2012,19.3641,19.0196,19.3551,
FAST,2017-09-26,19.4579,19.7283,19.3137,19.6621,
FAST,2017-09-27,19.7372,19.8852,19.4529,19.7875,"[""Fastenal Company Announces Conference Call to Review \u2014\u2026\u20137 Third Quarter Earnings"", ""Fastenal Company Announces Conference Call to Review \u2014\u2026\u20137 Third Quarter Earnings"", ""Fastenal Company Announces Conference Call to Review \u2014\u2026\u20137 Third Quarter Earnings""]"
FAST,2017-09-28,19.7737,19.976,19.6197,19.8764,
FAST,2017-09-29,19.823,20.06,19.7855,19.8092,
FAST,2017-10-02,19.8546,19.8892,19.6197,19.8892,
FAST,2017-10-03,19.9622,20.0668,19.6997,19.906,
FAST,2017-10-04,19.9198,20.0422,19.6859,19.8408,
FAST,2017-10-05,19.8319,20.0294,19.7036,20.0096,
FAST,2017-10-06,20.1064,20.2326,19.9474,20.0037,
FAST,2017-10-09,19.9998,20.1714,19.8635,19.902,"[""5 Charts to Kick Off Earnings Season"", ""5 Charts to Kick Off Earnings Season"", ""5 Charts to Kick Off Earnings Season Earnings season officially kicks off this week with the Big Banks and a handful of other bellwether names leading the charge. While there are only about 45 names, some are the biggest names in their industry and should set a \""tone\"" for this earnings season. These 5 companies have solid track records of beating. Most are trading near their 5-year highs. But all should provide an indicator of what's to come. This earnings season is expected to be a strong one, although it may be clouded by the impact of the hurricanes. The hurricane impact will be strongest in the consumer segments of retail and restaurants. Here's who to watch this week: 5 Charts to Kick Off Earnings Season 1. BlackRock BLK is coming off a miss last quarter but shares are trading at new 5-year highs. Just how good is the investing business with stocks at all-time highs? 2. Delta Air Lines DAL also had a rare miss last quarter and shares sank on the news. Additionally, it may have seen some impacts due to the hurricanes. Will rising fuel price and capacity issues put the damper on the airlines this earnings season? 3. Fastenal FAST has a horrendous 5-year chart. But its customers are in manufacturing, which is heating up. Can Fastenal's stock finally break out of this zig-zag trend and move to new highs? 4. Blackhawk Network HAWK has missed just twice since 2014. Digital gifts and payments is a hot area. Will another beat propel the shares to new highs? 5. Domino's DPZ is the king of the restaurants. It has the highest comps in the industry. But how long can it keep up that kind of growth? Want to Learn How to Trade Options? Have you always wanted to trade stock options but are unsure where to begin or what to look for? Each week, Zacks' Dave Bartosiak will bring you a detailed explanation of the trades \""live\"" on YouTube. Watch him go through the trade as he answers your questions in real time. Become one of Dave's minions. Join the Zacks Live Trader community today. It's free! Click here to join Dave >>> Looking for Stocks with Skyrocketing Upside? Zacks has just released a Special Report on the booming investment opportunities of legal marijuana. Ignited by new referendums and legislation, this industry is expected to blast from an already robust $6.7 billion to $20.2 billion in 2021. Early investors stand to make a killing, but you have to be ready to act and know just where to look. See the pot trades we're targeting>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Delta Air Lines, Inc. (DAL): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report BlackRock, Inc. (BLK): Free Stock Analysis Report Blackhawk Network Holdings, Inc. (HAWK): Free Stock Analysis Report Domino's Pizza Inc (DPZ): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""5 Charts to Kick Off Earnings Season""]"
FAST,2017-10-10,19.9879,19.9879,19.4193,19.4983,"[""Can Fastenal Company (FAST) Beat Earnings Estimates in Q3?"", ""Can Fastenal Company (FAST) Beat Earnings Estimates in Q3?"", ""Can Fastenal Company (FAST) Beat Earnings Estimates in Q3? We expect Fastenal CompanyFAST to beat expectations when it reports third-quarter fiscal 2017 results on Oct 11, before the opening bell. Last quarter, the company's earnings surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 4%. Moreover, Fastenal surpassed expectations in two of the last four quarters, the average being 1.8%. Let's see how things are shaping up prior to this announcement. Why a Likely Positive Surprise? Our proven model shows that Fastenal is likely to beat earnings because it has the right combination of two key ingredients. Zacks ESP : Earnings ESP , which represents the difference between the Most Accurate estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate, is pegged at +0.60%. A positive Zacks ESP serves as a meaningful and leading indicator of a likely positive earnings surprise. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they're reported with our Earnings ESP Filter . Fastenal Company Price and EPS Surprise Fastenal Company Price and EPS Surprise | Fastenal Company Quote Zacks Rank : Fastenal currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Note that stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 have a significantly higher chance of beating earnings estimates. Conversely, Sell-rated stocks (Zacks Rank #4 or 5) should never be considered going into an earnings announcement. The combination of Fastenal's Zacks Rank #3 and +0.60% ESP makes us reasonably confident about an earnings beat in the to-be-reported quarter. What is Driving the Better-than-Expected Earnings? Increased installation of industrial vending machines is expected to boost sales and profits in the to-be-reported quarter as it is one of the primary growth drivers for Fastenal. Moreover, a continual increase in the number of on-site locations is likely to expand Fastenal's market share and contribute to the quarterly numbers. We are also encouraged by Fastenal's acquisition of certain assets of industrial and fastener supply distributor - Manufacturer's Supply Company (Mansco) - in March 2017. This ensures Fastenal's presence in markets where it has not meaningfully contributed in the past. Mansco contributed 3.6% to fastener daily sales growth of 7.9% in the last reported quarter and is expected to contribute in the to-be-reported quarter as well. However, we are apprehensive about Fastenal's changes in product and customer mix that have been hurting the gross margin for quite some time now. Also, sales in the quarter could be adversely affected owing to the impact of Hurricane Harvey and Irma. For the quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings stands at 50 cents, reflecting a 13.4% year-over-year increase. Meanwhile, the estimate for revenues is pegged at $1.13 billion, implying 11.1% growth. Other Stocks to Consider Here are some companies in the Retail-Wholesale sector that, according to our model, have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter: McDonald's Corporation MCD has an Earnings ESP of +1.29% and a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here . The company is slated to release quarterly results on Oct 24. Domino's Pizza Inc DPZ has an Earnings ESP of +2.12% and a Zacks Rank #2. The company is scheduled to release quarterly results on Oct 12. Bravo Brio Restaurant Group, Inc. BBRG has an Earnings ESP of +6.25% and a Zacks Rank #3. The company is expected to release quarterly results on Nov 1. Today's Stocks from Zacks' Hottest Strategies It's hard to believe, even for us at Zacks. But while the market gained +18.8% from 2016 - Q1 2017, our top stock-picking screens have returned +157.0%, +128.0%, +97.8%, +94.7%, and +90.2% respectively. And this outperformance has not just been a recent phenomenon. Over the years it has been remarkably consistent. From 2000 - Q1 2017, the composite yearly average gain for these strategies has beaten the market more than 11X over. Maybe even more remarkable is the fact that we're willing to share their latest stocks with you without cost or obligation. See Them Free>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Domino's Pizza Inc (DPZ): Free Stock Analysis Report McDonald's Corporation (MCD): Free Stock Analysis Report Bravo Brio Restaurant Group, Inc. (BBRG): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Pre-Market Earnings Report for October 11, 2017 : BLK, DAL, FAST, OZRK The following companies are expected to report earnings prior to market open on 10/11/2017. Visit our Earnings Calendar for a full list of expected earnings releases. BlackRock, Inc. ( BLK ) is reporting for the quarter ending September 30, 2017. The finance/investment management company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 7 analysts that follow the stock is $5.59. This value represents a 8.75% increase compared to the same quarter last year. BLK missed the consensus earnings per share in the 2nd calendar quarter of 2017 by -2.78%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2017 Price to Earnings ratio for BLK is 20.98 vs. an industry ratio of 14.60, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Delta Air Lines, Inc. ( DAL ) is reporting for the quarter ending September 30, 2017. The airline company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 10 analysts that follow the stock is $1.54. This value represents a 9.41% decrease compared to the same quarter last year. DAL missed the consensus earnings per share in the 2nd calendar quarter of 2017 by -1.2%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2017 Price to Earnings ratio for DAL is 10.15 vs. an industry ratio of 14.30. Fastenal Company ( FAST ) is reporting for the quarter ending September 30, 2017. The building company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 10 analysts that follow the stock is $0.50. This value represents a 13.64% increase compared to the same quarter last year. FAST missed the consensus earnings per share in the 3rd calendar quarter of 2016 by -2.22%. The \""days to cover\"" for this stock exceeds 11 days. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2017 Price to Earnings ratio for FAST is 23.85 vs. an industry ratio of 14.10, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Bank of the Ozarks ( OZRK ) is reporting for the quarter ending September 30, 2017. The banks (southeast) company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 8 analysts that follow the stock is $0.74. This value represents a 12.12% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year OZRK has met analyst expectations once and beat the expectations the other three quarters. The \""days to cover\"" for this stock exceeds 10 days. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2017 Price to Earnings ratio for OZRK is 15.91 vs. an industry ratio of 17.20. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Can Fastenal Company (FAST) Beat Earnings Estimates in Q3?""]"
FAST,2017-10-11,18.8182,19.3463,18.4758,19.3463,"[""Fastenal (FAST) Meets Q3 Earnings & Revenue Estimates"", ""Fastenal's (FAST) Q3 Earnings in Line, Gross Margin Down"", ""Earnings Scheduled For October 11, 2017"", ""5 Stocks To Watch For October 11, 2017"", ""Fastenal Q3 EPS $0.50 vs $0.50 Est., Sales $1.13B vs $1.12B Est."", ""A Peek Into The Markets: U.S. Stock Futures Edge Lower Ahead Of Fed Minutes"", ""A Peek Into The Markets: U.S. Stock Futures Edge Lower Ahead Of Fed Minutes"", ""Fastenal Q3 EPS $0.50 vs $0.50 Est., Sales $1.13B vs $1.12B Est."", ""5 Stocks To Watch For October 11, 2017"", ""Earnings Scheduled For October 11, 2017"", ""Fastenal's (FAST) Q3 Earnings in Line, Gross Margin Down"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Meets Q3 Earnings & Revenue Estimates"", ""Nasdaq 100 Movers: FAST, PYPL In early trading on Wednesday, shares of PayPal Holdings ( PYPL ) topped the list of the day's best performing components of the Nasdaq 100 index, trading up 2.4%. Year to date, PayPal Holdings registers a 71.3% gain. And the worst performing Nasdaq 100 component thus far on the day is Fastenal ( FAST ), trading down 3.7%. Fastenal is lower by about 8.0% looking at the year to date performance. Two other components making moves today are Akamai Technologies ( AKAM ), trading down 2.0%, and Wynn Resorts ( WYNN ), trading up 0.8% on the day. VIDEO: Nasdaq 100 Movers: FAST, PYPL The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal's (FAST) Q3 Earnings in Line, Gross Margin Down Fastenal Company 's FAST earnings of 50 cents per share in the third quarter of 2017 were in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Earnings also grew 13.4% year over year. Sales Detail Net sales of $1.13 billion were in line the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Sales grew 11.8% year over year driven by higher units owing to improvement in underlying market demand and growth in industrial vending business and existing Onsite locations. Fastenal's daily sales grew 13.6% in the quarter, better than the 10.6% increase in the second quarter of 2017. On a monthly basis, daily sales increased 15.3% in September, 12.8% in August and 12.9% in July, compared with 2.8%, 0.3% and 2.1%, respectively, a year ago. Sales of fastener products (used mainly for industrial production and accounting for approximately 35.6% of the company's third-quarter sales) increased 12.1% in the quarter, 3.8% of which came from the acquisition of the Manufacturers Supply Company (Mansco) business. Non-fastener product sales (used mainly for maintenance and represented 64.4% of the quarterly sales) increased 14.6%. Fastenal Company Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Fastenal Company Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise | Fastenal Company Quote Vending Trends and Other Growth Drivers As of Sep 30, 2017, Fastenal operated 69,058 vending machines, up 14.3% year over year. During the quarter, the company signed 4,771 machine contracts, in line with the year-ago figure. After a soft 2013, vending trends improved through 2014, 2015 and 2016 as management's efforts to enhance the quality of signings/installs paid off. Fastenal signed 81 new Onsite locations during the quarter, up 97.6% from 41 signings a year ago. As of Sep 30, 2017, the company had 555 active sites, representing an increase of 47.6%. Additionally, Fastenal signed 42 new national account contracts in the third quarter (representing 48.7% of its total revenues in the quarter). Net sales from its national account customers grew 17.3% in the quarter on a year-over-year basis. Margins Gross margin of 49.1% in the third quarter of 2017 declined 20 basis points (bps) year over year owing changes in product and customer mix, the addition of Mansco (which has a lower gross profit product mix than the company), disruption owing to the recent hurricanes and commodity inflation. Operating margin improved 20 bps year over year to 20.2% in the quarter, mainly driven by lower operating and administrative expenses. Financials Cash and cash equivalents were $133.4 million as of Sep 30, 2017, up from $112.7 million as of Dec 31, 2016. Long-term debt was $432 million, up from $379.5 million at the end of 2016. Zacks Rank & Key Picks Fastenal carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). A few better-ranked stocks in the industry are Lumber Liquidators Holdings, Inc LL , Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. BECN and The Home Depot, Inc. HD . Lumber Liquidators sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) while the other two companies carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here . Lumber Liquidators is expected to see 73% growth in 2017 earnings. Beacon Roofing is likely to witness 4.6% earnings growth in fiscal 2017. Home Depot expects earnings growth of 13.3% in fiscal 2018. Wall Street's Next Amazon Zacks EVP Kevin Matras believes this familiar stock has only just begun its climb to become one of the greatest investments of all time. It's a once-in-a-generation opportunity to invest in pure genius. Click for details >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Home Depot, Inc. (The) (HD): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. (BECN): Free Stock Analysis Report Lumber Liquidators Holdings, Inc (LL): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Morning Movers: Delta Flies on Earnings; Colgate Gains Stocks look set for a lower open this morning with politics in focus as earnings season gets underway. Agence France-Presse/Getty Images S&P 500 futures have declined 0.1%, while Dow Jones Industrial Average futures have dipped 9 points. Nasdaq Composite futures have fallen 0.1%. Colgate-Palmolive (CL) has advanced 1% to $73.65 after getting upgraded to Buy from Hold at SunTrust Robinson Humphreys. Delta Air Lines (DAL) has risen 1.7% to $53.65 after reporting better-than-expected earnings. Fastenal (FAST) has dropped 2.5% to $43.75 despite meeting earnings forecasts. General Electric (GE) has slipped 0.9% after JPMorgan said a dividend cut was looking more likely. MannKind (MNKD) has tumbled 8.1% to $6.17 after announcing plans to sell more stock. Molina Healthcare (MOH) has fallen 1.8% to $64 after naming a new CEO. Micron Technology (MU) has dropped 3.1% to $40.66 after announcing plans to sell more stock. PayPal Holdings (PYPL) has advanced 1.2% to $66.82 after getting upgraded to Overweight from Equal Weight at Morgan Stanley. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal (FAST) Meets Q3 Earnings & Revenue Estimates Fastenal CompanyFAST is a national wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies. It distributes its products through company-owned stores mostly located in North America. The company has gradually grown from a fastener distributor to a full-line industrial supplier. Investors should note that the recent earnings estimate for FAST has remained stable in the last 30 days. However, Fastenal has delivered positive earnings surprises in two of the last four quarters, making an average positive surprise of 1.8%. Currently, FAST has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), but that could definitely change following Fastenal's earnings report which was just released. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. We have highlighted some of the key stats from this just-revealed announcement below: Earnings : FAST reported EPS of 50 cents per share, in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Fastenal Company Price and EPS Surprise Fastenal Company Price and EPS Surprise | Fastenal Company Quote Revenues : FAST reported revenues of $1.13 billion, also in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Key Stats to Note : Fastenal's average daily sales increased 13.6% in the quarter. Check back later for our full write up on this FAST earnings report later! Wall Street's Next Amazon Zacks EVP Kevin Matras believes this familiar stock has only just begun its climb to become one of the greatest investments of all time. It's a once-in-a-generation opportunity to invest in pure genius. Click for details >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""A Peek Into The Markets: U.S. Stock Futures Edge Lower Ahead Of Fed Minutes"", ""Fastenal Q3 EPS $0.50 vs $0.50 Est., Sales $1.13B vs $1.12B Est."", ""5 Stocks To Watch For October 11, 2017"", ""Earnings Scheduled For October 11, 2017"", ""Fastenal's (FAST) Q3 Earnings in Line, Gross Margin Down"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Meets Q3 Earnings & Revenue Estimates"", ""Fastenal shares slide 1.9% premarket after earnings Fastenal Co. shares fell 1.9% in premarket trade Wednesday, after the company highlighted higher employee costs and the impact of hurricanes on third-quarter earnings. The industrial and construction supplies maker said it had net income of $143.1 million, or 50 cents a share, in the third quarter, up from $126.9 million, or 44 cents a share, in the year-earlier period. Sales rose to $1.13 billion from $1.01 billion. The FactSet consensus was for EPS of 50 cents and sales of $1.12 billion. Employee-related costs rose 12.3% in the quarter, due to higher bonuses and commissions due to growth in sales and earnings, an increase in headcount, higher health care costs and the inclusion of workers from Mansco, or Manufacturers Supply Co., which the company acquired in March 2017. Gross profit was hurt by the effects of hurricanes. Shares are down 4.5% in 2017, while the S&P 500 has gained 14%.""]"
FAST,2017-10-12,19.2881,19.9721,19.2881,19.9662,"[""Stocks Set Glum Tone; Utilities, Dairy Up"", ""Stocks Set Glum Tone; Utilities, Dairy Up"", ""Stocks Set Glum Tone; Utilities, Dairy Up U.S. stock indexes lingered just under the break-even line midday Thursday, as the Dow Jones utility average advanced modestly. The Nasdaq and the small-cap Russell 2000 were flat, while the Dow Jones industrial average and the S&P 500 trimmed 0.1% each. [ibd-display-video id=2350024 width=50 float=left autostart=true]The Dow Jones utility average, a defensive play, rose 0.5% early but then the gain faded to 0.2%. Volume in the stock market today rose on both major exchanges compared with the same time Wednesday. The session at midday had a lackluster tone. Besides utilities, another caution instrument rising was food and dairy stocks. Going into Thursday's session, dairy ranked last among 197 industry groups. But dairy was up 1% in midday action. Blue chips in the Dow Jones industrial average were about evenly split between advancing and declining issues. Microsoft ( MSFT ) rose almost 1%, pegging a new high. McDonald's ( MCD ) also marked a new high as it popped 0.4%. On the negative side, Walt Disney ( DIS ) gapped down about 1.5%. Guggenheim lowered its price target on Disney from 122 to 105. The stock was trading above 97 midday Thursday. In the Nasdaq 100, construction supply store chain Fastenal ( FAST ) led with a 3% thrust. The stock is consolidating and is about 13% off its high. Fastenal reported that Q3 earnings rose 14%, matching the Street's consensus estimate. Full-year earnings growth is expected to roll in at 11%, which would be the best growth in five years. Meanwhile, the IBD 50 was mixed. Gainers included chip equipment maker Lam Research ( LRCX ), payment processor PayPal (PYPL) and flat-panel-display provider Universal Display (OLED). On the downside, the day's losers included managed health care provider Centene (CNC) and China-based wealth manager Jupai (JP), which has been soaring this month and seems due for a breather. Two major banks reported quarterly results. Citigroup (C) reversed to a 2% loss in heavy volume after a slight miss on earnings, according to William O'Neil + Co. calculations. William O'Neil + Co. is a sister company of IBD. JPMorgan Chase (JPM) slid 1% despite topping earnings estimates by about 7%. Bank of America (BAC) and Wells Fargo (WFC) will report quarterly results Friday before the market's open. Both were down in midday trade. RELATED: JPMorgan, Citigroup Beat Q3 Estimates Despite Weak Trading Online Auto Broker Launches IPO Self-Education Is A Key To Investing Success The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Market Close Report: NASDAQ Composite index closes at 6,591.51 down -12.04 points Thursday's session closes with the NASDAQ Composite Index at 6,591.51. The total shares traded for the NASDAQ was over 2.04 billion. Declining stocks led advancers by 1.37 to 1 ratio. There were 1237 advancers and 1696 decliners for the day. On the NASDAQ Stock Exchange 94 stocks reached a 52 week high and 31 those reaching lows totaled. The most active, advancers, decliners, unusual volume and most active by dollar volume can be monitored intraday on the Most Active Stocks page. The NASDAQ 100 index closed down -.19% for the day; a total of -11.26 points. The current value is 6,069.99. MercadoLibre, Inc. ( MELI ) had the largest percent change down (-10.28%) while Fastenal Company ( FAST ) had the largest percent change gain rising 3.21%. The Dow Jones index closed down -.14% for the day; a total of -31.88 points. The current value is 22,841.01. Walt Disney Company (The) ( DIS ) had the largest percent change down (-1.64%) while Caterpillar, Inc. ( CAT ) had the largest percent change gain rising 1.08%. NASDAQ Market Wrap As of 10/12/2017 4:43:59 PM BILLIONS OF 2.04 NASDAQ SHARES TRADED TODAY 94 STOCKS REACHED A 52 WEEK HIGH 31 THOSE REACHING LOWS TOTALEDFastenal Company [FAST]TOPS ADVANCERS LISTOF NASDAQ 100 INDEX % 3.21 ROSE The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Stocks Set Glum Tone; Utilities, Dairy Up"", ""Evening Sector Snapshot: Construction Gains; Telecom, Retail Fall A look at the day's biggest moving sectors.""]"
FAST,2017-10-13,20.1083,20.3392,20.0234,20.2456,
FAST,2017-10-16,20.3196,20.5485,20.2622,20.5386,"[""David Rolfe Comments on Fastenal"", ""David Rolfe Comments on Fastenal"", ""David Rolfe Comments on Fastenal""]"
FAST,2017-10-17,20.6413,20.9127,20.3521,20.8348,"[""Najarian Brothers See Unusual Options Activity In Facebook, W W Grainger, And More"", ""Najarian Brothers See Unusual Options Activity In Facebook, W W Grainger, And More"", ""Najarian Brothers See Unusual Options Activity In Facebook, W W Grainger, And More""]"
FAST,2017-10-18,20.9275,21.2454,20.8644,21.0559,
FAST,2017-10-19,21.0055,21.1487,20.9275,20.9759,
FAST,2017-10-20,21.0795,21.1951,20.9799,21.0303,
FAST,2017-10-23,21.1101,21.2849,20.9365,21.2631,
FAST,2017-10-24,21.2631,21.3589,20.362,20.4923,"[""Fastenal Option Alert: Dec 15 $47 Puts Sweep (19) at the Ask: 530 @ $1.101 vs 1 OI; Ref=$48.23"", ""Fastenal Shares Falling on Heavy Volume; Activity in Dec $47 Put"", ""Fastenal Option Alert: Nov 17 $46 Puts Sweep (21) at the Ask: 792 @ $0.85 vs 365 OI; Ref=$46.9"", ""Benzinga's Option Alert Recap From October 24"", ""Benzinga's Option Alert Recap From October 24"", ""Fastenal Option Alert: Nov 17 $46 Puts Sweep (21) at the Ask: 792 @ $0.85 vs 365 OI; Ref=$46.9"", ""Fastenal Shares Falling on Heavy Volume; Activity in Dec $47 Put"", ""Fastenal Option Alert: Dec 15 $47 Puts Sweep (19) at the Ask: 530 @ $1.101 vs 1 OI; Ref=$48.23"", ""Could Home Depot Inc Stock Have a Professional Problem? InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips While most of the retail sector has struggled over the past few years, Home Depot Inc (NYSE: HD ) stock has gone the other way. Home Depot stock is up 30% in the last year, 80% in the last three years and 160% over the past five years. One key reason for the optimism toward HD stock is that its model should be more resistant to e-commerce competition - that is, Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN ) - than other retailers. Source: Mike Mozart via Flickr (Modified) That's certainly been the case so far. Comparable-store sales in the U.S. rose 6.2% in fiscal 2016 (ending January) and another 6.3% in the first half of FY17. Home Depot comps continue to outpace those of rival Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE: LOW ), which is one reason HD stock continues to outperform LOW. 5 Dirt Cheap Dividend ETFs to Buy Now One big reason for the share gains against Lowe's, and the growth in a challenging time for brick-and-mortar retail, is Home Depot's success with professional customers. As Nicole Sinclair pointed out at Yahoo! Finance this summer, Home Depot gets roughly 40% of its sales from pro customers , against ~30% for Lowe's. And that category has driven recent growth in particular, with HD management disclosing on both the Q1 and Q2 conference calls that the same-store sales growth rate for professional customers was double that of DIY buyers. For now, that's good news. But for two different reasons, it's worth wondering whether in the long term, the increasing reliance on professional customers might actually turn out to be a concern. Cyclical Concerns for HD Stock The primary concern surrounding the increasing reliance on professional customers is the potential cyclical impact should the current, reasonably strong housing cycle reverse. Home Depot comps are rising, and some of those gains are coming from taking market share. But the company also is benefiting from increased demand both in terms of renovation and new home construction. And that direct demand is going to be most notable in the professional category, which has larger spend and is more economically sensitive. That alone doesn't suggest that HD stock is overvalued at the moment. But from a long-term standpoint, it is a potential risk. Part of Home Depot's current outperformance appears to be coming from the pro category. And those are precisely the customers that will be the first to lose work if macro conditions turn. For now, with broad markets at an all-time high and the U.S. economy reasonably strong, that doesn't seem like a near-term risk. But it does leave Home Depot potentially more exposed than Lowe's when the cycle does turn. Amazon, MRO and HD Stock There's a secular concern to Home Depot's strategy as well. HD has moved aggressively into the B2B (business to business) and MRO (maintenance, repair, and operations) distribution spaces with both its emphasis on professional sales and its acquisition of distributor Interline Brands in 2015. But in that space, Amazon may be a bigger problem than in the legacy Home Depot stores. After all, Home Depot is having tremendous success in \""omnichannel\"" retailing , as James Brumley pointed out earlier this month. The need for DIY customers, in particular, to view objects in person and/or ask for assistance helps limit online competition. So does the low dollar value of many home improvement items, which can make shipping costs prohibitive. But, in B2B, it's a different story. And it's worth noting that the distribution space, in particular, is one where investors are showing a lot of caution. The rise of Amazon Business has sent shares of major distributors like W W Grainger Inc (NYSE: GWW ) and Fastenal Company (NASDAQ: FAST ) tumbling. GWW shares have recovered after a strong earnings report, but they still fell nearly 40% just between February and August. FAST stock still trades below early-2012 levels. Mid- to long-term, the category where HD is having the most strength right now may turn out to be its most competitive. Pro customers generally know what they want and for how much. Home Depot's delivery efforts and incentive programs mean it will likely keep most of those customers. But the Amazon threat HD bulls dismiss in the consumer business may be larger than some realize on the professional side. Bottom Line on Home Depot Stock To be sure, those risks don't suggest a short of HD stock, or anything close. This remains a dominant franchise, with impressive earnings growth. The dividend yields over 2%, and Home Depot has raised its targeted payout ratio to 55% from 50%, implying larger increases going forward. And a ~20x forward EPS multiple isn't particularly aggressive, especially relative to recent growth. Home Depot (HD) a Buy on Strong Earnings Growth But an investor still needs to trust the cycle to buy HD at current levels, and trust that the company can manage the Amazon threat in B2B. On both fronts, I'm optimistic, but cautiously so. And I see enough risk to keep HD stock from being that compelling just off all-time highs. As of this writing, Vince Martin has no positions in any securities mentioned. More From InvestorPlace 5 Battered Stocks That Can Come Back From the Grave Home Depot Inc (HD) Stock Could Soar on Tax Reform 7 Stocks With Huge Pension Debts to Avoid at All Costs The post Could Home Depot Inc Stock Have a Professional Problem? appeared first on InvestorPlace . The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Benzinga's Option Alert Recap From October 24"", ""Fastenal Option Alert: Nov 17 $46 Puts Sweep (21) at the Ask: 792 @ $0.85 vs 365 OI; Ref=$46.9"", ""Fastenal Shares Falling on Heavy Volume; Activity in Dec $47 Put"", ""Fastenal Option Alert: Dec 15 $47 Puts Sweep (19) at the Ask: 530 @ $1.101 vs 1 OI; Ref=$48.23""]"
FAST,2017-10-25,20.3768,20.4449,20.1074,20.4044,
FAST,2017-10-26,20.4617,20.8891,20.2702,20.7775,"Fastenal Named Top Dividend Stock With Insider Buying and 2.75% Yield (FAST) In this series, we look through the most recent Dividend Channel''DividendRank'' report, and then we cherry pick only those companies that have experienced insider buying within the past six months. The officers and directors of a company tend to have a unique insider's view of the business, and presumably the only reason an insider would choose to take their hard-earned cash and use it to buy stock in the open market, is that they expect to make money - maybe they find the stock very undervalued, or maybe they see exciting progress within the company, or maybe both. So when stocks turn up that see insider buying, and are also top ranked, investors are wise to take notice. One such company is Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST), which saw buying by Director Stephen L. Eastman. Back on August 22, Eastman invested $32,464.00 into 800 shares of FAST, for a cost per share of $40.58. In trading on Thursday, shares were changing hands as low as $46.33 per share, which is 14.2% above Eastman's purchase price. It should be noted that Eastman has collected $0.32/share in dividends since the time of their purchase, so they are currently up 15.0% on their purchase from a total return basis. Fastenal Co. shares are currently trading +1.63% on the day. The chart below shows the one year performance of FAST shares, versus its 200 day moving average: Looking at the chart above, FAST's low point in its 52 week range is $38.09 per share, with $52.74 as the 52 week high point - that compares with a last trade of $47.42. By comparison, below is a table showing the prices at which insider buying was recorded over the last six months: The DividendRank report noted that among the coverage universe, FAST shares displayed both attractive valuation metrics and strong profitability metrics. The report also cited the strong quarterly dividend history at Fastenal Co., and favorable long-term multi-year growth rates in key fundamental data points. The report stated, '' Dividend investors approaching investing from a value standpoint are generally most interested in researching the strongest most profitable companies, that also happen to be trading at an attractive valuation. That's what we aim to find using our proprietary DividendRank formula, which ranks the coverage universe based upon our various criteria for both profitability and valuation, to generate a list of the top most 'interesting' stocks, meant for investors as a source of ideas that merit further research. '' The annualized dividend paid by Fastenal Co. is $1.28/share, currently paid in quarterly installments, and its most recent dividend ex-date was on 10/24/2017. Below is a long-term dividend history chart for FAST, which the report stressed as being of key importance. Indeed, studying a company's past dividend history can be of good help in judging whether the most recent dividend is likely to continue. The Top DividendRank'ed Stocks With Insider Buying » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2017-10-27,20.5791,20.7775,20.513,20.6463,
FAST,2017-10-30,20.5663,20.7736,20.434,20.4696,
FAST,2017-10-31,20.8437,20.9937,20.5248,20.5476,
FAST,2017-11-01,20.663,20.663,20.2998,20.4646,
FAST,2017-11-02,20.4646,20.8367,20.4004,20.816,
FAST,2017-11-03,20.7736,21.0933,20.6502,20.9611,"[""Fastenal Company (Nasdaq: FAST) to Ring The Nasdaq Stock Market Opening Bell in Celebration of ..."", ""Fastenal 'Blue Team' to Ring Nasdaq Opening Bell on November 6, \u2014\u2026\u20137"", ""Fastenal 'Blue Team' to Ring Nasdaq Opening Bell on November 6, \u2014\u2026\u20137"", ""Fastenal Company (Nasdaq: FAST) to Ring The Nasdaq Stock Market Opening Bell in Celebration of ..."", ""Insiders Buy the Holdings of VIS ETF A look at the weighted underlying holdings of the Vanguard Industrials ETF ( VIS ) shows an impressive 11.8% of holdings on a weighted basis have experienced insider buying within the past six months. Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST), which makes up 0.47% of the Vanguard Industrials ETF ( VIS ), has seen 4 directors and officers purchase shares in the past six months, according to the recent Form 4 data. The ETF holds a total of $16,976,863 worth of FAST, making it the #40 largest holding. The table below details the recent insider buying activity observed at FAST: FAST - last trade: $47.58 - Recent Insider Buys: And AZZ Inc (Symbol: AZZ), the #186 largest holding among components of the Vanguard Industrials ETF ( VIS ), shows 2 directors and officers as recently filing Form 4's indicating purchases. The ETF holds $1,911,582 worth of AZZ, which represents approximately 0.05% of the ETF's total assets at last check. The recent insider buying activity observed at AZZ is detailed in the table below: AZZ - last trade: $47.25 - Recent Insider Buys: 10 ETFs With Stocks That Insiders Are Buying \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal 'Blue Team' to Ring Nasdaq Opening Bell on November 6, \u2014\u2026\u20137"", ""Fastenal Company (Nasdaq: FAST) to Ring The Nasdaq Stock Market Opening Bell in Celebration of ...""]"
FAST,2017-11-06,20.7815,21.0835,20.6709,21.0263,
FAST,2017-11-07,21.0461,21.0875,20.9295,21.0164,
FAST,2017-11-08,21.0647,21.2177,20.9749,21.199,
FAST,2017-11-09,21.0973,21.1527,20.442,20.7983,"[""What's in the Cards for Gap (GPS) This Earnings Season?"", ""What's in the Cards for Gap (GPS) This Earnings Season?"", ""What's in the Cards for Gap (GPS) This Earnings Season? Gap Inc.GPS is slated to release third-quarter fiscal 2017 results on Nov 16. The question lingering in investors' minds is, whether this leading specialty retailer will be able to deliver a positive earnings surprise in the soon-to-be reported quarter. The company's earnings have outpaced the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the trailing four quarters, with an average beat of 9.3%. Let's see how things are shaping up prior to the earnings announcement. Which Way are Estimates Treading? In order to get a clear picture of what analysts are thinking about the company right before earnings release, let's have a look at the earnings estimate revisions. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the fiscal third quarter has been stable at 55 cents in the past 30 days but reflects more than 8% decline from the year-ago quarter. Further, analysts polled by Zacks expect revenues of $3.8 billion to be almost in line with the prior-year quarter. The consensus mark for net sales at the Gap Global, the Banana Republic Global and the Old Navy Global segments are pegged at $1,269 million, $540 million and 1,773 million, respectively. While these estimates reflect growth of 3% for Gap Global and 0.9% for Old Navy Global, it reveals a decline of 6.7% for the Banana Republic Global segment, compared with the last quarter. Factors at Play Gap's shares have gained 14.4% year to date, as against the industry 's decline of 20.6%. This performance was driven by its solid focus on enhancing product quality and responsiveness to changing consumer trends. Meanwhile, the company has been making constant efforts to boost its digital and mobile offerings, besides improving product acceptance. Also, Gap's new growth strategy focused on growing its Old Navy and Athleta brands looks promising. However, results continue to be soft at the company's namesake and Banana Republic brands. Moreover, going forward, management expects SG&A expenses to increase at a higher rate than the first half. This mainly stems from increased product, marketing and digital investments for the significant back-to-school selling season. The company expects the rise in costs to hurt its bottom line. Further, Gap's significant international presence exposes it to adverse currency fluctuations. Though the company's earnings and sales topped estimates in the previous quarter, currency headwinds caused results to decline year over year. Unfortunately, management expects these hurdles to persist in fiscal 2017, which in turn might dent the quarterly results. What the Zacks Model Unveils? Our proven model does not show that Gap is likely to beat earnings estimates this quarter. This is because a stock needs to have both - a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) - for this to happen. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they're reported with our Earnings ESP Filter . Gap, Inc. (The) Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Gap, Inc. (The) Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise | Gap, Inc. (The) Quote Gap has an Earnings ESP of -0.76%. Although its Zacks Rank #3 increases the predictive power of ESP, the stock's negative ESP does not make us confident of a positive earnings surprise. Stocks With Favorable Combination Here are some companies you may want to consider as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat: Zumiez Inc. ZUMZ has an Earnings ESP of +0.69% and a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here . The Home Depot, Inc. HD has an Earnings ESP of +0.40% and a Zacks Rank #2. Fastenal Company FAST has an Earnings ESP of +0.12% and a Zacks Rank #3. Today's Stocks from Zacks' Hottest Strategies It's hard to believe, even for us at Zacks. But while the market gained +18.8% from 2016 - Q1 2017, our top stock-picking screens have returned +157.0%, +128.0%, +97.8%, +94.7%, and +90.2% respectively. And this outperformance has not just been a recent phenomenon. Over the years it has been remarkably consistent. From 2000 - Q1 2017, the composite yearly average gain for these strategies has beaten the market more than 11X over. Maybe even more remarkable is the fact that we're willing to share their latest stocks with you without cost or obligation. See Them Free>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Home Depot, Inc. (The) (HD): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Zumiez Inc. (ZUMZ): Free Stock Analysis Report Gap, Inc. (The) (GPS): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""What's in the Cards for Gap (GPS) This Earnings Season?""]"
FAST,2017-11-10,20.6709,21.2049,20.6058,20.8259,"Notable Friday Option Activity: URI, FAST, UPS Among the underlying components of the S&P 500 index, we saw noteworthy options trading volume today in United Rentals Inc (Symbol: URI), where a total of 6,992 contracts have traded so far, representing approximately 699,200 underlying shares. That amounts to about 48.3% of URI's average daily trading volume over the past month of 1.4 million shares. Especially high volume was seen for the $139 strike put option expiring November 17, 2017 , with 1,400 contracts trading so far today, representing approximately 140,000 underlying shares of URI. Below is a chart showing URI's trailing twelve month trading history, with the $139 strike highlighted in orange: Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) options are showing a volume of 10,605 contracts thus far today. That number of contracts represents approximately 1.1 million underlying shares, working out to a sizeable 46.8% of FAST's average daily trading volume over the past month, of 2.3 million shares. Especially high volume was seen for the $48 strike call option expiring November 17, 2017 , with 4,240 contracts trading so far today, representing approximately 424,000 underlying shares of FAST. Below is a chart showing FAST's trailing twelve month trading history, with the $48 strike highlighted in orange: And United Parcel Service Inc (Symbol: UPS) saw options trading volume of 11,968 contracts, representing approximately 1.2 million underlying shares or approximately 46.3% of UPS's average daily trading volume over the past month, of 2.6 million shares. Especially high volume was seen for the $112 strike call option expiring November 17, 2017 , with 3,419 contracts trading so far today, representing approximately 341,900 underlying shares of UPS. Below is a chart showing UPS's trailing twelve month trading history, with the $112 strike highlighted in orange: For the various different available expirations for URI options , FAST options , or UPS options , visit StockOptionsChannel.com. Today's Most Active Call & Put Options of the S&P 500 » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2017-11-13,20.7055,20.8496,20.6058,20.663,"[""Why Is Fastenal (FAST) Up 6.9% Since the Last Earnings Report?"", ""Why Is Fastenal (FAST) Up 6.9% Since the Last Earnings Report?"", ""Why Is Fastenal (FAST) Up 6.9% Since the Last Earnings Report? More than a month has gone by since the last earnings report for Fastenal CompanyFAST . Shares have added about 6.9% in that time frame, outperforming the market. Will the recent positive trend continue leading up to the stock's next earnings release, or is it due for a pullback? Before we dive into how investors and analysts have reacted of late, let's take a quick look at the most recent earnings report in order to get a better handle on the important catalysts. Third Quarter 2017 Results Fastenal's earnings of 50 cents per share in the third quarter of 2017 were in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Earnings also grew 13.4% year over year. Sales Detail Net sales of $1.13 billion were also in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Sales grew 11.8% year over year driven by higher units owing to improvement in underlying market demand and growth in industrial vending business and existing Onsite locations. Fastenal's daily sales grew 13.6% in the quarter, better than the 10.6% increase in the second quarter of 2017. On a monthly basis, daily sales increased 15.3% in September, 12.8% in August and 12.9% in July, compared with 2.8%, 0.3% and 2.1%, respectively, a year ago. Sales of fastener products (used mainly for industrial production and accounting for approximately 35.6% of the company's third-quarter sales) increased 12.1% in the quarter, 3.8% of which came from the acquisition of the Manufacturers Supply Company (Mansco) business. Non-fastener product sales (used mainly for maintenance and represented 64.4% of the quarterly sales) increased 14.6%. Vending Trends and Other Growth Drivers As of Sep 30, 2017, Fastenal operated 69,058 vending machines, up 14.3% year over year. During the quarter, the company signed 4,771 machine contracts, in line with the year-ago figure. After a soft 2013, vending trends improved through 2014, 2015 and 2016 as management's efforts to enhance the quality of signings/installs paid off. Fastenal signed 81 new Onsite locations during the quarter, up 97.6% from 41 a year ago. As of Sep 30, 2017, the company had 555 active sites, representing an increase of 47.6%. Additionally, Fastenal signed 42 new national account contracts in the third quarter (representing 48.7% of total revenues in the quarter). Net sales from its national account customers grew 17.3% in the quarter on a year-over-year basis. Margins Gross margin of 49.1% in the third quarter of 2017 declined 20 basis points (bps) year over year owing to changes in product and customer mix, the addition of Mansco (which has a lower gross profit product mix than the company), disruption owing to the recent hurricanes and commodity inflation. Operating margin improved 20 bps year over year to 20.2% in the quarter, mainly driven by lower operating and administrative expenses. Financials Cash and cash equivalents were $133.4 million as of Sep 30, 2017, up from $112.7 million as of Dec 31, 2016. Long-term debt was $432 million, up from $379.5 million at the end of 2016. How Have Estimates Been Moving Since Then? Analysts were quiet during the last month as none of them issued any earnings estimate revisions. Fastenal Company Price and Consensus Fastenal Company Price and Consensus | Fastenal Company Quote VGM Scores At this time, Fastenal's stock has a nice Growth Score of B, though it is lagging a bit on the momentum front with a C.The stock was allocated a grade of D on the value side, putting it in the bottom 40% for this investment strategy. Overall, the stock has an aggregate VGM Score of C. If you aren't focused on one strategy, this score is the one you should be interested in. The company's stock is suitable for growth investors and to a lesser degree momentum. Outlook The stock has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). We expect in-line returns from the stock in the next few months. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Why Is Fastenal (FAST) Up 6.9% Since the Last Earnings Report?""]"
FAST,2017-11-14,20.5337,20.8496,20.5209,20.7687,
FAST,2017-11-15,20.6838,21.0035,20.6285,20.8121,
FAST,2017-11-16,20.9029,21.2799,20.7864,21.2049,"[""Dividend Contenders: 24 Increases Expected In The Next 11 Weeks"", ""Dividend Contenders: 24 Increases Expected In The Next 11 Weeks"", ""Dividend Contenders: 24 Increases Expected In The Next 11 Weeks""]"
FAST,2017-11-17,21.1951,21.3352,20.9394,21.2089,
FAST,2017-11-20,21.1605,21.3135,20.9029,21.0461,
FAST,2017-11-21,21.1823,21.275,21.0973,21.1951,"How to avoid the next GE — and find industrial winners of the future Sales, margins and returns on invested capital tell the story Sales, margins and returns on invested capital tell the story. By Phil van Doorn."
FAST,2017-11-22,21.2296,21.6827,21.2089,21.3273,"[""Stocks Mixed As This Tech Leader Wins Analyst Praise Despite Soft Outlook"", ""Fastenal Option Alert: Jan 19 $50 Calls Sweep (29) at the Ask: 2000 @ $1.4 vs 2237 OI; Ref=$49.05"", ""Fastenal Option Alert: Jan 19 $50 Calls Sweep (29) at the Ask: 2000 @ $1.4 vs 2237 OI; Ref=$49.05"", ""Stocks Mixed As This Tech Leader Wins Analyst Praise Despite Soft Outlook"", ""Stocks Mixed As This Tech Leader Wins Analyst Praise Despite Soft Outlook The major indexes were narrowly mixed Wednesday afternoon, trading in a narrow price range that saw only a few sectors make significant moves. [ibd-display-video id=2892160 width=50 float=left autostart=true] The Nasdaq composite held to a minimal gain, while the S&P 500 eased 0.1% and the Dow Jones industrial average fell 0.3%. The Russell 2000 was up a fraction. All indexes held near new highs, and the Nasdaq inched up to another new high this morning before ceding some gains. Dow component Johnson & Johnson ( JNJ ) fell to its 50-day moving average , which coincides with a 137.18 buy point the stock cleared in October. The medical products company now seeks support at that key level. Verizon ( VZ ) rose 2%. The company stands to gain more power if the Federal Communications Commission rolls back net-neutrality rules , which the commission said Tuesday will be voted on Dec. 14. Volume was tracking below Tuesday's levels at the same time of day. That's not surprising on the eve of Thanksgiving, when many traders plan to take a four-day break. Winners led losers by a 9-7 ratio across the board. Health care stocks led, with hospital, home care and drug wholesale industry groups flashing gains of more than 2%. But those industry groups rank low, and are lacking in leading stocks. The energy sector also led, after the price of oil rose 88 cents to $57.71 a barrel, off from a session high just above $58. The weakest industry groups were spread among semiconductors, scientific equipment, automakers, RV makers, jewelry companies, plastics and other industries. Salesforce.com ( CRM ) fell 1.7% in heavy trading after the company beat profit and sales expectations for the October-ended quarter but gave a profit guidance for the current quarter that disappointed . The stock, however, remains in a strong uptrend since its breakout past 98.32 on Oct. 20. Despite the outlook, BMO Capital Markets, Royal Bank of Canada, Pivotal Research and SunTrust Banks raised their price targets on the stock. Canaccord Genuity analyst Richard Davis also raised his price target, to 130 from 120. \""With this quarterly print and guide ... we do not know how anyone can reasonably argue that Salesforce is not one of, if not the, highest-quality software companies on the planet,\"" Davis wrote. He cited the company's major deal with the Department of Homeland Security during the quarter, and the launch of its Financial Services Cloud business for banking. Fastenal ( FAST ) cleared the 49.07 entry of a cup with handle. But volume was below average. Fastenal is in the building products industry group, which includes leaders such as Home Depot ( HD ) and Beacon Roofing Supply (BECN). A few other stocks in the group are forming bases. Home Depot is extended after a pullback to the 50-day moving average. RELATED: Salesforce.com Earnings Beat, But Guidance Light As Stock Slides Why FCC Net-Neutrality Reversal Could Later Be Reversed Again The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Noteworthy Wednesday Option Activity: CERN, FAST, URI Looking at options trading activity among components of the S&P 500 index, there is noteworthy activity today in Cerner Corp. (Symbol: CERN), where a total volume of 13,726 contracts has been traded thus far today, a contract volume which is representative of approximately 1.4 million underlying shares (given that every 1 contract represents 100 underlying shares). That number works out to 62.1% of CERN's average daily trading volume over the past month, of 2.2 million shares. Especially high volume was seen for the $70 strike call option expiring December 15, 2017 , with 3,940 contracts trading so far today, representing approximately 394,000 underlying shares of CERN. Below is a chart showing CERN's trailing twelve month trading history, with the $70 strike highlighted in orange: Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) options are showing a volume of 9,116 contracts thus far today. That number of contracts represents approximately 911,600 underlying shares, working out to a sizeable 54.2% of FAST's average daily trading volume over the past month, of 1.7 million shares. Particularly high volume was seen for the $50 strike call option expiring January 19, 2018 , with 5,226 contracts trading so far today, representing approximately 522,600 underlying shares of FAST. Below is a chart showing FAST's trailing twelve month trading history, with the $50 strike highlighted in orange: And United Rentals Inc (Symbol: URI) saw options trading volume of 6,678 contracts, representing approximately 667,800 underlying shares or approximately 53.5% of URI's average daily trading volume over the past month, of 1.2 million shares. Especially high volume was seen for the $145 strike put option expiring December 15, 2017 , with 1,445 contracts trading so far today, representing approximately 144,500 underlying shares of URI. Below is a chart showing URI's trailing twelve month trading history, with the $145 strike highlighted in orange: For the various different available expirations for CERN options , FAST options , or URI options , visit StockOptionsChannel.com. Today's Most Active Call & Put Options of the S&P 500 \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Option Alert: Jan 19 $50 Calls Sweep (29) at the Ask: 2000 @ $1.4 vs 2237 OI; Ref=$49.05"", ""Stocks Mixed As This Tech Leader Wins Analyst Praise Despite Soft Outlook""]"
FAST,2017-11-24,21.3806,21.4981,21.1823,21.4685,
FAST,2017-11-27,21.4507,21.7606,21.3273,21.4142,"S&P 500 Analyst Moves: FAST The latest tally of analyst opinions from the major brokerage houses shows that among the components of the S&P 500 index, Fastenal ( FAST ) is now the #53 analyst pick, moving up by 4 spots. This rank is formed by averaging the analyst opinions for each component from each broker, and then ranking the 500 components by those average opinion values. Looking at the stock price movement year to date, Fastenal ( FAST ) is showing a gain of 4.3%. VIDEO: S&P 500 Analyst Moves: FAST The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2017-11-28,21.4181,22.0716,21.3619,22.0508,
FAST,2017-11-29,22.0894,22.7487,21.967,22.416,"[""Fastenal Trying To Close In On Key Technical Benchmark"", ""Fastenal Trying To Close In On Key Technical Benchmark"", ""Fastenal Trying To Close In On Key Technical Benchmark In a welcome move, Fastenal ( FAST ) saw its Relative Strength Rating improve from 64 to 71 on Wednesday. [ibd-display-video id=2385970 width=50 float=left autostart=true] IBD's proprietary rating tracks share price movement with a 1 (worst) to 99 (best) score. The score shows how a stock's price performance over the trailing 52 weeks holds up against all the other stocks in our database. Decades of market research reveals that the market's biggest winners often have an RS Rating north of 80 in the early stages of their moves. See if Fastenal can continue to show renewed price strength and clear that threshold. Looking For The Best Stocks To Buy And Watch? Start Here Fastenal is in a buy zone after breaking past a 49.07 entry in a saucer with handle . The proper buying range is up to 5% above the initial entry. Once a stock moves above that range, it's best to hold off investing and wait for it to set up another buying opportunity.. While EPS growth dropped in the company's most recent performance report from 16% to 14%, the top line rose 12%, up from 11% in the previous report. Fastenal earns the No. 6 rank among its peers in the Retail/Wholesale-Building Products industry group. SiteOne Landscape Supply ( SITE ), Home Depot ( HD ) and Central Garden & Pet ( CENTA ) are among the top 5 highly rated stocks within the group. RELATED: IBD Stock Rating Upgrades: Rising Relative Strength Why Should You Use IBD's Relative Strength Rating? How Relative Strength Line Can Help You Judge A Stock The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Trying To Close In On Key Technical Benchmark""]"
FAST,2017-11-30,22.416,23.1385,22.2729,22.9195,"Insiders Seeing Green With FAST At New 52-Week High In trading on Thursday, shares of Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) touched a new 52-week high of $52.89/share. That's a 32.92% rise, or $13.1 per share from the 52-week low of $39.79 set back on 08/21/2017. That means at today's intraday high, any investor who purchased FAST stock any time over the past 52 weeks has an unrealized gain, including company insiders. Over the past six months, insiders have been scooping up shares, and those bets are now paying off handsomely. As summarized by the table below, FAST has seen 4 different instances of insiders buying over the trailing six month period. The chart below shows where FAST has traded over the past year, with the 50-day and 200-day moving averages included. In afternoon trading on Thursday, FAST shares are changing hands at $52.83/share, slightly below the new 52-week high. Ten Bargains You Can Buy Cheaper Than The Insiders Did » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2017-12-01,22.8237,22.9629,22.2759,22.8277,"FAST Crosses Above Average Analyst Target In recent trading, shares of Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) have crossed above the average analyst 12-month target price of $51.50, changing hands for $52.39/share. When a stock reaches the target an analyst has set, the analyst logically has two ways to react: downgrade on valuation, or, re-adjust their target price to a higher level. Analyst reaction may also depend on the fundamental business developments that may be responsible for driving the stock price higher - if things are looking up for the company, perhaps it is time for that target price to be raised. There are 8 different analyst targets contributing to that average for Fastenal Co., but the average is just that - a mathematical average. There are analysts with lower targets than the average, including one looking for a price of $47.00. And then on the other side of the spectrum one analyst has a target as high as $55.00. The standard deviation is $3.162. But the whole reason to look at the average FAST price target in the first place is to tap into a ""wisdom of crowds"" effort, putting together the contributions of all the individual minds who contributed to the ultimate number, as opposed to what just one particular expert believes. And so with FAST crossing above that average target price of $51.50/share, investors in FAST have been given a good signal to spend fresh time assessing the company and deciding for themselves: is $51.50 just one stop on the way to an even higher target, or has the valuation gotten stretched to the point where it is time to think about taking some chips off the table? Below is a table showing the current thinking of the analysts that cover Fastenal Co.: The average rating presented in the last row of the above table above is from 1 to 5 where 1 is Strong Buy and 5 is Strong Sell. This article used data provided by Zacks Investment Research via Quandl.com . Get the latest Zacks research report on FAST - FREE . 10 ETFs With Most Upside To Analyst Targets » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2017-12-04,23.0043,24.2144,22.9827,24.0092,"[""Wall Street Opens Strong"", ""Wall Street Opens Strong"", ""Nasdaq 100 Movers: ADBE, FAST In early trading on Monday, shares of Fastenal ( FAST ) topped the list of the day's best performing components of the Nasdaq 100 index, trading up 5.2%. Year to date, Fastenal registers a 16.9% gain. And the worst performing Nasdaq 100 component thus far on the day is Adobe Systems ( ADBE ), trading down 3.3%. Adobe Systems is showing a gain of 68.5% looking at the year to date performance. Two other components making moves today are NVIDIA Corp ( NVDA ), trading down 3.2%, and Express Scripts Holding ( ESRX ), trading up 4.8% on the day. VIDEO: Nasdaq 100 Movers: ADBE, FAST The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Wall Street Opens Strong""]"
FAST,2017-12-05,24.1,24.172,23.5018,23.5798,"[""Fastenal Shows Rising Price Performance With Jump To 82 RS Rating"", ""Fastenal Shows Rising Price Performance With Jump To 82 RS Rating"", ""Fastenal (FAST) in Focus: Stock Moves 5.2% Higher Fastenal CompanyFAST was a big mover last session, as the company saw its shares rise more than 5% on the day. The move came on solid volume too with far more shares changing hands than in a normal session. This continues the recent uptrend for the company as the stock is now up 14.2% in the past one-month time frame. The company has seen a mixed track record when it comes to estimate revisions of two increases and one decrease over the past few months, while the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current quarterremained unchanged. The recent price action is encouraging though, so make sure to keep a close watch on this firm in the near future. Fastenal currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) while its Earnings ESP is positive. Fastenal Company Price Fastenal Company Price | Fastenal Company Quote A better-ranked stock in the Building Products - Retail industry is Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. BECN , which currently carries a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here . Is FAST going up? Or down? Predict to see what others think: Up or Down Looking for Stocks with Skyrocketing Upside? Zacks has just released a Special Report on the booming investment opportunities of legal marijuana. Ignited by new referendums and legislation, this industry is expected to blast from an already robust $6.7 billion to $20.2 billion in 2021. Early investors stand to make a killing, but you have to be ready to act and know just where to look. See the pot trades we're targeting>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. (BECN): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Shows Rising Price Performance With Jump To 82 RS Rating""]"
FAST,2017-12-06,23.4268,23.5758,23.1089,23.3735,"[""Fastenal reports figures for November"", ""Top Nasdaq Gainers Are Western Digital, Vodafone, And Microchip Per December Broker 1Yr. Targets"", ""Top Nasdaq Gainers Are Western Digital, Vodafone, And Microchip Per December Broker 1Yr. Targets"", ""Fastenal reports figures for November"", ""Top Nasdaq Gainers Are Western Digital, Vodafone, And Microchip Per December Broker 1Yr. Targets"", ""Fastenal reports figures for November""]"
FAST,2017-12-07,23.3834,23.7298,23.2827,23.5531,
FAST,2017-12-08,23.6479,23.7071,23.4505,23.5284,
FAST,2017-12-11,23.4929,23.6736,23.3932,23.5433,
FAST,2017-12-12,23.7832,23.8434,23.1475,23.1691,
FAST,2017-12-13,23.2313,23.3883,23.1475,23.2353,"[""Fastenal (FAST) Vending Machine Count Grows, Margins Weak"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Vending Machine Count Grows, Margins Weak"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Vending Machine Count Grows, Margins Weak Fastenal Company 's FAST industrial vending process has the potential to revolutionize the industrial distribution system and boost profits. Industrial vending is one of the primary growth drivers for Fastenal which has the potential to drive sales and profits. Sales through vending machines continued to grow at or near a double-digit pace in each of the first three quarters of 2017. Fastenal signed 15,089 vending machines in the first nine months of 2017, reflecting an increase of 5.5% from the year ago period. Apart from vending machines, increased onsite locations have contributed significantly to sales. Fastenal provides onsite location, in which a mini-Fastenal shop is basically located in a customer's plant. The company signed 213 new onsite locations in the first nine months of 2017 and had 555 active sites as on Sep 30, 2017, reflecting a year-over-year increase of 47.6%. The company aims to achieve 275-300 onsite signings in 2017, compared with 176 in 2016 and 80 in 2015. Increased number of onsite locations is likely to boost Fastenal's market share. Additionally, Fastenal's cost-saving program Pathway-to-Profit is encouraging. Under this, the company focuses on increasing the average store size which leads to better earnings. Notably, shares of Fastenal have gained 23% in the last six months, compared with 13% growth of its industry . Concerns Negative customer/product mix as a result of faster growth of lower margin national accounts and a lower proportion of higher margin fasteners are likely to affect results. The customer mix shifted toward the large-account end-market and the product mix shifted from high-margin fastener products to low-margin non-fastener products. Gross margin of 49.4% in the first nine months of 2017 dropped 10 basis points (bps) from the prior-year period. Overall, 2016 gross margin dropped 80 bps from the 2015 level. The company buys and sells various types of steel products, primarily consisting of different types of threaded fasteners. As such Fastenal is subjected to the impact of change in the price of steel. In the first nine months of 2017, the company saw a inflation in steel pricing. Nevertheless, increased onsite locations and installation of vending machines along with the cost control initiatives are expected to boost growth. Notably, earnings estimates for 2018 moved up 0.5% over the last 30 days, reflecting analyst optimism. Key Picks A few better-ranked stocks in the sector are Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. BECN , Tecnoglass Inc. TGLS and Famous Dave's of America, Inc. DAVE . Beacon Roofing sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), while the other companies carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Beacon Roofing is likely to witness 41.3% earnings growth in fiscal 2018. Tecnoglass is expected to see 30.2% growth in 2018 earnings. Famous Dave's of America earnings estimate for fiscal 2018 improved from a loss of 6 cents to earnings of 6 cents. Will You Make a Fortune on the Shift to Electric Cars? Here's another stock idea to consider. Much like petroleum 150 years ago, lithium power may soon shake the world, creating millionaires and reshaping geo-politics. Soon electric vehicles (EVs) may be cheaper than gas guzzlers. Some are already reaching 265 miles on a single charge. With battery prices plummeting and charging stations set to multiply, one company stands out as the #1 stock to buy according to Zacks research. It's not the one you think. See This Ticker Free >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. (BECN): Free Stock Analysis Report Tecnoglass Inc. (TGLS): Free Stock Analysis Report Famous Dave's of America, Inc. (DAVE): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""3 Stocks to Buy Before the Shorts Get Squeezed InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips With earnings season over and the likelihood of a tax reform deal baked into stock prices, some traders are wondering if there are any other catalysts that can drive stocks higher - yes, short squeeze stocks! Click to Enlarge According to our biweekly Short Squeeze Model Report. According to the most recent run of this data, the short sellers have been increasing their bearish bets on a number of stocks over the previous two weeks, creating a generous number of short squeeze rally candidates. It is normal to see short interest go higher as some traders try to fade a rally by increasing their bets against further gains. Our proprietary model scans for those stocks that are maintaining strong, low volatility trends higher that may see some short-term selling, but are more likely to continue higher. This creates a volatility rally as the shorts finally move to close their positions to avoid further losses. 10 Super Safe Growth Stocks to Buy for Long-Lasting Dividends The following stocks are among the top choices of our most recent short cover rally contender list. Let's take a look at the top three on our list according to the short interest data and their charts. Short Squeeze Stocks to Buy: Verisign, Inc. (VRSN) Source: Shutterstock Software company Verisign, Inc. (NASDAQ: VRSN ) posted a nice quarter of earnings results in late October and the stock has maintained its rally until we started to see some rotation out of the technology universe toward the end of November. The reversal in Verisign and other technology issues appears to be more of a function of profit-taking than anything else as portfolio managers try to lock-in gains near their high watermarks. Considering this, the recent pullback should be seen a \""healthy\"" and an opportunity to grab a good stock on a dip. The rub here is that the short sellers are now on the defensive and haven't been closing positions on the rally. The current short interest ratio indicates that it will take more than 18 days to cover current short positions. Furthermore, the current short interest represents 15% of the outstanding shares available to trade. This indicates that a bounce in Verisign's stock price, which has technical support at $110 from its rising 50-day moving average, will spark a short covering rally that will likely target a move to $120-$125. Short Squeeze Stocks to Buy: Fastenal Company (FAST) Source: Shutterstock Industrial companies are in the crosshairs of the bulls considering the more recent data on economic growth. A focus on the housing and infrastructure areas of the economy means companies like Fastenal Company (NASDAQ: FAST ) are in the right place at the right time. Fastenal's chart has been strong recently as the migration of cash into the industrial names has pumped prices higher. The shorts have got to be feeling the pain, but we've not seen signs that the rally has been driven by shorts covering their positions. This means that the stock is still ripe for a \""covering rally.\"" Short interest on Fastenal sits at an awesome 16 times the average daily volume. This sets Fastenal up for another leg in the rally. 10 Reasons the Tax Plan Is Bad for Stocks The recent pullback, about 3.5%, is likely to engage the \""buy the dip\"" crowd, which will then see Fastenal move back toward its highs at $55. At that point, we expect a short squeeze rally to push shares toward $63. Short Squeeze Stocks to Buy: Snap-on Incorporated (SNA) Source: Snap-On via Wikimedia (Modified) Another industrial name that is garnering the attention of traders is Snap-on Incorporated (NYSE: SNA ). The company, well-known for its tools, has been on a tear lately by tacking more than 8% on to its price after crossing above chart resistance at $160. This stock is in the earlier stages of a rally cycle and gaining momentum, which bodes poorly for the short sellers betting against it. Currently, Snap-on shares are set-up to see a \""golden cross\"" formation as the 50-day moving average gets ready to cross above the 200-day moving average. This is often seen as a bullish signal for intermediate-term outlooks. That signal is the enemy of the short sellers that currently hold more than 15 days worth of the stock's daily volume as bets against it moving higher. That's going to end as soon as the stock will start to attract buys on the current dip. Watch for a break above $173 to trigger the short covering rally that will target a move to $195. As of this writing, Johnson Research Group did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities. Compare Brokers The post 3 Stocks to Buy Before the Shorts Get Squeezed appeared first on InvestorPlace . The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal (FAST) Vending Machine Count Grows, Margins Weak""]"
FAST,2017-12-14,23.2165,23.3883,22.9195,22.9875,
FAST,2017-12-15,23.3143,23.5196,22.9233,23.3093,"[""Top Ten Industrial Stocks For Dividend Growth And Income"", ""Top Ten Industrial Stocks For Dividend Growth And Income"", ""Top Ten Industrial Stocks For Dividend Growth And Income""]"
FAST,2017-12-18,23.5403,23.6765,23.2659,23.5018,"[""Top 3 Picks In The Industrial Sector For 2018"", ""Top 3 Picks In The Industrial Sector For 2018"", ""Top 3 Picks In The Industrial Sector For 2018""]"
FAST,2017-12-19,23.5354,23.6528,23.2699,23.332,"iShares Russell 1000 Pure U.S. Revenue ETF -- Insider Buying Index Registering 12.5% A look at the weighted underlying holdings of the iShares Russell 1000 Pure U.S. Revenue ETF (Symbol: AMCA) shows an impressive 12.5% of holdings on a weighted basis have experienced insider buying within the past six months. Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST), which makes up 0.31% of the iShares Russell 1000 Pure U.S. Revenue ETF (Symbol: AMCA), has seen 4 directors and officers purchase shares in the past six months, according to the recent Form 4 data. The ETF holds a total of $11,822 worth of FAST, making it the #107 largest holding. The table below details the recent insider buying activity observed at FAST: FAST - last trade: $53.71 - Recent Insider Buys: And Verisk Analytics Inc (Symbol: VRSK), the #112 largest holding among components of the iShares Russell 1000 Pure U.S. Revenue ETF (Symbol: AMCA), shows 2 directors and officers as recently filing Form 4's indicating purchases. The ETF holds $11,143 worth of VRSK, which represents approximately 0.30% of the ETF's total assets at last check. The recent insider buying activity observed at VRSK is detailed in the table below: VRSK - last trade: $95.94 - Recent Insider Buys: 10 ETFs With Stocks That Insiders Are Buying » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2017-12-20,23.4179,23.562,23.3537,23.4268,
FAST,2017-12-21,23.5354,23.793,23.3932,23.6736,
FAST,2017-12-22,23.6765,23.6933,23.3932,23.6479,
FAST,2017-12-26,23.6025,23.8562,23.6025,23.6804,"[""Is it a Good Time to Add Fastenal to Your Portfolio Now?"", ""Is it a Good Time to Add Fastenal to Your Portfolio Now?"", ""Is it a Good Time to Add Fastenal to Your Portfolio Now? Shares of Fastenal CompanyFAST have rallied 28.3% in the last six months, outperforming the 21.8% gain of its industry and 11% increase of the S&P 500 companies. The company's Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and VGM Score of B also indicate that it is a compelling investment proposition at the moment. This is because our research shows that stocks with a VGM Score of A or B when combined with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 offer the best investment opportunities for investors. Further, earnings estimates have risen over the past few weeks, suggesting that sentiments on Fastenal are moving in the right direction. Over the last 30 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2018 earnings inched up 0.5% reflecting bullish analyst sentiments. Let us delve deeper into the other factors that make this stock a lucrative pick. Growth Prospects Solid Increased installation of vending machines and onsite locations along with the Mansco acquisition are expected to boost sales. In fact, Fastenal's industrial vending process has been a key growth driver. Sales through vending machines continued to grow at or near a double-digit pace in each of the first three quarters of 2017. In the first nine months of 2017, the company signed 15,089 vending machines reflecting an increase of 5.5% from the year-ago period. Apart from vending machines, increased onsite locations have contributed significantly to sales. Notably, Fastenal provides onsite location in which a mini-Fastenal shop is basically located in a customer's plant. The company signed 213 new onsite locations in the first nine months of 2017 and had 555 active sites as on Sep 30, 2017, indicating a year-over-year increase of 47.6%. In 2017, Fastenal intends to achieve 275-300 onsite signings compared with 176 in 2016 and 80 in 2015. Increased number of onsite locations is likely to boost Fastenal's market share. Again, the acquisition of Mansco establishes Fastenal's presence in a market where it has not meaningfully contributed in the past. In the third quarter of 2017, Mansco contributed 130 basis points to total sales growth of 11.8% and is expected to contribute further. Moreover, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for sales is expected to increase 10.7% in 2017 more than the industry's projected growth rate of 7.7%. Additionally, sales in 2018 are expected to increase 9.1%. High Return on Equity Fastenal's trailing 12-month return on equity (ROE) supports its growth potential. Its ROE in the trailing 12 months is 27.3%, way more than its industry's average of 14.3%. This reflects the company's efficient usage of shareholders' funds. Industry Outlook Positive The Zacks Building Products - Retail Industry rallied 34% year to date, outperforming the S&P 500's gain of 20%. Also, a solid industry rank (among the top 28% out of 265 industries) signals that the companies in this space are likely to benefit from favorable broader factors in the immediate future. Other Key Picks A few better-ranked stocks in the Zacks Retail-Wholesale sector are Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. BECN , Tecnoglass Inc. TGLS and Restaurant Brands International Inc. QSR . While Beacon Roofing sports a Zacks Rank #1, the other companies carry a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here . Beacon Roofing is likely to witness 41.3% earnings growth in fiscal 2018. Tecnoglass is expected to see 30.2% growth in 2018 earnings. Restaurant Brands is expected to see 36.2% growth in 2018 earnings. Zacks Editor-in-Chief Goes \""All In\"" on This Stock Full disclosure, Kevin Matras now has more of his own money in one particular stock than in any other. He believes in its short-term profit potential and also in its prospects to more than double by 2019. Today he reveals and explains his surprising move in a new Special Report. Download it free >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. (BECN): Free Stock Analysis Report Tecnoglass Inc. (TGLS): Free Stock Analysis Report Restaurant Brands International Inc. (QSR): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Is it a Good Time to Add Fastenal to Your Portfolio Now?""]"
FAST,2017-12-27,23.7594,23.9528,23.5946,23.9362,
FAST,2017-12-28,23.945,24.1384,23.7683,24.1226,
FAST,2017-12-29,24.0872,24.2569,23.9214,23.9262,"[""Home Depot (HD) Up Over 40% YTD: Will the Rally Continue?"", ""Can Constellation Brands (STZ) Retain Earnings Trend in Q3?"", ""Will Rite Aid's (RAD) Strategies Aid Earnings Growth in Q3?"", ""Can Constellation Brands (STZ) Retain Earnings Trend in Q3?"", ""Home Depot (HD) Up Over 40% YTD: Will the Rally Continue?"", ""Will Rite Aid's (RAD) Strategies Aid Earnings Growth in Q3?"", ""Home Depot (HD) Up Over 40% YTD: Will the Rally Continue? The Home Depot Inc.HD has been gaining from robust earnings trend, disciplined capital allocation, growth of pro-category, steady housing market recovery and strong consumer demand. This has helped the company's stock surge 41.5% year to date, outperforming the industry 's 35.6% growth. Additionally, this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stock boasts a VGM Score of B and a long-term earnings growth rate of 13.4%. Let's delve into the other factors which are driving the stock. Robust Earnings Trend & Outlook Drive Estimates The company's both top and bottom lines grew year over year and topped estimates in third-quarter fiscal 2017. While sales marked fifth straight beat, earnings retained its five-year long trend of positive surprises. Results gained from strength in the company's core business, continued focus on introducing innovative products, boosting interconnected customer experience and driving productivity. Further, the company continued to reap the benefits of a steady housing market recovery and strong customer demand. Backed by solid year-to-date performance, strength of its core business and estimated gains from hurricane recovery activities, the company raised fiscal 2017 sales and earnings guidance. Consequently, the company's estimates witnessed an uptrend in the last 30 days. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the fourth quarter and fiscal 2017 moved up by 1 cent each to $1.62 and $7.37, respectively. Merchandising Efforts & Focus on Pro-Customers Home Depot is gaining from consistent focus on improving customer experience and solid execution, retaining its leading position in the home improvement industry. The company has been revamping itself by concentrating on square footage growth and maximizing productivity from its existing stores. Further, the company remains focused on developing merchandising tools and increasing investment in e-commerce to boost the top line and enhance market share. The company has also been gaining from its focus on Professional Customers or Pro-Customers and has undertaken several strides in this regard, like the acquisition of Compact Power Equipment. Prior to this, the company invested in Interline brands and maintenance, repair and operations products, which are generating impressive results. Building Interconnected Capabilities In response to the changing customer preferences, Home Depot has been building its interconnected capabilities to establish sync between physical and digital stores. For this, the company redesigned its website with enhanced features for better search and faster checkout, upgraded mobile app, and addition of the estimated time of arrival feature. Further, the company improved fulfillment options by launching its customer order management system and the Buy Online Deliver From Store capability. These initiatives led online sales to improve nearly 19% in third-quarter fiscal 2017, representing 6.2% of total sales. We believe that these initiatives will drive the company's top- and bottom-line growth in the long run. Deterrents on Home Depot's Growth Trajectory Despite such positives, Home Depot continues to be plagued by strained gross margin over the past few quarters. While hurricane-related activities aided comps growth, gross margins on such sales were significantly below the company's average. Evidently, the company's gross margin contracted 10 basis points (bps) in third-quarter fiscal 2017. Prior to this, the company's gross margin declined 6 bps in the preceding quarter, and 10 bps each in first-quarter fiscal 2017 and fourth-quarter fiscal 2016. Moreover, management expects gross margin to decline about 12 bps from last year in fiscal 2017. Do Retail-Wholesale Stocks Grab Your Attention? Check These Investors interested in the same sector may consider Beacon Roofing Supply Inc. BECN , Fastenal Company FAST and Canada Goose Holdings Inc. GOOS . While Beacon Roofing sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), Fastenal and Canada Goose carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here . Beacon Roofing delivered an average positive earnings surprise of 6.4% in the trailing four quarters. It has a long-term earnings growth rate of 25%. Fastenal has an average positive earnings surprise of 2.3% in the trailing four quarters. It has a long-term earnings growth rate of 14%. Canada Goose delivered an average positive earnings surprise of 32.4% in the trailing four quarters. It has a long-term earnings growth rate of 35.8%. More Stock News: This Is Bigger than the iPhone! It could become the mother of all technological revolutions. Apple sold a mere 1 billion iPhones in 10 years but a new breakthrough is expected to generate more than 27 billion devices in just 3 years, creating a $1.7 trillion market. Zacks has just released a Special Report that spotlights this fast-emerging phenomenon and 6 tickers for taking advantage of it. If you don't buy now, you may kick yourself in 2020. Click here for the 6 trades >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Home Depot, Inc. (The) (HD): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. (BECN): Free Stock Analysis Report Canada Goose Holdings Inc. (GOOS): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Will Rite Aid's (RAD) Strategies Aid Earnings Growth in Q3? Rite Aid CorporationRAD is slated to report third-quarter fiscal 2018 results on Jan 3. The big question facing investors is whether this drug store retailer will be able to deliver a positive earnings surprise in the quarter to be reported. Last quarter, the company reported loss per share of 1 cent, which was in line with estimates. Further, the company has underperformed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by an average of 20.8% in the trailing four quarters. Let's see how things are shaping up prior to this announcement. Rite Aid Corporation Price and EPS Surprise Rite Aid Corporation Price and EPS Surprise | Rite Aid Corporation Quote What to Expect? The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter under review is a loss of 2 cents per share, against earnings of 2 cents per share reported in the year-ago quarter. We note that the Zacks Consensus Estimate has been stable ahead of the earnings release. Further, analysts polled by Zacks expect revenues of $7.74 billion, down 4.4% from the prior-year quarter. Following the recent sale of 250 stores to Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. WBA , Rite Aid's shares have shown some momentum. The company's shares dipped 2.4% in the last three months, narrower than the industry 's decline of 7.1%. Factors at Play After the aforementioned sale of stores to Walgreens, Rite Aid is poised to improve financial leverage and balance sheet using the funds from the transaction. To strengthen operations, Rite Aid remains focused on remodeling wellness stores. These newly renovated wellness stores tempt customers to spend more time on selecting their personal care products, consequently enabling the company to generate increased sales. In another move to enhance customer experience, Rite Aid started accepting payments via digital wallets like Apple Pay, Google Wallet, as well as other tap and pay credit and debit cards. Recently, the company resorted to accepting Apple Pay online, as customers are using smartphones to make transactions. In fact, management stated that over half of its website visitors access www.riteaid.com from their mobiles, the most being iPhone users. This development is likely to provide customers with a more convenient and better shopping experience that in turn will attract more traffic. Additionally, the company has been undertaking a number of strategies to drive growth such as the expansion of its pharmacy and clinical services, along with the reduction of costs. Rite Aid has utilized additional resources, such as the introduction of HealthSpot telehealth booths at its Ohio pharmacies, addition of RediClinics to its stores, its Wellness+ with Plenti program, as well as the Flu Immunization program to stimulate customer demand amid the soft macroeconomic scenario. The company also acquired EnvisionRx, which will enable it to offer cost-friendly health plans and solutions for employers, drive growth and bolster shareholder value. On the cost front, the company is focusing on generating cost savings through centralized indirect procurement of drugs and reduction in supply chain costs. We believe that these programs and initiatives will enable the company to increase customer base and facilitate the generation of long-term profitability as well. However, the company remains prone to competition from rivals. Rite Aid's generic drug sales have been adversely affected by Wal-Mart's strategy of entering the retail generic drug market. Due to Wal-Mart's wide array of manufacturers in India, Israel, and the United States, the mass merchant offers generic drugs at a discounted price compared with its rival companies. Further, speculations about Amazon.com Inc.'s AMZN entry in the drugstore business remain a threat. Nonetheless, let's see if Rite Aid's growth drivers can help counter the challenges this time around. What the Zacks Model Unveils? Our proven model does not conclusively show that Rite Aid is likely to beat estimates this quarter. This is because a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) for this to happen. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they're reported with our Earnings ESP Filter . Rite Aid has an Earnings ESP of 0.00%, with both the Zacks Consensus Estimate and Most Accurate Estimate pegged at a loss of 2 cents per share. While the company's Zacks Rank #3 increases the predictive power of ESP, we need to have a positive ESP to be confident about an earnings surprise. Stocks Poised to Beat Earnings Estimates Here are some companies you may want to consider as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat: Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. currently has an Earnings ESP of +3.97% and a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here . Fastenal Company FAST currently has an Earnings ESP of +0.55% and a Zacks Rank #2. McDonald's Corporation MCD has an Earnings ESP of +0.32% and a Zacks Rank #3. More Stock News: This Is Bigger than the iPhone! It could become the mother of all technological revolutions. Apple sold a mere 1 billion iPhones in 10 years but a new breakthrough is expected to generate more than 27 billion devices in just 3 years, creating a $1.7 trillion market. Zacks has just released a Special Report that spotlights this fast-emerging phenomenon and 6 tickers for taking advantage of it. If you don't buy now, you may kick yourself in 2020. Click here for the 6 trades >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Rite Aid Corporation (RAD): Free Stock Analysis Report Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (WBA): Free Stock Analysis Report McDonald's Corporation (MCD): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Can Constellation Brands (STZ) Retain Earnings Trend in Q3?"", ""Home Depot (HD) Up Over 40% YTD: Will the Rally Continue?"", ""Will Rite Aid's (RAD) Strategies Aid Earnings Growth in Q3?""]"
FAST,2018-01-02,24.1187,24.1898,23.6804,23.8582,"[""Fastenal Company Announces Conference Call to Review \u2014\u2026\u20137 Annual and Fourth Quarter Earnings"", ""Tractor Supply (TSCO) Up 19% in 3 Months: More Room to Run?"", ""Fastenal Company Announces Conference Call to Review \u2014\u2026\u20137 Annual and Fourth Quarter Earnings"", ""Tractor Supply (TSCO) Up 19% in 3 Months: More Room to Run?"", ""Tractor Supply (TSCO) Up 19% in 3 Months: More Room to Run? Tractor Supply CompanyTSCO has been gaining from its store growth initiatives, omni-channel strategies, solid earnings and sales growth trend, and effective inventory management. Further, the recent Petsense acquisition is likely to bolster the company's presence in the pet specialty space, which is a growing market. These factors helped the stock gain 18.9% in the last three months, surpassing the industry 's 4% growth. Also, the company has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and a long-term earnings growth rate of 14%. Sturdy Store Growth Initiatives Tractor Supply is on track with its growth initiatives including expansion of store base and incorporation of technological advancements to induce traffic and drive sales. Additionally, the company leverages an extensive network of stores to penetrate into target markets, which in turn enables it to generate healthy sales and gain market share. Evidently, the company is planning to achieve its long-term domestic store growth target of 2,500 stores. Omni-Channel Capabilities to Drive Sales Tractor Supply is keen on synchronizing its physical and digital operations to provide a seamless shopping experience to its customers. This is clear from progress on its One Tractor initiative, which focuses on connecting stores and online shopping. Of late, the company also initiated Buy Online Pick Up in Store program that has been successful in contributing nearly 75% to online sales in the third quarter. Meanwhile, Tractor Supply continues to expand its Neighbor's Club customer rewards program. Both these initiatives are expected to boost the top line. The company expects long-term results to benefit from its mobile POS and stockyard initiatives as well. Inventory Management - A Key Tool Tractor Supply has been stringently focusing on managing inventories to minimize effect of weather on its results and capitalize on seasonal demand. In fact, the key focus here has been enhancement of IT systems and supply chain. Additionally, it has been investing in various new systems including demand planning, improved pricing, inventory allocation, all of which are directed toward generating supply chain efficiencies in order to better manage global inventories. Furthermore, the company remains focused on the execution of its digital priorities lending support needed to bolster growth at merchandising, customer facing and logistics capabilities. In this regard, Tractor Supply expects to complete the construction of its planned New York distribution center by the third quarter of 2018. Petsense Acquisition a Boon to Pet Business Tractor Supply is progressing well with the integration of the recently acquired Petsense LLC, which has opened its doors to the roughly $60 billion pet market. Notably, this acquisition complements its existing pet business operating under the HomeTown Pet Stores banner. As part of the integration, the company successfully converted its two HomeTown Pet stores to Petsense in the first quarter. In addition, the company is on schedule to launch a premium dog and cat food brand - True Source - in its Petsense stores. Tractor Supply also intends to launch an e-commerce site for Petsense toward the end of the fourth quarter with the Buy Online Pick Up in Store facility expected in spring 2018. Compelling Earnings & Sales Growth Trend, Strong Outlook Tractor Supply has a notable record of delivering earnings and sales growth for more than two years now. Following a miss in the second quarter, the company's top- and bottom-line surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in third-quarter 2017 backed by solid comparable store sales (comps) growth and effective inventory management. Comps were driven by strength across all regions and major product categories. Further, the top line was fueled by sales of emergency response products. For the fourth quarter, the company remains well-positioned to drive growth owing to increased demand for cold weather products. Backed by these trends, management raised its earnings and sales outlook for 2017. Bottom Line Despite the above-mentioned tailwinds, deflation remains a concern for Tractor Supply, which is likely to linger in 2017. Furthermore, management expects SG&A expenses deleverage in the fourth quarter. The headwinds related to unfavorable product mix and elevated transport costs are also likely to dent gross margin this year. Nevertheless, the company is poised for long-term growth driven by its inherent strength and growth initiatives. Do Retail-Wholesale Stocks Grab Your Attention? Check These Investors interested in the sector may consider Beacon Roofing Supply Inc. BECN , Fastenal Company FAST and Canada Goose Holdings Inc. GOOS . While Beacon Roofing sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), Fastenal and Canada Goose carry a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here . Beacon Roofing delivered an average positive earnings surprise of 6.4% in the trailing four quarters. It has a long-term earnings growth rate of 25%. Fastenal pulled off an average positive earnings surprise of 2.3% in the trailing four quarters. It has a long-term earnings growth rate of 14%. Canada Goose came up with an average positive earnings surprise of 32.4% in the trailing four quarters. It has a long-term earnings growth rate of 35.8%. Zacks Editor-in-Chief Goes \""\""All In\""\"" on This Stock ull disclosure, Kevin Matras now has more of his own money in one particular stock than in any other. He believes in its short-term profit potential and also in its prospects to more than double by 2019. Today he reveals and explains his surprising move in a new Special Report. Download it free >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. (BECN): Free Stock Analysis Report Canada Goose Holdings Inc. (GOOS): Free Stock Analysis Report Tractor Supply Company (TSCO): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Company Announces Conference Call to Review \u2014\u2026\u20137 Annual and Fourth Quarter Earnings"", ""Tractor Supply (TSCO) Up 19% in 3 Months: More Room to Run?""]"
FAST,2018-01-03,23.872,23.9578,23.5896,23.868,
FAST,2018-01-04,24.0486,24.1226,23.8768,23.9658,
FAST,2018-01-05,24.0782,24.2076,23.8946,24.0131,
FAST,2018-01-08,23.9578,24.3645,23.9154,24.2658,
FAST,2018-01-09,24.3378,24.4612,24.1809,24.2184,
FAST,2018-01-10,23.4406,24.1582,23.2215,23.8058,"[""Fastenal: A Risky Hold During Earnings"", ""Fastenal: A Risky Hold During Earnings"", ""Stocks To Watch: Lowes Companies Sees Relative Strength Rating Rise To 81 On Wednesday, Lowes Companies ( LOW ) received an upgrade to its Relative Strength ( RS ) Rating , from 78 to 81. [ibd-display-video id=2385970 width=50 float=left autostart=true] This exclusive rating from Investor's Business Daily identifies price movement with a 1 (worst) to 99 (best) score. The grade shows how a stock's price performance over the last 52 weeks compares to all the other stocks in our database. Decades of market research shows that the best-performing stocks often have an RS Rating of at least 80 in the early stages of their moves. See How IBD Helps You Make More Money In Stocks Lowes Companies is now considered extended and out of buy range after clearing an 82.84 buy point in a first-stage cup with handle . See if the stock forms a new pattern or follow-on buying opportunity like a three-weeks tight or pullback to the 50-day or 10-week moving average. Lowes Companies showed 19% EPS growth in the latest quarterly report, while sales growth came in at 7%. The company holds the No. 6 rank among its peers in the Retail/Wholesale-Building Products industry group. Floor & Decor ( FND ), SiteOne Landscape Supply ( SITE ) and Fastenal ( FAST ) are among the top 5 highly rated stocks within the group. RELATED: Which Stocks Are Showing Improved Technical Action? Why Should You Use IBD's Relative Strength Rating? How Relative Strength Line Can Help You Judge A Stock The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Notable Wednesday Option Activity: RCL, FAST, HLT Among the underlying components of the S&P 500 index, we saw noteworthy options trading volume today in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd (Symbol: RCL), where a total of 17,422 contracts have traded so far, representing approximately 1.7 million underlying shares. That amounts to about 142.3% of RCL's average daily trading volume over the past month of 1.2 million shares. Especially high volume was seen for the $125 strike call option expiring January 26, 2018 , with 5,012 contracts trading so far today, representing approximately 501,200 underlying shares of RCL. Below is a chart showing RCL's trailing twelve month trading history, with the $125 strike highlighted in orange: Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) options are showing a volume of 15,019 contracts thus far today. That number of contracts represents approximately 1.5 million underlying shares, working out to a sizeable 81.1% of FAST's average daily trading volume over the past month, of 1.9 million shares. Particularly high volume was seen for the $50 strike call option expiring May 18, 2018 , with 13,084 contracts trading so far today, representing approximately 1.3 million underlying shares of FAST. Below is a chart showing FAST's trailing twelve month trading history, with the $50 strike highlighted in orange: And Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc (Symbol: HLT) options are showing a volume of 13,860 contracts thus far today. That number of contracts represents approximately 1.4 million underlying shares, working out to a sizeable 79.1% of HLT's average daily trading volume over the past month, of 1.8 million shares. Especially high volume was seen for the $60 strike put option expiring April 20, 2018 , with 12,858 contracts trading so far today, representing approximately 1.3 million underlying shares of HLT. Below is a chart showing HLT's trailing twelve month trading history, with the $60 strike highlighted in orange: For the various different available expirations for RCL options , FAST options , or HLT options , visit StockOptionsChannel.com. Today's Most Active Call & Put Options of the S&P 500 \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal: A Risky Hold During Earnings""]"
FAST,2018-01-11,23.8502,24.1226,23.7644,24.1,
FAST,2018-01-12,24.2105,24.329,24.094,24.3191,
FAST,2018-01-16,24.4889,24.5629,24.0753,24.254,"[""Notable earnings before Wednesday's open (1/16/2018)"", ""Fastenal declares $0.37 dividend"", ""Dividend Contenders: 47 Increases Expected In The Next 11 Weeks"", ""Dow Earnings: Analysts Expect Goldman Sachs Revenue Decline"", ""Fastenal Raises Qtr. Dividend From $0.32 To $0.37/Share"", ""Fastenal Raises Qtr. Dividend From $0.32 To $0.37/Share"", ""Dow Earnings: Analysts Expect Goldman Sachs Revenue Decline"", ""Notable earnings before Wednesday's open (1/16/2018)"", ""Fastenal declares $0.37 dividend"", ""Dividend Contenders: 47 Increases Expected In The Next 11 Weeks"", ""Pre-Market Earnings Report for January 17, 2018 : BAC, GS, USB, ASML, SCHW, FAST The following companies are expected to report earnings prior to market open on 01/17/2018. Visit our Earnings Calendar for a full list of expected earnings releases. Bank of America Corporation ( BAC ) is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2017. The bank company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 9 analysts that follow the stock is $0.44. This value represents a 10.00% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year BAC has beat the expectations every quarter. The highest one was in the 3rd calendar quarter where they beat the consensus by 4.35%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2017 Price to Earnings ratio for BAC is 17.42 vs. an industry ratio of 17.00, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. ( GS ) is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2017. The investment bankers company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 6 analysts that follow the stock is $4.90. This value represents a 3.54% decrease compared to the same quarter last year. GS missed the consensus earnings per share in the 1st calendar quarter of 2017 by -4.28%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2017 Price to Earnings ratio for GS is 13.54 vs. an industry ratio of 25.10. U.S. Bancorp ( USB ) is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2017. The bank company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 11 analysts that follow the stock is $0.87. This value represents a 6.10% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year USB has met analyst expectations once and beat the expectations the other three quarters. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2017 Price to Earnings ratio for USB is 16.66 vs. an industry ratio of 17.00. ASML Holding N.V. ( ASML ) is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2017. The capital goods company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 2 analysts that follow the stock is $1.25. This value represents a 6.02% decrease compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year ASML has beat the expectations every quarter. The highest one was in the 3rd calendar quarter where they beat the consensus by 18.75%. The days to cover, as reported in the 12/29/2017 short interest update, increased 137.93% from previous report on 12/15/2017. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2017 Price to Earnings ratio for ASML is 34.26 vs. an industry ratio of 18.30, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. The Charles Schwab Corporation ( SCHW ) is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2017. The investment bankers company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 9 analysts that follow the stock is $0.41. This value represents a 13.89% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year SCHW has met analyst expectations twice and beat the expectations the other two quarters. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2017 Price to Earnings ratio for SCHW is 34.40 vs. an industry ratio of 25.10, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Fastenal Company ( FAST ) is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2017. The building company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 8 analysts that follow the stock is $0.45. This value represents a 12.50% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year FAST has met analyst expectations twice and beat the expectations the other two quarters. The \""days to cover\"" for this stock exceeds 16 days. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2017 Price to Earnings ratio for FAST is 28.80 vs. an industry ratio of 18.90, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Raises Qtr. Dividend From $0.32 To $0.37/Share"", ""Dow Earnings: Analysts Expect Goldman Sachs Revenue Decline"", ""Notable earnings before Wednesday's open (1/16/2018)"", ""Fastenal declares $0.37 dividend"", ""Dividend Contenders: 47 Increases Expected In The Next 11 Weeks""]"
FAST,2018-01-17,23.1001,23.6479,22.5315,22.8365,"[""Fastenal's (FAST) Q4 Earnings Meet Estimates, Margins Down"", ""Fastenal EPS in-line, beats on revenue"", ""More on Fastenal's Q4"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Meets Q4 Earnings Estimates, Tops Revenues"", ""Fastenal Company 2017 Q4 - Results - Earnings Call Slides"", ""Fastenal's (FAST) CEO Dan Florness on Q4 2017 Results - Earnings Call Transcript"", ""Earnings Scheduled For January 17, 2018"", ""Fastenal Reports Q4 EPS $0.53 vs $0.45 Est., Sales $1.089B vs $1.08B Est."", ""A Peek Into The Markets: U.S. Stock Futures Climb; Goldman Sachs Earnings In Focus"", ""30 Stocks Moving In Wednesday's Pre-Market Session"", ""38 Stocks Moving In Wednesday's Mid-Day Session"", ""38 Stocks Moving In Wednesday's Mid-Day Session"", ""30 Stocks Moving In Wednesday's Pre-Market Session"", ""A Peek Into The Markets: U.S. Stock Futures Climb; Goldman Sachs Earnings In Focus"", ""Fastenal Reports Q4 EPS $0.53 vs $0.45 Est., Sales $1.089B vs $1.08B Est."", ""Earnings Scheduled For January 17, 2018"", ""Fastenal's (FAST) CEO Dan Florness on Q4 2017 Results - Earnings Call Transcript"", ""Fastenal Company 2017 Q4 - Results - Earnings Call Slides"", ""Fastenal's (FAST) Q4 Earnings Meet Estimates, Margins Down"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Meets Q4 Earnings Estimates, Tops Revenues"", ""More on Fastenal's Q4"", ""Fastenal EPS in-line, beats on revenue"", ""Nasdaq 100 Movers: XRAY, ASML In early trading on Wednesday, shares of ASML Holding ( ASML ) topped the list of the day's best performing components of the Nasdaq 100 index, trading up 6.1%. Year to date, ASML Holding registers a 13.7% gain. And the worst performing Nasdaq 100 component thus far on the day is DENTSPLY SIRONA ( XRAY ), trading down 5.3%. DENTSPLY SIRONA is lower by about 5.6% looking at the year to date performance. Two other components making moves today are Fastenal ( FAST ), trading down 4.8%, and Lam Research Corp ( LRCX ), trading up 3.7% on the day. VIDEO: Nasdaq 100 Movers: XRAY, ASML The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal's (FAST) Q4 Earnings Meet Estimates, Margins Down Fastenal Company's FAST adjusted earnings of 45 cents per share in the fourth quarter of 2017 were in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Without the pretax gain adjustments, earnings per share came in at 53 cents, up 33.5% year over year. Sales Detail Net sales of $1.09 billion surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.08 billion. Sales grew 14.8% year over year on increased units owing to higher underlying market demand and growth in industrial vending business and existing Onsite locations. The acquisition of Manufacturers Supply Company (Mansco) contributed 1.4% to sales. Fastenal's daily sales grew 14.8% in the quarter, higher than the 13.6% increase recorded in the third quarter of 2017. On a monthly basis, daily sales increased 14.7% in December, 15.4% in November and 13.8% in October 2017, compared with 2.8%, 1.2% and 3.9%, respectively, a year ago. Daily sales of fastener products (used mainly for industrial production and accounting for approximately 35% of the company's fourth-quarter sales) increased 13.4% in the quarter, 3.9% of which came from the acquisition of the Mansco business. Non-fastener product Daily sales (used mainly for maintenance and represented 65% of the quarterly sales) increased 16.1% year over year. Vending Trends and Other Growth Drivers As of Dec 31, 2017, Fastenal operated 71,421 vending machines, up 13.7% year over year. During the quarter, the company signed 4,266 machine contracts, reflecting an increase of 13.5% year over year. After a soft 2013, vending trends improved as management's efforts to enhance the quality of signings/installs paid off. Fastenal signed 57 new Onsite locations during the quarter, up 32.6% from 43 signings a year ago. As of Dec 31, 2017, the company had 650 active sites, representing an increase of 50.9%. Additionally, Fastenal signed 32 new national account contracts in the fourth quarter (representing 49.8% of its total revenues in the quarter). Daily sales to its national account customers grew 18.5% in the quarter on a year-over-year basis. Fastenal Company Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Fastenal Company Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise | Fastenal Company Quote Margins Decline Gross margin of 48.8% in the fourth quarter of 2017 declined 97 basis points (bps) year over year owing to changes in product and customer mix, the addition of Mansco (which has a lower gross profit product mix than the company), higher freight expenses, investments in hub assets and commodity inflation. Operating margin declined 57 bps year over year to 18.7% in the quarter, owing to an improvement in operating and administrative expenses, offset by a decline in gross profit. Fiscal 2017 Results Earnings of $2.01 per share in fiscal 2017 increased 16.2% year over year and managed to beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.93. The company reported net sales of $4.39 billion, up 10.8% year over year. Net sales surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $4.38 billion. Financials Cash and cash equivalents were $116.9 million as of Dec 31, 2017, up from $112.7 million as on Dec 31, 2016. Long-term debt was $412 million, up from $379.5 million at 2016-end. Zacks Rank & Stocks to Consider Fastenal has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). A few better-ranked stocks in the industry are Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. BECN , Lumber Liquidators Holdings, Inc LL and Tecnoglass Inc. TGLS . Beacon Roofing sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), while the other two companies carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here Beacon Roofing is expected to see 44.9% growth in fiscal 2018 earnings. Lumber Liquidators is likely to witness 161.8% earnings growth in 2018. Tecnoglass expects earnings growth of 30.2% in fiscal 2018. More Stock News: This Is Bigger than the iPhone! It could become the mother of all technological revolutions. Apple sold a mere 1 billion iPhones in 10 years but a new breakthrough is expected to generate more than 27 billion devices in just 3 years, creating a $1.7 trillion market. Zacks has just released a Special Report that spotlights this fast-emerging phenomenon and 6 tickers for taking advantage of it. If you don't buy now, you may kick yourself in 2020. Click here for the 6 trades >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. (BECN): Free Stock Analysis Report Lumber Liquidators Holdings, Inc (LL): Free Stock Analysis Report Tecnoglass Inc. (TGLS): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal (FAST) Meets Q4 Earnings Estimates, Tops Revenues Fastenal CompanyFAST is a national wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies. It distributes its products through company-owned stores mostly located in North America. The company has gradually grown from a fastener distributor to a full-line industrial supplier. Investors should also note the recent earnings estimate revisions for FAST has been mostly stable in the last 30 days. However, Fastenal has delivered positive earnings surprises in two of the last four quarters, making an average beat of 2.32%. Currently, FAST has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), but that could definitely change following Fastenal's earnings report which was just released. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. We have highlighted some of the key stats from this just-revealed announcement below: Earnings : FAST reported adjusted EPS of 45 cents per share, in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Revenues : FAST reported revenues of $1.09 billion, which surpassed the consensus estimate of $1.08 billion. Key Stats to Note : Fastenal's total average daily sales increased 14.8% in the fourth quarter of 2017, higher than 13.6% increase reported in the third quarter. Fastenal Company Price and EPS Surprise Fastenal Company Price and EPS Surprise | Fastenal Company Quote Check back later for our full write up on this FAST earnings report later! More Stock News: This Is Bigger than the iPhone! It could become the mother of all technological revolutions. Apple sold a mere 1 billion iPhones in 10 years but a new breakthrough is expected to generate more than 27 billion devices in just 3 years, creating a $1.7 trillion market. Zacks has just released a Special Report that spotlights this fast-emerging phenomenon and 6 tickers for taking advantage of it. If you don't buy now, you may kick yourself in 2020. Click here for the 6 trades >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Market Close Report: Historical high reached as NASDAQ Composite Index closes at 7,298.28. Wednesday's session closes with the NASDAQ Composite Index reaching a historical high. The index closed at 7,298.28 up 74.59 for the day. The index had a previous high 7261.06185 on 01/12/2018. The total shares traded for the NASDAQ was over 2.21 billion. Advancers stocks led declining by 1.81 to 1 ratio. There were 1938 advancers and 1068 decliners for the day. On the NASDAQ Stock Exchange 129 stocks reached a 52 week high and 19 those reaching lows totaled. The most active, advancers, decliners, unusual volume and most active by dollar volume can be monitored intraday on the Most Active Stocks page. The NASDAQ 100 index closed up 1.09% for the day; a total of 73.14 points. The current value is 6,810.28. Fastenal Company ( FAST ) had the largest percent change down (-5.84%) while Lam Research Corporation ( LRCX ) had the largest percent change gain rising 7.72%. The Dow Jones index closed up 1.25% for the day; a total of 322.79 points. The current value is 26,115.65. General Electric Company ( GE ) had the largest percent change down (-4.72%) while Boeing Company (The) ( BA ) had the largest percent change gain rising 4.73%. NASDAQ Market Wrap As of 1/17/2018 4:44:00 PM NASDAQ COMPOSITE INDEX 7,298.28 milestone closes at 129 STOCKS REACHED A 52 WEEK HIGH 19 THOSE REACHING LOWS TOTALEDLam Research Corporation [LRCX]TOPS ADVANCERS LISTOF NASDAQ 100 INDEX % 7.72 ROSE The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Notable Wednesday Option Activity: WMT, FAST, EXAS Looking at options trading activity among components of the Russell 3000 index, there is noteworthy activity today in Wal-Mart Stores Inc (Symbol: WMT), where a total volume of 107,125 contracts has been traded thus far today, a contract volume which is representative of approximately 10.7 million underlying shares (given that every 1 contract represents 100 underlying shares). That number works out to 131.2% of WMT's average daily trading volume over the past month, of 8.2 million shares. Especially high volume was seen for the $100 strike call option expiring February 16, 2018 , with 15,338 contracts trading so far today, representing approximately 1.5 million underlying shares of WMT. Below is a chart showing WMT's trailing twelve month trading history, with the $100 strike highlighted in orange: Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) saw options trading volume of 24,777 contracts, representing approximately 2.5 million underlying shares or approximately 122.2% of FAST's average daily trading volume over the past month, of 2.0 million shares. Particularly high volume was seen for the $50 strike call option expiring January 19, 2018 , with 6,200 contracts trading so far today, representing approximately 620,000 underlying shares of FAST. Below is a chart showing FAST's trailing twelve month trading history, with the $50 strike highlighted in orange: And EXACT Sciences Corp. (Symbol: EXAS) options are showing a volume of 23,943 contracts thus far today. That number of contracts represents approximately 2.4 million underlying shares, working out to a sizeable 108% of EXAS's average daily trading volume over the past month, of 2.2 million shares. Especially high volume was seen for the $45 strike put option expiring January 19, 2018 , with 5,982 contracts trading so far today, representing approximately 598,200 underlying shares of EXAS. Below is a chart showing EXAS's trailing twelve month trading history, with the $45 strike highlighted in orange: For the various different available expirations for WMT options , FAST options , or EXAS options , visit StockOptionsChannel.com. Today's Most Active Call & Put Options of the S&P 500 \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""38 Stocks Moving In Wednesday's Mid-Day Session"", ""30 Stocks Moving In Wednesday's Pre-Market Session"", ""A Peek Into The Markets: U.S. Stock Futures Climb; Goldman Sachs Earnings In Focus"", ""Fastenal Reports Q4 EPS $0.53 vs $0.45 Est., Sales $1.089B vs $1.08B Est."", ""Earnings Scheduled For January 17, 2018"", ""Fastenal's (FAST) CEO Dan Florness on Q4 2017 Results - Earnings Call Transcript"", ""Fastenal Company 2017 Q4 - Results - Earnings Call Slides"", ""Fastenal's (FAST) Q4 Earnings Meet Estimates, Margins Down"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Meets Q4 Earnings Estimates, Tops Revenues"", ""More on Fastenal's Q4"", ""Fastenal EPS in-line, beats on revenue"", ""Fastenal tops profit and sales estimates Construction and industrial supplies maker Fastenal Co; said Wednesday it had net income of $152.4 million, or 53 cents a share, in the fourth quarter, up from $114.8 million, or 40 cent a share, in the year-earlier period. Sales rose to $1.09 billion from $947.9 million. The FactSet consensus was for EPS of 45 cents and sales of $1.08 billion. The company said employee-related costs, which account for 65% to 70% of operating and administrative costs, rose 15.5% in the quarter, mostly due to an increase in its full-time equivalent headcount, higher expenses relating to improving growth including bonuses and commissions and profit sharing and the inclusion of personnel from the Mansco acquisition last year. Shares slid 3.6% in premarket trade, but have gained 15% in the last 12 months, while the S&P 500 has gained 22%.""]"
FAST,2018-01-18,22.9017,23.5758,22.9017,23.3143,"[""Company News For Jan 18, 2018"", ""44 Biggest Movers From Yesterday"", ""44 Biggest Movers From Yesterday"", ""Company News For Jan 18, 2018"", ""Company News For Jan 18, 2018 Tiffany & Co's TIF shares rose 1.3% after reporting that its global comparable sales advanced 5% in the last two months of 2017 Shares of CSX Corporation CSX decreased 0.8% after posting fourth quarter revenues of $2,863 million, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2,882.2 million Juno Therapeutics, Inc's JUNO shares jumped 51.9% on news that Celgene Corporation CELG is looking to acquire the biotech company Shares of Fastenal Company FAST slumped 5.8% after its fourth quarter operating profit margin declined 0.57% year-over-year to 18.7% Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report CSX Corporation (CSX): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Celgene Corporation (CELG): Free Stock Analysis Report Juno Therapeutics, Inc. (JUNO): Free Stock Analysis Report Tiffany & Co. (TIF): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""44 Biggest Movers From Yesterday"", ""Company News For Jan 18, 2018""]"
FAST,2018-01-19,23.3695,23.5798,23.2886,23.5146,
FAST,2018-01-22,23.5531,23.8147,23.332,23.7683,"[""Home Depot Cruising Ahead of Industry & S&P 500, Here's Why"", ""Stocks With Rising Composite Ratings: Fastenal"", ""Stocks With Rising Composite Ratings: Fastenal"", ""Home Depot Cruising Ahead of Industry & S&P 500, Here's Why"", ""Should You Buy the Earnings Dip in Fastenal Stock? 3 Pros, 3 Cons InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips After years of underperformance, American manufacturing is back. Industrial companies are enjoying massive bull markets in their shares. While tech has led the way for years, old-economy stocks are starting to play catch-up. This is all great news for Fastenal Company (NASDAQ: FAST ). FAST stock hasn't gone anywhere for the past five years. But the current American manufacturing revival could change all that. Before you jump aboard the Fastenal train, however, make sure to consider the risks. The stock is still expensive and sits at technical resistance. And looming competitive threats could ding the company's margins. Overall, is FAST stock ready to break out or fall back yet again? FAST Stock Cons Expensive Stock : FAST stock is currently trading at 28 times earnings. For a company that isn't in tech or another fast-growth sector, 28x earnings is quite a stretch. Analysts are bullish on Fastenal. The company scored an impressive seven ratings upgrades in 2017 alone. And yet, despite that, analysts only see Fastenal's earnings growing by around 10% next year, taking the forward PE ratio to 25. That's still expensive, even if the bullish analyst forecasts are achieved. 8 Stocks That Will Hit All-Time Lows in 2018 That problem played out with Fastenal's earnings this week. Despite beating the company's revenue guidance and matching on EPS, FAST stock slumped after the company released the numbers. It is hard for an unglamorous business to sustain such a huge PE ratio without blowout earnings numbers. For dividend investors, FAST stock is attractive due to its consistently rising dividend payout. However, at a 2.8% yield now, Fastenal doesn't pay much more than U.S. treasury bonds. With interest rates soaring, the conservative yield-focused investors that previously bought stocks like FAST for safety may jump ship for safer options in fixed income. Declining Margins : Fastenal's profit margins have slid in recent quarters. The market has interpreted this as a sign that Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN ) and other online players are eroding Fastenal's core business. Fastenal's bread-and-butter business is distribution. Amazon makes its living upending existing distribution models. On top of that, Fastenal's expansion in the vending and on-site businesses will further cut into its margins, as it can't mark up these services as much as its traditional offerings. Fastenal is evolving to stay relevant as times change. But the change in the company's business focus could cause earnings growth to slow down. Technical Resistance : FAST stock just hit the $55 level that was its all-time high dating back to 2012. At that point, shares sold off smartly following a so-so earnings report. This will give short sellers ammunition to press their bets against Fastenal. Already, short sellers have sold 9% of FAST stock short. That's an unusually high amount for an industrial company. In many cases, high short interest might be fuel for a potential short squeeze. In this situation, however, the short sellers could be problematic. The stock just failed at overhead resistance, and shorts will feel emboldened to press their bets. FAST Stock Pros Internet Threat Is Overstated: The declining margins argument by the bears may or may not be correct. Here's the bullish counterpoint. Throughout 2017, Amazon fears spread into many sectors, such as grocery and auto parts, that had previously seemed resistant to the internet threat. To give one example, AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE: AZO ) plunged from $800 to $500 in 2017, before roaring back to $780 now. You can make a similar case that investors are not understanding Fastenal's true position. Sure, the internet could disrupt FAST's traditional distribution business. However, customers are pretty sticky for its services. For niche specialized products, it makes less sense to abandon trusted vendors to save a few cents. And Fastenal's on-site and vending businesses are largely internet-immune, even if the older store model takes a hit. Cheaper Than Before : It's inarguable that FAST is an expensive stock. However, bulls can rightfully retort that it is cheaper than it used to be. Incredibly, between 2009 and 2013, FAST stock ended every single year with a trailing PE ratio over 30. And recently, its PE ratio has consistently hung out in the high 20s. In fact, FAST stock first hit $55 way back in 2012 and has pretty much traded in a steady range between $45 and $55 for the past five years. Thus, despite being expensive, it's relatively cheap compared to its recent history. Also, when it finally breaks out above that long-running resistance at the $55 mark, it could really get going technically. Sector Is Booming : The industrial stocks are on fire right now. Boeing Co (NYSE: BA ), not usually a highflier, is giving the FAANG stocks a run for their money. BA stock is up 115% over the past year. CaterpillarInc. (NYSE: CAT ) is having a similar performance. Left for dead in early 2016, CAT stock has pulled off more than just a bounce. It's nearly tripled off the 2016 low and is up 90% within the past 12 months. It's not hard to see why investors are excited. The president's efforts to create American manufacturing jobs are a boon for the industrial sector. And the tax cut package and a potential deal for infrastructure spending could stimulate yet more demand for the products that Fastenal distributes. Verdict on FAST Stock This an exciting moment for Fastenal stock. After five years of stagnation, shares are pushing up against long-running resistance at $55. If it tops that, shares should soar. Fastenal (FAST) Names New CEO However, don't expect it to happen this quarter. The company's latest earnings report wasn't good enough to get the job done. If anything, expect short sellers to circle the wagons here as the company's margins drop off and Amazon fears persist. There could be a good trade coming up on FAST stock in 2018, but it isn't here just yet. At the time of this writing, the author owned AZO stock. He had no positions in any of the other aforementioned securities. You can reach him on Twitter at @irbezek. More From InvestorPlace 10 Stocks to Buy Instead of Bitcoin 3 Big Stock Charts for Thursday: Fastenal Company (FAST), Applied Materials, Inc. (AMAT) and eBay Inc (EBAY) The 7 Best Vanguard Funds for 2018 Compare Brokers The post Should You Buy the Earnings Dip in Fastenal Stock? 3 Pros, 3 Cons appeared first on InvestorPlace . The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Stocks With Rising Composite Ratings: Fastenal The IBD SmartSelect Composite Rating for Fastenal ( FAST ) rose from 93 to 96 Monday. [ibd-display-video id=2881825 width=50 float=left autostart=true] The new rating is a sign the stock is outpacing 96% of all stocks when it comes to the most important stock-picking criteria. History shows the top market performers tend to have a 95 or higher score as they launch their major moves. Fastenal is now out of buy range after clearing the 49.07 entry in a saucer with handle. See How IBD Helps You Make More Money In Stocks The stock sports an 89 EPS Rating, which means its recent quarterly and longer-term annual earnings growth tops 89% of all stocks. Its Accumulation/Distribution Rating of B shows moderate buying by institutional investors over the last 13 weeks. The company posted a 33% earnings-per-share gain for Q4. Sales growth increased 15%, up from 12% in the prior quarter. That marks five quarters of rising growth. Fastenal holds the No. 4 rank among its peers in the Retail/Wholesale-Building Products industry group. Floor & Decor ( FND ) is the top-ranked stock within the group. RELATED: Which Companies Are Now Outperforming 95% Of All Stocks? The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Stocks With Rising Composite Ratings: Fastenal"", ""Home Depot Cruising Ahead of Industry & S&P 500, Here's Why"", ""How to find companies that will benefit most from the Trump tax cuts Focus on companies with low debt that do a lot of domestic business and exploit few tax loopholes Focus on companies with low debt that do a lot of domestic business and exploit few tax loopholes.""]"
FAST,2018-01-23,23.6972,23.9706,23.5235,23.8058,
FAST,2018-01-24,24.3378,24.9587,24.2994,24.8767,"[""Sequoia Fund Q4 2017 Investor Letter"", ""3 Construction Stocks to Buy As U.S. Building Heats Up"", ""20 Dividend Increases: January 15-19, 2018 (Part 2: The Remaining Sectors)"", ""3 Construction Stocks to Buy As U.S. Building Heats Up"", ""20 Dividend Increases: January 15-19, 2018 (Part 2: The Remaining Sectors)"", ""Sequoia Fund Q4 2017 Investor Letter"", ""Nasdaq 100 Movers: AAL, JD In early trading on Wednesday, shares of JD.com ( JD ) topped the list of the day's best performing components of the Nasdaq 100 index, trading up 4.8%. Year to date, JD.com registers a 14.4% gain. And the worst performing Nasdaq 100 component thus far on the day is American Airlines Group ( AAL ), trading down 5.5%. American Airlines Group is showing a gain of 5.9% looking at the year to date performance. Two other components making moves today are Texas Instruments ( TXN ), trading down 5.3%, and Fastenal ( FAST ), trading up 3.5% on the day. VIDEO: Nasdaq 100 Movers: AAL, JD The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Market Close Report: NASDAQ Composite index closes at 7,415.06 down -45.23 points Wednesday's session closes with the NASDAQ Composite Index at 7,415.06. The total shares traded for the NASDAQ was over 2.27 billion. Declining stocks led advancers by 1.82 to 1 ratio. There were 1062 advancers and 1936 decliners for the day. On the NASDAQ Stock Exchange 157 stocks reached a 52 week high and 12 those reaching lows totaled. The most active, advancers, decliners, unusual volume and most active by dollar volume can be monitored intraday on the Most Active Stocks page. The NASDAQ 100 index closed down -.63% for the day; a total of -44.11 points. The current value is 6,919.35. Texas Instruments Incorporated ( TXN ) had the largest percent change down (-8.5%) while Fastenal Company ( FAST ) had the largest percent change gain rising 4.5%. The Dow Jones index closed up .16% for the day; a total of 41.31 points. The current value is 26,252.12. General Electric Company ( GE ) had the largest percent change down (-2.66%) while Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (The) ( GS ) had the largest percent change gain rising 2.15%. NASDAQ Market Wrap As of 1/24/2018 4:44:02 PM BILLIONS OF 2.27 NASDAQ SHARES TRADED TODAY 157 STOCKS REACHED A 52 WEEK HIGH 12 THOSE REACHING LOWS TOTALEDFastenal Company [FAST]TOPS ADVANCERS LISTOF NASDAQ 100 INDEX % 4.5 ROSE The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""3 Construction Stocks to Buy As U.S. Building Heats Up After a strong 2017 for the construction industry and most signs pointing to continued growth, it might be a great time to jump on some construction and homebuilding industry stocks. Three-quarters of U.S. construction firms plan to increase their payrolls in 2018, according to a new survey from the Associated General Contractors of America. Last year, the construction industry added 210,000 new jobs, which marked a 35% year-over-year jump, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Spending climbed in the real estate sector, commercial and residential industry and in private construction projects. \""Construction firms appear to be very optimistic about 2018 as they expect demand for all types of construction services to continue to expand,\"" Associated General Contractors of America CEO Stephen E. Sandherr said in a statement . \""This optimism is likely based on current economic conditions, an increasingly business-friendly regulatory environment and expectations the Trump administration will boost infrastructure investments.\"" With that said, let's take a look at three construction stocks that investors might want to scoop up before the spring-time building boom really picks up. 1. Fastenal Company FAST Last week, this industrial and construction supply wholesale giant posted Q4 sales that climbed 14.8% year-over-year. Fastenal's strong fourth-quarter helped its shares climb to a new all-time high of $56.73 per share on Wednesday. However, it doesn't seem like the company will have a hard time breaking into a new range as its growth is expected to continue. Looking ahead to the first quarter of 2018, Fastenal is projected to see its revenues surge 10.63% to hit $1.16 billion, based on our current Zacks Consensus Estimates. Earnings are expected to jump by 30.43% in the quarter. Fastenal is currently a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and sports \""A\"" grades for both Growth and Momentum in our Styles Scores system. On top of all of this, the company has earned six upward earnings estimate revisions against no downgrades for its current quarter, against no downgrades, all within the last 60 days. During this same time period, Fastenal earned a nine to zero ratio for its full year, as it seems analysts are indeed projecting a big year for this construction industry firm. 2. Caterpillar CAT Shares of this construction industry titan are currently hovering around their all-time high as investors anticipate strong fourth-quarter results from CAT, which is set to report Q4 earnings Thursday morning before the opening bell. Caterpillar is expected to see its Q4 EPS skyrocket 113% to hit $1.77, while its sales are projected to pop by 24%, based on current Zacks Consensus Estimates. These estimates take into account the massive construction industry gains at the close of 2017 that saw total construction spending hit a record $1.257 trillion in November, according to the Commerce Department. If these estimates are topped or matched-which CAT has done in 15 of the last 16 quarters, including the trailing 11 periods-shares of the construction icon are likely to fly into a new range. CAT is currently a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and looks poised to benefit from the 2018 construction industry expansion. 3. Deere & Company DE Shares of this manufacturing and construction equipment firm have soared 26.93% in the last 12 weeks and currently rest just below their all-time high. Deere's recent climb comes after the company posted strong Q4 results in late November. Looking ahead, investors should note that 2018 is projected to be another great year for Deere. Within the last 60 days, Deere has earned eight upward earnings estimate revisions for its current full-year against no downgrades. What's more, the company has topped or matched earnings estimates every quarter for the last four years. Deere is currently a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and rocks an overall \""B\"" VGM score, supported by \""B\"" grades for Value and Momentum in our Style Scores system. In its upcoming quarter, Deere is projected to see its earnings reach $1.13 per share, which would mark an 85.25% year-over-year jump. On top of this EPS growth projection, Deere's sales are expected surge over 36% to reach $6.40 billion. Looking even further down the road, the company is expected to see both its top and bottom-line grow by over 22% during its full fiscal 2018-and these might only go up if the U.S. construction industry expansion predictions prove true. The Hottest Tech Mega-Trend of All Last year, it generated $8 billion in global revenues. By 2020, it's predicted to blast through the roof to $47 billion. Famed investor Mark Cuban says it will produce \""the world's first trillionaires,\"" but that should still leave plenty of money for regular investors who make the right trades early. See Zacks' 3 Best Stocks to Play This Trend >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Caterpillar, Inc. (CAT): Free Stock Analysis Report Deere & Company (DE): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""3 Construction Stocks to Buy As U.S. Building Heats Up"", ""20 Dividend Increases: January 15-19, 2018 (Part 2: The Remaining Sectors)"", ""Sequoia Fund Q4 2017 Investor Letter""]"
FAST,2018-01-25,25.0861,25.2361,24.6191,24.9804,"[""Stocks With Rising Relative Price Strength: Fastenal"", ""56 Dividend Growth Stocks Going Ex-Dividend Next Week"", ""Stocks With Rising Relative Price Strength: Fastenal"", ""56 Dividend Growth Stocks Going Ex-Dividend Next Week"", ""Stocks With Rising Relative Price Strength: Fastenal Fastenal ( FAST ) had its Relative Strength ( RS ) Rating upgraded from 70 to 80 Thursday. [ibd-display-video id=2368044 width=50 float=left autostart=true] This unique rating tracks market leadership by showing how a stock's price movement over the last 52 weeks measures up against that of the other stocks in our database. Over 100 years of market history reveals that the stocks that go on to make the biggest gains typically have an 80 or higher RS Rating as they launch their biggest climbs. Looking For The Best Stocks To Buy And Watch? Start Here Fastenal has risen more than 5% past a 49.07 entry in a first-stage saucer with handle , meaning it's now out of a proper buy range. Look for the stock to create a new buying opportunity like a three-weeks tight or pullback to the 50-day or 10-week moving average. Earnings grew 33% last quarter, up from 14% in the prior report. Revenue also increased, from 12% to 15%. The company earns the No. 2 rank among its peers in the Retail/Wholesale-Building Products industry group. Floor & Decor ( FND ) is the No. 1-ranked stock within the group. RELATED: IBD Stock Rating Upgrades: Rising Relative Strength Why Should You Use IBD's Relative Strength Rating? How Relative Strength Line Can Help You Judge A Stock The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Stocks With Rising Relative Price Strength: Grainger On Thursday, Grainger ( GWW ) received a positive adjustment to its Relative Strength ( RS ) Rating , from 70 to 90. [ibd-display-video id=2385970 width=50 float=left autostart=true] IBD's proprietary RS Rating measures market leadership by showing how a stock's price movement over the last 52 weeks measures up against that of the other stocks in our database. History reveals that the stocks that go on to make the biggest gains typically have an RS Rating north of 80 as they launch their largest climbs. See How IBD Helps You Make More Money In Stocks Grainger is now considered extended and out of buy range after clearing a 240.59 buy point in a first-stage cup with handle . See if the stock forms a new pattern or follow-on buying opportunity like a three-weeks tight or pullback to the 50-day or 10-week moving average. Top and bottom line growth moved higher in the company's most recent quarter. Earnings were up 20%, compared to -5% in the prior report. Revenue increased from 2% to 7%. The company earns the No. 12 rank among its peers in the Retail/Wholesale-Building Products industry group. Floor & Decor ( FND ), Fastenal ( FAST ) and Lowes Companies ( LOW ) are among the top 5 highly rated stocks within the group. RELATED: IBD Stock Rating Upgrades: Rising Relative Strength Why Should You Use IBD's Relative Strength Rating? How Relative Strength Line Can Help You Judge A Stock The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Stocks With Rising Relative Strength: MSC Industrial Direct In a welcome move, MSC Industrial Direct ( MSM ) saw its Relative Strength Rating improve from 65 to 76 on Thursday. [ibd-display-video id=2881825 width=50 float=left autostart=true] This proprietary rating tracks technical performance by showing how a stock's price movement over the last 52 weeks compares to that of the other stocks in our database. Decades of market research reveals that the market's biggest winners often have an RS Rating north of 80 in the early stages of their moves. See if MSC Industrial Direct can continue to show renewed price strength and hit that benchmark. See How IBD Helps You Make More Money In Stocks MSC Industrial Direct is trying to complete a cup with handle with a 100.04 buy point . See if the stock can break out in volume at least 40% higher than normal. Earnings grew 9% last quarter, up from 5% in the prior report. Revenue also increased, from 1% to 12%. MSC Industrial Direct holds the No. 12 rank among its peers in the Retail/Wholesale-Building Products industry group. Floor & Decor ( FND ), Fastenal ( FAST ) and Lowes Companies ( LOW ) are among the top 5 highly rated stocks within the group. RELATED: Stocks With Rising Relative Strength Ratings Why Should You Use IBD's Relative Strength Rating? How Relative Strength Line Can Help You Judge A Stock The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Stocks With Rising Relative Price Strength: Fastenal"", ""56 Dividend Growth Stocks Going Ex-Dividend Next Week""]"
FAST,2018-01-26,25.012,25.2933,24.7839,25.24,"Stocks With Rising Composite Ratings: Central Garden & Pet On Friday, Central Garden & Pet ( CENTA ) got an upgrade for its IBD SmartSelect Composite Rating from 94 to 96. [ibd-display-video id=2385970 width=50 float=left autostart=true] The revised score means the stock currently tops 96% of all other stocks in terms of key performance metrics and technical strength. The best stocks tend to have a 95 or better grade as they launch a significant move. Central Garden & Pet is currently forming a cup without handle , with a 41.44 entry. See if the stock can break out in volume at least 40% above average. Looking For Winning Stocks? Try This Simple Routine One weak spot is the company's 73 EPS Rating, which tracks quarterly and annual earnings growth. Look for that to improve to 80 or better to show it's in the top 20% of all stocks. Its Accumulation/Distribution Rating of A- shows heavy buying by institutional investors, such as mutual funds and pension funds, over the last 13 weeks. The company posted a -38% earnings-per-share gain for Q4. Revenue growth climbed 19%, up from 12% in the prior quarter. That marks two quarters of increasing revenue gains. The company's next quarterly report is expected on or around Jan. 28. Central Garden & Pet earns the No. 6 rank among its peers in the Retail/Wholesale-Building Products industry group. Fastenal ( FAST ), Floor & Decor ( FND ) and Lowes Companies ( LOW ) are among the top 5 highly-rated stocks within the group. RELATED: Which Companies Are Now Outperforming 95% Of All Stocks? The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2018-01-29,25.0989,25.2834,24.6507,24.7061,"[""Fastenal Company (FAST) Ex-Dividend Date Scheduled for January 30, 2018 Fastenal Company ( FAST ) will begin trading ex-dividend on January 30, 2018. A cash dividend payment of $0.37 per share is scheduled to be paid on February 27, 2018. Shareholders who purchased FAST prior to the ex-dividend date are eligible for the cash dividend payment. This represents an 15.63% increase over prior dividend payment. The previous trading day's last sale of FAST was $57.69, representing a -0.22% decrease from the 52 week high of $57.82 and a 44.99% increase over the 52 week low of $39.79. FAST is a part of the Consumer Services sector, which includes companies such as Home Depot, Inc. ( HD ) and Lowe's Companies, Inc. ( LOW ). FAST's current earnings per share, an indicator of a company's profitability, is $2.01. Zacks Investment Research reports FAST's forecasted earnings growth in 2018 as 27.56%, compared to an industry average of 6.7%. For more information on the declaration, record and payment dates, visit the FAST Dividend History page. Our Dividend Calendar has the full list of stocks that have an ex-dividend today. Interested in gaining exposure to FAST through an Exchange Traded Fund [ETF]? The following ETF(s) have FAST as a top-10 holding: Franklin LibertyQ U.S. Mid Cap Equity ETF ( FLQM ). The top-performing ETF of this group is FLQM with an increase of 14% over the last 100 days. It also has the highest percent weighting of FAST at 1.03%. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Stocks With Rising Relative Strength: Applied Industrial Technologies Applied Industrial Technologies ( AIT ) had its Relative Strength ( RS ) Rating upgraded from 70 to 76 Monday -- a welcome improvement, but still shy of the 80 or higher score you prefer to see. [ibd-display-video id=2102289 width=50 float=left autostart=true] IBD's proprietary rating measures price performance with a 1 (worst) to 99 (best) score. The rating shows how a stock's price behavior over the trailing 52 weeks stacks up against all the other stocks in our database. History reveals that the market's biggest winners often have an 80 or better RS Rating in the early stages of their moves. See if Applied Industrial Technologies can continue to rebound and hit that benchmark. Looking For Winning Stocks? Try This Simple Routine Applied Industrial Technologies has moved more than 5% past a 70.15 entry in a first-stage cup without handle , meaning it's now out of a proper buy range. Look for the stock to offer a new buying opportunity like a three-weeks tight or pullback to the 50-day or 10-week line. In terms of fundamentals, the company has posted four quarters of accelerating earnings growth. Sales gains have also moved higher over the same time frame. The company earns the No. 6 rank among its peers in the Retail/Wholesale-Building Products industry group. Fastenal ( FAST ), Floor & Decor ( FND ) and Lowes Companies ( LOW ) are among the top 5 highly rated stocks within the group. RELATED: Stocks With Rising Relative Strength Ratings Why Should You Use IBD's Relative Strength Rating? How Relative Strength Line Can Help You Judge A Stock The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Stocks With Rising Composite Ratings: Applied Industrial Technologies On Monday, Applied Industrial Technologies ( AIT ) got an upgrade for its IBD SmartSelect Composite Rating from 93 to 96. [ibd-display-video id=2102289 width=50 float=left autostart=true] The new rating is a sign the stock is outpacing 96% of all stocks when it comes to the most important stock-picking criteria. History shows the top market performers tend to have a 95 or higher score as they launch their major climbs. Applied Industrial Technologies is now out of buy range after breaking out from a 70.15 buy point in a cup without handle. See How IBD Helps You Make More Money In Stocks The stock has an 84 EPS Rating, which means its recent quarterly and annual earnings growth is outpacing 84% of all stocks. Its Accumulation/Distribution Rating of A- shows heavy buying by institutional investors, such as mutual funds and pension funds, over the last 13 weeks. In Q2, the company posted 26% EPS growth. It has now posted accelerating EPS growth for four consecutive quarters. Sales growth climbed 10%, up from 9% in the prior report. That marks two consecutive reports with rising growth. Applied Industrial Technologies earns the No. 6 rank among its peers in the Retail/Wholesale-Building Products industry group. Fastenal ( FAST ), Floor & Decor ( FND ) and Lowes Companies ( LOW ) are among the top 5 highly-rated stocks within the group. RELATED: Which Companies Are Now Outperforming 95% Of All Stocks? The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2018-01-30,24.6162,24.7515,24.248,24.5875,"[""Construction Industry Set to Boom in 2018: 4 Top Picks"", ""Construction Industry Set to Boom in 2018: 4 Top Picks"", ""Construction Industry Set to Boom in 2018: 4 Top Picks InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips The construction industry in the United States is expected to grow by leaps and bounds in 2018. Also, a ratio which measures the optimism surrounding the sector's growth hit a record high recently. Further, hiring in the sector has been unusually high over the last one year. Source: \u00a9iStock.com/Sashick Meanwhile, a leaked draft of Trump's infrastructure spending plans indicates that the GOP will prioritize improving the existing roads and highways as well as non-federally funded utilities in the country. Lastly, strong economic growth and recent tax reforms continue to boost the industry's growth. Such a scenario quite naturally calls for investing in construction stocks. Construction Spending Hits a Record High In November 2017, construction spending increased, surpassing expectations. The figure came in at $1.26 trillion, logging an annual growth rate of 2.4%. Such strength in spending was the result of increased investments across real estate, commercial and residential projects. Further, spending on private construction remained high and invited gains to the industry. To top it all, firms operating in the space are also looking to expand their workforce as evident from unusually high hiring even under dire circumstances. Per the latest data by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the construction industry added as many as 30,000 jobs to the U.S. economy in December, when parts of the country were ravaged by harsh winters. 5 Construction Stocks Set to Carve a Beat in Q4 Earnings In 2017 alone, the sector added 210,000 jobs, which represented a surge of 35% from 2016. Economists have already stated that such figures are indicative of excellent performance by the space in 2018. Moreover, the ratio which measures the industry optimism over business growth hit a record high. Such optimism is backed primarily by business-friendly economic conditions and overall growth. Also, economists have stated that construction in the office market, transportation and retail will see a boom this year. Infrastructure Spending to be Beefed Up Optimism regarding growth of the construction industry surged post President Trump's victory as one of his key priorities was infrastructure investment. Although spending on government projects have declined 3.4% year to date, the figure is still close to an increase of 3% - the highest monthly gain in three years - that it hit in October 2017. This is courtesy of higher spending at the federal, state and local levels. Increased infrastructure spending was the cornerstone of Trump's pesidential campaign. As a matter of fact, he had proposed a $1 trillion infrastructure spending financed by new tax credits to encourage private equity investors. He plans to deploy $200 billion in federal money over the next decade to \""incentivize another $800 billion in spending from state and local authorities and private entities.\"" That said, the question on investors' mind is: Will infrastructure spending be increased at all? One can roughly gauge that this might be possible. Efforts made by members of the GOP to push through tax reforms are indicative of their legislative intent. More than anything, it is the repute and the goodwill that President Trump and his team would like to maintain. A leaked draft of Trump's infrastructure policy, published on Axios on Jan 23, 2018, clearly mentions that the administration is not keen on building new roads or highways and taking up \""unsustainable projects.\"" The administration instead focuses on improving the conditions of the existing roads and highways. The plan also hints at protecting non-federally funded utilities within the country. Such statements give a clear indication that the citizens will soon witness the passing of the Infrastructure Spending Bill. Fall in Starts a Momentary Hiccup The year started with a disappointing reading for housing starts. Per the Department of Commerce, housing starts declined 8.2% in December - its largest percentage drop since November 2016. However, analysts see such a downturn as temporary. Further, housing possibly felt the chill from December's brutally low temperatures. Also, the 2.4% increase in homebuilding to 1.202 million units in 2017 is one important point to be noted. This is the highest level recorded in a decade. Strong economic growth, a robust labor market and tax cuts are continuing to bolster the housing industry. Future demand is also likely to remain strong given the shortage in supply of existing homes. Also, homebuilders are not planning more speculative homes. These are units which still do not have a buyer. And this phenomenon has not been witnessed since the last housing boom, which preceded the recession of 2008. 4 Best Stocks to Buy Market watchers remain optimistic about the construction industry's growth under robust economic conditions. We suggest you consider the following construction stocks to tap the opportunities building up. These stocks have a favorable Zacks Rank indicating positive estimate revisions, which generally translate into rapid price appreciation. These flaunt a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy). Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. (NASDAQ: BECN ) is the second-largest distributor of residential and non-residential roofing materials in the United States and Canada. Beacon Roofing has a Zacks Rank #2. The company's projected EPS growth for the current year is 46.41%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved 7.8% over the last 60 days. D.R. Horton Inc (NYSE: DHI ), based in Texas, is one of the leading national homebuilders, primarily engaged in the construction and sale of single-family houses both in the entry-level and move-up markets. D.R. Horton carries a Zacks Rank #2. Its projected EPS growth for the current year is 29.01%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved 9.7% over the last 60 days. These 4 REITs Will Thrive as Rates Rise Deere & Company (NYSE: DE ) is the manufacturer and distributor of agriculture, construction and forestry equipment. The Zacks Rank #2 company's projected EPS growth for the current year is 22.05%. Fastenal Company (NASDAQ: FAST ) is a wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies in the United States. Fastenal Company sports a Zacks Rank #1. Its projected EPS growth for the current year is 27.56%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved 15.5% over the last 60 days. Don't Even Think About Buying Bitcoin Until You Read This The most popular cryptocurrency skyrocketed last year, giving some investors the chance to bank 20X returns or even more. Those gains, however, came with serious volatility and risk. Bitcoin sank 25% or more 3 times in 2017. Zacks' has just released a new Special Report to help readers capitalize on the explosive profit potential of Bitcoin and the other cryptocurrencies with significantly less volatility than buying them directly. See 4 crypto-related stocks now >> More From InvestorPlace Top 10 Most Traded Cryptocurrencies: The Biggest Names in Altcoin ETFs and Stocks to Buy on Falling Dollar 5 Great Breakout Stocks Offering Superlative Returns Compare Brokers The post Construction Industry Set to Boom in 2018: 4 Top Picks appeared first on InvestorPlace . The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Construction Industry Set to Boom in 2018: 4 Top Picks The construction industry in the United States is expected to grow by leaps and bounds in 2018. Also, a ratio which measures the optimism surrounding the sector's growth hit a record high recently. Further, hiring in the sector has been unusually high over the last one year. Meanwhile, a leaked draft of Trump's infrastructure spending plans indicates that the GOP will prioritize improving the existing roads and highways as well as non-federally funded utilities in the country. Lastly, strong economic growth and recent tax reforms continue to boost the industry's growth. Such a scenario quite naturally calls for investing in construction stocks. Construction Spending Hits a Record High In November 2017, construction spending increased, surpassing expectations. The figure came in at $1.26 trillion, logging an annual growth rate of 2.4%. Such strength in spending was the result of increased investments across real estate, commercial and residential projects. Further, spending on private construction remained high and invited gains to the industry. To top it all, firms operating in the space are also looking to expand their workforce as evident from unusually high hiring even under dire circumstances. Per the latest data by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the construction industry added as many as 30,000 jobs to the U.S. economy in December, when parts of the country were ravaged by harsh winters. In 2017 alone, the sector added 210,000 jobs, which represented a surge of 35% from 2016. Economists have already stated that such figures are indicative of excellent performance by the space in 2018. Moreover, the ratio which measures the industry optimism over business growth hit a record high. Such optimism is backed primarily by business-friendly economic conditions and overall growth. Also, economists have stated that construction in the office market, transportation and retail will see a boom this year. Infrastructure Spending to be Beefed Up Optimism regarding growth of the construction industry surged post President Trump's victory as one of his key priorities was infrastructure investment. Although spending on government projects have declined 3.4% year to date, the figure is still close to an increase of 3% -- the highest monthly gain in three years - that it hit in October 2017. This is courtesy of higher spending at the federal, state and local levels. Increased infrastructure spending was the cornerstone of Trump's pesidential campaign. As a matter of fact, he had proposed a $1 trillion infrastructure spending financed by new tax credits to encourage private equity investors. He plans to deploy $200 billion in federal money over the next decade to \""incentivize another $800 billion in spending from state and local authorities and private entities.\"" That said, the question on investors' mind is: Will infrastructure spending be increased at all? One can roughly gauge that this might be possible. Efforts made by members of the GOP to push through tax reforms are indicative of their legislative intent. More than anything, it is the repute and the goodwill that President Trump and his team would like to maintain. A leaked draft of Trump's infrastructure policy, published on Axios on Jan 23, 2018, clearly mentions that the administration is not keen on building new roads or highways and taking up \""unsustainable projects.\"" The administration instead focuses on improving the conditions of the existing roads and highways. The plan also hints at protecting non-federally funded utilities within the country. Such statements give a clear indication that the citizens will soon witness the passing of the Infrastructure Spending Bill. Fall in Starts a Momentary Hiccup The year started with a disappointing reading for housing starts. Per the Department of Commerce, housing starts declined 8.2% in December - its largest percentage drop since November 2016. However, analysts see such a downturn as temporary. Further, housing possibly felt the chill from December's brutally low temperatures. Also, the 2.4% increase in homebuilding to 1.202 million units in 2017 is one important point to be noted. This is the highest level recorded in a decade. Strong economic growth, a robust labor market and tax cuts are continuing to bolster the housing industry. Future demand is also likely to remain strong given the shortage in supply of existing homes. Also, homebuilders are not planning more speculative homes. These are units which still do not have a buyer. And this phenomenon has not been witnessed since the last housing boom, which preceded the recession of 2008. ( Read More ) 4 Best Stocks to Buy Market watchers remain optimistic about the construction industry's growth under robust economic conditions. We suggest you consider the following construction stocks to tap the opportunities building up. These stocks have a favorable Zacks Rank indicating positive estimate revisions, which generally translate into rapid price appreciation. These flaunt a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here . Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. BECN is the second-largest distributor of residential and non-residential roofing materials in the United States and Canada. Beacon Roofing has a Zacks Rank #2. The company's projected EPS growth for the current year is 46.41%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved 7.8% over the last 60 days. D.R. Horton, Inc. DHI , based in Texas, is one of the leading national homebuilders, primarily engaged in the construction and sale of single-family houses both in the entry-level and move-up markets. D.R. Horton carries a Zacks Rank #2. Its projected EPS growth for the current year is 29.01%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved 9.7% over the last 60 days. Deere & CompanyDE is the manufacturer and distributor of agriculture, construction and forestry equipment. The Zacks Rank #2 company's projected EPS growth for the current year is 22.05%. Fastenal CompanyFAST is a wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies in the United States. Fastenal Company sports a Zacks Rank #1. Its projected EPS growth for the current year is 27.56%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved 15.5% over the last 60 days. Don't Even Think About Buying Bitcoin Until You Read This The most popular cryptocurrency skyrocketed last year, giving some investors the chance to bank 20X returns or even more. Those gains, however, came with serious volatility and risk. Bitcoin sank 25% or more 3 times in 2017. Zacks' has just released a new Special Report to help readers capitalize on the explosive profit potential of Bitcoin and the other cryptocurrencies with significantly less volatility than buying them directly. See 4 crypto-related stocks now >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. (BECN): Free Stock Analysis Report D.R. Horton, Inc. (DHI): Free Stock Analysis Report Deere & Company (DE): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Construction Industry Set to Boom in 2018: 4 Top Picks""]"
FAST,2018-01-31,24.6597,24.7771,23.944,24.2046,"[""The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: Beacon Roofing Supply, D.R. Horton, Deere and Fastenal"", ""The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: Beacon Roofing Supply, D.R. Horton, Deere and Fastenal"", ""The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: Beacon Roofing Supply, D.R. Horton, Deere and Fastenal For Immediate Release Chicago, IL - Jan 31, 2018 - Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. BECN , D.R. Horton, Inc. DHI , Deere & CompanyDE and Fastenal CompanyFAST . Today, Zacks is promoting its ''Buy'' stock recommendations. Get #1Stock of the Day pick for free. Here are highlights from Tuesday's Analyst Blog: Construction Industry Set to Boom in 2018: 4 Top Picks The construction industry in the United States is expected to grow by leaps and bounds in 2018. Also, a ratio which measures the optimism surrounding the sector's growth hit a record high recently. Further, hiring in the sector has been unusually high over the last one year. Meanwhile, a leaked draft of Trump's infrastructure spending plans indicates that the GOP will prioritize improving the existing roads and highways as well as non-federally funded utilities in the country. Lastly, strong economic growth and recent tax reforms continue to boost the industry's growth. Such a scenario quite naturally calls for investing in construction stocks. Construction Spending Hits a Record High In November 2017, construction spending increased, surpassing expectations. The figure came in at $1.26 trillion, logging an annual growth rate of 2.4%. Such strength in spending was the result of increased investments across real estate, commercial and residential projects. Further, spending on private construction remained high and invited gains to the industry. To top it all, firms operating in the space are also looking to expand their workforce as evident from unusually high hiring even under dire circumstances. Per the latest data by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the construction industry added as many as 30,000 jobs to the U.S. economy in December, when parts of the country were ravaged by harsh winters. In 2017 alone, the sector added 210,000 jobs, which represented a surge of 35% from 2016. Economists have already stated that such figures are indicative of excellent performance by the space in 2018. Moreover, the ratio which measures the industry optimism over business growth hit a record high. Such optimism is backed primarily by business-friendly economic conditions and overall growth. Also, economists have stated that construction in the office market, transportation and retail will see a boom this year. Infrastructure Spending to be Beefed Up Optimism regarding growth of the construction industry surged post President Trump's victory as one of his key priorities was infrastructure investment. Although spending on government projects have declined 3.4% year to date, the figure is still close to an increase of 3% -- the highest monthly gain in three years - that it hit in October 2017. This is courtesy of higher spending at the federal, state and local levels. Increased infrastructure spending was the cornerstone of Trump's pesidential campaign. As a matter of fact, he had proposed a $1 trillion infrastructure spending financed by new tax credits to encourage private equity investors. He plans to deploy $200 billion in federal money over the next decade to \""incentivize another $800 billion in spending from state and local authorities and private entities.\"" That said, the question on investors' mind is: Will infrastructure spending be increased at all? One can roughly gauge that this might be possible. Efforts made by members of the GOP to push through tax reforms are indicative of their legislative intent. More than anything, it is the repute and the goodwill that President Trump and his team would like to maintain. A leaked draft of Trump's infrastructure policy, published on Axios on Jan 23, 2018, clearly mentions that the administration is not keen on building new roads or highways and taking up \""unsustainable projects.\"" The administration instead focuses on improving the conditions of the existing roads and highways. The plan also hints at protecting non-federally funded utilities within the country. Such statements give a clear indication that the citizens will soon witness the passing of the Infrastructure Spending Bill. Fall in Starts a Momentary Hiccup The year started with a disappointing reading for housing starts. Per the Department of Commerce, housing starts declined 8.2% in December - its largest percentage drop since November 2016. However, analysts see such a downturn as temporary. Further, housing possibly felt the chill from December's brutally low temperatures. Also, the 2.4% increase in homebuilding to 1.202 million units in 2017 is one important point to be noted. This is the highest level recorded in a decade. Strong economic growth, a robust labor market and tax cuts are continuing to bolster the housing industry. Future demand is also likely to remain strong given the shortage in supply of existing homes. Also, homebuilders are not planning more speculative homes. These are units which still do not have a buyer. And this phenomenon has not been witnessed since the last housing boom, which preceded the recession of 2008. ( Read More ) 4 Best Stocks to Buy Market watchers remain optimistic about the construction industry's growth under robust economic conditions. We suggest you consider the following construction stocks to tap the opportunities building up. These stocks have a favorable Zacks Rank indicating positive estimate revisions, which generally translate into rapid price appreciation. These flaunt a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here . Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. is the second-largest distributor of residential and non-residential roofing materials in the United States and Canada. Beacon Roofing has a Zacks Rank #2. The company's projected EPS growth for the current year is 46.41%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved 7.8% over the last 60 days. D.R. Horton, Inc. , based in Texas, is one of the leading national homebuilders, primarily engaged in the construction and sale of single-family houses both in the entry-level and move-up markets. D.R. Horton carries a Zacks Rank #2. Its projected EPS growth for the current year is 29.01%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved 9.7% over the last 60 days. Deere & Company is the manufacturer and distributor of agriculture, construction and forestry equipment. The Zacks Rank #2 company's projected EPS growth for the current year is 22.05%. Fastenal Company is a wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies in the United States. Fastenal Company sports a Zacks Rank #1. Its projected EPS growth for the current year is 27.56%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved 15.5% over the last 60 days. Don't Even Think About Buying Bitcoin Until You Read This The most popular cryptocurrency skyrocketed last year, giving some investors the chance to bank 20X returns or even more. Those gains, however, came with serious volatility and risk. Bitcoin sank 25% or more 3 times in 2017. Zacks' has just released a new Special Report to help readers capitalize on the explosive profit potential of Bitcoin and the other cryptocurrencies with significantly less volatility than buying them directly. See 4 crypto-related stocks now >> Today, Zacks is promoting its ''Buy'' stock recommendations. Get #1 Stock of the Day pick for free . About Zacks Equity Research Zacks Equity Research provides the best of quantitative and qualitative analysis to help investors know what stocks to buy and which to sell for the long-term. Continuous coverage is provided for a universe of 1,150 publicly traded stocks. Our analysts are organized by industry which gives them keen insights to developments that affect company profits and stock performance. Recommendations and target prices are six-month time horizons. Strong Stocks that Should Be in the News Many are little publicized and fly under the Wall Street radar. They're virtually unknown to the general public. Yet today's 220 Zacks Rank #1 \""Strong Buys\"" were generated by the stock-picking system that has nearly tripled the market from 1988 through 2015. Its average gain has been a stellar +26% per year. See these high-potential stocks free >>. Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/zacksresearch Join us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Zacks-Investment-Research/57553657748?ref=ts Zacks Investment Research is under common control with affiliated entities (including a broker-dealer and an investment adviser), which may engage in transactions involving the foregoing securities for the clients of such affiliates. Media Contact Zacks Investment Research 800-767-3771 ext. 9339 support@zacks.com https://www.zacks.com/ Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. (BECN): Free Stock Analysis Report D.R. Horton, Inc. (DHI): Free Stock Analysis Report Deere & Company (DE): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: Beacon Roofing Supply, D.R. Horton, Deere and Fastenal""]"
FAST,2018-02-01,24.0358,24.4158,23.7752,24.0002,"[""NextEra, Perrigo Among 12 Dividend Increases Expected In The First Half Of February"", ""32 Dividend Increases: January 22-26, 2018 (Part 3: Remaining Sectors)"", ""32 Dividend Increases: January 22-26, 2018 (Part 3: Remaining Sectors)"", ""NextEra, Perrigo Among 12 Dividend Increases Expected In The First Half Of February"", ""32 Dividend Increases: January 22-26, 2018 (Part 3: Remaining Sectors)"", ""NextEra, Perrigo Among 12 Dividend Increases Expected In The First Half Of February""]"
FAST,2018-02-02,23.7999,23.94,23.4979,23.5867,"[""The MnM Portfolio - 2017 Review, What I Got Right (And Wrong), And What I Learned Along The Way"", ""The MnM Portfolio - 2017 Review, What I Got Right (And Wrong), And What I Learned Along The Way"", ""Applied Industrial Technologies Clears Technical Benchmark, Hitting 80-Plus RS Rating Applied Industrial Technologies ( AIT ) had its Relative Strength ( RS ) Rating upgraded from 79 to 82 Friday. [ibd-display-video id=2385970 width=50 float=left autostart=true] This unique rating identifies market leadership by showing how a stock's price action over the last 52 weeks measures up against that of the other stocks in our database. Over 100 years of market history reveals that the stocks that go on to make the biggest gains tend to have an RS Rating north of 80 as they begin their biggest climbs. See How IBD Helps You Make More Money In Stocks Applied Industrial Technologies has risen more than 5% past a 70.15 entry in a first-stage cup without handle , meaning it's now out of a proper buy zone. Look for the stock to create a new buying opportunity like a three-weeks tight or pullback to the 50-day or 10-week moving average. In terms of fundamentals, Applied Industrial Technologies has posted rising EPS growth in each of the last four reports. Sales gains have also increased over the same time frame. Applied Industrial Technologies holds the No. 4 rank among its peers in the Retail/Wholesale-Building Products industry group. Fastenal ( FAST ) is the top-ranked stock within the group. RELATED: Stocks With Rising Relative Strength Ratings Why Should You Use IBD's Relative Strength Rating? How Relative Strength Line Can Help You Judge A Stock The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""The MnM Portfolio - 2017 Review, What I Got Right (And Wrong), And What I Learned Along The Way""]"
FAST,2018-02-05,23.485,23.8759,22.6085,22.9253,"[""Fastenal Co (FAST) Files \u2013\u2026-K for the Fiscal Year Ended on December '\u2013, \u2014\u2026\u20137"", ""Fastenal Co (FAST) Files \u2013\u2026-K for the Fiscal Year Ended on December '\u2013, \u2014\u2026\u20137"", ""Fastenal Co (FAST) Files \u2013\u2026-K for the Fiscal Year Ended on December '\u2013, \u2014\u2026\u20137""]"
FAST,2018-02-06,22.6559,23.5452,22.6559,23.3488,"[""Top Dividend Raises And Cuts For January 2018"", ""Top Dividend Raises And Cuts For January 2018"", ""Top Dividend Raises And Cuts For January 2018""]"
FAST,2018-02-07,23.2649,23.7574,23.2155,23.4465,
FAST,2018-02-08,23.3784,23.5906,22.9649,22.9649,"[""The MnM Portfolio, Jan 2018: The Year Kicks Off With A Boatload Of Dividend Raises"", ""The MnM Portfolio, Jan 2018: The Year Kicks Off With A Boatload Of Dividend Raises"", ""The MnM Portfolio, Jan 2018: The Year Kicks Off With A Boatload Of Dividend Raises""]"
FAST,2018-02-09,23.1465,23.7664,22.6973,23.5492,"[""Beacon Roofing (BECN) Beats Q1 Earnings & Revenue Estimates"", ""Beacon Roofing (BECN) Beats Q1 Earnings & Revenue Estimates"", ""Beacon Roofing (BECN) Beats Q1 Earnings & Revenue Estimates""]"
FAST,2018-02-12,23.6824,23.7624,23.1682,23.2699,"[""Fastenal Earns Relative Strength Rating Upgrade; Hits Key Threshold"", ""Fastenal Earns Relative Strength Rating Upgrade; Hits Key Threshold"", ""Fastenal Earns Relative Strength Rating Upgrade; Hits Key Threshold""]"
FAST,2018-02-13,23.0843,23.635,23.0517,23.5906,
FAST,2018-02-14,23.5077,24.102,23.256,24.0684,"[""New Research Coverage Highlights Illumina, Vectren, Chemours, Fastenal, Norwegian Cruise Line, ..."", ""New Research Coverage Highlights Illumina, Vectren, Chemours, Fastenal, Norwegian Cruise Line, ..."", ""New Research Coverage Highlights Illumina, Vectren, Chemours, Fastenal, Norwegian Cruise Line, ...""]"
FAST,2018-02-15,24.2046,24.6053,24.0634,24.5145,"[""Top 'Safer' Dividend Achiever Is Meredith By Yield And Gains Per Broker February Reckoning"", ""Top 'Safer' Dividend Achiever Is Meredith By Yield And Gains Per Broker February Reckoning"", ""Top 'Safer' Dividend Achiever Is Meredith By Yield And Gains Per Broker February Reckoning""]"
FAST,2018-02-16,24.4484,24.5382,24.0002,24.1098,"[""Contenders, Donegal Group, Principal, & Philip Morris Lead Gains In 'Safer' Dividend February Survey"", ""Fastenal Company (FAST) Up 4.5% Since Earnings Report: Can It Continue?"", ""Contenders, Donegal Group, Principal, & Philip Morris Lead Gains In 'Safer' Dividend February Survey"", ""Fastenal Company (FAST) Up 4.5% Since Earnings Report: Can It Continue?"", ""Fastenal Company (FAST) Up 4.5% Since Earnings Report: Can It Continue? It has been about a month since the last earnings report for Fastenal CompanyFAST . Shares have added about 4.5% in the past month, outperforming the market. Will the recent positive trend continue leading up to its next earnings release, or is FAST due for a pullback? Before we dive into how investors and analysts have reacted as of late, let's take a quick look at the most recent earnings report in order to get a better handle on the important drivers. Recent Earnings Fastenal's adjusted earnings of 45 cents per share in the fourth quarter of 2017 were in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Without the pretax gain adjustments, earnings per share came in at 53 cents, up 33.5% year over year. Sales Detail Net sales of $1.09 billion surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.08 billion. Sales grew 14.8% year over year on increased units owing to higher underlying market demand and growth in industrial vending business and existing Onsite locations. The acquisition of Manufacturers Supply Company (Mansco) contributed 1.4% to sales. Fastenal's daily sales grew 14.8% in the quarter, higher than the 13.6% increase recorded in the third quarter of 2017. On a monthly basis, daily sales increased 14.7% in December, 15.4% in November and 13.8% in October 2017, compared with 2.8%, 1.2% and 3.9%, respectively, a year ago. Daily sales of fastener products (used mainly for industrial production and accounting for approximately 35% of the company's fourth-quarter sales) increased 13.4% in the quarter, 3.9% of which came from the acquisition of Mansco. Non-fastener product Daily sales (used mainly for maintenance and represented 65% of the quarterly sales) increased 16.1% year over year. Vending Trends and Other Growth Drivers As of Dec 31, 2017, Fastenal operated 71,421 vending machines, up 13.7% year over year. During the quarter, the company signed 4,266 machine contracts, reflecting an increase of 13.5% year over year. After a soft 2013, vending trends improved as management's efforts to enhance the quality of signings/installs paid off. Fastenal signed 57 new Onsite locations during the quarter, up 32.6% from 43 signings a year ago. As of Dec 31, 2017, the company had 650 active sites, representing an increase of 50.9%. Additionally, Fastenal signed 32 new national account contracts in the fourth quarter (representing 49.8% of its total revenues in the quarter). Daily sales to its national account customers grew 18.5% in the quarter on a year-over-year basis. Margins Decline Gross margin of 48.8% in the fourth quarter of 2017 declined 97 basis points (bps) year over year owing to changes in product and customer mix, the addition of Mansco (which has a lower gross profit product mix than the company), higher freight expenses, investments in hub assets and commodity inflation. Operating margin declined 57 bps year over year to 18.7% in the quarter, owing to an improvement in operating and administrative expenses, offset by a decline in gross profit. Fiscal 2017 Results Earnings of $2.01 per share in fiscal 2017 increased 16.2% year over year and managed to beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.93. The company reported net sales of $4.39 billion, up 10.8% year over year. Net sales surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $4.38 billion. Financials Cash and cash equivalents were $116.9 million as of Dec 31, 2017, up from $112.7 million as on Dec 31, 2016. Long-term debt was $412 million, up from $379.5 million at 2016-end. How Have Estimates Been Moving Since Then? In the past month, investors have witnessed an upward trend in fresh estimates. There have been three revisions higher for the current quarter. Fastenal Company Price and Consensus Fastenal Company Price and Consensus | Fastenal Company Quote VGM Scores At this time, FAST has a great Growth Score of A, though it is lagging a bit on the momentum front with a B. However, the stock was also allocated a grade of F on the value side, putting it in the bottom 20% quintile for this investment strategy. Overall, the stock has an aggregate VGM Score of C. If you aren't focused on one strategy, this score is the one you should be interested in. Our style scores indicate that the stock is more suitable for growth investors than momentum investors. Outlook Estimates have been trending upward for the stock, and the magnitude of these revisions looks promising. It comes with little surprise FAST has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). We expect an above average return from the stock in the next few months. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Contenders, Donegal Group, Principal, & Philip Morris Lead Gains In 'Safer' Dividend February Survey"", ""Fastenal Company (FAST) Up 4.5% Since Earnings Report: Can It Continue?""]"
FAST,2018-02-20,24.0585,24.1641,23.8088,23.8858,"[""Home Depot (HD) Keeps Earnings Beat Trend in Q4, Guides FY18"", ""Home Depot (HD) Keeps Earnings Beat Trend in Q4, Guides FY18"", ""Home Depot (HD) Keeps Earnings Beat Trend in Q4, Guides FY18 The Home Depot, Inc.HD reported an upbeat fourth-quarter fiscal 2017, continuing with its five-year-long trend of beating earnings estimates. Further, sales topped estimates for the sixth straight quarter and also grew year over year. Following the solid close of the fiscal year, the company provided an optimistic view for fiscal 2018. Concurrently, it reiterated its financial targets for fiscal 2020 while updating the return on invested capital target to reflect the impact of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. Shares of this home improvement retailer displayed a growth of 2.4% in the pre-market session following the earnings release. Overall, it has returned a solid 28.9% in the past year, outperforming the industry 's growth of 24.7%. The company posted fiscal fourth-quarter adjusted earnings of $1.69 per share, which escalated 17.4% from $1.44 recorded in the year-ago quarter. The figure also beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.62. Home Depot, Inc. (The) Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Home Depot, Inc. (The) Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise | Home Depot, Inc. (The) Quote Results gained from strength in the company's core business. Its relentless focus on affording innovative products, boosting interconnected customer experience and driving productivity seems to be paying off. Further, the company continued to reap the benefits of a steady housing market recovery and strong customer demand. Quarterly Details Net sales grew 7.5% to $23,883 million from $22,207 million in the year-ago quarter. Moreover, the top line surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $23,655 million. The company's overall comparable-store sales (comps) increased 7.5%, while comps in the United States grew 7.2%. During the quarter, comps benefited from 2% growth in customer transactions and 5.5% increase in average ticket. Moreover, sales per square-feet rose 7.8%. Gross profit margin in the reported quarter contracted 10 basis points (bps) to 33.9%. In dollar terms, gross profit improved 7.1% to $8,093 million from $7,553 million in the year-ago quarter, primarily driven by higher sales. Operating income increased 9% to $3,189 million while operating margin expanded 40 bps from the year-ago quarter to 13.6%. Balance Sheet and Cash Flow Home Depot ended fiscal 2017 with cash and cash equivalents of $3,595 million, long-term debt (excluding current maturities) of $24,267 million and shareholders' equity of $1,454 million. In fiscal 2017, the company generated $12,031 million of net cash from operations. Concurrently, the company declared a 15.7% increase in its quarterly dividend to $1.03 per share. This marked the company's ninth straight year of dividend hike. The new dividend is payable on Mar 22, to shareholders with record as on Mar 8. Outlook Following the solid end of fiscal 2017, Home Depot initiated its sales and earnings guidance for fiscal 2018. The company's operating results for fiscal 2018 will include an additional 53rd week compared with fiscal 2017. Further, the company reaffirmed its financial targets for fiscal 2020 while it updated the return on invested capital target to reflect the impact of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. The company expects sales growth of nearly 6.5% in fiscal 2018, including about $1.6 billion sales contribution from the 53rd week. This will be accompanied by 5% increase in comps. Calculations for comps will be on a 52-week comparable basis. Other assumptions driving the company guidance include gross margin of nearly 34% and operating margin of about 14.5%. Further, the company expects a tax rate of nearly 26%. Moreover, the company expects to spend nearly $2.5 billion in capital expenditures and generate cash flows of about $14.1 billion. Consequently, the company estimates earnings per share for fiscal 2018 to be up nearly 28% to $9.31. The guidance includes $4-billion impact from share repurchases. For fiscal 2020, the company continues to anticipate total sales in the range of $115-$120 billion, with compounded annual sales growth of nearly 4.5-6%. Operating margin is expected to be in the range of 14.4-15%. Moreover, the company expects annual average capital spending to be about 2.5% of sales. The company now expects a return on invested capital to be more than 40%, reflecting the impact of the new tax reform. Zacks Rank Currently, Home Depot carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Other top-ranked stocks in the same industry are Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. BECN with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), Fastenal Company FAST and Lowe's Companies Inc. LOW , both carrying a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here . Beacon Roofing has gained 37.2% in the last six months. Moreover, it has a long-term earnings growth rate of 18.8%. Fastenal, with a long-term earnings growth rate of 14%, gained 37% in the last six months. Lowe's Companies, with a long-term earnings growth rate of 18.4%, has improved 30.4% in the last six months. Can Hackers Put Money INTO Your Portfolio? Earlier this month, credit bureau Equifax announced a massive data breach affecting 2 out of every 3 Americans. The cybersecurity industry is expanding quickly in response to this and similar events. But some stocks are better investments than others. Zacks has just released Cybersecurity! An Investor's Guide to help Zacks.com readers make the most of the $170 billion per year investment opportunity created by hackers and other threats. It reveals 4 stocks worth looking into right away. Download the new report now>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Home Depot, Inc. (The) (HD): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Lowe's Companies, Inc. (LOW): Free Stock Analysis Report Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. (BECN): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Home Depot (HD) Keeps Earnings Beat Trend in Q4, Guides FY18""]"
FAST,2018-02-21,23.9074,24.2816,23.8759,23.949,
FAST,2018-02-22,24.016,24.1552,23.7624,23.861,
FAST,2018-02-23,24.0536,24.3211,23.8878,24.3092,"Interesting FAST Put And Call Options For April 20th Investors in Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) saw new options begin trading this week, for the April 20th expiration. At Stock Options Channel , our YieldBoost formula has looked up and down the FAST options chain for the new April 20th contracts and identified one put and one call contract of particular interest. The put contract at the $52.50 strike price has a current bid of $1.35. If an investor was to sell-to-open that put contract, they are committing to purchase the stock at $52.50, but will also collect the premium, putting the cost basis of the shares at $51.15 (before broker commissions). To an investor already interested in purchasing shares of FAST, that could represent an attractive alternative to paying $54.37/share today. Because the $52.50 strike represents an approximate 3% discount to the current trading price of the stock (in other words it is out-of-the-money by that percentage), there is also the possibility that the put contract would expire worthless. The current analytical data (including greeks and implied greeks) suggest the current odds of that happening are 66%. Stock Options Channel will track those odds over time to see how they change, publishing a chart of those numbers on our website under the contract detail page for this contract . Should the contract expire worthless, the premium would represent a 2.57% return on the cash commitment, or 16.77% annualized - at Stock Options Channel we call this the YieldBoost . Below is a chart showing the trailing twelve month trading history for Fastenal Co., and highlighting in green where the $52.50 strike is located relative to that history: Turning to the calls side of the option chain, the call contract at the $55.00 strike price has a current bid of $2.00. If an investor was to purchase shares of FAST stock at the current price level of $54.37/share, and then sell-to-open that call contract as a ""covered call,"" they are committing to sell the stock at $55.00. Considering the call seller will also collect the premium, that would drive a total return (excluding dividends, if any) of 4.84% if the stock gets called away at the April 20th expiration (before broker commissions). Of course, a lot of upside could potentially be left on the table if FAST shares really soar, which is why looking at the trailing twelve month trading history for Fastenal Co., as well as studying the business fundamentals becomes important. Below is a chart showing FAST's trailing twelve month trading history, with the $55.00 strike highlighted in red: Considering the fact that the $55.00 strike represents an approximate 1% premium to the current trading price of the stock (in other words it is out-of-the-money by that percentage), there is also the possibility that the covered call contract would expire worthless, in which case the investor would keep both their shares of stock and the premium collected. The current analytical data (including greeks and implied greeks) suggest the current odds of that happening are 54%. On our website under the contract detail page for this contract , Stock Options Channel will track those odds over time to see how they change and publish a chart of those numbers (the trading history of the option contract will also be charted). Should the covered call contract expire worthless, the premium would represent a 3.68% boost of extra return to the investor, or 23.99% annualized, which we refer to as the YieldBoost . The implied volatility in the put contract example, as well as the call contract example, are both approximately 30%. Meanwhile, we calculate the actual trailing twelve month volatility (considering the last 253 trading day closing values as well as today's price of $54.37) to be 24%. For more put and call options contract ideas worth looking at, visit StockOptionsChannel.com. Top YieldBoost Calls of the Nasdaq 100 » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2018-02-26,24.4661,24.7149,24.2342,24.6863,
FAST,2018-02-27,24.6419,24.8867,24.3744,24.3744,"Beacon Roofing (BECN) Rides on Tax Reform & Acquisitions On Feb 26, we issued an updated research report on Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc.BECN . The company is poised to gain from the tax reform, favorable pricing trends and a likely stronger demand contribution from hurricanes. Further, the acquisition of Allied Building Products will reinforce its roofing supplies business. U.S. Tax Reform to Aid Beacon Roofing's Earnings In fiscal 2018, Beacon Roofing is poised to benefit from the tax reform. The company estimates that changes to the U.S. federal rate will reduce its long-term effective tax rate from the range of 38-39% to the range of 26-27%. The tax savings will be utilized to further improve the company's balance sheet, pursue additional growth avenues and invest in core business. Considering these factors, Beacon Roofing increased its adjusted EPS guidance for the fiscal to the range of $3.40-$3.70. This new range is 45 cents above the prior outlook, primarily reflecting the impact of the tax reform. Hurricane-Demand Contribution to Drive Growth Beacon Roofing maintained its revenue outlook range of $6.6-$6.9 billion for the fiscal. The company remains optimistic about annual revenues on the back of stellar first-quarter fiscal 2018 results and a likely stronger hurricane-demand contribution. The incremental demand contributions from hurricanes Harvey and Irma will be around $40 million for the fiscal, in which about 60% of the contribution will be from Florida and the remainder from Texas. Favorable Pricing Remains a Tailwind On the pricing front, Beacon Roofing stated that the company's overall pricing expanded 50-75 basis points during the fiscal first-quarter. Further, the company anticipates encouraging pricing trends in markets experiencing strong levels of demand. Acquisition of Allied Building Products to Boost Results Beacon Roofing's acquisition of Allied Building Products will reinforce the former's roofing supplies business. The buyout will also add a wallboard and acoustical ceiling-tile wholesale business to Beacon Roofing. The company has been quickly progressing toward the integration of the business, since the deal's closure. It remains committed to achieve $110 million in cost synergies within two years of accomplishment and the early signs are very positive across all areas of savings. Share Price Performance Beacon Roofing has underperformed its industry with respect to price performance over the past year due to competitive pricing pressures. The stock has gained around 18%, while the industry has recorded growth of 26% during the same time frame. Zacks Rank & Other Stocks to Consider Beacon Roofing currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Some other similarly-ranked stocks in the same sector are Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. ABG , Fastenal Company FAST and Lowe's Companies, Inc. LOW . All three stocks carry a Zacks Rank of 2. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 (Strong Buy) Rank stocks here . Asbury Automotive has a long-term earnings growth rate of 10.8%. Its shares have rallied 35.9%, over the past six months. Fastenal Company has a long-term earnings growth rate of 14%. The company's shares have been up 34.8% during the same time frame. Lowe's has a long-term earnings growth rate of 18.4%. The stock has gained 32.1% in six months' time. Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2018 In addition to the stocks discussed above, would you like to know about our 10 finest buy-and-hold tickers for the entirety of 2018? Last year's 2017 Zacks Top 10 Stocks portfolio produced double-digit winners, including FMC Corp. and VMware which racked up stellar gains of +67.9% and +61%. Now a brand-new portfolio has been handpicked from over 4,000 companies covered by the Zacks Rank. Don't miss your chance to get in on these long-term buys. Access Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2018 today >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. (ABG): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Lowe's Companies, Inc. (LOW): Free Stock Analysis Report Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. (BECN): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2018-02-28,24.4573,24.5797,24.0753,24.095,"[""Lowe's (LOW) Stock Falls on Q4 Earnings Miss, Soft '18 View"", ""Lumber Liquidators (LL) Q4 Earnings Top, Sales Miss Estimates"", ""Lowe's (LOW) Stock Falls on Q4 Earnings Miss, Soft '18 View"", ""Lumber Liquidators (LL) Q4 Earnings Top, Sales Miss Estimates"", ""Lowe's (LOW) Stock Falls on Q4 Earnings Miss, Soft '18 View Lowe's Companies, Inc.LOW reported fourth-quarter fiscal 2017 results, wherein earnings lagged the Zacks Consensus Estimate after delivering a positive surprise in the preceding quarter. Moreover, the company's bottom line declined year over year. As a result, shares of this North Carolina-based company are down roughly 8% in pre-market trading hours. However, in the past three months, the stock has increased 15% compared with the industry 's growth of 8.2%. Notably, this home improvement retailer's quarterly earnings of 74 cents per share, fell short of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 88 cents. Bottom line declined 14% from 86 cents in the year-ago quarter, following an increase of 19.3%, 14.6% and 18.4% registered in the third, second and first quarter, respectively. Higher SG&A expenses impacted the bottom line. However, net sales of $15,494 million came ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $15,288 million. Top line decreased 1.8% year over year after increasing 6.5%, 6.8% and 10.7% in the third, second and first quarter, respectively. Comparable sales (comps) rose 4.1% in the quarter under review, following an increase of 5.7%, 4.5% and 1.9% recorded in the third, second and first quarter, respectively. Comps for the U.S. business climbed 4.7%, after increasing 5.1%, 4.6% and 2% in the respective quarters. While, gross profit decreased 3.8% year over year to $5,226 million, gross profit margin contracted roughly 70 basis points to 33.7%. Other Financial Aspects Lowe's, which competes with The Home Depot, Inc. (HD), ended the quarter with cash and cash equivalents of $588 million, long-term debt (excluding current maturities) of $15,564 million and shareholders' equity of $5,873 million. In the reported quarter, the company kept its promise of returning surplus cash to stockholders as it repurchased shares worth $133 million and distributed $341 million as dividends. Lowe's Companies, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Lowe's Companies, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise | Lowe's Companies, Inc. Quote Outlook Management projects total sales growth of approximately 4%, with comps increase of about 3.5% for fiscal 2018. Lowe's envisions operating margin to decline approximately 30 basis points in the fiscal year. Earnings are anticipated in the band of $5.40-$5.50 per share. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2018 is pegged at $5.89 per share, which might witness a downward revision in the coming days. Moreover, the company intends to open 10 home improvement and hardware stores in fiscal 2018. As of Feb 2, 2018, the company operated 2,152 stores in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Zacks Rank & Key Picks Lowe's has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Some other stocks that warrant a look from the same space are Builders FirstSource, Inc. BLDR , Fastenal Company FAST and Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. BECN carrying the same bullish rank as Lowe's. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here . Builders FirstSource's earnings have surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in the trailing four quarter, with an average beat of 58.6%. Fastenal has an impressive long-term earnings growth rate of 14%. Beacon Roofing Supply has an impressive long-term earnings growth rate of 32.5%. Wall Street's Next Amazon Zacks EVP Kevin Matras believes this familiar stock has only just begun its climb to become one of the greatest investments of all time. It's a once-in-a-generation opportunity to invest in pure genius. Click for details >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Lowe's Companies, Inc. (LOW): Free Stock Analysis Report Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. (BECN): Free Stock Analysis Report Builders FirstSource, Inc. (BLDR): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Lumber Liquidators (LL) Q4 Earnings Top, Sales Miss Estimates Lumber Liquidators Holdings, Inc.LL reported mixed results in the fourth quarter of 2017. Although the company's earnings surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate, revenues missed the same. Following the quarterly results, shares of Lumber Liquidators declined 9.3% on Feb 27 primarily due to lower-than-expected top line and soft first-quarter 2018 comparable sales projection. In the past six months, the company's shares have plunged 42.4% against the industry 's gain of 26.5%. Per management, first-quarter comparable store sales (comps) are likely to be impacted by soft January sales as promotion toward the end of 2017 was less effective than the year-ago period. Further, weakness in the company's Northern division sales is expected to negatively impact first-quarter results. For 2018, the company projects total revenues to increase by mid-to-upper single digits. Comps are expected to rise in the mid-single digits. However, for the first quarter it expects comps to increase by low-single digit. The company is likely to open 20 to 25 new stores in 2018. Capital spending for the year is projected to be in the range of $15 to $20 million. Q4 Results in Detail In the fourth quarter, the company posted earnings per share of 10 cents versus year-ago quarter's loss of 20 cents. The reported figure surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by a penny. Higher sales and lower adjusted SG&A expenses supported the bottom line. Net sales rose 6.1% to $259.9 million but lagged the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $264.2 million for the second straight quarter. Comparable-store net sales increased 4.5% primarily owing to a 3.4% rise in average sales and a 1.1% gain in customers invoiced. Moreover, non-comparable store sales were up $4.1 million in the prior-year quarter. While adjusted SG&A expenses declined 3.1% to $86.4 million in the quarter, SG&A expenses - as a percentage of sales - decreased to 33.3% from 36.4% in the year ago period. Gross margin came in at 35.4% compared with 32.9% in the prior-year quarter. Sharp increase in gross margin can chiefly be attributed to healthy performance of vinyl and engineered products and decline in transportation costs. Lumber Liquidators Holdings, Inc Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Lumber Liquidators Holdings, Inc Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise | Lumber Liquidators Holdings, Inc Quote Balance Sheet and Cash Flow Lumber Liquidators ended the quarter with cash and cash equivalents of $19.9 million compared with $10.3 million in the year-ago quarter. Merchandise inventories at the end of period amounted to $262.3 million compared with $301.9 million at the end of the year-ago quarter. Zacks Rank & Key Picks Lumber Liquidators has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Better-ranked stocks from the same space are Builders FirstSource, Inc. BLDR , Fastenal Company FAST and Lowe's Companies, Inc. LOW carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here . Builders FirstSource's earnings have surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in the trailing four quarter, with an average beat of 58.6%. Fastenal has an impressive long-term earnings growth rate of 14%. Lowe's has a long-term earnings growth rate of 18.4%. Wall Street's Next Amazon Zacks EVP Kevin Matras believes this familiar stock has only just begun its climb to become one of the greatest investments of all time. It's a once-in-a-generation opportunity to invest in pure genius. Click for details >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Lowe's Companies, Inc. (LOW): Free Stock Analysis Report Builders FirstSource, Inc. (BLDR): Free Stock Analysis Report Lumber Liquidators Holdings, Inc (LL): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Lowe's (LOW) Stock Falls on Q4 Earnings Miss, Soft '18 View"", ""Lumber Liquidators (LL) Q4 Earnings Top, Sales Miss Estimates""]"
FAST,2018-03-01,24.0881,24.4109,23.5906,23.6864,
FAST,2018-03-02,23.5374,24.0358,23.2155,23.9608,
FAST,2018-03-05,23.7436,24.4869,23.6785,24.3398,
FAST,2018-03-06,24.6863,25.0515,24.5382,24.8689,"[""Fastenal reports figures for February"", ""Fastenal reports figures for February"", ""Fastenal reports figures for February""]"
FAST,2018-03-07,24.7199,24.9853,24.5066,24.9439,"[""Stocks Showing Rising Market Leadership: Fastenal Earns 81 RS Rating"", ""Stocks Showing Rising Market Leadership: Fastenal Earns 81 RS Rating"", ""Stocks Showing Rising Market Leadership: Fastenal Earns 81 RS Rating""]"
FAST,2018-03-08,24.9873,25.0515,24.7691,24.8906,"[""By The Numbers: Profitable Stocks With Reasonable Valuations And Rising Earnings Expectations"", ""Fastenal: Potential Long-Term Portfolio Addition"", ""Fastenal: Potential Long-Term Portfolio Addition"", ""By The Numbers: Profitable Stocks With Reasonable Valuations And Rising Earnings Expectations"", ""Fastenal: Potential Long-Term Portfolio Addition"", ""By The Numbers: Profitable Stocks With Reasonable Valuations And Rising Earnings Expectations""]"
FAST,2018-03-09,25.0416,25.543,24.9953,25.5292,"[""Fastenal Faces A Few Favorable Tailwinds Going Forward"", ""Fastenal Faces A Few Favorable Tailwinds Going Forward"", ""Fastenal Faces A Few Favorable Tailwinds Going Forward""]"
FAST,2018-03-12,25.4937,25.5874,25.321,25.4582,"[""The MnM Portfolio, February 2018 - Employer Contributions Boost The Portfolio By $11k"", ""Stocks That Made New 52-Wk Highs This Morning Include: Edward Lifesciences, Raymond James, NVIDIA, Goldman Sachs, Fastenal, Intercontinental Exchange, Xilinx, CBRE, Bank of America, Oracle, KeyCorp, Intuit, and IHS Markit"", ""Stocks That Made New 52-Wk Highs This Morning Include: Edward Lifesciences, Raymond James, NVIDIA, Goldman Sachs, Fastenal, Intercontinental Exchange, Xilinx, CBRE, Bank of America, Oracle, KeyCorp, Intuit, and IHS Markit"", ""The MnM Portfolio, February 2018 - Employer Contributions Boost The Portfolio By $11k"", ""Stocks That Made New 52-Wk Highs This Morning Include: Edward Lifesciences, Raymond James, NVIDIA, Goldman Sachs, Fastenal, Intercontinental Exchange, Xilinx, CBRE, Bank of America, Oracle, KeyCorp, Intuit, and IHS Markit"", ""The MnM Portfolio, February 2018 - Employer Contributions Boost The Portfolio By $11k""]"
FAST,2018-03-13,25.625,25.7434,25.3654,25.4344,
FAST,2018-03-14,25.62,25.6516,25.2341,25.2637,
FAST,2018-03-15,25.2904,25.7168,25.2341,25.3693,
FAST,2018-03-16,25.4532,25.8658,25.3298,25.7,"[""Stocks that Made New 52-Wk Highs Today Include: Fiserv, IDEXX Labs, Western Digital, Fastenal, NextEra Energy, Edward Lifesciences, Electronic Arts, VeriSign, Global Payments; Stocks That Made New 52-Wk Lows Include Kraft-Heinz, Dominion Energy, and AIG"", ""Stocks that Made New 52-Wk Highs Today Include: Fiserv, IDEXX Labs, Western Digital, Fastenal, NextEra Energy, Edward Lifesciences, Electronic Arts, VeriSign, Global Payments; Stocks That Made New 52-Wk Lows Include Kraft-Heinz, Dominion Energy, and AIG"", ""Stocks that Made New 52-Wk Highs Today Include: Fiserv, IDEXX Labs, Western Digital, Fastenal, NextEra Energy, Edward Lifesciences, Electronic Arts, VeriSign, Global Payments; Stocks That Made New 52-Wk Lows Include Kraft-Heinz, Dominion Energy, and AIG""]"
FAST,2018-03-19,25.2607,25.5075,25.0071,25.2143,"[""Goldman Sachs Initiates Coverage On Fastenal with Sell Rating, Announces $49.00 Price Target"", ""Benzinga's Top Upgrades, Downgrades For March 19, 2018"", ""Benzinga's Top Upgrades, Downgrades For March 19, 2018"", ""Goldman Sachs Initiates Coverage On Fastenal with Sell Rating, Announces $49.00 Price Target"", ""Benzinga's Top Upgrades, Downgrades For March 19, 2018"", ""Goldman Sachs Initiates Coverage On Fastenal with Sell Rating, Announces $49.00 Price Target""]"
FAST,2018-03-20,25.313,25.466,24.7149,24.7997,
FAST,2018-03-21,24.7643,25.24,24.6231,25.0199,
FAST,2018-03-22,24.7741,24.9597,24.3211,24.3448,
FAST,2018-03-23,24.4316,24.5797,23.7052,23.714,
FAST,2018-03-26,23.8946,24.3161,23.7052,24.1908,
FAST,2018-03-27,24.2342,24.3448,23.1553,23.2738,
FAST,2018-03-28,23.2787,23.6706,23.1198,23.4189,"[""Top Ranked Income Stocks to Buy for March 28th"", ""6 Stocks Perfect for Millennials' Retirement Portfolio"", ""Top Ranked Income Stocks to Buy for March 28th"", ""6 Stocks Perfect for Millennials' Retirement Portfolio"", ""6 Stocks Perfect for Millennials' Retirement Portfolio With the oldest members being 37 years old and the youngest just 18, millennials believe that they have a long way to go before they reach retirement. But time flies faster than one thinks and when their retirement age arrives, these millennials may not have sufficient savings. Some experts believe that given their current lack of savings, the majority of this generation won't be able to retire even in their 70s. This has also been supported by a recent study from National Institute on Retirement Security, which states that two-thirds of the working millennials have saved nothing for their retirement. Some experts believe that the generation's interest on holidaying rather than saving is the main reason for their failure to save. Others believe that millennials are overburdened with their monthly payments like education loan and credit card bills. Apart from these, one-fifth of the generation supports aging parents by paying for their medical bills and other expenses. All these circumstances have made it tougher for the generation to set aside money for their sunset years. Likely Challenges for Millennials The generation is expected to have a longer life span - thanks to the continuous advancements in medical science and healthier lifestyles - which means they will need more funds. Escalating healthcare costs also pose a challenge. Although U.S. citizens will have social security but it is difficult to say whether it will be adequate to maintain their lifestyle. Their woes will mount if the U.S. government closes this facility after 25-30 years. It already costs the federal government more than $1 trillion, which will increase exponentially as the majority of the citizens will fall under the senior category by that time. It's Never Too Late to Start Saving Whatever small amount you save today, if invested wisely, it can give you a healthy return in the long run. There are plenty of investment options available but given the young age of millennials and their risk taking capabilities, we suggest investing in equities as these offer maximum returns. The improving domestic as well as global economic scenario is likely to have a positive impact on the market. Additionally, with Donald Trump's 'America First' policies, the manufacturing sector is poised to witness huge investment in the next few years, thereby generating employment and increasing wage rate opportunities. All this is likely to further strengthen the U.S. economy, which will tend to reflect in the stock market. Considering an annual return of 8%, a monthly investment of just $100 in equities by a 25-year old till his 65th birthday will save him or her approximately $341,120. However, investing in equities has its own share of risks. Not every stock will have a remarkable run. Also, the risk of a market crash remains. Therefore, investing in stocks that generate solid regular returns with minimum associated risks is prudent. Also, the return should cover the investment and inflation costs. Blue Chip Dividend Stocks are the Best Choice Blue chip dividend stocks boast solid financial structure and healthy underlying fundamentals, and are less affected by market turbulence. Such stocks are believed to be safer and more durable than an average stock. Most of these companies consistently raise dividends and are typically large in size. The companies' dominating market position, large customer base, sustainable business model, long track of profitability and strong liquidity help them offer outsized payouts or sizable yields on a regular basis, irrespective of the market direction. As a result, these stocks provide greater stability and offer continued income for investors, as well as more scope for capital appreciation. Choosing the Stocks It is difficult to pick the right stocks from a wide range of available investment opportunities. This is where the Zacks Stock Screener comes in handy. With the help of this screener, we have filtered in Buy-rated stocks that have a market value of $10 billion or more, a decent dividend paying history along with an annualized yield of over 2%. 6 Picks The Boeing CompanyBA , sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), is one of the world's largest aerospace company. With an annualized yield of 2.1%, its dividend has increased at a CAGR of 27.8% in the last five years. The stock has gained more than 1,700% in the last 25 years. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here . Our next pick is one of the world's leading semiconductor companies, KLA-Tencor CorporationKLAC , which carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). With an annualized yield of 2.2%, its dividend has risen at a CAGR of 7.2% in the last five years. The stock has gained more than 2,900% in the last 25 years. Cisco Systems Inc.CSCO is an IP-based networking company. It also offers other products and services to service providers, companies, commercial users and individuals. The stock carries a Zacks Rank #2. With an annualized yield of 2.7%, its dividend has increased at a CAGR of 15.2% in the last five years. The stock has gained over 3,300% in the last 25 years. Our next selection is one of the biggest retailers in the United States -- Kohl's CorporationKSS . The stock has a Zacks Rank #2. With an annualized yield of 3.9%, its dividend has risen at a CAGR of 12.3% in the last five years. The stock has gained over 1,200% in the last 25 years. The next stock that makes it to our list is Fastenal CompanyFAST , which together with its subsidiaries, engages in the wholesale distribution of industrial and construction supplies in the United States, Canada, and internationally. With an annualized yield of 2.8%, its dividend has increased at a CAGR of 13.8% in the last five years. The Zacks Rank #2 stock has gained over 3,200% in the last 25 years. Texas Instruments IncorporatedTXN , a global semiconductor design and manufacturing company, is our next pick. With an annualized yield of 2.4%, its dividend has risen at a CAGR of 18.4% in the last five years. This Zacks Rank #2 stock has gained over 2,700% in the last 25 years. Will You Make a Fortune on the Shift to Electric Cars? Here's another stock idea to consider. Much like petroleum 150 years ago, lithium power may soon shake the world, creating millionaires and reshaping geo-politics. Soon electric vehicles (EVs) may be cheaper than gas guzzlers. Some are already reaching 265 miles on a single charge. With battery prices plummeting and charging stations set to multiply, one company stands out as the #1 stock to buy according to Zacks research. It's not the one you think. See This Ticker Free >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Cisco Systems, Inc. (CSCO): Free Stock Analysis Report The Boeing Company (BA): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Kohl's Corporation (KSS): Free Stock Analysis Report Texas Instruments Incorporated (TXN): Free Stock Analysis Report KLA-Tencor Corporation (KLAC): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Top Ranked Income Stocks to Buy for March 28th"", ""6 Stocks Perfect for Millennials' Retirement Portfolio""]"
FAST,2018-03-29,23.5452,24.1424,23.4643,24.0398,
FAST,2018-04-02,23.8048,24.0092,23.0615,23.4317,
FAST,2018-04-03,23.6183,23.9214,23.4554,23.9074,"[""Here's Why Fastenal (FAST) Is an Attractive Pick Right Now"", ""Top Ranked Income Stocks to Buy for April 3rd"", ""Here's Why Fastenal (FAST) Is an Attractive Pick Right Now"", ""Top Ranked Income Stocks to Buy for April 3rd"", ""Here's Why Fastenal (FAST) Is an Attractive Pick Right Now Fastenal Company 's FAST shares have gained more than 16% in the last six months, outperforming the 7.6% growth of its industry . The company's aggressive investment to increase Onsite locations, vending machines count and ecommerce business is expected to drive growth. Also, the Mansco acquisition is an added positive. Meanwhile, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings for both the first quarter and current year has increased 1.7% and 0.8%, respectively, in the last 30 days, thus reflecting optimism in the stock's prospects, and substantiating its Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here . What Makes Fastenal a Solid Pick? FAST Solutions Is Revolutionary: Sales through vending machines grew at or near a double-digit pace in each of the four quarters of 2017. Fastenal signed 19,355 vending machines in 2017, reflecting an increase of 7.2% from the prior-year quarter, which is the highest since 2013. At the end of 2017, the company had more than 71,000 installed vending machines, 14% higher than the 2016 level. The company also saw higher revenue per machine of 2-3% in 2017. Fastenal targets to sign 21,000-23,000 vending devices in 2018. Mansco Acquisition: Fastenal acquired certain assets of industrial and fastener supply distributor, Manufacturer's Supply Company (Mansco), in March 2017. This marks Fastenal's largest acquisition till date. Headquartered in Hudsonville, MI, Mansco has additional facilities in Alabama and Texas. The company focuses on fastener products, with a particularly strong market position with commercial furniture OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers). As such, this acquisition establishes Fastenal's presence in a market where it has not meaningfully contributed in the past, while providing Mansco with additional tools. Mansco generated approximately $50 million of revenues in 2016. Mansco contributed 140 basis points to daily sales growth of 14.8% in the fourth quarter of 2017. Solid Estimated EPS Growth: The company's first-quarter earnings are expected to increase 32.6% year over year. The company's EPS is expected to grow 30.6% for the current year, in line with the industry's average projected growth. In 2019, Fastenal is expected to come up with a decent performance as well, wherein its bottom line is expected to grow 8.8%. Meanwhile, the company's sales are expected to increase 12.7% in the current quarter and 10.3% for the current year. For 2019, the company's projected sales growth is a healthy 7.7%. The above-mentioned tailwinds have made it a great pick in terms of Growth investment. The stock has a Growth Score of A. Solid VGM Score and ROE: The company has an impressive VGM Score of B. Our VGM Score identifies stocks that have the most attractive value, growth and momentum characteristics. In fact, our research shows that stocks with VGM Scores of A or B when combined with a Zacks Rank #1 or 2, make solid investment choices. Fastenal's trailing 12-month return on equity (ROE) supports its growth potential. ROE in the trailing 12 months is 27.4%, while the industry gained 11.9%, reflecting the company's efficient usage of shareholders' funds. Other Key Picks Other top-ranked stocks in the same sector are Builders FirstSource, Inc. BLDR , Dillard's, Inc. DDS and Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. BECN . Builders FirstSource and Dillard's, both sporting a Zacks Rank #1, are likely to witness 41.7% and 21.3% earnings growth this year, respectively. Beacon Roofing, carrying a Zacks Rank #2, is expected to witness 63.3% growth in 2018 earnings. The Hottest Tech Mega-Trend of All Last year, it generated $8 billion in global revenues. By 2020, it's predicted to blast through the roof to $47 billion. Famed investor Mark Cuban says it will produce \""the world's first trillionaires,\"" but that should still leave plenty of money for regular investors who make the right trades early. See Zacks' 3 Best Stocks to Play This Trend >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. (BECN): Free Stock Analysis Report Builders FirstSource, Inc. (BLDR): Free Stock Analysis Report Dillard's, Inc. (DDS): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Here's Why Fastenal (FAST) Is an Attractive Pick Right Now"", ""Top Ranked Income Stocks to Buy for April 3rd""]"
FAST,2018-04-04,23.645,24.2293,23.4011,24.168,
FAST,2018-04-05,24.3092,24.6725,24.1908,24.48,"[""Bed Bath & Beyond (BBBY) Q4 Earnings: Is a Beat Likely? Bed Bath & Beyond Inc.BBBY is slated to release fourth-quarter fiscal 2017 results on Apr 11. The question lingering in investors' minds is whether or not this home furnishings retailer will be able to deliver a positive earnings surprise in the quarter to be reported. The company posted a positive earnings surprise of 22.2% in the last reported quarter. However, it lagged the Zacks Consensus Estimate by an average of 1.8% over the trailing four quarters. Let's see how things are shaping up prior to this announcement. Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise | Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. Quote What to Expect? The current Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter under review is $1.41 per share, reflecting a year-over-year decline of 23.4%. We note that the Zacks Consensus Estimate has remained unchanged in the past 30 days. Further, analysts polled by Zacks project revenues of $3.67 billion, up about 4% from the year-ago quarter. Notably, Bed Bath & Beyond has outperformed the broader industry in the last three months, reflecting positive investor sentiment ahead of earnings. The company's shares inched up 0.3%, against the industry 's decline of 9.8%. Factors at Play Bed Bath & Beyond is gaining from its focus on transformation plan to deliver a seamless customer experience. The transformation plan focuses on improving operational efficiency through the overhaul of IT and business processes, as well as adopting customer-centric plans like enriching product assortment and enhancing services. In this regard, it adopted a new model to better recognize and prioritize technology-related needs. It has also set up a strategic portfolio management office (\""SPMO\"") to allocate resources toward more profitable areas. Through the SPMO, the company is creating an integrated portfolio of strategies to improve gross margin, optimize inventory levels, enhance supply chain and implement customer service transformation. Further, the company's capital initiatives and constant shareholder-friendly moves bode well. Additionally, the company is progressing well with its strategic store expansion plans. It also targets increasing the productivity of existing stores by adjusting the breadth and depth of its merchandise offerings to suit customer preferences. Consequently, it remains focused on expanding, renovating and relocating stores to adapt to the changing market conditions. We believe these initiatives will go a long way in retaining the company's existing customers while attracting new ones. However, Bed Bath & Beyond has been grappling with soft gross and operating margins for the past six quarters now. Management expects this trend to continue in fiscal 2017 due to higher shipping and coupon expenses as well as rise in SG&A expense. Additionally, the company's dismal comparable store sales (comps) trend remains a concern. Driven by initial comps performance in the fiscal fourth quarter, it projects comps to decline in the low-single-digit percentage range. Further, it envisions fiscal 2017 earnings per share of roughly $3.00, which reflects a decline of more than 30% from the year-ago period. Though Bed Bath & Beyond is striving hard to spark a turnaround, the current dismal trends cannot simply be overlooked. So, let's see what is in store for the company in the upcoming release. What the Zacks Model Unveils? Our proven model shows that Bed Bath & Beyond is likely to beat earnings estimates because it has the right combination of two key components. A stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) for this to happen. The company has an Earnings ESP of +0.07%. This, along with the company's Zacks Rank #3, makes us reasonably confident of an earnings beat. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they're reported with our Earnings ESP Filter . Stocks Poised to Beat Earnings Estimates Here are some companies that you may want to consider as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat: Amazon.com Inc. AMZN has an Earnings ESP of +12.11% and a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here . Fastenal Company FAST has an Earnings ESP of +0.21% and a Zacks Rank #2. Kimberly-Clark Corporation KMB has an Earnings ESP of +0.76% and a Zacks Rank #2. Today's Stocks from Zacks' Hottest Strategies It's hard to believe, even for us at Zacks. But while the market gained +21.9% in 2017, our top stock-picking screens have returned +115.0%, +109.3%, +104.9%, +98.6% and +67.1%. And this outperformance has not just been a recent phenomenon. Over the years it has been remarkably consistent. From 2000 - 2017, the composite yearly average gain for these strategies has beaten the market more than 19X over. Maybe even more remarkable is the fact that we're willing to share their latest stocks with you without cost or obligation. See Them Free>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Kimberly-Clark Corporation (KMB): Free Stock Analysis Report Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. (BBBY): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Top Ranked Income Stocks to Buy for April 5th Here are four stocks with buy rank and strong income characteristics for investors to consider today, April 5th: Fastenal Company (FAST): This wholesale distributor of industrial supplies has witnessed the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings increasing 0.8% over the last 60 days. Fastenal Company Price and Consensus Fastenal Company price-consensus-chart | Fastenal Company Quote This Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) company has a dividend yield of 2.70%, compared with the industry average of 0.00%. Its five-year average dividend yield is 2.49%. Fastenal Company Dividend Yield (TTM) Fastenal Company dividend-yield-ttm | Fastenal Company Quote Just Energy Group Inc. (JE): This renewable energy solutions provider has witnessed the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings rising more than 100% over the last 60 days. Just Energy Group, Inc. Price and Consensus Just Energy Group, Inc. price-consensus-chart | Just Energy Group, Inc. Quote This Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) company has a dividend yield of 8.68%, compared with the industry average of 2.81%. Its five-year average dividend yield is 9.33%. Just Energy Group, Inc. Dividend Yield (TTM) Just Energy Group, Inc. dividend-yield-ttm | Just Energy Group, Inc. Quote Penske Automotive Group, Inc. (PAG): This transportation services company has witnessed the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings surging 7.6% over the last 60 days. Penske Automotive Group, Inc. Price and Consensus Penske Automotive Group, Inc. price-consensus-chart | Penske Automotive Group, Inc. Quote This Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) company has a dividend yield of 3.09%, compared with the industry average of 0.00%. Its five-year average dividend yield is 2.18%. Penske Automotive Group, Inc. Dividend Yield (TTM) Penske Automotive Group, Inc. dividend-yield-ttm | Penske Automotive Group, Inc. Quote PotlatchDeltic Corporation (PCH): This REIT involved in acres of timberland has witnessed the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings increasing 0.3% over the last 60 days. Potlatch Corporation Price and Consensus Potlatch Corporation price-consensus-chart | Potlatch Corporation Quote This Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) company has a dividend yield of 3.02%, compared with the industry average of 0.36%. Its five-year average dividend yield is 3.66%. Potlatch Corporation Dividend Yield (TTM) Potlatch Corporation dividend-yield-ttm | Potlatch Corporation Quote See the full list of top ranked stocks here. Find more top income stocks with some of our great premium screens. Today's Stocks from Zacks' Hottest Strategies It's hard to believe, even for us at Zacks. But while the market gained +21.9% in 2017, our top stock-picking screens have returned +115.0%, +109.3%, +104.9%, +98.6%, and +67.1%. And this outperformance has not just been a recent phenomenon. Over the years it has been remarkably consistent. From 2000 - 2017, the composite yearly average gain for these strategies has beaten the market more than 19X over. Maybe even more remarkable is the fact that we're willing to share their latest stocks with you without cost or obligation. See Them Free>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Potlatch Corporation (PCH): Free Stock Analysis Report Penske Automotive Group, Inc. (PAG): Free Stock Analysis Report Just Energy Group, Inc. (JE): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal (FAST) to Report Q1 Earnings: Is a Beat in Store? Fastenal CompanyFAST is scheduled to report first-quarter 2018 results on Apr 11, before the opening bell. In the last quarter, the company's earnings were in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate. The company surpassed expectations in only one of the trailing four quarters, the average being 1%. Let's look at the factors which might affect the company's results in the first quarter. Vending Machines to Drive Growth : Fastenal's sales in the last few quarters have been driven by an increased installation of industrial vending machines. Sales through vending machines grew at or near a double-digit pace in each of the four quarters of 2017. The company signed 19,355 vending machines in 2017, up 7.2% from the prior-year quarter and the highest since 2013. Onsite Locations to Boost Sales: A consistent increase in the number of on-site locations is likely to strengthen Fastenal's market share and boost the quarterly numbers. Sales growth through Onsite was 22% in 2017. The trend is expected to continue in the first quarter of 2018. Fastenal aims to achieve 360-385 onsite signings in 2018, reflecting an increase of 270 signings in 2017. Mansco Acquisition: We are encouraged by Fastenal's acquisition of certain assets of industrial and fastener supply distributor - Manufacturer's Supply Company (Mansco) - in March 2017. This fortifies Fastenal's presence in markets where it has not significantly contributed in the past. Mansco contributed 140 basis points (bps) to total sales growth of 14.8% in the last reported quarter and is expected to maintain the same in the to-be-reported quarter as well. Backed by sustained strength in most of its end markets as well as strong momentum in vending machines installations and onsite locations, the company is expected to report solid top- and bottom-line growth in the first quarter. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues is pegged at $1.18 billion, implying 12.9% year over year growth. The consensus estimate for earnings is pegged at 61 cents, reflecting an improvement of 32.6% on a year-over-year basis. However, we are apprehensive about Fastenal's changes in product and customer mix that have been hurting the gross margin for quite some time. Gross margin of 49.3% in 2017 dropped 30 bps from the prior-year period. Also, storms in the eastern and southern regions of United States care likely to mar prospects, as it had a significant impact on business activity in the first half of January 2018. Quantitative Model Prediction Here is what our quantitative model predicts: Fastenal has the right combination of two main ingredients - a positive Earnings ESP and Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) or higher - for increasing the odds of an earnings beat. Zacks ESP : The Earnings ESP for Fastenal is +0.21%. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they're reported with our Earnings ESP Filter . Zacks Rank : Fastenal carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), which increases the predictive power of ESP. Fastenal Company Price and EPS Surprise Fastenal Company Price and EPS Surprise | Fastenal Company Quote Other Stocks to Consider Here are some other companies in the Zacks Retail-Wholesale sector that, according to our model, which have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter: Dunkin' Brands Group, Inc. DNKN has an Earnings ESP of +1.34% and a Zacks Rank #3. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here . Nordstrom, Inc. JWN has an Earnings ESP of +2.36% and a Zacks Rank #2. Amazon.com, Inc. AMZN has an Earnings ESP of +12.11% and a Zacks Rank #2. Today's Stocks from Zacks' Hottest Strategies It's hard to believe, even for us at Zacks. But while the market gained +21.9% in 2017, our top stock-picking screens have returned +115.0%, +109.3%, +104.9%, +98.6%, and +67.1%. And this outperformance has not just been a recent phenomenon. Over the years it has been remarkably consistent. From 2000 - 2017, the composite yearly average gain for these strategies has beaten the market more than 19X over. Maybe even more remarkable is the fact that we're willing to share their latest stocks with you without cost or obligation. See Them Free>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Nordstrom, Inc. (JWN): Free Stock Analysis Report Dunkin' Brands Group, Inc. (DNKN): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2018-04-06,24.2766,24.4622,23.332,23.6272,"[""Fastenal Clears Technical Benchmark, Hitting 80-Plus RS Rating"", ""Fastenal Clears Technical Benchmark, Hitting 80-Plus RS Rating"", ""Fastenal Clears Technical Benchmark, Hitting 80-Plus RS Rating""]"
FAST,2018-04-09,23.8492,23.9884,23.6124,23.6272,"[""Top Ranked Income Stocks to Buy for April 9th"", ""Facebook's Zuckerberg Testifies, China's Xi Lays Out Economic Reforms: Investing Action Plan"", ""Facebook's Zuckerberg Testifies, China's Xi Lays Out Economic Reforms: Investing Action Plan"", ""Top Ranked Income Stocks to Buy for April 9th"", ""Facebook's Zuckerberg Testifies, China's Xi Lays Out Economic Reforms: Investing Action Plan"", ""Top Ranked Income Stocks to Buy for April 9th""]"
FAST,2018-04-10,23.9796,24.2046,23.8572,23.9648,"[""Fastenal declares $0.37 dividend"", ""Notable earnings before Wednesday's open"", ""Fed Minutes, Inflation Data, Round 2 For Zuckerberg: Investing Action Plan"", ""Will Lowe's (LOW) Initiatives be Able to Revive the Stock?"", ""Notable earnings before Wednesday's open"", ""Fastenal declares $0.37 dividend"", ""Fed Minutes, Inflation Data, Round 2 For Zuckerberg: Investing Action Plan"", ""Will Lowe's (LOW) Initiatives be Able to Revive the Stock?"", ""Will Lowe's (LOW) Initiatives be Able to Revive the Stock? A glimpse of Lowe's Companies, Inc.LOW share price movement reveals that it has plunged roughly 11% in the past three months in line with the industry . We also note that the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $5.53 and $6.12 for fiscal 2018 and 2019 has declined by 33 cents and 54 cents, respectively, in the past 60 days. So what is behind the dismal show in the bourses? Why analysts polled by Zacks are skeptical about the company's performance? Are the initiatives undertaken by management enough to revive the stock? What Hurt the Stock? Lowe's stock took a sharp U-turn after the company missed fourth-quarter earnings and provided soft fiscal 2018 view. The company's earnings of 74 cents per share fell short of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 88 cents. Further, the company expects fiscal 2018 earnings in the band of $5.40-$5.50 per share, which was significantly below the analyst expectations. As mentioned above, estimates have been witnessing downward revisions. Lowe's faces stiff competition from Home Depot HD and other home supply retailers on attributes such as price and quality of merchandise, in-stock consistency, merchandise assortments and customer service. This may weigh on the company's upcoming results. We noted that in the fourth, third, second and first quarters of fiscal 2016, gross margin had contracted 25, 40, 10 and 43 basis points, respectively. In the first, second, third and fourth quarters of fiscal 2017, margin declined a respective 64, 23, 28 and 70 basis points to 34.4%, 34.2%, 34.1% and 33.7%. Management Looking Into Every Nook and Corner We believe improving job scenario, gradual recovery in the housing market and merchandising initiatives along with efforts to enhance omni-channel capabilities bode well for Lowe's. The company's Canadian and Mexican businesses has been performing quite well. The buyout of RONA is reinforcing its position in the Canadian market. Lowe's Canada entered into a strategic partnership with Solar Brokers Canada to provide solar energy installation services to homeowners under Lowe's Solar banner. Of late, the company has been focusing on maintenance, repair and operations products, evident from its acquisition of Maintenance Supply Headquarters and also the earlier buyout of Central Wholesalers. Further, Lowe's has refurbished its pro-service business website, LowesForPros.com, in order to cater to the needs of its Pro-customers. The company's efforts to focus on Pro customers is yielding results, which is quite evident from the fact that Pro growth rate in the fourth quarter and fiscal 2017 has outpaced do-it-yourself. The company is streamlining store portfolio, which along with its strategy of enhancing customer shopping experience and merchandising transformation, is likely to generate incremental sales. We noted that comparable sales (comps) rose 4.1% in the fourth quarter, following an increase of 5.7%, 4.5% and 1.9% recorded in the third, second and first quarter, respectively. Management projects total sales growth of approximately 4%, with comps increase of about 3.5% for fiscal 2018. We believe that these initiatives are likely to bolster Lowe's performance and provide cushion to this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stock. 2 Key Picks in the Retail Space Fastenal Company FAST has a long-term earnings growth rate of 14% and carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here . Tailored Brands TLRD delivered an average positive earnings surprise of 50.9% in the trailing four quarters. It has a long-term earnings growth rate of 16.5% and a Zacks Rank #2. Looking for Stocks with Skyrocketing Upside? Zacks has just released a Special Report on the booming investment opportunities of legal marijuana. Ignited by new referendums and legislation, this industry is expected to blast from an already robust $6.7 billion to $20.2 billion in 2021. Early investors stand to make a killing, but you have to be ready to act and know just where to look. See the pot trades we're targeting>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report The Home Depot, Inc. (HD): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Lowe's Companies, Inc. (LOW): Free Stock Analysis Report Tailored Brands, Inc. (TLRD): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""5 Charts to Kick Off Earnings Season Without Alcoa to lead off the Dow, the big banks basically kick off earnings season now. They mostly report earnings during a relatively quiet week with just 2 dozen companies expected to report earnings. But things pick up the second week of the season with about 200 companies reporting. That doesn't mean you should ignore these early reporting companies just because there aren't many reporting. Far from it. This first week we'll get a couple of bellwether companies and one tech giant that investors should certainly be tuning into. 5 Charts to Kick Off Earnings Season 1. Bed Bath & Beyond BBBY has struggled with competition from both Amazon and Wayfair. Shares are near 5-year lows. Is the worst news already priced in? 2. Fastenal FAST is a barometer for the manufacturing industry as its business parallels that industry. Shares broke out to new 5-year highs in 2018. Can they continue to rally? 3. Bank of the Ozarks OZRK is a regional bank with one of the best earnings surprise charts out there. It hasn't missed in 5 years. In 2017, there were some concerns about the growth in the national apartment portfolio, but have those fears eased? 4. First Republic FRC is a wealth management bank specializing in San Francisco and Silicon Valley clients. It has missed 3 quarters in a row, which is a rare earnings miss streak for the bank. Will it turn it around this quarter? 5. Netflix NFLX leads off the charge in the second week of earnings. It's the first of the FANG stocks to report. It has a great track record of beating with just 2 misses in the last 5 years. But with shares soaring, is it too hot to handle now? Looking for Stocks with Skyrocketing Upside? Zacks has just released a Special Report on the booming investment opportunities of legal marijuana. Ignited by new referendums and legislation, this industry is expected to blast from an already robust $6.7 billion to $20.2 billion in 2021. Early investors stand to make a killing, but you have to be ready to act and know just where to look. See the pot trades we're targeting>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Netflix, Inc. (NFLX): Free Stock Analysis Report Bank of the Ozarks, Inc. (OZRK): Free Stock Analysis Report First Republic Bank (FRC): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. (BBBY): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Pre-Market Earnings Report for April 11, 2018 : FAST The following companies are expected to report earnings prior to market open on 04/11/2018. Visit our Earnings Calendar for a full list of expected earnings releases. Fastenal Company ( FAST ) is reporting for the quarter ending March 31, 2018. The building company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 8 analysts that follow the stock is $0.61. This value represents a 32.61% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year FAST has met analyst expectations three times and beat the expectations the other quarter. The \""days to cover\"" for this stock exceeds 12 days. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2018 Price to Earnings ratio for FAST is 21.21 vs. an industry ratio of 17.70, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Notable earnings before Wednesday's open"", ""Fastenal declares $0.37 dividend"", ""Fed Minutes, Inflation Data, Round 2 For Zuckerberg: Investing Action Plan"", ""Will Lowe's (LOW) Initiatives be Able to Revive the Stock?""]"
FAST,2018-04-11,22.4792,23.0744,21.9097,22.4792,"[""US Stocks Red in Pre-Market Wednesday"", ""Fastenal's (FAST) Q1 Earnings Meet Estimates, Margins Down"", ""Fastenal sinks after meeting expectations"", ""Fastenal EPS in-line, beats on revenue"", ""Stocks Rattled On Syria But Recover, As IBD 50's Netflix Advances"", ""Fastenal Company 2018 Q1 - Results - Earnings Call Slides"", ""Crude Oil Price Climbs, Stock Futures Slide As Syria Intensifies"", ""Fastenal's (FAST) CEO Dan Florness on Q1 2018 Results - Earnings Call Transcript"", ""Earnings Scheduled For April 11, 2018"", ""7 Stocks To Watch For April 11, 2018"", ""Fastenal Reports Q1 EPS $0.61 Misses $0.62 Est., Sales $1.19B Inline with $1.19B Est."", ""A Peek Into The Markets: US Stock Futures Down Ahead Of FOMC Minutes"", ""20 Stocks Moving In Wednesday's Pre-Market Session"", ""Mid-Morning Market Update: Markets Open Lower; Fastenal Posts In-Line Earnings"", ""Mid-Day Market Update: Analogic Falls Following Acquisition News; EyeGate Pharmaceuticals Shares Gain"", ""28 Stocks Moving In Wednesday's Mid-Day Session"", ""Mid-Afternoon Market Update: Crude Oil Up 2%; Intec Pharma Shares Plummet"", ""Mid-Afternoon Market Update: Crude Oil Up 2%; Intec Pharma Shares Plummet"", ""28 Stocks Moving In Wednesday's Mid-Day Session"", ""Mid-Day Market Update: Analogic Falls Following Acquisition News; EyeGate Pharmaceuticals Shares Gain"", ""Mid-Morning Market Update: Markets Open Lower; Fastenal Posts In-Line Earnings"", ""20 Stocks Moving In Wednesday's Pre-Market Session"", ""A Peek Into The Markets: US Stock Futures Down Ahead Of FOMC Minutes"", ""Fastenal Reports Q1 EPS $0.61 Misses $0.62 Est., Sales $1.19B Inline with $1.19B Est."", ""7 Stocks To Watch For April 11, 2018"", ""Earnings Scheduled For April 11, 2018"", ""Fastenal's (FAST) CEO Dan Florness on Q1 2018 Results - Earnings Call Transcript"", ""US Stocks Red in Pre-Market Wednesday"", ""Fastenal Company 2018 Q1 - Results - Earnings Call Slides"", ""Stocks Rattled On Syria But Recover, As IBD 50's Netflix Advances"", ""Fastenal's (FAST) Q1 Earnings Meet Estimates, Margins Down"", ""Crude Oil Price Climbs, Stock Futures Slide As Syria Intensifies"", ""Fastenal sinks after meeting expectations"", ""Fastenal EPS in-line, beats on revenue"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Meets Q1 Earnings Estimates, Tops Revenues Fastenal CompanyFAST is a national wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies. It distributes its products through company-owned stores mostly located in North America. The company has gradually grown from a fastener distributor to a full-line industrial supplier. Investors should also note the recent earnings estimate revisions for FAST has moved north in the last 30 days. Meanwhile, Fastenal has delivered positive earnings surprises in one of the last four quarters, making an average beat of 1%. Currently, FAST has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), but that could definitely change following Fastenal's earnings report which was just released. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. We have highlighted some of the key stats from this just-revealed announcement below: Earnings : FAST reported EPS of 61 cents per share, in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Revenues : FAST reported revenues of $1.19 billion, which surpassed the consensus estimate of $1.18 billion. Key Stats to Note : Fastenal's total average daily sales increased 13.2% in the first quarter of 2018, lower than 14.8% increase reported in the fourth quarter. Fastenal Company Price and EPS Surprise Fastenal Company Price and EPS Surprise | Fastenal Company Quote Check back later for our full write up on this FAST earnings report later! 5 Medical Stocks to Buy Now Zacks names 5 companies poised to ride a medical breakthrough that is targeting cures for leukemia, AIDS, muscular dystrophy, hemophilia, and other conditions. New products in this field are already generating substantial revenue and even more wondrous treatments are in the pipeline. Early investors could realize exceptional profits. Click here to see the 5 stocks >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Mid-Day Market Update: Analogic Falls Following Acquisition News; EyeGate Pharmaceuticals Shares Gain Midway through trading Wednesday, the Dow traded down 0.51 percent to 24,282.87 while the NASDAQ climbed 0.08 percent to 7,099.81. The S&P also fell, dropping 0.22 percent to 2,651.08. Leading and Lagging Sectors On Wednesday, the consumer discretionary shares climbed 0.49 percent. Meanwhile, top gainers in the sector included Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Company (NASDAQ: HMHC ), up 7 percent, and Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE: HLT ), up 5 percent. In trading on Wednesday, telecommunication services shares fell 1.22 percent. Top Headline Fastenal Company (NASDAQ: FAST ) reported in-line results for its first quarter on Wednesday. Fastenal reported Q1 earnings of $0.61 per share on revenue of $1.19 billion. Analysts expected earnings of $0.61 per share on sales of $1.19 billion. Equities Trading UP EyeGate Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: EYEG ) shares shot up 17 percent to $0.3857 after the company disclosed 'positive' new 12-week and 26-week results from its ongoing Phase 2 study of seladelpar in patients with primary biliary cholangitis at the International Liver Congress 2018. Shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVAV ) got a boost, shooting up 17 percent to $54.3503. Stifel Nicolaus upgraded AeroVironment from Hold to Buy. CymaBay Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: CBAY ) shares were also up, gaining 23 percent to $14.83 after the company disclosed 'positive' new 12-week and 26-week results from its ongoing Phase 2 study of seladelpar in patients with primary biliary cholangitis at the International Liver Congress 2018. Equities Trading DOWN Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises, Inc. (NYSE: BW ) shares dropped 36 percent to $2.389 after the company amended rights offering. The company increased size to $248 million and lowered per share subscription price from $3 to $2. Shares of Intec Pharma Ltd. (NASDAQ: NTEC ) were down 18 percent to $5.250. Intec Pharma priced its 6.75 million share offering at $5.25 per share for gross proceeds of $35.4 million. Analogic Corporation (NASDAQ: ALOG ) was down, falling around 13 percent to $83.35 after the company agreed to be acquired by Altaris Capital Affiliate for $84 per share. Commodities In commodity news, oil traded up 0.67 percent to $65.95 while gold traded up 0.74 percent to $1,355.80. Silver traded up 0.75 percent Wednesday to $16.72, while copper fell 0.26 percent to $3.129. Eurozone European shares were lower today. The eurozone's STOXX 600 tumbled 0.37 percent, the Spanish Ibex Index fell 0.12 percent, while Italy's FTSE MIB Index declined 0.28 percent. Meanwhile the German DAX dropped 0.64 percent, and the French CAC 40 fell 0.40 percent while U.K. shares fell 0.10 percent. Economics The MBA's index of mortgage application activity declined 1.8 percent for the latest week. The Consumer Price Index fell 0.1 percent for March. Crude supplies rose 3.3 million barrels for the week ended April 6, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said. Analysts expected a gain of 100,000 barrels. Gasoline stockpiles rose 500,000 barrels, while distillate stockpiles declined 1 million barrels for the week. The Federal Open Market Committee will issue minutes of its latest meeting at 2:00 p.m. ET. The Treasury is set to auction 10-year notes at 1:00 p.m. ET. The Treasury budget report for March is schedule for release at 2:00 p.m. ET. \u00a9 2018 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Profit with More New & Research . Gain access to a streaming platform with all the information you need to invest better today. Click here to start your 14 Day Trial of Benzinga Professional The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Nasdaq 100 Movers: FAST, EBAY In early trading on Wednesday, shares of eBay ( EBAY ) topped the list of the day's best performing components of the Nasdaq 100 index, trading up 3.1%. Year to date, eBay registers a 8.2% gain. And the worst performing Nasdaq 100 component thus far on the day is Fastenal ( FAST ), trading down 5.1%. Fastenal is lower by about 5.5% looking at the year to date performance. Two other components making moves today are MercadoLibre ( MELI ), trading down 2.9%, and Netflix ( NFLX ), trading up 2.9% on the day. VIDEO: Nasdaq 100 Movers: FAST, EBAY The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""S&P 500 Movers: FAST, MAT In early trading on Wednesday, shares of Mattel ( MAT ) topped the list of the day's best performing components of the S&P 500 index, trading up 5.1%. Year to date, Mattel has lost about 7.6% of its value. And the worst performing S&P 500 component thus far on the day is Fastenal ( FAST ), trading down 4.8%. Fastenal is lower by about 5.2% looking at the year to date performance. Two other components making moves today are Republic Services ( RSG ), trading down 2.4%, and Hilton Worldwide Holdings ( HLT ), trading up 4.5% on the day. VIDEO: S&P 500 Movers: FAST, MAT The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Mid-Morning Market Update: Markets Open Lower; Fastenal Posts In-Line Earnings Following the market opening Wednesday, the Dow traded down 0.61 percent to 24,260.31 while the NASDAQ declined 0.24 percent to 7,077.16. The S&P also fell, dropping 0.37 percent to 2,647.17. Leading and Lagging Sectors Wednesday morning, the real estate shares climbed 0.58 percent. Meanwhile, top gainers in the sector included Maui Land & Pineapple Company, Inc. (NYSE: MLP ), up 3 percent, and CBL & Associates Properties, Inc (NYSE: CBL ), up 2 percent. In trading on Wednesday, financial shares fell 0.78 percent. Top Headline Fastenal Company (NASDAQ: FAST ) reported in-line results for its first quarter on Wednesday. Fastenal reported Q1 earnings of $0.61 per share on revenue of $1.19 billion. Analysts expected earnings of $0.61 per share on sales of $1.19 billion. Equities Trading UP VirnetX Holding Corp (NYSE: VHC ) shares shot up 16 percent to $4.75 after the a federal jury ruled Apple must pay $502.6 million to VirnetX, according to Bloomberg. Shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVAV ) got a boost, shooting up 17 percent to $54.09. Stifel Nicolaus upgraded AeroVironment from Hold to Buy. CymaBay Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: CBAY ) shares were also up, gaining 22 percent to $14.785 after the company disclosed 'positive' new 12-week and 26-week results from its ongoing Phase 2 study of seladelpar in patients with primary biliary cholangitis at the International Liver Congress 2018. Equities Trading DOWN Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises, Inc. (NYSE: BW ) shares dropped 35 percent to $2.4301 after the company amended rights offering. The company increased size to $248 million and lowered per share subscription price from $3 to $2. Shares of Intec Pharma Ltd. (NASDAQ: NTEC ) were down 18 percent to $5.25. Intec Pharma priced its 6.75 million share offering at $5.25 per share for gross proceeds of $35.4 million. Analogic Corporation (NASDAQ: ALOG ) was down, falling around 13 percent to $83.10 after the company agreed to be acquired by Altaris Capital Affiliate for $84 per share. Commodities In commodity news, oil traded up 1.04 percent to $66.19 while gold traded up 0.93 percent to $1,358.40. Silver traded up 0.42 percent Wednesday to $16.665, while copper rose 0.19 percent to $3.143. Eurozone European shares were lower today. The eurozone's STOXX 600 tumbled 0.76 percent, the Spanish Ibex Index fell 0.39 percent, while Italy's FTSE MIB Index declined 0.84 percent. Meanwhile the German DAX dropped 1.01 percent, and the French CAC 40 fell 0.72 percent while U.K. shares fell 0.13 percent. Economics The MBA's index of mortgage application activity declined 1.8 percent for the latest week. The Consumer Price Index fell 0.1 percent for March. The Energy Information Administration's weekly report on petroleum inventories in the U.S. is schedule for release at 10:30 a.m. ET. The Federal Open Market Committee will issue minutes of its latest meeting at 2:00 p.m. ET. The Treasury is set to auction 10-year notes at 1:00 p.m. ET. The Treasury budget report for March is schedule for release at 2:00 p.m. ET. \u00a9 2018 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Profit with More New & Research . Gain access to a streaming platform with all the information you need to invest better today. Click here to start your 14 Day Trial of Benzinga Professional The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""What Happened in the Stock Market Today Investor attention moved from trade wars to actual war on Wednesday, as stocks fell on concerns over the situation in Syria. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI) and the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) both closed in the red. Today's stock market Data source: Yahoo! Finance. Crude oil prices jumped to the highest they've been in over three years, boosting energy stocks. The SPDR S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production ETF (NYSEMKT: XOP) added 1.8%. Financial stocks fell on a flattening yield curve, and the Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (NYSEMKT: XLF) finished down 1.2%. As for individual stocks, Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST) dropped after reporting first-quarter results, and AeroVironment (NASDAQ: AVAV) jumped on an analyst upgrade. Fastenal reports sales growth but declining margins Industrial supply company Fastenal reported first-quarter results that met analyst expectations, but a drop in gross margin raised concerns with analysts, and the stock fell 6.2%. Sales grew 13.2% to $1.19 billion and earnings per share increased 30.6% to $0.61. Gross margin declined 73 basis points to 48.7% after having fallen 97 basis points in Q4. Fastener products grew 11.8%, helped by the acquisition of Manufacturers Supply Company in March 2017, which added 1.3 percentage points to the overall sales growth number. Sales of non-fastener products grew 14.5%. The company said that sales growth would have been even higher if it weren't for an abnormal number of route cancellations due to bad weather in the quarter. Operating income grew 10.4% in the quarter, and CEO Daniel Florness called that performance \""frankly not horribly impressive\"" on the conference call. Despite an improvement in operating expenses as a percentage of sales, the decline in gross margin caused operating margin to decline 50 basis points. Florness blamed product cost inflation as well as increased freight costs for the drop in margin, as the company did not increase prices enough to offset the higher costs. He said that gross margin in Q2 would be comparable to or even slightly lower than the Q1 figure. Analysts on the call were also concerned about the impact tariffs could have on product costs, potentially adding to Fastenal's cost pressures. Fastenal seems to be on reasonable growth trajectory, and company officials think there is room for price increases to offset costs. But investors focused on the margin issue today, taking the stock into negative territory for the year. AeroVironment takes off on analyst upgrade Shares of military drone maker AeroVironment soared 17.1% to $54.28 after Stifel Nicolaus analyst Joseph DeNardi upgraded the stock to buy from hold and raised his price target from $45 to $65. DeNardi sees the company benefiting from improving spending trends at the Pentagon, increased global threats, and a \""pipeline of opportunities\"" that is the strongest he has seen in 10 years of covering the company. AeroVironment is seeing strong international demand for its family of small military drones. Just two days ago, the company reported a successful maritime test of an automated sensor-to-shoot system that pairs its Puma drone with its Switchblade loitering missile system to defeat fast-moving surface vessels approaching a host vessel. Today's advance allowed the stock to fully recover from the drubbing it took last month following the release of its fiscal third-quarter results . AeroVironment posted 20% sales growth, which was above expectations, but guidance for full-year sales of between $280 million and $300 million was more conservative than investors were expecting. The upgrade from Stifel lifted hopes for a strong tailwind for sales this year and the next, so worries about the top line receded. Offer from The Motley Fool: The 10 best stocks to buy now Motley Fool co-founders Tom and David Gardner have spent more than a decade beating the market. In fact, the newsletter they run, Motley Fool Stock Advisor , has tripled the S&P 500!* Tom and David just revealed their ten top stock picks for investors to buy right now. Click here to get access to the full list! * Stock Advisor returns as of April 2, 2018. Jim Crumly has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends AeroVironment. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy . The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Bank Earnings in the Spotlight Note: The following is an excerpt from this week's Earnings Trends report. You can access the full report that contains detailed historical actual and estimates for the current and following periods, please click here>>> Here are the key points: \u2022 Total Q1 earnings for the S&P 500 index are expected to be up +16% from the same period last year on +7.4% higher revenues, the highest quarterly earnings growth pace in 7 years. \u2022 Earnings growth is expected to be in double-digit territory from the year-earlier level for 11 of the 16 Zacks sectors, including the Technology and Finance sectors. Only two sectors (Autos & Conglomerates) are expected to show earnings declines in Q1. \u2022 Energy sector earnings are expected to be up +60.1% from the same period last year on +16.1% higher revenues. Excluding the Energy sector, total S&P 500 earnings growth drops from +16.1% to +14.6%. \u2022 The Finance sector, which dominates the early reporting cycle, is expected to have a very strong showing in Q1 and the coming quarters. \u2022 Earnings estimates for Q1 and the following quarters have gone up in a notable way since the quarter got underway, with estimates for 13 of the 16 Zacks sectors going up. \u2022 In percentage terms, estimates have gone up the most for the Basic Materials, Energy, Construction and Industrial Products sectors. In absolute terms, positive revisions to the Finance and Technology sectors account for more than half of all estimate upgrades since the quarter got underway. \u2022 This positive revisions trend is the most dramatic change on the earnings scene in recent years; it will be interesting to see if the trend will continue in the coming days as the Q1 earnings season unfolds. \u2022 For the S&P 600 index, total Q1 earnings are expected to be up +13.4% from the same period last year on +6.9% higher revenues. This would follow +15.2% earnings growth on +7.6% revenue growth in the preceding quarter. \u2022 For full-year 2018, total earnings for the S&P 500 index are track to be up +17.9% on +5.3% higher revenues, with full-year 2019 earnings and revenues for the index expected to be up +9.4% and +4.3%, respectively. \u2022 The implied 'EPS' for the index, calculated using current 2018 P/E of 17.3X and index close, as of April 11th , is $153.80. Using the same methodology, the index 'EPS' works out to $168.30 for 2019 (P/E of 15.7X). The multiples for 2018 and 2019 have been calculated using the index's total market cap and aggregate bottom-up earnings for each year. The most profound change on the earnings scene lately has been the unusually positive revisions trend for Q1 and the following quarters. The chart below shows how 2018 Q1 earnings growth expectations have evolved since mid-December 2017. This is a sight that we haven't seen in a very long time; definitely not in the last 6 years. The most important factor driving this positive revisions trend is the tax cuts. The rise in oil prices and the impact of higher bond yields on banks' profitability are some of the other factors. Estimates have gone up across the board for 13 of the 16 Zacks sectors, with the highest percentage positive revisions for the Basic Materials, Energy, Construction, and Industrials. In absolute terms, the positive revisions to the Finance and Technology sectors account for more than half of all aggregate positive revisions since mid-December 2017. The Finance sector's earnings outlook has notably improved as a result of tax cuts, higher interest rates, and generally favorable economic backdrop. The sector is expected to report +19.2% higher earnings on +4.5% higher revenues, which will follow the sector's flattish performance in the preceding period. The Major Banks industry, which alone brings in roughly 45% of the sector's total earnings in the S&P 500 index and which includes JPMorgan ( JPM ) and Wells Fargo ( WFC ) that kick-off the reporting cycle for the industry this week, is expected to have +11.3% earnings growth on +4.8% revenue growth. The combination of improved net interest margins following additional Fed hikes, benign credit trends, and favorable momentum on the capital markets front should help produce solid results in Q1. These favorable trends should remain in place over the coming quarters as well, as reflected in current expectations for the coming quarters. The group's stock market performance this year has tracked the S&P 500 index. The Zacks Major Banks industry, which includes the big money-center banks as well as the major regional operators, is down -0.6% in the year-to-date period, roughly in-line with the S&P 500 index's -0.3% decline. Better than expected results and favorable management commentary on the earnings calls should give these stocks a big boost. Management's comments about trends in the underlying businesses like loan demand, margins and credit conditions will be closely watched. Also important will be capital deployment plans, including the outlook for dividend increases following the tax reform. Expectations Beyond Q1 The chart below contrasts the Q4 earnings growth rate with what was actually achieved in the last 5 quarters and what is expected in the coming three periods. Note: Sheraz Mian manages the Zacks equity research department. He is an acknowledged earnings expert whose commentaries and analyses appear on Zacks.com and in the print and electronic media. His weekly earnings related articles include Earnings Trends and Earnings Preview . He manages the Zacks Top 10 and Focus List portfolios and writes the Weekly Market Analysis article for Zacks Premium subscribers. Will You Make a Fortune on the Shift to Electric Cars? Here's another stock idea to consider. Much like petroleum 150 years ago, lithium power may soon shake the world, creating millionaires and reshaping geo-politics. Soon electric vehicles (EVs) may be cheaper than gas guzzlers. Some are already reaching 265 miles on a single charge. With battery prices plummeting and charging stations set to multiply, one company stands out as the #1 stock to buy according to Zacks research. It's not the one you think. See This Ticker Free >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Wells Fargo & Company (WFC): Free Stock Analysis Report JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Bank Earnings in the Spotlight Note: The following is an excerpt from this week's Earnings Trends report. You can access the full report that contains detailed historical actual and estimates for the current and following periods, please click here>>> Here are the key points: \u2022 Total Q1 earnings for the S&P 500 index are expected to be up +16% from the same period last year on +7.4% higher revenues, the highest quarterly earnings growth pace in 7 years. \u2022 Earnings growth is expected to be in double-digit territory from the year-earlier level for 11 of the 16 Zacks sectors, including the Technology and Finance sectors. Only two sectors (Autos & Conglomerates) are expected to show earnings declines in Q1. \u2022 Energy sector earnings are expected to be up +60.1% from the same period last year on +16.1% higher revenues. Excluding the Energy sector, total S&P 500 earnings growth drops from +16.1% to +14.6%. \u2022 The Finance sector, which dominates the early reporting cycle, is expected to have a very strong showing in Q1 and the coming quarters. \u2022 Earnings estimates for Q1 and the following quarters have gone up in a notable way since the quarter got underway, with estimates for 13 of the 16 Zacks sectors going up. \u2022 In percentage terms, estimates have gone up the most for the Basic Materials, Energy, Construction and Industrial Products sectors. In absolute terms, positive revisions to the Finance and Technology sectors account for more than half of all estimate upgrades since the quarter got underway. \u2022 This positive revisions trend is the most dramatic change on the earnings scene in recent years; it will be interesting to see if the trend will continue in the coming days as the Q1 earnings season unfolds. \u2022 For the S&P 600 index, total Q1 earnings are expected to be up +13.4% from the same period last year on +6.9% higher revenues. This would follow +15.2% earnings growth on +7.6% revenue growth in the preceding quarter. \u2022 For full-year 2018, total earnings for the S&P 500 index are track to be up +17.9% on +5.3% higher revenues, with full-year 2019 earnings and revenues for the index expected to be up +9.4% and +4.3%, respectively. \u2022 The implied 'EPS' for the index, calculated using current 2018 P/E of 17.3X and index close, as of April 11th , is $153.80. Using the same methodology, the index 'EPS' works out to $168.30 for 2019 (P/E of 15.7X). The multiples for 2018 and 2019 have been calculated using the index's total market cap and aggregate bottom-up earnings for each year. The most profound change on the earnings scene lately has been the unusually positive revisions trend for Q1 and the following quarters. The chart below shows how 2018 Q1 earnings growth expectations have evolved since mid-December 2017. This is a sight that we haven't seen in a very long time; definitely not in the last 6 years. The most important factor driving this positive revisions trend is the tax cuts. The rise in oil prices and the impact of higher bond yields on banks' profitability are some of the other factors. Estimates have gone up across the board for 13 of the 16 Zacks sectors, with the highest percentage positive revisions for the Basic Materials, Energy, Construction, and Industrials. In absolute terms, the positive revisions to the Finance and Technology sectors account for more than half of all aggregate positive revisions since mid-December 2017. The Finance sector's earnings outlook has notably improved as a result of tax cuts, higher interest rates, and generally favorable economic backdrop. The sector is expected to report +19.2% higher earnings on +4.5% higher revenues, which will follow the sector's flattish performance in the preceding period. The Major Banks industry, which alone brings in roughly 45% of the sector's total earnings in the S&P 500 index and which includes JPMorgan ( JPM ) and Wells Fargo ( WFC ) that kick-off the reporting cycle for the industry this week, is expected to have +11.3% earnings growth on +4.8% revenue growth. The combination of improved net interest margins following additional Fed hikes, benign credit trends, and favorable momentum on the capital markets front should help produce solid results in Q1. These favorable trends should remain in place over the coming quarters as well, as reflected in current expectations for the coming quarters. The group's stock market performance this year has tracked the S&P 500 index. The Zacks Major Banks industry, which includes the big money-center banks as well as the major regional operators, is down -0.6% in the year-to-date period, roughly in-line with the S&P 500 index's -0.3% decline. Better than expected results and favorable management commentary on the earnings calls should give these stocks a big boost. Management's comments about trends in the underlying businesses like loan demand, margins and credit conditions will be closely watched. Also important will be capital deployment plans, including the outlook for dividend increases following the tax reform. Expectations Beyond Q1 The chart below contrasts the Q4 earnings growth rate with what was actually achieved in the last 5 quarters and what is expected in the coming three periods. Note: Sheraz Mian manages the Zacks equity research department. He is an acknowledged earnings expert whose commentaries and analyses appear on Zacks.com and in the print and electronic media. His weekly earnings related articles include Earnings Trends and Earnings Preview . He manages the Zacks Top 10 and Focus List portfolios and writes the Weekly Market Analysis article for Zacks Premium subscribers. Will You Make a Fortune on the Shift to Electric Cars? Here's another stock idea to consider. Much like petroleum 150 years ago, lithium power may soon shake the world, creating millionaires and reshaping geo-politics. Soon electric vehicles (EVs) may be cheaper than gas guzzlers. Some are already reaching 265 miles on a single charge. With battery prices plummeting and charging stations set to multiply, one company stands out as the #1 stock to buy according to Zacks research. It's not the one you think. See This Ticker Free >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Wells Fargo & Company (WFC): Free Stock Analysis Report JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Market Close Report: NASDAQ Composite index closes at 7,069.03 down -25.27 points Wednesday's session closes with the NASDAQ Composite Index at 7,069.03. The total shares traded for the NASDAQ was over 2.37 billion. Declining stocks led advancers by 1.1 to 1 ratio. There were 1409 advancers and 1543 decliners for the day. On the NASDAQ Stock Exchange 31 stocks reached a 52 week high and 14 those reaching lows totaled. The most active, advancers, decliners, unusual volume and most active by dollar volume can be monitored intraday on the Most Active Stocks page. The NASDAQ 100 index closed down -.49% for the day; a total of -32.43 points. The current value is 6,583.44. Fastenal Company ( FAST ) had the largest percent change down (-6.19%) while Netflix, Inc. ( NFLX ) had the largest percent change gain rising 1.88%. The Dow Jones index closed down -.9% for the day; a total of -218.55 points. The current value is 24,189.45. Boeing Company (The) ( BA ) had the largest percent change down (-2.23%) while Exxon Mobil Corporation ( XOM ) had the largest percent change gain rising .47%. NASDAQ Market Wrap As of 4/11/2018 4:44:02 PM BILLIONS OF 2.37 NASDAQ SHARES TRADED TODAY 31 STOCKS REACHED A 52 WEEK HIGH 14 THOSE REACHING LOWS TOTALEDNetflix, Inc. [NFLX]TOPS ADVANCERS LISTOF NASDAQ 100 INDEX % 1.88 ROSE The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Daily Dividend Report: PG, CCL, FAST, ETR, EV, MMS The Procter & Gamble Company ( PG ) declared an increased quarterly dividend of $0.7172 per share on the Common Stock and on the Series A and Series B ESOP Convertible Class A Preferred Stock of the Company, payable on or after May 15, 2018, to Common Stock shareholders of record at the close of business on April 20, 2018, and to Series A and Series B ESOP Convertible Class A Preferred Stock shareholders of record at the start of business on April 20, 2018. This represents a 4% increase compared to the prior quarterly dividend. Carnival Corporation ( CCL ) has announced an 11 percent increase in its quarterly dividend to $0.50 per share from the previous dividend amount of $0.45 per share. The board approved a record date for the quarterly dividend of May 25, 2018, with a payment date of June 15, 2018. Fastenal Company ( FAST ) reported its board of directors declared a dividend of $0.37 per share to be paid in cash on May 23, 2018 to shareholders of record at the close of business on April 25, 2018. Entergy Corporation ( ETR ) has declared a quarterly dividend of $0.89 per common share. The payment date is June 1, 2018, to stockholders of record on May 10, 2018. Eaton Vance Corp. ( EV ) declared a quarterly dividend of $0.31 per share on its common stock. The dividend is payable May 15, 2018 to shareholders of record on April 30, 2018. MAXIMUS (MMS) has approved a quarterly cash dividend of $0.045 per share, payable on May 31, 2018 to shareholders of record on May 15, 2018. VIDEO: Daily Dividend Report: PG, CCL, FAST, ETR, EV, MMS The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Morning Movers: Dow Slumps 200 Points as Trade War Takes Back Seat to Actual War War. What is it good for? Not the Dow Jones Industrial Average. Getty Images Futures on the blue-chip benchmark have fallen 214 points, or 0.9%, at 8:63 a.m. today, while S&P 500 futures have dropped 0.8%, and Nasdaq Composite futures have slipped 0.8%. The drop today is being blamed on a tweet from President Donald Trump warning Russia to prepare for an attack in Syria following the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government. \""President Trump is sabre rattling and that's enough to have SPUs lower overnight,\"" write Rhino Trading's Michael Block. But at least we're not talking about trade wars. In a note this morning Yardeni research's Ed Yardeni noted that Chinese President Xi Jinping's recent remarks will hopefully \""allow Trump to declare victory in his short trade war with China.\"" In which case, the market's recent panic attack could be coming to an end. \""If the trade war is over before it even began, then the stock market should be set up for yet another relief rally that will take stock prices to new record highs,\"" Yardeni writes. First it has to get past fears of a real war. Netflix Diamondback Energy (FANG) is up 1% to $118.50 after providing a first-quarter production update. Fastenal (FAST) is down 4% to $52.23 after reporting fiscal first-quarter earnings. The company said it earned 61 cents a share, a penny worse than analysts were expecting. Revenues rose 13.2% to $1.19 billion, meeting consensus expectations. Floor & Decor (FND) is down 3.8% to $53.75 after Bank of America Merrill Lynch downgraded it to Neutral. Mattel (MAT) is up 1.6% to $13.73 after Jefferies upgraded it to Hold. Netflix (NFLX) is up 0.8% to $300.50 after Cowen reiterated a Buy rating and increased its price target by $50, to $325. Synaptics (SYNA) is up 3.3% to $45.45 after Mizuho upgraded it to Buy. Valero (VLO) is down 1.3% to $97.59 after Scotia Howard Weil downgraded it to Sector Perform. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Mid-Afternoon Market Update: Crude Oil Up 2%; Intec Pharma Shares Plummet"", ""28 Stocks Moving In Wednesday's Mid-Day Session"", ""Mid-Day Market Update: Analogic Falls Following Acquisition News; EyeGate Pharmaceuticals Shares Gain"", ""Mid-Morning Market Update: Markets Open Lower; Fastenal Posts In-Line Earnings"", ""20 Stocks Moving In Wednesday's Pre-Market Session"", ""A Peek Into The Markets: US Stock Futures Down Ahead Of FOMC Minutes"", ""Fastenal Reports Q1 EPS $0.61 Misses $0.62 Est., Sales $1.19B Inline with $1.19B Est."", ""7 Stocks To Watch For April 11, 2018"", ""Earnings Scheduled For April 11, 2018"", ""Fastenal's (FAST) CEO Dan Florness on Q1 2018 Results - Earnings Call Transcript"", ""US Stocks Red in Pre-Market Wednesday"", ""Fastenal Company 2018 Q1 - Results - Earnings Call Slides"", ""Stocks Rattled On Syria But Recover, As IBD 50's Netflix Advances"", ""Fastenal's (FAST) Q1 Earnings Meet Estimates, Margins Down"", ""Crude Oil Price Climbs, Stock Futures Slide As Syria Intensifies"", ""Fastenal sinks after meeting expectations"", ""Fastenal EPS in-line, beats on revenue"", ""Fastenal matches profit and sales expectations, shares fall Shares of Fastenal Co. slumped 3.0% in premarket trade Wednesday, after the maker of fasteners and manufacturing tools reported first-quarter profit and sales that increased just in line with expectations. Net income that rose to $174.3 million, or 61 cents a share, from $134.2 million, 46 cents a share, in the same period a year ago. The FactSet consensus for earnings per share was 61 cents. Revenue rose 13% to $1.19 billion, matching the FactSet consensus, as the acquisition of Manufacturers Supply Company and higher unit sales contributed to growth. Accounts receivable increased 19.8% to $688.6 million, while inventories grew 12.7% to $1.13 billion. The stock had lost 0.5% year to date through Tuesday, while the S&P 500 had slipped 0.6%."", ""Stock market ends lower as geopolitical tensions move center stage Oil prices jump to 3-year high U.S. stocks close lower on Wednesday as investors turn cautious amid uncertainty in the White House and rising tensions in the Middle East.""]"
FAST,2018-04-12,22.6184,22.6786,22.2256,22.3312,"[""38 Biggest Movers From Yesterday"", ""38 Biggest Movers From Yesterday"", ""After Hours Most Active for Apr 12, 2018 : MU, F, INTC, ORCL, PFE, KMI, ESV, CY, GE, EBAY, FAST, QRTEA The NASDAQ 100 After Hours Indicator is up 2.69 to 6,658.95. The total After hours volume is currently 65,326,737 shares traded. The following are the most active stocks for the after hours session : Micron Technology, Inc. ( MU ) is +0.21 at $52.80, with 4,124,923 shares traded. Over the last four weeks they have had 4 up revisions for the earnings forecast, for the fiscal quarter ending May 2018. The consensus EPS forecast is $2.81. As reported by Zacks, the current mean recommendation for MU is in the \""buy range\"". Ford Motor Company ( F ) is +0.01 at $11.32, with 2,848,022 shares traded. F's current last sale is 83.85% of the target price of $13.5. Intel Corporation ( INTC ) is +0.02 at $52.74, with 2,661,847 shares traded. As reported by Zacks, the current mean recommendation for INTC is in the \""buy range\"". Oracle Corporation ( ORCL ) is +0.04 at $45.92, with 2,593,426 shares traded. Over the last four weeks they have had 6 up revisions for the earnings forecast, for the fiscal quarter ending May 2018. The consensus EPS forecast is $0.86. As reported by Zacks, the current mean recommendation for ORCL is in the \""buy range\"". Pfizer, Inc. ( PFE ) is +0.01 at $36.33, with 2,495,341 shares traded. As reported by Zacks, the current mean recommendation for PFE is in the \""buy range\"". Kinder Morgan, Inc. ( KMI ) is -0.02 at $15.32, with 2,233,605 shares traded.KMI is scheduled to provide an earnings report on 4/18/2018, for the fiscal quarter ending Mar2018. The consensus earnings per share forecast is 0.21 per share, which represents a 17 percent increase over the EPS one Year Ago ENSCO plc ( ESV ) is unchanged at $5.23, with 2,099,004 shares traded. ESV's current last sale is 87.17% of the target price of $6. Cypress Semiconductor Corporation ( CY ) is unchanged at $17.55, with 2,064,478 shares traded. As reported by Zacks, the current mean recommendation for CY is in the \""buy range\"". General Electric Company ( GE ) is unchanged at $13.18, with 2,056,377 shares traded. GE's current last sale is 77.53% of the target price of $17. eBay Inc. ( EBAY ) is unchanged at $40.53, with 2,029,703 shares traded. EBAY's current last sale is 88.11% of the target price of $46. Fastenal Company ( FAST ) is +0.01 at $50.72, with 1,423,758 shares traded. As reported in the last short interest update the days to cover for FAST is 9.76177; this calculation is based on the average trading volume of the stock. Qurate Retail Group, Inc. ( QRTEA ) is unchanged at $24.89, with 1,310,857 shares traded. As reported by Zacks, the current mean recommendation for QRTEA is in the \""buy range\"". The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal (FAST) Q1 2018 Earnings Conference Call Transcript Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST) Q1 2018 Earnings Conference Call April 11, 2018 10:00 a.m. ET Contents: Prepared Remarks Questions and Answers Call Participants Prepared Remarks: Operator Good day, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the Fastenal Company's First-Quarter 2018 Earnings Results Conference Call. At this time all lines are in a listen-only mode. Later, there will be a question-and-answer session and instructions will be provided at that time. Now I'd like to turn the conference over to Ellen Stolts. Please go ahead. Ellen Stolts -- Financial Reporting and Regulatory Compliance Manager Welcome to the Fastenal Company 2018 first-quarter earnings conference call. This call the hosted by Dan Florness, our president and chief executive officer, and Holden Lewis, our chief financial officer. The call will last for up to 45 minutes, and we'll start with a general overview of our quarterly results in operations, with the remainder of the time being open for questions and answers. Today's conference call is a proprietary Fastenal presentation and is being recorded by Fastenal. No recording, reproduction, transmission, or distribution of today's calls permitted without Fastenal's consent. This call is being audio simulcast on the Internet via the Fastenal Investor Relations home page, investor.fastenal.com. A replay of the webcast will be available on the website until June 1, 2018, at midnight Central Time. As a reminder, today's conference call may include statements regarding the company's future plans and prospects. 10 stocks we like better than Fastenal When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor , has quadrupled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Fastenal wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. Click here to learn about these picks! *Stock Advisor returns as of April 2, 2018 These statements are based on our current expectations and we undertake no duty to update them. It is important to note that the company's actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Factors that could cause actual results to differ from the anticipated results are contained in the company's latest earnings release and periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and we encourage you to review those factors carefully. I would now like to turn the call over to Mr. Dan Florness. Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer Good morning, everybody. and thank you for joining our first-quarter conference call. To sum up the quarter, I believe we had a good quarter in the first quarter 2018. We had some unusual weather as the quarter laid out, and we had the distinction of ending the quarter on Good Friday, which, while a business day, is often a muted business day. Last year, if you recall, Good Friday was in the month of April. Weather hit us hard in the quarter. And probably the best way to convey the impact of weather is to think about it from the standpoint of what my kids endure during the winter, and that is days that the school is closed because there's no bus running and to think about it from the context of our semi fleet and the number of routes we run and the impact to those routes. So we run about 4,800 routes per month. So in the quarter, we ran about 14,500 routes across our branch and Onsite network throughout North America. In the first quarter of 2017, we had about 200 routes that were canceled, so just under 1.5% of our routes were canceled due to weather impacts. In the first quarter of 2018, the number of canceled routes increased by 65% to 332, so about 2.3% canceled. Much of that product ends up getting to the branch on a different route or maybe through a third party. Unfortunately, that's usually a more expensive trip. Some of that product ends up not being sold because the customer was shut down that day or the business was impacted in some way. Three geographic areas jump out to me when I think of the first quarter. The first one probably doesn't surprise anybody on the call. Scranton, Pennsylvania, which services basically from Pittsburgh up to New England and down into the Maryland-D.C. area. They had a 50% -- excuse me -- they represented 50% of our cancellations in the quarter and their cancellation rate was about three times what it was a year ago. And for those of you who live on the East Coast, you're probably not surprised by that comment. Interestingly enough, about 7% of our cancellations occurred in Atlanta, Georgia, routes coming down into Florida, west toward Mississippi and Alabama and north into the southern part of the Carolinas. The -- normally, that area has no cancellations. So about 7% of our cancellations were there. Probably the only area that had improved weather from a year ago was our Seattle, Washington, D.C. or the Pacific Northwest. Their cancellations were 1%. Unfortunately, we do a lot more business in the other areas than we do in the Pacific Northwest. So I feel the 13.2% to be solid growth. Our pre-tax growth, and I'll break -- I'll talk about pre-tax a little bit more than net earnings because of the noise of the tax reform act. Pretax earnings grew about 10%. Frankly, not horribly impressive in the context of a 13% sales growth. Similar to -- speaking of tax reform, similar to the fourth quarter of 2017, we realized a P&L benefit of the tax reform act. About 85% of our business occurs in the United States, so anything that changes the tax rate in the United States, it's incredibly meaningful to our business. That lifted our quarter, provided about a $0.10 benefit to our quarter, and our earnings per share grew about 31% on that 10% pre-tax growth. Growth drivers. Despite the fact that I'm not overly impressed with our 10% earnings growth, I'm incredibly impressed with our growth drivers in the quarter, but more to that when I get to Slide No. 4. I'm still on Slide No. 3. Leverage. It's all about gross profit. I think we're doing a respectful job managing our operating expenses. There's always some things we can improve upon, but it's about gross profit. And this quarter, despite the fact that our gross profit is down roughly 70 basis points from a year ago, I think there's some really good stories within the number and there's some things we need to fix. When I think of our growth drivers and I look at Onsite, we're doing a very nice job of managing our gross margin within that business, within Fastenal, despite the fact there is inflation going on and despite the fact we're rapidly ramping up that business. So I think we're managing that very well and our gross profit was pretty steady from Q1 to Q1. Within our vending business, about a 12-year-old business for us, again, similar to the story in Onsite, we're doing a nice job managing our gross margin there. In fact, we saw a slight uptick in our vending in the local business, offset a little bit by the national accounts, but very nice job there. I think we're doing a nice job managing our gross margin in the national accounts. Again, I say that in the context, as you all know, there's meaningful inflation going on in our business and if we don't stay ahead of it, we can run into some problems on the gross-margin line. But two things that stand out for me, which, in my estimation, cost us about $3 million this quarter, center on habits at the local level and that's habits within our fastener business. So, as you all know, about 50% of our business is national account. And if you add large regional accounts on to there, that number moves closer to 60%. Within our local book of business, we do a fair amount of fastener business, about 15% of our revenue that's completely priced and driven locally, and then we have a sizable number in non-fasteners as well. In the non-fasteners, our margin there is treading water, and we're doing a nice job managing that component. In the local fastener business, we are seeing inflation in that product. Unfortunately, in that business, we're not matching the inflation in our sell price and we gave up about 130 basis points of gross margin, 130 to 140, in that 15% of our revenue. That's disappointing, because that's a habit and it's a habit we need to fix. The good news about it is it's something that's very fixable in our business. It takes our attention. So this morning, I had a call with our leaders throughout the business. I congratulated them on a nice quarter. I also congratulated them on hitting goal for the quarter and two out of three months in the quarter. The month of January, we're just shy of goal because of weather, but we did a nice job growing the business. I challenged them on our fastener pricing at the local level. I challenged them on our freight that we charge at the local level. Fuel prices, as you all know, are going up and that impacts us like it does everybody else. We're losing a little bit of ground on the freight component. I also challenged them on accounts receivable. Our -- we added about two days of accounts receivable during the quarter. It impacted our cash flow, the last point of the -- of Page 3. And -- but all in all, I'm pleased with the results for the quarter except a couple of components within gross margin. So up into Slide 4. If you are an investor in Fastenal, Slide 4 is a pretty darn encouraging page. I think it speaks a lot to the potential that is Fastenal and our strengths as far as being a distributor within our marketplace. In the first quarter, we signed 100 Onsites. If I give that context, back in 2015 -- these are rounded numbers -- we signed about 75. 2016, we signed about 175. 2017, we signed 275. In 2018, the number I have in my head is 375. I think Holden's stated range is 360 to 385 to give us some bookends. But I'm pleased to say, with three months into the year, our 2,000 goal is intact on our challenge to sign 360 to 385 Onsites in the year and I feel really good about that. In-market locations. We just topped above 3,000, 3,007 to be exact. What I like about that is we're growing our capabilities. We're growing our footprint. We had a number of years where we were contracting our footprints and I talked about that in our -- in the president's letter to this year's annual report. I'm very excited in what we're seeing there. And that's really, obviously, being driven by our Onsite expansion. We signed 5,679 vending devices in the quarter, a nice way to start the year. Equally impressive, the number of our removals is declining. We removed 18% fewer devices in the first quarter than we did in the first quarter of last year. So we're signing more. We're pulling fewer out. It's a nice combination. Similar to my comments on the Onsite goal, our 2,000 goal is intact. Our goal is to sign 21,000 to 23,000 devices during the calendar year. Product sales through vending, not surprisingly, grew north of 20% in the quarter, driven by improvements in the existing devices out there as well as the new ones we've added. National account sales grew 17% in the quarter. Well done to the national account team in growing our relationships with customers around the planet. Well done to our branch and Onsite network to serve that business and everybody else for supporting them in their efforts. Speaking of around the globe, if I look outside the United States -- inside the U.S. and in Canada, we had some weather impacts during the quarter, but if I look at rest of world, and this includes Canada, we grew our business 25% in the first quarter of 2018. We leveraged it and grew earnings even faster. Canada grew its business in the 20s, Mexico grew its business in the 20s and the rest of the world grew even higher, so really impressive performance throughout our international operations. When I think about the business, as you all know, starting several years ago, we really began to invest heavily in what are now the growth drivers of our business. And there's a price to that. You see it -- and Holden will touch on it when we look at operating expenses. Our labor costs continue to rise, some of that because of adding resources, some of that because of inflation, some of that because of incentive comp expansion. But what I'm really excited about is the resources we've added into our growth drivers in the last two years. So we've added roughly 160 people into our national account team, half of that dedicated solely to implementing new business, including Onsites. We added 15%. Fifteen percent of that number is selling resources, most of that in what we call a TSR, territory sales rep, the quarterback for the national account business in a given geography. Fifteen percent of that increase was for construction-centered personnel. We're seeing double-digit growth in our construction these days. Fifteen percent of that in our safety personnel. We're seeing great growth on our safety products. If I look outside of national accounts, we added 225 people roughly in the last two years to support our vending initiative, most of those in the district business units, but quite a few as we took over hosting operations and continue to expand our footprint into deploying devices. We added resources into Onsite, e-com, about 15 into both. We added resources into our government business. E-com, which we'll touch on a bit next week at our Investor Day, we're seeing great -- it's a small piece of our business, but we're really seeing impressive results within that component as well. Because of our local and same-day delivery capabilities, it puts us in a unique spot. We also added roughly 50 people into IT. Those resources are dedicated to being able to roll out new products for our branch network, our Onsite network and our customers faster, increase the bandwidth and a handful of folks to improve the security within our systems. So I think we're making investments in the right places, really impressed with what the team is doing. These people will execute a little bit better on our local fastener business and our freight. With that, I'll turn it over to Holden. Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Great. Thank you, Dan, and good morning to everybody. Jumping over to Slide 5. As Dan stated, total and daily sales were up 13.2% in the first quarter. It's a deceleration from up 14.8 daily sales growth in the fourth quarter, but it is a third straight quarter of at least low-teens growth for the company. We believe that pricing contributed between 50 and 100 basis points in the period. Mansco added another 120 basis points. Bear in mind that this quarter represents the completion of Mansco's first full year as a member of Fastenal's family. In that period, it did achieve the revenue and earnings that we originally anticipated it would. It plans to build on that performance the next 12 months, but be aware that with the transaction anniversarying in the second quarter, we'll no longer be breaking out its contribution specifically. From a macro standpoint, the PMI averaged 59.7 in the first quarter and industrial production continued to expand at a low- to mid-single-digit rate. Manufacturing end-markets continued to lead our growth with strength in heavy and general manufacturing as well as manufacturing going into transportation and building verticals. Construction was up 9.6% in the first quarter, but after a weather-impacted January, we saw our growth return to the 10% to 11% range. From a product standpoint, we sustained recent quarters' growth levels in both fasteners and non-fasteners. Though the last two quarters, we have seen meaningful acceleration in safety, which grew nearly 20% in the first quarter. From a customer standpoint, national accounts were up 17.3% with 78 of our top 100 accounts growing. Growth to non-national accounts was steady, with mid- to high single-digit growth and nearly 66% of our branches grew in the first quarter. That's a new high for this cycle. In terms of market tone, the quarter started with weather disruption and finished with Good Friday moving up from April of last year, but in between, conditions remained healthy, sentiment in the field remains constructive, and the good demand of the past few quarters appears to be carrying into the second quarter of 2018. Now over to Slide 6. Our gross margin was 48.7% in the first quarter. That's down 70 basis points versus the first quarter of last year. The usual factors that we've talked about were present here. Relative growth in national accounts and non-fasteners certainly affects the mix. Mansco tends to operate at a lower gross margin. And as Dan touched on, freight remains a challenge. We began to realize pricing in the period to offset the inflation we discussed. And while that effort continued to gain traction through the quarter, it was uneven and not yet where it needs to be to offset the various elements of pressure in the marketplace. However, we would expect additional gains in the second quarter in our pricing actions. Our operating margin was 19.8% in the first quarter. That's down 50 basis points on a year-over-year basis. The 70-basis-point decline in gross margin was partially offset by 20 basis points of operating expense leverage. If I look at those pieces, we achieved 50 basis points of leverage over general corporate expenses and occupancy-related costs. The latter was up 7.7% with the largest variables being growth in vending and non-branch occupancy expenses. Selling and transportation-related expenses were up 12.3, which was equally attributable to higher fuel costs and related to an increase in our branch fleet during the period. Our employee-related costs were up 14.4%. That reduced our leverage by 20 basis points. This continued to reflect Mansco's headcount, an increase in our total and FTE headcount of up 6% and up 7.4%, respectively, and that excludes Mansco and significantly higher incentive compensation across the organization reflecting our better growth. The incremental margin in the first quarter was 16%. While the second-quarter incremental margin will likely be challenged by a difficult gross-margin comparison, the anniversarying in 2Q '18 of the Mansco acquisition and the incentive compensation reset should generate better leverage for us in the second half. Putting it all together, the first-quarter earnings were $0.61, up 31% from the first quarter of '17. In the absence of tax reform and the lower rate it provides us, EPS would have been $0.51 and growth would have been 10%. To give you a quick update on tax reform. Having had more time to evaluate the impact, we now expect our ongoing tax rate will be between 24.5% and 25%, absent any discrete events that may arise from changes in the application of the law or other ongoing activities. Flipping over to Page 7 -- Slide 7. We generated $160 million in operating cash in the first quarter, which is 92% of net income. This is a lower conversion rate than we typically see in the first quarter. Part of this is just math, as our lower tax rates benefited the P&L in the first quarter but has not yet flowed to the cash flow statement. The other piece, however, relates primarily to those accounts receivable, which I'll cover in a moment. We continue to anticipate good cash flow in 2018 based on good earnings growth and the cash flow benefits from tax reform that will begin in the second quarter of '18. Net capital spending of $32 million increased in the first quarter of 2017 on expansion and upgrades at our hubs and corporate property. Our 2018 target for total net capital spending is unchanged at $149 million. We increased funds paid out in dividends by 15% to $106 million and reduced our debt by $10 million. We finished the quarter with debt at 15.7% of total capital, consistent with last year and a level that provides ample liquidity to invest in our business and pay our dividend. The picture of our working capital is mixed. Inventories were up 12.7% in the quarter. Inventory on hand fell five days, which we view favorably in light of inflationary pressures and plans for additional inventory investments in the field through 2018. Receivables grew 19.8% in the first quarter and days there expanded by 3 1/2. Days outstanding nationally expands as we experience relative growth to our national accounts and international businesses. However, in the last two quarters, this has been compounded by customer payments being pushed out past the quarter-end. We have seen no meaningful change in hard-to-collect balances and so this is an area that we will work to improve upon the balance of the year. That's all for our formal presentation. And with that, operator, we'll take questions. Questions and Answers: Operator Thank you. [Operator instructions] Our first question comes from Robert Barry with Susquehanna. Your line is now open. Robert Barry -- Susquehanna International Group -- Analyst Hey, guys, good morning. So you mentioned price only partially offsetting freight and product cost inflation. Is that dynamic only in the local-fastener business? Or is it broader? And when do you think you can get to at least neutral on that price-cost dynamic? Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer I'll handle that one. In the case of the fastener business, that's local. And keep in mind, when I talk about local, I'm talking about where the pricing decision is made as far as what level of price. And so this is local business. When I talk about freight, that includes both local business and national account business. So it includes all aspects of our business, but the decision of whether or not to charge freight is typically made locally. There might be some contractual limitation on certain sales, but generally speaking, that's a local-made decision. So I would put both of them in that bucket. In regards to how quickly we can crack upon it, the freight ones a challenge because in many of our growth drivers, vending is an example of growth driver, Onsite's an example of growth driver, our propensity to charge freight is typically lower. Especially in the case of vending, it's nonexistent for the most part. There are challenges to engage with a customer on doing backhauls of freight. And I often see examples of that. On a recent trip, I saw, interestingly enough, down in Indianapolis, three pallets, large pallets, and each had a truck chap -- a truck cab on it from a vintage truck that was being shipped from a scrapyard in Minnesota up to the East Coast. And that's an example of backhaul as we do on our system to offset. The freight one is going to be challenging in the short term. The fastener one, that's about habits and we can change habits tomorrow. Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer I'll just sort of chip in. To give you a little bit of color, the -- if I think about the RVP commentary that came through to us over the course of the quarter, it improved as the quarter went on from January to February to March. So I think that the confidence in the field grew and the achievement in the field grew as we went along, which is what we would have expected to see. I would also tell you that if I think about the month-to-month contribution of pricing, it also grew as we went through the quarter. So we've talked before about having to rebuild that muscle memory. Obviously, for us, in our model, these conversations are very much sort of customer-to-employee. And yes, I think there are signs that we were building up that muscle memory through the quarter and we just need to make sure that we continue to bulk up as we go into the second quarter, and that's the expectation. Robert Barry -- Susquehanna International Group -- Analyst Got it. I guess, just a follow-on to that, given there's a lot of talk about tariffs and raising product costs, in particular on some of your products, just given what sounds like a pretty tough pricing environment, I mean, what's the thought on the ability to pass those through or fully being able to pass those through? Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Well, to be clear, I don't think that it's a pretty tough pricing environment. We are getting pricing. It's just the rate at which we're getting it. Again, I think that the sentiment around how the RVPs are feeling about that environment has only gotten better as the quarter has gone on. So I don't think that I would characterize the pricing environment today as tough. It's just a matter of at what pace we're going to be able to put it through. As it relates to tariffs, however, if you think about 232, the increase in steel and aluminum, it's -- that would primarily have a direct impact on our manufacturing business which does source that. If I think about the Section 301s -- Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer That's 5% of our revenues. Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Yes, which is 4% or 5% of our revenue on the manufacturing. If I think about the Section 301 tariffs, we looked into what products are captured in that. And there are some. I think we've identified about $11 million or $12 million in annual COGS that would be affected directly by that. There's no doubt there will be some others that would come through in -- through masters, but we're talking about metal nuts, we're talking about pallet jacks and a few other items. And so there really was no impact on tariffs in Q1 in our business. Most of what would be affected directly seems fairly modest. I think our bigger question is what impact does it have on our customers at the end of the day. And as I said, in Q1, there really was nothing there. To the extent that it contributes to either a more inflationary environment, we'll have to respond to that as we talked about. To the extent that it creates issues for our customers, have to respond to that, but no impact yet and I think that the -- it's sort of a wait-and-see kind of situation. Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer I'll just chime in a little bit as well to support Holden's answer and that is, historically, our ability to pass on things like this, a tariff, a duty, etc., the marketplace gets that and is able to pass that through. The wildcard in all of it is what impact it has not to our ability to price, but to volumes. What impact does it have with the customer? Does it impact their ability to export product? Does it impact the profitability within their business on what products they sell? That's the unanswerable question, but the marketplace gets the fact that price -- the costs are going up. Robert Barry -- Susquehanna International Group -- Analyst Got it. Thank you, very helpful. Operator Thank you. Our next question comes from Robert McCarthy with Stifel. Your line is now open. Robert McCarthy -- Stifel Financial Corp. -- Vice President Good morning, everyone. I have two questions because that's all we're allowed in the time we're allowed, so thank you for taking that. I guess, following up the tariffs, you mentioned 301. Could you just confirm, you just think it's a very limited set of SKU and product that is going to be affected by this? And could you just let us know broadly how much you do source from China in terms of your underlying COGS or general sourcing? Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer First off, we touched on that. We have identified what we know so far. Keep in mind that the number Holden cited looks at product we're directly sourcing that we believe is impacted and -- but on top of that is product that we are sourcing from others that would be impacted. That one is a lot more difficult one to quantify because with many of our suppliers, if I think of both branded and some of the non-branded products, many of our suppliers, their source of origin can fluctuate. So they might -- a lot of fasteners come out of Taiwan and China and a lot of that production has moved into China over the last 15, 20 years. No different than 40 and 50 years ago, a lot of that production had moved from Japan into Taiwan and other parts of southeast China -- or Southeast Asia, excuse me. So there are other sources of supply, but the issue you run into is the speed at which you can change, other factors that might be going on in other countries within the Pacific Rim. Most of the fasteners sold in this country are made outside of North America. So it's not an issue that's unique to us. It's an issue that's unique to that product line. Within our non-fastener product, the percentage would be lower, but still, a sizable piece is made -- but, again, I can -- I hesitate to quantify it because there are multiple source of supply and we aren't always privy to upstream those source of supply when we run a product. But the -- so the -- but the other dynamic is this thing moves rapidly. Sometimes you have to try to follow it by the latest tweet and we prefer not to manage our business that way Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer We actually have seen the list of things that we understand to be affected now, so we have something on which to sort of make a judgment, if you will. And if I look at that list, there's probably 25 things on it. Iron or steel nuts is 85% of that. And so there is a list of things out there that are supposedly affected by that. That's where we're able to give some judgment based upon. Robert McCarthy -- Stifel Financial Corp. -- Vice President Yes. No, I have the documentation right here in terms of the list. But the answer to the question, I don't want to preclude my second question, so this is a follow-up to the first question is, very briefly, yes, that's the Section 301 that was kind of enumerated, but the fact of the matter is it sounds like it could be a greater effect, kind of similar to oil and gas in '14, where you had headline exposure mid-single digits, but the penumbra of the effect could be greater, I guess, is my point. Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Yes. Time will tell. There's still plenty of unknowns. What's No. 2? Robert McCarthy -- Stifel Financial Corp. -- Vice President Yes. No. 2 is just a very simple question. I mean, obviously, gross margin, you cited and enumerated the various -- listen, growth is good, but the challenge is the mix in gross margin and that structural mix. Given the last couple of years, you've been -- the first-quarter gross margin typically is one of the higher gross margins of the year and then typically is above the average gross margin for the year, do you think that's going to continue according to Hoyle here? Or do you think there's opportunity for you to expand sequentially gross margin this year? Or have we put in the high for gross margin for this year or particularly versus the average? Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Well, the question of expanding gross margin, I mean, we filled a hole in Q1. Q2, I can tell you is going to be a very difficult comparison based on how we performed last year, but if -- so that would be difficult. If we're talking just sequentially, the -- there is a path to be able to achieve a gross margin that is comparable to slightly below where we are in Q1, right? So I think if you look at the history, it's not uncommon to see 30 basis points or what have you, to sort of down from Q1 or to Q2, etc. There's a path to do somewhat better than that, but that path, it does rely significantly on our ability to continue to build up our sort of pricing momentum and that's kind of the wild card that we are going to be playing through in Q2. Again, we like the signals. We've certainly given a clear message as to what we need to do going forward and if we can deliver and execute on that, as we fully expect to do so, there's a path to have margins that are comparable to maybe modestly below where we finished in Q1 and perhaps do a little bit better than the normal seasonal pattern, if you will. Robert McCarthy -- Stifel Financial Corp. -- Vice President I'll follow-up offline. Thanks for taking for taking the questions. Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Yup. Operator Thank you. Our next question comes from David Manthey with Baird. Your line is now open. David Manthey -- Robert W. Baird & Company -- Analyst Hye, guys, good morning. First question, Dan, you said you're happy with the return on the investment in your growth drivers, but you were disappointed by the profit growth in the first quarter. When you look at the core expense leverage in addition to the changing secular mix of the business and gross-margin pressure you just mentioned, are we at an inflection point here where we'll get back to 20% to 25% contribution margin? Or are you happy with faster sales growth and maybe a contribution margin in the teens? It seems like we've been leaning that way in the last couple of quarters. Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer When -- as our business was ramping up in 2017, our willingness to invest in our growth drivers expanded. That's why I touched on some of the headcount we've been adding behind the scenes to really support this. And knowing full well that I, frankly, didn't expect coming into the first half of this year -- and I'm talking about operating margin when I talk about this. I'm removing the noise of tax reform -- I fully expected our operating, our incremental margins to drop below 20% and into the upper teens. And if, ironically enough, we had been -- if we wouldn't have this fastener issue in the quarter, the old \""would have, could have, should have,\"" but we would have been in the low 20s. I still firmly believe when I look at this business over a period of years -- and we are in a transition period of really investing heavily in a fundamentally different growth driver in our business, as we're in that, if you look at it over time, there's no reason why gross margin can't be in that -- the incremental margin within the gross margin line can't be in that lower half of the 40s, so 43 to 45, and our incremental spend can't be closer to 20, which would put us into, optimistically, a 25, pessimistically, lower half of 20s incremental margin. And if we're growing six, seven, eight points faster than anybody else out there and we're taking market share and we're doing things that are natural for our business and that create a more defensive of a business from the standpoint of competition from others, I think that's a win for our shareholders. Right now, like I say, we're investing heavily in that transition. And unfortunately, we stubbed our toe on local pricing this quarter, but I think that's fixable and that's fixable fast. Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer And, David, just so you know, the gross margin is certainly a part of it, but the other piece, if I look at our operating expenses, bear in mind that through Q1, right, the blending in of Mansco, that obviously has an impact on the incremental margins. The reset of incentive comp. I know it seems like we started talking about that a year ago. We did. The good news is you get into Q2, Q3, and Q4, and that reset begins to anniversary as well. I take some encouragement from the fact that we got 50 basis points of leverage over corporate and occupancy. We did not get much over the headcount side, but as we do begin to anniversary that reset in Q2 and beyond, I think that there is potential there to get more leverage out of the SG&A than what you've seen to this point. And so the growth drivers, we'll -- we're going to continue to invest in those, but there are pieces of our P&L that we should leverage at a greater -- to a greater degree, certainly into the second half of this year, than we have at this point as this cycle and as our growth matures. David Manthey -- Robert W. Baird & Company -- Analyst OK. That's very helpful. And second question is on the freight impact on gross margin. I went back and looked and this has been an issue for you at least back to the -- by the end of 2016 and here, it's in here. When does this get fixed? Can you fix it? And can you just describe what the source of the issue is? Is it that you're using third party in that internal logistics? Or what's going on there? And can it be fixed? Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer There's a number of things there. It's not external versus internal. We probably had a little bit of that in the quarter because of the weather, but that's not the fundamental issue, Dave. The -- if I look at it, we lost about 20 basis points of gross margin strictly on the pricing aspect to where we're charging it. I'd say one-third of that is because of our growth drivers pulling it down. The other two-thirds is our propensity to execute. And I think sometimes we fall victim to -- we convince ourselves that the marketplace doesn't allow people to charge freight anymore because that's what you read in the headlines every day. That's not true. The marketplace will allow you to charge freight when you're providing a value. I believe your propensity to charge freight in this environment goes up because every time I turn around, I read an article about folks can't add trucks and drivers and capacity fast enough and so freight's becoming more expensive, and we have a structural advantage there and we need to price for that. So I believe it's fixable, but the challenging aspect is our growth drivers aren't our true friend, and so when it comes to this aspect -- our great friend when it comes to growing our business, but they do hurt it on the face of it -- and there, we need to challenge ourselves with saying, \""OK, we don't charge freight here, bet this customer is shipping product out. Can we ship some pallets of product out for them?\"" And that's why when I go to our big cross top [ph] facility down in Indianapolis, I'm always curious what I see when I'm down there because it tells me if we're engaging in doing that, because if our customers are having a hard time finding capacity to ship pallets and we have capacity to ship their pallets, I think we can marry that up and fix a piece of the problem there, but it's a component of what Holden's talked about, the gross-margin impact of our growth drivers. And the drop -- the natural drop we're going to see each year in our gross profit, that's a component of it. David Manthey -- Robert W. Baird & Company -- Analyst All right, thanks very much. Operator Thank you. Our next question comes from Adam Uhlman with Cleveland Research. Your line is now open. Adam Uhlman -- Cleveland Research -- Partner Hi, guys, good morning. Can we start with, Dan, you just mentioned 20 basis points of the impact on gross margin. Could you walk through the remainder of that, the decline in gross margin between mix and Mansco and the rest of it? Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Yes. Mansco was probably about 10- to 20-basis-points impact, right down the middle there. I would say mix this quarter was also sort of in that 10- to 20-basis-point impact. I think the transportation was about 20 basis points of impact. And those would give you the biggest pieces of the sort of the 70-basis-point decline year over year -- Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer In local pricing of fasteners. Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer And so -- and then, obviously, local pricing on fasteners and just general product inflation played a role and the fact that we didn't get as much as we needed to, to begin to offset that, right? Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer Adam, I'll add one tidbit there. So I cited when I was talking to Dave the fact that we've given up 20 basis points on our propensity to charge. We got about half of that back in leveraging of our network itself. So the gross-margin impact was about 10 basis points for freight, 20 of it in pricing, 10 of it we got back because we still run a great fleet and we continue to utilize that fleet for moving products around the country. Even though our costs are up there, we're moving more tons of product. Adam Uhlman -- Cleveland Research -- Partner OK. Gotcha. And then, just secondly, how should we think about the working capital for the rest of the year? I guess I'm a little confused on exactly what's happening with receivables and why customers are pushing it into the next quarter. Do you have any goal that you can share with us or other process improvements that you're putting into place to get the conversion to improve? Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Yes. And to some extent, you don't want to overreact to something because, again, at the end of the day, what we're looking for is, are we seeing issues with hard-to-collect product? And the fact is we're simply not. And so in the fourth quarter, we obviously called out receivables being a bit of a challenge. And I may have sort of believed that that was primarily a function of the calendar and, in truth, it may have simply been our customers deciding to push out beyond the quarter. I don't know what the reason is for what looks to us to be a recent somewhat change in behavior. It's something that we'll have to kind of go back and check on and get our arms around, but I think the important element of it is we don't have an increase in hard-to-collect receivables out there. Those numbers have remained lean and healthy. And so all we're seeing is, we're seeing a pushback which, if it's about being able to report a clean quarter, as many of our customers are public and do so, you could be talking about days. At the end of Q4, we saw an inflow of payments at the beginning of January. I haven't had a chance to sort of look at how the beginning of the first quarter has played out yet and look at that statistic. It wouldn't surprise me if it's there. So it's something that's worth calling out because, obviously, it impacts those numbers, but I don't think that there's anything particularly worrisome there from a -- in terms of a corporate-health standpoint, I guess, is how I'll put it. Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer I'll throw a little adder onto that and then we're coming up on 45 minutes past the hour so let this be the last question. When I think of it and putting my old hat on, you have customers that are growing faster than they've experienced in recent years. That growth in their businesses takes working capital. You have interest rates that are rising. It's probably not an unreasonable thing to see of people pushing, especially to do a little window dressing at the end of the quarter to see payment patterns slow down. My challenge to our team is, guys, how about challenging a customer? We're business partners here. And to cut off your payments from the 22nd through the 20th, through 25th of March, creates a lot of pain for us, too. And there's three assets on our business. There's fixed capital, of which vending is typically is placed inside their facility. There is inventory, of which with Onsite, we're placing dollars inside their facility. And there's accounts receivable. If I think of the value we bring to their business of those three things, the first two add value, the third one doesn't. So don't do that to us. Let's push back a little bit using that because every dollar we have there is a dollar we can't have in inventory and fixed capital long term and we don't think that's good for our customers. So if they want to push some other suppliers, they can do that, but don't do it to us because we have inventory and fixed capital inside your facilities to support your business. We can't do all three. With that, we're at 45 minutes past the hour. Thank you for participating in today's earnings call. We -- Holden is hosting an Investor Day next week. I believe that's being broadcast on the Internet. Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer That will be webcast. Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer Webcast. And again, thank you for your support of Fastenal. Have a good day. Operator [Operator signoff] Duration: 45 minutes Call Participants: Ellen Stolts -- Financial Reporting and Regulatory Compliance Manager Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Robert Barry -- Susquehanna International Group -- Analyst Robert McCarthy -- Stifel Financial Corp. -- Vice President David Manthey -- Robert W. Baird & Company -- Analyst Adam Uhlman -- Cleveland Research -- Partner More FAST analysis This article is a transcript of this conference call produced for The Motley Fool. While we strive for our Foolish Best, there may be errors, omissions, or inaccuracies in this transcript. As with all our articles, The Motley Fool does not assume any responsibility for your use of this content, and we strongly encourage you to do your own research, including listening to the call yourself and reading the company's SEC filings. Please see ourTerms and Conditionsfor additional details, including our Obligatory Capitalized Disclaimers of Liability. 10 stocks we like better than Fastenal When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor , has quadrupled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Fastenal wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. Click here to learn about these picks! *Stock Advisor returns as of April 2, 2018 The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy . The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""38 Biggest Movers From Yesterday""]"
FAST,2018-04-13,22.4032,22.4121,21.9422,22.0548,"[""Benzinga's Top Analyst Calls From April 13, 2018"", ""Benzinga's Top Analyst Calls From April 13, 2018"", ""3 Stocks to Watch on Friday: Fastenal Company (FAST), General Electric Company (GE) and Intel Corporation (INTC) InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips U.S. equities were surging on Thursday as global tensions eased a bit, despite President Trump saying that the missile strike on Syria \""could be very soon or not soon at all.\"" The S&P 500 Index gained 0.8%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average is up 1.2% and the Nasdaq Composite gained 1%. It was a positive afternoon for multiple companies, including Fastenal Company (NASDAQ: FAST ), General Electric Company (NASDAQ: GE ) and Intel Corporation (NASDAQ: INTC ). Here's what's going on: Fastenal Company (FAST) Fastenal shares were trading flat late Thursday, but the company surpassed analysts' revenue expectations in its latest quarterly report. The company reported adjusted earnings of 61 cents per share for its first quarter of fiscal 2018, which was in line with the Zacks Investment Research projection. Earnings were up by 30.6% compared to the year-ago period. 10 Stocks Hedge Funds Are Buying Fastenal's revenue was up to $1.19 billion, marking a 13.2% gain compared to the year-ago period thanks to higher underlying market demand, growth in its industrial vending business and existing Onsite locations. The figure topped the Zacks consensus estimate of $1.18 billion. The company acquired a manufacturers supply company called Mansco that contributed to 1.3% of sales. Fastenal's daily sales were up by 13.2% compared to the year-ago quarter, lower than the year-ago increase of 14.8%. On a monthly basis, daily sales were up by 13.1% in March, 14.8% in February and 12% in January, handily topping the year-ago quarter's increases of 8.4%, 6.1% and 3.8% respectively. FAST shares were trading flat after the bell. General Electric Company (GE) General Electric is reportedly considering spinning off one of its subsidiary businesses. The company said on Thursday that it is pondering the possibility of spinning off or issuing a public offering of its GE Transportation business, according to the Wall Street Journal and sources familiar with the matter. The move comes as General Electric has been seeking for new ways to offload the division over the last six months. The business is valued at roughly $7 billion and it could help the parent company reduce its management load without directly selling its assets. Company CEO John Flanney told shareholders in October that GE was planning on selling $20 billion in assets as part of its planned restructuring. The company recently announced plans for private equity firm Veritas Capital to acquire its health-care unit for $1.05 billion in cash. \""Let's narrow the scope down to our aviation business, our health-care business, our power business,\"" Flannery said. The move could help GE shareholders regain value with the turnaround of a subsidiary. GE stock was up a fraction of a percentage after Thursday's market close. Intel Corporation (INTC) Intel had a day to remember as the stock hit an 18-year high. The tech company's stock rose by as much as 3.2% on Thursday, settling in at a 3.17% gain, which marked its best close since the tech bubble burst in late 2000. The stock closed at $52.72 per share, above its closing price of $52.48 from 18 years ago. At one point, Intel shares were up as much as $75.81 in August 2000 before falling down to $12.41 during the worst parts of the financial crisis. The sudden rise came as tech analyst Richard Swinburne suggested on Twitter that Intel chips could help power the next generation of Xbox video game consoles as Intel gains more traction in the graphics processor business. JD.Com Inc (ADR) Is Miles Ahead of Amazon \""It is clear to us that Apple has been working towards a goal of 'moving up the stack' if only to keep Intel 'honest',\"" Credit Suisse said in a note to clients earlier this month. \""But we see the sell-off as an over-reaction, especially ahead of what we expect to be strong earnings on 04/26.\"" INTC stock fell by a fraction of a percentage after hours Thursday. As of this writing, Karl Utermohlen did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities. More From InvestorPlace 7 Great REITs to Own in Good Times and Bad 8 Companies That Could Disappear by 2019 10 Dividend Stocks to Buy With Low Yields, But Big Dividend Growth Compare Brokers The post 3 Stocks to Watch on Friday: Fastenal Company (FAST), General Electric Company (GE) and Intel Corporation (INTC) appeared first on InvestorPlace . The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Benzinga's Top Analyst Calls From April 13, 2018""]"
FAST,2018-04-16,22.2344,22.3844,22.1052,22.3134,"[""MSC Industrial Still Looks A Little Underwhelming"", ""MSC Industrial Still Looks A Little Underwhelming"", ""MSC Industrial Still Looks A Little Underwhelming""]"
FAST,2018-04-17,22.4506,22.4506,22.1722,22.2532,"[""Fastenal: Strong Quarter - Stock Down 7%"", ""Fastenal: Strong Quarter - Stock Down 7%"", ""Fastenal: Strong Quarter - Stock Down 7%""]"
FAST,2018-04-18,22.3213,22.6085,22.266,22.3183,
FAST,2018-04-19,22.4595,22.5996,21.7932,22.2729,"[""Fastenal (FAST) Investor Presentation - Slideshow"", ""W.W. Grainger Enters Buy Zone On Blowout Earnings; Good Sign For U.S. Manufacturing"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Investor Presentation - Slideshow"", ""W.W. Grainger Enters Buy Zone On Blowout Earnings; Good Sign For U.S. Manufacturing"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Investor Presentation - Slideshow"", ""W.W. Grainger Enters Buy Zone On Blowout Earnings; Good Sign For U.S. Manufacturing""]"
FAST,2018-04-20,22.2078,22.3154,21.9048,22.2344,
FAST,2018-04-23,22.2344,22.4713,22.0005,22.1821,"[""Grainger's Strategy To Drive Better Volumes Showing Good Results"", ""Grainger's Strategy To Drive Better Volumes Showing Good Results"", ""Fastenal Company (FAST) Ex-Dividend Date Scheduled for April 24, 2018 Fastenal Company ( FAST ) will begin trading ex-dividend on April 24, 2018. A cash dividend payment of $0.37 per share is scheduled to be paid on May 23, 2018. Shareholders who purchased FAST prior to the ex-dividend date are eligible for the cash dividend payment. This represents an 15.63% increase over prior dividend payment. At the current stock price of $50.49, the dividend yield is 2.93%. The previous trading day's last sale of FAST was $50.49, representing a -14.04% decrease from the 52 week high of $58.74 and a 26.89% increase over the 52 week low of $39.79. FAST is a part of the Consumer Services sector, which includes companies such as Home Depot, Inc. ( HD ) and Lowe's Companies, Inc. ( LOW ). FAST's current earnings per share, an indicator of a company's profitability, is $2.16. Zacks Investment Research reports FAST's forecasted earnings growth in 2018 as 29.79%, compared to an industry average of 20.8%. For more information on the declaration, record and payment dates, visit the FAST Dividend History page. Our Dividend Calendar has the full list of stocks that have an ex-dividend today. Interested in gaining exposure to FAST through an Exchange Traded Fund [ETF]? The following ETF(s) have FAST as a top-10 holding: PowerShares S&P 500 Quality Portfolio ( SPHQ ). The top-performing ETF of this group is SPHQ with an increase of 0.91% over the last 100 days. It also has the highest percent weighting of FAST at 0.36%. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Grainger's Strategy To Drive Better Volumes Showing Good Results""]"
FAST,2018-04-24,22.3726,22.4565,21.5237,21.7853,"[""FAST Makes Notable Cross Below Critical Moving Average In trading on Tuesday, shares of Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) crossed below their 200 day moving average of $49.50, changing hands as low as $48.52 per share. Fastenal Co. shares are currently trading off about 1.8% on the day. The chart below shows the one year performance of FAST shares, versus its 200 day moving average: Looking at the chart above, FAST's low point in its 52 week range is $39.79 per share, with $58.735 as the 52 week high point - that compares with a last trade of $49.11. According to the ETF Finder at ETF Channel, FAST makes up 1.76% of the First Trust Materials AlphaDEX Fund ETF (Symbol: FXZ) which is trading lower by about 2.4% on the day Tuesday. Click here to find out which 9 other dividend stocks recently crossed below their 200 day moving average \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal (FAST) Shares Cross 3% Yield Mark Looking at the universe of stocks we cover at Dividend Channel , in trading on Tuesday, shares of Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) were yielding above the 3% mark based on its quarterly dividend (annualized to $1.48), with the stock changing hands as low as $48.52 on the day. Dividends are particularly important for investors to consider, because historically speaking dividends have provided a considerable share of the stock market's total return. To illustrate, suppose for example you purchased shares of the S&P 500 ETF ( SPY ) back on 12/31/1999 - you would have paid $146.88 per share. Fast forward to 12/31/2012 and each share was worth $142.41 on that date, a decrease of $4.67/share over all those years. But now consider that you collected a whopping $25.98 per share in dividends over the same period, for a positive total return of 23.36%. Even with dividends reinvested, that only amounts to an average annual total return of about 1.6%; so by comparison collecting a yield above 3% would appear considerably attractive if that yield is sustainable. Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) is an S&P 500 company, giving it special status as one of the large-cap companies making up the S&P 500 Index. In general, dividend amounts are not always predictable and tend to follow the ups and downs of profitability at each company. In the case of Fastenal Co., looking at the history chart for FAST below can help in judging whether the most recent dividend is likely to continue, and in turn whether it is a reasonable expectation to expect a 3% annual yield. According to the ETF Finder at ETF Channel, FAST makes up 1.76% of the First Trust Materials AlphaDEX Fund ETF (Symbol: FXZ) which is trading lower by about 3.2% on the day Tuesday. Click here to find out which 9 other dividend stocks just recently went on sale \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2018-04-25,21.7103,22.0588,21.5741,21.9906,"[""Fastenal Option Alert: May 18 $50 Puts Sweep (11) at the Bid: 700 @ $1.75 vs 4444 OI; Ref=$49.17"", ""Fastenal Option Alert: May 18 $50 Puts Sweep (11) at the Bid: 700 @ $1.75 vs 4444 OI; Ref=$49.17"", ""Fastenal Option Alert: May 18 $50 Puts Sweep (11) at the Bid: 700 @ $1.75 vs 4444 OI; Ref=$49.17""]"
FAST,2018-04-26,21.9986,22.2008,21.6442,22.118,
FAST,2018-04-27,22.0272,22.6944,22.0134,22.6342,
FAST,2018-04-30,22.1782,22.6865,22.0922,22.1782,
FAST,2018-05-01,22.196,22.346,21.4527,21.8978,"[""Fastenal Company Recommends Rejection of Below-Market-Price Mini-Tender Offer by TRC Capital Corporation To Buy 2M Shares At $48.63/Share"", ""Fastenal Company Recommends Rejection of Below-Market-Price Mini-Tender Offer by TRC Capital Corporation To Buy 2M Shares At $48.63/Share"", ""FAST Trading Below Director's Recent Buy Price There's an old saying on Wall Street about insider buying: there are many possible reasons to sell a stock, but only one reason to buy. Back on April 25, Fastenal Co.'s Director, Michael J. Ancius, invested $22,181.25 into 455 shares of FAST, for a cost per share of $48.75. Bargain hunters tend to pay particular attention to insider buys like this one, because presumably the only reason an insider would take their hard-earned cash and use it to buy stock of their company in the open market, is that they expect to make money. In trading on Tuesday, bargain hunters could buy shares of Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) and achieve a cost basis even cheaper than Ancius, with shares changing hands as low as $48.60 per share. Fastenal Co. shares are currently trading down about 2.8% on the day. The chart below shows the one year performance of FAST shares, versus its 200 day moving average: Looking at the chart above, FAST's low point in its 52 week range is $39.79 per share, with $58.735 as the 52 week high point - that compares with a last trade of $48.67. By comparison, below is a table showing the prices at which FAST insider buying was recorded over the last six months: The current annualized dividend paid by Fastenal Co. is $1.48/share, currently paid in quarterly installments, and its most recent dividend ex-date was on 04/24/2018. Below is a long-term dividend history chart for FAST, which can be of good help in judging whether the most recent dividend with approx. 3.0% annualized yield is likely to continue. According to the ETF Finder at ETF Channel, FAST makes up 1.84% of the First Trust Materials AlphaDEX Fund ETF (Symbol: FXZ) which is trading lower by about 1.7% on the day Tuesday. Click here to find out which 9 other dividend bargains you can buy cheaper than insiders \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Company Recommends Rejection of Below-Market-Price Mini-Tender Offer by TRC Capital Corporation To Buy 2M Shares At $48.63/Share""]"
FAST,2018-05-02,21.88,22.2542,21.7952,21.808,
FAST,2018-05-03,21.73,22.0716,21.3787,21.9551,
FAST,2018-05-04,21.7606,22.6223,21.6521,22.4694,"[""This Rich Dividend Stock Shows A Yield That's 58% Better Than S&P 500"", ""This Rich Dividend Stock Shows A Yield That's 58% Better Than S&P 500"", ""This Rich Dividend Stock Shows A Yield That's 58% Better Than S&P 500""]"
FAST,2018-05-07,22.4871,22.8612,22.4131,22.8039,
FAST,2018-05-08,22.6687,22.8474,22.5809,22.7625,
FAST,2018-05-09,22.8918,23.0329,22.569,22.8513,
FAST,2018-05-10,22.9215,22.9717,22.6263,22.7704,
FAST,2018-05-11,22.8158,23.2136,22.7881,22.9717,
FAST,2018-05-14,22.9767,23.0043,22.7783,22.9717,
FAST,2018-05-15,22.8425,23.3133,22.6589,23.2915,"Investors Should Consider Home Depot (HD) Despite Q1 Sales Miss Shares of Home Depot HD opened lower on Tuesday after the company reported its first quarter financial results. But while the home improvement retailer might have disappointed some investors, its performance, outlook, and current valuation are actually rather attractive. Home Depot reported adjusted earnings of $2.08 per share, which marked a roughly 24.5% climb from the year-ago period and also topped our Zacks Consensus Estimate by 2 cents. The opposite end of the income statement is what left some investors nervous about Home Depot. The company's Q1 revenues fell short of our $25.20 billion estimate, but did pop by 4.4% to reach $24.95 billion. Clearly, a top line miss isn't a good thing for Home Depot. With that said, if we dive a little deeper investors will see that there is a lot to be pleased with when evaluating Home Depot stock at the moment. Quick Q1 Details Despite the fact that Home Depot posted lower-than-expected quarterly revenues, the company's same-store sales were encouraging. The retailer's comp sales jumped 4.2%, while U.S. comps popped 3.9%. Both of those are relatively solid for a company of Home Depot's size and age. Investors did likely compare Home Depot's comp growth to the year-ago period when the company's same-store sales climbed 5.5%, with U.S. stores up 6%. There is however a somewhat obvious reason for this year-over-year decline that was out of Home Depot's control. The weather throughout most of North America-where a large chunk of its roughly 2,200 retail stores are located-has been rough, which means spring-based home improvement shopping was subdued. ""We are pleased by the strength of our business despite a slow start to the spring selling season,"" CEO Craig Menear said in a company statement. Outlook Home Depot now expects fiscal 2018 revenues will surge by roughly 6.7%, which is almost directly in line with our current estimate that calls for full-year sales of $107.62 billion. This marks a significant increase from the 4.6% full-year sales growth Home Depot projected in the prior-year period. Meanwhile, the company projects its comp sales will climb by approximately 5%, which also tops Home Depot's 2017 full-year same-store sales guidance in the year-ago quarter. Both of these estimates help underscore the fact that Home Depot's first quarter ticket sales popped 5.8%, helping offset a 1.3% decline in overall customer transactions. The Atlanta-based company also reaffirmed its full-year earnings guidance that calls a 28% surge to touch $9.31 per share. Price Movement & Valuation Investors also need to take a look at Home Depot's recent price movement as well as its current valuation picture to help understand if the stock might be worth considering despite some Q1-based skepticism. Before Tuesday's dip, shares of Home Depot were up roughly 19% over the last year, topping the S&P 500's 13.8% climb. HD's gains look even better compared to its peer group's 9.1% decline-this group features both Lowe's LOW and Fastenal FAST . Investors should also note that Home Depot has crushed the S&P 500 over the last five years, up 145% compared to the index's 68% climb. Moving on, Home Depot is currently trading at 19.8X forward 12-months earnings estimates. Over the last year, HD has traded as high as 23.5X and as low as 18X. Coming into Tuesday, Home Depot was trading at a roughly 16% discount compared to where it stood in the middle of January. Home Depot stock has traded at a premium compared to its industry's average during the last year. The home improvement power's stock is also currently trading a premium against Lowe's-which is trading at 15.3X. With that said, Home Depot has consistently traded at a premium compared to its largest direct competitor since May 2015. Therefore, investors clearly have reasons to value Home Depot's future earnings over Lowe's over the last few years. Bottom Line Home Depot might have fallen just a bit short of top-line estimates in the first quarter. But its growth was still solid and its 2018 outlook compares favorably against the same period last year. The company's bottom line is also expected to expand at a healthy rate in 2018. Furthermore, HD's current valuation appears to be fair, if not attractive. Clearly, Home Depot stock is certainly worth considering, especially after its stock price dipped following its Q1 earnings release. More Stock News: This Is Bigger than the iPhone! It could become the mother of all technological revolutions. Apple sold a mere 1 billion iPhones in 10 years but a new breakthrough is expected to generate more than 27 billion devices in just 3 years, creating a $1.7 trillion market. Zacks has just released a Special Report that spotlights this fast-emerging phenomenon and 6 tickers for taking advantage of it. If you don't buy now, you may kick yourself in 2020. Click here for the 6 trades >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report The Home Depot, Inc. (HD): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Lowe's Companies, Inc. (LOW): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2018-05-16,23.2511,23.712,23.1563,23.5216,"[""Stocks Generating Improved Relative Strength: Fastenal"", ""Baxter Bros Inc Buys Facebook Inc, Honeywell International Inc, Fastenal Co, Sells Starbucks ..."", ""Baxter Bros Inc Buys Facebook Inc, Honeywell International Inc, Fastenal Co, Sells Starbucks ..."", ""Stocks Generating Improved Relative Strength: Fastenal"", ""Baxter Bros Inc Buys Facebook Inc, Honeywell International Inc, Fastenal Co, Sells Starbucks ..."", ""Stocks Generating Improved Relative Strength: Fastenal""]"
FAST,2018-05-17,23.4604,23.716,22.9619,23.4564,
FAST,2018-05-18,23.4988,23.5699,23.0497,23.4071,
FAST,2018-05-21,23.4988,23.944,23.4278,23.8532,
FAST,2018-05-22,23.8898,23.9292,23.3399,23.3784,"[""Stock Upgrades: Fastenal Shows Rising Relative Strength"", ""Stock Upgrades: Fastenal Shows Rising Relative Strength"", ""Stock Upgrades: Fastenal Shows Rising Relative Strength""]"
FAST,2018-05-23,23.2047,23.3261,22.9945,23.3182,
FAST,2018-05-24,23.3083,23.4771,23.0547,23.4238,
FAST,2018-05-25,23.3972,23.5166,23.1445,23.2915,
FAST,2018-05-29,23.1533,23.3261,22.9619,23.2915,
FAST,2018-05-30,23.3695,23.5561,23.2373,23.3695,
FAST,2018-05-31,23.3646,23.6686,23.1583,23.6144,
FAST,2018-06-01,23.7654,24.3823,23.7654,23.793,
FAST,2018-06-04,23.8898,24.1918,23.3972,23.72,
FAST,2018-06-05,23.8166,24.0881,23.6814,24.0724,
FAST,2018-06-06,23.8296,23.8296,22.6796,23.1089,"[""S&P 500 Movers: FAST, DVN In early trading on Wednesday, shares of Devon Energy Corp. ( DVN ) topped the list of the day's best performing components of the S&P 500 index, trading up 7.0%. Year to date, Devon Energy Corp. registers a 1.6% gain. And the worst performing S&P 500 component thus far on the day is Fastenal ( FAST ), trading down 4.4%. Fastenal is lower by about 5.1% looking at the year to date performance. Two other components making moves today are Delta Air Lines ( DAL ), trading down 3.5%, and Nektar Therapeutics ( NKTR ), trading up 4.2% on the day. VIDEO: S&P 500 Movers: FAST, DVN The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Market Close Report: Historical high reached as NASDAQ Composite Index closes at 7,689.24. Wednesday's session closes with the NASDAQ Composite Index reaching a historical high. The index closed at 7,689.24 up 51.38 for the day. The index had a previous high 7637.86319 on 06/05/2018. The total shares traded for the NASDAQ was over 2.62 billion. Advancers stocks led declining by 1.54 to 1 ratio. There were 1836 advancers and 1195 decliners for the day. On the NASDAQ Stock Exchange 239 stocks reached a 52 week high and 12 those reaching lows totaled. The most active, advancers, decliners, unusual volume and most active by dollar volume can be monitored intraday on the Most Active Stocks page. The NASDAQ 100 index closed up .6% for the day; a total of 43.33 points. The current value is 7,210.08. Fastenal Company ( FAST ) had the largest percent change down (-4%) while Tesla, Inc. ( TSLA ) had the largest percent change gain rising 9.74%. The Dow Jones index closed up 1.4% for the day; a total of 346.41 points. The current value is 25,146.39. General Electric Company ( GE ) had the largest percent change down (-1.16%) while Boeing Company (The) ( BA ) had the largest percent change gain rising 3.18%. NASDAQ Market Wrap As of 6/6/2018 4:44:04 PM NASDAQ COMPOSITE INDEX 7,689.24 milestone closes at 239 STOCKS REACHED A 52 WEEK HIGH 12 THOSE REACHING LOWS TOTALEDTesla, Inc. [TSLA]TOPS ADVANCERS LISTOF NASDAQ 100 INDEX % 9.74 ROSE The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2018-06-07,23.1179,23.5383,23.1089,23.486,
FAST,2018-06-08,23.5255,23.5383,23.2461,23.4327,
FAST,2018-06-11,23.3695,23.5462,23.2866,23.4416,
FAST,2018-06-12,23.5255,23.8602,23.5107,23.7239,
FAST,2018-06-13,23.72,23.8314,23.5136,23.5216,
FAST,2018-06-14,23.6242,23.6469,23.029,23.4189,"[""Fastenal: Solid And Consistent Performer Trading At Attractive Valuations"", ""Fastenal: Solid And Consistent Performer Trading At Attractive Valuations"", ""Fastenal: Solid And Consistent Performer Trading At Attractive Valuations""]"
FAST,2018-06-15,23.4692,23.4692,22.9985,23.3735,
FAST,2018-06-18,23.2017,23.4189,23.1445,23.2333,
FAST,2018-06-19,23.0281,23.2412,22.9717,23.1218,
FAST,2018-06-20,23.2047,23.4278,23.0961,23.4071,
FAST,2018-06-21,23.3735,23.3735,22.4812,22.572,"[""48 DGI Stocks Selected For Earnings Growth And Fundamental Strength"", ""Can Conagra (CAG) Q4 Earnings Grow Amid Rising Input Costs?"", ""48 DGI Stocks Selected For Earnings Growth And Fundamental Strength"", ""Can Conagra (CAG) Q4 Earnings Grow Amid Rising Input Costs?"", ""FAST Crosses Below Key Moving Average Level In trading on Thursday, shares of Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) crossed below their 200 day moving average of $51.42, changing hands as low as $50.74 per share. Fastenal Co. shares are currently trading off about 3.6% on the day. The chart below shows the one year performance of FAST shares, versus its 200 day moving average: Looking at the chart above, FAST's low point in its 52 week range is $39.79 per share, with $58.735 as the 52 week high point - that compares with a last trade of $50.86. Click here to find out which 9 other dividend stocks recently crossed below their 200 day moving average \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Can Conagra (CAG) Q4 Earnings Grow Amid Rising Input Costs? Conagra Brands, Inc.CAG is slated to release fourth-quarter fiscal 2018 results on Jun 28. This leading branded food company in North America delivered an average positive earnings surprise of 6.7% in the trailing four quarters. Let's see what's in store for Conagra this time around. Conagra Brands Inc. Price and EPS Surprise Conagra Brands Inc. Price and EPS Surprise | Conagra Brands Inc. Quote Value-Over-Volume Strategy to Drive Sales Conagra is likely to continue gaining from its value-over-volume strategy, which is aimed at driving the top line. Under this regime, Conagra ensures that its robust volume performance is not driven by price discounts but by stronger innovation, as well as new merchandising, distribution and consumer trail-related investments. For instance, new investments to strengthen frozen business will likely boost sales of Refrigerated & Frozen segment, going forward. On the other hand, brand renovation initiatives, executed to reinforce snacks business, would likely aid in improving Grocery & Snacks segment's near-term sales. Moreover, the company believes favorable foreign currency translation impact will bolster its revenues in the quarters ahead. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for sales of Grocery & Snacks and Refrigerated & Frozen segments are pegged at $789 million and $671 million, compared to the year-ago period tally of $749 million and $640 million, respectively. We also expect acquisitions to keep benefiting Conagra's sales. Incidentally, buyouts of brands like Angie's, Sandwich Bros, and Duke's and Bigs fueled third-quarter fiscal 2018 sales growth by 240 basis points. We expect these factors to augment Conagra's fourth-quarter fiscal 2018 top line, thereby continuing the year-over-year growth trend. Cost Inflation Remains a Worry However, Conagra's gross margin remained under pressure in the fiscal third quarter, due to increased cost of sales (mainly above the line marketing investments) and input cost inflation (of 3.7%). Input cost inflation mainly stemmed from higher packaging and transportation expenses. Though SG&A expenses and A&P costs reduced year over year, gross margin contraction more than offset these factors and led to lower adjusted operating margin. Unfortunately, input cost inflation is likely to remain a hurdle in the quarter to be reported. Nevertheless, focus on innovations and efforts to boost top line should help offset these hurdles and cushion the bottom line, which is also likely to gain from lower tax rates. Q4 Estimates in Numbers Analysts polled by Zacks expect total revenues of $1,939 million, up more than 4% from the year-ago period. The current consensus mark for earnings is pegged at 43 cents, which shows a 16.2% jump from the year-ago period. The estimate remained unchanged in the past 30 days. What the Zacks Model Unveils However, our proven model doesn't show that Conagra is likely to beat bottom-line estimates this quarter. For this to happen, the stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold). You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they're reported with our Earnings ESP Filter . Though Conagra has an Earnings ESP of +0.39%, the company carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). We caution against sell-rated stocks going into earnings announcement. Stocks Poised to Beat Earnings Estimates Here are some companies you may want to consider as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements to post earnings beat: Helen of Troy Limited HELE has an Earnings ESP of +3.57% and carries a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here . Fastenal Company FAST , a Zacks #3 Ranked stock, has an Earnings ESP of +1.32%. Pepsico, Inc. PEP , a Zacks #3 Ranked company, has an Earnings ESP of +0.15%. Will You Make a Fortune on the Shift to Electric Cars? Here's another stock idea to consider. Much like petroleum 150 years ago, lithium power may soon shake the world, creating millionaires and reshaping geo-politics. Soon electric vehicles (EVs) may be cheaper than gas guzzlers. Some are already reaching 265 miles on a single charge. With battery prices plummeting and charging stations set to multiply, one company stands out as the #1 stock to buy according to Zacks research. It's not the one you think. See This Ticker Free >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Pepsico, Inc. (PEP): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Helen of Troy Limited (HELE): Free Stock Analysis Report Conagra Brands Inc. (CAG): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""48 DGI Stocks Selected For Earnings Growth And Fundamental Strength"", ""Can Conagra (CAG) Q4 Earnings Grow Amid Rising Input Costs?""]"
FAST,2018-06-22,22.6648,22.8839,22.3598,22.4437,"[""New Research Coverage Highlights Perry Ellis International, Standex International, Fastenal, ..."", ""New Research Coverage Highlights Perry Ellis International, Standex International, Fastenal, ..."", ""Implied DTN Analyst Target Price: $97 Looking at the underlying holdings of the ETFs in our coverage universe at ETF Channel , we have compared the trading price of each holding against the average analyst 12-month forward target price, and computed the weighted average implied analyst target price for the ETF itself. For the WisdomTree U.S. Dividend ex-Financials Fund ETF (Symbol: DTN), we found that the implied analyst target price for the ETF based upon its underlying holdings is $97.39 per unit. With DTN trading at a recent price near $87.56 per unit, that means that analysts see 11.23% upside for this ETF looking through to the average analyst targets of the underlying holdings. Three of DTN's underlying holdings with notable upside to their analyst target prices are Packaging Corp of America (Symbol: PKG), Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST), and Emerson Electric Co. (Symbol: EMR). Although PKG has traded at a recent price of $114.14/share, the average analyst target is 13.70% higher at $129.78/share. Similarly, FAST has 11.54% upside from the recent share price of $50.88 if the average analyst target price of $56.75/share is reached, and analysts on average are expecting EMR to reach a target price of $77.12/share, which is 11.45% above the recent price of $69.20. Below is a twelve month price history chart comparing the stock performance of PKG, FAST, and EMR: Below is a summary table of the current analyst target prices discussed above: Are analysts justified in these targets, or overly optimistic about where these stocks will be trading 12 months from now? Do the analysts have a valid justification for their targets, or are they behind the curve on recent company and industry developments? A high price target relative to a stock's trading price can reflect optimism about the future, but can also be a precursor to target price downgrades if the targets were a relic of the past. These are questions that require further investor research. 10 ETFs With Most Upside To Analyst Targets \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""New Research Coverage Highlights Perry Ellis International, Standex International, Fastenal, ...""]"
FAST,2018-06-25,22.3016,22.346,21.9551,22.115,
FAST,2018-06-26,22.2127,22.3094,21.8633,21.9254,"[""Fastenal Company Announces Conference Call to Review \u2014\u2026\u20138 Second Quarter Earnings"", ""Fastenal Company Announces Conference Call to Review \u2014\u2026\u20138 Second Quarter Earnings"", ""Fastenal Company Announces Conference Call to Review \u2014\u2026\u20138 Second Quarter Earnings""]"
FAST,2018-06-27,21.7567,22.196,21.6017,21.6106,
FAST,2018-06-28,21.6639,22.0212,21.43,21.6264,
FAST,2018-06-29,21.7004,21.9986,21.3382,21.351,
FAST,2018-07-02,21.1181,21.4507,21.0993,21.2947,"LOW Named A Top Socially Responsible Dividend Stock Lowe's Companies Inc (Symbol: LOW) has been named a Top Socially Responsible Dividend Stock by Dividend Channel , signifying a stock with above-average ''DividendRank'' statistics including a strong 2.0% yield, as well as being recognized by prominent asset managers as being a socially responsible investment, through analysis of social and environmental criteria. Environmental criteria include considerations like the environmental impact of the company's products and services, as well as the company's efficiency in terms of its use of energy and resources. Social criteria include elements such as human rights, child labor, corporate diversity, and the company's impact on society - for instance, taken into consideration would be business activities tied to weapons, gambling, tobacco, and alcohol. According to the ETF Finder at ETF Channel , Lowe's Companies Inc is a member of the iShares USA ESG Select ETF ( SUSA ), making up 0.71% of the underlying holdings of the fund, which owns $7,825,253 worth of LOW shares. The annualized dividend paid by Lowe's Companies Inc is $1.92/share, currently paid in quarterly installments, and its most recent dividend ex-date was on 07/24/2018. Below is a long-term dividend history chart for LOW, which the DividendRank report stressed as being of key importance. Indeed, studying a company's past dividend history can be of good help in judging whether the most recent dividend is likely to continue. LOW operates in the Home Improvement Stores sector, among companies like Home Depot Inc ( HD ), and Fastenal Co. ( FAST ). Top 25 Socially Responsible Dividend Stocks - Income To Feel Good About » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2018-07-03,21.3431,21.4428,21.0489,21.1555,"[""Top Ranked Income Stocks to Buy for July 3rd"", ""Baird Downgrades Fastenal to Neutral"", ""Benzinga's Top Upgrades, Downgrades For July 3, 2018"", ""Benzinga's Top Upgrades, Downgrades For July 3, 2018"", ""Baird Downgrades Fastenal to Neutral"", ""Top Ranked Income Stocks to Buy for July 3rd"", ""Top Ranked Income Stocks to Buy for July 3rd Here are three stocks with buy rank and strong income characteristics for investors to consider today, July 3rd: Fastenal Company (FAST): This wholesale distributor of industrial supplies has witnessed the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings rising 0.4% over the last 60 days. Fastenal Company Price and Consensus Fastenal Company price-consensus-chart | Fastenal Company Quote This Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) company has a dividend yield of 3.08%, compared with the industry average of 0.00%. Its five-year average dividend yield is 2.56%. Fastenal Company Dividend Yield (TTM) Fastenal Company dividend-yield-ttm | Fastenal Company Quote KNOT Offshore Partners LP (KNOP): This operator of shuttle tankers has witnessed the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings increasing 14.4% over the last 60 days. KNOT Offshore Partners LP Price and Consensus KNOT Offshore Partners LP price-consensus-chart | KNOT Offshore Partners LP Quote This Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) company has a dividend yield of 9.39%, compared with the industry average of 0.00%. Its five-year average dividend yield is 9.05%. KNOT Offshore Partners LP Dividend Yield (TTM) KNOT Offshore Partners LP dividend-yield-ttm | KNOT Offshore Partners LP Quote Penske Automotive Group, Inc. (PAG): This transportation services company has witnessed the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings rising 1.8% over the last 60 days. Penske Automotive Group, Inc. Price and Consensus Penske Automotive Group, Inc. price-consensus-chart | Penske Automotive Group, Inc. Quote This Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) company has a dividend yield of 2.96%, compared with the industry average of 0.00%. Its five-year average dividend yield is 2.23%. Penske Automotive Group, Inc. Dividend Yield (TTM) Penske Automotive Group, Inc. dividend-yield-ttm | Penske Automotive Group, Inc. Quote See the full list of top ranked stocks here Find more top income stocks with some of our great premium screens . Looking for Stocks with Skyrocketing Upside? Zacks has just released a Special Report on the booming investment opportunities of legal marijuana. Ignited by new referendums and legislation, this industry is expected to blast from an already robust $6.7 billion to $20.2 billion in 2021. Early investors stand to make a killing, but you have to be ready to act and know just where to look. See the pot trades we're targeting>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Penske Automotive Group, Inc. (PAG): Free Stock Analysis Report KNOT Offshore Partners LP (KNOP): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Benzinga's Top Upgrades, Downgrades For July 3, 2018"", ""Baird Downgrades Fastenal to Neutral"", ""Top Ranked Income Stocks to Buy for July 3rd""]"
FAST,2018-07-05,21.3037,21.3826,21.0145,21.3293,"[""First Financial Bank, N.A. - Trust Division Buys Fastenal Co, Vanguard S&P 5\u2026\u2026, iShares ..."", ""First Financial Bank, N.A. - Trust Division Buys Fastenal Co, Vanguard S&P 5\u2026\u2026, iShares ..."", ""First Financial Bank, N.A. - Trust Division Buys Fastenal Co, Vanguard S&P 5\u2026\u2026, iShares ...""]"
FAST,2018-07-06,21.3155,21.5958,21.2237,21.3875,"[""Fastenal: A '5 M' Analysis"", ""Fastenal: A '5 M' Analysis"", ""Notable Friday Option Activity: AMGN, FAST, BGS Looking at options trading activity among components of the Russell 3000 index, there is noteworthy activity today in Amgen Inc (Symbol: AMGN), where a total volume of 14,906 contracts has been traded thus far today, a contract volume which is representative of approximately 1.5 million underlying shares (given that every 1 contract represents 100 underlying shares). That number works out to 50.6% of AMGN's average daily trading volume over the past month, of 2.9 million shares. Especially high volume was seen for the $190 strike call option expiring July 06, 2018 , with 1,667 contracts trading so far today, representing approximately 166,700 underlying shares of AMGN. Below is a chart showing AMGN's trailing twelve month trading history, with the $190 strike highlighted in orange: Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) saw options trading volume of 12,585 contracts, representing approximately 1.3 million underlying shares or approximately 50.4% of FAST's average daily trading volume over the past month, of 2.5 million shares. Particularly high volume was seen for the $48 strike put option expiring July 20, 2018 , with 4,911 contracts trading so far today, representing approximately 491,100 underlying shares of FAST. Below is a chart showing FAST's trailing twelve month trading history, with the $48 strike highlighted in orange: And B&G Foods Inc (Symbol: BGS) options are showing a volume of 5,666 contracts thus far today. That number of contracts represents approximately 566,600 underlying shares, working out to a sizeable 49.7% of BGS's average daily trading volume over the past month, of 1.1 million shares. Especially high volume was seen for the $35 strike call option expiring August 17, 2018 , with 2,574 contracts trading so far today, representing approximately 257,400 underlying shares of BGS. Below is a chart showing BGS's trailing twelve month trading history, with the $35 strike highlighted in orange: For the various different available expirations for AMGN options , FAST options , or BGS options , visit StockOptionsChannel.com. Today's Most Active Call & Put Options of the S&P 500 \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal: A '5 M' Analysis""]"
FAST,2018-07-09,21.4181,22.1534,21.3333,22.0134,"5 Earnings Reports to Watch This Week InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips Earnings season is upon us again - and it's a big one. The market has traded sideways for several months now, and a solid batch of earnings reports could be just the catalyst to move broad markets back to new all-time highs. Of late, investors have alternated between optimism toward a strong U.S. economy and fears about higher interest rates and potential trade wars . Moving the headlines to what should be at worst a solid earnings season could be good news for U.S. equities. After all, there's still a lot to like. Lower tax rates will help the majority of reporting companies. The economy looks like it's at - or getting very close to - full employment. The effect of inflation in areas like labor and commodities bears watching, and could pressure margins and profit growth. But overall it seems like the majority of earnings reports should be good news. 10 Best Stocks for 2018: A Commanding Lead at the Halfway Point This week kicks off the season - led by several key financials. But leaders in both the consumer and industrial spaces should also signal the health of their respective sectors. Strong reports from these five companies could send their stocks higher and also give investors reason for confidence heading into the next few weeks. 5 Earnings Reports to Watch: PepsiCo (PEP) Source: Shutterstock Earnings Report Date: Tuesday, before market open PepsiCo (NASDAQ: PEP ) has had a roller-coaster 2018. As of late January, PEP stock traded at an all-time high. By early May, it reached a 29-month low. An ugly start to the year for consumer products stocks was a key culprit. Not even a solid Q1 report in April could stem the bleeding. Pepsi stock has rallied into earnings, however, rising 14% from those May lows. It can keep the momentum going with another beat on Tuesday. But caution might be advised. CPG stocks have struggled this year - for good reason , as I wrote in May. The new Bubly line, meant to compete with LaCroix from National Beverage Corp. (NASDAQ: FIZZ ), needs to be a win - and may not be. Declining soda consumption, particularly relative to diet varieties, presents another long-term headwind. PEP has outperformed rival The Coca-Cola Co (NYSE: KO ) for years now. It may still do so going forward. But given the pressures on the industry, that doesn't necessarily mean PEP stock is going up … either on Tuesday or beyond. 5 Earnings Reports to Watch: Fastenal (FAST) Source: Shutterstock Earnings Report Date: Wednesday, before market open One sector that has been notably weak this year has been construction. Distributor Fastenal Company (NASDAQ: FAST ) could buoy the space with strong results on Wednesday morning. After all, FAST sales are a key data point relative to demand from builders and contractors. As such, it's possible that a good quarter for Fastenal could do as much - if not more - to help other stocks than its own. Strong revenue results will suggest confidence from Fastenal's suppliers and a continuation of solid growth in the industry. And with those suppliers not threatened by Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN ), investors might see less risk in them. FAST does trade at a seven-month low, so a good report can help its own stock. But investors across the sector will be watching closely as well. 5 Earnings Reports to Watch: J.P. Morgan Chase (JPM) Source: Shutterstock Earnings Report Date: Friday, before market open After a huge post-election run, financials have weakened - and that includes J.P. Morgan Chase (NYSE: JPM ). JPM actually trades at a seven-month low at the moment. It's difficult to see why. Fed rate hikes, which should help net interest margin for JPM and other banks, seem likely to be on the expected pace. Federal Reserve stress tests went well, leading Josh Enomoto to recommend JPM as one of three bank stocks to buy . I agree with Enomoto; I recommended JPM myself back in March. I still like Bank of America (NYSE: BAC ) best in this sector , but investors can't go wrong with JPM, either. And a strong earnings report on Friday should remind investors why this is a stock worth owning long-term. 5 Earnings Reports to Watch: Wells Fargo (WFC) Source: Shutterstock Earnings Report Date: Friday, before market open For Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC ), Friday's Q2 release will be less about what the company is doing right - and more about what it's doing better . Wells continues to struggle with its past scandals , with the Fed deciding back in February to cap its asset growth as a result. Strong numbers will help the stock's cause. But the quarter - and theearnings call- will be more about restoring investor confidence. Wells Fargo's largely new management will try and make the case that the bank is headed in the right direction. On that front, I'm still skeptical. Particularly with JPM and BAC on sale, there are simply easier ways to make money in the financial space. It will take quite a bit from Wells Fargo's Q2 report to suggest that past failures truly are behind the company. 5 Earnings Reports to Watch: Citigroup (C) Source: Shutterstock Earnings Report Date: Friday, before market open Citigroup (NYSE: C ) similarly has taken a hit of late. The stock actually touched an 11-month low last month before a modest rebound. And the low price sets up a potentially interesting report of its own on Friday morning. After all, C stock looks like the cheapest of the big banks. It still trades below book value and at barely 9x 2019 EPS estimates. A recently boosted capital return program will add to buybacks and move the stock's dividend yield to nearly 2.7%. But Citi has its own regulatory issues to worry about. It still feels much more like a turnaround play than JPM or BAC. It's not executing as well as those peers in either consumer or investment banking. That leaves room for upside if Citigroup can improve its operations. That's what investors will be watching for on Friday - and if they like what they hear, C stock could become a near-term outperformer. As of this writing, Vince Martin has no positions in any securities mentioned. Legendary Investor Louis Navellier's Trading Breakthrough Discovered almost by accident, Louis Navellier's incredible trading breakthrough has delivered 148 double- and triple-digit winners over the last 5 years - including a stunning 487% win in just 10 months. Learn to use this formula and you can start turning every $10,000 invested into as much as $58,700 . Click here to review Louis' urgent presentation. Compare Brokers The post 5 Earnings Reports to Watch This Week appeared first on InvestorPlace . The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2018-07-10,22.0134,22.1782,21.7982,21.9718,"[""Notable earnings before Wednesday's open"", ""Fastenal declares $0.40 dividend"", ""Q2 Earnings Season In Focus"", ""What's Sparking Market Futures? Big Q2 Results"", ""A Look Ahead At Fastenal's Q2 Earnings"", ""Fastenal Shares Indicated Up 2% After Hours; Co. Earlier Announced Qtr. Dividend Raised From $0.37 To $0.40/Share"", ""Fastenal Shares Indicated Up 2% After Hours; Co. Earlier Announced Qtr. Dividend Raised From $0.37 To $0.40/Share"", ""A Look Ahead At Fastenal's Q2 Earnings"", ""Notable earnings before Wednesday's open"", ""Fastenal declares $0.40 dividend"", ""Q2 Earnings Season In Focus"", ""What's Sparking Market Futures? Big Q2 Results"", ""Close Update: S&P 500 Jumps to Five-Month High on Earnings Season Hopes Wall Street climbed on Tuesday, with the S&P 500 hitting the highest level since Feb. 1 in a fourth straight day of gains for it and the Dow Jones Industrial Average as investors applauded the start of earnings season. Nearly all of the S&P's sectors were in the green apart from financials, which cooled off after Monday's surge. The Nasdaq Composite wobbled between gains and losses but hung on to end the session slightly in the green on a strong day for semiconductor stocks. Pepsico ( PEP ) set expectations high for the second-quarter reporting period, with earnings and revenue that topped the Street consensus on the back of strong Frito Lay performance. The shares rose 4.8% and helped send the S&P's consumer staples group up 1.3% by the bell. Also in the green on the S&P -- which was less than seven points away from the 2,800 level -- were telecoms, which rose 1.1% and utilities, up 0.9% after both groups sold off on Monday. Financials were down 0.4% even as top banks begin reporting on Friday. Other companies on the agenda include Fastenal ( FAST ), which reports on Wednesday, and Delta Air Lines ( DAL ), which releases its results on Thursday. The S&P 500 is poised to report earnings per share growth of 20% for the second quarter, according to FactSet, along with revenue growth of 8.7%. Here's where the markets stood by the close: US MARKETS Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 143.07 points (+0.58%) S&P 500 was up 9.67 points (+0.35%) Nasdaq Composite Index was up 3.00 points (+0.04%) GLOBAL SENTIMENT FTSE 100 was up 0.05% Nikkei 225 was up 0.66% Hang Seng Index was down 0.02% Shanghai China Composite Index was up 0.44% UPSIDE MOVERS +) BLIN (+75.57%) Secures 3-yr SaaS contract with full-service bank (+) OCX (+13.11%) Announced encouraging results of lung cancer study (+) SAEX (+10.26%) Increases lending facility, redeems senior notes (+) WYNN (+3.28%) Gets upgrade from Stifel Nicolaus to buy from hold (+) GIL (+2.18%) Added to Hedgeye best idea long list DOWNSIDE MOVERS (-) ISR (-36.45%) Announced 11-million share offering (-) WKHS (-13.22%) Closed on a $6.1 million term loan agreement (-) CBB (-7.51%) Downgraded at UBS to neutral, PT lowered to $18 from $22 (-) AQXP (-5.86%) Board okays restructuring including cutting 53% of workforce (-) CERN (-4.63%) Evercore ISI downgrades to underperform from in line The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. Copyright (C) 2016 MTNewswires.com. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Pre-Market Earnings Report for July 11, 2018 : FAST, MSM, ANGO The following companies are expected to report earnings prior to market open on 07/11/2018. Visit our Earnings Calendar for a full list of expected earnings releases. Fastenal Company ( FAST ) is reporting for the quarter ending June 30, 2018. The building company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 8 analysts that follow the stock is $0.66. This value represents a 26.92% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year FAST has met analyst expectations three times and beat the expectations the other quarter. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2018 Price to Earnings ratio for FAST is 19.77 vs. an industry ratio of 18.40, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. ( MSM ) is reporting for the quarter ending May 31, 2018. The industrial services company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 8 analysts that follow the stock is $1.39. This value represents a 27.52% increase compared to the same quarter last year. MSM missed the consensus earnings per share in the 4th calendar quarter of 2017 by -0.94%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2018 Price to Earnings ratio for MSM is 16.53 vs. an industry ratio of 17.00. AngioDynamics, Inc. ( ANGO ) is reporting for the quarter ending May 31, 2018. The medical instruments company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 2 analysts that follow the stock is $0.21. This value represents a 10.53% increase compared to the same quarter last year. The \""days to cover\"" for this stock exceeds 12 days. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2018 Price to Earnings ratio for ANGO is 31.05 vs. an industry ratio of 24.00, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Top Buys by Top Brass: Senior Executive VP Owen's $103.7K Bet on FAST A company's own top management tend to have the best inside view into the business, so when company officers make major buys, investors are wise to take notice. Presumably the only reason an insider would take their hard-earned cash and use it to buy stock of their company in the open market, is that they expect to make money - maybe they find the stock very undervalued, or maybe they see exciting progress within the company, or maybe both. So in this series we look at the largest insider buys by the ''top brass'' over the trailing six month period, one of which was a total of $103.7K by Terry Modock Owen, Senior Executive VP at Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST). Owen's average cost works out to $51.85/share. In trading on Tuesday, bargain hunters could buy shares of Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) and achieve a cost basis lower than Owen, with shares changing hands as low as $49.14 per share. Shares of Fastenal Co. were changing hands at $49.44 at last check, trading down about 0.4% on Tuesday. The chart below shows the one year performance of FAST shares, versus its 200 day moving average: Looking at the chart above, FAST's low point in its 52 week range is $39.79 per share, with $58.735 as the 52 week high point - that compares with a last trade of $49.44. The current annualized dividend paid by Fastenal Co. is $1.48/share, currently paid in quarterly installments, and its most recent dividend ex-date was on 04/24/2018. Below is a long-term dividend history chart for FAST, which can be of good help in judging whether the most recent dividend with approx. 3.0% annualized yield is likely to continue. Click here to find out which other top insider buys by the ''top brass'' you need to know about \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Shares Indicated Up 2% After Hours; Co. Earlier Announced Qtr. Dividend Raised From $0.37 To $0.40/Share"", ""A Look Ahead At Fastenal's Q2 Earnings"", ""Notable earnings before Wednesday's open"", ""Fastenal declares $0.40 dividend"", ""Q2 Earnings Season In Focus"", ""What's Sparking Market Futures? Big Q2 Results""]"
FAST,2018-07-11,23.2195,25.0268,22.5453,24.1829,"[""Premarket Gainers as of 9:05 am (07/11/2018)"", ""Fastenal's (FAST) Q2 Earnings Beat Estimates, Margins Down"", ""Fastenal Company (FAST) CEO Dan Florness on Q2 2018 Results - Earnings Call Transcript"", ""US Stock Markets Lower on Wednesday"", ""Trump's New Threats On Trade Hurt Stock Market"", ""Airline Stock Outlook & Trump's Latest Trade War Jousting | Free Lunch"", ""Fastenal Company 2018 Q2 - Results - Earnings Call Slides"", ""Stock Futures, Global Markets, Oil Prices Tumble On Trump Trade War Fears"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Q2 Earnings & Revenues Top Estimates"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Q2 Earnings and Revenues Surpass Estimates"", ""Fastenal beats by $0.08, beats on revenue"", ""Fastenal tops estimates after announcing dividend"", ""Earnings Scheduled For July 11, 2018"", ""6 Stocks To Watch For July 11, 2018"", ""Fastenal Q2 EPS $0.70 Beats $0.66 Estimate, Sales $1.268B Beat $1.26B Estimate"", ""25 Stocks Moving In Wednesday's Pre-Market Session"", ""Mid-Morning Market Update: Markets Open Lower; Fastenal Profit Tops Views"", ""38 Stocks Moving In Wednesday's Mid-Day Session"", ""Mid-Day Market Update: Crude Oil Down Over 2%; Simulations Plus Shares Plunge"", ""Mid-Afternoon Market Update: Dow Down Over 200 Points; Achieve Life Sciences Shares Spike Higher"", ""Mid-Afternoon Market Update: Dow Down Over 200 Points; Achieve Life Sciences Shares Spike Higher"", ""Mid-Day Market Update: Crude Oil Down Over 2%; Simulations Plus Shares Plunge"", ""38 Stocks Moving In Wednesday's Mid-Day Session"", ""Mid-Morning Market Update: Markets Open Lower; Fastenal Profit Tops Views"", ""25 Stocks Moving In Wednesday's Pre-Market Session"", ""Fastenal Q2 EPS $0.70 Beats $0.66 Estimate, Sales $1.268B Beat $1.26B Estimate"", ""6 Stocks To Watch For July 11, 2018"", ""Earnings Scheduled For July 11, 2018"", ""Fastenal Company (FAST) CEO Dan Florness on Q2 2018 Results - Earnings Call Transcript"", ""US Stock Markets Lower on Wednesday"", ""Trump's New Threats On Trade Hurt Stock Market"", ""Airline Stock Outlook & Trump's Latest Trade War Jousting | Free Lunch"", ""Fastenal Company 2018 Q2 - Results - Earnings Call Slides"", ""Premarket Gainers as of 9:05 am (07/11/2018)"", ""Fastenal's (FAST) Q2 Earnings Beat Estimates, Margins Down"", ""Stock Futures, Global Markets, Oil Prices Tumble On Trump Trade War Fears"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Q2 Earnings & Revenues Top Estimates"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Q2 Earnings and Revenues Surpass Estimates"", ""Fastenal tops estimates after announcing dividend"", ""Fastenal beats by $0.08, beats on revenue"", ""Mid-Afternoon Market Update: Dow Down Over 200 Points; Achieve Life Sciences Shares Spike Higher Toward the end of trading Wednesday, the Dow traded down 0.83 percent to 24,714.04 while the NASDAQ declined 0.48 percent to 7,722.13. The S&P also fell, dropping 0.66 percent to 2,775.45. Leading and Lagging Sectors Wednesday afternoon, the utilities shares climbed 0.53 percent. Meanwhile, top gainers in the sector included Kenon Holdings Ltd. (NYSE: KEN ) up 4 percent, and Genie Energy Ltd. (NYSE: GNE ) up 5 percent. In trading on Wednesday, energy shares fell 2.12 percent. Top Headline Fastenal Company (NASDAQ: FAST ) reported upbeat earnings for its second quarter on Wednesday. Fastenal posted Q2 profit of $0.74 per share on revenue of $1.268 billion. However, analysts expected earnings of $0.66 per share on sales of $1.26 billion. Equities Trading UP Achieve Life Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: ACHV ) shares shot up 15 percent to $4.16 as the clinical-stage biotech moves one step closer to filing a New Drug Application for its smoking cessation pipeline candidate cytisine. After a meeting with the FDA regarding both clinical and non-clinical development plans for cytisine, Achieve Life Sciences said the Phase 3 clinical program as well as a future NDA filing are further defined. Shares of Myriad Genetics, Inc. (NASDAQ: MYGN ) got a boost, shooting up 14 percent to $43.22. Morgan Stanley upgraded Myriad Genetics from Equal-Weight to Overweight and raised the price target from $35 to $55. Asterias Biotherapeutics, Inc. (NYSE: AST ) shares were also up, gaining 10 percent to $1.70 after the Safety Review Committee recommended proceeding as planned with AST-VAC2 clinical trials. Equities Trading DOWN ReShape Lifesciences Inc. (NASDAQ: RSLS ) shares dropped 19 percent to $1.65. ReShape Lifesciences reported a $2.7 million registered direct offering priced at-the-market. Shares of Simulations Plus, Inc. (NASDAQ: SLP ) were down 22 percent to $17.82. Simulations Plus posted Q3 earnings of $0.13 per share on sales of $8.553 million. Vicon Industries, Inc. (NYSE: VII ) was down, falling around 27 percent to $0.20. The company disclosed that it will not submit compliance plan to NYSE and will begin trading on OTCQB Venture Market on July 12. Commodities In commodity news, oil traded down 4.13 percent to $71.05 while gold traded down 0.87 percent to $1,244.50. Silver traded down 1.66 percent Wednesday to $15.82, while copper fell 3.43 to $ 2.742. Eurozone European shares closed lower today. The eurozone's STOXX 600 tumbled 1.26 percent, the Spanish Ibex Index fell 1.57 percent, while Italy's FTSE MIB Index fell 1.58 percent. Meanwhile the German DAX slipped 1.53 percent, and the French CAC 40 dropped 1.48 percent while U.K. shares fell 1.30 percent. Economics The Producer Price Index rose 0.3 percent for June, versus economists' expectations for a 0.2 percent increase. U.S. wholesale inventories increased 0.6 percent for May, versus economists' estimates for a 0.5 percent gain. Domestic crude supplies dropped 12.6 million barrels for the week ended July 6, the Energy Information Administration reported. However, analysts projected a decline of 4.8 million barrels. Gasoline stockpiles slipped 700,000 barrels, while distillate stockpiles gained 4.1 million barrels for the week. New York Federal Reserve Bank President John Williams is set to speak in Brooklyn, NY at 4:30 p.m. ET. \u00a9 2018 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Get insight into trading platforms. Compare the best online stock brokerages. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""S&P 500 Movers: AAL, TRIP In early trading on Wednesday, shares of Tripadvisor ( TRIP ) topped the list of the day's best performing components of the S&P 500 index, trading up 3.2%. Year to date, Tripadvisor registers a 72.5% gain. And the worst performing S&P 500 component thus far on the day is American Airlines Group ( AAL ), trading down 5.1%. American Airlines Group is lower by about 28.6% looking at the year to date performance. Two other components making moves today are Michael Kors Holdings ( KORS ), trading down 4.7%, and Fastenal ( FAST ), trading up 3.1% on the day. VIDEO: S&P 500 Movers: AAL, TRIP The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Nasdaq 100 Movers: AAL, FAST In early trading on Wednesday, shares of Fastenal ( FAST ) topped the list of the day's best performing components of the Nasdaq 100 index, trading up 5.3%. Year to date, Fastenal has lost about 4.7% of its value. And the worst performing Nasdaq 100 component thus far on the day is American Airlines Group ( AAL ), trading down 5.5%. American Airlines Group is lower by about 28.9% looking at the year to date performance. Two other components making moves today are Twenty-First Century Fox ( FOX ), trading down 2.6%, and Check Point Software Technologies ( CHKP ), trading up 2.5% on the day. VIDEO: Nasdaq 100 Movers: AAL, FAST The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Company Stock Surges on Q2 Earnings Beat InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips Fastenal Company (NASDAQ: FAST ) stock was on the rise Wednesday following the release of its earnings report for the second quarter of 2018. Source: Shutterstock Fastenal Company reported earnings per share of 74 cents during the second quarter of the year. This is an increase over its earnings per share of 52 cents from the same time last year. It was also good news for FAST stock by coming in above Wall Street's earnings per share estimate of 66 cents for the quarter. According to the company, there are a couple of factors to thank for its higher earnings per share in the second quarter of the year. This includes discrete tax items and a lower tax rate from the Tax Act in the U.S. The company says these two factors represent a benefit of 15 cents to its earnings per share for the quarter. During the second quarter of 2018, Fastenal Company reported net income of $211.20 million. The fastener distributor company's net income from the second quarter of 2017 was $148.90 million. Fastenal Company's earnings report for the second quarter of the year also includes operating income of $269.00 million. This is up from its operating income of $237.50 million that was reported in the same period of the year prior. 18 Stocks That Could Be Takeover Targets Fastenal Company also reported revenue of $1.28 billion for the second quarter of 2018. This is an improvement over its revenue of $1.21 billion that was reported in the second quarter of the previous year. It was also a boon to FAST stock by beating out analysts' revenue estimate of $1.26 billion for the period. FAST stock was up 11% as of Wednesday morning. More From InvestorPlace 20 Red-Hot Tech Stocks to Consider The ABSOLUTE Best Way to Invest in the Marijuana Boom The Best Shot You'll Ever Have at Making 50 TIMES Your Money 4 Developments That Will Fuel the Mega Marijuana Market As of this writing, William White did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities. Compare Brokers The post Fastenal Company Stock Surges on Q2 Earnings Beat appeared first on InvestorPlace . The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Mid-Day Market Update: Crude Oil Down Over 2%; Simulations Plus Shares Plunge Midway through trading Wednesday, the Dow traded down 0.64 percent to 24,760.26 while the NASDAQ declined 0.41 percent to 7,727.73. The S&P also fell, dropping 0.52 percent to 2,779.25. Leading and Lagging Sectors On Wednesday, the utilities shares climbed 0.34 percent. Meanwhile, top gainers in the sector included Centrais El\u00e9tricas Brasileiras S.A. - Eletrobras (NYSE: EBR ) up 4 percent, and Genie Energy Ltd. (NYSE: GNE ) up 4 percent. In trading on Wednesday, materials shares fell 1.57 percent. Top Headline Fastenal Company (NASDAQ: FAST ) reported upbeat earnings for its second quarter on Wednesday. Fastenal posted Q2 profit of $0.74 per share on revenue of $1.268 billion. However, analysts expected earnings of $0.66 per share on sales of $1.26 billion. Equities Trading UP Achieve Life Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: ACHV ) shares shot up 27 percent to $4.5799 as the clinical-stage biotech moves one step closer to filing a New Drug Application for its smoking cessation pipeline candidate cytisine. After a meeting with the FDA regarding both clinical and non-clinical development plans for cytisine, Achieve Life Sciences said the Phase 3 clinical program as well as a future NDA filing are further defined. Shares of Myriad Genetics, Inc. (NASDAQ: MYGN ) got a boost, shooting up 15 percent to $43.60. Morgan Stanley upgraded Myriad Genetics from Equal-Weight to Overweight and raised the price target from $35 to $55. Asterias Biotherapeutics, Inc. (NYSE: AST ) shares were also up, gaining 13 percent to $1.750 after the Safety Review Committee recommended proceeding as planned with AST-VAC2 clinical trials. Equities Trading DOWN ReShape Lifesciences Inc. (NASDAQ: RSLS ) shares dropped 19 percent to $1.656. ReShape Lifesciences reported a $2.7 million registered direct offering priced at-the-market. Shares of Simulations Plus, Inc. (NASDAQ: SLP ) were down 21 percent to $18.00. Simulations Plus posted Q3 earnings of $0.13 per share on sales of $8.553 million. Vicon Industries, Inc. (NYSE: VII ) was down, falling around 27 percent to $0.20. The company disclosed that it will not submit compliance plan to NYSE and will begin trading on OTCQB Venture Market on July 12. Commodities In commodity news, oil traded down 2.38 percent to $72.36 while gold traded down 0.72 percent to $1,246.30. Silver traded down 1.47 percent Wednesday to $15.85, while copper fell 3.36 to $2.744. Eurozone European shares were lower today. The eurozone's STOXX 600 tumbled 1.26 percent, the Spanish Ibex Index fell 1.57 percent, while Italy's FTSE MIB Index fell 1.58 percent. Meanwhile the German DAX slipped 1.53 percent, and the French CAC 40 dropped 1.48 percent while U.K. shares fell 1.3 percent. Economics The Producer Price Index rose 0.3 percent for June, versus economists' expectations for a 0.2 percent increase. U.S. wholesale inventories increased 0.6 percent for May, versus economists' estimates for a 0.5 percent gain. Domestic crude supplies dropped 12.6 million barrels for the week ended July 6, the Energy Information Administration reported. However, analysts projected a decline of 4.8 million barrels. Gasoline stockpiles slipped 700,000 barrels, while distillate stockpiles gained 4.1 million barrels for the week. New York Federal Reserve Bank President John Williams is set to speak in Brooklyn, NY at 4:30 p.m. ET. \u00a9 2018 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Get insight into trading platforms. Compare the best online stock brokerages. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Big Banks' Q2 Earnings, PPI And More We're still pretty quiet here on the Western front, awaiting the deluge of Q2 earnings results that begins with the spigot opening for big banks - JPMorgan JPM , Citigroup C and Wells Fargo WFC among them Friday - before opening up to the publicly traded industries at large, starting next week. Though we do have a new economic read worth looking at. June Producer Price Index (PPI) numbers have hit the tape this morning, posting gains of 0.3% on the headline - 10 basis points hotter than expected, though still down from the +0.5% reported in May. Interestingly, subtracting the often-volatile food and energy costs we still see a tally of 0.3%. Year over year, this ex-food & energy number is 2.8%, higher than the 2.6% expected and the 2.4% in the previous read. This indicates that producer pricing is experiencing inflation - though still relatively slow, especially in light of historically low unemployment (which usually leads to spiking wage increases) and a Q2 GDP number some analysts expect to reach 4% or higher. If the PPI continues to ramp up at sub-3% levels considering everything else going on in the economy, we can still behave as if we're Goldilocks - enjoying that which is not too hot, not too cold. Also this morning, although not a marquee name nor a fixture on the S&P 500 (let alone the Dow 30), FastenalFAST - a $14 billion market-cap manufacturing company which develops and markets fasteners for all sorts of Construction and Manufacturing goods - outperformed expectations on both top and bottom lines ahead of the opening bell. Earnings of 74 cents per share on $1.27 billion topped estimates of 66 cents and $1.26 billion, respectively. For more on FAST's Q2 earnings, click here. The Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company rose initially 7.5% upon the release of its Q2 report, settling back to gains of roughly 6.6% a half hour ahead of the market open. Tomorrow, we anticipate quarterly earnings from airline major Delta DAL , which is also a Zacks Rank #3 stock. Market futures are in the red this morning, however, as an apparent resurgence of trade war fears appear to be resurfacing. Either that or President Trump's harsh words for Germany ahead of the NATO summit today in Brussels may have awoken market bears in our otherwise idyllic trading scenario. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Delta Air Lines, Inc. (DAL): Free Stock Analysis Report JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM): Free Stock Analysis Report Wells Fargo & Company (WFC): Free Stock Analysis Report Citigroup Inc. (C): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Company (FAST) Q2 2018 Earnings Conference Call Transcript Fastenal Company (NASDAQ: FAST) Q2 2018 Earnings Conference Call July 11, 2018, 10:00 a.m. ET Contents: Prepared Remarks Questions and Answers Call Participants Prepared Remarks: Operator Good day, ladies and gentlemen. And welcome to the Fastenal Company 2018 second quarter earnings conference call. At this time, all participants are in a listen-only mode. Later, we will conduct a question and answer session, and instructions will be given at that time. If anyone should require operator assistance during the conference, please press * then 0 on your telephone keypad. As a reminder, today's conference is being recorded. I would now like to turn the call over to Ms. Ellen Stolts of investor relation. Ma'am, you may begin. EllenStolts -- Financial Reporting & Regulatory Compliance Manager Welcome to the Fastenal Company 2018 second quarter earnings conference call. This call will be hosted by Dan Florness, our president and chief executive officer and Holden Lewis, our chief financial officer. The call will last for up to one hour and will start with a general overview of our quarterly results and operations with the remainder of the time being open for questions and answers. Today's conference call is a proprietary Fastenal presentation and is being recorded by Fastenal. No recording, reproduction, transmission, or distribution of today's call is permitted without Fastenal's consent. This call is being audio simulcast on the internet via the Fastenal investor relations homepage, investor.fastenal.com. A replay of the webcast will be available on the website until September 1st, 2018 at midnight central time. As a reminder, today's conference call may include statements regarding the company's future plans and prospects. These statements are based on our current expectations. And we undertake no duty to update them. It is important to note that the company's actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Factors that could cause actual results to differ from anticipated results are contained in the company's latest earnings release and periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. And we encourage you to review those factors carefully. I would now like to turn the call over to Mr. Dan Florness. 10 stocks we like better than Fastenal When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor , has quadrupled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Fastenal wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. Click here to learn about these picks! *Stock Advisor returns as of June 4, 2018 Dan Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer Thank you, Ellen. And good morning, everybody. And thank you for participating in today's call. I realize at this stage of the economic cycle, our industry is a bit out of favor. But however, I believe we have a great story to tell. And I believe our mote is expanding in the marketplace. Let's start out by going to Holden's flipbook. If I look at some of the highlights he called out, I'll start with -- it'd be probably good if I got on the right page. I'd start with our non-residential construction business is accelerating. In June, we hit 17%. In all honesty, I don't understand the strength behind it. I know the things we've done to build momentum there. But I was very pleased with the progress we saw in the second quarter. Our manufacturing demand is stable at very healthy levels. We rolled that together. We grew our sales 13.1% in the second quarter. That's our fifth straight quarter of double digit growth. So, when I think about it, I think there's two things that are noteworthy there. One is we are growing on some good growth numbers. And I think that's a pretty strong statement. The second thing is a year ago in late March 2017, we acquired a great organization in Michigan called Mansco. We anniversaried that acquisition on March 31st. So, our growth in the second quarter was 100% organic. And we put up I think a great number. If I look at -- on the operating income side, our operating income grew 13.3%. Leverage is a beautiful thing. Our reported EPS was 74, however there was a discreet tax item in there. So, really pleased with the earnings growth we saw in the quarter and our ability to manage our expenses. Holden will touch on some of this a little bit deeper later. Onsite vending signings are on pace to achieve our 2018 targets. As mentioned, we had significant operating leverage in the second quarter including employee related expenses. And our gross margin was stable on a sequential basis, which I think was an important thing to note. And the real key to the stability from Q1 to Q2 from my perspective is we did a little bit better job using our own trucks. We've always talked about the fact that we have a great trucking network we built over the last 35 years. We have a structural advantage in the marketplace. And frankly, the marketplace is becoming increasingly more expensive. And so, our ability to divert some of our shipments off of third party carriers onto our own network serve us well in any economy. It served us really well in the second quarter. In the context of normal seasonality, our operating cashflow improved in the second quarter. We repurchased some stock. And as we announced last night, we increased our third quarter dividend from the $0.37 we had been doing in the first two quarters to $0.40. Flipping to page four of Holden's book, we signed 81 Onsites in the second quarter. That's a 19% increase over the second quarter of 2017. And we finished the quarter with 761 active sites. That's a 57% increase over last year. Our 2018 goal for Onsite signings remains somewhere between 360 and 385. Total in-market locations were 3,051 at the end of the quarter, up over the 2,937 a year ago. What you're seeing before your eyes is a morphing of the Fastenal distribution model. We are consolidating some locations throughout the marketplace, probably a little bit more in the major metros where we have a wide smattering. And some of those locations are morphing into Onsites. And so, we continue to expand our in-market presence. We signed 5,537 vending devices in the second quarter, a 13.5% increase over the second quarter of '17. Our installed base grew 14.3%. And the sales through our vending devices grew in excess of 20%. Our 2018 goal is to sign 21 to 23 thousand, and we feel good about that goal at this point. National Accounts. Our daily sales grew 19% in the second quarter. In June, we broke 20%. I have to say, that tasted pretty good. And I was proud of the team and everything they're doing to grow their business. Outside the US, our sales continued to well outpace the company, and we're seeing great results within the US and throughout the rest of the world. Before I turn it over to Holden, just wanted to share some commentary. And call this in the category of trying to be ever more transparent in what we do and what we're seeing in the marketplace. And at 7:00 this morning, Holden had his typical call with our leadership group, our regional vice presidents, our VPs that lead up support areas as well as our officers. He discussed through the earnings release to give them more insight into what we saw in the business. And he gives me a few minutes at the end to throw in a few thoughts. And I just thought I'd share with you some of the thoughts that were covered on that call. The first one we talked about with the group is we've really decided that hitting goal matters. We have hit goal -- January, we missed goal. Weather messed us up a little bit. So, we came in just shy of goal. Since February, we've hit goal every month. And we had a big goal number in June, and I was pleased to say we hit it. And in total for the first and second quarters, we hit goal. Hitting goal consistently gives you confidence to invest in where you're going. From a gross margin perspective, we maintained our gross margin. And the mantra of, \""Hey, just use our trucks,\"" played out really well. We have, as I mentioned earlier, a great trucking network, and we're tapping into it a little bit more. We've been having a lot of discussions about expenses. And this is one where if I'm looking at myself in the mirror, I have to say either we're not communicating really well or you're not listening. And I think it's probably more we need to step it up on how we communicate. So, I'm taking that piece on from the standpoint -- after the first quarter, when we grew our labor expense about 14%, I got a lot of phone calls from shareholders in the sell-side community really wondering, \""What the heck's going on that you're growing your expenses so fast and you're not able to leverage?\"" What we've been talking about the last two years is the investments we're making in growth drivers. We made dramatic investments in our ability to sign vending devices. We made tremendous investments in our ability to implement and improve our Onsite network. We made sizable investments a little over a year ago in our ability to grow our e-commerce locally. And the other piece is understanding the fundamentals of how we compensate. Historically, a sizable piece of conversation within Fastenal has been incentive-based. If you read our proxy, you can see that if we don't grow our earnings, our leadership better enjoy living on base pay because that's the key driver in incentive comp. In the first quarter of 2018, we added $21 million in pre-tax to our business. That was double the $11 million we had added the year before when we compare '17 to '16. That causes our incentive comp to grow quite dramatically. And if I look at the 14% labor growth in the first quarter, six points of it comes just from expanding incentive comp. One point of it comes from our Mansco acquisition. And the other seven comes from adding people in the organization. If I look at the transition from Q1 to Q2, you saw our labor expense growth drop 400 basis points from 14 to 10. What really changed there? We put a little bit of a pause on hiring. We had gotten ahead of ourselves. But that wasn't the real change. The real change was we anniversaried Mansco. And our incentive comp, while at a high level, is not disproportionately higher than second quarter of 2017 because in the second quarter of 2017, we added about $27 million in pre-tax. In the second quarter of '18, we added $31. The delta there isn't as great. So, our team throughout the organization are enjoying enhanced incentive. But they were second quarter last year. So, the comp is different. I apologize that I haven't communicated that better. But we saw a nice change in our ability to leverage. Frankly, I didn't think it was gonna happen until the third quarter. And the team did a nice job of deciding to move it up three months. If I look at the MSAs -- and I've started to talk about that more. Talked about that in the president's letter. Talked about that at our annual meeting and in previous discussions. We're really learning a lot by really taking a good look at those 100 large MSAs, communities of over half a million. What is our plan in those markets? And there was something that's jumped out for me. And this isn't an exclusive thing to the MSAs, but it stands out when I look at it from things we're doing. And so, yesterday at our board meeting, the individual that leads the e-commerce drivant -- within Fastenal, it's a relatively small business because there's so many things we do that don't lend themselves to e-commerce. We do Onsites. We do our local branch network. In many cases, we're fulfilling things for our customers that they don't even have to order. And so, e-commerce really isn't part of the Fastenal model. But one thing that's really was interesting to see is that we've been quietly building momentum in our ability to go to market in a bunch of different ways. And if I look at true, local e-commerce transactions where we're taking advantage of our last mile advantages, that's about a $100 million business, and it's growing 30% a year. I think that speaks well -- and forget the fact that it's e-commerce. It speaks well to the capabilities of the Fastenal organization to fulfill and to serve customers' needs. And the interesting thing is we're seeing really nice growth within our Onsites as well. It's about ease of doing business. And bear with me a second. I like milestones. Sometimes they're fun to point out. And this is probably a ridiculous one. But bear with me. If I go back to 1987, the year we went public, we had about 50 locations back then. We had 300 and some employees. For the year, we did just under $20.3 million. I believe it was $20,294,000 or something like that. In the month of June, on a daily basis, we broke $20.3 million. So, in June of 2018, we did more revenue every day than we did 31 years ago, that company that went public. I think that's a pretty neat milestone, and I'm proud of what our team has done in that 30-some years to accomplish that. Said another way, we're 254 times bigger than we were 31 years ago. That's kind of fun. I also thanked our regionals and our VPs and RVPs for a great quarter. I think they really the power of the Blue Team and what we can accomplish in the marketplace and some of our structural advantages. I'm blessed from the standpoint I have a wife that's not afraid to challenge me in most things in life, personal and business. And the other day, she was asking me some questions about the quarter. And I told her, \""I can't tell you because it's not public yet.\"" But all kidding aside, she was asking about what we're seeing from the tariffs. She said, \""You think any of your strength you're seeing is coming from the tariffs in the marketplace?\"" And I answered really quickly and with confidence. I said, \""Absolutely not.\"" I said, \""What our business is about is we're a supply chain partner. And most of our customers are able to operate in a very lean environment because of what we do. And I don't believe there's any impact from the lift other than if there's any impact to any of our customers and their activity that would create. But there's no inventory build in the cycle from what I'm seeing,\"" which caused me to immediately go to Holden and say, \""Hey, Holden. This is what I told my wife. Am I accurate?\"" And he canvassed our RVP group, and he got a resounding, \""No. We're not seeing that at all.\"" So, I thought I'd address that in the context of the time. Second question she had which was actually just as good as the first was, \""How does Fastenal react in an environment like this?\"" And I looked at her, and I said, \""Well...\"" I gave her the proverbial, \""I'm a farm kid. And I learned at a young age, you don't react to the weather. You plan for it because you can't change it.\"" This is just like the weather. It seems to change on a daily basis. What I can tell you is Fastenal's biggest strength is our field network, our branch and Onsite network. Unlike any other regional, national, or global distributor, we source a tremendous amount of product locally. And so, we don't have a small, centralized group that has to be really agile, although they are. We have 15,000 people working in our branch and Onsite network that are agile every day. It's not easy to manage through it, but our ability to manage through it is stronger than anybody else in the marketplace. Going into a period like this, the confidence I have comes from the team we have on the ground. And that makes it pretty exciting. When I was finishing up with the RVPs this morning, I didn't say this to them because I didn't wanna get weird on the call. But I thought back to a movie -- Gene Hackman is one of my favorite actors of all time. And I thought back to a movie he made back in the early '80s called Hoosiers . And at the end of the movie, he cites a line as the scene is going dark to his team that, \""I love you guys.\"" 22 years ago, I joined the Fastenal organization. And I didn't join because of the growth of the organization. I didn't join because of the opportunities of the marketplace. And I didn't even join because of the great people. All three of those were true. I joined because I saw in Fastenal an organization that treats people differently than other organizations I'd seen in my prior experience. And I wanted to be a part of that. In an organization where you're inclusive, and you treat others well, and you invite others to join, and the only requirement to join is a willingness to learn and change, a willingness to help each other succeed, and a willingness to be challenged by others and to be willing to challenge others to think big, when you have all that, you have a home at Fastenal. Come join us. We can do great things together. And I think you see it come through in a quarter like this and in what we're doing in the evolution of the last few years. I'll close with two thoughts, and then I'll turn it over to Holden. My mom is having a double mastectomy at 11:00 this morning. I wish her well on that. I'm gonna go visit her after the call. And Godspeed on her recovery. 60 days ago, my wife had the same surgery, and I'm proud to say that today, she looks and feels better than she ever has. So, I'm thankful for organizations like Gundersen Health down on La Crosse. Our medical in this nation can do great things. With that, I'll shut up and turn over to Holden. Thank you. Holden Lewis -- Chief Financial Officer Thank you. Good morning. Why don't we go over to slide five? As covered, the total and daily sales were up 13.1% in the second quarter. That's consistent with the growth that we logged in the first quarter of 2018. We estimate that pricing contributed between 50 and 100 basis points in the period which is also in line with last quarter. Although, we should say that this quarter did have to grow over what were modest price increases from last year's Q2. And that did mask what was some incremental progress on price in the period. The quarter finished on a healthy note with June's daily sales growing up 13.5%. This represents the 13 th straight month of organic daily sales growth ranging between 11.5% and 14.5%. And that's despite the stiffening comparisons we've seen over the period. In addition to contribution from our growth drivers as Dan discussed, this growth is supported by what remains healthy macro conditions. The PMI averaged 58.7 in the second quarter. And industrial production continued to expand at a low- to mid-single digit rate. Non-residential construction continued to accelerate for us, leading our mix this quarter with growth of 15.5%. This includes growth of 17.4% in June. Manufacturing end-markets remain stable at high levels, growing 13.3% with sustained strength in most sub-verticals. And from a product standpoint, non-fasteners were up 14.8%, and fasteners were up 11.1%. Both were in line with the first quarter levels, though it's worth noting that fasteners in June grew 13.5% which is the fastest rate we've seen this cycle. From a customer's stand [audio cuts out] National Accounts were up 19.1% with 80 of our top 100 accounts growing. And in June, our National Accounts grew 20.4%. Growth in non-National Accounts continues to run in the mid- to high-single digits with roughly 66% of our branches growing in the second quarter. In terms of market tone, sentiment in the field remains constructive, especially as it relates to the non-residential construction market and the good demand of the past few quarters appears to be carrying into the third quarter of 2018. Now over to slide six. Our gross margin was 48.7% in the first quarter of 2018, down 110 basis points versus the second quar -- I'm sorry. Our gross margin was 48.7% in the second quarter of 2018, down 110 basis points versus the second quarter of 2017. While mix is always a factor given where we're seeing our strongest growth, it was a relatively minor factor this quarter. There were two larger impacts. In the second quarter of 2017, we had a modest price increase ahead of anticipated higher product costs. So, the large decline in the current period reflects the degree to which those costs have caught up. Higher freight expenses were also a meaningful drag on a year-over-year basis. Sequentially, on the other hand, our gross margin was flat. There were no big movers in either direction, but seasonality was offset by a little extra leverage due to the strong growth, a slightly lower mix drag, and steps to counter increasing cost of freight and imports. Price cost was slightly negative in the quarter, and there is further work to do here. We do believe we'll make further progress in coming quarters. Our operating margin was 21.2% in the second quarter of 2018, flat on a year-over-year basis. Stronger seasonal volumes and the lapping of certain cost resets generated 110 basis points of cost leverage and an incremental margin of 21.5%. Looking at the pieces, we achieved 80 basis points of leverage over general corporate expenses and occupancy related costs. The latter was up 3% with growth in vending being partly offset by flattish facility expenses. Employee related costs were up 10%. And that generated 50 basis points of leverage. We were restrained in our headcount additions this quarter with total and FTE headcount being up just 3.4% and 4.7%, respectively. This was aided further by inclusion of Mansco expenses in both periods and a moderation in the growth of incentive comp now that we have entered our second year of stronger growth. Putting it all together, the second quarter of 2018 EPS were $0.74. Though excluding a one-time tax item, this would have been $0.70 or up 36% from the second quarter of 2017. In the absence of tax reform and the lower rate that it provides to us, EPS would have been $0.59, and growth would have been 13.8. We continue to anticipate a tax rate of 24.5% to 25% absent refinements in the application of or discreet events arising from recent tax reform. Turning to slide seven, we generated $152 million in operating cash in the second quarter of 2018 or 72% of our net income. Second quarters are usually lower cash generating periods due to our having two tax payments. Still, we were pleased that the conversion rate in the current quarter was above the 57% average conversion of the past five years which reflects the lower tax rates. Based on our expectations for continued favorable cash flow, we have increased our quarterly dividend from $0.37, which we established in the first quarter of 2018 to $0.40 for the third quarter. Net capital spending in the second quarter of '18 was $25 million, bringing our year-to-date outlays to $53.8 million, consistent with the first two quarters of 2017. However, this reflects mostly timing. And we would expect higher capital spending in the second half of 2018 for expansions and upgrades at hubs and for property purchases. We've also identified a need to increase our spend for vending equipment given the strength that we're seeing in that growth driver. And as such, we are increasing our full-year of 2018 net capital spending projection to $158 million from our previous $149 million. We increased funds paid out in dividends by 15% to $106 million and repurchased $40 million in stock in the period. We finished the quarter with debt at 16% of total capital below last year and at levels that provide ample equity to invest in our business and pay our dividend which we actually increased for the third quarter. The picture for working capital was improved versus the first quarter. Inventories were up 11.4% in the second quarter of '18. Inventory on hand fell five and a half days, which we view favorably in light of inflationary pressures and plans for additional inventory investments in the field throughout 2018. Receivables grew 19.6% in the second quarter of '18, expanding days by a little more than three and a half. This continued to be affected by growth in our National Accounts and international businesses as well as customers pushing payments past quarter end. Fortunately, the intensity of this latter factor has moderated, and we have not seen any meaningful change in hard to collect balances. That's all that we have for our formal presentation. And with that, Operator, we'll take questions. Questions and Answers: Operator Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, if you have a question at this time, please press the * then the No. 1 key on your telephone keypad. If your question has been answered or you wish to remove yourself from the queue, please press the # key. To prevent any background noise, we ask that you please place your line on mute once your question has been stated. Thank you. And our first question will come from the line of Ryan Cieslak with Northcoast Research. Your line is open. Ryan Cieslak -- Northcoast Research Partners -- Analyst Hey. Good morning, guys. Nice quarter. Dan Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer Thank you. Holden Lewis -- Chief Financial Officer Thank you. Ryan Cieslak -- Northcoast Research Partners -- Analyst The first question I had is looking at the June sales growth rate, particularly with fasteners, big acceleration there from maybe what you guys were trending in May. Dan or Holden, maybe if you could peel back the onion a little bit and think about what's ultimately driving that. Do you feel like it's a combination of both the market accelerating there but also maybe some share gains? Just trying to get a better understanding on what's driving the acceleration in fastener growth here. Holden Lewis -- Chief Financial Officer I'm not sure that I have a tremendous amount of granularity there for you. I would say that if I look at June, our fastener growth in most of our categories actually stepped up pretty nicely. And that's true of our OEM fasteners which no doubt, the Onsite growth is playing a role on that as is the general economic strength that we've seen. But construction fasteners were up quite a bit in June relative to even May as well or March or April. MRO was up as well. So, I would say that it's fairly broad. But we've definitely seen -- the same sort of acceleration that we've seen in the construction business broadly, we've seen that in the construction fasteners too. And so, I would look at it, and I would say that we're seeing stability relative to prior quarters in many categories. And then the construction piece which is accelerating broadly also. We're seeing that from the fastener component of construction too. So, that's probably what I would say about those pieces. Ryan Cieslak -- Northcoast Research Partners -- Analyst Okay. Great. And then for my second question, really nice to see the operating leverage here in the quarter and the incremental margins within that range you've talked about. It feels like as you get in the back half of the year, you continue to lap some of the headwinds you saw last year from an expense standpoint. And if I hear you right, you said price cost dynamics. Maybe there's some additional opportunity there. How do we think about incremental margins then into the back half of the year? Is there anything that we should be keeping in mind from a negative standpoint or an offset that comes in that maybe keeps you at the low end of that range versus potentially getting to the higher end of that range? Thanks. Holden Lewis -- Chief Financial Officer Yeah. So, what I would say is the components that drove it in the second quarter, I think those are intact in the third quarter. And when we're talking about the occupancy leverage, the general corporate leverage, those should continue to be leverageable pieces of our overall mix. From an employee expense piece, yeah. You're right. We've lapped those resets. And that'll certainly be true in Q3. So, those pieces that led to this leverage this quarter, those are still very much intact as we go forward. You combine that with double digit revenue growth, assuming that that's what we receive in the third quarter, and I think that that is a formula to continue to make progress on the incremental margins, particularly because I would not expect the gross margin comp to be anywhere near as difficult. So, that we did 21.5 against that gross margin is fairly satisfying. And I think that where you're going with this is should we do better. We should be. I think that the math would tell you that we should do better in Q3 than we did in Q2 from an incremental margins standpoint. The one piece that I will contribute to that is the strong work that was done by everybody at Fastenal to deliver that leverage in the quarter, that does also afford us the opportunity to keep investing in growth. And so, there is the potential that we may choose to take some of that growth and reinvest it in the business to sustain the type of growth rates that we're having. But yeah. I would concur, Ryan. I think that the pieces that drove this incremental margin are still intact as you go to Q3. We shouldn't have the same difficulty with the gross margin comp. And if we continue to grow quickly, I think that the prospects for doing better on incremental margin in the back half are still pretty strong. Ryan Cieslak -- Northcoast Research Partners -- Analyst Okay. Thanks. I'll get back in queue. Operator Thank you. Our next question will come from Scott Graham with BMO Capital Markets. Your line is open. Scott Graham -- BMO Capital Markets -- Analyst Hey. Good morning. Three questions for you all. No. 1, Holden, I harken back to the comments you made about a year ago that you have to deal with 20 to 30 basis points of gross margin headwind from mix. Is that still a number that you would go with? And maybe talk a little bit about how you will backfill in the second half on that a little bit more. Secondly -- Holden Lewis -- Chief Financial Officer Hey, Scott. Let me take them in order. And also, we're gonna take two. So, think about the second question carefully before -- [Crosstalk] Scott Graham -- BMO Capital Markets -- Analyst Sure. No problem. Holden Lewis -- Chief Financial Officer As it relates to your first question, yeah. The mix elements aren't changing. Again, with National Accounts growing as quickly as they are within the mix and with the Onsites growing as quickly as they are within the mix, they continue to contribute more to our growth overall each quarter. I think this quarter, the Onsites contributed to 4% growth in our business. And a year ago, that was 3.2% Those are mix issues that we're happy to take those on. But it does push the margin down. And I still believe that 20% to 30% mix drag per year is the right number to think about. I haven't changed off those terms. Scott Graham -- BMO Capital Markets -- Analyst Good. Thank you. Secondly, you've got some really good operating leverage at the operating expense line. Could you talk about the sustainability of that and how you're looking at that in the second half toward some of the incremental margin comments you made? Holden Lewis -- Chief Financial Officer Yeah. Not a lot to add versus what I just contributed. Again, the pieces that drove it this quarter, I think those pieces are intact as you go into Q3 and Q4 in terms of lapping some of these expenses. But what we won't have is we won't have the difficult gross margin comp. And so, you blend all that together, and there certainly is a path to doing better incremental margins in the third quarter and fourth quarter than what we did this quarter. The only caution I threw out there was we're afforded the opportunity to invest in our business because of the leverage that we achieved this quarter. And we might reroute some of that into sustaining the type of growth that we've enjoyed. And so, I don't have a lot to add to that. Scott Graham -- BMO Capital Markets -- Analyst Well, I guess what I'm trying to get at, Holden, simply is you have this gross margin headwind. It's not gonna go away. Does that get the entire company, particularly at the regional level much more focused on their operating expenses to generate the leverage to offset that gross margin issue? Dan Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer This is Dan. I'll just chime in quick. If you go back in time, a decade ago, we were talking about the pathway to profit. And in that discussion, we talked about the inherent profitability of the Fastenal business and how that gets enhanced over time and how when I look at our most mature regions that frankly, have a higher percentage of Onsite and in many cases, national comp business than the company average, they're also our lowest operating expense businesses and typically, our highest operating margin businesses. And it comes from -- part of the expense management comes from doing -- it's hard work. You do it every day. You don't let things slip through your fingertips. You understand what's best in class across the organization. But part of it comes from the inherent leverage that comes in the Fastenal model. When the average branch is doing 120 versus 100, you pick up hundreds of points of operating margin. When it goes from 120 to 150, you pick up expense leverage. And the only partial offset to that can come from the fact that your gross margin -- typically, a branch doing 100 will lose 100 basis points of gross margin on its journey to 150 a month. But it'll also shed 450 basis points of operating expense. And your net win is a 350 point win. And so, it's really not allowing being a little bit lazy or a little bit lax on expense management today to let any of that slip through your fingertips. That academic model is what affords us to do what we're doing with Onsite. Scott Graham -- BMO Capital Markets -- Analyst Thank you. Holden Lewis -- Chief Financial Officer And at the analyst day, if you recall, we showed a couple of lines. One was the gross margin declining over the past 30 years as we've invested in these growth drivers. And the other one was the SG&A's percentage of revenues declining over 30 years as we leverage. And I would just point you to -- the SG&A percentage in the first half of this year has never been lower in the history of our company. And that's how the model is supposed to work. As Dan said, this leverage came through perhaps a quarter sooner than we might have expected. But the model is working as we would have expected it to. Scott Graham -- BMO Capital Markets -- Analyst Great. Thank you, both. Holden Lewis -- Chief Financial Officer Sure. Operator Thank you. Our next question comes from David Manthey with Baird. Your line is open. David Manthey -- Baird -- Analyst Hey. Good morning, guys. First off, looking at that number of top 100 National Account customers experiencing growth, I guess it was 80 this quarter. And Dan, in the earlier part of this decade, I think you were talking about 75 out of 100 was normal. What is the historical low and high in that figure? Dan Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer Oh, I'm going off the hip here, Dave. So, bear with me on that. When I go back to 2015, I think we had a quarter where it got down in the 40s. And as you know, that was not helpful to our business. What I don't know here is -- obviously, we have a solid economy. We also have some growth drivers at our fingertips that either weren't there or weren't contributing at as high a level when I go back to 2015. The Onsite, as Holden mentioned has changed the game. And 75% of our Onsites are with National Account customers. I believe that's the stat. It's in the 70s. And so, we're seeing -- so, what's the cause? What's the effect? Or chicken and egg or whatever analogy you wanna use. The economy's giving lift. But are the growth drivers giving lift? The fact that our vending is operating at a really high level, that benefits all customers, including National Accounts. But 80's a really strong number. And when I go back to prior periods where we were able to grow our fasteners, especially at this kind of rate, you needed to be in the 70s. David Manthey -- Baird -- Analyst Okay. Maybe I'll follow up on that. But the second question for Holden, were you saying you picked up I guess $5 to $10 million year-over-year due to price? And you're saying that the price cost equation isn't quite there yet. So, I assume you're not fully recapturing your COGS increases. But am I right to assume that you're capturing enough of it that you're picking up incremental gross profit dollars, Holden? You're not getting lower gross profit dollars because you're upside down on that price cost equation, are you? Holden Lewis -- Chief Financial Officer No, we're not. We're not. Yeah, as I said, we're slightly under water just with regards to a price cost standpoint. But yeah, as we said in the first quarter, we got a little incremental pricing in the first quarter from efforts that we put into place in the fourth. We actually got incremental pricing in the second quarter over the first. That was masked a little bit because in the second quarter, we were growing over last year's modest price increases where we weren't in the first quarter. But we made some incremental progress on pricing. There was certainly some incremental moves on the inflation side as well. But yeah. We're not backwards in that regard. David Manthey -- Baird -- Analyst Yup. Sounds good. Thank you. Holden Lewis -- Chief Financial Officer Thank you. Operator Thank you. Our next question comes from Hamzah Mazari with Macquarie Capital. Your line is open. Hamzah Mazari-- Macquarie Capital -- Analyst Hey. Good morning. The first question is just around tariffs. You mentioned they're not leading to strength. Does that mean that you didn't see any pre-buy related to tariffs? And then maybe if you could just update us what you're direct and indirect exposure is to China sourcing. Holden Lewis -- Chief Financial Officer Sure. With regards to pre-buying, I actually canvassed the RVPs this morning to get a sense of what they're seeing in the field. And it came back fairly uniformly that we really aren't seeing anything, or at least nothing's being discussed with us about pre-buying product ahead of time. Now to be fair, I'm not sure that gloves and goggles are necessarily the type of product that people load up on ahead of demand. So, we may not be that kind of product or that kind of company. But we don't believe that that is impacting our revenue growth rates in any meaningful way. As it relates to the 232 and 301, 232 at this point is just feeding inflation, generally speaking with regards to that one. As it relates to 301, I think there's a couple of threads here. One is the first $50 billion that has been talked about. There's not a huge impact on us from that. Now that we've had a chance to see how our products are being affected, I will probably stick with about $10 million of COGS perhaps being affected by that. Although, it's in places we hadn't necessarily expected, indirect shipments on things like ball bearings and welding consumables and things like that. But it's a pretty small number. I don't think particularly meaningful. And so, if it stops there, I'm not overly concerned about the direct impact to tariffs. I think the question you're really getting at is what happens with the other $200 billion, should they go into effect. And honestly, at this point, we're not sure. It's hard to speculate on that. I think you can make a case that somewhere in the neighborhood of 10% of our COGS may come from China directly and indirectly. But I'm only guessing at the indirect piece. Again, that's more art than science, figuring that one out. I don't assume that everything that we get from China will be tariffed. That would pull the impact down. And of course, we would expect to be able to shift product perhaps from China to Taiwan or Vietnam or other sources. I think one of the great values of having a significant local sourcing operation on the ground in that region is that we know where there's alternative source of product that we can shift as quickly as anybody else. And so, it's conjecture as to what the impact will be if any. You would expect that it could have an impact, but we have mechanisms and such to manage that. Hamzah Mazari-- Macquarie Capital -- Analyst Great. And then just secondly, any color on just improvement in non-resi? For you, it was pretty dramatic. I know you have oil and gas in non-resi. Do you attribute it to that? And then is the margin mix on non-resi better than manufacturing? Any color there? Thank you. Holden Lewis -- Chief Financial Officer I think that the oil and gas and things around that are certainly helpful. The other thing I would point out is relative to manufacturing, we talked about how our growth has been up between organically, 11.5% and 14.5% for 13 months. That is not necessarily true of non-residential. For most of that period, our manufacturing was really driving that. If you look at the quarter a year ago in non-res, we were up about 5.5%, 6%. And so, to some extent, I think what you're seeing is an acceleration off of some easier comps. But I do think that also, we're benefiting from having injected energy over the last two or three years into the effort. If you remember, we really started talking about the tone around non-res starting to get better in March of last year. And I think that that tone transformed into actual facts on the ground in November, December of 2017. And it's just continued to run from that point. And right now, it's running against relatively easy comps. And so, that's about the color that I have for that. And from a margin standpoint, we always think about from a gross margin standpoint, construction fasteners fall somewhere in between the OEM fastener on the low end and the MRO fastener at the high end. Hamzah Mazari-- Macquarie Capital -- Analyst Great. Thank you. Holden Lewis -- Chief Financial Officer Sure. Operator Thank you. Our next question comes from Ryan Merkel with William Blair. Your line is open. Ryan Merkel-- William Blair -- Analyst Hey. Thanks. Good morning, guys. Dan Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer Good morning. Holden Lewis -- Chief Financial Officer Good morning. Ryan Merkel-- William Blair -- Analyst Congratulations on making me look completely wrong in my preview to you by the way. Nice quarter. Holden Lewis -- Chief Financial Officer Don't take it personally, Ryan. Ryan Merkel-- William Blair -- Analyst So, just to follow up on price cost, and it was slightly negative. So, I don't wanna make a big deal here. But can you just articulate for us why is price cost negative? What are the key issues there? Holden Lewis -- Chief Financial Officer Well, the key issue is that inflation continues to run very quickly. As I said, we got some incremental pricing. But the quick math is we had fee stock or product cost that was going up somewhat faster. And so, yeah. That's the environment. I don't know what more to add to it. It is inflationary for products. And that inflation has not stopped. Dan Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer I'll add just one thought to that. And I touched on this in April. I think we really started the hard press about four to five months later than we should have. We did some things last summer. Holden touched on that where we were raising some prices. Actually, in the second quarter last year, we got some nice lift in our gross margins. So, we were actually ahead of it a little bit. But in November, December time, we really should have been putting on the hard press. We have our meeting in December every year with our leadership. We should have had the hard press on. And I didn't really turn it on until April. And that's completely on me. And so, we're a little bit behind. Holden Lewis -- Chief Financial Officer And to give you a sense, in Q1, we were reacting to things. I think in Q2, we put a lot of discipline in the field just in terms of the messaging. And that messaging flowed down to the RVPs and into the field. And that was a part of that. And then in Q3, we have some additional tools that are going into the field to hopefully make this pricing process easier. And so, that's why we struggle like everyone else does with what is ramping inflation. But we believe that we continue to make incremental improvement each quarter, and I think that's gonna continue into Q3. Ryan Merkel-- William Blair -- Analyst Got it. Yeah. I'm just clarifying that it's transitory and it's not anything that's structural different than the past. It was more just being late, not passing through the pricing. So, that's good to hear. And then my second question -- [Crosstalk] Ryan Merkel-- William Blair -- Analyst Okay. And then my second question, the non-National Accounts, I think you said it was up mid-single digits. And I don't think that has accelerated much -- correct me if I'm wrong -- over the past couple quarters. But my real question is is that a market growth rate? Are the smaller customers or non-National Account customers just not growing as well? Or is it just not a focus for you, and that's why the growth rate just isn't anywhere near the National Account growth rate? Dan Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer Yeah. I think there's a couple things going on. Our growth drivers, when it relates to Onsite really benefits the National Accounts and a piece of the non-national. If I think of the strength we're seeing internationally, that's much more akin to our National Accounts. Heck, our National Accounts are doing a great job. If I think of our local business, one thing that is impacting that -- and Holden, refresh me on the number. I believe our branch count is down about 6% Q2 to Q2. When we consolidate a branch in a market, historically we've talked about 65% to 70% of our business is our top ten customers in that branch. Frankly, you can retain that business without a great plan because that's a group of customers you're naturally engaging with. And you do enough business that everybody matters to each other from the standpoint of they know Fastenal's an important part of their team. And we're typically delivering the product to their backdoor. So, the fact that we're coming from a branch two miles away or seven miles away doesn't really matter. If you think of the other third of our business, so the other 35%, 5% of that is retail business. And a piece of that retail business, when you consolidate, you have a high risk of losing. Now, in a $50 thousand branch that you consolidate, there's three grand that's there. And you're gonna lose a piece of it. The other 30% of the 35%, you need to have a really good plan in place to make sure you don't lose touch with that customer because that's a customer doing $300.00, $500.00, $700.00 a month with you. And your relative importance to them might be different. And so, there, we have to have a really good plan. And so, some of the delta you're seeing, I don't think it's because it's industry growth, which it happens to be. I think it's a case of 6% of our branches disappeared. And so, there is some impact from that. Now does that account for why it's single digit versus double digit? I honestly don't know. But that comes into play. Holden Lewis -- Chief Financial Officer And Ryan, I might contribute as well. So, we are growing in the non-National Account business faster than industrial production, which I think is meaningful. In addition to what Dan talks about in terms of the branch closures, the Onsite growth -- most of our Onsites are within National Accounts, but some portion of our Onsites are not within National Accounts. And remember, we do shift revenue from a branch into an Onsite. And so, for those Onsites we sign up, maybe some of those have been serviced out of a store that wasn't a National Account business. And there might be a little bit of an impact there as well. So, there are a few pieces that are working against that number being better than what it is today. But it is outperforming industrial production. And we think the field is doing a nice job. Dan Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer And it's helped for farming the organic growth for the industry. Ryan Merkel-- William Blair -- Analyst Perfect. Thank you. Operator Thank you. Our next question comes from Adam Uhlman with Cleveland research. Your line is open. Adam Uhlman -- Cleveland Research -- Analyst Hi. Good morning. Holden Lewis -- Chief Financial Officer Good morning, Adam. Adam Uhlman -- Cleveland Research -- Analyst Hey, I was wondering if we could cycle back to the -- Dan Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer Hey, Adam? Adam? Adam Uhlman -- Cleveland Research -- Analyst Yeah? Dan Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer Good report yesterday. Adam Uhlman -- Cleveland Research -- Analyst Thank you. I wanted to circle back on the investment drivers I guess as we think about the back half of the year here. We touched on it maybe a little bit. But the headcount growth has been relatively low. And it would seem as if there might be some need to add additional heads into the back half of the year to support the growth that you're seeing. And I'm just trying to understand how you guys are conceptualizing that investment spend into headcount. Could it be only a couple of points of extra growth? Or is there something where we should be expecting a bigger ramp? Dan Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer The message we've had to the team is where you're signing Onsites, where you have business growth, add people. And we've been investing at a pretty healthy clip. And as I mentioned, by the first quarter, in all honesty, we probably got a little bit ahead of ourself. And so, we just put a pause on. We didn't stop hiring. We put a pause on. But if you actually drift into the weeds a little bit, you'd see that from a pure headcount standpoint, there was more drop in the part-time than there was in the fulltime. So, the loss of hours and energy wasn't as great. The other thing is as we migrate to a bigger and ever bigger piece of our business being Onsite, we become more efficient. If I think about some time ago -- and I forget the exact time. It was a little over a year ago. We took over the hosting of our vending network. What that afforded us to do is to interconnect the vending information much more directly into our point of sales system. So, the lift, the workload for servicing vending, while it's still sizable and we're doing things every day that make it a little bit more efficient, it's much more efficient today than it would have been 12 months ago because the interconnectedness within our point of sales system and our trajectory system that runs the vending platform is much more seamless today. But we will continue to add headcount to support our growth. But we're working against comps that are really different. And that really is what speaks to Holden's confidence in our ability to achieve leverage. Adam Uhlman -- Cleveland Research -- Analyst Okay. Got you. And then secondarily, thanks for the disclosure on the e-commerce business. That's a lot of incremental revenue off of a small base. I was just wondering if you could touch on anything new or different that you're doing there relative to what you've talked about in the past. And how big do you think it could get for you within your current business model? Thanks. Dan Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer Yeah. At this point, on the last part of your question, I'd be just posing a wild guess. And my wild guess would be, frankly, no better than anybody else's wild guess. But to the part about what we're doing different, for three years, our e-commerce was negative. Nominal. And it was a relatively small business because it wasn't an emphasis point. We started investing in resources into our team early part of 2017. And we added an RESS. And I hope I have the acronym right. Help me out, Holden. Regional e-commerce sales specialist. Holden Lewis -- Chief Financial Officer There you go. Dan Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer Okay. And it's a small team. But really, what they're about is engaging with our branch network, our Onsite network to go out and drive that. Our IT team is operating at a higher level today than I've ever seen in my 22 years. What the team has put in place -- we've always had great talent, but we weren't always able to muster up the resources to do great things. And right now, we're doing some great things. And the system they put in place that we -- we rolled out what we call FAST 360 a year ago. And that's really a visibility tool for our customers to see what's on their plant floor, whether it's in a vending machine or in a bin stock location. So many times historically, customers don't know always what's in their facility because a lot of what we sell is coined MRO. So, when it's bought, it's expense. So, there's no visibility to where stuff is. Even on the OEM side, most ERP systems don't give you the level of visibility to know where stuff is. Our FAST 360 does that for our customers. And we rolled that out a year ago. And that's growing nicely in our business. And it works out really well in our Onsites as well. The team is really leveraging that start and our same day capabilities at our branch network to really tap into -- we can do today what many companies aspire to do. And we've connected some of the dots electronically to do it. But I don't wanna get ahead of myself. It's still a relatively small number, but we're tapping into making it easier to buy from us. Today, 90% of our sales go through an omnichannel, goes through -- we have 10% of our sales where the customer buys through one channel. And that's typically our retail business and our what we call tier one customers. So, relatively small customers that interact with us only at the branch level. But when you start layering in where you source at the branch through an Onsite, through vending, through a bin stock, internationally, e-commerce, and put all those together, that's 90% of our revenue. So, we're doing things today and we have been naturally for years what other companies aspire to do. And you're just seeing it shine through because we have a group that has a really good plan, and they're executing to it. But it's still a relatively small part of the business, and I have the foggiest idea where it'll go to. Adam Uhlman -- Cleveland Research -- Analyst Best of luck to your mom and wife. Dan Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer Thank you. With that, I see that we're at just a few minutes before the hour. I hope I'm not cutting anybody off who had a question. But thanks again for your interest this morning. And I do sincerely believe we have a great story to tell. The Blue Team is blessed with great people. And I believe we do something special for our customers, and they recognize it, and it affords us the ability to grow. Have a good day, everybody. Holden Lewis -- Chief Financial Officer Thank you. Operator Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for participating in today's conference. This does conclude the program. You may all disconnect. Everyone have a great day. Duration: 58 minutes Call participants: EllenStolts -- Financial Reporting & Regulatory Compliance Manager Dan Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer Holden Lewis -- Chief Financial Officer Ryan Cieslak -- Northcoast Research Partners -- Analyst Scott Graham -- BMO Capital Markets -- Analyst David Manthey -- Baird -- Analyst Hamzah Mazari-- Macquarie Capital -- Analyst Ryan Merkel-- William Blair -- Analyst Adam Uhlman -- Cleveland Research -- Analyst More FAST analysis This article is a transcript of this conference call produced for The Motley Fool. While we strive for our Foolish Best, there may be errors, omissions, or inaccuracies in this transcript. As with all our articles, The Motley Fool does not assume any responsibility for your use of this content, and we strongly encourage you to do your own research, including listening to the call yourself and reading the company's SEC filings. Please see our Terms and Conditions for additional details, including our Obligatory Capitalized Disclaimers of Liability. 10 stocks we like better than Fastenal When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor , has quadrupled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Fastenal wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. Click here to learn about these picks! *Stock Advisor returns as of June 4, 2018 The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy . The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Mid-Morning Market Update: Markets Open Lower; Fastenal Profit Tops Views Following the market opening Wednesday, the Dow traded down 0.68 percent to 24,750.57 while the NASDAQ declined 0.42 percent to 7,726.49. The S&P also fell, dropping 0.50 percent to 2,779.86. Leading and Lagging Sectors Wednesday morning, the utilities shares climbed 0.38 percent. Meanwhile, top gainers in the sector included Centrais El\u00e9tricas Brasileiras S.A. - Eletrobras (NYSE: EBR ) up 3 percent, and AES Corporation (NYSE: AES ) up 2 percent. In trading on Wednesday, industrial shares fell 1.23 percent. Top Headline Fastenal Company (NASDAQ: FAST ) reported upbeat earnings for its second quarter on Wednesday. Fastenal posted Q2 profit of $0.74 per share on revenue of $1.268 billion. However, analysts expected earnings of $0.66 per share on sales of $1.26 billion. Equities Trading UP Achieve Life Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: ACHV ) shares shot up 36 percent to $4.90 after the company reported advancement of cytisine development program following a meeting with the FDA. Shares of Myriad Genetics, Inc. (NASDAQ: MYGN ) got a boost, shooting up 13 percent to $43.02. Morgan Stanley upgraded Myriad Genetics from Equal-Weight to Overweight and raised the price target from $35 to $55. Asterias Biotherapeutics, Inc. (NYSE: AST ) shares were also up, gaining 13 percent to $1.753 after the Safety Review Committee recommended proceeding as planned with AST-VAC2 clinical trials. Equities Trading DOWN ReShape Lifesciences Inc. (NASDAQ: RSLS ) shares dropped 16 percent to $1.71. ReShape Lifesciences reported a $2.7 million registered direct offering priced at-the-market. Shares of Simulations Plus, Inc. (NASDAQ: SLP ) were down 14 percent to $19.55. Simulations Plus posted Q3 earnings of $0.13 per share on sales of $8.553 million. AngioDynamics, Inc. (NASDAQ: ANGO ) was down, falling around 12 percent to $19.85 after the company posted downbeat Q4 results. Commodities In commodity news, oil traded down 1.08 percent to $73.31 while gold traded down 0.36 percent to $1,250.90. Silver traded down 0.88 percent Wednesday to $15.945, while copper fell 2.78 to $2.7605. Eurozone European shares were lower today. The eurozone's STOXX 600 tumbled 0.97 percent, the Spanish Ibex Index fell 0.97 percent, while Italy's FTSE MIB Index fell 1.22 percent. Meanwhile the German DAX slipped 1.06 percent, and the French CAC 40 dropped 0.99 percent while U.K. shares fell 1.15 percent. Economics The Producer Price Index rose 0.3 percent for June, versus economists' expectations for a 0.2 percent increase. U.S. wholesale inventories increased 0.6 percent for May, versus economists' estimates for a 0.5 percent gain. The Energy Information Administration's weekly report on petroleum inventories in the U.S. will be released at 10:30 a.m. ET. The Treasury is set to auction 4-week bills at 11:30 a.m. ET. New York Federal Reserve Bank President John Williams is set to speak in Brooklyn, NY at 4:30 p.m. ET. \u00a9 2018 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Profit with More New & Research . Gain access to a streaming platform with all the information you need to invest better today. Click here to start your 14 Day Trial of Benzinga Professional The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Market Close Report: NASDAQ Composite index closes at 7,716.61 down -42.59 points Wednesday's session closes with the NASDAQ Composite Index at 7,716.61. The total shares traded for the NASDAQ was over 1.79 billion. Declining stocks led advancers by 1.86 to 1 ratio. There were 1047 advancers and 1950 decliners for the day. On the NASDAQ Stock Exchange 33 stocks reached a 52 week high and 32 those reaching lows totaled. The most active, advancers, decliners, unusual volume and most active by dollar volume can be monitored intraday on the Most Active Stocks page. The NASDAQ 100 index closed down -.53% for the day; a total of -38.62 points. The current value is 7,243.98. American Airlines Group, Inc. ( AAL ) had the largest percent change down (-8.08%) while Fastenal Company ( FAST ) had the largest percent change gain rising 10.05%. The Dow Jones index closed down -.88% for the day; a total of -219.21 points. The current value is 24,700.45. Chevron Corporation ( CVX ) had the largest percent change down (-3.19%) while Walt Disney Company (The) ( DIS ) had the largest percent change gain rising 1.9%. NASDAQ Market Wrap As of 7/11/2018 4:44:01 PM BILLIONS OF 1.79 NASDAQ SHARES TRADED TODAY 33 STOCKS REACHED A 52 WEEK HIGH 32 THOSE REACHING LOWS TOTALEDFastenal Company [FAST]TOPS ADVANCERS LISTOF NASDAQ 100 INDEX % 10.05 ROSE The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Stock Futures Roiled by New Trade War Tensions Global stock markets were back on the defensive as the impending trade war between the US and China rattled investors. Another round of trade tariffs against Chinese imports threw China's Shanghai Composite index to its lowest level in two-and-a-half years and drove Dow futures almost 200 points lower before Wednesday's opening bell. Industrials and metals-based stocks were hardest hit, while safe-havens appreciated. Panic selling erupted overnight after Washington unveiled plans to place a 10% tax on another $200 billion in products imported from China. Although the tariffs won't take effect until Aug. 30, leaving time for US and China trade representatives to hammer out a deal, Beijing said the action was \""totally unacceptable\"" and left it little choice but to retaliate. Accordingly, US stock futures erased Tuesday's gains as trade war concerns overshadowed the good will building ahead of Q2 earnings from the banking sector on Friday. Selling pressure was also magnified by inflation data. The June producer price index increased by 0.3%, slightly higher than what was expected, while the core index was up an as-expected 0.3%. Year-over-year, PPI jumped to 3.4% from 3.1%, previously, while the core rose to 2.8% from 2.4% in May. -Dow Jones Industrial down 0.85% -S&P 500 futures down 0.63% -Nasdaq 100 futures down 0.73% SENTIMENT Nikkei down 1.19% Hang Seng down 1.29% Shanghai Composite down 1.78% FTSE-100 down 1.08% DAX-30 down 1.20% PRE-MARKET SECTOR WATCH (-) Large cap tech: Lower (-) Chip stocks: Lower (-) Software stocks: Lower (-) Hardware stocks: Lower (-) Internet stocks: Lower (-) Oil stocks: Lower (-) Biotech stocks: Lower (-) Drug stocks: Lower (-) Financial stocks: Lower (-) Retail stocks: Lower (-) Industrial stocks: Lower (-) Airlines: Lower (-) Autos: Lower UPSIDE MOVERS: (+) ACHV (+46.26%) Met with FDA to further development of phase 3 trial of cytisine (+) FAST (+6.78%) Reported better-than-expected Q2 results (+) MYGN (+4.39%) Upgraded by Morgan Stanley to overweight from equal weight, PT raised by $20 DOWNSIDE MOVERS: (-) VOXX (-14.41%) Missed Q1 revenue estimates (-) IOTS (-11.03%) Priced 6.7 million share offering at $113.75 per share (-) ANGO (-9.21%) Missed Q4 estimates, FY19 outlook mixed The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. Copyright (C) 2016 MTNewswires.com. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Daily Dividend Report: FAST, PG, COP, CVS, PSX Fastenal Company ( FAST ) declared a dividend of $0.40 per share to be paid in cash on August 22, 2018 to shareholders of record at the close of business on July 25, 2018. The Procter & Gamble Company ( PG ) declared a quarterly dividend of $0.7172 per share on the Common Stock and on the Series A and Series B ESOP Convertible Class A Preferred Stock of the Company, payable on or after August 15, 2018, to Common Stock shareholders of record at the close of business on July 20, 2018, and to Series A and Series B ESOP Convertible Class A Preferred Stock shareholders of record at the start of business on July 20, 2018. ConocoPhillips ( COP ) announced a quarterly dividend of 28.5 cents per share, payable Sept. 4, 2018, to stockholders of record at the close of business on July 23, 2018. CVS Health Corporation ( CVS ) has approved a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share on the corporation's common stock. The dividend is payable on August 1, 2018, to holders of record on July 25, 2018. Phillips 66 ( PSX ) has declared a quarterly dividend of 80 cents per share on Phillips 66 common stock. The dividend is payable on Sept. 4, 2018, to shareholders of record as of the close of business on Aug. 21, 2018. VIDEO: Daily Dividend Report: FAST, PG, COP, CVS, PSX The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Morning Movers: That's One Way to End the Dow's Winning Streak The Dow Jones Industrial Average'swinning streak looks set to end as the trade war between the U.S. and China looks set to escalate. In today's Morning Movers, we... Getty Images \u2022...wonder if it's possible to pull back from the trade-war brink; \u2022...highlight a report that suggests that Apple (AAPL) could face anti-trust action in Japan; \u2022...review United Continental's (UAL) traffic update. It's ugly out there this morning. And a list of possible tariffs to be imposed on $200 billion of Chinese goods is to blame. S&P 500 futures have fallen 0.6%, while Dow Jones Industrial Average futures have slumped 188 points, or 0.8%. Nasdaq Composite futures have dropped 0.7%. As we noted earlier, the U.S. actually looks good compared to other markets. Asian stocks got crushed, European shares are sliding, and commodities aren't holding up too well either, notes Bleakley Advisory Group's Peter Boockvar. \""Not only are global stock markets all down (Shanghai comp in particular lower by 1.8%) but copper is breaking by 3% to the lowest level in a year. Soybean prices are back to a 10 yr low,\"" he writes. \"" The market was ok with the escalation of the trade battle with the actual implementation of a major round of taxes but now it's bothered with a potential further intensity of this skirmish?\"" For a long time, the markets have been operating under the notion that everything is \""normal,\"" that the tough trade talk is simply negotiation, that the U.S. economy is strong enough to handle tariffs, that everything will eventually go back to the way it was. At some point, though, it will have to acknowledge that that's just not the case, that there is no going back to the old normal even if the trade war were to suddenly de-escalate. B. Riley FBR's Mark Grant likens what's happening now to A Game of Thrones, with world powers vying against one another, and it doesn't matter at this point what you or I sitting think of the escalation. \""President Trump's chair is a throne and he is exercising our sovereignty, quite loudly now, from it,\"" Grant writes. \""We are fully engaged with China, without question, and the European Union may join the fray. As a matter of common sense I back-up when'shock and awe' are being exercised. Now, I hear the thunder clearly, and I am backing up.\"" Maybe it's time we all did. Earnings & News Apple (AAPL) is down 0.7% to $188.95 after Reuters reported that it may be facing anti-trust charges in Japan. Box (BOX) is down 1.8% to $25.71 after announcing its acquisition of Butter.ai, a machine learning-powered search service. Fastenal (FAST) is up 6.7% to $$52.84 after reporting second-quarter earnings. The tool and supply company earned 74 cents a share on revenue of $1.27 billion. Analysts were looking for earnings of 66 cents a share on revenue of $1.26 billion. Getty Images United Continental (UAL) is down 1.5% to $70.23 after the airline reported that revenue passenger miles rose 7.2% and capacity increased 4.2%, on a year-over-year basis. - Teresa Rivas Upgrades & Downgrades Hess (HES) is down 2.4% to $67.90 after Barclays downgraded it to Underweight. Liberty Global (LBTYA) is down 0.7% to $29.10 after Macquarie downgraded it to Neutral. Motorola Solutions (MSI) is up 0.5% to $119.25 after Cowen & Co. upgraded it to Outperform. Myriad Genetics (MYGN) is up 4.3% to $39.68 after Morgan Stanley upgraded it to Equal Weight. Twitter (TWTR) is down 1.4% to $42.95 after Instinet initiated coverage with a Reduce rating. - T.R. Sign up to Review & Preview, a new daily email from Barron's. Every evening we'll review the news that moved markets during the day and look ahead to what it means for your portfolio in the morning. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Dawn of a New Q2 Earnings Season Wednesday, July 11, 2018 We're still pretty quiet here on the Western front, awaiting the deluge of Q2 earnings results that begins with the spigot opening for big banks - JPMorgan JPM , Citigroup C and Wells Fargo WFC among them Friday - before opening up to the publicly traded industries at large, starting next week. Though we do have a new economic read worth looking at. June Producer Price Index (PPI) numbers have hit the tape this morning, posting gains of 0.3% on the headline - 10 basis points hotter than expected, though still down from the +0.5% reported in May. Interestingly, subtracting the often-volatile food and energy costs we still see a tally of 0.3%. Year over year, this ex-food & energy number is 2.8%, higher than the 2.6% expected and the 2.4% in the previous read. This indicates that producer pricing is experiencing inflation - though still relatively slow, especially in light of historically low unemployment (which usually leads to spiking wage increases) and a Q2 GDP number some analysts expect to reach 4% or higher. If the PPI continues to ramp up at sub-3% levels considering everything else going on in the economy, we can still behave as if we're Goldilocks - enjoying that which is not too hot, not too cold. Also this morning, although not a marquee name nor a fixture on the S&P 500 (let alone the Dow 30), Fastenal FAST - a $14 billion market-cap manufacturing company which develops and markets fasteners for all sorts of Construction and Manufacturing goods - outperformed expectations on both top and bottom lines ahead of the opening bell. Earnings of 74 cents per share on $1.27 billion topped estimates of 66 cents and $1.26 billion, respectively. For more on FAST's Q2 earnings, click here. The Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company rose initially 7.5% upon the release of its Q2 report, settling back to gains of roughly 6.6% a half hour ahead of the market open. Tomorrow, we anticipate quarterly earnings from airline major Delta DAL , which is also a Zacks Rank #3 stock. Market futures are in the red this morning, however, as an apparent resurgence of trade war fears appear to be resurfacing. Either that or President Trump's harsh words for Germany ahead of the NATO summit today in Brussels may have awoken market bears in our otherwise idyllic trading scenario. Mark Vickery Senior Editor Questions or comments about this article and/or its author? Click here>> More Stock News: This Is Bigger than the iPhone! It could become the mother of all technological revolutions. Apple sold a mere 1 billion iPhones in 10 years but a new breakthrough is expected to generate more than 27 billion devices in just 3 years, creating a $1.7 trillion market. Zacks has just released a Special Report that spotlights this fast-emerging phenomenon and 6 tickers for taking advantage of it. If you don't buy now, you may kick yourself in 2020. Click here for the 6 trades >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Delta Air Lines, Inc. (DAL): Free Stock Analysis Report JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM): Free Stock Analysis Report Wells Fargo & Company (WFC): Free Stock Analysis Report Citigroup Inc. (C): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Airline Stock Outlook & Trump's Latest Trade War Jousting | Free Lunch On today's episode of Free Lunch, Associate Stock Strategist Ryan McQueeney touches on the latest trade war jousting after the Trump administration said it was readying new tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods. Later, he recaps recent news affecting the airline industry and dragging down stocks like American AAL , Delta DAL , and United UAL . Want more video content from Zacks? Subscribe to Zacks Investment News now! Free Lunch is the newest show from Zacks Investment Research. It is streamed live, four times per week, and features breaking news and analysis from Zacks strategists. Free Lunch is available on YouTube, Facebook Live, Twitter, Ustream, and more. The Trump administration surprised global investors this morning by saying that it is preparing to impose tariffs on an additional $200 million worth of Chinese goods. The tariffs would slap 10% charges on a number of products, including produce, furniture, and baseball gloves. Ryan recaps this new story and explains why the ongoing trade war drama has dragged the Shanghai index into a bear market. He also touches on earnings results from Fastenal FAST and speculates as to whether a great Q2 report season could outweigh trade war fears. Later, he touches on airline stocks, which fell in early trading Wednesday after American lowered its unit revenue guidance for the second quarter. American is still predicting TRASM growth, but its lowered guidance-and raised estimate for average fuel prices-underscores industry-wide headwinds which have hurt airlines this year. Ryan checks in with American and discusses its new outlook. He also digs into several key charts from the \""Big 3\"" airlines, as well as the broader industry. Can a strong summer travel season help these stocks rebound? Check out the show to hear what Ryan has to say! More Stock News: This Is Bigger than the iPhone! It could become the mother of all technological revolutions. Apple sold a mere 1 billion iPhones in 10 years but a new breakthrough is expected to generate more than 27 billion devices in just 3 years, creating a $1.7 trillion market. Zacks has just released a Special Report that spotlights this fast-emerging phenomenon and 6 tickers for taking advantage of it. If you don't buy now, you may kick yourself in 2020. Click here for the 6 trades >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Delta Air Lines, Inc. (DAL): Free Stock Analysis Report United Continental Holdings, Inc. (UAL): Free Stock Analysis Report American Airlines Group Inc. (AAL): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Mid-Day Market Update: Crude Oil Down Over 2%; Simulations Plus Shares Plunge Midway through trading Wednesday, the Dow traded down 0.64 percent to 24,760.26 while the NASDAQ declined 0.41 percent to 7,727.73. The S&P also fell, dropping 0.52 percent to 2,779.25. Leading and Lagging Sectors On Wednesday, the utilities shares climbed 0.34 percent. Meanwhile, top gainers in the sector included Centrais El\u00e9tricas Brasileiras S.A. - Eletrobras (NYSE: EBR ) up 4 percent, and Genie Energy Ltd. (NYSE: GNE ) up 4 percent. In trading on Wednesday, materials shares fell 1.57 percent. Top Headline Fastenal Company (NASDAQ: FAST ) reported upbeat earnings for its second quarter on Wednesday. Fastenal posted Q2 profit of $0.74 per share on revenue of $1.268 billion. However, analysts expected earnings of $0.66 per share on sales of $1.26 billion. Equities Trading UP Achieve Life Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: ACHV ) shares shot up 27 percent to $4.5799 as the clinical-stage biotech moves one step closer to filing a New Drug Application for its smoking cessation pipeline candidate cytisine. After a meeting with the FDA regarding both clinical and non-clinical development plans for cytisine, Achieve Life Sciences said the Phase 3 clinical program as well as a future NDA filing are further defined. Shares of Myriad Genetics, Inc. (NASDAQ: MYGN ) got a boost, shooting up 15 percent to $43.60. Morgan Stanley upgraded Myriad Genetics from Equal-Weight to Overweight and raised the price target from $35 to $55. Asterias Biotherapeutics, Inc. (NYSE: AST ) shares were also up, gaining 13 percent to $1.750 after the Safety Review Committee recommended proceeding as planned with AST-VAC2 clinical trials. Equities Trading DOWN ReShape Lifesciences Inc. (NASDAQ: RSLS ) shares dropped 19 percent to $1.656. ReShape Lifesciences reported a $2.7 million registered direct offering priced at-the-market. Shares of Simulations Plus, Inc. (NASDAQ: SLP ) were down 21 percent to $18.00. Simulations Plus posted Q3 earnings of $0.13 per share on sales of $8.553 million. Vicon Industries, Inc. (NYSE: VII ) was down, falling around 27 percent to $0.20. The company disclosed that it will not submit compliance plan to NYSE and will begin trading on OTCQB Venture Market on July 12. Commodities In commodity news, oil traded down 2.38 percent to $72.36 while gold traded down 0.72 percent to $1,246.30. Silver traded down 1.47 percent Wednesday to $15.85, while copper fell 3.36 to $2.744. Eurozone European shares were lower today. The eurozone's STOXX 600 tumbled 1.26 percent, the Spanish Ibex Index fell 1.57 percent, while Italy's FTSE MIB Index fell 1.58 percent. Meanwhile the German DAX slipped 1.53 percent, and the French CAC 40 dropped 1.48 percent while U.K. shares fell 1.3 percent. Economics The Producer Price Index rose 0.3 percent for June, versus economists' expectations for a 0.2 percent increase. U.S. wholesale inventories increased 0.6 percent for May, versus economists' estimates for a 0.5 percent gain. Domestic crude supplies dropped 12.6 million barrels for the week ended July 6, the Energy Information Administration reported. However, analysts projected a decline of 4.8 million barrels. Gasoline stockpiles slipped 700,000 barrels, while distillate stockpiles gained 4.1 million barrels for the week. New York Federal Reserve Bank President John Williams is set to speak in Brooklyn, NY at 4:30 p.m. ET. \u00a9 2018 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Get insight into trading platforms. Compare the best online stock brokerages. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Mid-Afternoon Market Update: Dow Down Over 200 Points; Achieve Life Sciences Shares Spike Higher Toward the end of trading Wednesday, the Dow traded down 0.83 percent to 24,714.04 while the NASDAQ declined 0.48 percent to 7,722.13. The S&P also fell, dropping 0.66 percent to 2,775.45. Leading and Lagging Sectors Wednesday afternoon, the utilities shares climbed 0.53 percent. Meanwhile, top gainers in the sector included Kenon Holdings Ltd. (NYSE: KEN ) up 4 percent, and Genie Energy Ltd. (NYSE: GNE ) up 5 percent. In trading on Wednesday, energy shares fell 2.12 percent. Top Headline Fastenal Company (NASDAQ: FAST ) reported upbeat earnings for its second quarter on Wednesday. Fastenal posted Q2 profit of $0.74 per share on revenue of $1.268 billion. However, analysts expected earnings of $0.66 per share on sales of $1.26 billion. Equities Trading UP Achieve Life Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: ACHV ) shares shot up 15 percent to $4.16 as the clinical-stage biotech moves one step closer to filing a New Drug Application for its smoking cessation pipeline candidate cytisine. After a meeting with the FDA regarding both clinical and non-clinical development plans for cytisine, Achieve Life Sciences said the Phase 3 clinical program as well as a future NDA filing are further defined. Shares of Myriad Genetics, Inc. (NASDAQ: MYGN ) got a boost, shooting up 14 percent to $43.22. Morgan Stanley upgraded Myriad Genetics from Equal-Weight to Overweight and raised the price target from $35 to $55. Asterias Biotherapeutics, Inc. (NYSE: AST ) shares were also up, gaining 10 percent to $1.70 after the Safety Review Committee recommended proceeding as planned with AST-VAC2 clinical trials. Equities Trading DOWN ReShape Lifesciences Inc. (NASDAQ: RSLS ) shares dropped 19 percent to $1.65. ReShape Lifesciences reported a $2.7 million registered direct offering priced at-the-market. Shares of Simulations Plus, Inc. (NASDAQ: SLP ) were down 22 percent to $17.82. Simulations Plus posted Q3 earnings of $0.13 per share on sales of $8.553 million. Vicon Industries, Inc. (NYSE: VII ) was down, falling around 27 percent to $0.20. The company disclosed that it will not submit compliance plan to NYSE and will begin trading on OTCQB Venture Market on July 12. Commodities In commodity news, oil traded down 4.13 percent to $71.05 while gold traded down 0.87 percent to $1,244.50. Silver traded down 1.66 percent Wednesday to $15.82, while copper fell 3.43 to $ 2.742. Eurozone European shares closed lower today. The eurozone's STOXX 600 tumbled 1.26 percent, the Spanish Ibex Index fell 1.57 percent, while Italy's FTSE MIB Index fell 1.58 percent. Meanwhile the German DAX slipped 1.53 percent, and the French CAC 40 dropped 1.48 percent while U.K. shares fell 1.30 percent. Economics The Producer Price Index rose 0.3 percent for June, versus economists' expectations for a 0.2 percent increase. U.S. wholesale inventories increased 0.6 percent for May, versus economists' estimates for a 0.5 percent gain. Domestic crude supplies dropped 12.6 million barrels for the week ended July 6, the Energy Information Administration reported. However, analysts projected a decline of 4.8 million barrels. Gasoline stockpiles slipped 700,000 barrels, while distillate stockpiles gained 4.1 million barrels for the week. New York Federal Reserve Bank President John Williams is set to speak in Brooklyn, NY at 4:30 p.m. ET. \u00a9 2018 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Profit with More New & Research . Gain access to a streaming platform with all the information you need to invest better today. Click here to start your 14 Day Trial of Benzinga Professional The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal's (FAST) Q2 Earnings Beat Estimates, Margins Down 336953 Fastenal Company (FAST) delivered strong results in the second quarter of 2018 owing to higher market demand, growth in industrial vending business and existing Onsite locations. Sales through vending devices grew at a strong double-digit pace in the quarter, courtesy of increase in the installed base and higher revenues per device. However, margins declined due to inflationary pressures. Earnings & Sales Detail Fastenal's adjusted earnings of 74 cents per share beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 66 cents. Earnings surged 42.6% year over year. Net sales of $1.27 billion surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.26 billion. Sales grew 13.1% year over year on the back of higher underlying market demand, growth in industrial vending business and existing Onsite locations. Fastenal's daily sales grew 13.1% in the quarter, lower than the 13.2% increase in the prior-year quarter. On a monthly basis, daily sales improved 13.5% in June, 12.5% in May and 13.4% in April, compared with a rise of 13%, 9.7% and 8.9%, respectively, in the prior-year quarter. Daily sales of Fastener products (used mainly for industrial production and accounting for approximately 35% of second-quarter sales) rose 11.1% in the quarter. Non-fastener product Daily sales (used mainly for maintenance and representing 65% of the quarterly sales) increased 14.8% year over year. Vending Trends and Other Growth Drivers As of Jun 30, 2018, Fastenal operated 76,069 vending machines, up 14.3% year over year. During the quarter, the company signed 5,537 machine contracts, up 13.4% year over year. Fastenal signed 81 new Onsite locations during the quarter, up 19.1% from 68 signings in the prior-year quarter. As of Jun 30, 2018, the company had 761 active sites, up 56.6%. Additionally, the company signed 43 new national account contracts in the second quarter (representing 50.7% of total revenues in the quarter). Daily sales to its national account customers grew 19.1% in the quarter on a year-over-year basis. Margins Decline Gross margin of 48.7% in the second quarter of 2018 declined 110 basis points (bps) year over year due to changes in product and customer mix, inflation and higher product as well as freight expenses. Operating margin was flat year over year to 21.2% in the quarter, owing to an improvement in operating and administrative expenses. Financials Cash and cash equivalents were $135.5 million as of Jun 30, 2018, up from $116.9 million as of Dec 31, 2017. Long-term debt was $422.5 million, up from $412 million at the end of 2017. Zacks Rank & Stocks to Consider Fastenal has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). A few better-ranked stocks in the Zacks Retail-Wholesale sector are Ascena Retail Group, Inc.(ASNA), Urban Outfitters, Inc (URBN) and Vera Bradley, Inc (VRA). All three companies sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Ascena Retail surpassed earnings in two of the past four quarters with an average beat of 61.1%. Urban Outfitters expects earnings growth of 49.1% in the current year. Vera Bradley surpassed earnings in all of the past four quarters with an average beat of 39.4%. More Stock News: This Is Bigger than the iPhone! It could become the mother of all technological revolutions. Apple sold a mere 1 billion iPhones in 10 years but a new breakthrough is expected to generate more than 27 billion devices in just 3 years, creating a $1.7 trillion market. Zacks has just released a Special Report that spotlights this fast-emerging phenomenon and 6 tickers for taking advantage of it. If you don't buy now, you may kick yourself in 2020. Click here for the 6 trades >> Fastenal CompanyFAST delivered strong results in the second quarter of 2018 owing to higher market demand, growth in industrial vending business and existing Onsite locations. Sales through vending devices grew at a strong double-digit pace in the quarter, courtesy of increase in the installed base and higher revenues per device. However, margins declined due to inflationary pressures. Earnings & Sales Detail Fastenal's adjusted earnings of 74 cents per share beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 66 cents. Earnings surged 42.6% year over year. Net sales of $1.27 billion surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.26 billion. Sales grew 13.1% year over year on the back of higher underlying market demand, growth in industrial vending business and existing Onsite locations. Fastenal's daily sales grew 13.1% in the quarter, lower than the 13.2% increase in the prior-year quarter. On a monthly basis, daily sales improved 13.5% in June, 12.5% in May and 13.4% in April, compared with a rise of 13%, 9.7% and 8.9%, respectively, in the prior-year quarter. Daily sales of Fastener products (used mainly for industrial production and accounting for approximately 35% of second-quarter sales) rose 11.1% in the quarter. Non-fastener product Daily sales (used mainly for maintenance and representing 65% of the quarterly sales) increased 14.8% year over year. Vending Trends and Other Growth Drivers As of Jun 30, 2018, Fastenal operated 76,069 vending machines, up 14.3% year over year. During the quarter, the company signed 5,537 machine contracts, up 13.4% year over year. Fastenal signed 81 new Onsite locations during the quarter, up 19.1% from 68 signings in the prior-year quarter. As of Jun 30, 2018, the company had 761 active sites, up 56.6%. Additionally, the company signed 43 new national account contracts in the second quarter (representing 50.7% of total revenues in the quarter). Daily sales to its national account customers grew 19.1% in the quarter on a year-over-year basis. Fastenal Company Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Fastenal Company Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise | Fastenal Company Quote Margins Decline Gross margin of 48.7% in the second quarter of 2018 declined 110 basis points (bps) year over year due to changes in product and customer mix, inflation and higher product as well as freight expenses. Operating margin was flat year over year to 21.2% in the quarter, owing to an improvement in operating and administrative expenses. Financials Cash and cash equivalents were $135.5 million as of Jun 30, 2018, up from $116.9 million as of Dec 31, 2017. Long-term debt was $422.5 million, up from $412 million at the end of 2017. Zacks Rank & Stocks to Consider Fastenal has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). A few better-ranked stocks in the Zacks Retail-Wholesale sector are Ascena Retail Group, Inc. ASNA , Urban Outfitters, Inc URBN and Vera Bradley, Inc VRA . All three companies sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here . Ascena Retail surpassed earnings in two of the past four quarters with an average beat of 61.1%. Urban Outfitters expects earnings growth of 49.1% in the current year. Vera Bradley surpassed earnings in all of the past four quarters with an average beat of 39.4%. More Stock News: This Is Bigger than the iPhone! It could become the mother of all technological revolutions. Apple sold a mere 1 billion iPhones in 10 years but a new breakthrough is expected to generate more than 27 billion devices in just 3 years, creating a $1.7 trillion market. Zacks has just released a Special Report that spotlights this fast-emerging phenomenon and 6 tickers for taking advantage of it. If you don't buy now, you may kick yourself in 2020. Click here for the 6 trades >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Urban Outfitters, Inc. (URBN): Free Stock Analysis Report Vera Bradley, Inc. (VRA): Free Stock Analysis Report Ascena Retail Group, Inc. (ASNA): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""What Happened in the Stock Market Today A new round of U.S. tariffs on China brought trade worries to the forefront of investors' minds Wednesday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI) and the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) both fell throughout the day. Today's stock market Data source: Yahoo! Finance. Materials stocks were hit hard; the SPDR S&P Metals and Mining ETF (NYSEMKT: XME) dropped 2.1%. The defensive utility sector was the only portion of the market in the green, with the Utilities Select SPDR ETF (NYSEMKT: XLU) closing the day up 0.9%. Among individual companies making news, Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST) reported strong profits, while amusement park operator Cedar Fair (NYSE: FUN) announced a disappointing drop in early season attendance. Fastenal cranks up profits Shares of industrial supply company Fastenal soared 10.1% after the company reported better-than-expected second-quarter earnings and strong sales trends. Net sales increased 13.1% to $1.27 billion, about what observers were expecting. Earnings per share jumped 42% to $0.72; analysts had been expecting $0.66. The sales gains were driven by increases in underlying demand as well as by the success of Fastenal's growth initiatives. Daily sales growth in the non-residential construction end market accelerated with a 15.5% increase, and its sales to manufacturing customers grew 13.3%. Sales figures released for the month of June showed that Fastenal's business was gaining momentum late in the quarter, with non-residential construction daily sales up 17.4%, manufacturing sales gaining 14%, and total daily sales up 13.5%. Gross margin fell 1.1 percentage points year over year, the continuation of a trend that had created concern last quarter , but the metric held steady sequentially at 48.7%. Operating margin, however, was flat from Q2 last year, thanks to operating leverage . Earnings benefited from the new tax law by $0.15 per share. Fastenal is reaping the benefits of its strategy of giving customers immediate access to its products when they're needed. It's installing vending machines with parts on customer sites, and sales through those machines increased more than 20% in Q2. It also has increased onsite locations -- sales and service employees on or near customer sites -- 56.6% since last year, helping daily sales to national accounts to climb by 19.1% in the quarter and 20.4% in June. Investors were unamused by Cedar Fair's attendance drop Amusement park operator Cedar Fair announced a decline in revenue due to decreased attendance compared with last year and shares plummeted 7.9%. Revenue for the year through July 8 was down 2% to $563 million, and the 11.1 million guest visits was 314,000 (or 3%) fewer than last year at this time. Average in-park spending per capita was $45.87, exceeding the $45.41 per capita that guests spent through the July Fourth holiday last year. The $10 million decline in revenue was partly offset by a $2 million increase in out-of-park revenues, including resort accommodations. The period represents about 40% of Cedar Fair's total operating days in the year, but the majority of its revenue is still to come in the peak vacation period of July to August. \""Although early season attendance at our seasonal parks through this past weekend has not met our expectations, we are encouraged by the positive guest response to our new rides and attractions, in particular our new coasters Steel Vengeance at Cedar Point and Hang Time at Knott's Berry Farm,\"" said CEO Richard Zimmerman in the press release. \""We are also pleased with the growth of in-park guest spending where we are seeing year-over-year increases in food, merchandise and extra charge attractions.\"" Although the Cedar Fair expects attendance growth and higher guest spending in the second half, the company guided to full-year revenue of between $1.34 billion and $1.38 billion, below analysts' consensus estimate of $1.39 billion, which added to the gloom around the stock Wednesday. Offer from The Motley Fool: The 10 best stocks to buy now Motley Fool co-founders Tom and David Gardner have spent more than a decade beating the market. In fact, the newsletter they run, Motley Fool Stock Advisor , has tripled the S&P 500!* Tom and David just revealed their ten top stock picks for investors to buy right now. Click here to get access to the full list! *Stock Advisor returns as of June 4, 2018 Jim Crumly owns shares of Cedar Fair. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy . The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Mid-Afternoon Market Update: Dow Down Over 200 Points; Achieve Life Sciences Shares Spike Higher"", ""Mid-Day Market Update: Crude Oil Down Over 2%; Simulations Plus Shares Plunge"", ""38 Stocks Moving In Wednesday's Mid-Day Session"", ""Mid-Morning Market Update: Markets Open Lower; Fastenal Profit Tops Views"", ""25 Stocks Moving In Wednesday's Pre-Market Session"", ""Fastenal Q2 EPS $0.70 Beats $0.66 Estimate, Sales $1.268B Beat $1.26B Estimate"", ""6 Stocks To Watch For July 11, 2018"", ""Earnings Scheduled For July 11, 2018"", ""Fastenal Company (FAST) CEO Dan Florness on Q2 2018 Results - Earnings Call Transcript"", ""US Stock Markets Lower on Wednesday"", ""Trump's New Threats On Trade Hurt Stock Market"", ""Airline Stock Outlook & Trump's Latest Trade War Jousting | Free Lunch"", ""Fastenal Company 2018 Q2 - Results - Earnings Call Slides"", ""Premarket Gainers as of 9:05 am (07/11/2018)"", ""Fastenal's (FAST) Q2 Earnings Beat Estimates, Margins Down"", ""Stock Futures, Global Markets, Oil Prices Tumble On Trump Trade War Fears"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Q2 Earnings & Revenues Top Estimates"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Q2 Earnings and Revenues Surpass Estimates"", ""Fastenal tops estimates after announcing dividend"", ""Fastenal beats by $0.08, beats on revenue"", ""Fastenal shares surge 4.6% premarket after earnings top estimates Fastenal Co. shares rose 4.6% in premarket trade Wednesday, after the wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies beat earnings estimates for the second quarter. The company said it had net income of $211.2 million, or 74 cents a share, in the quarter, up from $148.9 million, or 52 cents a share, in the year-earlier period. Salres rose to $1.268 billion from $1.122 billion. The FactSet consensus was for EPS of 66 cents and sales of $1.257 billion. The company said it signed 5,537 industrial vending devices in the quarter, up 13.4% from the year-earlier period. Shares are down 9.4% in 2018 through Tuesday, while the S&P 500 has gained 4.5%."", ""World\u2019s largest asset manager: It\u2019s not a trade war yet \u2014 here\u2019s when to really worry Critical information for the U.S. trading day It\u2019s looking like stocks won\u2019t see a fifth up session in a row, thanks to a new round of U.S. tariffs targeting China. This fight isn\u2019t a trade war yet, and investors looking for red flags should track CEOs and shoppers, says BlackRock\u2019s Richard Turnill."", ""U.S. stocks halt 4-day win streak as latest China tariffs rekindle trade-war jitters Expectations of strong earnings cushioning market\u2019s drop U.S. stocks snap a four-session winning streak Wednesday after the Trump administration announced new tariffs on Chinese goods.""]"
FAST,2018-07-12,24.2312,24.5975,24.1197,24.5421,"[""Fastenal's Familiar 'Strong Growth/High Expectations' Profile"", ""MSC Industrial Falls Short Again"", ""Company News For Jul 12, 2018"", ""44 Biggest Movers From Yesterday"", ""44 Biggest Movers From Yesterday"", ""Fastenal's Familiar 'Strong Growth/High Expectations' Profile"", ""MSC Industrial Falls Short Again"", ""Company News For Jul 12, 2018"", ""Company News For Jul 12, 2018 American Airlines Group Inc. AAL shares plunged 8.1% after the company trimmed its fiscal second-quarter TRASM growth forecast to 1%-3% year-over-year from the previous guidance of 1.5%-3.5% Twenty-First Century Fox Inc. FOXA plummeted 4% after the company raised its bid by more than 30% to acquire a 61% stake in SKY plc Fastenal Co.'s FAST shares jumped 10.1% after reporting fiscal second-quarter 2018 earnings per share of $0.74 outpacing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.66 Shares of MSC Industrial Direct Co. Inc. MSM tumbled 4.5% after posting fiscal third-quarter 2018 revenues of $828.35 million missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $832.13 million Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report American Airlines Group Inc. (AAL): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Twenty-First Century Fox, Inc. (FOXA): Free Stock Analysis Report MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. (MSM): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""44 Biggest Movers From Yesterday"", ""Fastenal's Familiar 'Strong Growth/High Expectations' Profile"", ""MSC Industrial Falls Short Again"", ""Company News For Jul 12, 2018""]"
FAST,2018-07-13,24.6291,24.9291,24.322,24.5066,"[""David Rolfe Comments on Fastenal"", ""David Rolfe Comments on Fastenal"", ""David Rolfe Comments on Fastenal""]"
FAST,2018-07-16,24.5224,24.6241,24.2737,24.5935,"[""What JPMorgan, Fastenal, CASS And The DoT Are Saying To Buy"", ""Dividend Sensei's Portfolio Update 43: The 3 Essential Things All Investors Need To Get Rich"", ""Your 52 Top Yield, Upside, And Net Gain Nasdaq Stocks For July"", ""46 Nasdaq 'Safer' Dividend Net Gains Led By Lam, Western, Broadcom, Vodafone, And KLA-Tencor, Per Broker July Targets"", ""46 Nasdaq 'Safer' Dividend Net Gains Led By Lam, Western, Broadcom, Vodafone, And KLA-Tencor, Per Broker July Targets"", ""Your 52 Top Yield, Upside, And Net Gain Nasdaq Stocks For July"", ""Dividend Sensei's Portfolio Update 43: The 3 Essential Things All Investors Need To Get Rich"", ""What JPMorgan, Fastenal, CASS And The DoT Are Saying To Buy"", ""3 Things You Should Know About Fastenal Company InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips Fastenal Company (NASDAQ: FAST ) is a wholesale distributor of building and construction supplies: bolts, screws, nuts, anchors, washers, sockets \u2026 you name it. According to its website, Fastenal also sells safety gear and tools. The company has been in business for over 50 years and on the Nasdaq for 30 years. Why am I telling you this? Well, shares of FAST stock jumped double digits on Wednesday alone, while shares have gained almost 15% over the last week. A year ago, Fatsenal was posting steady upward momentum, but it had been struggling in 2018 until last week's recovery. Still, I like FAST stock. I'm a believer in the idea that seemingly boring companies often make the best investments and that understanding a company's business and industry is important - two things that aren't cryptic for a pick like FAST. Three Things to Know About FAST Stock 1. Q2 numbers: Earlier this week, Fastenal reported earnings. For the first six months of the year, sales increased by 13%, while net earnings expanded by 36% compared to the comparable period of 2017. Management cited strong demand for the growth. The company also increased active Onsite locations by 26% and industrial vending devices by 7% - two areas management calls its \""growth drivers.\"" 10 A-Rated Financial Stocks to Consider 2.The dividend: Fastenal also announced a raised dividend from 37-cents-per-share to 40-cents-per-share. However, that is basically helping the dividend keep up with the increase in the stock price. Prior to this week's earnings report, the annual dividend totaled $1.48-per-share, which was a yield close to 3.1%. As of mid-day Friday, the new $1.60-per-share annual dividend was yielding just shy of 2.9%. Still, management has consistently upped the quarterly payout for the last five years. 3. The future: Looking forward, Fastenal is expected to grow earnings by 11% each year over the next five years. Analysts have been hiking their estimates for the company's earnings in the coming quarters and years, too. That bottom-line growth should come on the back of 12% top-line growth this year and 8% sales growth in 2019. Right now, the median price target for analysts is more or less the stock's current level. But I think that's because Wall Street just hasn't had the time to catch up with FAST stock's recent, unexpected pop. I also think some of that pop could be attributed to short sellers covering their position; currently 8% of the float is held short. But that doesn't mean those gains weren't still warranted organically. Fastenal stock is currently just a few dollars away from some resistance at its 52-week high. But once it breaks through that, I expect gains to continue. Organic double-digit growth and an almost-3% dividend yield is a pretty appealing combination - especially with a technical breakthrough likely on the way. As of this writing, Robert Martin did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities. Legendary Investor Louis Navellier's #1 Stock to Buy NOW Louis Navellier - the investor the New York Times called an \""icon\"" - just helped investors make 487% in the booming Chinese stock market \u2026 408% in the medical device sector \u2026 150% in Netflix \u2026 all in less than 2 years! Now, Louis is urging investors to get in on what may be the opportunity of a lifetime. By using a unique investment strategy called \""The Master Key,\"" you could make hundreds of percent returns over the next few years. Click here to learn about the #1 stock recommendation from one of America's top investors. More From InvestorPlace 7 Hot Stocks Savvy Investors Are Buying 5 Big Pharma Stocks Investors Love Right Now 5 S&P 500 Stocks Are Driving the Index: Here's Where They're Going Next 7 Socially Responsible Investments to Make Now Compare Brokers The post 3 Things You Should Know About Fastenal Company appeared first on InvestorPlace . The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""46 Nasdaq 'Safer' Dividend Net Gains Led By Lam, Western, Broadcom, Vodafone, And KLA-Tencor, Per Broker July Targets"", ""Your 52 Top Yield, Upside, And Net Gain Nasdaq Stocks For July"", ""Dividend Sensei's Portfolio Update 43: The 3 Essential Things All Investors Need To Get Rich"", ""What JPMorgan, Fastenal, CASS And The DoT Are Saying To Buy""]"
FAST,2018-07-17,24.5639,24.8571,24.4316,24.8145,"[""Beacon Acquires Atlas, Expands Sealants & Coatings Business"", ""12 Dividend Increases: July 2-13, 2018"", ""12 Dividend Increases: July 2-13, 2018"", ""Beacon Acquires Atlas, Expands Sealants & Coatings Business"", ""Beacon Acquires Atlas, Expands Sealants & Coatings Business Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc.BECN has acquired Atlas Supply Inc., a major distributor of sealants, coatings, adhesives and related waterproofing products in the Pacific Northwest. The financial terms of the deal are not yet disclosed. Focus on Sealants & Coatings Business Operating since 1917, Seattle-based Atlas has expanded its footprint to six locations, with stores in Seattle, Tacoma, Spokane, and Mountlake Terrace in Washington, as well as Portland, Oregon and Boise, Idaho. Based in Herndon, VA, Beacon roofing operates 551 branches in all 50 states and in 6 provinces in Canada. The addition of Atlas to Beacon's portfolio enabled it to serve customers along the entire west coast as well as a portion of the Southwest. The deal is in sync with the company's strategy to grow its strong margin complementary products business. Beacon's Expansion Strategy In January 2018, Beacon acquired CRH plc's CRH U.S. distribution business, Allied Building Products Corp. for $2.6 billion. The buyout not only expands its product offerings, but also increases geographical reach in both existing and new markets, while ensuring significant cost synergies. Notably, Dublin, Ireland-based CRH is the largest building materials company in North America and second largest worldwide. Its subsidiary, Allied Building Products is one of the country's largest exterior and interior building products distributors. It distributes exterior products such as roofing, siding, windows and doors, as well as interior products such as wallboard and suspended ceiling systems, across 208 locations in 31 states. In addition to growing roofing supplies business, Allied Building added a wallboard and acoustical ceiling tile wholesale business to Beacon, making it the fourth largest distributor of such products in the United States, with more than $1 billion of revenues in the interior market category. Robust construction activity, given strong economic fundamentals and solid job market, bodes well for Beacon. The company remains optimistic of a strong macroeconomic backdrop for new construction and home improvement, as well as its growth initiatives. In the last reported quarter, residential roofing product sales were up around 20% year over year. Non-residential roofing product sales registered 36% growth and complementary product sales increased a whopping 263%, both on a year-over-year basis. Share Price Performance Shares of Beacon have underperformed its industry year to date. While Beacon plunged 37.7%, its industry registered 3.6% growth in the said period. Moreover, earnings estimates have trended downward by 1.2% for the current fiscal and 1.1% for the next, over the past 30 days. Moreover, the negative impact of price/cost timing on gross margins during the first half of fiscal 2018 is a significant hurdle. In the fiscal second-quarterearnings call this Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) company lowered its adjusted EBITDA view for fiscal 2018. Consistent with adjusted EBITDA reduction, the company also reduced its adjusted EPS view. It lowered the guided range from $3.40-$3.70 to $3.35-$3.55 for the fiscal. That said, the latest Atlas addition as well as higher contribution from the Allied Building Products acquisition, and successful price increases associated with a solid demand environment are expected to support Beacon's growth. Stocks to Consider Some better-ranked stocks in the same sector include Builders FirstSource, Inc. BLDR and Fastenal Company FAST , each carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here . Builders FirstSource has an estimated earnings growth of 47.2% for the current year. Fastenal's 2018 earnings are expected to grow 32.6%. Today's Stocks from Zacks' Hottest Strategies It's hard to believe, even for us at Zacks. But while the market gained +21.9% in 2017, our top stock-picking screens have returned +115.0%, +109.3%, +104.9%, +98.6%, and +67.1%. And this outperformance has not just been a recent phenomenon. Over the years it has been remarkably consistent. From 2000 - 2017, the composite yearly average gain for these strategies has beaten the market more than 19X over. Maybe even more remarkable is the fact that we're willing to share their latest stocks with you without cost or obligation. See Them Free>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report CRH PLC (CRH): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. (BECN): Free Stock Analysis Report Builders FirstSource, Inc. (BLDR): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""12 Dividend Increases: July 2-13, 2018"", ""Beacon Acquires Atlas, Expands Sealants & Coatings Business""]"
FAST,2018-07-18,24.9725,25.2015,24.6419,25.0367,"Fastenal Named Top Dividend Stock With Insider Buying and 2.88% Yield (FAST) In this series, we look through the most recent Dividend Channel''DividendRank'' report, and then we cherry pick only those companies that have experienced insider buying within the past six months. The officers and directors of a company tend to have a unique insider's view of the business, and presumably the only reason an insider would choose to take their hard-earned cash and use it to buy stock in the open market, is that they expect to make money - maybe they find the stock very undervalued, or maybe they see exciting progress within the company, or maybe both. So when stocks turn up that see insider buying, and are also top ranked, investors are wise to take notice. One such company is Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST), which saw buying by Senior Executive VP Terry Modock Owen. Back on June 6, Owen invested $103,700.00 into 2,000 shares of FAST, for a cost per share of $51.85. In trading on Wednesday, shares were changing hands as low as $55.55 per share, which is 7.1% above Owen's purchase price. Fastenal Co. shares are currently trading +0.64% on the day. The chart below shows the one year performance of FAST shares, versus its 200 day moving average: Looking at the chart above, FAST's low point in its 52 week range is $39.79 per share, with $58.735 as the 52 week high point - that compares with a last trade of $56.28. By comparison, below is a table showing the prices at which insider buying was recorded over the last six months: The DividendRank report noted that among the coverage universe, FAST shares displayed both attractive valuation metrics and strong profitability metrics. The report also cited the strong quarterly dividend history at Fastenal Co., and favorable long-term multi-year growth rates in key fundamental data points. The report stated, '' Dividend investors approaching investing from a value standpoint are generally most interested in researching the strongest most profitable companies, that also happen to be trading at an attractive valuation. That's what we aim to find using our proprietary DividendRank formula, which ranks the coverage universe based upon our various criteria for both profitability and valuation, to generate a list of the top most 'interesting' stocks, meant for investors as a source of ideas that merit further research. '' The annualized dividend paid by Fastenal Co. is $1.6/share, currently paid in quarterly installments, and its most recent dividend ex-date was on 07/24/2018. Below is a long-term dividend history chart for FAST, which the report stressed as being of key importance. Indeed, studying a company's past dividend history can be of good help in judging whether the most recent dividend is likely to continue. The Top DividendRank'ed Stocks With Insider Buying » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2018-07-19,24.9331,25.4364,24.7939,25.2065,"[""Fastenal: Outstanding Quarter, Company Remains A Buy"", ""6 Upcoming Dividend Increases"", ""Stocks To Watch: Fastenal Sees Relative Strength Rating Jump To 82"", ""Fastenal: Outstanding Quarter, Company Remains A Buy"", ""Stocks To Watch: Fastenal Sees Relative Strength Rating Jump To 82"", ""6 Upcoming Dividend Increases"", ""Fastenal: Outstanding Quarter, Company Remains A Buy"", ""Stocks To Watch: Fastenal Sees Relative Strength Rating Jump To 82"", ""6 Upcoming Dividend Increases""]"
FAST,2018-07-20,25.1531,25.5914,24.9508,25.4907,"[""Ex-Dividend Reminder: CVS Health, Fastenal and Lowe's Companies Looking at the universe of stocks we cover at Dividend Channel , on 7/24/18, CVS Health Corporation (Symbol: CVS), Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST), and Lowe's Companies Inc (Symbol: LOW) will all trade ex-dividend for their respective upcoming dividends. CVS Health Corporation will pay its quarterly dividend of $0.50 on 8/1/18, Fastenal Co. will pay its quarterly dividend of $0.40 on 8/22/18, and Lowe's Companies Inc will pay its quarterly dividend of $0.48 on 8/8/18. As a percentage of CVS's recent stock price of $65.34, this dividend works out to approximately 0.77%, so look for shares of CVS Health Corporation to trade 0.77% lower - all else being equal - when CVS shares open for trading on 7/24/18. Similarly, investors should look for FAST to open 0.71% lower in price and for LOW to open 0.48% lower, all else being equal. Below are dividend history charts for CVS, FAST, and LOW, showing historical dividends prior to the most recent ones declared. CVS Health Corporation (Symbol: CVS) : Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) : Lowe's Companies Inc (Symbol: LOW) : In general, dividends are not always predictable, following the ups and downs of company profits over time. Therefore, a good first due diligence step in forming an expectation of annual yield going forward, is looking at the history above, for a sense of stability over time. This can help in judging whether the most recent dividends from these companies are likely to continue. If they do continue, the current estimated yields on annualized basis would be 3.06% for CVS Health Corporation, 2.83% for Fastenal Co., and 1.91% for Lowe's Companies Inc. In Friday trading, CVS Health Corporation shares are currently down about 1.2%, Fastenal Co. shares are off about 0.5%, and Lowe's Companies Inc shares are off about 0.7% on the day. Click here to learn which 25 S.A.F.E. dividend stocks should be on your radar screen \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Vending Machines Are the Surprising Key to This Industrial Company's Growth Plan In 2014, Fastenal Company (NASDAQ: FAST) identified a new growth driver for its business. Instead of having its customers come to it, the fastener, tool, and supply retailer realized its customers increasingly desired Fastenal to go to them. The company calls this its onsite business, which is even more profitable than the company's more traditional store-based operations. A key piece of this is, believe it or not, vending machines. Here's why being onsite is so important to this 3%-yielding stock's future. The little things Fastenal provides customers with reliable and fast access to things you don't really think about much, literally the nuts and bolts that keep businesses running. It has around 2,290 physical branches where it sells fasteners, tools, and other supplies. However, that number is down from a peak of 2,687 in 2013. Yet revenues increased each year through that span, going from around $3.3 billion in 2013 to nearly $4.4 billion in 2017. Although the company is really good at what it does, the store closures aren't a sign of an incredible increase in efficiency. They point to a business shift that started to take shape in 2014, when Fastenal realized that going direct to its customers was a key growth driver for the business. That includes three main categories: onsite locations, stocking customer supply bins, and vending machines. The main goal is to help customers free up time and resources that they can instead put toward their businesses, while Fastenal does the things it does well (making sure its customers have the parts they need when they need them), just at a different location. This leverages its distribution system, including its branch network, and integrates Fastenal into its customers' workflow in a way that makes the company hard to replace. How much growth? Between 2014 and the first quarter of 2017, Fastenal increased its onsite locations from 214 to 761. If you count those locations as stores, which they effectively are, its total store count at the end of the second quarter actually rises from 2,290 to 3,051. Adding these onsite locations to the store count each year turns a steadily declining number since 2014 into a steadily rising one. And these are incredibly profitable operations, with operating expenses that are roughly half of what a typical Fastenal store would cost to operate. To break out a key piece of this puzzle, onsite vending machines, not the type that contain soda and chips, have been growing at a compound annual rate of 15% since 2013. Sales through vending machines grew 20% year over year in the most recent quarter, so this is a very real business that customers appear to like based on the installed base of over 76,000 vending machines (vending locations generally contain more than one machine). Today, onsite represents around 20% of the company's revenues, double what it was in 2013. And despite making up just 20% of the top line, Fastenal explains that 40% of its revenue growth is being driven by this business. With an onsite revenue run rate of over $2 billion a year, the company still sees plenty of potential in what it believes is an over $22 billion market opportunity. Although being onsite at a customer location isn't a unique business model to Fastenal, this is clearly the business to watch for growth at this industrial supplier. A decent price for a great business Fastenal's shares are near all-time highs, but based on its ability to continue driving growth in new ways, that makes complete sense. However, it may not be as expensive as you think. The company's price to earnings to growth ratio, also known as the PEG ratio , is currently around 1.4 times compared to a five-year average of just under 1.9. This suggests it is trading at a discount relative to the valuation it has historically been afforded. The company's enterprise value to EBITDA, meanwhile, is roughly in line with its five-year average. Overall, Fastenal looks fairly priced to, perhaps, a little bit cheap based on its growth prospects -- driven by things like vending machines and onsite locations. Where things start to get really interesting is when you consider the stock's generous 3% yield, backed by 19 years of consecutive annual dividend increases. An S&P 500 Index would only get you a yield of about 2%. And the current yield is easily at the high end of the company's historical yield range. FAST data by YCharts . The trailing 10-year annualized growth rate on the dividend, meanwhile, is nearly 20%. That's not a realistic number to expect in the future because it includes a shift in the payout ratio from around 30% in 2008 to the 60% range more recently. However, over the trailing three years, the dividend has grown at an annualized rate of 8.6%, nearly three times the historical growth rate of inflation . Although Fastenal's stock price is high on an absolute level, it looks relatively cheap when you consider its growth prospects and generous 3% dividend yield. Investors looking for a mix of growth and income would do well to take a closer look at this company today, making sure to focus on its onsite business, a key growth driver and a still huge growth opportunity. At the end of the day, a fair price for a company that appears to be firing on all cylinders is still an enticing opportunity. 10 stocks we like better than Fastenal When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor , has quadrupled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Fastenal wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. Click here to learn about these picks! *Stock Advisor returns as of June 4, 2018 Reuben Gregg Brewer has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy . The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2018-07-23,25.4956,25.9408,25.4611,25.6882,"[""Moving Average Crossover Alert: Fastenal (FAST)"", ""Moving Average Crossover Alert: Fastenal (FAST)"", ""Fastenal Company (FAST) Ex-Dividend Date Scheduled for July 24, 2018 Fastenal Company ( FAST ) will begin trading ex-dividend on July 24, 2018. A cash dividend payment of $0.4 per share is scheduled to be paid on August 22, 2018. Shareholders who purchased FAST prior to the ex-dividend date are eligible for the cash dividend payment. This represents an 8.11% increase over prior dividend payment. At the current stock price of $57.47, the dividend yield is 2.78%. The previous trading day's last sale of FAST was $57.47, representing a -2.15% decrease from the 52 week high of $58.74 and a 44.43% increase over the 52 week low of $39.79. FAST is a part of the Consumer Services sector, which includes companies such as Home Depot, Inc. ( HD ) and Lowe's Companies, Inc. ( LOW ). FAST's current earnings per share, an indicator of a company's profitability, is $2.38. Zacks Investment Research reports FAST's forecasted earnings growth in 2018 as 32.64%, compared to an industry average of 28.7%. For more information on the declaration, record and payment dates, visit the FAST Dividend History page. Our Dividend Calendar has the full list of stocks that have an ex-dividend today. Interested in gaining exposure to FAST through an Exchange Traded Fund [ETF]? The following ETF(s) have FAST as a top-10 holding: SPDR Select Sector Fund - Industrial ( XLI ) Inspire Global Hope ETF ( BLES ) Invesco S&P 500 Quality ETF ( SPHQ ). The top-performing ETF of this group is SPHQ with an increase of 0.19% over the last 100 days. XLI has the highest percent weighting of FAST at 0.62%. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Moving Average Crossover Alert: Fastenal (FAST)""]"
FAST,2018-07-24,25.5085,25.928,25.2223,25.2933,"[""Dividend Sensei's Portfolio Update 44: 5 Important Charts All Investors Need To See"", ""Stocks Trading Ex Dividend For Tues., July 24th, 2018"", ""Stocks Trading Ex Dividend For Tues., July 24th, 2018"", ""Dividend Sensei's Portfolio Update 44: 5 Important Charts All Investors Need To See"", ""FAST Crosses Above Average Analyst Target In recent trading, shares of Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) have crossed above the average analyst 12-month target price of $57.75, changing hands for $57.90/share. When a stock reaches the target an analyst has set, the analyst logically has two ways to react: downgrade on valuation, or, re-adjust their target price to a higher level. Analyst reaction may also depend on the fundamental business developments that may be responsible for driving the stock price higher - if things are looking up for the company, perhaps it is time for that target price to be raised. There are 8 different analyst targets contributing to that average for Fastenal Co., but the average is just that - a mathematical average. There are analysts with lower targets than the average, including one looking for a price of $53.00. And then on the other side of the spectrum one analyst has a target as high as $62.00. The standard deviation is $3.059. But the whole reason to look at the average FAST price target in the first place is to tap into a \""wisdom of crowds\"" effort, putting together the contributions of all the individual minds who contributed to the ultimate number, as opposed to what just one particular expert believes. And so with FAST crossing above that average target price of $57.75/share, investors in FAST have been given a good signal to spend fresh time assessing the company and deciding for themselves: is $57.75 just one stop on the way to an even higher target, or has the valuation gotten stretched to the point where it is time to think about taking some chips off the table? Below is a table showing the current thinking of the analysts that cover Fastenal Co.: The average rating presented in the last row of the above table above is from 1 to 5 where 1 is Strong Buy and 5 is Strong Sell. This article used data provided by Zacks Investment Research via Quandl.com . Get the latest Zacks research report on FAST - FREE . 10 ETFs With Most Upside To Analyst Targets \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Stocks Trading Ex Dividend For Tues., July 24th, 2018"", ""Dividend Sensei's Portfolio Update 44: 5 Important Charts All Investors Need To See""]"
FAST,2018-07-25,25.2854,25.7404,25.242,25.696,"FVD, I, CA, FAST: Large Inflows Detected at ETF Looking today at week-over-week shares outstanding changes among the universe of ETFs covered at ETF Channel , one standout is the First Trust Value Line Dividend Index Fund (Symbol: FVD) where we have detected an approximate $188.9 million dollar inflow -- that's a 4.5% increase week over week in outstanding units (from 135,037,986 to 141,137,986). Among the largest underlying components of FVD, in trading today Intelsat SA (Symbol: I) is down about 0.9%, CA Inc (Symbol: CA) is trading flat, and Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) is higher by about 0.2%. For a complete list of holdings, visit the FVD Holdings page » The chart below shows the one year price performance of FVD, versus its 200 day moving average: Looking at the chart above, FVD's low point in its 52 week range is $28.89 per share, with $31.85 as the 52 week high point - that compares with a last trade of $31.01. Comparing the most recent share price to the 200 day moving average can also be a useful technical analysis technique -- learn more about the 200 day moving average » . Exchange traded funds (ETFs) trade just like stocks, but instead of ''shares'' investors are actually buying and selling ''units''. These ''units'' can be traded back and forth just like stocks, but can also be created or destroyed to accommodate investor demand. Each week we monitor the week-over-week change in shares outstanding data, to keep a lookout for those ETFs experiencing notable inflows (many new units created) or outflows (many old units destroyed). Creation of new units will mean the underlying holdings of the ETF need to be purchased, while destruction of units involves selling underlying holdings, so large flows can also impact the individual components held within ETFs. Click here to find out which 9 other ETFs had notable inflows » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2018-07-26,25.7898,25.9546,25.3022,25.3525,"[""Wedgewood Partners Second Quarter 2018 Client Letter - When The Punchbowl Is Spiked With Debt"", ""Old National Bancorp Buys iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond, Cognizant ..."", ""Old National Bancorp Buys iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond, Cognizant ..."", ""Wedgewood Partners Second Quarter 2018 Client Letter - When The Punchbowl Is Spiked With Debt"", ""Old National Bancorp Buys iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond, Cognizant ..."", ""Wedgewood Partners Second Quarter 2018 Client Letter - When The Punchbowl Is Spiked With Debt""]"
FAST,2018-07-27,25.3525,25.5204,25.1107,25.2459,
FAST,2018-07-30,25.2657,25.4167,24.9508,25.0515,"[""4 Double-Digit Payout Increases Expected In August"", ""4 Double-Digit Payout Increases Expected In August"", ""WisdomTree U.S. Dividend ex-Financials Fund -- Insider Buying Index Registering 10.2% A look at the weighted underlying holdings of the WisdomTree U.S. Dividend ex-Financials Fund (Symbol: DTN) shows an impressive 10.2% of holdings on a weighted basis have experienced insider buying within the past six months. Lilly (Eli) & Co (Symbol: LLY), which makes up 0.97% of the WisdomTree U.S. Dividend ex-Financials Fund (Symbol: DTN), has seen 2 directors and officers purchase shares in the past six months, according to the recent Form 4 data. The ETF holds a total of $7,960,148 worth of LLY, making it the #56 largest holding. The table below details the recent insider buying activity observed at LLY: LLY - last trade: $96.60 - Recent Insider Buys: And Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST), the #62 largest holding among components of the WisdomTree U.S. Dividend ex-Financials Fund (Symbol: DTN), shows 4 directors and officers as recently filing Form 4's indicating purchases. The ETF holds $7,512,335 worth of FAST, which represents approximately 0.91% of the ETF's total assets at last check. The recent insider buying activity observed at FAST is detailed in the table below: FAST - last trade: $56.51 - Recent Insider Buys: 10 ETFs With Stocks That Insiders Are Buying \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""4 Double-Digit Payout Increases Expected In August""]"
FAST,2018-07-31,25.1808,25.5223,25.0752,25.4315,"[""5 Top-Ranked Stocks to Benefit From Rising P/E Investing"", ""5 Top-Ranked Stocks to Benefit From Rising P/E Investing"", ""5 Top-Ranked Stocks to Benefit From Rising P/E Investing Generally, investors love stocks with a low price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio. The idea is that the lower the P/E, the higher will be the value of the stock. The simple logic that a stock's current market price does not validate (is not equivalent to) its higher earnings and therefore has room to run justifies investors' inclination toward low P/E stocks. But stocks with a rising P/E are also worth a bet. We'll tell you why. Why Rising P/E a Great Tool? Investors should note that stock price moves in tandem with earnings performance. If earnings come in stronger, the price of a stock shoots up. Solid quarterly earnings and the forward guidance boost earnings forecasts, leading to stronger demand for the stock and an uptrend in its price. So, if the price is rising steadily, it means that investors are assured of the stock's fundamental strength and expect some strong positives out of it. Suppose an investor wants to buy a stock with a P/E ratio of 30, it means that he is willing to shell out $30 for only $1 worth of earnings. This is because the investor expects earnings of the company to rise at a faster pace in the future on the back of strong fundamentals. Also, studies have revealed that stocks have seen their P/E ratios jump over 100% from their breakout point in the cycle. So, if you can pick stocks early in their breakout cycle, you can end up seeing considerable gains. The Winning Strategy In order to shortlist stocks that are exhibiting an increasing P/E, we chose the following as our primary screening parameters. EPS growth estimate for the current year is greater than or equal to last year's actual growth Percentage change in last year EPS should be greater than or equal zero (These two criteria point to flat earnings or a growth trend over the years.) Percentage change in price over four weeks greater than the percentage change in price over 12 weeks Percentage change in price over 12 weeks greater than percentage change in price over 24 weeks (These two criteria show that price of the stock is increasing consistently over the said timeframes.) Percentage price change for four weeks relative to the S&P 500 greater than the percentage price change for 12 weeks relative to the S&P 500 Percentage price change for 12 weeks relative to the S&P 500 greater than the percentage price change for 24 weeks relative to the S&P 500 (Here, the case for consistent price gains gets even stronger as it displays percentage price changes relative to the S&P 500.) Percentage price change for 12 weeks is 20% higher than or equal to the percentage price change for 24 weeks, but it should not exceed 100% (A 20% increase in the price of a stock from the breakout point gives cues of an impending uptrend. But a jump of over 100% indicates that there is limited scope for further upside and that the stock might be due for a reversal.). In addition, we place a few other criteria that lead us to some likely outperformers. Zacks Rank less than or equal to 2: Only companies with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy) rating can get through. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here . Average 20-day Volume greater than or equal to 50,000: High trading volume implies that the stocks have adequate liquidity. Just these few criteria narrowed down the universe from over 7,700 stocks to just 54. Here are five out of the 54 stocks: Hilton Grand Vacations Inc. HGV : Hilton Grand Vacations Company, LLC, a division of Hilton Worldwide, is engaged in hospitality business. The stock has a Zacks Rank #2. It belongs to a top-ranked Zacks industry (top 44%). Fastenal Company FAST : This company engages in the wholesale distribution of industrial and construction supplies in the United States, Canada, and internationally. The company carries a Zacks Rank #2 and hails from a top-ranked Zacks industry (top 12%). Catalyst Biosciences Inc. CBIO : This is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing medicines to address serious medical conditions. It carries a Zacks Rank #2. The stock belongs to a top-ranked Zacks industry (top 43%). OpGen Inc. OPGN: It is a microbial genetics analysis company. It carries a Zacks Rank #2. The stock belongs to a top-ranked Zacks industry (top 37%). ConforMIS Inc. CFMS : This is a medical technology company, which develops, manufacture and sells joint replacement implants. It has a Zacks Rank #2 and belongs to a top-ranked Zacks industry (top 37%). You can get the rest of the stocks on this list by signing up now for your 2-week free trial to the Research Wizard and start using this screen in your own trading. Further, you can also create your own strategies and test them first before taking the investment plunge. The Research Wizard is a great place to begin. It's easy to use. Everything is in plain language. And it's very intuitive. Start your Research Wizard trial today. And the next time you read an economic report, open up the Research Wizard, plug your finds in, and see what gems come out. Click here to sign up for a free trial to the Research Wizard today . Disclosure: Officers, directors and/or employees of Zacks Investment Research may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material. An affiliated investment advisory firm may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material. Disclosure: Performance information for Zacks' portfolios and strategies are available at:https://www.zacks.com/performance. Zacks Restaurant Recommendations: In addition to dining at these special places, you can feast on their stock shares. A Zacks Special Report spotlights 5 recent IPOs to watch plus 2 stocks that offer immediate promise in a booming sector. Download it free \u00bb Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Hilton Grand Vacations Inc. (HGV): Free Stock Analysis Report ConforMIS, Inc. (CFMS): Free Stock Analysis Report OpGen, Inc. (OPGN): Free Stock Analysis Report Catalyst Biosciences, Inc. (CBIO): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""5 Top-Ranked Stocks to Benefit From Rising P/E Investing InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips Generally, investors love stocks with a low price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio. The idea is that the lower the P/E, the higher will be the value of the stock. The simple logic that a stock's current market price does not validate (is not equivalent to) its higher earnings and therefore has room to run justifies investors' inclination toward low P/E stocks. Source: \u00a9iStock.com/CharlieAJA But stocks with a rising P/E are also worth a bet. We'll tell you why. Why Rising P/E a Great Tool? Investors should note that stock price moves in tandem with earnings performance. If earnings come in stronger, the price of a stock shoots up. Solid quarterly earnings and the forward guidance boost earnings forecasts, leading to stronger demand for the stock and an uptrend in its price. So, if the price is rising steadily, it means that investors are assured of the stock's fundamental strength and expect some strong positives out of it. Suppose an investor wants to buy a stock with a P/E ratio of 30, it means that he is willing to shell out $30 for only $1 worth of earnings. This is because the investor expects earnings of the company to rise at a faster pace in the future on the back of strong fundamentals. 6 GARP Stocks to Scoop Up for Maximum Returns Also, studies have revealed that stocks have seen their P/E ratios jump over 100% from their breakout point in the cycle. So, if you can pick stocks early in their breakout cycle, you can end up seeing considerable gains. The Winning Strategy In order to shortlist stocks that are exhibiting an increasing P/E, we chose the following as our primary screening parameters. EPS growth estimate for the current year is greater than or equal to last year's actual growth Percentage change in last year EPS should be greater than or equal zero (These two criteria point to flat earnings or a growth trend over the years.) Percentage change in price over four weeks greater than the percentage change in price over 12 weeks Percentage change in price over 12 weeks greater than percentage change in price over 24 weeks (These two criteria show that price of the stock is increasing consistently over the said timeframes.) Percentage price change for four weeks relative to the S&P 500 greater than the percentage price change for 12 weeks relative to the S&P 500 Percentage price change for 12 weeks relative to the S&P 500 greater than the percentage price change for 24 weeks relative to the S&P 500 (Here, the case for consistent price gains gets even stronger as it displays percentage price changes relative to the S&P 500.) Percentage price change for 12 weeks is 20% higher than or equal to the percentage price change for 24 weeks, but it should not exceed 100% (A 20% increase in the price of a stock from the breakout point gives cues of an impending uptrend. But a jump of over 100% indicates that there is limited scope for further upside and that the stock might be due for a reversal.). In addition, we place a few other criteria that lead us to some likely outperformers. Zacks Rank less than or equal to 2: Only companies with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy) rating can get through. Average 20-day Volume greater than or equal to 50,000: High trading volume implies that the stocks have adequate liquidity. Just these few criteria narrowed down the universe from over 7,700 stocks to just 54. Here are five out of the 54 stocks: Hilton Grand Vacations (NYSE: HGV ) : Hilton Grand Vacations Company, LLC, a division of Hilton Worldwide, is engaged in hospitality business. The stock has a Zacks Rank #2. It belongs to a top-ranked Zacks industry (top 44%). Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST ) : This company engages in the wholesale distribution of industrial and construction supplies in the United States, Canada, and internationally. The company carries a Zacks Rank #2 and hails from a top-ranked Zacks industry (top 12%). Catalyst Biosciences (NASDAQ: CBIO ) : This is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing medicines to address serious medical conditions. It carries a Zacks Rank #2. The stock belongs to a top-ranked Zacks industry (top 43%). OpGen (NASDAQ: OPGN ) : It is a microbial genetics analysis company. It carries a Zacks Rank #2. The stock belongs to a top-ranked Zacks industry (top 37%). ConforMIS (NASDAQ: CFMS ) : This is a medical technology company, which develops, manufacture and sells joint replacement implants. It has a Zacks Rank #2 and belongs to a top-ranked Zacks industry (top 37%). 4 Top Stocks to Buy on Blockbuster Earnings Growth You can get the rest of the stocks on this list by signing up now for your 2-week free trial to the Research Wizard and start using this screen in your own trading. Further, you can also create your own strategies and test them first before taking the investment plunge. The Research Wizard is a great place to begin. It's easy to use. Everything is in plain language. And it's very intuitive. Start your Research Wizard trial today. And the next time you read an economic report, open up the Research Wizard, plug your finds in, and see what gems come out. Click here to sign up for a free trial to the Research Wizard today . Disclosure: Officers, directors and/or employees of Zacks Investment Research may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material. An affiliated investment advisory firm may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material. Disclosure: Performance information for Zacks' portfolios and strategies are available at:https://www.zacks.com/performance . Zacks Restaurant Recommendations: In addition to dining at these special places, you can feast on their stock shares. A Zacks Special Report spotlights 5 recent IPOs to watch plus 2 stocks that offer immediate promise in a booming sector. Download it free \u00bb More From InvestorPlace 5 Incredible Top-Ranked Tech Stocks on Sale 5 Top Mutual Funds to Ride Best Economic Growth Since 2014 4 Top Stocks to Buy for Explosive Earnings Acceleration Compare Brokers The post 5 Top-Ranked Stocks to Benefit From Rising P/E Investing appeared first on InvestorPlace . The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""5 Top-Ranked Stocks to Benefit From Rising P/E Investing""]"
FAST,2018-08-01,25.4098,25.4848,24.6705,24.8699,"[""Zacks.com featured highlights include: Hilton Grand, Fastenal, Catalyst Biosciences, OpGen and ConforMIS"", ""John Hussman's Top 5 New Buys of the \u2014nd Quarter"", ""John Hussman's Top 5 New Buys of the \u2014nd Quarter"", ""Zacks.com featured highlights include: Hilton Grand, Fastenal, Catalyst Biosciences, OpGen and ConforMIS"", ""Zacks.com featured highlights include: Hilton Grand, Fastenal, Catalyst Biosciences, OpGen and ConforMIS For Immediate Release Chicago, IL - August 1, 2018 - Stocks in this week's article are Hilton Grand Vacations Inc.HGV , Fastenal CompanyFAST , Catalyst Biosciences Inc.CBIO , OpGen Inc.OPGN and ConforMIS Inc.CFMS . 5 Stocks with Amazingly High Profitability to Own Now A profitable company is able to offer high returns to its investors even after meeting all its operating and non-operating costs. In this context, we have used a financial ratio to measure the company's profitability position. Profitability analysis is used here to differentiate a profitable company over a loss-making one. The best accounting tool to understand a company's profitability position is ratio analysis. Generally, there are four key profitability ratios - gross income ratio, operating income ratio, pre-tax profit margin and net income ratio. Here, we have used the most effective and frequently used profitability ratio - net income ratio. Net Income Ratio Net income ratio gives us the exact profit level of a company. It reflects the percentage of net income to total sales revenues. Using net income ratio, one can determine a company's capability to meet operating and non-operating expenses with its sales revenues. A higher net income ratio usually implies a company's ability to generate ample sales revenues and successfully manage all business functions. For the rest of this Screen of the Week article please visit Zacks.com at: https://www.zacks.com/stock/news/314470/5-topranked-stocks-to-benefit-from-rising-pe-investing Disclosure: Officers, directors and/or employees of Zacks Investment Research may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material. An affiliated investment advisory firm may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material. About Screen of the Week Zacks.com created the first and best screening system on the web earning the distinction as the \""#1 site for screening stocks\"" by Money Magazine. But powerful screening tools is just the start. That is why Zacks created the Screen of the Week to highlight profitable stock picking strategies that investors can actively use. Strong Stocks that Should Be in the News Many are little publicized and fly under the Wall Street radar. They're virtually unknown to the general public. Yet today's 220 Zacks Rank #1 \""Strong Buys\"" were generated by the stock-picking system that has more than doubled the market from 1988 through 2016. Its average gain has been a stellar +25% per year. See these high-potential stocks free >>. Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/zacksresearch Join us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ZacksInvestmentResearch Zacks Investment Research is under common control with affiliated entities (including a broker-dealer and an investment adviser), which may engage in transactions involving the foregoing securities for the clients of such affiliates. Contact: Jim Giaquinto Company: Zacks.com Phone: 312-265-9268 Email: pr@zacks.com Visit: www.Zacks.com Zacks.com provides investment resources and informs you of these resources, which you may choose to use in making your own investment decisions. Zacks is providing information on this resource to you subject to the Zacks \""Terms and Conditions of Service\"" disclaimer. www.zacks.com/disclaimer . Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit http://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Hilton Grand Vacations Inc. (HGV): Free Stock Analysis Report ConforMIS, Inc. (CFMS): Free Stock Analysis Report OpGen, Inc. (OPGN): Free Stock Analysis Report Catalyst Biosciences, Inc. (CBIO): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""John Hussman's Top 5 New Buys of the \u2014nd Quarter"", ""Zacks.com featured highlights include: Hilton Grand, Fastenal, Catalyst Biosciences, OpGen and ConforMIS""]"
FAST,2018-08-02,24.7267,25.3871,24.6339,25.2025,
FAST,2018-08-03,25.2884,25.4048,25.0229,25.1334,"Building Products - Retail Outlook: Economic Growth Lends Support The U.S. economy is picking up pace (4.1% growth in second-quarter 2018) with strong consumer spending driven by steady rise in income, strengthening labor market, as well as increasing business investments and government spending. Positive trends in the economy are driving many U.S. industries, including the housing market that has witnessed increased housing demand lately. Notably, the spring buying season witnessed significant demand for buying a home across most parts of the United States due to the steady economy and improved employment levels. However, home sales remained stable due to budget constraints as home prices and mortgage rates continued to surge. Further, rising interest rates, trade-war anxieties (due to tariffs on aluminum and steel), labor shortages, apprehension of two more hikes in 2018 and limited land availability are some concerns looming upon the housing sector. Albeit, the prospects for the building products industry, which produces and sells goods used in building homes and offices, are bright. Dealing in lumber, insulation materials, drywall, plumbing fixtures, flooring, and furniture, players in this industry are poised to gain from a shift to digitalization as the industry continues to evolve. Further, higher home prices and rising interest rates are are acting as deterrents to home purchases, leading consumers to focus on undertaking home improvement and remodeling projects. This is likely to benefit the Building Products - Retail industry due to increased demand for lumber and other building materials. This is where home improvement retailers like Home Depot (HD) and Lowe's Companies (LOW) stand to gain. Industry Outperforms Shareholder Returns Relentless efforts to enrich customers' experiences, solid focus on omni-channel capabilities and innovations, robust services to Pro-customers as well as optimizing costs and boosting productivity are driving solid performance of a sizeable number of stocks in the space. The Zacks Building Products - Retail Industry within the broader Zacks Retail-Wholesale Sector has outperformed both the S&P 500 and its own sector over the past year. While the stocks in this industry have collectively gained 27.8%, the Zacks S&P 500 Composite and Zacks Retail-Wholesale Sector have rallied 26.1% and 16.4%, respectively. One-Year Price Performance However, it's worth noting that there was a significant lack of synchronization in the performance of individual stocks within the group. Some Building Products - Retail stocks are grappling with strained operating margins and higher costs to support omni-channel and supply-chain capabilities as well as stiff industry competition. Building Products - Retail Stocks Look Expensive Due to the outperformance of the industry over the past year, the valuation looks really expensive now. One might get a good sense of the industry's relative valuation by looking at its price-to-earnings ratio (P/E), which is the most appropriate multiple for valuing Retail stocks because their earnings are effective in gauging performance. This ratio essentially measures a stock's current market value relative to its earnings performance. Investors believe that the lower the P/E, the higher the value of the stock will be. Generally, the price of a stock is directly proportional to its earnings. As earnings forecasts move higher, demand for the stock should drive its price. If the P/E of a stock is rising steadily, it means that investors are pinning their hopes on the company's inherent potential. The industry currently has a trailing 12-month P/E ratio of 23.3, which is in line with its median level but below the highest level of 26.3 witnessed over the past year, thus having more upside potential. The space looks quite expensive when compared with the market at large, as the trailing 12-month P/E ratio for the S&P 500 is 19.4 and the median level is 20.2. Price-to-Earnings Ratio (TTM) Outperformance May Continue Due to Upbeat Earnings Outlook Solid focus on enhancing services to Pro customers, strategic acquisitions to widen footprint, expand brand assortments and effective cost-containment efforts are expected to help Building Products - Retail stocks continue generating positive shareholder returns in the near future. But what really matters to investors is whether this group has the potential to perform better than the broader market in the quarters ahead. While the earlier valuation analysis reflects that there is little upside left, there are enough reasons for investors to continue looking for a good entry point. One reliable measure that can help investors understand the industry's prospects for a solid price performance is its earnings outlook for its member companies. Empirical research shows that a company's earnings outlook significantly influences the performance of its stock. One could get a good sense of a company's earnings outlook by comparing the consensus earnings expectation for the current financial year with the last year's reported number, but an effective measure could be the magnitude and direction of the recent change in earnings estimates. The consensus earnings estimate for the Zacks Building Products - Retail industry of $6.21 implies a significant year-over-year improvement from $5.57 in August 2017. Moreover, the trend in earnings estimate revisions has been favorable lately. Price and Consensus: Zacks Building Products - Retail industry Looking at the aggregate estimate revisions, it appears that analysts are hopeful of this group's earnings potential. The consensus EPS estimate for the current fiscal year has been revised 11.5% upward since August 2017. Current Fiscal Year EPS Estimate Revisions Zacks Industry Rank Indicates Solid Prospects The group's Zacks Industry Rank , which is basically the average of the Zacks Rank of all the member stocks, indicates continued outperformance in the near term. The Zacks Building Products - Retail industry currently carries a Zacks Industry Rank #62, which places it at the top 24% of more than 250 Zacks industries. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperforms the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1. Our proprietary Heat Map shows that the industry's rank has improved considerably over the past four weeks. Building Products - Retail Space: Earnings & Revenue Trends The past earnings trend of this Building Products - Retail space as a whole reveals that the group has been witnessing an uptrend since 2009, prior to which it was declining for about two years. Building Products - Retail EPS Similarly, the top-line performance of the industry as a whole too has been mirroring growth since 2009. Building Products - Retail Revenues Bottom Line Healthy economic environment along with rising consumer spending and home prices gives a bright future for the Building Products - Retail industry. Further, the space is expected to gain from companies' consistent efforts to boost interconnected strategies and diversifying business operations. The players in the space are focusing on technological advancements to upgrade payment modes, better interpret customers' needs and fit their demands conveniently and quickly, facilitate business operations in a modernized way, among others. However, the Fed's interest rate hikes do remain concerns for slower activities in the evolving housing markets in the United States. Recently, The Federal Reserve has kept interest rates unchanged, paving the way for a hike in September. Apprehension of two more hikes in 2018 might make things difficult. Though the valuation looks a little pricey at this time, keeping long-term expectations in mind, investors may look for some good entry points in the stocks that will help them make the most of the momentum in the industry. Notably, we have three stocks in our Zacks Building Products - Retail industry currently having a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) that have been witnessing positive earnings estimate revisions. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here . Fastenal Company (FAST): This Winona, MN-based wholesale distributor of industrial and construction products globally, has surged 28.6% in the past year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current fiscal year EPS was revised 2.4% upward in the last 30 days. Price and Consensus: FAST Builders FirstSource, Inc. (BLDR): The consensus EPS estimate for this Dallas, TX-based company moved nearly 0.5% higher for the current fiscal year in the last 30 days. The stock has rallied 5.4% over the past year. Price and Consensus: BLDR BMC Stock Holdings, Inc. (BMCH): The Atlanta, GA-based company has gained 7% in the past year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current fiscal year EPS was revised nearly 2% upward in the last 60 days. Price and Consensus: BMCH Will You Make a Fortune on the Shift to Electric Cars? Here's another stock idea to consider. Much like petroleum 150 years ago, lithium power may soon shake the world, creating millionaires and reshaping geo-politics. Soon electric vehicles (EVs) may be cheaper than gas guzzlers. Some are already reaching 265 miles on a single charge. With battery prices plummeting and charging stations set to multiply, one company stands out as the #1 stock to buy according to Zacks research. It's not the one you think. See This Ticker Free >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Lowe's Companies, Inc. (LOW): Free Stock Analysis Report The Home Depot, Inc. (HD): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report BMC Stock Holdings, Inc. (BMCH): Free Stock Analysis Report Builders FirstSource, Inc. (BLDR): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2018-08-06,24.9933,25.4808,24.8965,25.3525,"[""S&P 500 Posts 5th Straight Weekly Gain: 5 Great Picks"", ""S&P 500 Posts 5th Straight Weekly Gain: 5 Great Picks"", ""S&P 500 Posts 5th Straight Weekly Gain: 5 Great Picks""]"
FAST,2018-08-07,25.4009,25.696,25.2578,25.5914,
FAST,2018-08-08,25.5786,25.8648,25.3683,25.8164,"[""Tracking William Von Mueffling's Cantillon Capital Management Portfolio - Q2 2018 Update"", ""Beacon Roofing (BECN) Q3 Earnings Miss Estimates, Up Y/Y"", ""Beacon Roofing (BECN) Q3 Earnings Miss Estimates, Up Y/Y"", ""Tracking William Von Mueffling's Cantillon Capital Management Portfolio - Q2 2018 Update"", ""Beacon Roofing (BECN) Q3 Earnings Miss Estimates, Up Y/Y Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc.BECN reported adjusted earnings of $1.18 per share in third-quarter fiscal 2018, missing than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.32 per share. The reported figure, however, increased 21.9% from 97 cents a year ago. The year-over-year improvement was primarily driven by solid organic sales growth within non-residential roofing and complementary building products categories, improved existing markets gross margins and favorable contributions from acquired operations. However, lower volume in residential roofing and higher operating expenses, increased interest expense along with the impact from preferred dividends related to the acquisition of Allied partly offset the positives. On a reported basis, the company recorded a loss of 55 cents per share compared with 73 cents a year ago. Operational Update This distributor of residential and non-residential roofing materials posted record sales of $1.93 billion, which surged around 59.4% year over year. Sales were positively impacted by strong residential and non-residential roofing product sales, coupled with existing and complementary product sales growth. Organic sales grew 2%, reflecting higher pricing, partly offset by volume headwinds from difficult storm comparisons within its larger traditional hail markets. However, revenues missed the consensus mark of $2.07 billion. Residential roofing product sales were up around 23.4% year over year. Non-residential roofing product sales registered growth of 42.1% and complementary product sales increased a whopping 204.6% year over year. Existing markets sales, excluding acquisitions, inched up 2% in the fiscal third quarter. Cost of goods sold (accounting for 74.5% of net sales) climbed 57.3% year over year to $1,441.1 million. Gross profit came in at $493.9 million, significantly up 65.9% from $297.8 million reported in the year-ago quarter. Gross margin expanded 100 basis points (bps) to 25.5%. Operating expenses in the quarter were up 82.8% year over year to $389.1 million. Beacon Roofing reported operating income of $104.8 million, up from $84.9 million in the prior-year quarter. However, operating margin declined 160 bps year over year to 5.4% in the quarter. Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise | Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. Quote Cash Position Beacon Roofing reported cash and cash equivalents of $27.6 million at the end of the fiscal third quarter, down from $138.3 million reported at fiscal 2017-end. The company's cash used in operating activities was $1 million during the nine-month period ended Jun 30, 2018 compared with cash flow provided by operating activities of $74.2 million in the prior year comparable period. Beacon Roofing is poised to gain from improved pricing actions and continued focus on cost-restructuring activities. Additionally, the company remains committed to invest in e-commerce. It expects to drive growth organically and through acquisitions, while lowering the overall net debt leverage, adding value through technology investments, and executing the Allied integration plan. Share Price Performance Beacon Roofing's shares have declined 33.4% against 2.2% growth recorded by the industry year to date. Zacks Rank and Key Picks Beacon Roofing currently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). Some better-ranked stocks in the same sector include Builders FirstSource, Inc. BLDR , Fastenal Company FAST and GMS Inc. GMS , each carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here . Builders FirstSource, Fastenal and GMS' current-year EPS growth rates are expected at 57.2%, 32.6% and 61.7%, respectively. More Stock News: This Is Bigger than the iPhone! It could become the mother of all technological revolutions. Apple sold a mere 1 billion iPhones in 10 years but a new breakthrough is expected to generate more than 27 billion devices in just 3 years, creating a $1.7 trillion market. Zacks has just released a Special Report that spotlights this fast-emerging phenomenon and 6 tickers for taking advantage of it. If you don't buy now, you may kick yourself in 2020. Click here for the 6 trades >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. (BECN): Free Stock Analysis Report Builders FirstSource, Inc. (BLDR): Free Stock Analysis Report GMS Inc. (GMS): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Beacon Roofing (BECN) Q3 Earnings Miss Estimates, Up Y/Y"", ""Tracking William Von Mueffling's Cantillon Capital Management Portfolio - Q2 2018 Update""]"
FAST,2018-08-09,25.8914,26.155,25.6654,25.692,
FAST,2018-08-10,25.618,25.855,25.4344,25.78,"[""Fastenal Company (FAST) Up 4% Since Earnings Report: Can It Continue?"", ""Fastenal Company (FAST) Up 4% Since Earnings Report: Can It Continue?"", ""Fastenal Company (FAST) Up 4% Since Earnings Report: Can It Continue? It has been about a month since the last earnings report for Fastenal Company (FAST). Shares have added about 4% in that time frame. Will the recent positive trend continue leading up to its next earnings release, or is FAST due for a pullback? Before we dive into how investors and analysts have reacted as of late, let's take a quick look at the most recent earnings report in order to get a better handle on the important drivers. Second-Quarter 2018 Results Fastenal Company delivered strong results in the second quarter of 2018 owing to higher market demand, growth in industrial vending business and existing Onsite locations. Sales through vending devices grew at a strong double-digit pace in the quarter, courtesy of increase in installed base and higher revenues per device. However, margins declined due to inflationary pressures. Earnings & Sales Detail Fastenal's adjusted earnings of 74 cents per share beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 66 cents. Earnings surged 42.6% year over year. Net sales of $1.27 billion surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.26 billion. Sales grew 13.1% year over year on the back of higher underlying market demand, growth in industrial vending business and existing Onsite locations. Fastenal's daily sales grew 13.1% in the quarter, lower than the 13.2% increase in the prior-year quarter. On a monthly basis, daily sales improved 13.5% in June, 12.5% in May and 13.4% in April compared with a rise of 13%, 9.7% and 8.9%, respectively, in the prior-year quarter. Daily sales of Fastener products (mainly used for industrial production; accounting for approximately 35% of second-quarter sales) rose 11.1% in the quarter. Non-fastener product daily sales (mainly used for maintenance; representing 65% of the quarterly sales) increased 14.8% year over year. Vending Trends and Other Growth Drivers As of Jun 30, 2018, Fastenal operated 76,069 vending machines, up 14.3% year over year. During the quarter, the company signed 5,537 machine contracts, up 13.4% year over year. Fastenal signed 81 new Onsite locations during the quarter, up 19.1% from 68 signings in the prior-year quarter. As of Jun 30, 2018, the company had 761 active sites, up 56.6%. Additionally, the company signed 43 new national account contracts in the second quarter (representing 50.7% of the total revenues). Daily sales to its national account customers grew 19.1% in the quarter on a year-over-year basis. Decline in Margins Gross margin of 48.7% in the second quarter of 2018 declined 110 bps year over year due to changes in product and customer mix, inflation, and higher product as well as freight expenses. Operating margin was flat year over year to 21.2% in the quarter, owing to an improvement in operating and administrative expenses. Financials Cash and cash equivalents were $135.5 million as of Jun 30, 2018, up from $116.9 million on Dec 31, 2017. Long-term debt was $422.5 million, up from $412 million at the end of 2017. How Have Estimates Been Moving Since Then? In the past month, investors have witnessed an upward trend in fresh estimates. There have been two revisions higher for the current quarter. Fastenal Company Price and Consensus Fastenal Company Price and Consensus | Fastenal Company Quote VGM Scores At this time, FAST has a strong Growth Score of A, though it is lagging a lot on the momentum front with a C. Following the exact same course, the stock was also allocated a grade of C on the value side, putting it in the middle 20% for this investment strategy. Overall, the stock has an aggregate VGM Score of B. If you aren't focused on one strategy, this score is the one you should be interested in. Based on our scores, the stock is more suitable for growth investors than those looking for value and momentum. Outlook Estimates have been trending upward for the stock and the magnitude of these revisions looks promising. It comes with little surprise FAST has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). We expect an above average return from the stock in the next few months. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Company (FAST) Up 4% Since Earnings Report: Can It Continue?""]"
FAST,2018-08-13,25.8698,25.9616,25.5954,25.6141,
FAST,2018-08-14,25.6842,26.1787,25.5954,26.0612,"[""Beacon Roofing Down 32% in 6 Months: What's Ailing the Stock?"", ""Home Depot (HD) Surges on Q2 Earnings & Sales Beat, Ups View"", ""Beacon Roofing Down 32% in 6 Months: What's Ailing the Stock?"", ""Home Depot (HD) Surges on Q2 Earnings & Sales Beat, Ups View"", ""Beacon Roofing Down 32% in 6 Months: What's Ailing the Stock? Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. 's BECN shares have sharply declined in the past six months and the downtrend is likely to continue following the company's lower-than-expected results in the third quarter of fiscal 2018. In the same time frame, the stock has declined 33.9% against the industry's rally of 2.5%. Further, raw material price inflation and stiff competition remain major concerns for the company. Let's delve deeper and find out what is resulting in this Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell) company's downtrend. Dismal Earnings Trend: Beacon Roofing's earnings lagged the Zacks Consensus Estimate in four of the trailing five quarters. In the preceding four quarters, the company's earnings missed the consensus estimate by a margin of 69.2%. Following the dismal bottom-line performance, the consensus mark for both the fourth quarter and fiscal 2018 have been sharply revised downward by 8.9% and 6.8%, respectively, indicating analysts' pessimism surrounding the stock. Further, Beacon Roofing lowered its adjusted EBITDA view for the fiscal from $555-$585 million to $510-$520 million. Consistent with the adjusted EBITDA reduction, the company lowered its adjusted EPS view as well. For fiscal 2018, adjusted EPS is expected in the $3.00-$3.10 range versus prior expectation within $3.35-$3.55. Notably, this revised EPS outlook reflects fiscal third-quarter shortfall. Inflated Material Costs: Raw material prices are increasing across a wide range of key items, including asphalt, steel and gypsum, as well as for inbound flatbed rates and for outbound costs, including diesel and other delivery expenses, which are likely to hamper Beacon Roofing's performance. Being the largest publicly-traded distributor of residential and non-residential roofing materials, the company is sensitive to asphalt prices, which are highly volatile and often linked to oil prices . Increased prices may hurt demand for these products, resulting in lower sales volumes. Highly Competitive Industry: Beacon Roofing belongs to a highly competitive industry. The commercial roofing market has been experiencing excessive competitive pricing pressures, as many smaller local players are competing directly on pricing issues. Thus, general market softness, volatile exchange rates and uncertain weather conditions remain matters of concern. Stocks to Consider Some better-ranked stocks in the industry include GMS Inc. GMS , Fastenal Company FAST and Tecnoglass Inc. TGLS . While GMS sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), Fastenal and Tecnoglass both carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here . GMS has an impressive long-term earnings growth rate of 7%. Fastenal reported better-than-expected earnings in the trailing four quarters, with an average beat of 3.03%. Tecnoglass has an impressive long-term earnings growth rate of 20%. Today's Stocks from Zacks' Hottest Strategies It's hard to believe, even for us at Zacks. But while the market gained +21.9% in 2017, our top stock-picking screens have returned +115.0%, +109.3%, +104.9%, +98.6%, and +67.1%. And this outperformance has not just been a recent phenomenon. Over the years it has been remarkably consistent. From 2000 - 2017, the composite yearly average gain for these strategies has beaten the market more than 19X over. Maybe even more remarkable is the fact that we're willing to share their latest stocks with you without cost or obligation. See Them Free>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. (BECN): Free Stock Analysis Report Tecnoglass Inc. (TGLS): Free Stock Analysis Report GMS Inc. (GMS): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Home Depot (HD) Surges on Q2 Earnings & Sales Beat, Ups View The Home Depot, Inc.HD posted top- and bottom-line beat in second-quarter fiscal 2018. Notably, the company retained its five-year-long trend of beating earnings estimates. Moreover, sales reverted to a positive surprise trend after a miss in the last-reported quarter. With this, the company has delivered positive sales surprise in seven out of the last eight quarters. Shares of this home-improvement retailer have rallied 2.2% in the pre-market session, following strong fiscal second-quarter results and an upbeat view for fiscal 2018. Further, this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stock has returned 29.3% in the past year, surpassing the industry 's growth of 28.8%. The company posted fiscal second-quarter earnings of $3.05 per share, which escalated 35.6% from $2.25 recorded in the year-ago quarter. The figure also surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.84. The Home Depot, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise The Home Depot, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise | The Home Depot, Inc. Quote Results gained from a rebound in the seasonal business compared with the fiscal first quarter and the solid execution of its team of store associates, merchants, suppliers and supply chain. The company's relentless focus on affording innovative products, boosting interconnected customer experience and driving productivity seems to be paying off. Further, it continued to reap the benefits of a steady housing-market recovery and strong customer demand. Quarterly Details Net sales grew 8.4% to $30,463 million from $28,108 million in the year-ago quarter and beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $29,981 million. The company's overall comparable-store sales (comps) increased 8% while comps in the United States grew 8.1%. During the reported quarter, comps benefited from 5% rise in average ticket and 3.1% increase in customer transactions. Moreover, sales per square foot rose 8.6%. Gross profit margin expanded 30 basis points (bps) to 34%. In dollar terms, gross profit improved 9.6% to $10,365 million from $9,461 million in the year-ago quarter, primarily driven by higher sales. Excluding the impact of the ASU No. 2014-09 revenue recognition standards adopted in first-quarter fiscal 2018, gross margin was 33.6%. Operating income increased 9.8% to $4,901 million while operating margin expanded 20 bps from the year-ago quarter to 16.1%. Balance Sheet and Cash Flow Home Depot ended second-quarter fiscal 2018 with cash and cash equivalents of $3,490 million, long-term debt (excluding current maturities) of $23,295 million and shareholders' equity of $2,009 million. In the first half of fiscal 2018, the company generated $7,997 million of net cash from operations. Outlook Backed by the solid performance in the first half of fiscal 2018, the company raised its earnings and sales forecast for fiscal 2018. Home Depot now expects sales growth of nearly 7% for fiscal 2018, including the 53rd week, compared with the previous forecast of 6.7% growth. Comps growth is now estimated to be 5.3% versus the prior guidance of 5% increase. Further, the company anticipates earnings per share for fiscal 2018 to be up nearly 29.2% from $9.42 in fiscal 2017. It earlier projected earnings per share growth rate of 28%. Want More? Check These Lucrative Picks Some better-ranked stocks in the same industry are GMS, Inc. GMS , with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), Fastenal Company FAST and Tile Shop Holdings, Inc. TTS , both carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here . GMS has a long-term earnings growth rate of 7%. Moreover, the company's estimates for the current fiscal have witnessed an uptrend in the last 30 days. Fastenal, with long-term earnings growth rate of 14%, has gained 34.1% in the past year. Tile Shop has a long-term earnings growth rate of 25%. Further, the stock has improved 18.5% in the past three months. Today's Stocks From Zacks' Hottest Strategies It's hard to believe, even for us at Zacks. But while the market gained +21.9% in 2017, our top stock-picking screens have returned +115.0%, +109.3%, +104.9%, +98.6% and +67.1%. And this outperformance has not just been a recent phenomenon. Over the years it has been remarkably consistent. From 2000 - 2017, the composite yearly average gain for these strategies has beaten the market more than 19X over. Maybe even more remarkable is the fact that we're willing to share their latest stocks with you without cost or obligation. See Them Free>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report The Home Depot, Inc. (HD): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Tile Shop Hldgs, Inc. (TTS): Free Stock Analysis Report GMS Inc. (GMS): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Beacon Roofing Down 32% in 6 Months: What's Ailing the Stock?"", ""Home Depot (HD) Surges on Q2 Earnings & Sales Beat, Ups View""]"
FAST,2018-08-15,25.9004,26.1432,25.7128,26.0908,
FAST,2018-08-16,26.2241,26.6871,26.1205,26.4965,"[""Stocks That Made New 52-Week Highs So Far Today Include: Ingersoll-Rand, Dollar General, Progressive, SunTrust Banks, Eli Lilly, Express Scripts, CenturyLink, Cintas, Fastenal, Aetna, O'Reilly Automotive, Darden Restaurants, Chipotle, and Centene"", ""Stocks That Made New 52-Week Highs So Far Today Include: Ingersoll-Rand, Dollar General, Progressive, SunTrust Banks, Eli Lilly, Express Scripts, CenturyLink, Cintas, Fastenal, Aetna, O'Reilly Automotive, Darden Restaurants, Chipotle, and Centene"", ""Insiders Seeing Green With FAST At New 52-Week High In trading on Thursday, shares of Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) touched a new 52-week high of $59.74/share. That's a 50.14% rise, or $19.95 per share from the 52-week low of $39.79 set back on 08/21/2017. That means at today's intraday high, any investor who purchased FAST stock any time over the past 52 weeks has an unrealized gain, including company insiders. Over the past six months, insiders have been scooping up shares, and those bets are now paying off handsomely. As summarized by the table below, FAST has seen 4 different instances of insiders buying over the trailing six month period. The chart below shows where FAST has traded over the past year, with the 50-day and 200-day moving averages included. In afternoon trading on Thursday, FAST shares are changing hands at $59.32/share, slightly below the new 52-week high. Ten Bargains You Can Buy Cheaper Than The Insiders Did \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Stocks That Made New 52-Week Highs So Far Today Include: Ingersoll-Rand, Dollar General, Progressive, SunTrust Banks, Eli Lilly, Express Scripts, CenturyLink, Cintas, Fastenal, Aetna, O'Reilly Automotive, Darden Restaurants, Chipotle, and Centene""]"
FAST,2018-08-17,26.4749,26.7117,26.4749,26.5834,"[""Stocks Which Set New 52-Week High Yesterday, August 16th"", ""Stocks Which Set New 52-Week High Yesterday, August 16th"", ""Stocks Which Set New 52-Week High Yesterday, August 16th""]"
FAST,2018-08-20,26.5389,27.1559,26.2162,26.8667,"Commit To Purchase Fastenal Co. At $47, Earn 5.2% Using Options Investors eyeing a purchase of Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) shares, but cautious about paying the going market price of $60.37/share, might benefit from considering selling puts among the alternative strategies at their disposal. One interesting put contract in particular, is the January 2020 put at the $47 strike, which has a bid at the time of this writing of $2.45. Collecting that bid as the premium represents a 5.2% return against the $47 commitment, or a 3.7% annualized rate of return (at Stock Options Channel we call this the YieldBoost ). Selling a put does not give an investor access to FAST's upside potential the way owning shares would, because the put seller only ends up owning shares in the scenario where the contract is exercised. And the person on the other side of the contract would only benefit from exercising at the $47 strike if doing so produced a better outcome than selling at the going market price. ( Do options carry counterparty risk? This and six other common options myths debunked ). So unless Fastenal Co. sees its shares fall 22% and the contract is exercised (resulting in a cost basis of $44.55 per share before broker commissions, subtracting the $2.45 from $47), the only upside to the put seller is from collecting that premium for the 3.7% annualized rate of return. Interestingly, that annualized 3.7% figure actually exceeds the 2.6% annualized dividend paid by Fastenal Co. by 1.1%, based on the current share price of $60.37. And yet, if an investor was to buy the stock at the going market price in order to collect the dividend, there is greater downside because the stock would have to lose 21.97% to reach the $47 strike price. Always important when discussing dividends is the fact that, in general, dividend amounts are not always predictable and tend to follow the ups and downs of profitability at each company. In the case of Fastenal Co., looking at the dividend history chart for FAST below can help in judging whether the most recent dividend is likely to continue, and in turn whether it is a reasonable expectation to expect a 2.6% annualized dividend yield. Below is a chart showing the trailing twelve month trading history for Fastenal Co., and highlighting in green where the $47 strike is located relative to that history: The chart above, and the stock's historical volatility, can be a helpful guide in combination with fundamental analysis to judge whether selling the January 2020 put at the $47 strike for the 3.7% annualized rate of return represents good reward for the risks. We calculate the trailing twelve month volatility for Fastenal Co. (considering the last 251 trading day closing values as well as today's price of $60.37) to be 25%. For other put options contract ideas at the various different available expirations, visit the FAST Stock Options page of StockOptionsChannel.com. Top YieldBoost Puts of the Nasdaq 100 » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2018-08-21,26.9407,27.3118,26.8361,27.1904,"[""Stocks Which Set New 52-Week High Tues., Aug. 21, 2018"", ""Stocks Which Set New 52-Week High Tues., Aug. 21, 2018"", ""Stocks Which Set New 52-Week High Tues., Aug. 21, 2018""]"
FAST,2018-08-22,27.1421,27.223,27.0088,27.1342,"[""Here's 53 Nasdaq Top Yield, Upside, And Net Gain Stocks For August"", ""Stocks Which Set New 52-Week High Yesterday, August 21st"", ""Stocks Which Set New 52-Week High Yesterday, August 21st"", ""Here's 53 Nasdaq Top Yield, Upside, And Net Gain Stocks For August"", ""Lowe's (LOW) Trims View Despite Q2 Earnings Beat, Stock Down Lowe's Companies, Inc.LOW reported second-quarter fiscal 2018 results, wherein both top and bottom lines improved year over year and came ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate. The solid performance was however not enough to placate investors who seem to be let down by management's trimmed outlook for fiscal 2018. Markedly, shares of the company lost almost 3% during the pre-market trading session. Incidentally, Lowe's incurred non-cash pre-tax charges of nearly $230 million related to its strategic review of Orchard Supply Hardware, which, in turn, resulted in long-lived asset impairments and discontinued projects during the second quarter. Moreover, the company decided to exit these operations last week, in a drive to increase focus on its key home improvement business. To this end, Lowe's anticipates shutting down all 99 Orchard Supply Hardware stores (situated in California, Florida and Oregon), and also plans to wind up the related distribution facility by the end of fiscal 2018. In this regard, the company plans to undertake store closing sales and collaborated with Hilco Merchant Services to carry out the process seamlessly. Well, management expects to incur incremental pre-tax costs of $390-$475 million in the second half of fiscal 2018, in connection with severance and lease obligations as well as accelerated depreciation and amortization costs. These factors along with management's plan to rationalize inventory levels weighed on its outlook for fiscal 2018. Q2 Performance Excluding the aforementioned charges incurred in the second quarter (related to Orchard Supply), this home improvement retailer's adjusted earnings came in at $2.07 per share, which surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.02. Moreover, the bottom line increased 31.8% from $1.57 in the year-ago quarter, following a rise of 15.5% in the previous quarter. Lowe's Companies, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Lowe's Companies, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise | Lowe's Companies, Inc. Quote Further, net sales of $20.9 billion beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $20.8 billion. Sales included the impact from the new revenue recognition accounting standard of ASU No. 2014-09, which was adopted in the first quarter of fiscal 2018. Notably, sales in the second quarter advanced 7.1% year over year after posting improvement of 3% in the preceding period. Prior to that, the company posted sales growth of 1.8%, 6.5%, 6.8% and 10.7% in the fourth, third, second and first quarters of fiscal 2017, respectively. Comparable sales (comps) rose 5.2% in the quarter under review, after 0.6% rise recorded in the preceding quarter. Comps increased 4.1%, 5.7%, 4.5% and 1.9% in the fourth, third, second and first quarters of fiscal 2017, respectively. Comps for the U.S. business jumped 5.3%, after increasing 0.5% in the first quarter of fiscal 2018. Comps for the U.S. business grew 4.7%, 5.1%, 4.6% and 2% in the fourth, third, second and first quarters of fiscal 2017, respectively. Moving on, gross profit increased 7.9% year over year to $7,199 million and gross profit margin expanded roughly 25 basis points (bps) to 34.5%. However, operating income declined 9.2% to $2,163 million, thanks to higher SG&A expenses. Other Financial Aspects Lowe's, which competes with Home Depot HD , ended the quarter with cash and cash equivalents of $2,251 million, long-term debt (excluding current maturities) of $14,937 million and shareholders' equity of $5,781 million. Cash flow from operations amounted to $5,787 million in the first six months of fiscal 2018. In the reported quarter, the company kept its promise of returning surplus cash to stockholders as it repurchased shares worth $1.1 billion and distributed $338 million as dividends. Outlook Management remains impressed with Lowe's robust second-quarter show, which was fueled by delayed spring season demand. Going ahead, the company remains committed toward delivering an even better performance by strengthening its retail fundamentals and putting greater focus on its core plan to become a solid omni-channel home improvement retailer. While the company decided to exit Orchard Supply Hardware, it also remains strongly focused on rationalizing inventory levels. Both these factors led to a curtailed outlook for fiscal 2018. For fiscal 2018, management now projects total sales growth of approximately 4.5%, down from the prior estimate of a rise of 5%. Further, comps for fiscal 2018 are now expected to rise about 3% compared with 3.5% anticipated earlier. Additionally, Lowe's now envisions operating margin to decline approximately 180 bps in fiscal 2018 compared with a 40-bp contraction expected earlier. The updated view takes into consideration the impact from non-cash charges as well as incremental costs associated with plans to exit Orchard Supply Hardware. These costs are anticipated to be incurred in the second half of fiscal 2018. Further, effective tax rate is envisioned to be roughly 25%. Earnings are now anticipated in a band of $4.50-$4.60, considerably lower than the previously guided range of $5.40-$5.50. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal 2018 earnings is currently pegged at $5.44, which is likely to be revised downward. Moreover, the company intends to open roughly 9 home improvement stores in fiscal 2018. As of Aug 3, 2018, the company operated 2,155 home improvement and hardware store in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Zacks Rank Lowe's currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Shares of the company have rallied 39.2% in a year, outperforming the industry 's growth of 34.5%. Don't Miss These Solid Retail Stocks Fastenal FAST has long-term earnings per share growth rate of 14%. The stock carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. GMS Inc. GMS with a Zacks Rank #2 has a long-term earnings per share growth rate of 7%. The Hottest Tech Mega-Trend of All Last year, it generated $8 billion in global revenues. By 2020, it's predicted to blast through the roof to $47 billion. Famed investor Mark Cuban says it will produce \""the world's first trillionaires,\"" but that should still leave plenty of money for regular investors who make the right trades early. See Zacks' 3 Best Stocks to Play This Trend >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report The Home Depot, Inc. (HD): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Lowe's Companies, Inc. (LOW): Free Stock Analysis Report GMS Inc. (GMS): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Stocks Which Set New 52-Week High Yesterday, August 21st"", ""Here's 53 Nasdaq Top Yield, Upside, And Net Gain Stocks For August""]"
FAST,2018-08-23,27.1223,27.2151,26.8746,26.9605,"[""Your 47 Nasdaq 'Safer' Dividend Equities For August"", ""Lowe's (LOW) Looks Good: Stock Adds 5.8% in Session"", ""Your 47 Nasdaq 'Safer' Dividend Equities For August"", ""Lowe's (LOW) Looks Good: Stock Adds 5.8% in Session"", ""Your 47 Nasdaq 'Safer' Dividend Equities For August"", ""Lowe's (LOW) Looks Good: Stock Adds 5.8% in Session""]"
FAST,2018-08-24,26.992,27.0019,26.3731,26.5695,"[""Nasdaq 100 Movers: ROST, ADSK In early trading on Friday, shares of Autodesk ( ADSK ) topped the list of the day's best performing components of the Nasdaq 100 index, trading up 15.7%. Year to date, Autodesk registers a 50.4% gain. And the worst performing Nasdaq 100 component thus far on the day is Ross Stores ( ROST ), trading down 1.4%. Ross Stores is showing a gain of 16.7% looking at the year to date performance. Two other components making moves today are Fastenal ( FAST ), trading down 1.1%, and Liberty Global ( LBTYA ), trading up 3.5% on the day. VIDEO: Nasdaq 100 Movers: ROST, ADSK The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""3 Big Stock Charts for Friday: Broadcom, Fastenal and Danaher InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips Without any major earnings news to prod it and against a backdrop of potential political turmoil that keeps a fair number of traders sidelined, the market is getting very, very sleepy. Never even mind the seasonal slowdown. The S&P 500 closed 0.17% lower on Thursday on below-average volume. It was much worse for some investors. Alibaba (NASDAQ: BABA ) lost 3.2% of its value after falling short of last quarter's earnings estimates, despite soaring sales. Renewed concerns about the impact of a tariff war didn't help . L Brands (NYSE: LB ) gets the day's dubious honor of doing the most damage to investors' portfolios though. The parent company of Victoria's Secret and Bath & Body Works watched its stock slide 11.4% after peeling back its full-year profit guidance. At the other end of the spectrum, Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ: AMD ) rallied 6.7% on Thursday, mostly in response to Rosenblatt Securities' higher price target. The firm now says AMD is worth $30 per share . The market's big winners just couldn't do enough heavy lifting though. There were almost twice as many decliners as advancers yesterday, and bullish volume was only half as strong as bearish volume, reversing trends that only started to take shape a couple of days ago. The wishy-washy environment continues to make it tough to trade, forcing traders to look a little deeper for the right stock charts than they normally might. But, they're there. Heading into the action on the last day of the trading week, Broadcom (NASDAQ: AVGO ), Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST ) and Danaher (NYSE: DHR ) - not exactly the highest-profile names - are shaping up as your top prospects. Broadcom (AVGO) Semiconductor company Broadcom doesn't have a valuation problem. It's trading at a single-digit trailing P/E, and the forward-looking P/E of 10 likely underestimates how well the company will do next year. Even if the global economy stumbles into a recession, it's not apt to be a devastating one. Broadcom may ride through the storm impressively well. 10 Dow Jones Stocks to Buy Before They Rally If traders have decided AVGO is simply too dangerous to own, though, then there's little that can be done to sidestep a selloff. And, that appears to be the shape of things. Click to Enlarge \u2022 The bulls' best chance at rekindling a bigger-picture uptrend was building on the dead-cat bounce following the early July plunge and subsequent effort to fill that gap. That effort faded by late July though, and the selling was renewed pretty decisively in the meantime. \u2022 Although the volume that has materialized since the late July peak hasn't matched the post-plunge rally's bullish volume, what the selloff has lacked in volume has been offset by consistency. The daily chart's Chaikin line just broke under the zero line, confirming the bearish volume trend has some momentum. \u2022 It sounds outlandish (and is), but if this selling effort retains or gains more traction, there's not another technical support level in sight until the $113 area, where Broadcom began a huge rally back in late-2015. Fastenal (FAST) Credit has to be given where it's due - Fastenal has capitalized on the revitalization of the housing construction market, and the more recent revamp of the nation's manufacturing and industrial sector. Revenue and earnings are growing , and are expected to grow again next year. The stock's getting uncomfortably expensive though, valued at 25 times its trailing earnings and 21 times its forward-looking profits. That, coupled with the recent bump into a long-standing resistance level, sets the stage for a wave of profit-taking that will unwind much of the 27% gain reaped since early July. Click to Enlarge \u2022 The technical ceiling in question, plotted with a white dashed line on both stock charts, tags most of the major peaks going all the way back to the March-2016 high. \u2022 The pattern of pullbacks after this overbought condition has been reached is quite reliable. The RSI and stochastic indicators both are both signaling, or are close to signaling, a pullback as they have over the course of the past couple of years. \u2022 As was the case with all the other rallies that rolled over, this runup lacks the volume it needs. Rallies need to gather volume on the way up to be sustained. Danaher (DHR) Finally, industrial electronics outfit Danaher looks like little more than just an erratic mess with just a quick glance. But, there may actually be a quiet method to the madness. Slowly but surely, DHR stock is approaching a key support level that, if crossed, could easily accelerate the selling effort. Click to Enlarge \u2022 The beginning of the slowdown is actually the technical ceiling at $104.32 (red, dashed), where Danaher topped out several times since early this year. The stock's inability to move above that hurdle let a couple of key support levels catch up. \u2022 One of these support levels - and arguably the biggest one - is the 200-day moving average line (white) at $98.71. The other is the lower Bollinger band (yellow) on the weekly chart, at $98.32. If either or both fail as a floor, there's little else left to stop a selloff. \u2022 If the 50-day moving average line (purple) ends up falling below the 200-day line, as it appears it will, that so-called \""death cross\"" will only embolden any bearish undertow. As of this writing, James Brumley did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities. You can follow him on Twitter , at @jbrumley. More From InvestorPlace 10 Dow Jones Stocks to Buy Before They Rally 7 Strong Buy Stocks With 30%+ Upside Potential 7 Athletes Turned Professional Investors These 9 Dividend Stocks Are About to Soar -- Thanks to Donald Trump Compare Brokers The post 3 Big Stock Charts for Friday: Broadcom, Fastenal and Danaher appeared first on InvestorPlace . The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Market Close Report: Historical high reached as NASDAQ Composite Index closes at 7,945.98. Friday's session closes with the NASDAQ Composite Index reaching a historical high. The index closed at 7,945.98 up 67.52 for the day. The index had a previous high 7932.23873 on 07/25/2018. The total shares traded for the NASDAQ was over 1.91 billion. Advancers stocks led declining by 1.73 to 1 ratio. There were 1909 advancers and 1105 decliners for the day. On the NASDAQ Stock Exchange 135 stocks reached a 52 week high and 10 those reaching lows totaled. The most active, advancers, decliners, unusual volume and most active by dollar volume can be monitored intraday on the Most Active Stocks page. The NASDAQ 100 index closed up .97% for the day; a total of 71.56 points. The current value is 7,485.4. Fastenal Company ( FAST ) had the largest percent change down (-1.44%) while Autodesk, Inc. ( ADSK ) had the largest percent change gain rising 15.33%. The Dow Jones index closed up .52% for the day; a total of 133.37 points. The current value is 25,790.35. Nike, Inc. ( NKE ) had the largest percent change down (-.55%) while DowDuPont Inc. ( DWDP ) had the largest percent change gain rising 1.62%. NASDAQ Market Wrap As of 8/24/2018 4:43:59 PM NASDAQ COMPOSITE INDEX 7,945.98 milestone closes at 135 STOCKS REACHED A 52 WEEK HIGH 10 THOSE REACHING LOWS TOTALEDAutodesk, Inc. [ADSK]TOPS ADVANCERS LISTOF NASDAQ 100 INDEX % 15.33 ROSE The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2018-08-27,26.7048,26.7799,26.2853,26.3633,"[""VantagePoint's 5 Stocks To Watch: Uptrends In Discover And Progressive, Downtrends in Fastenal And Walmart"", ""VantagePoint's 5 Stocks To Watch: Uptrends In Discover And Progressive, Downtrends in Fastenal And Walmart"", ""GMS or FAST: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now? Investors interested in Building Products - Retail stocks are likely familiar with GMS Inc. (GMS) and Fastenal (FAST). But which of these two companies is the best option for those looking for undervalued stocks? Let's take a closer look. There are plenty of strategies for discovering value stocks, but we have found that pairing a strong Zacks Rank with an impressive grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system produces the best returns. The proven Zacks Rank puts an emphasis on earnings estimates and estimate revisions, while our Style Scores work to identify stocks with specific traits. Right now, both GMS Inc. and Fastenal are sporting a Zacks Rank of # 2 (Buy). The Zacks Rank favors stocks that have recently seen positive revisions to their earnings estimates, so investors should rest assured that both of these companies have improving earnings outlooks. But this is only part of the picture for value investors. Value investors also try to analyze a wide range of traditional figures and metrics to help determine whether a company is undervalued at its current share price levels. The Style Score Value grade factors in a variety of key fundamental metrics, including the popular P/E ratio, P/S ratio, earnings yield, cash flow per share, and a number of other key stats that are commonly used by value investors. GMS currently has a forward P/E ratio of 7.76, while FAST has a forward P/E of 23.26. We also note that GMS has a PEG ratio of 1.11. This popular figure is similar to the widely-used P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also considers a company's expected EPS growth rate. FAST currently has a PEG ratio of 1.66. Another notable valuation metric for GMS is its P/B ratio of 1.82. The P/B ratio is used to compare a stock's market value with its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. For comparison, FAST has a P/B of 7.67. These metrics, and several others, help GMS earn a Value grade of A, while FAST has been given a Value grade of D. Both GMS and FAST are impressive stocks with solid earnings outlooks, but based on these valuation figures, we feel that GMS is the superior value option right now. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report GMS Inc. (GMS): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""VantagePoint's 5 Stocks To Watch: Uptrends In Discover And Progressive, Downtrends in Fastenal And Walmart""]"
FAST,2018-08-28,26.4215,26.461,26.1382,26.2419,
FAST,2018-08-29,26.2517,26.4215,26.152,26.2715,
FAST,2018-08-30,26.1965,26.386,25.851,25.9832,"What Makes Beacon Roofing Supply (BECN) a Strong Sell? Similar to wise buying decisions, exiting certain underperformers at the right time helps maximize portfolio returns. Selling off losers can be difficult, but if both the share price and estimates are falling, it could be time to get rid of the security before more losses hit your portfolio. One such stock that you may want to consider dropping is Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc.BECN , which has witnessed a significant price decline in the past four weeks, and it has seen negative earnings estimate revisions for the current quarter and the current year. A Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell) further confirms weakness in BECN. A key reason for this move has been the negative trend in earnings estimate revisions. For the full year, we have seen 11 estimates moving down in the past 30 days, compared with just none upward revisions. This trend has caused the consensus estimate to trend lower, going from $3.39 a share a month ago to its current level of $3.07. Also, for the current quarter, Beacon Roofing Supply has seen 11 downward estimate revisions versus no revisions in the opposite direction, dragging the consensus estimate down to $1.38 a share from $1.58 over the past 30 days. The stock also has seen some pretty dismal trading lately, as the share price has dropped 8.9% in the past month. Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. Price and Consensus Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. Price and Consensus | Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. Quote So it may not be a good decision to keep this stock in your portfolio anymore, at least if you don't have a long time horizon to wait. If you are still interested in the Building Products - Retail industry, you may instead consider a better-ranked stock - Fastenal Company FAST . The stock currently holds a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and may be a better selection at this time. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here . Best Electric Car Stock? You'll Never Guess It. Zacks Research has released a report that may shock many investors. One stock stands out as the best way to invest in the surge to electric cars. And it's not the one you may think! Much like petroleum 150 years ago, lithium battery power is set to shake the world, creating millionaires and reshaping geo-politics. Soon electric vehicles (EVs) may be cheaper than gas guzzlers. Some are already reaching 265 miles on a single charge. With battery prices plummeting and charging stations set to multiply, revenues that were already at $31 billion in 2016 are expected to blast to over $67 billion by the end of 2022. See Zacks Best EV Stock Free >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. (BECN): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2018-08-31,25.9428,26.2478,25.9428,26.0701,
FAST,2018-09-04,25.933,26.5933,25.933,26.3731,
FAST,2018-09-05,26.3228,26.5509,26.2014,26.3949,
FAST,2018-09-06,26.3899,26.5429,26.1146,26.3593,"[""Fastenal Hits 80-Plus Relative Strength Rating Benchmark"", ""Wolfe Research sees tariff risk in electrical equipment sector"", ""Why Fastenal Should Be Able To Maintain Its Positive Momentum"", ""Why Fastenal Should Be Able To Maintain Its Positive Momentum"", ""Wolfe Research sees tariff risk in electrical equipment sector"", ""Fastenal Hits 80-Plus Relative Strength Rating Benchmark"", ""Why Fastenal Should Be Able To Maintain Its Positive Momentum"", ""Wolfe Research sees tariff risk in electrical equipment sector"", ""Fastenal Hits 80-Plus Relative Strength Rating Benchmark""]"
FAST,2018-09-07,26.3179,26.3179,25.3614,25.5539,
FAST,2018-09-10,25.6457,26.0889,25.5558,25.9832,"[""Home Depot (HD) Up 6% in a Month: Can the Momentum Continue?"", ""Home Depot (HD) Up 6% in a Month: Can the Momentum Continue?"", ""Home Depot (HD) Up 6% in a Month: Can the Momentum Continue? The Home Depot Inc.HD has been a strong performer, which is clear from the company's robust earnings surprise history and the stock momentum. Moreover, investors remain confident about its relentless focus on affording innovative products, boosting interconnected customer experience and driving productivity. It also continues to reap the benefits of a steady housing market recovery and strong customer demand. The company has witnessed an upsurge in the stock price, which hovers close to its 52-week high. This Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stock has rallied 6.3% since reporting top- and bottom-line beat for second-quarter fiscal 2018 on Aug 14. Further, the stock has outperformed the sector 's growth of 2.4%. Notably, the company retained its five-year-long trend of beating earnings estimates. Moreover, sales reverted to a positive surprise trend after a reporting miss in the last-reported quarter. With this, the company has delivered positive sales surprise in seven out of the last eight quarters. Results gained from a recovery in the seasonal business that impacted sales in the fiscal first quarter and the solid execution. Backed by the solid performance in the first half of fiscal 2018, the company raised its earnings and sales forecast for fiscal 2018. Estimate Trend Up Driven by the robust earnings outlook, analysts remain optimistic about the stock. This is quite evident from the uptrend in earnings estimates over the last 30 days. The Zacks Consensus Estimate of $9.57 and $10.25 for fiscal 2018 and fiscal 2019 moved north by 10 cents and 6 cents, respectively. Management envisions earnings per share for fiscal 2018 to be up nearly 29.2% from $9.42 in fiscal 2017. It earlier projected earnings per share growth rate of 28%. Strategies Supporting Home Depot's Growth Home Depot's integrated retail strategy, which connects offline and online channels, has been well received by the customers. The company is witnessing improved customer satisfaction scores and conversion rates through investments in interconnected capabilities that encompass both digital properties and physical store assets. Consequently, digital sales in second-quarter fiscal 2018 increased about 26%, backed by strong growth in online traffic. However, the scope of the integrated retail strategy also extends to the supply chain system, and investments for enhancing the delivery and fulfillment options for customers. In this regard, the company is continually developing and rolling out delivery capabilities. For example, it recently rolled out the small parcel express delivery from store via car and van in almost all of its key U.S. markets, and expects to expand it further in days to come. As part of its supply chain transformation over the next five years through its \""One Home Depot Supply Chain\"" initiative, the company opened its first supply chain facility (market delivery operations) that are stockless locations, acting as delivery hubs for big and bulky products in the fiscal first quarter. It plans to open more of these facilities in the second half of fiscal 2018. Moreover, the company's Pro segment is a key growth driver, with Pro sales outpacing DIY (do-it-yourself) sales. The Pro segment continues to gain traction due to focus on improving portfolio service offerings for Pro customers through the enhancement of maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) products, which witnessed double-digit growth in second-quarter fiscal 2018. Notably, the company's professional sales force (mainly the Interline brands and outside sales forces) is focused on strengthening relationships with Pro customers, resulting in a deeper level of engagement and incremental spending. This has, in turn, boosted sales for this category. Sales to Pro customers improved in double digits in the fiscal second quarter, with Pro heavy categories like lumber, in-stock kitchens, power tools, windows, and concrete all recording double-digit comps. Possible Deterrents We note that commodity cost inflation, including rising raw material and transportation costs, as well as recently enacted tariffs, are likely to pressure margins. Though Home Depot delivered gross margin growth of nearly 30 bps in second-quarter fiscal 2018, it included about a 16 bps negative impact from higher transportation and fuel costs in its supply chain. Further, the company has slightly trimmed its gross margin forecast for fiscal 2018 to about a 41 bps expansion due to the higher-than-anticipated transportation costs. Despite the margin concerns, we believe, the above-mentioned growth factors clearly profess that Home Depot still has significant growth potential in the days ahead. This is also evident from the company's Growth Score of A and long-term earnings growth rate of 13.3%. Looking for Trending Picks? Look at These Some better-ranked stocks in the retail sector are Fastenal Company FAST , Tecnoglass Inc. TGLS and Canada Goose Holdings Inc. GOOS , each carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here . Fastenal has pulled off an average positive earnings surprise of 3% in the last four quarters. The company has long-term earnings growth rate of 14%. Tecnoglass, with an impressive earnings growth rate of 20%, has delivered an average positive earnings surprise of 16.5% in the trailing four quarters. Canada Goose has long-term earnings growth rate of 26.3%. Further, the company's earnings have outpaced the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, the average beat being 73.1%. The Hottest Tech Mega-Trend of All Last year, it generated $8 billion in global revenues. By 2020, it's predicted to blast through the roof to $47 billion. Famed investor Mark Cuban says it will produce \""the world's first trillionaires,\"" but that should still leave plenty of money for regular investors who make the right trades early. See Zacks' 3 Best Stocks to Play This Trend >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report The Home Depot, Inc. (HD): Free Stock Analysis Report Tecnoglass Inc. (TGLS): Free Stock Analysis Report Canada Goose Holdings Inc. (GOOS): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""3 Big Stock Charts for Monday: Apple, General Mills and Fastenal InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips For a fair amount of Friday's session, it looked like stocks were going to unwind part of the shortened week's setback. Though it would still book a loss for the week, at least it would be a tolerable one. By the time the closing bell rang, though, the S&P 500 was down another 0.22%. The close of 2,871.68 translated into the worst weekly performance for the market since March. Leading the charge lower were Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA ) and Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ: AMD ). Tesla shares fell more than 6% on the heels of a strange (to the point of being unhinged) podcast interview with Elon Musk , during which he appeared to be smoking marijuana. Fanning the selling flames was word that yet another executive had abruptly left. AMD, meanwhile, tumbled almost 2% mostly because traders aren't quite sure what to make of it, but know the stock is feeling the weight of recent, huge gains. Not every stock was backpedaling. Costco (NASDAQ: COST ) advanced 2% after reporting impressive August sales . There just weren't enough stories like Costco's to push the broad market over the hump headed into the weekend. It's the kind of backdrop that can make trading tricky, in that it's not clear which direction the undertow is actually pointed. To the extent stock charts help spot those trends though, it's the stock charts of Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL ), General Mills (NYSE: GIS ) and Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST ) that are the most promising possibilities. Here's why. Apple (AAPL) It's difficult (and even a little dangerous) to bet against Apple. Not only is it the biggest company in the world, but it's also the most profitable. Consumers love the brand. How Legal Sports Betting Platforms Are About to Skyrocket Nevertheless, AAPL shares got a little ahead of themselves in August, leaving them at least a little vulnerable to profit-taking. Last week's action suggests that may already be underway. Click to Enlarge \u2022 The last three daily bars speak for themselves. Three down days in a row after an accelerating run-up may have established a little more momentum than the bulls can stop anytime soon. \u2022 The volume for the past several days has been even more telling. The bullish volume seen during the last couple of days of August was actually falling, but the selling volume for the past three days not only started above average, but grew as the selloff took shape. \u2022 Zooming out to a weekly chart of Apple, we can see the RSI indicator confirms an overbought condition. We can also see just how far removed the stock has gotten from its mean, or average. Now we may be due for a return to the mean, which is closer to $200. General Mills (GIS) The past few weeks generally have been good ones for food companies, and General Mills hasn't been an exception to this trend. It may be an indication that investors are slowly migrating to safer havens and reliable names as they rethink their more aggressive growth holdings, anticipating some sort of weakness. Whatever the reason, the best may be yet to come for General Mills. GIS has not only been trending higher, but has used a key moving average as a pushoff point that's put the stock within striking distance of a major technical ceiling. Click to Enlarge \u2022 The pushoff point is the 50-day moving average line (purple) at $45.24. The stock used it as a floor for the past couple of weeks, shoving off of it on Friday. \u2022 There's a big resistance line around $47.80, where General Mills shares peaked a couple of times in August. That's also near Friday's high. That line needs to be hurdled first before the stock can get into truly bullish groove. \u2022 The upper boundary of the bearish gap left behind by the March plunge could be part of the bullish motivation in play here. But, if the gap is filled, it will also coincide with a cross above the 200-day moving average line (white). If that long-term moving average line is hurdled, that's also a bullish inspiration that could help catapult the stock out of the consolidation phase it's been in since June. Past that, the peak near $61 seen around the time 2017 was becoming 2018 is a plausible ceiling. Fastenal (FAST) Last but not least, an updated look at Fastenal, which was one of the highlighted stock charts back on Aug. 24 . At the time [see the pink arrow on the daily chart], FAST shares were rallying quite nicely, but had just bumped into a major technical ceiling that had the potential stop and reverse that trend. That's indeed how it happened. But, the potential weakness has only started to materialize. A great deal of untapped downside remains on the table. Click to Enlarge \u2022 Friday's 3.1% tumble may have squashed any lingering hopes that Fastenal shares would recover before slipping into too much trouble, paving the way for more selling. \u2022 Zooming out to the weekly chart of FAST puts the pattern in perspective. The stock has been trapped in a wide and well-defined trading range since 2016, the lower boundary of which is presently around $43. A selloff of that size seems unthinkable right now, but it wouldn't be out of character for the stock. As of this writing, James Brumley did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities. You can follow him on Twitter , at @jbrumley. More From InvestorPlace Your Chance to Cash In With Legal Sports Betting Trump Supreme Court Creates Legal Sports Betting Investment Bonanza 5 Penny Stocks You'd Have to Be Crazy to Buy 10 Oil Stocks That Are Worth a Second Look Compare Brokers The post 3 Big Stock Charts for Monday: Apple, General Mills and Fastenal appeared first on InvestorPlace . The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Home Depot (HD) Up 6% in a Month: Can the Momentum Continue?""]"
FAST,2018-09-11,26.0228,26.6021,25.933,26.4097,"[""Fastenal Meets 80-Plus Relative Strength Rating Benchmark"", ""Fastenal Meets 80-Plus Relative Strength Rating Benchmark"", ""Fastenal Meets 80-Plus Relative Strength Rating Benchmark""]"
FAST,2018-09-12,26.3692,26.3692,25.9754,26.2478,
FAST,2018-09-13,26.4363,26.4462,26.2419,26.3544,"[""Home Improvement Gathers Pace: 2 Key Stocks Hit 52-Week High"", ""Home Improvement Gathers Pace: 2 Key Stocks Hit 52-Week High"", ""Home Improvement Gathers Pace: 2 Key Stocks Hit 52-Week High The home improvement retail segment is witnessing an uptrend courtesy of higher home prices, which is discouraging the purchase of new homes. Meanwhile, this is acting as a catalyst to home improvement retailers as households choose to overhaul and remodel their existing homes. Per analysts, U.S. home prices are expected to jump twice the speed of inflation and wages in 2018, which might prove beneficial to home improvement retailers. Notably, home improvement retailers like The Home Depot, Inc.HD and Lowe's Companies, Inc.LOW are flying high reaching a fresh 52-week high on Sep 12. The upside can be primarily attributed to their robust growth initiatives, including omni-channel growth and focus on Pro customers. Higher demand for product categories such as lawn, garden, seasonal, outdoor living and cooling products is also driving growth. Rising demand for lumber and other building materials on gradual recovery of housing market is too adding an impetus to the company. Impressively, Home Depot and Lowe's have outperformed the broader market in a year's time. Shares of Home Depot and Lowe's have surged 33% and 45.7%, respectively, cruising ahead of the S&P 500 index's 16.3% rally. Let's explore the stocks individually. Growth Strategies & Solid Earnings History Drive Home Depot Shares of Home Depot scaled a 52-week high of $215.43, closing the session lower at $211.98. The company has been gaining from consistent focus on affording innovative products, boosting interconnected customer experience and driving productivity. Additionally, its integrated retail strategy that connects offline and online channels has been well received by customers. Home Depot is also witnessing improved customer satisfaction scores and conversion rates through investments in interconnected capabilities, which encompass both digital properties and physical store assets. Home Depot's Pro segment continues to gain traction on improving portfolio service offerings for Pro customers through the enhancement of maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) products. Notably, sales to Pro customers improved double-digits in the second quarter of fiscal 2018 with Pro heavy categories like lumber, in-stock kitchens, power tools, windows, and concrete all recording double digit comparable-store sales (comps). Home Depot's shareholder-friendly moves are impressive as well. The company repurchased 9.3 million shares for $2 billion in the second quarter and targets buying back shares worth $6 billion in fiscal 2018. Meanwhile, the company's long-term financial targets, which are likely to be achieved in fiscal 2020, are boding well. This Atlanta, GA-based company has been reporting strong financial figures since 2008, with steady improvement in revenues and earnings per share. Incidentally, the company retained its five-year-long trend of beating earnings estimates in the fiscal second quarter. Moreover, it delivered positive sales surprise in seven of the trailing eight quarters. Robust Comps & Digital Presence Aid Lowe's Shares of Lowe's also touched a 52-week high of $114.54, though it closed a notch lower at $114.34. The company has been witnessing sturdy growth in comps driven by well-chalked initiatives to boost sales across stores and online. Comps rose 5.2% in second-quarter fiscal 2018 on increased traffic and growth in transactions as well as rise in average ticket. Moreover, attractive offers and effective marketing strategies have been driving comps. Strong digital presence has also been a fueling factor. During the fiscal second quarter, the company registered 18% comps growth on Lowes.com. Going ahead, management continues to augment omni-channel capabilities and enhance consumers' digital shopping experience. Further, the company plans on optimizing search capabilities that will aid in planning assortments effectively. Furthermore, Pro customers remain a key catalyst behind Lowe's business growth. The company has been strengthening pro-focused brands to augment pro customers' sales. It has also refurbished the pro-service business website, LowesForPros.com, in order to give special attention toward the needs of its Pro-customers. Lowe's consistent focus on shareholder-friendly moves is an added positive. In the fiscal second quarter, the company repurchased shares worth $1.1 billion and distributed $338 million as dividends. It plans to carry out share repurchases of approximately $3 billion in fiscal 2018. Wrapping Up We expect these stocks to continue soaring high and create new records, given their solid strategic actions, recovery in the housing market and impressive long-term earnings growth rates. Currently, Home Depot boasts an expected long-term earnings growth rate of 13.3%, while that of Lowe's is 14.4%. Both these stocks exhibit a Growth Score of A, which clearly demonstrates further growth potential. Other stocks worth a look in the same industry are Tecnoglass Inc. TGLS and Fastenal Company FAST . Shares of these companies advanced 36.4% and 34.9%, respectively, in a year. While Tecnoglass sports Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), Home Depot, Lowe's and Fastenal carry a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here . Today's Stocks from Zacks' Hottest Strategies It's hard to believe, even for us at Zacks. But while the market gained +21.9% in 2017, our top stock-picking screens have returned +115.0%, +109.3%, +104.9%, +98.6%, and +67.1%. And this outperformance has not just been a recent phenomenon. Over the years it has been remarkably consistent. From 2000 - 2017, the composite yearly average gain for these strategies has beaten the market more than 19X over. Maybe even more remarkable is the fact that we're willing to share their latest stocks with you without cost or obligation. See Them Free>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Tecnoglass Inc. (TGLS): Free Stock Analysis Report The Home Depot, Inc. (HD): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Lowe's Companies, Inc. (LOW): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Home Improvement Gathers Pace: 2 Key Stocks Hit 52-Week High""]"
FAST,2018-09-14,26.386,26.5261,25.6556,25.8036,
FAST,2018-09-17,25.7948,25.9882,25.5588,25.78,
FAST,2018-09-18,25.771,26.0573,25.4147,25.9468,
FAST,2018-09-19,25.9102,26.2014,25.8895,26.008,
FAST,2018-09-20,26.1047,26.2715,25.9793,26.2241,"[""What to Expect From Bed Bath & Beyond (BBBY) in Q2 Earnings?"", ""What to Expect From Bed Bath & Beyond (BBBY) in Q2 Earnings?"", ""What to Expect From Bed Bath & Beyond (BBBY) in Q2 Earnings? Bed Bath & Beyond Inc.BBBY is slated to release second-quarter fiscal 2018 results on Sep 26. The company delivered a positive earnings surprise in each of the preceding three quarters, with an average trailing four-quarter beat of 2.3%. For the impending quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 49 cents moved up by a penny over the last seven days but reflects a year-over-year decline of 34.7%. Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise | Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. Quote Let's see how things are shaping up prior to this announcement. Factors at Play Bed Bath & Beyond has been gaining from its solid transformation efforts and other customer-centric initiatives. Also, the company is witnessing robust sales at its customer-facing digital networks, which is expected to continue in fiscal second quarter. Management remains focused on strategically expanding its store count besides increasing the productivity of existing stores to suit customer preferences. The company's focus on expanding, renovating and relocating stores to adapt to the changing market conditions is encouraging as well. In fact, it aims to open more of Buybuy BABY and Cost Plus World Markets stores to boost profitability. Further, the company's capital initiatives and constant shareholder-friendly moves bode well. Bed Bath & Beyond expects to allocate more than half of the capital spending toward technology-related projects to support omni-channel capabilities. All these endeavors are likely to drive higher sales and profitability. Notably, analysts polled by Zacks project revenues of $2.96 billion, up 0.7% from the year-ago quarter number. However, Bed Bath & Beyond has been witnessing soft comparable-store sales (comps) for a while now due to decline in number of transactions in stores. Also, soft comps projection for the fiscal year might hurt comps growth in the to-be-reported quarter. Bed Bath & Beyond's eight-quarter long trend of strained gross and operating margins is an added headwind in the fiscal second quarter. Gross margin in the last reported quarter was marred by higher direct-to-customer shipping expenses and rise in coupon expenses due to increased average coupon amounts. This, along with a rise in SG&A expenses negatively impacted operating margin in the quarter. For fiscal 2018, the company expects gross margin contraction due to investments in customer value proposition and constant shift to the digital channels. Though operating margin is expected to be lower than that in fiscal 2017, it is expected to decline for the fiscal. In the past month, shares of the company have gained 4.1%, underperforming the industry 's 6.6% rally. Given the mixed sentiments, let's see whether the company's solid strategies can break the dismal margins trend in the fiscal second quarter. A Glance at Zacks Model Our proven model does not conclusively show that Bed Bath & Beyond is likely to beat earnings estimates in the fiscal second quarter. This is because a stock needs to have both - a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) - for this to happen. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they're reported with our Earnings ESP Filter . Bed Bath & Beyond has a Zacks Rank #3, which increases the predictive power of ESP. However, the company's Earnings ESP of -4.41% make surprise prediction difficult. Stocks Poised to Beat Earnings Estimates Here are some companies that you may want to consider as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat: America's Car-Mart, Inc. CRMT has an Earnings ESP of +4.55% and a Zacks Rank #1. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here . Amazon.com, Inc. AMZN has an Earnings ESP of +8.93% and a Zacks Rank #2. Fastenal Company FAST has an Earnings ESP of +0.75% and a Zacks Rank of 3. Will You Make a Fortune on the Shift to Electric Cars? Here's another stock idea to consider. Much like petroleum 150 years ago, lithium power may soon shake the world, creating millionaires and reshaping geo-politics. Soon electric vehicles (EVs) may be cheaper than gas guzzlers. Some are already reaching 265 miles on a single charge. With battery prices plummeting and charging stations set to multiply, one company stands out as the #1 stock to buy according to Zacks research. It's not the one you think. See This Ticker Free >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report America's Car-Mart, Inc. (CRMT): Free Stock Analysis Report Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. (BBBY): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""What to Expect From Bed Bath & Beyond (BBBY) in Q2 Earnings?""]"
FAST,2018-09-21,26.3781,26.5795,26.233,26.3129,
FAST,2018-09-24,26.1432,26.2133,25.4532,25.775,
FAST,2018-09-25,25.8036,25.9754,25.623,25.9043,"[""Fastenal Company Announces Conference Call to Review \u2014\u2026\u20138 Third Quarter Earnings"", ""Fastenal Company Announces Conference Call to Review \u2014\u2026\u20138 Third Quarter Earnings"", ""Fastenal Company Announces Conference Call to Review \u2014\u2026\u20138 Third Quarter Earnings""]"
FAST,2018-09-26,26.0267,26.0701,25.7622,25.8086,
FAST,2018-09-27,25.8964,26.2389,25.771,25.9428,
FAST,2018-09-28,25.9142,26.008,25.7662,25.9191,"[""Report: Exploring Fundamental Drivers Behind Ares Commercial Real Estate, Proteostasis ..."", ""Report: Exploring Fundamental Drivers Behind Ares Commercial Real Estate, Proteostasis ..."", ""Report: Exploring Fundamental Drivers Behind Ares Commercial Real Estate, Proteostasis ...""]"
FAST,2018-10-01,26.1007,26.2054,25.7208,25.8866,
FAST,2018-10-02,25.8422,26.1205,25.7374,25.846,
FAST,2018-10-03,25.9102,26.229,25.8737,25.9468,"Fastenal (FAST) Q3 Earnings Preview: What to Expect Fastenal (FAST) is expected to deliver a year-over-year increase in earnings on higher revenues when it reports results for the quarter ended September 2018. This widely-known consensus outlook gives a good sense of the company's earnings picture, but how the actual results compare to these estimates is a powerful factor that could impact its near-term stock price. The stock might move higher if these key numbers top expectations in the upcoming earnings report, which is expected to be released on October 10. On the other hand, if they miss, the stock may move lower. While the sustainability of the immediate price change and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's discussion of business conditions on theearnings call it's worth handicapping the probability of a positive EPS surprise. Zacks Consensus Estimate This maker of industrial and construction fasteners is expected to post quarterly earnings of $0.67 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of +34%. Revenues are expected to be $1.27 billion, up 12.3% from the year-ago quarter. Estimate Revisions Trend The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has been revised 0.85% higher over the last 30 days to the current level. This is essentially a reflection of how the covering analysts have collectively reassessed their initial estimates over this period. Investors should keep in mind that the direction of estimate revisions by each of the covering analysts may not always get reflected in the aggregate change. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Earnings Whisper Estimate revisions ahead of a company's earnings release offer clues to the business conditions for the period whose results are coming out. Our proprietary surprise prediction model -- the Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction) -- has this insight at its core. The Zacks Earnings ESP compares the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter; the Most Accurate Estimate is a version of the Zacks Consensus whose definition is subject to change. The idea here is that analysts revising their estimates right before an earnings release have the latest information, which could potentially be more accurate than what they and others contributing to the consensus had predicted earlier. Thus, a positive or negative Earnings ESP reading theoretically indicates the likely deviation of the actual earnings from the consensus estimate. However, the model's predictive power is significant for positive ESP readings only. A positive Earnings ESP is a strong predictor of an earnings beat, particularly when combined with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold). Our research shows that stocks with this combination produce a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time , and a solid Zacks Rank actually increases the predictive power of Earnings ESP. Please note that a negative Earnings ESP reading is not indicative of an earnings miss. Our research shows that it is difficult to predict an earnings beat with any degree of confidence for stocks with negative Earnings ESP readings and/or Zacks Rank of 4 (Sell) or 5 (Strong Sell). How Have the Numbers Shaped Up for Fastenal? For Fastenal, the Most Accurate Estimate is higher than the Zacks Consensus Estimate, suggesting that analysts have recently become bullish on the company's earnings prospects. This has resulted in an Earnings ESP of +0.28%. On the other hand, the stock currently carries a Zacks Rank of #2. So, this combination indicates that Fastenal will most likely beat the consensus EPS estimate. Does Earnings Surprise History Hold Any Clue? Analysts often consider to what extent a company has been able to match consensus estimates in the past while calculating their estimates for its future earnings. So, it's worth taking a look at the surprise history for gauging its influence on the upcoming number. For the last reported quarter, it was expected that Fastenal would post earnings of $0.66 per share when it actually produced earnings of $0.74, delivering a surprise of +12.12%. Over the last four quarters, the company has beaten consensus EPS estimates just once. Bottom Line An earnings beat or miss may not be the sole basis for a stock moving higher or lower. Many stocks end up losing ground despite an earnings beat due to other factors that disappoint investors. Similarly, unforeseen catalysts help a number of stocks gain despite an earnings miss. That said, betting on stocks that are expected to beat earnings expectations does increase the odds of success. This is why it's worth checking a company's Earnings ESP and Zacks Rank ahead of its quarterly release. Make sure to utilize our Earnings ESP Filter to uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they've reported. Fastenal appears a compelling earnings-beat candidate. However, investors should pay attention to other factors too for betting on this stock or staying away from it ahead of its earnings release. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2018-10-04,25.846,26.0534,25.0969,25.3683,"[""TGLS vs. FAST: Which Stock Should Value Investors Buy Now? Investors interested in stocks from the Building Products - Retail sector have probably already heard of Tecnoglass (TGLS) and Fastenal (FAST). But which of these two stocks presents investors with the better value opportunity right now? Let's take a closer look. Everyone has their own methods for finding great value opportunities, but our model includes pairing an impressive grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system with a strong Zacks Rank. The proven Zacks Rank puts an emphasis on earnings estimates and estimate revisions, while our Style Scores work to identify stocks with specific traits. Tecnoglass and Fastenal are sporting Zacks Ranks of #1 (Strong Buy) and #3 (Hold), respectively, right now. The Zacks Rank favors stocks that have recently seen positive revisions to their earnings estimates, so investors should rest assured that TGLS has an improving earnings outlook. However, value investors will care about much more than just this. Value investors are also interested in a number of tried-and-true valuation metrics that help show when a company is undervalued at its current share price levels. Our Value category highlights undervalued companies by looking at a variety of key metrics, including the popular P/E ratio, as well as the P/S ratio, earnings yield, cash flow per share, and a variety of other fundamentals that have been used by value investors for years. TGLS currently has a forward P/E ratio of 14.73, while FAST has a forward P/E of 22.70. We also note that TGLS has a PEG ratio of 0.74. This popular metric is similar to the widely-known P/E ratio, with the difference being that the PEG ratio also takes into account the company's expected earnings growth rate. FAST currently has a PEG ratio of 1.62. Another notable valuation metric for TGLS is its P/B ratio of 2.49. The P/B ratio is used to compare a stock's market value with its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. For comparison, FAST has a P/B of 7.48. These are just a few of the metrics contributing to TGLS's Value grade of B and FAST's Value grade of D. TGLS stands above FAST thanks to its solid earnings outlook, and based on these valuation figures, we also feel that TGLS is the superior value option right now. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Tecnoglass Inc. (TGLS): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Notable Thursday Option Activity: FAST, V, SHW Among the underlying components of the S&P 500 index, we saw noteworthy options trading volume today in Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST), where a total of 10,726 contracts have traded so far, representing approximately 1.1 million underlying shares. That amounts to about 52.4% of FAST's average daily trading volume over the past month of 2.0 million shares. Especially high volume was seen for the $57.50 strike call option expiring October 19, 2018 , with 4,268 contracts trading so far today, representing approximately 426,800 underlying shares of FAST. Below is a chart showing FAST's trailing twelve month trading history, with the $57.50 strike highlighted in orange: Visa Inc (Symbol: V) saw options trading volume of 38,474 contracts, representing approximately 3.8 million underlying shares or approximately 50% of V's average daily trading volume over the past month, of 7.7 million shares. Especially high volume was seen for the $147 strike put option expiring October 05, 2018 , with 3,824 contracts trading so far today, representing approximately 382,400 underlying shares of V. Below is a chart showing V's trailing twelve month trading history, with the $147 strike highlighted in orange: And Sherwin-Williams Co (Symbol: SHW) options are showing a volume of 3,262 contracts thus far today. That number of contracts represents approximately 326,200 underlying shares, working out to a sizeable 48.3% of SHW's average daily trading volume over the past month, of 675,315 shares. Particularly high volume was seen for the $490 strike call option expiring December 21, 2018 , with 1,013 contracts trading so far today, representing approximately 101,300 underlying shares of SHW. Below is a chart showing SHW's trailing twelve month trading history, with the $490 strike highlighted in orange: For the various different available expirations for FAST options , V options , or SHW options , visit StockOptionsChannel.com. Today's Most Active Call & Put Options of the S&P 500 \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2018-10-05,25.4009,25.5648,24.9765,25.2361,"[""What is Keeping Bank Stocks Down? Finance sector earnings were up +21.5% in the June quarter and the expectation is that growth in the Q3 earnings season, which JPMorgan (JPM), Wells Fargo (WFC) and Citigroup (C) kick-off with their results on Friday, October 12 th , will likely be even better. But none of that shows up in the group's stock market performance, with bank stocks one of the weakest performers in the market. Bank stocks are down -0.8% this year, underperforming the broader market's +8.5% gain, but modestly better than the Finance sector's -3% decline. The group never got its mojo back after losing ground at the start of February, but continued to lead the S&P 500 through mid-March meaningfully diverging from the broader index around mid-May. The chart below shows the year-to-date performance comparison of the Zacks Major Banks industry and the S&P 500 index. A number of factors likely account for this underperformance. The most important reason appears to be the flattening yield curve, though it has been steepening a bit in recent days. The flattening yield curve has implications for banks' profitability, as banks' net interest margins represent similar spread between their lending and borrowing rates. The chart below shows the yield spread between 2 and 10-year treasury bonds over the past year (currently at 30 basis points, as of Wednesday, October 3 rd ). There is also the issue of deposit betas, the percentage of change in market interest rates that banks pass onto their depositors. Banks are typically fairly stingy with interest rates on their deposits, but competitive pressures force them to pass on the higher rates to their customers. As a result, deposit betas have been steadily going up, another negative for bank margins. Both of these are legitimate points, but worries about them appear to over-done to us. The yield spread has started expanding again. But even if this nascent steepening trend of recent days reverses, as has happened a number of times before, the spread is still most likely expected to remain positive. Similarly, even if deposit betas reach 100%, plenty of deposits are non-interest bearing. When you combine that some growth in loan portfolios and continued expense discipline, the group should have sustainable earnings growth in the high single-digits pace, beyond the current unsustainable tax-cut induced windfall. The chart below shows the Finance sector's Q3 earnings and revenue growth expectations in the context of where growth has been over the last two quarters and what is expected in the coming three periods. Overall Expectations for 2018 Q3 Total Q3 earnings are expected to be up +17.8% from the same period last year on +7.1% higher revenues, with double-digit earnings growth for 10 of the 16 Zacks sectors. As pointed out earlier, estimates for the quarter came down, as the chart below shows. Please note that the negative revisions trend for Q3 is in contrast to the three preceding quarters when the revisions trend was a lot more favorable. A big part of the positive revisions over the last two quarters was due to the direct impact of the tax cuts. With that issue now behind us, the revisions trend appears to be moving back to how it has behaved over the last few years. That said, the magnitude of negative revisions to Q3 estimates is lower than the historical norm of the last few years. With the outlook for the global economy starting to weaken and companies starting to feel the pinch of cyclical cost inflation, this negative revisions trend will likely only accelerate going forward. There is also the issue of trade protectionism having a negative earnings impact. This hasn't shown up in estimates yet, but we can easily see the negative earnings impact of trade protectionism in terms of higher expenses resulting from supply-chain disruptions and competitive forces prompting companies to absorb the increased costs instead of passing them onto end consumers. In other words, while the negative revisions trend to Q3 estimates wasn't that bad, the pace and magnitude of negative revisions could accelerate going forward. Expectations Beyond Q3 Overall growth reached its highest level in almost 8 years in each of the last two quarters, with the growth pace starting to decelerate in the second half of the year and into next year, as you can see in the year-over-year quarterly earnings growth chart for the S&P 500 index below. Earnings Season Scorecard We don't get into the thick of the Q3 earnings season till the following week, but the reporting cycle has gotten underway already, with results from 21 S&P 500 members out and another 9 index members on deck to report this week. All of these early reporters have fiscal quarters ending in August, but they get counted as part of the September-quarter tally. Total earnings for these 21 index members are up +23.4% from the same period last year on +9.3% higher revenues, with 85.7% beating EPS estimates and 71.4% beating revenue estimates. It is still too small a sample of results to draw any firm conclusions from, but the results at this early stage are on the weaker side relative to other recent periods, as the comparison charts below show. The chart below shows the weekly calendar of earnings releases for the entire Q3 earnings cycle. As you can see, we have 9 index members reporting Q3 results this week, including the aforementioned big banks. Delta Air (DAL), Walgreens Boots (WBA) and Fastenal (FAST) are some of the other companies reporting results this week. For more details about the overall earnings picture and the Q3 earnings season, please check our weekly Earnings Trends report. Note: Sheraz Mian manages the Zacks equity research department. He is an acknowledged earnings expert whose commentaries and analyses appear on Zacks.com and in the print and electronic media. His weekly earnings related articles includeEarnings Trendsand Earnings Preview . The Hottest Tech Mega-Trend of All Last year, it generated $8 billion in global revenues. By 2020, it's predicted to blast through the roof to $47 billion. Famed investor Mark Cuban says it will produce \""the world's first trillionaires,\"" but that should still leave plenty of money for regular investors who make the right trades early. See Zacks' 3 Best Stocks to Play This Trend >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Wells Fargo & Company (WFC): Free Stock Analysis Report Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (WBA): Free Stock Analysis Report JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Delta Air Lines, Inc. (DAL): Free Stock Analysis Report Citigroup Inc. (C): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Costco Crumbles, Tesla Slides as Dow Dips on Jobs Disappointment The Dow was off 25 points after the U.S. added just 134,000 jobs in September."", ""As Anxieties Rise, the Merits of Large-Caps Grow Small-caps outperformed large-caps as the U.S. economy boomed and the dollar hurt foreign earnings. But large-caps revived as investors grew nervous.""]"
FAST,2018-10-08,25.1285,25.4898,24.86,25.319,"[""5 Earnings Charts to Kick off Earnings Season"", ""Fastenal (FAST) to Report Q3 Earnings: What's in the Cards?"", ""Should You Buy Fastenal (FAST) Stock Ahead of Q3 Earnings?"", ""5 Earnings Charts to Kick off Earnings Season"", ""Should You Buy Fastenal (FAST) Stock Ahead of Q3 Earnings?"", ""Fastenal (FAST) to Report Q3 Earnings: What's in the Cards?"", ""5 Earnings Charts to Kick off Earnings Season Earnings season is finally here. Yes, that means the big banks are kicking it off but there are also a handful of other companies reporting this week that will provide interesting insight into what the rest of earnings season might look like. You might even consider some of these companies to be bellwethers for the economy. Several of these 5 companies also have outstanding earnings track records, with meets or beats for several years in a row. That's not easy to do. Another issue in the mix this earnings season is the tariffs. What will they say about the them? Will we see a bigger impact from the tariffs this quarter than the prior ones? Watch these five companies this week to find out. 5 Earnings Charts to Kick Off Earnings Season 1. Helen of Troy HELE has beat on earnings 11 quarters in a row. Shares have finally broken out in 2018, up 37% year-to-date. Can it keep up its recent momentum? 2. Fastenal FAST is a bellwether for the manufacturing and construction industries. It had a solid quarter last quarter which pushed shares up to 5-year highs. Will it still be bullish about the economy? 3. Walgreens Boots WBA is now a Dow component. It hasn't missed since 2014 but shares have struggled. With Amazon Go launching and CVS acquiring Aetna, where does this leave Walgreens? 4. Delta DAL is the first of the airlines to report earnings. When crude plunged, the airlines were in the golden period with strong demand and low costs. But with crude at 4-year highs, are the good times over? 5. Commerce Bancshares CBSH has the best chart of them all this week. Shares of this Kansas City-based bank busted out to new highs in 2017 and 2018 but they have now pulled back even though the Fed is still raising rates. Is it a hidden gem? Looking for Stocks with Skyrocketing Upside? Zacks has just released a Special Report on the booming investment opportunities of legal marijuana. Ignited by new referendums and legislation, this industry is expected to blast from an already robust $6.7 billion to $20.2 billion in 2021. Early investors stand to make a killing, but you have to be ready to act and know just where to look. See the pot trades we're targeting>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Delta Air Lines, Inc. (DAL): Free Stock Analysis Report Commerce Bancshares, Inc. (CBSH): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Helen of Troy Limited (HELE): Free Stock Analysis Report Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (WBA): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal (FAST) to Report Q3 Earnings: What's in the Cards? Fastenal CompanyFAST is scheduled to report third-quarter 2018 results on Oct 10, before the opening bell. The company surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 12.1% in the last reported quarter. However, its earnings were in line with the consensus mark in three of the trailing four quarters, resulting in an average beat of 3.03%. Fastenal is expected to benefit from its core product offerings like Onsite Locations/vending machines/managed inventory. Meanwhile, continued construction tailwinds are also expected to act as a major growth catalyst. However, higher product and freight expenses, along with changes in product and customer mix raise concerns. Let's take a look at the factors that might affect the company's results in the third quarter. Vending Machines to Drive Growth: Over the past few quarters, Fastenal's sales have been driven by an increased installation of industrial vending machines. Sales through vending machines grew at or near a double-digit pace in each of the trailing four quarters of 2017. Then again, sales through vending devices continued to grow at a pace of more than 20% in the second quarter of 2018, primarily due to higher installed base. Onsite Locations to Boost Sales: A consistent increase in the number of on-site locations is likely to strengthen Fastenal's market share and boost quarterly numbers. Sales growth through Onsite was 22% in 2017. As of Jun 30, 2018, the company had 761 active sites, up 56.6% year over year. The trend is expected to continue in the third quarter of 2018 as well. Fastenal aims to achieve 360-385 onsite signings in 2018, reflecting an increase from 270 signings in 2017. Solid End-Market Demand: Robust construction market, especially the non-residential one, has been acting as a major tailwind for Fastenal's performance over the past few quarters. The trend is likely to be carried forward in the third quarter of 2018 as well. The company is expected to report impressive top- and bottom-line growth in the third quarter, courtesy of sustained strength in most of its end markets, as well as strong momentum in vending machine installations and onsite locations. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues is pegged at $1.27 billion, implying 12.3% year-over-year growth. Gross Margin Pressure: We are apprehensive about Fastenal's changes in product and customer mix, which have been hurting the gross margin for quite some time now. Freight and product cost inflation also added to the woes. That said, Fastenal remains optimistic about its performance in the second half of the year, given improved pricing expectation as well as reasonable gross margin comparisons through the rest of 2018. Overall, the consensus estimate for earnings is pegged at 67 cents, reflecting an improvement of 34% on a year-over-year basis. Fastenal Company Price and EPS Surprise Fastenal Company Price and EPS Surprise | Fastenal Company Quote Here is What Our Quantitative Model Predicts: Fastenal does not have the right combination of the two key ingredients - a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) or higher - to increase the odds of an earnings beat. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here . You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they're reported with our Earnings ESP Filter . Earnings ESP: Fastenal has an Earnings ESP of -0.21%. Zacks Rank: The company carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), which increases the predictive power of ESP. However, we also need to have a positive ESP to be confident about an earnings surprise. Stocks to Consider Here are some companies in the Zacks Retail-Wholesale sector , which according to our model have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat in their respective quarters to be reported: eBay Inc. EBAY has an Earnings ESP of +0.91% and a Zacks Rank #2. The company is expected to report quarterly numbers on Oct 17, 2018. Advance Auto Parts, Inc. AAP has an Earnings ESP of +3.49% and a Zacks Rank #1. The company is expected to report quarterly results on Nov 13, 2018. Chico's FAS, Inc. CHS has an Earnings ESP of +29.41% and a Zacks Rank #3. The company is expected to report quarterly numbers on Nov 20, 2018. Looking for Stocks with Skyrocketing Upside? Zacks has just released a Special Report on the booming investment opportunities of legal marijuana. Ignited by new referendums and legislation, this industry is expected to blast from an already robust $6.7 billion to $20.2 billion in 2021. Early investors stand to make a killing, but you have to be ready to act and know just where to look. See the pot trades we're targeting>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report eBay Inc. (EBAY): Free Stock Analysis Report Advance Auto Parts, Inc. (AAP): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Chico's FAS, Inc. (CHS): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""JPMorgan, Citigroup, Delta Air, Walgreens Boots and Fastenal are part of Zacks Earnings Preview For Immediate Release Chicago, IL - October 8, 2018 - Zacks.com releases the list of companies likely to issue earnings surprises. This week's list includes JPMorgan JPM , Citigroup C , Delta Air DAL , Walgreens Boots WBA and Fastenal FAST . To see more earnings analysis, visit https://at.zacks.com/?id=3207 . Every day, Zacks.com makes their Bull Stock of the Day available, free of charge. To see it, click here . What's Keeping Bank Stocks Down? Finance sector earnings were up +21.5% in the June quarter and the expectation is that growth in the Q3 earnings season, which JPMorgan, Citigroup and others kick-off with their results on Friday, October 12 th , will likely be even better. But none of that shows up in the group's stock market performance, with bank stocks one of the weakest performers in the market. Bank stocks are down -0.8% this year, underperforming the broader market's +8.5% gain, but modestly better than the Finance sector's -3% decline. The group never got its mojo back after losing ground at the start of February, but continued to lead the S&P 500 through mid-March meaningfully diverging from the broader index around mid-May. The chart below shows the year-to-date performance comparison of the Zacks Major Banks industry and the S&P 500 index. A number of factors likely account for this underperformance. The most important reason appears to be the flattening yield curve, though it has been steepening a bit in recent days. The flattening yield curve has implications for banks' profitability, as banks' net interest margins represent similar spread between their lending and borrowing rates. The chart below shows the yield spread between 2 and 10-year treasury bonds over the past year (currently at 30 basis points, as of Wednesday, October 3 rd ). There is also the issue of deposit betas, the percentage of change in market interest rates that banks pass onto their depositors. Banks are typically fairly stingy with interest rates on their deposits, but competitive pressures force them to pass on the higher rates to their customers. As a result, deposit betas have been steadily going up, another negative for bank margins. Both of these are legitimate points, but worries about them appear to over-done to us. The yield spread has started expanding again. But even if this nascent steepening trend of recent days reverses, as has happened a number of times before, the spread is still most likely expected to remain positive. Similarly, even if deposit betas reach 100%, plenty of deposits are non-interest bearing. When you combine that some growth in loan portfolios and continued expense discipline, the group should have sustainable earnings growth in the high single-digits pace, beyond the current unsustainable tax-cut induced windfall. The contrast between revenue growth and earnings growth this year speaks to the direct impact of tax cuts on bank earnings. But the growth pace comes down to normal levels from next year onwards. Overall Expectations for 2018 Q3 Total Q3 earnings are expected to be up +17.8% from the same period last year on +7.1% higher revenues, with double-digit earnings growth for 10 of the 16 Zacks sectors. As pointed out earlier, estimates for the quarter came down. Please note that the negative revisions trend for Q3 is in contrast to the three preceding quarters when the revisions trend was a lot more favorable. A big part of the positive revisions over the last two quarters was due to the direct impact of the tax cuts. With that issue now behind us, the revisions trend appears to be moving back to how it has behaved over the last few years. That said, the magnitude of negative revisions to Q3 estimates is lower than the historical norm of the last few years. With the outlook for the global economy starting to weaken and companies starting to feel the pinch of cyclical cost inflation, this negative revisions trend will likely only accelerate going forward. There is also the issue of trade protectionism having a negative earnings impact. This hasn't shown up in estimates yet, but we can easily see the negative earnings impact of trade protectionism in terms of higher expenses resulting from supply-chain disruptions and competitive forces prompting companies to absorb the increased costs instead of passing them onto end consumers. In other words, while the negative revisions trend to Q3 estimates wasn't that bad, the pace and magnitude of negative revisions could accelerate going forward. Expectations Beyond Q3 Overall growth reached its highest level in almost 8 years in each of the last two quarters, with the growth pace starting to decelerate in the second half of the year and into next year. If we look at earnings growth for the S&P 500 index on a rolling 4-quarter basis, to smooth out the quarter-to-quarter variation, then the growth acceleration trend remains in place through Q4 2018 before starting to trend down next year. Earnings Season Scorecard We don't get into the thick of the Q3 earnings season till the following week, but the reporting cycle has gotten underway already, with results from 21 S&P 500 members out and another 9 index members on deck to report this week. All of these early reporters have fiscal quarters ending in August, but they get counted as part of the September-quarter tally. Total earnings for these 21 index members are up +23.4% from the same period last year on +9.3% higher revenues, with 85.7% beating EPS estimates and 71.4% beating revenue estimates. It is still too small a sample of results to draw any firm conclusions from, but the results at this early stage are on the weaker side relative to other recent periods, as the comparison charts below show. We have 9 index members reporting Q3 results this week, including the aforementioned big banks. Delta Air, Walgreens Boots and Fastenal are some of the other companies reporting results this week. For more details about the overall earnings picture and the Q3 earnings season, please check our weekly Earnings Trends report. Zacks \""Profit from the Pros\"" e-mail newsletter offers continuous coverage of the industries and the stocks poised to outperform the market. Click to subscribe to this free newsletter today . About Zacks Zacks.com is a property of Zacks Investment Research, Inc., which was formed in 1978. The later formation of the Zacks Rank, a proprietary stock picking system; continues to outperform the market by nearly a 3 to 1 margin. The best way to unlock the profitable stock recommendations and market insights of Zacks Investment Research is through our free daily email newsletter; Profit from the Pros. In short, it's your steady flow of Profitable ideas GUARANTEED to be worth your time! Register for your free subscription to Profit from the Pros . Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/zacksresearch Join us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Zacks-Investment-Research/57553657748?ref=ts Zacks Investment Research is under common control with affiliated entities (including a broker-dealer and an investment adviser), which may engage in transactions involving the foregoing securities for the clients of such affiliates. Media Contact Zacks Investment Research 800-767-3771 ext. 9339 support@zacks.com https://www.zacks.com Zacks.com provides investment resources and informs you of these resources, which you may choose to use in making your own investment decisions. Zacks is providing information on this resource to you subject to the Zacks \""Terms and Conditions of Service\"" disclaimer. www.zacks.com/disclaimer . Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Delta Air Lines, Inc. (DAL): Free Stock Analysis Report JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM): Free Stock Analysis Report Citigroup Inc. (C): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (WBA): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""5 Earnings Charts to Kick off Earnings Season"", ""Should You Buy Fastenal (FAST) Stock Ahead of Q3 Earnings?"", ""Fastenal (FAST) to Report Q3 Earnings: What's in the Cards?""]"
FAST,2018-10-09,25.3654,25.466,24.8551,24.8551,"[""Fastenal declares $0.40 dividend"", ""Q3 Earnings Preview For Fastenal"", ""Q3 Earnings Preview For Fastenal"", ""Fastenal declares $0.40 dividend"", ""Fastenal is Now Oversold (FAST) Legendary investor Warren Buffett advises to be fearful when others are greedy, and be greedy when others are fearful. One way we can try to measure the level of fear in a given stock is through a technical analysis indicator called the Relative Strength Index, or RSI, which measures momentum on a scale of zero to 100. A stock is considered to be oversold if the RSI reading falls below 30. In trading on Tuesday, shares of Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) entered into oversold territory, hitting an RSI reading of 29.9, after changing hands as low as $55.75 per share. By comparison, the current RSI reading of the S&P 500 ETF ( SPY ) is 45.1. A bullish investor could look at FAST's 29.9 RSI reading today as a sign that the recent heavy selling is in the process of exhausting itself, and begin to look for entry point opportunities on the buy side. The chart below shows the one year performance of FAST shares: Looking at the chart above, FAST's low point in its 52 week range is $42.51 per share, with $61.14 as the 52 week high point - that compares with a last trade of $55.64. Find out what 9 other oversold stocks you need to know about \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Pre-Market Earnings Report for October 10, 2018 : FAST The following companies are expected to report earnings prior to market open on 10/10/2018. Visit our Earnings Calendar for a full list of expected earnings releases. Fastenal Company ( FAST ) is reporting for the quarter ending September 30, 2018. The building company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 7 analysts that follow the stock is $0.67. This value represents a 34.00% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year FAST has met analyst expectations three times and beat the expectations the other quarter. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2018 Price to Earnings ratio for FAST is 22.15 vs. an industry ratio of 16.80, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Q3 Earnings Preview For Fastenal"", ""Fastenal declares $0.40 dividend"", ""Worried About a Recession? Watch Fastenal, the Market\u2019s New Alcoa It\u2019s not a household name, but as the first industrial stock to report earnings each quarter, it reveals much about the state of the economy.""]"
FAST,2018-10-10,23.5413,24.6567,22.9985,23.0803,"[""Fastenal Company 2018 Q3 - Results - Earnings Call Slides"", ""Fastenal beats by $0.02, beats on revenue"", ""Fastenal Company (FAST) CEO Dan Florness on Q3 2018 Results - Earnings Call Transcript"", ""More on Fastenal's Q3"", ""Premarket Losers as of 9:05 am (10/10/2018)"", ""Earnings Scheduled For October 10, 2018"", ""5 Stocks To Watch For October 10, 2018"", ""Fastenal Q3 EPS $0.69 Beats $0.67 Estimate, Sales $1.28B Beat $1.27B Estimate"", ""A Peek Into The Markets: US Stock Futures Edge Lower Ahead Of Producer Price, Wholesale Inventories Data"", ""30 Stocks Moving In Wednesday's Pre-Market Session"", ""Fastenal shares are trading lower after the company reported third quarter adjusted EPS of $0.57 versus the $0.67 consensus estimate."", ""UPDATE: Fastenal Q2 Adj. EPS $0.57 Misses $0.67 Est."", ""41 Stocks Moving In Wednesday's Mid-Day Session"", ""41 Stocks Moving In Wednesday's Mid-Day Session"", ""UPDATE: Fastenal Q2 Adj. EPS $0.57 Misses $0.67 Est."", ""Fastenal shares are trading lower after the company reported third quarter adjusted EPS of $0.57 versus the $0.67 consensus estimate."", ""30 Stocks Moving In Wednesday's Pre-Market Session"", ""A Peek Into The Markets: US Stock Futures Edge Lower Ahead Of Producer Price, Wholesale Inventories Data"", ""UPDATE: Fastenal Q3 Gross Profit Fell To 48.1%"", ""Fastenal Q3 EPS $0.69 Beats $0.67 Estimate, Sales $1.28B Beat $1.27B Estimate"", ""5 Stocks To Watch For October 10, 2018"", ""Earnings Scheduled For October 10, 2018"", ""Fastenal Company (FAST) CEO Dan Florness on Q3 2018 Results - Earnings Call Transcript"", ""Fastenal Company 2018 Q3 - Results - Earnings Call Slides"", ""Premarket Losers as of 9:05 am (10/10/2018)"", ""More on Fastenal's Q3"", ""Fastenal beats by $0.02, beats on revenue"", ""Sears Slumps, McDonald's Rises as Dow Drops 25 Points Michael Haddad Hurricane Season. Stocks failed in their comeback bid Tuesday, and the market was heading lower Wednesday morning, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average slightly in the red and the Nasdaq getting hit. The Wall Street Journal reports Sears has hired advisors for a potential bankruptcy filing. In today's Morning Movers, we\u2026 Not the NasdaqS&P 500Dow Jones Industrial AverageNasdaq CompositeEarnings are here!FastenalFASTBoth were better than estimateswe suspected going into the quarterMore inflation concernsPPG IndustriesPPGlowered its guidanceAxalta Coating SystemsAXTAAkzo NobelAKZOYapparently willing to paydisclosed a stakeAll that glittersrecommended goldStorm watchHurricane Michael nears FloridaBeacon Roofing SupplyBECNGenerac HoldingsBriggs & StrattonA different kind of stormSuper Micro Computera Chinese hack hurricaneAlpha & Omega Semiconductor Church & Dwight (CHD) is down 0.8% to $58.95 after Deutsche Bank downgraded it to Sell. International Paper (IP) is up 1.9% to $45.47 after announcing a $2 billion share repurchase program and a 5.3% increase in its dividend. The stock was also cut to Neutral from Buy at Goldman Sachs. McDonald's (MCD) is up 0.9% to $171.38 after Guggenheim upgraded it to Buy. Sears Holdings (SHLD) has tumbled 25% to 44 cents on reports it is preparing to file for bankruptcy. Take-Two Interactive (TTWO) gained 1.6% to $130 after Bernstein initiated coverage with an Outperform rating. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Daily Dividend Report: UTX, FAST, CMI, CAT, SIRI, AOS United Technologies' Board of Directors today declared a dividend of 73.5 cents per share on the outstanding shares of UTC's common stock, which represents a 5 percent increase over the prior quarter's dividend amount. The dividend will be payable December 10, 2018, to shareowners of record at the close of business on November 16, 2018. \""The increase in our dividend reflects our ongoing commitment to remain disciplined in our capital allocation and deliver value to shareowners,\"" said Gregory J. Hayes, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of United Technologies. UTC has paid cash dividends on its common stock every year since 1936. Fastenal reported its board of directors declared a dividend of $0.40 per share to be paid in cash on November 21, 2018 to shareholders of record at the close of business on October 24, 2018. Fastenal began paying annual dividends in 1991, semi-annual dividends in 2003, and then expanded to quarterly dividends in 2011. On October 9, The Board of Directors of Cummins authorized the Company to repurchase up to $2 billion in shares of common stock upon completion of its 2016 $1 billion share repurchase program. The Board of Directors also declared a quarterly cash dividend on common stock at 1.14 dollars per share, payable on December 3, 2018 to shareholders of record on November 15, 2018. The board of directors of Caterpillar voted today to maintain the quarterly cash dividend of eighty-six cents ($0.86) per share of common stock, payable November 20, 2018, to shareholders of record at the close of business on October 22, 2018. Upon payment of this dividend, Caterpillar will have paid higher dividends to its shareholders for 25 consecutive years and, since 2009, the company's quarterly cash dividend has more than doubled. Caterpillar has paid a cash dividend every year since the company was formed and has paid a quarterly dividend since 1933. SiriusXM today announced that its Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.0121 per share of common stock, reflecting an increase of 10% over the previous quarter's dividend. This regular quarterly dividend is payable in cash on November 30, 2018 to stockholders of record at the close of business on November 9, 2018. Directors of A. O. Smith today approved a 22 percent increase in the company's quarterly cash dividend to $.22 per share. This is the second increase in the company's dividend rate in 2018. The dividend increase affects the company's Common Stock and Class A Common Stock. The dividend is payable on November 15 to shareholders of record October 31. VIDEO: Daily Dividend Report: UTX, FAST, CMI, CAT, SIRI, AOS The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Stock Falls Despite Q3 Earnings Beat InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips Fastenal stock was down on Wednesday following the release of its earnings report for the third quarter of 2018. Source: Shutterstock Fastenal's (NASDAQ: FAST ) earnings report for the third quarter of the year starts off with earnings per share of 69 cents. This is an increase over the company's earnings per share of 50 cents from the same time last year. It also beat out Wall Street's earnings per share estimate of 67 cents for the quarter, but couldn't keep Fastenal stock from falling today. Fastenal notes that part of the reason for the major increase to its earnings per share for the third quarter of the year was the Tax Act. This resulted in a 12-cent benefit for the company during the quarter. Net income reported by Fastenal for the third quarter of 2018 came in at $197.60 million. The company's net income from the third quarter of 2017 was $143.10 million. During the third quarter of the year, Fastenal reported operating income of $262.30 million . This is better than the company's operating income of $228.50 million that was reported in the same period of the year prior. 20 Small-Cap Stocks With Outsized Potential Fastenal also reported revenue of $1.28 billion for the third quarter of 2018. This is up from the company's revenue of $1.13 billion that was reported in the same quarter of the previous year. It also just barely beats out analysts' revenue estimate of $1.27 billion for the quarter, but Fastnel stock was still down today. FAST stock was down 5% as of Wednesday morning, but is up 2% year-to-date. More From InvestorPlace 3 Proven Principles for Building Wealth 10 Stocks to Buy As They Soar Higher in Q4 and Beyond One Thing You Must Do to Become a Better Trader 7 5G Stocks to Buy as the Race for Spectrum Tightens As of this writing, William White did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities. Compare Brokers The post Fastenal Stock Falls Despite Q3 Earnings Beat appeared first on InvestorPlace . The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Consumer Sector Update for 10/10/2018: SHLD, PPG, FAST, WMT, MCD, DIS, CVS, KO Top Consumer Stocks: WMT: +0.10% MCD: +0.72% DIS: Flat CVS: +1.59% KO: +0.15% Consumer shares were gaining early Wednesday. Stocks moving on news include: (-) Sears Holdings ( SHLD ), which was dropping more than 26% after reports that it hired M-III Partners to assist in bankruptcy proceedings that could be initiated as early as next week. (+) PPG Industries ( PPG ) was trading 3% higher after Trian Fund Management disclosed in a US Securities and Exchange filing that it has taken a 2.9% stake in the paint company, built up over the past few months. In other sector news: (-) Fastenal Company ( FAST ) was dropping by more than 2% after the company reported Q3 earnings of $0.69 per share, up from $0.50 in the same period a year ago and exceeding the estimate of $0.67 from analysts polled by CapIQ. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. Copyright (C) 2016 MTNewswires.com. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Dow Drops 19 Points as Pessimism Hangs Over the Markets Michael Haddad 6:32 a.m. We should be getting used to this now, as stocks look to start another morning off in the red. S&P 500 futures have dipped 0.1%, while Dow Jones Industrial Average futures have declined 19 points, or 0.1%, and Nasdaq Composite futures have dropped 0.2%. It is almost as if the market is waiting for something. Maybe it is for resumption in the rise of bond yields, as the U.S. Treasury sells billions in debt ? Or perhaps the euro to start sliding against the dollar again if we get another headline out of Italy? And the trade war between the U.S. and China is always lurking in the background. Earnings season is just getting under way, with Fastenal (FAST) this morning, Delta Air Lines (DAL) tomorrow, and Citigroup (C) and JPMorgan Chase (JPM) on Friday. It has the potential to get stocks moving higher again\u2026or not. \""Earnings' season is just outside our door and it will be interesting to see whether U.S. growth will translate into strong figures - and more important, equally strong forward guidance,\"" writes Konstantinos Anthis, head of research at ADSS. \""If not, then things could turn ugly in a hurry.\"" Stay tuned. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal (FAST) Q3 Earnings and Revenues Surpass Estimates Fastenal (FAST) came out with quarterly earnings of $0.69 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.67 per share. This compares to earnings of $0.50 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items. This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of 2.99%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this maker of industrial and construction fasteners would post earnings of $0.66 per share when it actually produced earnings of $0.74, delivering a surprise of 12.12%. Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates two times. Fastenal, which belongs to the Zacks Building Products - Retail industry, posted revenues of $1.28 billion for the quarter ended September 2018, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 0.64%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $1.13 billion. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates three times over the last four quarters. The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call. Fastenal shares have added about 1.7% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 7.7%. What's Next for Fastenal? While Fastenal has underperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock? There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately. Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions. Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for Fastenal was favorable. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to outperform the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here . It will be interesting to see how estimates for the coming quarters and current fiscal year change in the days ahead. The current consensus EPS estimate is $0.60 on $1.21 billion in revenues for the coming quarter and $2.56 on $4.93 billion in revenues for the current fiscal year. Investors should be mindful of the fact that the outlook for the industry can have a material impact on the performance of the stock as well. In terms of the Zacks Industry Rank, Building Products - Retail is currently in the bottom 31% of the 250 plus Zacks industries. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""3 Big Stock Charts for Wednesday: Kinder Morgan, PG&E and Fastenal Company InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips The bulls did their best to bring the market back from the brink, but the follow-through on Monday's modest strength ultimately failed. The S&P 500 ended the day down 0.14%, resting right on a pivotal support line. The market might have fared better - even logged a winner - had it not been for Ford Motor (NYSE: F ) and Snap (NYSE: SNAP ). Ford fell 3.4% on Tuesday, though for no particular reason. Snapchat's parent Snap saw its stock slide 6.4% in response to MoffettNathanson analyst Michael Nathanson's comment that the company is quickly running out of money.\"" Not even the 12.4% gain from Zynga (NASDAQ: ZNGA ) was enough to carry the broad market higher for the day. None of those names merit any trading scrutiny as today's action gets going though. Instead, stock charts of Kinder Morgan (NYSE: KMI ), Fastenal Company (NASDAQ: FAST ) and PG&E Corporation (NYSE: PCG ) are your best bets. Here's why, and what to look for. Kinder Morgan (KMI) Kinder Morgan should ring a bell. It was one of the names run through the analytical ringer a week ago , when KMI was toying with a breakout move above a major technical resistance level. 3 Proven Principles for Building Wealth That didn't happen right away, but with Tuesday's advance, the ceiling has been broken. That should make it much easier to resume the uptrend that's been materializing since April. Click to Enlarge \u2022 The $18.37 level is the big line in the sand. It had kept a lid on buying efforts through last week, but couldn't keep the stock capped any longer. \u2022 This breakout thrust is also well-founded. A week ago it was pointed out that Kinder Morgan was pushing up and off the 100-day moving average line, plotted in gray. Just within the past few days though, the purple 50-day moving average line has acted as a springboard. \u2022 Notice that Tuesday's surge also took shape on strong volume. There should be plenty of buyers waiting in the wings to pour in now that a key resistance level has been smashed. Fastenal Company (FAST) Fastenal Company is another name that should ring a bell. We took a closer look at it back on Sept. 10 , fearful that a red-hot rally would end without warning as the stock bumped into a well-established resistance line. That's exactly how it happened. But, before FAST can continue sliding lower, it has to break below a couple of different potential support lines. Click to Enlarge \u2022 The ceiling in question was right around $61 \u2026 a line formed by connecting all the major peaks going back to early 2016. It's plotted as a white, dashed line on both stock charts. \u2022 The next-best support lines (and last bastions of hope) are the gray 100-day and white 200-day moving average lines, at $55.55 and $54.67, respectively. Neither has been particularly great support for Fastenal shares of late, but both have to be respected. \u2022 If those last two potential floors fail, a trip back to the lower edge of the long-term trading range marked on the weekly chart is a distinct possibility. PG&E Corporation (PCG) Finally, back in mid-September we took a detailed look at shares of PG&E Corporation, noting they were getting close to breaking above a major technical ceiling. It didn't happen \u2026 at least not right away. And, even with the recent advance it's still not over the hump. It's once again close to clearing that hurdle, however, and this time it's starting the effort with an even better head of steam. Click to Enlarge \u2022 The technical ceiling in question was and still is $48.81, plotted with a yellow dashed line on both stock charts. PCG has tested that level several times, but has yet to clear it. \u2022 The proper underpinnings are in place, however. All the key moving average lines made bullish crossovers in August and September, suggesting this bullishness was building in multiple timeframes. \u2022 This budding strength may have more to do with a growing preference for safer havens like utility stocks than it has to do with PG&E itself. If that dynamic changes, that may be enough to quell the rally. As of this writing, James Brumley did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities. You can follow him on Twitter , at @jbrumley. More From InvestorPlace 3 Proven Principles for Building Wealth 10 Stocks to Buy As They Soar Higher in Q4 and Beyond 7 5G Stocks to Buy as the Race for Spectrum Tightens 3 Chinese Stocks to Buy Now Compare Brokers The post 3 Big Stock Charts for Wednesday: Kinder Morgan, PG&E and Fastenal Company appeared first on InvestorPlace . The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""What Happened in the Stock Market Today Stocks plunged Wednesday as investors grew concerned over rising interest rates and hints of a pickup in inflation. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI) and the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) both opened lower and declined through the session. The technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite (NASDAQINDEX: ^IXIC) lost 4.1%. Today's stock market Data source: Yahoo! Finance. All sectors of the market fell, with technology and energy stocks being hit the hardest. The Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (NYSEMKT: XLK) tumbled 4.9% and the SPDR S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production ETF (NYSEMKT: XOP) closed down 4.6%. As for individual stocks, Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST) fell despite reporting good third-quarter results, and TransDigm Group (NYSE: TDG) announced plans to acquire Esterline Technologies (NYSE: ESL) . Fastenal beats expectations, but rising costs raise concerns Industrial supply distributor Fastenal reported third-quarter results that beat analyst estimates, but shares fell 7.1% on concerns about falling gross margin . Revenue increased 13% to $1.28 billion, ahead of the analyst consensus estimate of $1.27 billion. Earnings per share increased 38.3% to $0.69, compared with the $0.67 Wall Street was expecting. The increase in sales was due mostly to strength in underlying demand and success that Fastenal is having selling through vending machines on customer sites . The installed base of vending machines grew 14% and sales through the devices increased about 20%. Price increases to mitigate inflation also contributed to sales gains. Gross margin was 48.1%, a full percentage point below the year-ago period and a decline of 60 basis points from last quarter. Falling gross margin has been a concern the past two quarters , and the company cited a shift in customer and product mix and rising freight costs as reasons for the trend. Fastenal is being regarded as something of a bellwether for the earnings season, being one of the earliest industrial companies to report. The company reported good results reflecting a strong economy, but also flashed some warning signs on some issues the market is watching closely, saying, \""[C]hallenges remain from inflationary pressures and new tariffs on Chinese-sourced goods.\"" TransDigm makes a big buy Aerospace parts supplier TransDigm Group announced it is buying smaller competitor Esterline Technologies in a $4 billion, all-cash deal. Esterline stock rose 30% to $115.41 on the news and shares of TransDigm fell 3.2%. TransDigm is paying $122.50 per share, which is a 38% premium to Esterline's share price at the close of trading on Oct. 9. The transaction will be financed through a combination of $2 billion in cash on hand and some new term loans. TransDigm had recently made moves to generate more cash in order to be prepared for acquisitions. The purchase has been approved by both boards and is expected to complete in the second half of 2019. \""Esterline's core aerospace and defense business consists of primarily proprietary, sole source products with significant and growing aftermarket exposure,\"" said TransDigm CEO W. Nicholas Howley in the press release. \""We view this as highly complementary to our existing business.\"" TransDigm has proven adept at buying up other parts suppliers in order to bolster its business supplying the commercial aircraft aftermarket parts market. This latest transaction is the 50th business that TransDigm has bought since its IPO in 2006. Esterline, with its estimated 2018 revenue of $2 billion, will be a significant addition to TransDigm's business , which analysts estimate will generate $3.8 billion in revenue this year. Offer from The Motley Fool: The 10 best stocks to buy now Motley Fool co-founders Tom and David Gardner have spent more than a decade beating the market. In fact, the newsletter they run, Motley Fool Stock Advisor , has tripled the S&P 500!* Tom and David just revealed their ten top stock picks for investors to buy right now. Click here to get access to the full list! * Stock Advisor returns as of Aug. 6, 2018. Jim Crumly owns shares of TransDigm Group. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends TransDigm Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy . The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Company (FAST) Q3 2018 Earnings Conference Call Transcript XSL Version: 1.0 Fastenal Company (NASDAQ: FAST) Q3 2018 Earnings Conference Call Oct. 10, 2018 , 10:00 a.m. ET Contents: Prepared Remarks Questions and Answers Call Participants Prepared Remarks: Operator Good day, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the Fastenal Company Third Quarter 2018 Earnings Results Conference Call. At this time, all participants are in a listen-only mode. Later there will be a question-and-answer session and instructions will follow at that time. (Operator Instructions) As a reminder, this conference call is being recorded. I would now like to turn the call over to Ellen Stolts with IR. Ma'am, you may begin. Ellen Stolts -- Investor Relations Welcome to the Fastenal Company 2018 Third Quarter Earnings Conference Call. This call will be hosted by Dan Florness, our President and CEO; and Holden Lewis, our CFO. The call will last for up to one hour and will start with a general overview of our quarterly results and operations, with the remainder of the time being open for questions-and-answers. Today's conference call is a proprietary Fastenal presentation and is being recorded by Fastenal. No recording, reproduction, transmission or distribution of today's call is permitted without Fastenal's consent. This call is being audio simulcast on the Internet via the Fastenal IR homepage investor.fastenal.com. A replay of the webcast will be available on the website until December 1, 2018 at midnight Central Time. As a reminder, today's conference call may include statements regarding the company's future plans and prospects. These statements are based on our current expectations and we undertake no duty to update them. It is important to note that the company's actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Factors that could cause actual results to differ from anticipated results are contained in the company's latest earnings release and periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and we encourage you to review those factors carefully. I would now like to turn the call over to Mr. Dan Florness. Daniel Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer Thank you, Ellen. Good morning everybody, and thank you for joining the third quarter earnings conference call for Fastenal Company. I'll start the discussion with (inaudible), just recap a few things going on in our business and to add some transparency to some things that are going on in the business. Had a call early this morning with our regional leadership and our -- around the planet. Holden ran through a bunch of the financial aspects and discussed the release in general, talked about some of the points that we will be focusing on in the earnings call today, to have that group be really well-informed of what's happening in the business. And that's something we do every quarter. I started my comments with a simple message to the group. September was a big month. Coming into the month, we had an aggressive goal. And January caused us to just miss our internal sales goal, earlier in the year. Since then we've been in excess of goal every month, very similar to what we experienced in 2017 from the standpoint of good solid top line growth, hitting our internal goals, which gives us the confidence to invest in the business. Year-to-date, we're at 100.7% of goal. When I looked at the numbers on last Saturday, a week ago Saturday, we were at 99.9%, not all the numbers are in yet. So I thought, OK, we have a good shot of hitting goal. We came in at 100% of goal in September. Proud of what we accomplished as an organization from the standpoint of establishing a goal and going out and getting it. In the last two days, we had our typical Board meetings, and the evening before our Board meeting is typically a session where we introduce a topic that we delve deeper into. In past quarters, we've talked about some of the acquisitions we've done, we've talked about some business development opportunities, we'll talk specifically about our Onsite business, our vending business, our e-commerce business, our construction business, just to share additional insight for our Board of Directors, for their own knowledge and engagement as a Director of Organization, but also to solicit input from a very talented group. Our meeting on Monday evening, I typically don't cover that session, I covered that session and talked a bit about the Company, and I just want to share some of the things we talked about. As we did at last year's annual meeting, we talk about Fastenal, what we looked like when we were a $2 billion Company, which was roughly 11 years ago, in 2007. We talked a bit at that time about what we'll look like as a $4 billion Company. And this year, as we prepare for our internal discussions in December and our annual meeting next year, we will get to talk about Fastenal as a $5 billion Company, and we'll talk about how we've morphed, how we've evolved over the last 10, 11 years. We also had a pretty lengthy discussion about what we'll look like when we are a $10 billion Company. And we focused on four aspects of the business. One was the products we sell. If you look at it, fasteners, and now, safety products, combined make up roughly half of our business. Fasteners made up half our business a decade ago, but as the other businesses have grown, especially safety has grown, it's morphed a little bit. We talked about our selling channels, our branch, our Onsite integrated supply, a relatively small business that's kind of tucked away into the Onsite business. And our channel extender in everything that we do, a little thing called vending and bin stocks. We talked about the definition of our customer, who it was 10 years ago, who it is today, who do we believe it's going to be 10 years -- when we're a $10 billion Company. And there we talked about the manufacturing customer, little bit of some of the subsets; the construction customer, a government customer and all the others. We talked at length about the request mode, and what I mean by that is how that's changed over time, in how our customers are ordering. A big swathe -- our request mode is vending, where the customer doesn't request it. Our supply chain delivers it to them at point of use, at time of use and it's a -- we measure our fulfillment in the context of minutes, not hours, not days, but minutes. In our branch network, we measure in the context of minutes and hours. In our distribution network, we measure it in the context of eight hours away, but impressive supply chain in how -- customers ordering patterns and how that's morphing can play really into the strengths of Fastenal. Four things I highlighted just for additional discussion. Some that were tangential to this discussion was our branch economics. We started talking about what we call pathway to profit, 10, 12 years ago. Pathway to profit is still alive and well within Fastenal when I think of our branch network, and understanding how that branch network funds our ability to migrate the business into a more Onsite world. The continuing traction we're seeing in the e-commerce -- Web, I mentioned to the Board that night. I said, last quarter was kind of fun to casually mention on the call that we now have a $100 million Web business within Fastenal. That's ignoring EDI, that's ignoring the electronic orders that are coming in from vending. That's just looking at where people hop on the Web and we've rebranded that mostly to what we call Fastenal Express, but it's a $100 million business within Fastenal, growing handsomely. To that extent, three months later, I can look at that and say that $100 million business is now $110 million business, you can do the math on what that means as far as growth, but it's seeing substantial growth. And interestingly enough, we're seeing the growth, not just in our branch network, we're actually seeing faster growth in our Onsite network, it's a more efficient way of ordering. So not only does it help us grow faster, it helps us be more efficient. And a critical part of our success as we morph from a $5 billion to a $10 billion Company, is managing the operating expense within the organization. And you've seen some of that shine through as we go quarter-to-quarter. We did a bit of a recap on how we communicate and learn internally. How we define the message and our focus and how our emphasis is always on what is special about Fastenal, and how does that something special benefit our customer. And let's make investments to grow there and differentiate ourselves in the market, be something special for the customer. We also touched on people development and some leader development aspects we have in place for 2018 and how that's changing us going into 2019. That transitioned from Monday night into Tuesday, and we had a pretty lengthy discussion on tariffs and inflation in general. We started that discussion to make sure everybody's on the same page, is awareness to what we're talking about, because there's lot of terms that get thrown around in the media, there's is lot of terms that get thrown around in the press in general, lot of terms that get thrown around in our organization. Since they emanate from a government source terminology, you know darn well, they're never going to be intuitive. So we walked through and tried to make some intuitiveness to it. We talked at length about the 232 steel tariffs. It took place early in the year, a 25% tariff that frankly had limited impact -- direct impact on Fastenal, but does create a step-up in the introduction of inflation in the marketplace. We talked about the 232 auto tariffs, a minimal impact, first off, they've been implemented; but secondly, even when they are, the focus for us is really understanding what that means to demand aspects of the North American marketplace. We also operate a pretty sizable fleet, we have about 6,500 Dodge Ram pickups parked in front of our branches, delivering product and making sales calls every day. We have a distribution infrastructure, about 500 vehicles between semis and straight trucks, supporting our customers every day, and anything that impacts that category of our cost pool, we would be mindful of. We talked at length about Section 301, because here's where it starts to change. Back in July, for lack of a better definition, our folks described it as List 1, I'm not sure if that's an official name, it's just our name, but List 1 came out in July and it involved about $34 billion in North American spend going into China; 25% tariff on that. As we've talked about in previous discussions, that's pretty limited for us. There were some impacts. Again, it's about the element of inflation it's introducing into the economy. On August 23, a second list, list number two, came out that impacted about $16 billion worth of imports, again there was a 25% tariff. While there were some impacts to Fastenal, it was relatively limited in how it played out in our business. List 3 was announced on September 17, became effective September 24, so starting a number of weeks ago. It's directly impacting the North American supply chain for our customers. We are an important component of that North American supply chain for our customers in the marketplace in general. Therefore, it has an impact on our business. If I -- an added piece to that is that meaningful impact that kicked in place a number of weeks ago, is scheduled to go from 10% to 25% on January 1. Only time will tell what actually happens. It wasn't too long ago, it looked like NAFTA could easily fall apart into sort of a trilateral relationship, couple of bilateral relationships, till eleventh hour calmer heads prevailed. And while everything isn't a done deal yet, it appears that the differences that existed between the respective governments, respective countries have been largely resolved, and time will tell if the two sides of the Pacific Ocean will have a similar coming of the minds and anybody's guess on this call is good as, if not better, than mine on how that will play out. Our commitment is to our customer and our employee. Every day we balance this commitment with four overriding aspects of our covenant with our customer. One is a reliable supply to support their business, whether that is OEM fasteners, MRO fasteners, MRO non-fasteners, product going through our branch, our Onsite, our vending, it doesn't matter. A reliable supply that consists of quantity and quality. One of the challenges with redirecting your supply chain or making changes to your supply chain, you can interrupt both of those and it impedes the ability to move quickly. The second is value. We're all about total cost of ownership for our customer. That means time that means price. We are managing through this. The third is ideas, solutions and alternatives. One aspect of our approach with our customer is suggesting alternatives to their supply chain, to minimize the impact. Again, that's our covenant with our customer. Finally, the health of our supply chain; that dictates everyday where we push and how hard we push on our supplier base, because ultimately supplier that is not able to invest in their business is not a great long-term supplier in our supply chain. Our steps started three to four months ago, an active resourcing effort. The reality of it is, and this isn't unique to Fastenal's business, this is true of the North American supply chain. A lot of categories are directly impacted by the Section 301 and they're meaningful spend, if I look at the business in North America. Some categories of ours that really jump out, that have big impacts; power transmission, electronics and battery, plumbing, machinery, welding, paint -- paint supplies, material handling. These are items that actually have a really big impact. For us they are a relatively small part of our business. So that's more of an issue for a supply chain that's going through other sources, generally speaking, than Fastenal, because they're all as a percentage of our business single digits. Number 11 on my list here of categories that are impacted, that thing that's near and dear to our hearts, called fasteners. It's a meaningful impact for that group and that group is a big percentage of our spend. And as we've talked in the past, a large part of the North American supply chain and Fastenal supply chain comes through sources outside the United States, and -- or our sources outside North America, excuse me. And a big -- a high percentage of that source, and this data is publicly available, where we import from, a good piece of that is coming from China and that's true in our business as well. If I go a little deeper down the list, I see safety products, another one that's a meaningful component of our business, because of our vending platform. One of the things that we have to help manage through it better than in the past is we have a great national account team and a great Onsite team, a great implementation team, a great engineering team and a great supply chain support infrastructure for that piece of our business. Those discussions have been going on in earnest. They continue to go on in earnest and we are shedding light to the supply chain of those customers and having discussions about prices and options. Another piece is, and we talked about this, not in great detail, in the July call, but we talked about it with meaningful detail in the April call, about on our local pricing. Our tools for managing that weren't as sophisticated, and frankly, a lot of the tools we had for managing that disappeared in -- over the last three, four, five years as we were plugging up back doors to our point-of-sale system with changing prices, in an effort to improve our security. In July, we rolled out a new means to manage local contract pricing or local pricing. Holden mentioned in our release that we got some improvement in our price cost inflation during the third quarter and we kept pace with the third quarter. That is a true and accurate statement for the third quarter. One point I'd make is, we started this in July and really got traction in August. While in the third quarter we kept pace with the current inflation and we didn't get back any of the inflation we lost in the first two quarters of the year, in the month of September, if I look at our local pricing, we did achieve a very good claw-back into that first and second quarter. And so we exit the quarter at a much better position than we entered the quarter or in what the quarter experienced and that's a positive from our business, from our standpoint, to be an efficient supply chain to manage that inflation dynamics in the marketplace and to manage the relative gross margin of each component of our business. But it was really shining through in September, not in July, or August and September. With that I'm going to switch over to the flip book and then I'll transition over to Holden. If I look at the quarter, a very good quarter. 13% sales growth in the third quarter of 2018. It's our sixth straight quarter of sales growth greater than 10%. Excellent leverage in the business. As we've talked about in the past, our big challenge as we were -- as our growth was expanding was the incentive compensation component of our cost pool, at the branch, at the district, at the region, at the distribution center, and the support functions throughout the organization, as our growth came back in 2017 and 2018 and our earnings growth improved. We reloaded up on the incentive comp and we saw meaningful inflation, because the incentive comp was expanding, a very typical thing I would expect to see in the Fastenal business. We've anniversaried that now and you see it shining through in our ability to get operating leverage at the operating expense line. The earnings per share grew 38.3%, obviously aided by tax reform. Absent this, on 13% sales growth, we grew our earnings 15%. That's the fastest rate so far in the cycle. We're very pleased with that and we're proud of what our teams did. As -- Holden's point here, incremental pricing was realized in the third quarter, largely offset incremental cost increases in the period. We exited the quarter in a much different place. Flipping over to page two, we signed 88 Onsites in the third quarter. We've talked in the past about participation and the importance of participation in our business. Last year, through nine months of the year, 64% of our district managers had signed an Onsite. We hang out for our district managers, if we can get to 80% participation on anything we do, we will be successful. Our goal is to hit 80% for the year. Through nine months of 2018 that 64% has grown to 72%. Onsite is part of Fastenal. It's not a subset within Fastenal, it's part of our business now. And you're seeing it shine through in the numbers. We've signed 269 Onsites year-to-date, last year we signed 270 for the year. Switching to vending, also part of our business now, like Onsite. We signed 5,877 vending devices in the quarter. There's 63 days in the quarter, we're signing 93 devices per day, not too far from hitting 100 devices signed each and every business day of the year. Our revenue in that is growing well, our installed base is growing well. And we feel very good about -- in both of those, Onsite is probably going to be at the lower end of that range based on our run rate, and well into the range in case of vending signings. We are taking market share here and there is something special about Fastenal that our competitors cannot bring to the marketplace in the same way we can. Total in-market locations, 3,089. If you look at it, we're up 116 year-over-year, it's about 4% increase. Branches are down 157, which is about a 6.5% decrease. But Onsites are up 273, almost a 50% increase. Lot of numbers flying around here. What it means is, as our business is morphing, our need for people is always important, because we are a service organization, and that's what we represent for our customer, but it allows us to manage the business a little bit more efficiently from a headcount perspective and you're seeing that shine through in our numbers. National accounts grew 18% in the quarter, impressive team, both the sales team, the implementation team, as well as our service teams in our branches in Onsite. Non-US daily sales, which are about 15% of our business, grew 20% in the quarter, despite some pretty extensive foreign exchange headwinds and that shined through in our gross margin a bit as well. With that I'm going to turn it over to Holden. Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Great. Thanks, Dan. Flipping over to slide 5. As covered, total and daily sales were up 13% in the third quarter, which is consistent with the growth of the first half. This runs our monthly streak of 10%-plus growth to 16 months, but perhaps is as notable to say that adjusting for acquisitions and foreign exchange, our August and September daily sales rate actually hit 14%. What that means is that nearly one and (ph) three quarters into the current year's -- into the current expansionary cycle, we're still posting new highs for organic growth. We also estimate that pricing contributed between 120 basis points and 170 basis points in the period, an increase from the first half when we did 50 basis points to 100 basis points. In addition to contribution from our growth drivers, as Dan discussed, this growth is supported by healthy macro conditions. The PMI averaged 59.7 in the third quarter and industrial production continues to expand at a low to mid-single digit rate. From a market standpoint, non-residential construction grew 16.2% and manufacturing grew 13%, in both cases, consistent with the prior quarter's growth. From a product standpoint, fasteners were up 10.8% and non-fasteners were up 14.9%. Again, in both cases, in line with the second quarter levels. Lastly, from a customer standpoint, national accounts were up 18% in the quarter with 79 of our top 100 accounts growing and non-national accounts grew mid-to-high single digits with nearly 67% of our branches growing. In terms of market tone, sentiment in the field remains constructive and we would characterize conditions being stable at high levels. Now sliding over to slide 6. Our gross margin was 48.1% in the third quarter, down 100 basis points from the third quarter last year. This was a larger decline than we expected, especially as the improved price realization largely neutralized incremental product cost increases we continued to experience in the quarter. Roughly 80 basis points of this decline was from product and customer mix, higher branch freight expenses and higher growth allowances that are attributable to the sustained strong growth we are experiencing with our largest customers. The remainder is a function of foreign exchange and other organizational factors. Sequentially, we believe the lion's share of our 60 basis points decline is due to seasonality, foreign exchange and branch freight costs. As it relates to the outlook for price costs, we think that being able to neutralize the impact of inflation in the third quarter speaks to our rebuilding of pricing muscle memory in the organization and the effectiveness of the tools we've introduced. These would be helpful as the situation with tariffs play out. Still, the latter likely means we've not seen the end of product cost increases and until greater clarity comes to the market, it's difficult to know how price cost will play out in the upcoming quarters. Our operating margin was 20.5% in the third quarter, up 30 basis points year-over-year. Strong volumes drove 130 basis points of cost leverage and generated an incremental margin of 23.1%. Looking at the pieces, we'd see 50 basis points of leverage over employee-related costs, growth in incentive compensation outpaced sales and profits, but it did moderate versus where we were last year. Occupancy-related costs were up 2.3%, generating 50 basis points of leverage. Lower branch costs were offset by higher cost related to non-branch facilities, with the increase deriving from higher vending expenses to support the growth in our installed base. We realized an additional 40 basis points of leverage from general corporate expenses. Putting it all together, the third quarter of 2018 EPS were $0.69. Now, excluding a discrete tax item, this would have been $0.68, or up 37% from the third quarter of 2017. In the absence of tax reform and the lower rate that it provides to us, EPS would have been $0.57 and growth would have been 15%. We continue to anticipate a tax rate of 24.5% to 25%, absent refinements in the application of, or discrete events arising from the recent tax reform. Flipping to page 7. We generated $185 million in operating cash in the third quarter, which is 93% of net income. This is a lower conversion rate than we might typically see in third quarters, which relates to working capital and I'll cover that in a moment. Net capital spending in the third quarter was $35 million, bringing our year-to-date outlays to $89 million, an increase of 16% over the first nine months of 2017. The timing of outlays is such that we do expect higher spending in the fourth quarter for expansions and upgrades at our properties, as well as IT assets than we have seen in any of the first three quarters of 2018. However, given the rate of spending to this point in the year, we are reducing 2018 capital spending projection to $152 million from our previous $158 million. We increased funds paid out in dividends to shareholders by 25% to $115 million and we finished the quarter with debt at 14.4% of total capital, below last year and last quarter and at levels that provide ample liquidity to take advantage of opportunities to invest in our business. The picture of our working capital grew more challenging in the third quarter. Inventories were up 14.1% in the period, representing the first quarter where growth in inventory has outpaced growth in sales since the fourth quarter of 2016. And that's largely due to inflation beginning to ripple through our balance sheet. Receivables grew 22.2% in the third quarter. This continued to be affected by growth in our national accounts and international businesses, both of which tend to have longer terms than our business as a whole, but the biggest factor continues to be customers pushing payments past quarter-end, a trend that we have seen since the fourth quarter of 2017. After that moderated last quarter, it intensified again in the third quarter, but (inaudible) we have not seen any meaningful change in hard to collect balances, the quality of our receivables remains solid. That's all for our formal presentation. And with that operator, we'll move to questions. Questions and Answers: Operator (Operator Instructions) Our first question comes from Ryan Cieslak with Northcoast Research. Your Line is open. Ryan Cieslak -- Northcoast Research -- Analyst Hey, good morning guys. Daniel Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer Good morning. Ryan Cieslak -- Northcoast Research -- Analyst Yes, I guess the first question, just wanted to go back to the gross margin comments, weaker than expected versus our model. It seemed like maybe below what you guys were expecting as well. Holden, maybe sequentially it sounds like the freight component once again it creeped up and was a big factor there. Can you just discuss, what changed this quarter versus last quarter and do you view this more as transitory, or how do we think about freight costs, certainly for the balance of the year, but even as we get into next year? Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Yes. I think that cost continues to go up from a freight standpoint and I think we've talked about how we did a nice job offsetting some of those issues in the second quarter. We talked a little bit about moving more product onto our own trucks, doing a better job sort of finding means of generating additional revenue and we still worked through that in Q3. But pricing is still a challenge, and I would say that that is a part of the equation still. Now, the impacts from freight was more meaningful on a year-over-year basis than it was on a sequential basis, make no mistake, right. But the -- I think if you look from a sequential standpoint, I think that you're looking at -- seasonality played a role. I think foreign exchange certainly played a role. And then you do get into some drag from branch freight and some of the customer allowances, but they are relatively smaller. So I think that the impact on -- from freight was more annual than it was sequential. Daniel Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer Sequential, one thing we're seeing, and this has been our mantra all year is, fuel prices are what they are, whether that is diesel going into our semi fleet or gasoline going into our pickup fleet. The real mantra is charge freight where it's appropriate, and we've seen a pretty consistent level of that. And use our trucks. The challenge to our branch employees, our Onsite employees, use our trucks -- a challenge to our supply chain, use our trucks, because it's a lower cost, and we've seen some success in that as we've gone through the year. Ryan Cieslak -- Northcoast Research -- Analyst Okay. So it doesn't sound like there is anything unusual or one-time in nature as it relates to freight here in the quarter. So I know you guys aren't -- big on giving your quarterly guidance on gross margins, but directionally, is the 48.1% that you put up a good starting point and should we be thinking about just normal sequential progression into the fourth quarter, or is there something that we should be thinking about where you see it maybe playing out better than that going into the fourth quarter? Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Yes, as it relates to the freight side of it, no, I don't think there's anything unusual there. And honestly, I have to say it's been fairly impressive, the degree to which the field has been able to move some product off of third-parties onto our own fleet and other things of that nature. As Dan said, fuel was a big issue. So as it relates to branch -- to branch freight, or freight generally, I don't think there's anything unusual there. As it relates to gross margin more broadly, yes, I think thinking about typical seasonality is not unreasonable here. There are certainly some comp give and takes as we move into Q4, freight being one of those. It was in Q4 last year that we began to see a lot of these costs really beginning to move up. So I mean that's one where there might be some easier comps, but there are some other items in there that might be less favorable comps. So I think if you think about the gives or takes, I feel like you should probably think about the seasonality. And the one perhaps caution I'll give there is, seasonality is usually maybe 20 basis points to 40 basis points lower in fourth quarter than third quarter. It also tends to be a much more volatile quarter than is typical, in terms of where that comes through. I think that we can find some gives and takes that move us to the high end of that and that's what we're going to strive to do, but I don't think it's unreasonable to think in terms of normal seasonality at this point. Daniel Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer I'll chime in with a couple positives when I think about going into the fourth quarter. We exited the quarter in a better position than we entered the quarter from the standpoint of our pricing in general, because of things we've put in place in July and August. Point number one. Point number two, one of our hard presses on our folks as it relates to all the noise, (inaudible) right now is be engaged with your customer from the standpoint of product substitution. That tends, historically, to help us from a gross margin perspective. And so, when I look at that, there's some built in enlist to it, but we'll continue to have the impact that we've seen in the mix of our business, that's not a new thing. The last piece is, one component of our gross margin centers on the volume allowances that either go to customers or come from suppliers. When I look at that, some years you will have a bias toward what direction one or the other might go, depending on the relative strength of that, of our overall growth for the year, because a lot of those programs are calendar based. As we've been seeing as we've gone through the year, the customer side, strong growth in national accounts, so there's a piece there, but nothing new as far as any kind of change sequentially. If I look at it on the supplier side, so now you can get an uptick or a downtick in the fourth quarter depending on where the programs come out. With our strong growth this year, the bias is toward up, not down. So I would look at that and say on the ledger there's more things that are ignoring seasonality, more things that are biased up versus down. Ryan Cieslak -- Northcoast Research -- Analyst Okay, that's helpful. And then just for my follow-up. Last quarter you guys gave sort of an initial estimate on what you think the direct exposure was to China from a sourcing standpoint as a percentage of your COGS. Any update there, certainly as you've gotten through, there's some additional list has come out, I'm sure you guys have done some additional work around that. And then just how do we think about, maybe just directionally going into next year, I know you guys have always talked about mix always being a net negative to your gross margins. Should we think about the tariff situation also being a net negative to your gross margins next year, or is it too early to tell at this point? Thanks. Daniel Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer I think on that, there is a number of things punched into that question. So as you unwind it from a tariff perspective, it's way too early to gauge, because we don't know what the next leg is going to be, is there going to be a next leg. We don't know if we are going to be sitting here in March and 10 is at 25 or 10 is at 10 or 10 is at zero, we don't know if it's on -- the SKU is (ph) on today, if it's on expanded list or a contracted list. So I don't think anybody can intelligently predict that today. I do know we have a really good plan for how we're approaching it. If I look at historically, we have talked about -- and I'm a big believer in transparency, I might be a little opaque here, because I don't want to put our field team in a bad position from the standpoint. If I sat down with 10 different customers, the percentage of what they're buying that's sourced in one country or another or in different parts of the world, in general, can vary dramatically depending on if it's a fastener. Fastener products have a very high content of imported products and a lot of that is coming out of China. So if you think about that third of our business, a big piece of that is sourced globally and most of that had moved outside of North America, heck, before we even started in business back in the late-1960s. And that 35%, it's a pretty big piece. On the non-fastener, it's also a quite large piece and this isn't just a comment about Fastenal, this is a comment about supply chains in general. So I would suspect most companies you'll find is that you're going to have over half of their revenue -- half of their business is sourced outside of North America, and a meaningful piece of that half comes out of China and you'd see the same. I don't want to get into specifics beyond that, because one customer it might impact there, what they're spending 10%, another customer it might be 30%. Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Well, Ryan, I think, yes, just to touch on last call. You're right, I mean I had indicated at that call that we were looking at basically -- roughly 10% of our product sourced from China, in that there was a chunk of that, it was just a guess, right, just a guess, because one-quarter of our total buys across the Company are bought by the field rather than corporately. And this local capability to buy is a big reason for our industry outgrowth, but it also reduces the visibility. And as you said, we've sharpened our pencils on this and we are trying not to be overly specific about it, but I think it is fair to say that our number is north of that 10% range that I had indicated earlier. So that is definitely a larger number that comes directly from China. Daniel Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer In fairness to Holden, I felt he was answering a different question on that call, or I would have corrected him on the spot. I know he was talking about the -- the first rounds being a single-digit, a low percentage impact and I didn't realize the intent of this answer. Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Yes. And not all that 30% -- not all that that amount is going to be captured in the first -- in this first round. So we'll see what happens going forward. Operator Thank you. Our next question comes from Hamzah Mazari with Macquarie. Your line is open. Hamzah Mazari -- Macquarie Research -- Analyst Good morning. Thank you. My first question is -- Daniel Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer Good morning. Hamzah Mazari -- Macquarie Research -- Analyst Morning. Just the first question is around working capital. It seems like it's a much bigger source of cash, the first three quarters this year than the last number of years. Clearly, some of that is inventory, but a lot of that is AR. So, maybe just walk us through, are customers just paying later or just walk us through sort of how you think about that piece, does that normalize or just any color that would be great. Daniel Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer So I'll throw in a few pieces, because I've got a few years under my belt that Holden doesn't have yet. If you think about our business, our local -- if you go back years ago, our days of collect (ph) would have been better, because our business was primarily a local business. And if I look at our local business, which is roughly half our revenue, you would see that our stats for that business is largely unchanged from what it would have been 10, 15, 20 years ago. In the last 20 years, we've gone from 2%, 3% of our revenue being national account to 52% of our revenue being national account. And we've gone from international being two locations in Southern Ontario to 15% of our revenue. Two things I can tell you about national account customers and international customers in general. They'd pay slower than our local customers. And so they've been attributing to 70% of our growth between Onsites. A lot of things we do Onsites, vending etc., really go toward a larger key account in that local market, whether it's a national account or not, but a larger customer and oftentimes their ability to negotiate terms that are linked to growing the business occur. And so, there are some structural aspects to it. The offset to that is that they also drive volume through our branch network and over time allow us to continually drive down the days of inventory on hand, because we're leveraging it across a bigger revenue base. So it's finding that balance, but it creates some challenges in near-term. Hamzah Mazari -- Macquarie Research -- Analyst Great. And then just a follow-up question is sort of, how do you think about sort of headcount growth going forward? I realize your sales are growing a lot faster, but at the same time your business mix has shifted more to Onsite. So, is historically the relationship between sales growth and headcount growth different now that the model is changed or just any thoughts on how you think about that piece would be great. Thank you. Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Yes, Hamzah. So the -- it is -- I think it's fair to say, I believe that the source of our headcount growth has diversified over the past few years, right. There was a time when we were heavily branch oriented, where most of our headcount was going into the branches and we're adding branches and filling those out. As we have become as reliant on the Onsites and vending, national account growth, then a lot of the headcount that we add is coming outside of the branches, perhaps to a degree that was not true 10 years ago, let's say. And we should be able to build a fairly significant revenue base off of that headcount relative to what we've been able to achieve before. I think it's fair to say that in the past, we would have had to throw a lot of bodies and heads into growing the revenues. And today, I think that there is more leverage in the model for headcount growth than it has been the case in the past. That said, growing 13% does require investment in the business and that investment is in the form of headcount, both in the branches, as well as outside of the branches, and we began to see in August and September those numbers begin to tick up, and we would expect to continue to add branches to support our growth going forward. Daniel Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer What I might add, if you look at the table in the press release, we talk about absolute employee headcount, and I'm talking about the in-market locations, and then the FTE employee headcount in-market locations. And you see that FTE growing a bit faster than the absolute. I have challenged our team to add a little bit more absolute, but to build to our recruiting pool. And the way we build staff in our branches, we aggressively go into four-year state colleges, two-year technical colleges and recruit and ask you to come work for us part-time while they're still in school. And those numbers need to be built a little bit. And -- but if you add 1% to that number, for example, it doesn't translate into 1% FTE, because it translates into about a half, and it's a less expensive FTE, and you don't do it for the cost, you do it for the recruiting pool of the future. And so, you will see that pick up a little bit, but will be very, I believe, efficient at managing the expense of that component. Hamzah Mazari -- Macquarie Research -- Analyst Okay. And then just lastly, I'll turn it over, just to make sure we're consistent with how you're thinking about tariffs. At this moment, you're sort of not quantifying how much of your business is directly sourced in China or you're sort of not quantifying how much of the business is sourced in China that is impacted by tariffs, because I realize those are two different numbers. Daniel Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer There is a subset of SKUs that we do import from China that are impacted. That subset is much larger in some of those categories I touched about earlier. In fasteners, it's about -- it's 10 or 11 down the list as far as subcategories. And so it hasn't been fully impacted. If you look at it, and a lot of things that I've been looking at, the fact that it's about half of the imports coming in, that $500 billion (ph) are now tariffed, that's not too far off the mark of what we're seeing in our business too. Hamzah Mazari -- Macquarie Research -- Analyst Got it. Thank you. Operator Thank you. Our next question comes from Adam Uhlman with Cleveland Research. Your line is open. Adam Uhlman -- Cleveland Research Company -- Analyst Hi guys, good morning. Daniel Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer Morning. Adam Uhlman -- Cleveland Research Company -- Analyst Sticking with that theme, I guess, when you think about the strategy here in the medium term of -- your purchasing strategy, I guess, should we expect the Company to be pre-buying ahead of what potentially could be bigger price increases for those tariff-related products from China, or are you looking to resource items from other countries more aggressively and not pre-buy? I guess I'm just trying to think through the inventory cadence here through the next quarter or two? Daniel Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer I'd say, yes to each and every one of those to a certain degree and no to another. And that is we started some months ago in earnest looking at where we're sourcing. But you also have to look at it from the standpoint of what's the alternative source. Is there capacity available. Is the quality the same, and what's the price point. We could move some stuff out of China to another source if you add 5%, 6%, 7% and that 10% is there for the next three years, it's a good decision. If you add -- if you do that and you add 15% or 20% or 30% of the cost, it's a really bad idea. It becomes a less bad idea if 10% goes to 25% and it sticks. So in an environment where there's political variability as opposed to economic variability, it makes it very challenging to plan, and the biggest thing is having a good open dialog with your customer, but also understanding for a lot of our customers what we spend is a relatively small part of their spend, or what we sell is a relatively small part of their spend. So it's creating the least amount of disruption to their supply chain, but we have redirected some already. As far as buying ahead, the problem with that is the -- predicting exactly what's going to be needed where. And for some items you can do it, but again, depending on what's going to happen, because supply chains, when we order stuff today it's not coming in next week or next month, it's coming in three, four months from now. So you have some limited ability to do that. But to the extent we can redirect some, absolutely we've been doing that. But Adam, just to sort of flesh out the question, the inventory I would not expect it to move meaningfully based on pre-bought volumes. Again, we've looked into it, there was tight capacity for products in a lot of places and we didn't have the ability to meaningfully ramp up the amount that we pre-purchased, based on what is pre-existing tight capacity. Adam Uhlman -- Cleveland Research Company -- Analyst Okay, thanks for that. And then just related to that, I guess, historically, what do you think the lag has been for your national account customer price realization, relative to your cost inflation and the efforts that you put into place recently. It's good to see in September price cost is covering what you'd done earlier in the year. I guess, should we expect that there is any difference as we start to think about 2019 in terms of your ability to pass along those higher costs to those big customers that push back so hard? Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Well, it's always going to be an intimate discussion with every customer and some of it's a willingness to peer into the supply chain flexibility on sourced supply. OEM fasteners has a different dynamic to it than MRO fasteners, for example. But historically, the pricing we saw in September that's more on our local customer, where time frame is different and because it's so diffused that was challenging us earlier in the year, because we didn't have great tools to manage it. I think of our national account relationships, most of that is historically on a -- kind of a six-month window that we can move pricing, and obviously extreme -- certain commodities don't fall into that, if it's things like stainless which has much more variability, we've tightened that window up. In the case of something like this, where it's a political event, you do have the ability to accelerate that, as does our supply base, accelerate that window, because the stuff we're buying last summer or last fall that came in on September 20 doesn't have a tariff. If it came in four days later, it does. So it's not about when you ordered it, it's about when it crossed the border. And so, it's being very mindful of that. And sometimes -- and that can change the timing window. But historically it would have been about a six-month window. Hamzah Mazari -- Macquarie Research -- Analyst Okay, thank you. Operator Thank you. Our next question comes from Evelyne Chao (ph) with Goldman Sachs. Your line is open. Unidentified Participant -- -- Analyst Hi , good morning, Dan and Holden. Daniel Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer Good morning. Unidentified Participant -- -- Analyst So I guess first question I have for you is just kind of thinking about inflationary impact on your inventory. Is there any meaningful difference in your turns on the fastener versus non-fastener pieces of your portfolio? And then how do we start thinking about the impact of some of this inflation on your buy, noting that pre-buy has been challenging for you? Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer The turns on the fasteners will be somewhat slower than the turns on the non-fasteners, simply because we source a much greater proportion of fasteners from overseas than we do non-fasteners. Not just from China, but from other countries as well. I don't think it would be unexpected to suggest that the vast majority of our fasteners spend is from outside the US and significantly in Asia. And so you're going to have a longer turn on fasteners than you will on non-fasteners. Our non-fasteners also carry more of a branded component to them. That lends itself to -- we're sourcing it domestically. Now it might have been manufactured offshore, but we are sourcing it domestically and therefore you have a tighter window too, as far as turns. Unidentified Participant -- -- Analyst Makes sense, yes. And then I guess maybe on a sort of related point to this, appreciate that it's challenging to quantify right now exactly what the impact to your COGS might be from List 3 in particular, but just thinking sort of, lot of your fastener buy is from outside the US, some proportion of your buy that's non-fasteners is also outside the US. Is there any thought as to maybe pulling back on how much the field is sort of permitted to dictate the buy and make that sort of more top-down in this challenging inflationary backdrop? Daniel Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer I don't know if I'd phrase it as permitted to buy. I think ultimately our customer decides what supply channel is best for their business from the standpoint of their end customer, what they expect. You know we have domestic capabilities too, where from a distribution perspective, we have the largest -- when I look at our peers, we have the largest manufacturing of fasteners capability in our industry. And so we manufacture -- 35% of our revenue is fasteners. We manufacture about 5% of what we sell . So 5% of that 35%, we manufacture domestically, for the most part, but we have some operations in Europe and Asia as well. But most of our operations are domestic. And there is a customer base that wants that. The reality of it is, for fasteners and for non-fasteners, there's not capacity to handle it domestically, even if we wanted to move more domestically. The capacity doesn't exist, because the fastener capacity that's retained in this country, we're a meaningful piece of it, because of what we've done. But much of it has moved offshore, again, a lot of that back in the '50s, '60s and '70s. Yes, Evelyn (ph) you have to also remember that the ability of our folks in the field to make decisions about what their customers need is a real important piece to how we service the customer and how we achieve the kind of outgrowth that we do. Now we've obviously encouraged the field to, wherever possible, maybe to use exclusive brands as sort of a product substitution, look for product within our network as opposed to having to go outside of our network, because obviously where we have scale in purchasing, we can do -- we can address the issues of inflation more greatly, but I think it would be a mistake to take something which has served us so well culturally and in terms of growth over such a long period of time and begin to uproot those kinds of things. I think we're far better off taking the relationships that those local sales folks have, have those conversations, use the tools that have never been better, use the experience they have in sort of having these conversations, which again has never been better and continue to service the customer in that way. Unidentified Participant -- -- Analyst Understood. And then maybe if I can just sneak in one on Onsites. I think you noted that you're tracking a little closer to the lower end of the range for the year. I guess what are some of the drivers of that expectation and then do we still think about a 360 to 385 (ph) type run rate into next year? Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Well, I think the expectation is if we look at the first three quarters, we divide by three, multiply by four and it gets you to the math, right. How fourth quarter plays out, we'll see. It's entirely possible that we'll sign enough to be inside that range. And so it's really just math Evelyn (ph). I will say this, if we come in at the low end of the range, around the low end of the range that will be as -- that will be as an effective job that we've done in any year of actually hitting that range. And let's not lose sight of the fact that whether it's 360 or 355 or 365, that's up from 270 last year and represents significant sort of buy-in and execution on the part of the organization. So I would perhaps put that perspective. With respect to what our expectations are for next year, frankly, we haven't addressed that yet. I think we'll have more to say about that as we get into the fourth quarter, but we haven't set that range at this point. Unidentified Participant -- -- Analyst All right, thanks guys. Daniel Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer Thank you. We'll take one last question and then we'll wrap up the call. Operator Our next question comes from Nigel Coe with Wolfe Research. Your line is open. Unidentified Participant -- -- Analyst Hey, good morning. This is Bupinder (ph) sitting in for Nigel here. Daniel Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer Good morning. Unidentified Participant -- -- Analyst I just wanted to go through the third quarter, pretty nice average daily sales growth here in the quarter, especially for September. And Holden, like you mentioned about the tariffs which became effective September 24. Just wanted to see if we can get some color, did you see any kind of pre-buy in the quarter before that deadline actually for the tariff went into effect? Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Are you talking about from a customer perspective or supply perspective? Unidentified Participant -- -- Analyst I mean if you can give color from a customer perspective, that'll be good too. Daniel Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer I'll chime in on that. If you think of what we do, we provide real time supply chain for our customers. And that's our value. When the customer needs something they walk over and they push a button on a vending machine and they instantly have what they need, their safety glasses, a pair of gloves, etc. When they're producing something, they reach over and they grab in a bin and grab the fastener they need to assemble the item they are producing. If they're doing maintenance, they go to a bin and grab it. So the value we bring is the sourcing of product (inaudible) supply. There is no sourcing cost, it's available when I need it. So it doesn't really lend itself to pre-buying. So I would say there is no pre-buying in our numbers from the context of any of our revenue numbers in the third quarter or earlier in the year for that matter. Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer And I've asked that question specifically of the RVPs every month in the last couple of quarters. And the feedback from them is very much the same. They have not seen any indication that our products are being pre-bought and stockpiled if you will ahead of these sorts of things. Now, I can't tell you that's not happening somewhere else in the supply chain, but as it relates to our products and our supply chain, it's not something that any of our RVPs or corporation is seeing. Daniel Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer I'm going to close up the call with just two quick thoughts. In the last two quarters, I've touched on something that we've never touched on as a company and that is the traction we're seeing in the ease of ordering for our customer through what we call Fastenal Express or Web. I personally have been making a use of the system. And I've been probably wearing our team a little bit with things to make it easier, to make it more intuitive as a buy. And I was sharing with our Board the other day. I said, yes, a couple of weeks ago I bought a case of filters, I sent the order in and after two -- after three (ph) I got a reply, order is ready to pick up and I stepped over the rope to go and pick it up. Last night, as I was leaving, after 5 o'clock, I ordered a couple of rolls of Talon duct tape, that's our brand, (inaudible), as well as a fast on (ph) Jobber drill bit set. I ordered that late in the day. At 8:02 this morning, I had an email from Fastenal, my order is ready to pick up. That's measuring fulfillment of any type of order, whether it's a vending machine, a bin, an e-commerce order in minutes and hours, not in days, and that transaction is a more efficient transaction for us. And that freight is part of our normal shipping network. What we're finding is between 93% and 94% of the time our customers buy online, they're picking it up at the Onsite or at the branch. They want certainty of supply and they want great availability. Second item I'll touch on is, we recently had Hurricane Florence hit the Southeastern part of the United States. I'm thankful to say that Fastenal and our Fastenal employees and our customers came through it largely undamaged. I love hearing the stories from customers and employees alike about fellow Fastenal blue team members stepping into support them. We are hours away from Hurricane Michael hitting the Panhandle of Florida. I believe Panama City is dead in its sites. Our best wishes and thoughts and prayers are with our team and our customers and the folks in that area. Thanks everybody, have a good day. Operator Ladies and gentlemen, this concludes today's conference. Thanks for your participation. Have a wonderful day. Duration: 60 minutes Call participants: Ellen Stolts -- Investor Relations Daniel Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Ryan Cieslak -- Northcoast Research -- Analyst Hamzah Mazari -- Macquarie Research -- Analyst Adam Uhlman -- Cleveland Research Company -- Analyst Unidentified Participant -- -- Analyst More FAST analysis This article is a transcript of this conference call produced for The Motley Fool. While we strive for our Foolish Best, there may be errors, omissions, or inaccuracies in this transcript. As with all our articles, The Motley Fool does not assume any responsibility for your use of this content, and we strongly encourage you to do your own research, including listening to the call yourself and reading the company's SEC filings. Please see ourTerms and Conditionsfor additional details, including our Obligatory Capitalized Disclaimers of Liability. 10 stocks we like better than Fastenal When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor , has quadrupled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Fastenal wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. Click here to learn about these picks! *Stock Advisor returns as of August 6, 2018 Motley Fool Transcribers has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy . The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal (FAST) Shares Cross Below 200 DMA In trading on Wednesday, shares of Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) crossed below their 200 day moving average of $54.67, changing hands as low as $51.89 per share. Fastenal Co. shares are currently trading down about 5.7% on the day. The chart below shows the one year performance of FAST shares, versus its 200 day moving average: Looking at the chart above, FAST's low point in its 52 week range is $42.51 per share, with $61.14 as the 52 week high point - that compares with a last trade of $52.43. Click here to find out which 9 other dividend stocks recently crossed below their 200 day moving average \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Earnings Reaction History: Fastenal Co., 54.5% Follow-Through Indicator, 4.2% Sensitive Expected Earnings Release: 10/10/2018, Premarket Avg. Extended-Hours Dollar Volume: $2,275,430 Fastenal Co. ( FAST ) is due to issue its quarterly earnings report in the upcoming extended-hours session. Given its history, traders can expect light trading in the issue immediately following its quarterly earnings announcement. Historical earnings event related premarket and after-hours trading activity in FAST indicates that the price change in the extended hours is likely to be of limited value in forecasting additional price movement by the following regular session close. Last 12 Qtrs Positive Only Price Reactions Percent of time added to extended-hours gains: 50% Average next regular session additional gain: 3.5% Over the prior three fiscal years (12 quarters), when shares of FAST rose in the extended-hours session in reaction to its earnings announcement, history shows that 50.0% of the time (1 event) the stock posted additional gains in the following regular session by an average of 3.5%. Last 12 Qtrs Negative Only Price Reactions Percent of time added to extended-hours losses: 77.8% Average next regular session additional loss: 1.7% Over that same historical period, when shares of FAST dropped in the extended-hours in reaction to its earnings announcement, history shows that 77.8% of the time (7 events) the stock dropped further, adding to the extended-hours losses by an average of 1.7% by the following regular session close. Data provided by the MT Pro service at MTNewswires.com. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. Copyright (C) 2016 MTNewswires.com. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""41 Stocks Moving In Wednesday's Mid-Day Session"", ""UPDATE: Fastenal Q2 Adj. EPS $0.57 Misses $0.67 Est."", ""Fastenal shares are trading lower after the company reported third quarter adjusted EPS of $0.57 versus the $0.67 consensus estimate."", ""30 Stocks Moving In Wednesday's Pre-Market Session"", ""A Peek Into The Markets: US Stock Futures Edge Lower Ahead Of Producer Price, Wholesale Inventories Data"", ""UPDATE: Fastenal Q3 Gross Profit Fell To 48.1%"", ""Fastenal Q3 EPS $0.69 Beats $0.67 Estimate, Sales $1.28B Beat $1.27B Estimate"", ""5 Stocks To Watch For October 10, 2018"", ""Earnings Scheduled For October 10, 2018"", ""Fastenal Company (FAST) CEO Dan Florness on Q3 2018 Results - Earnings Call Transcript"", ""Fastenal Company 2018 Q3 - Results - Earnings Call Slides"", ""Premarket Losers as of 9:05 am (10/10/2018)"", ""More on Fastenal's Q3"", ""Fastenal beats by $0.02, beats on revenue"", ""Dow Drops 19 Points as Pessimism Hangs Over the Markets The lack of market-moving headlines isn\u2019t reason enough to get the market moving higher."", ""Dow Drops 832 Points and No One Has a Clue There was no single reason for today\u2019s drop, which was the worst for the Dow since February. For the Nasdaq, it was the biggest drop since 2016.""]"
FAST,2018-10-11,23.0537,23.7071,22.6609,22.8937,"[""41 Biggest Movers From Yesterday"", ""Wells Fargo Maintains Market Perform on Fastenal, Lowers Price Target to $50"", ""Wells Fargo Maintains Market Perform on Fastenal, Lowers Price Target to $50"", ""41 Biggest Movers From Yesterday"", ""PBP's Underlying Holdings Could Mean 13% Gain Potential Looking at the underlying holdings of the ETFs in our coverage universe at ETF Channel , we have compared the trading price of each holding against the average analyst 12-month forward target price, and computed the weighted average implied analyst target price for the ETF itself. For the Invesco S&P 500 BuyWrite ETF (Symbol: PBP), we found that the implied analyst target price for the ETF based upon its underlying holdings is $24.52 per unit. With PBP trading at a recent price near $21.64 per unit, that means that analysts see 13.29% upside for this ETF looking through to the average analyst targets of the underlying holdings. Three of PBP's underlying holdings with notable upside to their analyst target prices are Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST), Cintas Corporation (Symbol: CTAS), and Everest Re Group Ltd (Symbol: RE). Although FAST has traded at a recent price of $51.67/share, the average analyst target is 15.40% higher at $59.62/share. Similarly, CTAS has 15.21% upside from the recent share price of $187.13 if the average analyst target price of $215.60/share is reached, and analysts on average are expecting RE to reach a target price of $249.86/share, which is 14.76% above the recent price of $217.73. Below is a twelve month price history chart comparing the stock performance of FAST, CTAS, and RE: Below is a summary table of the current analyst target prices discussed above: Are analysts justified in these targets, or overly optimistic about where these stocks will be trading 12 months from now? Do the analysts have a valid justification for their targets, or are they behind the curve on recent company and industry developments? A high price target relative to a stock's trading price can reflect optimism about the future, but can also be a precursor to target price downgrades if the targets were a relic of the past. These are questions that require further investor research. 10 ETFs With Most Upside To Analyst Targets \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Wells Fargo Maintains Market Perform on Fastenal, Lowers Price Target to $50"", ""41 Biggest Movers From Yesterday"", ""These stocks in the Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500 and Nasdaq declined the most on Wednesday Investors worry that the central-bank-driven, nine-year bull market may be over Investors worry that the central-bank-driven, nine-year bull market may be over.""]"
FAST,2018-10-12,23.26,23.3192,22.7319,23.26,
FAST,2018-10-15,23.2017,23.7022,23.2017,23.5284,"Bank of America Rises, Sears Slumps as Dow Slips The Dow was trading lower on concerns about rising tensions between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia."
FAST,2018-10-16,23.0537,23.7268,22.7408,23.6548,"[""Grainger -10% after earnings, peers in retreat as well"", ""Grainger -10% after earnings, peers in retreat as well"", ""Nasdaq 100 Movers: CTRP, ADBE In early trading on Tuesday, shares of Adobe ( ADBE ) topped the list of the day's best performing components of the Nasdaq 100 index, trading up 7.8%. Year to date, Adobe registers a 46.5% gain. And the worst performing Nasdaq 100 component thus far on the day is Ctrip.com International ( CTRP ), trading down 2.0%. Ctrip.com International is lower by about 19.6% looking at the year to date performance. Two other components making moves today are Fastenal ( FAST ), trading down 1.5%, and Tesla ( TSLA ), trading up 4.6% on the day. VIDEO: Nasdaq 100 Movers: CTRP, ADBE The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Grainger -10% after earnings, peers in retreat as well""]"
FAST,2018-10-17,23.6598,23.716,23.2827,23.5196,"[""Positive Start to Q3 Earnings Season"", ""5 Top Stocks to Buy Now on Renewed Homebuilder Confidence"", ""Positive Start to Q3 Earnings Season"", ""5 Top Stocks to Buy Now on Renewed Homebuilder Confidence"", ""5 Top Stocks to Buy Now on Renewed Homebuilder Confidence Homebuilder sentiment ticked up recently as buyers' demand overshadowed headwinds. A growing economy and record low unemployment rate boosted housing demand. At the same time, the cost of lumber is falling, which is enhancing builders' confidence. The broader construction industry, by the by, is also hiring on a large scale, reflecting the housing market's underlying strength. U.S. Homebuilder Sentiment Rises Builder confidence unexpectedly rose in October after gain was recorded for the first time in five months. Per the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo (\""NAHB\""), the monthly confidence index went up one point to 68 in October. Any reading above 50 shows improvement. The index's three sub-gauges, current sales condition ticked up one point to 74, and expectations for sales over the next six months rose one point to 75. The gauge of buyer traffic witnessed the largest gain, up four points to 53. Why Builders are Feeling Better? Builders are motivated by solid housing demand, fueled by a growing economy and one of the strongest job markets in decades. Currently the components of the Conference Board's Leading Economic Index indicate a 3% or more growth rate in GDP in the final two quarters of the year. Notably, the economy, has already expanded at a seasonally adjusted rate of 4.2% in the April-June quarter, per the Commerce Department. This marked the strongest rise since the 4.3% annual gain recorded in the third quarter of 2014. U.S. unemployment rate, in the meantime, fell to a 49-year low of 3.7% in September, the lowest since December 1969, per the Labor Department (read more: American Labor Market Hale and Hearty: Top 5 Winners ). Housing demand, in fact, is expected to improve further in the near term. After all, summertime underperformance due to concerns of a housing slowdown may now lead to a \""hope trade\"", where investors will buy housing-related stocks in winter and early spring in anticipation of a bounce back in demand. Raymond James analyst Buck Horne added that on an average this phenomenon helped homebuilders to outdo the broader S&P 500 by 14% in the last 33 years. Builders are also relieved to see that lumber prices recently have tanked nearly 50% since reaching a record in May. Robert Dietz, NAHB's chief economist added that lumber prices continue to decline because supplies are rising, which has already increased 5% in the first four months of this year. Thus, these tailwinds are a blessing in disguise for homebuilders among rising home prices and borrowing costs. Construction Hiring is Booming Another sign that the market for newly-built homes may be regaining steam is that a lot of hiring is taking place in the broader construction industry. This is a telltale sign that the housing market is in an expansion mode and definitely in a good shape. Per the Labor Department, employers have added 23,000 new construction jobs in September, while the industry has added 315,000 jobs over the past 12 months. Even pay and perks are also quite encouraging. Last month, average hourly earnings for construction workers were $30.18, more than $27.24 earned by all workers. Ken Simonson, the chief economist for the Associated General Contractors of America, a trade group reiterated that \""the construction industry added workers and increased pay in the past year at rates higher than the overall economy.\"" 5 Top Picks Given the aforesaid positives, investing in housing-related stocks that can make the most of the improved homebuilder sentiment seems judicious. We have, thus, selected five such stocks that carry a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy). Toll Brothers, Inc.TOL designs, builds, markets, and arranges finance for detached and attached homes in luxury residential communities in the United States. The company currently has a Zacks Rank #2. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings has been raised 1.8% in the past 60 days. The company's expected earnings growth rate for the current quarter and current year is a solid 57.3% and 44.2%, respectively. Fastenal Company 's FAST products such as bolts, nuts, screws, studs and related washers are used in manufactured products and building projects. The company currently has a Zacks Rank #2. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings has been revised 0.8% upward in the past 60 days. The company's expected earnings growth rate for the current quarter and current year is 33.3% and 33.2%, respectively. American Woodmark CorporationAMWD manufactures and distributes kitchen, bath and home organization products for the remodeling and new home construction markets in the United States. The company currently has a Zacks Rank #2. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings has been raised 1.1% in the past 60 days. The company's expected earnings growth rate for the current quarter and current year is an encouraging 58.5% and 45.4%, respectively. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here . Haverty Furniture Companies, Inc.HVT is a full-service home furnishings retailer in the Southern and Midwestern regions in the United States. The company currently has a Zacks Rank #2. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings has risen 0.7% in the past 60 days. The company's expected earnings growth rate for the current quarter and current year is a promising 32.1% and 11.2%, respectively. RHRH operates as a retailer in the home furnishings. It offers products in various categories, including furniture and lighting. The company currently has a Zacks Rank #1. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings has been revised 14.7% up in the past 60 days. The company's expected earnings growth rate for the current quarter and current year is a solid 21.2% and 150.7%, respectively. 5 Medical Stocks to Buy Now Zacks names 5 companies poised to ride a medical breakthrough that is targeting cures for leukemia, AIDS, muscular dystrophy, hemophilia, and other conditions. New products in this field are already generating substantial revenue and even more wondrous treatments are in the pipeline. Early investors could realize exceptional profits. Click here to see the 5 stocks >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Toll Brothers Inc. (TOL): Free Stock Analysis Report American Woodmark Corporation (AMWD): Free Stock Analysis Report Restoration Hardware Holdings Inc. (RH): Free Stock Analysis Report Haverty Furniture Companies, Inc. (HVT): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Positive Start to Q3 Earnings Season Note: The following is an excerpt from this week's Earnings Trends report. You can access the full report that contains detailed historical actual and estimates for the current and following periods, please click here>>> Here are the key points: We are off to a positive start in the Q3 earnings season, with the strong growth pace of the last few quarters still intact, though it has started to decelerate. That said, revenue beats are tracking below what we have been seeing in other recent periods. Total earnings for the 51 S&P 500 members that have reported results are up +19.4% from the same period last year on +7.9% higher revenues, with 88.2% beating EPS estimates and 66.7% beating revenue estimates. The earnings and revenue growth pace for these 51 index members represents a deceleration from what we had seen in the first half of the year, while the proportion of these 51 index members beating revenue estimates is the lowest since 2017 Q1. For the Finance sector, we now have Q3 results from 41.5% of the sector's total market cap in the index. Total earnings for these Finance companies are up +20% on +5.3% higher revenues, with 86.7% beating EPS estimates and 60% beating revenue estimates. The stock-market reaction to earnings releases has the most positive for the Transportation and Medical sectors and the most negative for the Industrials and Construction sectors. Looking at Q3 as a whole, total earnings for the index are expected to be up +19% from the same period last year on +7.2% higher revenues, the 6th time in the last 7 quarters of double-digit earnings growth. Q3 earnings growth is expected to be in double-digits territory for 10 of the 16 Zacks sectors, with Energy, Finance, Construction, Basic Materials and Technology sectors with the strongest growth and Conglomerates and Autos expected to experience modest earnings declines. For the small-cap S&P 600 index, total Q3 earnings are expected to be up +18.5% from the same period last year on +7.4% higher revenues. The Finance sector, which is an even bigger earnings contributor to the small-cap index compared to the S&P 500 index, is expected to see +54.1% higher earnings on +6.8% higher revenues. Only 26 S&P 600 members have reported results at this stage. For full-year 2018, total earnings for the S&P 500 index are expected to be up +20.6% on +6.4% higher revenues. For full-year 2019, total earnings are expected to be up +9.9% on +5.2% higher revenues. The implied 'EPS' for the index, calculated using current 2018 P/E of 17.8X and index close, as of October 16th, is $157.49. Using the same methodology, the index 'EPS' works out to $173.11 for 2019 (P/E of 16.2X) and $188.96 for 2020 (P/E of 14.9X). The multiples for 2018, 2019 and 2020 have been calculated using the index's total market cap and aggregate bottom-up earnings for each year. The market appears to have moved past last week's interest rate worries, with positive Q3 earnings releases generally getting credited with helping reassuring market participants that fundamentals still remain rock solid. There is plenty of truth in this narrative, with earnings and revenue growth still very strong even though they have started decelerating. The chart below shows the one-day stock-price reaction to the earnings release, aggregated to the sector level. This is still relatively early in the reporting cycle (the sample size is comprised of the 51 index members that have reported already), as no companies from the top 6 sectors in the above chart have reported Q3 results yet. But the variance in market reaction to the results from different sectors is telling with Transportation on the positive side and Industrial Products on the negative. The Transportation positivity reflects strong results from the air carriers and railroads while the Industrial Products weakness is largely due to W.W. Grainger (GWW) and Fastenal (FAST) whose results show the difficulties of operating in the emerging international trade environment. The market has been modestly happy with the 41.3% of the Finance sector's market capitalization that have reported results, with total earnings for the sector up +20% from the same period last year on +5.3% higher revenues, with 86.7% beating EPS estimates and 60% beating revenue estimates. Relative to other recent periods, these Finance sector results compare favorably to what we have been seeing from the sector in other recent periods, other than revenue beats that appear to be on the weak side across the board. Q3 Expectations As a Whole Combining the actual results from the 51 S&P 500 members that have reported with estimates for the still-to-come 449 companies, total Q3 earnings are expected to be up +19% from the same period last year on +7.2% higher revenues. The chart below shows the expected Q3 earnings growth pace for the index in the context where growth has been in recent quarters and what is expected to come in the following few quarters. More significant than the growth deceleration will be developments on the revisions front, which had turned modestly negative ahead of the start of the Q3 earnings season. With the global economic growth pace expected to be a bit softer relative to what was expected earlier and the trade issue still largely unsettled, it is perhaps reasonable to expect estimates for 2019 to come down. The Hottest Tech Mega-Trend of All Last year, it generated $8 billion in global revenues. By 2020, it's predicted to blast through the roof to $47 billion. Famed investor Mark Cuban says it will produce \""the world's first trillionaires,\"" but that should still leave plenty of money for regular investors who make the right trades early. See Zacks' 3 Best Stocks to Play This Trend >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report W.W. Grainger, Inc. (GWW): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Positive Start to Q3 Earnings Season Note: The following is an excerpt from this week's Earnings Trends report. You can access the full report that contains detailed historical actual and estimates for the current and following periods, please click here>>> Here are the key points: We are off to a positive start in the Q3 earnings season, with the strong growth pace of the last few quarters still intact, though it has started to decelerate. That said, revenue beats are tracking below what we have been seeing in other recent periods. Total earnings for the 51 S&P 500 members that have reported results are up +19.4% from the same period last year on +7.9% higher revenues, with 88.2% beating EPS estimates and 66.7% beating revenue estimates. The earnings and revenue growth pace for these 51 index members represents a deceleration from what we had seen in the first half of the year, while the proportion of these 51 index members beating revenue estimates is the lowest since 2017 Q1. For the Finance sector, we now have Q3 results from 41.5% of the sector's total market cap in the index. Total earnings for these Finance companies are up +20% on +5.3% higher revenues, with 86.7% beating EPS estimates and 60% beating revenue estimates. The stock-market reaction to earnings releases has the most positive for the Transportation and Medical sectors and the most negative for the Industrials and Construction sectors. Looking at Q3 as a whole, total earnings for the index are expected to be up +19% from the same period last year on +7.2% higher revenues, the 6th time in the last 7 quarters of double-digit earnings growth. Q3 earnings growth is expected to be in double-digits territory for 10 of the 16 Zacks sectors, with Energy, Finance, Construction, Basic Materials and Technology sectors with the strongest growth and Conglomerates and Autos expected to experience modest earnings declines. For the small-cap S&P 600 index, total Q3 earnings are expected to be up +18.5% from the same period last year on +7.4% higher revenues. The Finance sector, which is an even bigger earnings contributor to the small-cap index compared to the S&P 500 index, is expected to see +54.1% higher earnings on +6.8% higher revenues. Only 26 S&P 600 members have reported results at this stage. For full-year 2018, total earnings for the S&P 500 index are expected to be up +20.6% on +6.4% higher revenues. For full-year 2019, total earnings are expected to be up +9.9% on +5.2% higher revenues. The implied 'EPS' for the index, calculated using current 2018 P/E of 17.8X and index close, as of October 16th, is $157.49. Using the same methodology, the index 'EPS' works out to $173.11 for 2019 (P/E of 16.2X) and $188.96 for 2020 (P/E of 14.9X). The multiples for 2018, 2019 and 2020 have been calculated using the index's total market cap and aggregate bottom-up earnings for each year. The market appears to have moved past last week's interest rate worries, with positive Q3 earnings releases generally getting credited with helping reassuring market participants that fundamentals still remain rock solid. There is plenty of truth in this narrative, with earnings and revenue growth still very strong even though they have started decelerating. The chart below shows the one-day stock-price reaction to the earnings release, aggregated to the sector level. This is still relatively early in the reporting cycle (the sample size is comprised of the 51 index members that have reported already), as no companies from the top 6 sectors in the above chart have reported Q3 results yet. But the variance in market reaction to the results from different sectors is telling with Transportation on the positive side and Industrial Products on the negative. The Transportation positivity reflects strong results from the air carriers and railroads while the Industrial Products weakness is largely due to W.W. Grainger (GWW) and Fastenal (FAST) whose results show the difficulties of operating in the emerging international trade environment. The market has been modestly happy with the 41.3% of the Finance sector's market capitalization that have reported results, with total earnings for the sector up +20% from the same period last year on +5.3% higher revenues, with 86.7% beating EPS estimates and 60% beating revenue estimates. Relative to other recent periods, these Finance sector results compare favorably to what we have been seeing from the sector in other recent periods, other than revenue beats that appear to be on the weak side across the board. Q3 Expectations As a Whole Combining the actual results from the 51 S&P 500 members that have reported with estimates for the still-to-come 449 companies, total Q3 earnings are expected to be up +19% from the same period last year on +7.2% higher revenues. The chart below shows the expected Q3 earnings growth pace for the index in the context where growth has been in recent quarters and what is expected to come in the following few quarters. As you can see, the growth picture remains very strong, even though it is expected to decelerate in the current and coming quarters. But this isn't news for the market, as consensus expectations have been reflecting this deceleration for quite some time. More significant than the growth deceleration will be developments on the revisions front, which had turned modestly negative ahead of the start of the Q3 earnings season. With the global economic growth pace expected to be a bit softer relative to what was expected earlier and the trade issue still largely unsettled, it is perhaps reasonable to expect estimates for 2019 to come down. The Hottest Tech Mega-Trend of All Last year, it generated $8 billion in global revenues. By 2020, it's predicted to blast through the roof to $47 billion. Famed investor Mark Cuban says it will produce \""the world's first trillionaires,\"" but that should still leave plenty of money for regular investors who make the right trades early. See Zacks' 3 Best Stocks to Play This Trend >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report W.W. Grainger, Inc. (GWW): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Positive Start to Q3 Earnings Season"", ""5 Top Stocks to Buy Now on Renewed Homebuilder Confidence""]"
FAST,2018-10-18,23.4752,23.8128,23.1988,23.4712,"[""The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: Toll Brothers, Fastenal, American Woodmark, Haverty Furniture and RH"", ""Is Optimism about Earnings Still the Watchword?"", ""Zacks Earnings Trends Highlights: W.W. Grainger and Fastenal"", ""Is Optimism about Earnings Still the Watchword?"", ""Zacks Earnings Trends Highlights: W.W. Grainger and Fastenal"", ""The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: Toll Brothers, Fastenal, American Woodmark, Haverty Furniture and RH"", ""Fastenal Named Top Dividend Stock With Insider Buying and 3.04% Yield (FAST) In this series, we look through the most recent Dividend Channel''DividendRank'' report, and then we cherry pick only those companies that have experienced insider buying within the past six months. The officers and directors of a company tend to have a unique insider's view of the business, and presumably the only reason an insider would choose to take their hard-earned cash and use it to buy stock in the open market, is that they expect to make money - maybe they find the stock very undervalued, or maybe they see exciting progress within the company, or maybe both. So when stocks turn up that see insider buying, and are also top ranked, investors are wise to take notice. One such company is Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST), which saw buying by CEO and President Daniel L. Florness. Back on October 12, Florness invested $103,900.00 into 2,000 shares of FAST, for a cost per share of $51.95. In trading on Thursday, shares were changing hands as low as $52.32 per share, which is 0.7% above Florness's purchase price. Fastenal Co. shares are currently trading +0.03% on the day. The chart below shows the one year performance of FAST shares, versus its 200 day moving average: Looking at the chart above, FAST's low point in its 52 week range is $45.96 per share, with $61.14 as the 52 week high point - that compares with a last trade of $52.68. By comparison, below is a table showing the prices at which insider buying was recorded over the last six months: The DividendRank report noted that among the coverage universe, FAST shares displayed both attractive valuation metrics and strong profitability metrics. The report also cited the strong quarterly dividend history at Fastenal Co., and favorable long-term multi-year growth rates in key fundamental data points. The report stated, '' Dividend investors approaching investing from a value standpoint are generally most interested in researching the strongest most profitable companies, that also happen to be trading at an attractive valuation. That's what we aim to find using our proprietary DividendRank formula, which ranks the coverage universe based upon our various criteria for both profitability and valuation, to generate a list of the top most 'interesting' stocks, meant for investors as a source of ideas that merit further research. '' The annualized dividend paid by Fastenal Co. is $1.6/share, currently paid in quarterly installments, and its most recent dividend ex-date was on 10/23/2018. Below is a long-term dividend history chart for FAST, which the report stressed as being of key importance. Indeed, studying a company's past dividend history can be of good help in judging whether the most recent dividend is likely to continue. The Top DividendRank'ed Stocks With Insider Buying \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Nasdaq 100 Movers: ATVI, WDC In early trading on Thursday, shares of Western Digital Corp ( WDC ) topped the list of the day's best performing components of the Nasdaq 100 index, trading up 1.1%. Year to date, Western Digital Corp has lost about 29.1% of its value. And the worst performing Nasdaq 100 component thus far on the day is Activision Blizzard ( ATVI ), trading down 7.9%. Activision Blizzard is showing a gain of 13.8% looking at the year to date performance. Two other components making moves today are Take-Two Interactive Software ( TTWO ), trading down 4.8%, and Fastenal ( FAST ), trading up 1.0% on the day. VIDEO: Nasdaq 100 Movers: ATVI, WDC The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Is Optimism about Earnings Still the Watchword?"", ""Zacks Earnings Trends Highlights: W.W. Grainger and Fastenal"", ""The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: Toll Brothers, Fastenal, American Woodmark, Haverty Furniture and RH""]"
FAST,2018-10-19,23.4801,23.6765,23.0803,23.2294,"[""The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: W.W. Grainger and Fastenal For Immediate Release Chicago, IL -October 19, 2018 - Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: W.W. GraingerGWW and FastenalFAST . Here are highlights from Thursday's Analyst Blog: Is Optimism About Q3 Earnings Still the Watchword? Including all of this morning's releases, we now have Q3 results from 69 S&P 500 members that combined account for 19% of the index's total market capitalization. Total earnings for these 69 companies are up +20% from the same period last year on +7.8% higher revenues, with 84.1% beating EPS estimates and 62.3% beating revenue estimates. The proportion of these 69 companies beating both EPS and revenue estimates is 55.1%. The earnings and revenue growth pace thus far represent deceleration from what we had seen in the first half of the year, but the proportion of positive revenue surprises is tracking notably below other recent periods. In fact, the proportion of positive revenue surprises at this stage in the Q3 earnings season is the lowest since the first quarter of 2017. Another area of uncertainty is the impact of trade tensions on profitability and outlook, as we saw with the W.W. Grainger and Fastenal reports. For more details about the Q3 earnings season and the overall earnings picture, please check our weekly Earnings Trends report >>>> Positive Start to Q3 Earnings Season Wall Street's Next Amazon Zacks EVP Kevin Matras believes this familiar stock has only just begun its climb to become one of the greatest investments of all time. It's a once-in-a-generation opportunity to invest in pure genius. Click for details >> Media Contact Zacks Investment Research 800-767-3771 ext. 9339 support@zacks.com http://www.zacks.com Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss . This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit http://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report W.W. Grainger, Inc. (GWW): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Ex-Dividend Reminder: Adient, Fastenal and Lowe's Companies Looking at the universe of stocks we cover at Dividend Channel , on 10/23/18, Adient plc (Symbol: ADNT), Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST), and Lowe's Companies Inc (Symbol: LOW) will all trade ex-dividend for their respective upcoming dividends. Adient plc will pay its quarterly dividend of $0.275 on 11/15/18, Fastenal Co. will pay its quarterly dividend of $0.40 on 11/21/18, and Lowe's Companies Inc will pay its quarterly dividend of $0.48 on 11/7/18. As a percentage of ADNT's recent stock price of $29.45, this dividend works out to approximately 0.93%, so look for shares of Adient plc to trade 0.93% lower - all else being equal - when ADNT shares open for trading on 10/23/18. Similarly, investors should look for FAST to open 0.76% lower in price and for LOW to open 0.48% lower, all else being equal. Below are dividend history charts for ADNT, FAST, and LOW, showing historical dividends prior to the most recent ones declared. Adient plc (Symbol: ADNT) : Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) : Lowe's Companies Inc (Symbol: LOW) : In general, dividends are not always predictable, following the ups and downs of company profits over time. Therefore, a good first due diligence step in forming an expectation of annual yield going forward, is looking at the history above, for a sense of stability over time. This can help in judging whether the most recent dividends from these companies are likely to continue. If they do continue, the current estimated yields on annualized basis would be 3.74% for Adient plc, 3.05% for Fastenal Co., and 1.92% for Lowe's Companies Inc. In Friday trading, Adient plc shares are currently off about 0.9%, Fastenal Co. shares are down about 0.1%, and Lowe's Companies Inc shares are up about 0.2% on the day. Click here to learn which 25 S.A.F.E. dividend stocks should be on your radar screen \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Insiders Bullish on Certain Holdings of FXZ A look at the weighted underlying holdings of the First Trust Materials AlphaDEX Fund ( FXZ ) shows an impressive 14.7% of holdings on a weighted basis have experienced insider buying within the past six months. Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST), which makes up 2.01% of the First Trust Materials AlphaDEX Fund ( FXZ ), has seen 5 directors and officers purchase shares in the past six months, according to the recent Form 4 data. The ETF holds a total of $4,104,167 worth of FAST, making it the #27 largest holding. The table below details the recent insider buying activity observed at FAST: FAST - last trade: $52.54 - Recent Insider Buys: And Acuity Brands Inc (Symbol: AYI), the #30 largest holding among components of the First Trust Materials AlphaDEX Fund ( FXZ ), shows 2 directors and officers as recently filing Form 4's indicating purchases. The ETF holds $3,576,988 worth of AYI, which represents approximately 1.75% of the ETF's total assets at last check. The recent insider buying activity observed at AYI is detailed in the table below: AYI - last trade: $125.69 - Recent Insider Buys: 10 ETFs With Stocks That Insiders Are Buying \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Industrial Earnings Haven't Been Able to Lift the Market. Can Consumer Stocks Save the Day? Damon Lam Look around, and you'll see that the stocks of companies whose businesses fluctuate with the economy are getting hit-hard. Housing stocks have gotten pummeled; automotive stocks have crashed; and the less said about basic industries, the better. Still, the S&P 500 is down just 6% from its all-time highs. Which makes us wonder: What exactly is working well enough these days to prevent a selloff from turning into a slaughter? Consider the case of Genuine Parts (GPC). The distributor of aftermarket car parts as well as industrial power transmission products reported third-quarter-earnings Thursday morning, and easily beat analyst estimates. Genuine Parts also reported sequentially higher same-store sales growth in both of its divisions. Surely this should provide some relief? Nope. Genuine Parts rose 6%, but automotive stocks dropped 1.5% and industrial stocks tumbled 1.7%. Shrugging off even good news has been the market's response to earnings from all kinds of industrial companies. And investors have also been dumping materials and mining, which were also down Thursday. And don't forget materials are already down about 11% year to date, mining is down about 10%, and industrials are down 4%. So what's wrong? Trade fears continue to weigh on sentiment and are manifesting themselves in two ways. The first is by rising costs of both components-as cited by Dover (DOV) when it released earnings Thursday-and raw materials, as called out by Sonoco Products (SON) when it released its own. Rising prices have been a common refrain for industrial companies on third-quarter earnings calls. Higher costs generally translate into lower margins, and it cannot be understated how important margin expansion has been to the performance of cyclical stocks, which have seen theirs grow from 9% to 13% over the course of this nine-year economic expansion. Now margins are starting to contract, and that's been responsible for big drops in the stocks of companies like Fastenal (FAST), though Dover and Sonoco both rose after demonstrating rising costs wouldn't stand in the way of earnings growth by raising their guidance. But there's a second, perhaps greater issue: Those higher costs are causing demand to suffer. Management at sea and airfreight provider Kuehne + Nagel International (KNIN.Switzerland) said they have seen a slowdown in trans-Pacific Asian exports. That could be a blip, but given today's environment, it contributes to a narrative of slowing global growth. Whether the industrial slowdown is trade-related or just a function of the economic cycle is still up for debate. Regardless of the cause, we know that global manufacturing activity peaked in January, and that industrial purchasing managers' indexes are decelerating. More troubling: China's manufacturing PMI is back at 50, a level that implies no growth. https://asset.barrons.com/dynamic-insets/charts/cdc_05fae06a3082f9b7224bc92e.json The Chinese PMI number leads us to the final reason for sluggish cyclical stock performance-China itself. Cyclical stocks just can't be right if China isn't right. Remember China is the largest car market in the world, accounts for about a fifth of Caterpillar's (CAT) sales, and consumes about half of the world's copper annually, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. To make matters worse, the Shanghai Composite is down 25% year to date, and those numbers are seeping into industrial-stock sentiment. Which brings us back to our original question: Why isn't the market down even more? Thank the consumer. While manufacturing PMIs have fallen, the global-services PMI is near its highs and the Institute for Supply Management's U.S. nonmanufacturing PMI hit a new high in September. Consumer confidence in the U.S. remains near an 18-year high. Service stocks haven't started reporting results in earnest yet. About two-thirds of the reports out of the S&P 500 have been from cyclical and financial companies. That will change next week, however, when companies like Alphabet (GOOGL), Wynn Resorts (WYNN), McDonald's (MCD), and Visa (V) report, and the reports will continue into November as Tiffany (TIF), Starbucks (SBUX), and Marriott International (MAR) release their results. Hopefully, service results will buoy the market, but we see a bumpy ride for cyclical sectors the rest of this year, or at least until some of these fears get resolved. Write to Al Root at allen.root@dowjones.com The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Industrial Earnings Haven\u2019t Been Able to Lift the Market. Can Consumer Stocks Save the Day? Companies like Sunoco and Sealed Air have been highlighting rising costs and falling demand as a result of the trade war. Will earnings from service companies change the market\u2019s mood?""]"
FAST,2018-10-22,23.337,23.5117,22.8355,23.0241,"[""Buckingham Initiates Coverage On Fastenal with Neutral Rating, Announces $50 Price Target"", ""Benzinga's Top Upgrades, Downgrades For October 22, 2018"", ""Stocks That Will Be Trading Ex Dividend For Tues., Oct. 23, 2018"", ""Stocks That Will Be Trading Ex Dividend For Tues., Oct. 23, 2018"", ""Benzinga's Top Upgrades, Downgrades For October 22, 2018"", ""Buckingham Initiates Coverage On Fastenal with Neutral Rating, Announces $50 Price Target"", ""Fastenal Company (FAST) Ex-Dividend Date Scheduled for October 23, 2018 Fastenal Company ( FAST ) will begin trading ex-dividend on October 23, 2018. A cash dividend payment of $0.4 per share is scheduled to be paid on November 21, 2018. Shareholders who purchased FAST prior to the ex-dividend date are eligible for the cash dividend payment. This represents an 25% increase over prior dividend payment. At the current stock price of $52, the dividend yield is 3.08%. The previous trading day's last sale of FAST was $52, representing a -14.95% decrease from the 52 week high of $61.14 and a 13.14% increase over the 52 week low of $45.96. FAST is a part of the Consumer Services sector, which includes companies such as Home Depot, Inc. ( HD ) and Lowe's Companies, Inc. ( LOW ). FAST's current earnings per share, an indicator of a company's profitability, is $2.57. Zacks Investment Research reports FAST's forecasted earnings growth in 2018 as 33.56%, compared to an industry average of 25%. For more information on the declaration, record and payment dates, visit the FAST Dividend History page. Our Dividend Calendar has the full list of stocks that have an ex-dividend today. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Stocks That Will Be Trading Ex Dividend For Tues., Oct. 23, 2018"", ""Benzinga's Top Upgrades, Downgrades For October 22, 2018"", ""Buckingham Initiates Coverage On Fastenal with Neutral Rating, Announces $50 Price Target""]"
FAST,2018-10-23,22.7349,22.9609,22.339,22.6806,
FAST,2018-10-24,22.6361,22.7279,21.8712,21.9087,
FAST,2018-10-25,22.1406,22.4032,22.0192,22.2018,
FAST,2018-10-26,21.8258,22.5819,21.6155,22.2186,"[""Housing Bubble a Myth, Buy These 4 Winners Instead"", ""Housing Bubble a Myth, Buy These 4 Winners Instead"", ""Housing Bubble a Myth, Buy These 4 Winners Instead A series of dismal economic reports about America's housing industry have been released recently. This has led to speculation that the economy is headed for yet another housing bubble. Having said that, the U.S. housing market is gaining strength, courtesy of steady demand and a business-friendly environment. Economists largely believe that this downturn is going to be momentary unlike what happened in 2008. Further, robust labor market conditions, a hiring boom in the construction industry and increase in millennials will lead to improving conditions for the housing market. Under conditions, where the space is about to stage a rebound, investing in housing stocks seems prudent. Fears of a 2008 Type Bubble Unfounded Most of the housing data released this month has been disappointing. Housing Starts plummeted to 1,201000 in September from 1,268,000 in the previous month. Building permits declined to 1,241,000 from 1,249,000 in August. Further, construction spending, new home sales and existing home sales declined to 0.1%, 553,000 and 5.15 million units, respectively last month. During the last economic crisis about 10 years ago, markets were overheated amid a glut of new houses. Further, subprime mortgage financing weighed heavily on the markets, resulting in a bump in speculative inventory. Taking a closer look at the current scenario, the housing industry is actually reeling under the pressure of extreme paucity of skilled labor amid rising prices of materials. Meanwhile, the economy already expanded at a seasonally adjusted rate of 4.2% in the April-June quarter, per the Commerce Department. Meanwhile, the Labor Department stated that employers in the construction industry added 23,000 new construction jobs in September, while it has added 315,000 jobs over the past 12 months. It is, therefore, evident that the housing space is recovering and lackluster economic data will not mar the industry's fortunes in the long run. Metropolitan Demand and Baby Boomers to Propel Sector's Growth Rising wages and a higher number of job openings have resulted in increased demand for land ownership in the metropolitan areas of the country. These areas have witnessed a surge in housing demand, north of 3% on average annual basis. Further, growth in population has also resulted in increased migration toward the metros. This trend is prevalent among millennials and baby boomers who are earning well and moving to bigger cities in pursuit of better lives. Such a trend has kept housing demand steady in these areas. Also, pending home sales surged 0.5% in the last month after falling 1.9% in August. Per the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo (\""NAHB\""), the monthly confidence index went up one point to 68% in October. The index's three sub-gauges, current sales condition ticked up one point to 74, and expectations for sales over the next six months rose one point to 75. The gauge of buyer traffic witnessed the largest gain, up four points to 53. 4 Best Choices Strong economic fundamentals and increase in millennial population has boosted the housing market in the recent past. The current bubble is largely momentary as it stems from labor shortage. Moreover, the hiring boom in construction sheds light on the fact that such impediments would not last long. In this context, we have selected four stocks that are expected to gain from these factors. These stocks carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here . PGT Innovations, Inc. PGTI is a leading manufacturer and supplier of residential impact-resistant windows and doors. The company is based out of North Venice, FL. The expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 77.75%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved 9.1% over the past 90 days. Armstrong Flooring, Inc. AFI is engaged in the design and manufacture of flooring solutions primarily in North America. The company is based out of Lancaster, PA. The expected earnings growth rate for the current year is more than 100%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved 1.1% over the past 60 days. Fastenal CompanyFAST is the producer of bolts, nuts, screws, studs and related washers are used in manufactured products and building projects. This company is based out of Winona, MN. The expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 33.31%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved 0.8% over the past 60 days. American Woodmark Corporation AMWD manufactures and distributes kitchen, bath and home organization products for the remodeling and new home construction markets in the United States. This company is based out of Winchester, VA. The expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 45.42%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved 1.1% over the past 60 days. The Hottest Tech Mega-Trend of All Last year, it generated $8 billion in global revenues. By 2020, it's predicted to blast through the roof to $47 billion. Famed investor Mark Cuban says it will produce \""the world's first trillionaires,\"" but that should still leave plenty of money for regular investors who make the right trades early. See Zacks' 3 Best Stocks to Play This Trend >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report PGT, Inc. (PGTI): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Armstrong Flooring, Inc. (AFI): Free Stock Analysis Report American Woodmark Corporation (AMWD): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Housing Bubble a Myth, Buy These 4 Winners Instead""]"
FAST,2018-10-29,22.497,22.6628,21.9028,22.1683,"[""The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: PGT Innovations, Armstrong Flooring, Fastenal and American Woodmark"", ""The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: PGT Innovations, Armstrong Flooring, Fastenal and American Woodmark"", ""The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: PGT Innovations, Armstrong Flooring, Fastenal and American Woodmark""]"
FAST,2018-10-30,22.3302,23.1405,22.2364,23.105,
FAST,2018-10-31,23.3261,23.4199,23.0457,23.1455,"Bargain Hunters Take Note: Insider Cluster-Buying At FAST A particularly strong insider buying signal is what we call a ""cluster-buy"" where three or more different insiders make open market purchases within a short period of one another. At Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST), 5 different insiders purchased 5,795 shares at an average price of $51.74/share, for a total of $299,850, with the most recent purchase on October 22, 2018. Presumably the only reason an insider would take their hard-earned cash and use it to buy stock of their company in the open market, is that they expect to make money. So when multiple insiders all decide to make purchases around the same time, it could be a strong indication that the stock is undervalued. Below is a table summarizing the insider buys that make up this ""cluster"": The chart below shows the one year performance of FAST shares, versus its 200 day moving average. Note that FAST's low point in its 52 week range is $46.40 per share, with $61.14 as the 52 week high point - that compares with a last trade of $51.48, with shares currently trading up about 0.3% on the day. The current annualized dividend paid by Fastenal Co. is $1.6/share, currently paid in quarterly installments, and its most recent dividend ex-date was on 10/23/2018. Below is a long-term dividend history chart for FAST, which can be of good help in judging whether the most recent dividend with approx. 3.1% annualized yield is likely to continue. Ten Bargains You Can Buy Cheaper Than The Insiders Did » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2018-11-01,23.2442,23.3972,22.8158,23.3261,"[""Top Ranked Income Stocks to Buy for November 1st"", ""Top Ranked Income Stocks to Buy for November 1st"", ""Top Ranked Income Stocks to Buy for November 1st""]"
FAST,2018-11-02,23.483,23.8138,23.4525,23.7516,"[""John Hussman Sells Baidu, Syntel"", ""John Hussman Sells Baidu, Syntel"", ""John Hussman Sells Baidu, Syntel""]"
FAST,2018-11-05,23.7486,23.8759,23.5442,23.6982,"[""Fastenal Earns Relative Strength Rating Upgrade"", ""Can Dillard's (DDS) Retain its Earnings Beat Trend in Q3?"", ""Fastenal Earns Relative Strength Rating Upgrade"", ""Can Dillard's (DDS) Retain its Earnings Beat Trend in Q3?"", ""Can Dillard's (DDS) Retain its Earnings Beat Trend in Q3? Dillard's, Inc.DDS is expected to release its third-quarter fiscal 2018 results on Nov 8. The company has an impressive earnings surprise history, having outpaced estimates in five of the trailing six quarters. Also, it delivered an average four-quarter beat of 63.1%. Dillard's, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Dillard's, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise | Dillard's, Inc. Quote The Zacks Consensus Estimate for third-quarter earnings is pegged at 53 cents, mirroring an improvement of 29.3% from the year-ago quarter. Notably, the consensus mark was revised downward in the last seven days. Let's see how things are shaping up prior to the upcoming earnings release. Factors at Play Dillard's consistent efforts to capitalize on growth opportunities in its brick-and-mortar stores and e-commerce business are encouraging. Additionally, its focus on increasing productivity, enhancing domestic operations and developing omni-channel platform is expected to strengthen the customer base. Further, the company is anticipated to benefit from enhancement of brand relations, focus on in-trend categories and store remodeling efforts. With regard to e-commerce, it has been undertaking strategies like enhancing merchandise assortments and effective inventory management to boost growth. All these initiatives are likely to aid the company's top- and bottom-line performance. Meanwhile, Dillard's comparable store sales (comps) growth as well as strength across its men's apparel and accessories, and juniors' and children's apparel categories is providing a boost to the top line. Also, this leading departmental store chain continues benefiting from its niche market position, offering a broad array of merchandise in its stores featuring products from both national and exclusive brands. However, Dillard's soft cash flows have resulted in lesser share buybacks. This, in turn, affected the company's profitability in the last reported quarter. Apparently, the company incurred loss of 10 cents per share. Dillard's used net cash of $15.4 million in operations and reported soft free cash flows in the fiscal second quarter. It bought back only 39,400 shares for $3.1 million, under the $500-million repurchase program. Moreover, persistence of the challenging trends in the retail apparel space due to changing customer preferences remains a threat to the company's profitability. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly revenues stands at $1,459 million, implying a decrease 0.4% from the prior-year quarter's actual figure. Year to date, shares of Dillard's have gained 21.9%, underperforming the industry 's 37.4% rally. Zacks Model Our proven model indicates that chances of Dillard's beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate are high as it has the right combination of the two key ingredients - a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) - for this to happen. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they're reported with our Earnings ESP Filter . Dillard's has an Earnings ESP of +2.86% and a Zacks Rank #3. Other Stocks With Favorable Combination Here are some other companies that you may want to consider as our model shows that these too have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat: Nordstrom, Inc. JWN has an Earnings ESP of +16.90% and a Zacks Rank #1. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here . With a Zacks Rank #2, Fastenal Company FAST has an Earnings ESP of +0.80%. American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. AEO has an Earnings ESP of +2.95% and a Zacks Rank #3. Looking for Stocks with Skyrocketing Upside? Zacks has just released a Special Report on the booming investment opportunities of legal marijuana. Ignited by new referendums and legislation, this industry is expected to blast from an already robust $6.7 billion to $20.2 billion in 2021. Early investors stand to make a killing, but you have to be ready to act and know just where to look. See the pot trades we're targeting>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Nordstrom, Inc. (JWN): Free Stock Analysis Report American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (AEO): Free Stock Analysis Report Dillard's, Inc. (DDS): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Earns Relative Strength Rating Upgrade"", ""Can Dillard's (DDS) Retain its Earnings Beat Trend in Q3?""]"
FAST,2018-11-06,23.637,24.1632,23.5906,24.0852,
FAST,2018-11-07,24.3201,24.6517,24.168,24.6191,"Fastenal Breaks Above 200-Day Moving Average - Bullish for FAST In trading on Wednesday, shares of Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) crossed above their 200 day moving average of $54.36, changing hands as high as $54.49 per share. Fastenal Co. shares are currently trading up about 1.7% on the day. The chart below shows the one year performance of FAST shares, versus its 200 day moving average: Looking at the chart above, FAST's low point in its 52 week range is $46.7201 per share, with $61.14 as the 52 week high point - that compares with a last trade of $54.37. Click here to find out which 9 other dividend stocks recently crossed above their 200 day moving average » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2018-11-08,24.6133,24.8709,24.5125,24.8185,
FAST,2018-11-09,24.5875,24.8285,24.3517,24.6517,"[""Fastenal (FAST) Stock Up 16% Over a Year: More Room to Run?"", ""Why Is Fastenal (FAST) Up 7.6% Since Last Earnings Report?"", ""TGLS vs. FAST: Which Stock Should Value Investors Buy Now?"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Stock Moves -0.67%: What You Should Know"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Stock Moves -0.67%: What You Should Know"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Stock Up 16% Over a Year: More Room to Run?"", ""TGLS vs. FAST: Which Stock Should Value Investors Buy Now?"", ""Why Is Fastenal (FAST) Up 7.6% Since Last Earnings Report?"", ""Why Is Fastenal (FAST) Up 7.6% Since Last Earnings Report? It has been about a month since the last earnings report for Fastenal (FAST). Shares have added about 7.6% in that time frame, outperforming the S&P 500. Will the recent positive trend continue leading up to its next earnings release, or is Fastenal due for a pullback? Before we dive into how investors and analysts have reacted as of late, let's take a quick look at its most recent earnings report in order to get a better handle on the important catalysts. Fastenal Q3 Earnings & Sales Beat Estimates Fastenal Company announced third-quarter 2018 results, wherein earnings and sales beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Higher market demand, coupled with growth in industrial vending business and existing Onsite locations are encouraging. Sales through vending devices grew at a strong double-digit pace in the quarter, courtesy of an increase in the installed base and higher revenues per device. However, gross margin suffered owing to inflationary pressures. Earnings & Sales Detail Fastenal's adjusted earnings of 69 cents per share beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 67 cents. Earnings surged 38% from 50 cents a year ago. Discrete tax items and a lower tax rate benefited its earnings per share by 12 cents. Net sales of $1.28 billion surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.27 billion. Sales also grew 13% year over year on the back of higher underlying market demand, along with growth in industrial vending business and existing Onsite locations. Fastenal's daily sales grew 13% in the quarter, slightly lower than 13.6% increase in the prior-year quarter. On a monthly basis, daily sales improved 13.5% in September, 13.7% in August and 12% in July compared with 15.3%, 12.8% and 12.9%, respectively, in the prior-year months. Daily sales of Fastener products (mainly used for industrial production and accounting for approximately 34.7% of third-quarter sales) rose 10.8% in the quarter. Non-fastener product daily sales (mainly used for maintenance and representing 65.3% of the quarterly sales) increased 14.9% year over year. Vending Trends and Other Growth Drivers As of Sep 30, 2018, Fastenal operated 78,706 vending machines, up 14% year over year. During the quarter, the company signed 5,877 machine contracts, up 23.2% year over year. Fastenal signed 88 new Onsite locations during the quarter, up 8.6% from 81 signings in the prior-year quarter. As of Sep 30, 2018, the company had 828 active sites, up 49.2% from a year ago. Additionally, it signed 41 new national account contracts in the third quarter (representing 51.5% of the total revenues in the quarter). Daily sales to national account customers increased 18% on a year-over-year basis. Higher Costs Hurting Gross Margin Gross margin of 48.1% in the third quarter of 2018 contracted 100 bps year over year due to changes in product and customer mix, inflation, as well as higher product and freight expenses. However, operating margin expanded 30 bps year over year to 20.5% in the quarter, owing to an improvement in operating and administrative expenses. Financials Cash and cash equivalents were $129.7 million as of Sep 30, 2018, up from $116.9 million on Dec 31, 2017. Long-term debt was $387.5 million, down from $412 million at the end of 2017. How Have Estimates Been Moving Since Then? Fresh estimates followed an upward path over the past two months. VGM Scores Currently, Fastenal has a nice Growth Score of B, though it is lagging a lot on the Momentum Score front with a D. Following the exact same course, the stock was allocated a grade of D on the value side, putting it in the bottom 40% for this investment strategy. Overall, the stock has an aggregate VGM Score of C. If you aren't focused on one strategy, this score is the one you should be interested in. Outlook Fastenal has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). We expect an above average return from the stock in the next few months. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal (FAST) Stock Moves -0.67%: What You Should Know Fastenal (FAST) closed at $54.76 in the latest trading session, marking a -0.67% move from the prior day. This change was narrower than the S&P 500's 0.92% loss on the day. At the same time, the Dow lost 0.77%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq lost 1.65%. Heading into today, shares of the maker of industrial and construction fasteners had gained 7.57% over the past month, outpacing the Retail-Wholesale sector's loss of 0.61% and the S&P 500's loss of 2.56% in that time. Investors will be hoping for strength from FAST as it approaches its next earnings release, which is expected to be January 16, 2019. The company is expected to report EPS of $0.60, up 33.33% from the prior-year quarter. Meanwhile, our latest consensus estimate is calling for revenue of $1.22 billion, up 12.16% from the prior-year quarter. FAST's full-year Zacks Consensus Estimates are calling for earnings of $2.58 per share and revenue of $4.95 billion. These results would represent year-over-year changes of +33.68% and +12.82%, respectively. Investors should also note any recent changes to analyst estimates for FAST. These revisions typically reflect the latest short-term business trends, which can change frequently. As such, positive estimate revisions reflect analyst optimism about the company's business and profitability. Our research shows that these estimate changes are directly correlated with near-term stock prices. Investors can capitalize on this by using the Zacks Rank. This model considers these estimate changes and provides a simple, actionable rating system. The Zacks Rank system ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell). It has a remarkable, outside-audited track record of success, with #1 stocks delivering an average annual return of +25% since 1988. The Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 0.73% higher within the past month. FAST is currently a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Valuation is also important, so investors should note that FAST has a Forward P/E ratio of 21.38 right now. Its industry sports an average Forward P/E of 12.54, so we one might conclude that FAST is trading at a premium comparatively. Also, we should mention that FAST has a PEG ratio of 1.53. The PEG ratio is similar to the widely-used P/E ratio, but this metric also takes the company's expected earnings growth rate into account. Building Products - Retail stocks are, on average, holding a PEG ratio of 1.34 based on yesterday's closing prices. The Building Products - Retail industry is part of the Retail-Wholesale sector. This group has a Zacks Industry Rank of 100, putting it in the top 39% of all 250+ industries. The Zacks Industry Rank includes is listed in order from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1. You can find more information on all of these metrics, and much more, on Zacks.com. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal (FAST) Stock Up 16% Over a Year: More Room to Run? Fastenal CompanyFAST is riding high on robust market demand, coupled with growth in industrial vending business and existing Onsite locations. Moreover, the company's focus on FAST Solutions bodes well for its future earnings prospects. Shares of Fastenal have gained 15.8% in the past year, comparing favorably with its industry 's growth of 15%. Also, earnings estimates for 2018 have moved 0.8% north over the past 30 days, signaling analysts' optimism surrounding the stock's earnings prospect. Catalysts Driving Growth Fastenal benefits from robust end-market demand and its core product offerings, namely industrial vending process and Onsite location. The compnay has adopted FAST Solutions, an industrial vending process that has the potential to revolutionize the industrial distribution system and increase profitability. The company installs vending machines at the customer's location and keeps it filled with products they need. Robust construction market, especially the non-residential one, is one of the major tailwinds for Fastenal's performance over the past few quarters. During the third quarter, the company posted higher earnings and revenues on a year-over-year basis. Its top and bottom lines grew 13% and 38%, respectively, courtesy of sustained strength in most of its end markets, as well as strong momentum in vending machine installations and onsite locations. Although the company's daily sales growth was slightly lower than the prior-year quarter, the figure improved 13.5% during the month of September. Also, the reported figure increased 13.7% and 12% on a year-over-year basis and in the month of August and July, respectively. Daily sales of Fastener products (mainly used for industrial production and accounting for approximately 34.7% of third-quarter sales) rose 10.8% in the quarter. Non-fastener product daily sales (mainly used for maintenance and representing 65.3% of the quarterly sales) increased 14.9% year over year. Fastenal's sales have been driven by an increased installation of industrial vending machines over the past few quarters. Sales through vending devices continued to grow at a double-digit pace, both in the first nine months and third quarter of 2018. Also, the company's signings of industrial vending devices grew more than 13% in the first nine months of 2018. In fact, its installed device count increased 14% in the same period. Moreover, a consistent increase in on-site locations strengthens Fastenal's market share and boosts quarterly numbers. As of Sep 30, 2018, the company had 828 active sites, reflecting 49.2% growth from a year ago. However, negative customer/product mix as a result of faster growth of lower-margin national accounts and lower proportion of higher margin fasteners have been the dampeners of Fastenal's gross margin since the past two years. In the first nine months of 2018, gross margins declined 90 basis points year over year due to tough comparison, along with product and freight inflation. Zacks Rank & Other Key Picks Currently, Fastenal carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Other top-ranked stocks in the Zacks Construction sector include Armstrong Flooring, Inc. AFI , EMCOR Group, Inc. EME and Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. JEC . While Armstrong Flooring sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), EMCOR and Jacobs both carry a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here . Armstrong Flooring, EMCOR and Jacobs' earnings for the current year are expected to increase 114.3%, 20%, and 35.2%, respectively. The Hottest Tech Mega-Trend of All Last year, it generated $8 billion in global revenues. By 2020, it's predicted to blast through the roof to $47 billion. Famed investor Mark Cuban says it will produce \""the world's first trillionaires,\"" but that should still leave plenty of money for regular investors who make the right trades early. See Zacks' 3 Best Stocks to Play This Trend >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Armstrong Flooring, Inc. (AFI): Free Stock Analysis Report EMCOR Group, Inc. (EME): Free Stock Analysis Report Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. (JEC): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal (FAST) Stock Moves -0.67%: What You Should Know"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Stock Up 16% Over a Year: More Room to Run?"", ""TGLS vs. FAST: Which Stock Should Value Investors Buy Now?"", ""Why Is Fastenal (FAST) Up 7.6% Since Last Earnings Report?""]"
FAST,2018-11-12,24.6755,24.7041,24.3072,24.3655,
FAST,2018-11-13,24.4277,24.7997,24.4109,24.6291,"[""Home Depot (HD) Gains on Q3 Earnings Beat, Raises FY18 View"", ""Home Depot (HD) Gains on Q3 Earnings Beat, Raises FY18 View"", ""Home Depot (HD) Gains on Q3 Earnings Beat, Raises FY18 View The Home Depot, Inc.HD posted top- and bottom-line beat in third-quarter fiscal 2018. Notably, the company retained its five-year-long trend of beating earnings estimates. Moreover, the company delivered positive sales surprise in eight out of the last nine quarters. Shares of this home-improvement retailer have rallied 2.3% in the pre-market session, following strong fiscal third-quarter results and an upbeat view for fiscal 2018. However, this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stock has decreased 6.5% in the past three months, wider than the industry 's decline of 3.8%. The company posted fiscal third-quarter earnings of $2.51 per share, which escalated 36.4% from $1.84 recorded in the year-ago quarter. The figure also surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.27. The Home Depot, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise The Home Depot, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise | The Home Depot, Inc. Quote Results gained from strength in both professional and do-it-yourself categories. Further, the company benefited from positive customer response for its assortments as well as enhancements to drive interconnected shopping experience. Home Depot is witnessing strength across store operations while delivering solid digital growth. This reflects persistently strong customer demand in the home improvement markets. Quarterly Details Net sales grew 5.1% to $26,302 million from $25,026 million in the year-ago quarter and beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $26,235 million. The company's overall comparable-store sales (comps) increased 4.8% while comps in the United States grew 5.4%. During the reported quarter, comps benefited from 3.6% rise in average ticket and 1.4% increase in customer transactions. Moreover, sales per square foot rose 5.2%. Gross profit margin expanded 20 basis points (bps) to 34.8%. In dollar terms, gross profit improved 9.6% to $9,151 million from $8,648 million in the year-ago quarter, primarily driven by higher sales. Excluding the impact of the ASU No. 2014-09 revenue recognition standards adopted in first-quarter fiscal 2018, gross margin was 34.3%. Operating income increased 5.2% to $3,870 million while operating margin expanded 10 bps year over year to 14.7%. Balance Sheet and Cash Flow Home Depot ended third-quarter fiscal 2018 with cash and cash equivalents of $1,764 million, long-term debt (excluding current maturities) of $23,332 million and shareholders' equity of $1,320 million. In the nine months ended on Oct 28, 2018, the company generated $10,036 million of net cash from operations. Outlook Backed by solid year-to-date performance, the company has raised its earnings and sales forecast for fiscal 2018. Home Depot now expects sales growth of nearly 7.2% for fiscal 2018, including the 53rd week. The company earlier anticipated sales growth of 7%. Comps growth is now estimated to be 5.5% (for the comparable 52-week period) versus 5.3% increase stated earlier. Further, the company anticipates earnings per share of $9.75 for fiscal 2018, up nearly 33.8%. Earlier, it projected earnings per share growth of 29.2%. Want More? Check These Lucrative Picks Some better-ranked stocks in the same industry are GMS, Inc. GMS , Fastenal Company FAST and Tecnoglass Inc. TGLS , each carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here . GMS has a long-term earnings growth rate of 7%. Moreover, the company's estimates for the current fiscal witnessed an uptrend in the last 60 days. Fastenal, with long-term earnings growth rate of 14%, has gained 14% in the past year. Tecnoglass has a long-term earnings growth rate of 20%. Further, the stock has improved 19.3% in the past year. The Hottest Tech Mega-Trend of All Last year, it generated $8 billion in global revenues. By 2020, it's predicted to blast through the roof to $47 billion. Famed investor Mark Cuban says it will produce \""\""the world's first trillionaires,\""\"" but that should still leave plenty of money for regular investors who make the right trades early. See Zacks' 3 Best Stocks to Play This Trend >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report The Home Depot, Inc. (HD): Free Stock Analysis Report GMS Inc. (GMS): Free Stock Analysis Report Tecnoglass Inc. (TGLS): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Buy Home Depot (HD) Stock After Strong Q3 Earnings Results? Home Depot HD reported better-than-expected top and bottom line results Tuesday morning. Maybe more importantly, the home improvement power raised its full-year earnings guidance once again. So, is now time to buy Home Depot with HD stock still down roughly 16% from its 52-week high? Q3 Overview Home Depot helped kick off a busy week for traditional brick-and-mortar retailers with reports from Macy's M , Walmart WMT , and other giants due out later in the week. The firm posted adjusted quarterly earnings of $2.51 per share. This marked a 36.4% jump from the year-ago period and easily topped our $2.27 Zacks Consensus Estimate. Home Depot's Q3 revenues also beat our $26.235 billion estimate and climbed 5.1% to reach $26.302 billion. The company's operating income hit $3.87 billion, which marked a 5.2% jump from the year-ago period. For the first nine months of 2018, revenues jumped 6.1% from $77.02 billion to $81.71 billion. Comparable sales-which are always a vital retail metric-popped 4.8%. Meanwhile, U.S. comps jumped 5.4%. We should note that overall comps jumped 4.8% in Q2 and 5.3% in the first quarter of 2018. The company also noted on itsearnings callthat big-ticket sales, transactions over $1,000 that represent roughly 20% of U.S. sales, surged 9.1%. \""Once again, we saw strong performance in many Pro-heavy categories as Pro sales grew faster than the company's average comp,\"" Home Depot EVP of merchandising Ted Decker said on HD's Q3 conference call. Full-Year Outlook Looking ahead, Home Depot now expects its full-year revenues to climb by approximately 7.2% in a 53-week year. The company had previously called for a 7% jump, but this falls in line with our current 7.25% growth estimate that would see HD post fiscal year revenues of $108.21 billion. The retailer also called for fiscal 2018 comp sales to jump 5.5% above the comparable 52-week period. More impressively, Home Depot upped its adjusted full-year earnings guidance from $9.42 per share to $9.75. This would mark a roughly 33.8% climb from fiscal 2017. Investors should, however, note that Home Depot's updated earnings guidance includes the positive impact of roughly $8 billion in share buybacks, up from the previously-guided $6 billion. Stock Price Movement Now that we have covered Home Depot's third-quarter results, it's time to take a quick look at its recent stock performance to help us understand if HD might be worth buying right now. Shares of HD are up roughly 7% over the past 12 months, but have slipped 5% since the start of 2018. More recently, Home Depot stock is down nearly 6% during the past month. Home Depot stock rested at $180.30 per share through mid-afternoon trading Tuesday following its quarterly earnings release. This marks a nearly 16% downturn from its 52-week and all-time high of $215.43 per share, and sets up what could prove to be a solid buying opportunity for investors high on Home Depot right now. We can also see that Home Depot stock has outpaced its industry over the last decade, which includes the likes of Lowe's LOW , Fastenal FAST , Lumber Liquidators LL , and others. HD's climb also crushes the S&P 500's 215% expansion. Valuation Moving on, Home Depot is currently trading at 17.8X forward 12-month Zacks Consensus EPS estimates, which marks a discount compared to its industry's 24.3X average. HD is trading above the S&P's 16.3X, but it has traded as high as 23.7X over the last year, with a one-year median of 20X. Home Depot is also trading not too far above its 52-week low of 17.1X. And we can see that Home Depot is trading near its five-year median of 18.5X. Therefore, HD's valuation picture is hardly stretched at this time. Bottom Line Home Depot shares have performed very well over the last decade and its growth outlook appears strong after it posted solid top and bottom line Q3 beats. We also can't forget that Home Depot is a strong income stock, which helps it look more attractive amid our recent market pullback. More specifically, Home Depot has lifted its quarterly dividend consistently over the last few years. HD has paid a quarterly cash dividend of $1.03 per share in 2018, which marked a nearly 50% jump from 2016's $0.69 and a 16% climb from 2017's $0.89. The Hottest Tech Mega-Trend of All Last year, it generated $8 billion in global revenues. By 2020, it's predicted to blast through the roof to $47 billion. Famed investor Mark Cuban says it will produce \""the world's first trillionaires,\"" but that should still leave plenty of money for regular investors who make the right trades early. See Zacks' 3 Best Stocks to Play This Trend >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Lowe's Companies, Inc. (LOW): Free Stock Analysis Report Lumber Liquidators Holdings, Inc (LL): Free Stock Analysis Report The Home Depot, Inc. (HD): Free Stock Analysis Report Walmart Inc. (WMT): Free Stock Analysis Report Macy's, Inc. (M): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Home Depot (HD) Gains on Q3 Earnings Beat, Raises FY18 View""]"
FAST,2018-11-14,24.8561,25.472,24.7465,25.1502,"[""Beacon Roofing (BECN) to Post Q4 Earnings: What's in Store?"", ""Beacon Roofing (BECN) to Post Q4 Earnings: What's in Store?"", ""Beacon Roofing (BECN) to Post Q4 Earnings: What's in Store? Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc.BECN is slated to report fiscal fourth-quarter 2018 results on Nov 19. In the last reported quarter, the company's earnings and revenues missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 10.6% and 6.8%, respectively. Beacon Roofing, which shares space in the Zacks Building Products - Retail industry with Fastenal Company FAST and GMS Inc. GMS , missed the consensus mark in three of the trailing four quarters, with the average miss being 69.2%. Nevertheless, its top and bottom lines increased 59.4% and 21.9%, respectively, on a year-over-year basis in the third quarter, given strong residential and non-residential roofing product sales, coupled with existing and complementary product sales growth. PulteGroup, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise PulteGroup, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise | PulteGroup, Inc. Quote Let's See How Things are Shaping Up for This Announcement Rising material costs have been impacting the company's overall performance. As a distributor of residential roofing supplies, it is sensitive to asphalt prices, which are highly volatile and often linked to oil prices . This is because oil is a significant input in asphalt production. Shingle prices have been volatile in the recent years, partly due to volatility in asphalt prices. Also, its commercial roofing market has been experiencing highly competitive pricing pressures. The maintenance, repair & operations (\""MRO\"") supply market is highly fragmented, with many smaller local players competing directly on pricing issues. The impact of these headwinds was seen in the operating results of the first nine months of fiscal 2018. During the period, the company recorded operating margins of 2.2%, down 200 basis points (bps) from a year ago. Also, its existing markets gross margin declined 40 bps due to raw material cost increase of approximately 3% in the same time frame. Considering the above-mentioned headwinds, Beacon Roofing has lowered its adjusted EBITDA view from $555-$585 million to $510-$520 million for fiscal 2018. Adjusted EPS is now expected in the $3.00-$3.10 range compared with $3.35-$3.55 projected earlier. Its full-year revenues are anticipated within $6.45-$6.55 billion compared with $6.6-$6.9 billion guided earlier. Meanwhile, shares of Beacon Roofing have lost 50.2% over the past year against its industry's growth of 9.3%. Earnings estimates for the to-be-reported quarter have also declined 0.7% over the past 60 days. However, the company is poised to benefit from its ongoing integration with Allied Building Products. During the first nine months of 2018, Allied Building Products added $1.32 billion to the total revenues and $15.8 million to Beacon Roofing's earnings. Additionally, on May 1, 2018, the company acquired Tri-State Builder's Supply, a wholesaler of roofing, siding, windows, doors and related building products. Consequently, it has raised its overall synergy expectation to $120 million from $110 million targeted earlier. Also, for full-year fiscal 2018, the company raised its synergy guidance from around $35 million to $40 million. With these acquisition strategies in place, Beacon Roofing is expanding its geographic footprint, scale and market position, diversified product offerings, thereby helping to boost the top line. Earnings & Revenue Expectation Let's take a look at the estimate revision trend in order to get a clear picture of what analysts are thinking about the company prior to the earnings release. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Beacon Roofing's fiscal fourth-quarter revenues is pegged at $2.01 billion, reflecting an increase of 56.1% the year-ago quarter. The consensus estimate for earnings is pegged at $1.37 per share, implying growth of 47.3% on a year-over-year basis. What Does the Zacks Model Say? Our proven model shows that Beacon Roofing is unlikely to beat estimates in the to-be-reported quarter. This is because a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) to beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Earnings ESP: Earnings ESP, which represents the difference between the Most Accurate Estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate, is -5.59%. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they're reported with our Earnings ESP Filter . Zacks Rank: Beacon Roofing currently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). We caution against stocks with a Zacks Rank #4 and 5 (Strong Sell) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here . Stock Worth a Look Here is a construction sector that you may want to consider, as our model shows that it has the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat in the upcoming release: Toll Brothers Inc. TOL has an Earnings ESP of +3.68% and a Zacks Rank #3. The company is slated to report quarterly results on Dec 5. 3 Medical Stocks to Buy Now The greatest discovery in this century of biology is now at the flashpoint between theory and realization. Billions of dollars in research have poured into it. Companies are already generating revenue, and cures for a variety of deadly diseases are in the pipeline. So are big potential profits for early investors. Zacks has released an updated Special Report that explains this breakthrough and names the best 3 stocks to ride it. See them today for free >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. (BECN): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report GMS Inc. (GMS): Free Stock Analysis Report Toll Brothers Inc. (TOL): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Beacon Roofing (BECN) to Post Q4 Earnings: What's in Store?""]"
FAST,2018-11-15,24.9953,25.7662,24.5421,25.6684,
FAST,2018-11-16,25.701,26.076,25.542,25.9102,
FAST,2018-11-19,25.8964,26.2399,25.8056,25.8776,
FAST,2018-11-20,25.6772,25.8698,24.7711,24.9331,
FAST,2018-11-21,25.0101,25.8116,24.8571,25.542,
FAST,2018-11-23,25.1403,25.4019,24.9429,25.1502,
FAST,2018-11-26,25.4364,25.9694,25.3052,25.9478,
FAST,2018-11-27,25.7562,25.9507,25.6348,25.8116,"[""TGLS or FAST: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?"", ""TGLS or FAST: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?"", ""TGLS or FAST: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now? Investors interested in Building Products - Retail stocks are likely familiar with Tecnoglass (TGLS) and Fastenal (FAST). But which of these two companies is the best option for those looking for undervalued stocks? Let's take a closer look. There are plenty of strategies for discovering value stocks, but we have found that pairing a strong Zacks Rank with an impressive grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system produces the best returns. The proven Zacks Rank emphasizes companies with positive estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight stocks with specific traits. Currently, Tecnoglass has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Fastenal has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). This means that TGLS's earnings estimate revision activity has been more impressive, so investors should feel comfortable with its improving analyst outlook. But this is just one piece of the puzzle for value investors. Value investors are also interested in a number of tried-and-true valuation metrics that help show when a company is undervalued at its current share price levels. Our Value category highlights undervalued companies by looking at a variety of key metrics, including the popular P/E ratio, as well as the P/S ratio, earnings yield, cash flow per share, and a variety of other fundamentals that have been used by value investors for years. TGLS currently has a forward P/E ratio of 11.96, while FAST has a forward P/E of 22.26. We also note that TGLS has a PEG ratio of 0.60. This popular figure is similar to the widely-used P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also considers a company's expected EPS growth rate. FAST currently has a PEG ratio of 1.59. Another notable valuation metric for TGLS is its P/B ratio of 2.29. The P/B is a method of comparing a stock's market value to its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. By comparison, FAST has a P/B of 7.14. These are just a few of the metrics contributing to TGLS's Value grade of B and FAST's Value grade of D. TGLS stands above FAST thanks to its solid earnings outlook, and based on these valuation figures, we also feel that TGLS is the superior value option right now. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Tecnoglass Inc. (TGLS): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""TGLS or FAST: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?""]"
FAST,2018-11-28,25.8412,26.5991,25.4492,26.5943,"Insiders Pile Into Holdings of FXZ ETF A look at the weighted underlying holdings of the First Trust Materials AlphaDEX Fund ( FXZ ) shows an impressive 20.2% of holdings on a weighted basis have experienced insider buying within the past six months. Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST), which makes up 2.22% of the First Trust Materials AlphaDEX Fund ( FXZ ), has seen 5 directors and officers purchase shares in the past six months, according to the recent Form 4 data. The ETF holds a total of $3,672,386 worth of FAST, making it the #22 largest holding. The table below details the recent insider buying activity observed at FAST: FAST - last trade: $57.33 - Recent Insider Buys: 10 ETFs With Stocks That Insiders Are Buying » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2018-11-29,26.5113,26.9407,26.4037,26.6801,"Fastenal Reaches Analyst Target Price In recent trading, shares of Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) have crossed above the average analyst 12-month target price of $58.11, changing hands for $59.07/share. When a stock reaches the target an analyst has set, the analyst logically has two ways to react: downgrade on valuation, or, re-adjust their target price to a higher level. Analyst reaction may also depend on the fundamental business developments that may be responsible for driving the stock price higher - if things are looking up for the company, perhaps it is time for that target price to be raised. There are 9 different analyst targets contributing to that average for Fastenal Co., but the average is just that - a mathematical average. There are analysts with lower targets than the average, including one looking for a price of $50.00. And then on the other side of the spectrum one analyst has a target as high as $65.00. The standard deviation is $5.441. But the whole reason to look at the average FAST price target in the first place is to tap into a ""wisdom of crowds"" effort, putting together the contributions of all the individual minds who contributed to the ultimate number, as opposed to what just one particular expert believes. And so with FAST crossing above that average target price of $58.11/share, investors in FAST have been given a good signal to spend fresh time assessing the company and deciding for themselves: is $58.11 just one stop on the way to an even higher target, or has the valuation gotten stretched to the point where it is time to think about taking some chips off the table? Below is a table showing the current thinking of the analysts that cover Fastenal Co.: The average rating presented in the last row of the above table above is from 1 to 5 where 1 is Strong Buy and 5 is Strong Sell. This article used data provided by Zacks Investment Research via Quandl.com . Get the latest Zacks research report on FAST - FREE . The Top 25 Broker Analyst Picks of the S&P 500 » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2018-11-30,26.7641,26.9131,26.3998,26.6801,
FAST,2018-12-03,27.0108,27.2161,26.3899,26.8894,
FAST,2018-12-04,26.384,26.8479,25.701,25.7838,"[""Longbow Research Downgrades Fastenal to Neutral, Maintains $63 Price Target"", ""Longbow Research Downgrades Fastenal to Neutral, Maintains $63 Price Target"", ""Longbow Research Downgrades Fastenal to Neutral, Maintains $63 Price Target""]"
FAST,2018-12-06,25.4019,25.8204,24.9637,25.7977,
FAST,2018-12-07,25.694,25.9842,24.8127,24.8757,
FAST,2018-12-10,24.9291,25.2755,24.1217,24.5935,"Notable Two Hundred Day Moving Average Cross - FAST In trading on Monday, shares of Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) crossed below their 200 day moving average of $54.59, changing hands as low as $53.58 per share. Fastenal Co. shares are currently trading down about 2.4% on the day. The chart below shows the one year performance of FAST shares, versus its 200 day moving average: Looking at the chart above, FAST's low point in its 52 week range is $47.37 per share, with $61.14 as the 52 week high point - that compares with a last trade of $53.93. Click here to find out which 9 other dividend stocks recently crossed below their 200 day moving average » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2018-12-11,24.9735,25.1364,24.5007,24.7129,
FAST,2018-12-12,25.1581,25.3713,24.6339,24.6567,
FAST,2018-12-13,24.8709,24.9429,24.4405,24.6379,
FAST,2018-12-14,24.3428,24.7129,24.2164,24.252,
FAST,2018-12-17,24.2342,24.4069,23.6598,23.8462,"[""Will Lower Revenues Hurt BlackBerry's (BB) Q3 Earnings?"", ""Will Fastenal (FAST) Beat Estimates Again in Its Next Earnings Report?"", ""Holiday Retail Sales Off to a Strong Start: 5 Great Picks"", ""GMS Looks Good: Stock Adds 6.1% in Session"", ""Will Lower Revenues Hurt BlackBerry's (BB) Q3 Earnings?"", ""Will Fastenal (FAST) Beat Estimates Again in Its Next Earnings Report?"", ""GMS Looks Good: Stock Adds 6.1% in Session"", ""Holiday Retail Sales Off to a Strong Start: 5 Great Picks"", ""Will Fastenal (FAST) Beat Estimates Again in Its Next Earnings Report? Looking for a stock that has been consistently beating earnings estimates and might be well positioned to keep the streak alive in its next quarterly report? Fastenal (FAST), which belongs to the Zacks Building Products - Retail industry, could be a great candidate to consider. This maker of industrial and construction fasteners has an established record of topping earnings estimates, especially when looking at the previous two reports. The company boasts an average surprise for the past two quarters of 7.55%. For the last reported quarter, Fastenal came out with earnings of $0.69 per share versus the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.67 per share, representing a surprise of 2.99%. For the previous quarter, the company was expected to post earnings of $0.66 per share and it actually produced earnings of $0.74 per share, delivering a surprise of 12.12%. Price and EPS Surprise Thanks in part to this history, there has been a favorable change in earnings estimates for Fastenal lately. In fact, the Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction) for the stock is positive, which is a great indicator of an earnings beat, particularly when combined with its solid Zacks Rank. Our research shows that stocks with the combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) or better produce a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time . In other words, if you have 10 stocks with this combination, the number of stocks that beat the consensus estimate could be as high as seven. The Zacks Earnings ESP compares the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter; the Most Accurate Estimate is a version of the Zacks Consensus whose definition is related to change. The idea here is that analysts revising their estimates right before an earnings release have the latest information, which could potentially be more accurate than what they and others contributing to the consensus had predicted earlier. Fastenal has an Earnings ESP of +1.67% at the moment, suggesting that analysts have grown bullish on its near-term earnings potential. When you combine this positive Earnings ESP with the stock's Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), it shows that another beat is possibly around the corner. The company's next earnings report is expected to be released on January 16, 2019. Investors should note, however, that a negative Earnings ESP reading is not indicative of an earnings miss, but a negative value does reduce the predictive power of this metric. Many companies end up beating the consensus EPS estimate, but that may not be the sole basis for their stocks moving higher. On the other hand, some stocks may hold their ground even if they end up missing the consensus estimate. Because of this, it's really important to check a company's Earnings ESP ahead of its quarterly release to increase the odds of success. Make sure to utilize our Earnings ESP Filter to uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they've reported. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Holiday Retail Sales Off to a Strong Start: 5 Great Picks Retail sales increased in November, indicating that holiday season buying was off to a stellar start. Further, the increase in retail sales for October was revised significantly higher. The jump in sales also dispelled lingering concerns about the state of the economy. They also indicate that fourth-quarter expansion could exceed the initial set of modest projections. A slide in spending at service stations was largely a result of a decline in gasoline prices. However, this was a positive development for consumers since it raised their purchasing power substantially. With only the first part of the holiday season out of the way, retail sales are set to remain robust over the next few months. This is why it makes good sense to invest in retail stocks at this time. Strong November Sales Negate Slowdown Fears According to the Department of Commerce, retail sales increased 0.2% in the month of November, in line with the consensus estimate. More significantly, October's initial increase of 0.8% was revised upward to reflect an increase of 1.1%. Taken together, these increases suggest that the economy has started the fourth quarter on a far stronger note than initially estimated. Further, core retail sales, which exclude the impact of gasoline, automobiles, building materials and food services, increased 0.9%. This is significantly higher than the 0.7% increase for October, which in itself has been upwardly revised. This metric closely corresponds to the consumer spending component of GDP. The report will do much to dispel fears created by a yield curve inversion and heavy losses on Wall Street. Another factor negating economic concerns is the labor market's ruddy health. Last week's data on jobless claims shows that the number of Americans claiming unemployment benefits has once again fallen to a 49-year low. Sales on Track to Meet Holiday Season Projections Per the National Retail Federation's (NRF) estimates, holiday retail sales for November and December are projected to increase between 4.3% and 4.8% year over year to between 717.45 billion and $720.89 billion. Incidentally, seasonally adjusted retail sales for October increased 0.7% on a monthly basis and were up 5% on a yearly basis. This means that retail numbers for the first half of the holiday shopping season are on course to match the NRF's forecast. These figures exclude the impact of auto, gas station and restaurant sales. Coming back to the Commerce Department numbers for November, unadjusted retail sales increased 4.2% year over year. Service station sales plummeted 2.3%, the largest drop since 2017. According to the Energy Information Administration, gas prices have declined to 40 cents per gallon since October, leading to the slump in gas station receipts. Headline sales numbers were powered by a 2.3% surge in online sales. Sales at furniture and home furnishing stores increased 1.2%. Electronics and appliance stores reported a 1.4% rise in sales. Auto sales, which account for around 20% of all retail sales, inched up 0.2%. Sales at department stores and miscellaneous store retailers each increased 0.4%. Our Choices November's increase in retail sales indicates that consumer spending has retained sufficient steam during the fourth quarter. This in turn is being supported by a robust labor market with jobless claims falling to a 49-year low last week. These trends are also likely to continue supporting the economy in the near term. This is why it makes sense to invest in retail stocks, especially the categories that have gained substantially last month. However, picking winning stocks may be difficult. This is where our VGM Score comes in. Here V stands for Value, G for Growth and M for Momentum and the score is a weighted combination of these three scores. Such a score allows you to eliminate the negative aspects of stocks and select winners. However, it is important to keep in mind that each Style Score will carry a different weight while arriving at a VGM Score. We have narrowed down our search to the following stocks based on a good Zacks Rank and VGM Score. Asbury Automotive Group, Inc.ABG is one of the largest automotive retailers in the United States. Asbury Automotive carries a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and has a VGM Score of A. The company has expected earnings growth of 28.7% for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved 1.1% over the last 30 days. Ingles Markets, IncorporatedIMKTA is a leading supermarket chain with operations in the southeastern United States. Ingles Markets carries a Zacks Rank #1 and has a VGM Score of A. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved 3.2% over the last 30 days. RHRH is a leading luxury retailer in the home furnishing space. RH has a VGM Score of A. The company's expected earnings growth for the current year is more than 100%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved 11.8% over the last 30 days. The stock sports a Zacks Rank #1. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here . Casey's General Stores, Inc.CASY and its wholly owned subsidiaries operate convenience stores under the names Casey's and Casey's General Store. Casey's General Stores has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and VGM Score of A. The company has expected earnings growth of 27.8% for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved by 3.6% over the last 30 days. Fastenal CompanyFAST is a national wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies. Fastenal carries a Zacks Rank #2 and has a VGM Score of B. The company has expected earnings growth of 34.4% for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved by 0.1% over the last 30 days. In addition to the stocks discussed above, would you like to know about our 10 top tickers to buy and hold for the entirety of 2019? These 10 are painstakingly handpicked from over 4,000 companies covered by the Zacks Rank. They are our primary picks poised to outperform in the year ahead. Be among the first to see the new Zacks Top 10 Stocks >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. (ABG): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Caseys General Stores, Inc. (CASY): Free Stock Analysis Report Restoration Hardware Holdings Inc. (RH): Free Stock Analysis Report Ingles Markets, Incorporated (IMKTA): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Will Lower Revenues Hurt BlackBerry's (BB) Q3 Earnings? BlackBerry LimitedBB is scheduled to report third-quarter fiscal 2019 financial results (ended Nov 30, 2018) before the opening bell on Dec 20. In the last reported quarter, the company delivered a positive earnings surprise of 100%. Let's find out how things are shaping up prior to the announcement. Factors to Consider BlackBerry has a leading position in the fast-growing Enterprise of Things market. The company's strategy to capitalize on the market's profitable opportunities with BlackBerry Spark - its platform to communicate and collaborate between smart endpoints - bodes well. During the to-be-reported quarter, BlackBerry expanded its partnerships with Android and PLDT Enterprise through Smart Communications, to provide MiCab with a secure enterprise cloud solution that maintains data privacy and boosts service delivery. MiCab is an online taxi-hailing platform. Notably, the solution integrates the security of BlackBerry Unified End-Point Management with the customizable Android Enterprise, and network connectivity and devices from Smart. BlackBerry also partnered with Virginia Tech to train mechanical engineers on BlackBerry QNX technology - a reliable software for connected and autonomous cars. BlackBerry QNX provides OEMs and Tier 1 vendors around the world with advanced technology to protect hardware, applications and systems from cyberattacks. The company aims to help advance the Department of Mechanical Engineering's vehicle research as well as provide hands-on training with QNX software. Moreover, the company added a quantum-resistant code signing server to its range of cryptography tools. Notably, the solution allows software to be digitally signed with a scheme that is hard to break with a quantum computer. BlackBerry's code signing server uses cryptographic libraries from ISARA Corporation - a leader in agile quantum-safe security solutions. The companies aim to protect software of long-lived assets against an increasingly risky computing ecosystem with growing security threats. Such strategic collaborations and state-of-the-art products will likely help the company to improve its top line in the quarter. For the quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for total revenues stands at $213 million, down from $226 million reported in the year-earlier quarter. This is primarily due to changes in the accounting and sales model (implementation of ASC 606), which is likely to continue negatively impacting the company's enterprise software revenues for the remainder of fiscal 2019. Adjusted earnings per share are projected to be 2 cents, down from 3 cents reported a year ago. What Our Model Says Our proven model does not conclusively show a beat for BlackBerry this quarter as it does not have the two key components. A stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) for this to happen. This is not the case here as you will see below: Earnings ESP: BlackBerry's Earnings ESP, which represents the difference between the Most Accurate Estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate, is 0.00% as both are pegged at 2 cents. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they're reported with our Earnings ESP Filter . BlackBerry Limited Price and EPS Surprise BlackBerry Limited Price and EPS Surprise | BlackBerry Limited Quote Zacks Rank: BlackBerry currently has a Zacks Rank #3, which increases the predictive power of ESP. However, the company's 0.00% Earnings ESP makes surprise prediction difficult. Note that we caution against stocks with a Zacks Rank #4 or 5 (Sell-rated) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing a negative estimate revisions momentum. Stocks to Consider Here are some companies that you may want to consider, as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter: SYNNEX Corp. SNX has an Earnings ESP of +5.52% and a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here . Fastenal Co. FAST has an Earnings ESP of +1.67% and a Zacks Rank #2. UnitedHealth Group Inc. UNH has an Earnings ESP of +1.33% and a Zacks Rank #2. The Hottest Tech Mega-Trend of All Last year, it generated $8 billion in global revenues. By 2020, it's predicted to blast through the roof to $47 billion. Famed investor Mark Cuban says it will produce \""the world's first trillionaires,\"" but that should still leave plenty of money for regular investors who make the right trades early. See Zacks' 3 Best Stocks to Play This Trend >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report SYNNEX Corporation (SNX): Free Stock Analysis Report UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (UNH): Free Stock Analysis Report BlackBerry Limited (BB): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Will Lower Revenues Hurt BlackBerry's (BB) Q3 Earnings?"", ""Will Fastenal (FAST) Beat Estimates Again in Its Next Earnings Report?"", ""GMS Looks Good: Stock Adds 6.1% in Session"", ""Holiday Retail Sales Off to a Strong Start: 5 Great Picks""]"
FAST,2018-12-18,24.0092,24.1365,23.3301,23.5196,"[""Industrials Are Under Pressure as U.S. Stocks Rebound From Latest Rout Illustration by Michael Haddad Down 21: The Russell 2000 entered bear market territory Monday, down 21% from its 52-week high set at the end of August. Global equities followed Monday's decline in the U.S. lower on Tuesday, but U.S. stock futures were up. Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 futures both rose 0.4%, while Nasdaq Composite futures gained 0.5%. In today's Morning Movers, we\u2026 Oh no, Obama:Texas judgecan bounce backUpgrades/Downgrades:premarket tradingFlowserveHubbellHUBBWabcoWBCITWFastenalFASTGWWEmerson Electricreporting ordersChased by a Bear:Federal Reserve to pause Tibor K\u00e1rp\u00e1ti Numbers By Barron's is a two-minute financial podcast with three vital numbers to start your morning. Available on iTunes, Stitcher, and wherever you get your podcasts-as well as on your Amazon Alexa smart speaker https://asset.barrons.com/dynamic-insets/barrons/generic-podcast-2018-1538513741291.json#src=https://graphics.wsj.com/audio/barrons_nbb_20181218 Write to Al Root at allen.root@dowjones.com The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Industrials Are Under Pressure as U.S. Stocks Rebound From Latest Rout Futures on all three major stock indexes were higher following their plunge on Monday. Investors are focusing on the Federal Reserve meeting that ends on Wednesday.""]"
FAST,2018-12-19,23.5995,23.9154,22.9955,23.1761,"[""Home Depot to Gain From Omni-Channel & Supply-Chain Actions"", ""Home Depot to Gain From Omni-Channel & Supply-Chain Actions"", ""Home Depot to Gain From Omni-Channel & Supply-Chain Actions Home Depot Inc.HD has been witnessing robust growth, backed by its integrated retail strategy that connects offline and online channels. The company witnessed improved customer satisfaction scores and conversion rates through investments in interconnected capabilities, which encompass both digital properties and physical store assets. Consequently, digital sales in third-quarter fiscal 2018 increased about 28%, backed by robust growth in online traffic. Notably, sales for both \""buy online ship to store\"" and \""buy online pickup in store\"" capabilities grew faster than the overall online sales growth rate for the fiscal third quarter. Apart from enhanced digital portals, the scope of the integrated retail strategy extends to the supply-chain system, and investments for enhancing the delivery and fulfillment options for customers. Home Depot is currently in the early stages of its five-year investment journey under its \""One Home Depot Supply Chain\"" initiative, which targets facilitating the fastest and most efficient delivery network in home improvement. Through this initiative, the company expects to reach 90% of the U.S. population with same-day or next-day delivery capability, even for big and bulky orders. This will reflect a marked improvement from its current capability of reaching 95% of the U.S. population in two days or less with parcel shipping. As part of this initiative, the company has been piloting fulfillment centers, which are delivering desired results. Additionally, the company plans to open more of these pilot facilities through the rest of 2018 and in early 2019. Moreover, the company is keen on meeting its customers' immediate delivery needs, which is clear from the recent rollout of car and van express delivery, which enables same-day delivery of store goods. The rollout of this service to about 40% of the U.S. population resulted in a marked increase in utilization from both Pro and DIY customers. Driven by these efforts, Home Depot is on track to reach its long-term financial targets for fiscal 2020, which were announced in December 2017. Through fiscal 2020, the company anticipates total sales of $115-$120 billion, with compounded annual sales growth of nearly 4.5-6%. Operating margin is expected to be 14.4-15%. Moreover, the company expects annual average capital spending to be about 2.5% of sales, with return on invested capital of more than 40%, reflecting the impact of the new tax reform. Alongside achieving these targets, it plans to accelerate investments in the next three years to enhance customer experience and shareholder value. Furthermore, the stock has outperformed the industry in the past three months. Though shares of this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company dipped 19.5%, it fared better than the industry 's decline of 20.9%. Additionally, the stock's long-term earnings growth rate of 12.9% and a Growth Score of B reflect its inherent strength. Analysts believe that an improving job scenario, gradual recovery in the housing market and merchandising initiatives bode well for the company. Home Depot, which competes with Lowe's Companies Inc. LOW , has been reporting strong financial figures since fiscal 2008, with steady improvement in revenues and earnings per share. Incidentally, both top and bottom lines beat estimates in third-quarter fiscal 2018. Notably, the company retained its five-year-long trend of beating earnings estimates. Moreover, it delivered positive sales surprise in eight out of the last nine quarters. Notably, Home Depot is witnessing strength across store operations while delivering solid digital growth, which reflects persistently strong customer demand in the home improvement markets. Backed by solid year-to-date performance, the company raised its earnings and sales forecast for fiscal 2018. Home Depot now expects sales growth of nearly 7.2% for fiscal 2018, including the 53rd week. The company earlier anticipated sales growth of 7%. Comps growth is now estimated to be 5.5% (for the comparable 52-week period) versus 5.3% increase stated earlier. Further, the company anticipates earnings per share of $9.75 for fiscal 2018, up nearly 33.8%. Earlier, it projected earnings per share growth of 29.2%. 2 Better-Ranked Stocks to Watch Fastenal Company FAST has a long-term earnings growth rate of 14% and a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here . Technoglass Inc. TGLS delivered an average positive earnings surprise of 26.8% in the trailing four quarters. It has a long-term earnings growth rate of 20% and a Zacks Rank of 2. Wall Street's Next Amazon Zacks EVP Kevin Matras believes this familiar stock has only just begun its climb to become one of the greatest investments of all time. It's a once-in-a-generation opportunity to invest in pure genius. Click for details >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Tecnoglass Inc. (TGLS): Free Stock Analysis Report The Home Depot, Inc. (HD): Free Stock Analysis Report Lowe's Companies, Inc. (LOW): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Home Depot to Gain From Omni-Channel & Supply-Chain Actions""]"
FAST,2018-12-20,23.0457,23.2669,22.5009,22.7665,
FAST,2018-12-21,22.9471,23.3834,22.6006,22.7043,
FAST,2018-12-24,22.6194,22.6905,22.2018,22.2226,"[""Stocks Showing Improved Relative Strength: Fastenal"", ""Stocks Showing Improved Relative Strength: Fastenal"", ""Near-Term Outlook for Retail Building Products Industry Drab The Building Products - Retail industry covers a broad range of groups including home improvement retailers, manufactures of industrial and construction materials and distributors of wallboard and ceilings systems. Also, the industry comprises players offering products and services for home decoration, repair and remodeling. Players belonging to this industry group offer everything from cement or concrete foundation materials to roofing boards and shingles. These sell lumber, insulation materials, drywall, plumbing fixtures, flooring, lawn and garden and decor products. Some players also deal in threaded fastener products as well as manufactured and natural stone tiles. These companies mainly sell products to professional homebuilders, sub-contractors, remodelers and consumers. Let's have a look at the industry's three major themes: The U.S. housing market has been volatile, thanks to rising mortgage rates, which are inducing home price inflation and making purchases expensive. Lack of affordable homes, skilled labor shortages, lower inventory and a dearth of residential lots might act as deterrents to the space. Per the Commerce Department, U.S. new home sales declined 8.9% in October 2018, reaching its lowest level in more than two and a half years. Home sales have been plunging this year due to drops in major markets. Strained margin has been a key concern for many players in the Building Products - Retail space. Stiff competition coupled with higher selling, general and administrative expenses and an unfavorable customer/product mix are dampening the margin. Rise in commodity or raw material costs, supply chain and transportation expenses, and higher cost of investments for technological advancements can be persistent deterrents in the future. The building products industry, like most industries, is evolving as companies focus on digitalization. Digital-savvy customers are increasingly resorting to online apps for home shopping. As a result, companies are resorting to well-chalked strategies to connect offline and online channels, including higher customer engagement and supply-chain access to bolster growth. These retailers are embracing a completely integrated digital platform to cater to the needs of online shoppers'. Additionally, a healthy economy might provide an impetus to the U.S. housing market. Zacks Industry Rank Indicates Gloomy Prospects The Building Products - Retail industry is housed within the broader Zacks Retail-Wholesale sector. It carries a Zacks Industry Rank #162, which places it at the bottom 37% of more than 250 Zacks industries. The group's Zacks Industry Rank , which is basically the average of the Zacks Rank of all the member stocks, indicates bleak near-term prospects. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperforms the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1. The industry's positioning in the bottom 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries is a result of negative earnings outlook for the constituent companies in aggregate. Looking at the aggregate earnings estimate revisions, it appears that analysts are losing confidence in this group's earnings growth potential. However, the industry's earnings estimate for the current year inched up about 1% over the course of a year. Before we present a few stocks that you may want to consider for your portfolio, let's take a look at the industry's recent stock-market performance and valuation picture. Industry Lags in Terms of Shareholder Returns The Zacks Building Products - Retail Industry has underperformed the broader Retail-Wholesale Sector as well as the S&P 500 index over the past year. While the stocks in this industry have collectively lost 12%, the Zacks S&P 500 Composite and Zacks Retail-Wholesale Sector have declined 8.2% and 7.8%, respectively. One-Year Price Performance Industry's Current Valuation On the basis of forward 12-month price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio, a commonly used multiple for valuing Retail-Wholesale stocks, the industry is currently trading at 15.08X compared with the S&P 500's 14.54X. However, the industry's valuation compares favorably with the sector's forward-12-month P/E of 19.45X. Over the last five years, the industry has traded as high as 26.85X, as low as 17.85X and at the median of 23.21X as the chart below shows. Price-to-Earnings Ratio (Past 5 Years) Bottom Line Improving economic backdrop along with higher home prices might change the scenario for the Building Products - Retail industry in the long term. However, decline in U.S. home sales coupled with an unimpressive Zacks Rank raises concerns for the near term. Also, apprehensions related to a fourth rate hike by Fed might make things difficult, resulting in slowdown of housing activities. While none of the stocks in the Zacks Building Products - Retail space currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), here we present two stocks with a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Additionally, we suggest another two stocks with a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) from the same industry, which investors may hold on to. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here . Let's have a look at those chosen stocks: Fastenal Company (FAST): This Winona, MN-based wholesale distributor of industrial and construction products has gained 2.7% in the past six months. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings in the current fiscal year has been revised 0.4% upward in the last seven days. Further, the stock has a Zacks Rank of 2. Price and Consensus: FAST Tecnoglass Inc. (TGLS): This manufacturer and seller of architectural glass, windows and related aluminum products is also a Zacks #2 Ranked stock. Shares of the company have increased 10.4% in a year. Moreover, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings in the current year has moved 13.6% north in the last 60 days. Price and Consensus: TGLS The Home Depot, Inc. (HD): The consensus estimate for earnings with regard to this Atlanta, GA-based company has moved nearly 2.4% up for the current fiscal year in the last 60 days. This leading home improvement retailer has a Zacks Rank of 3. Price and Consensus: HD Lowe's Companies, Inc. (LOW): This Mooresville, NC-based company is a Zacks #3 Ranked stock. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings in the current fiscal year has remained stable in the last 30 days. Price and Consensus: LOW More Stock News: This Is Bigger than the iPhone! It could become the mother of all technological revolutions. Apple sold a mere 1 billion iPhones in 10 years but a new breakthrough is expected to generate more than 27 billion devices in just 3 years, creating a $1.7 trillion market. Zacks has just released a Special Report that spotlights this fast-emerging phenomenon and 6 tickers for taking advantage of it. If you don't buy now, you may kick yourself in 2020. Click here for the 6 trades >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Tecnoglass Inc. (TGLS): Free Stock Analysis Report Lowe's Companies, Inc. (LOW): Free Stock Analysis Report The Home Depot, Inc. (HD): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Stocks Showing Improved Relative Strength: Fastenal""]"
FAST,2018-12-26,22.3756,23.2442,22.1534,23.2313,
FAST,2018-12-27,22.8573,23.4712,22.6293,23.4712,"[""Stocks With Rising Relative Strength: Fastenal"", ""Stocks With Rising Relative Strength: Fastenal"", ""Stocks With Rising Relative Strength: Fastenal""]"
FAST,2018-12-28,23.5324,23.7486,23.2807,23.4376,
FAST,2018-12-31,23.563,23.7328,23.2619,23.5403,"Why Lowe's Companies is a Top Socially Responsible Dividend Stock Lowe's Companies Inc (Symbol: LOW) has been named a Top Socially Responsible Dividend Stock by Dividend Channel , signifying a stock with above-average ''DividendRank'' statistics including a strong 2.1% yield, as well as being recognized by prominent asset managers as being a socially responsible investment, through analysis of social and environmental criteria. Environmental criteria include considerations like the environmental impact of the company's products and services, as well as the company's efficiency in terms of its use of energy and resources. Social criteria include elements such as human rights, child labor, corporate diversity, and the company's impact on society - for instance, taken into consideration would be business activities tied to weapons, gambling, tobacco, and alcohol. According to the ETF Finder at ETF Channel , Lowe's Companies Inc is a member of the iShares USA ESG Select ETF ( SUSA ), making up 0.72% of the underlying holdings of the fund, which owns $8,410,365 worth of LOW shares. The annualized dividend paid by Lowe's Companies Inc is $1.92/share, currently paid in quarterly installments, and its most recent dividend ex-date was on 01/22/2019. Below is a long-term dividend history chart for LOW, which the DividendRank report stressed as being of key importance. Indeed, studying a company's past dividend history can be of good help in judging whether the most recent dividend is likely to continue. LOW operates in the Home Improvement Stores sector, among companies like Home Depot Inc ( HD ), and Fastenal Co. ( FAST ). Top 25 Socially Responsible Dividend Stocks - Income To Feel Good About » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2019-01-02,23.1011,23.488,22.8839,23.1455,"[""Bed Bath & Beyond (BBBY) Q3 Earnings: What's in the Cards?"", ""Constellation Brands (STZ) to Keep Earnings Beat Trend in Q3"", ""Constellation Brands (STZ) to Keep Earnings Beat Trend in Q3"", ""Bed Bath & Beyond (BBBY) Q3 Earnings: What's in the Cards?"", ""Constellation Brands (STZ) to Keep Earnings Beat Trend in Q3 Constellation Brands, Inc.STZ is scheduled to release third-quarter fiscal 2019 results on Jan 9. Notably, this leading wine company reported positive earnings surprise of 11.2% in the last reported quarter. Furthermore, it delivered average positive earnings surprise of 4.6% in the trailing four quarters, wherein it recorded beat in three quarters. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings of $2.04 per share for the fiscal third quarter declined by a penny in the last 30 days. However, it reflects year-over-year growth of 2% from the prior-year quarter. Constellation Brands Inc Price and EPS Surprise Constellation Brands Inc Price and EPS Surprise | Constellation Brands Inc Quote Factors at Play Constellation Brands has been displaying strength, which is visible in its consistent earnings record and strong beer business. Further, the company's robust business growth plans, including its $5-billion investment in Canopy Growth (CGC), provide lucrative opportunities for the long term. Strength in Constellation Brands' beer business has been a key growth driver for the past many years. Despite the softness in the U.S. beer market, the company's beer business sales improved 10.5% in second-quarter fiscal 2019. Notably, its beer business was the top share gainer in the U.S. beer market in the fiscal second quarter, courtesy of gains from Corona and Modelo Especial brands. Additionally, Constellation Brands' consistent focus on brand building and initiatives to include new products are the key revenue drivers for the stock. Owing to its strategic endeavors, the company is witnessing increasing market share, especially in the U.S. beer category. Moreover, it is bringing innovations and improving its operational activities. It is focused on enhancing points of distribution at retail and effectively executing its merchandising initiatives to boost sales. Moreover, investments in digital enablement for e-commerce initiatives and the new ERP platform as part of the 'Fit for Growth' initiative bode well. Constellation Brands' bullish outlook for the fiscal year indicates that the company is likely to report strong results in the fiscal third quarter. For fiscal 2019, it envisions adjusted earnings per share of $9.60-$9.75. For the beer segment, management continues to expect high-single-digit volume growth as well as 9-11% net sales and operating income growth in fiscal 2019. Moreover, sales and operating income for the wine and spirits segment is likely to improve 2-4%. Notably, Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues pegs $1.91 billion for the to-be-reported quarter, up 6.2% year over year. However, Constellation Brands' soft operating margins, driven by higher transportation costs coupled with increased marketing expenses at both beer and wine segments, remain a threat to overall profitability. Stiff competition, higher debt position and taxes remain added concerns. These have led the company's stock to be volatile of late. Constellation Brands has decreased 18.8% in the past month, wider than the industry 's decline of 9.9%. What the Zacks Model Predicts Our proven model shows that Constellation Brands is likely to beat earnings estimates this quarter. A stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) for this to happen. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they're reported with our Earnings ESP Filter . Constellation Brands currently has a Zacks Rank #3 and an Earnings ESP of 0.63%, which make earnings surprise prediction conclusive. Other Stocks Poised to Beat Earnings Estimates Here are some other companies that you may want to consider as our model shows that these too have the right combination to deliver an earnings beat: Procter & Gamble Company PG has an Earnings ESP of +0.50% and a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here . Tractor Supply Company TSCO has an Earnings ESP of +1.54% and a Zacks Rank #2. Fastenal Company FAST has an Earnings ESP of +0.83% and a Zacks Rank #2. The Hottest Tech Mega-Trend of All Last year, it generated $8 billion in global revenues. By 2020, it's predicted to blast through the roof to $47 billion. Famed investor Mark Cuban says it will produce \""the world's first trillionaires,\"" but that should still leave plenty of money for regular investors who make the right trades early. See Zacks' 3 Best Stocks to Play This Trend >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Constellation Brands Inc (STZ): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Tractor Supply Company (TSCO): Free Stock Analysis Report Procter & Gamble Company (The) (PG): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Constellation Brands (STZ) to Keep Earnings Beat Trend in Q3"", ""Bed Bath & Beyond (BBBY) Q3 Earnings: What's in the Cards?""]"
FAST,2019-01-03,22.9382,23.1455,22.3716,22.4871,
FAST,2019-01-04,22.9195,23.5778,22.8207,23.41,
FAST,2019-01-07,23.1949,23.8878,23.0487,23.5808,"[""TGLS or FAST: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?"", ""Fastenal Shows Improved Relative Price Performance; Still Shy Of Benchmark"", ""Fastenal Shows Improved Relative Price Performance; Still Shy Of Benchmark"", ""TGLS or FAST: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?"", ""TGLS or FAST: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now? Investors interested in stocks from the Building Products - Retail sector have probably already heard of Tecnoglass (TGLS) and Fastenal (FAST). But which of these two stocks is more attractive to value investors? We'll need to take a closer look to find out. We have found that the best way to discover great value opportunities is to pair a strong Zacks Rank with a great grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system. The proven Zacks Rank emphasizes companies with positive estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight stocks with specific traits. Currently, Tecnoglass has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Fastenal has a Zacks Rank of #4 (Sell). This system places an emphasis on companies that have seen positive earnings estimate revisions, so investors should feel comfortable knowing that TGLS is likely seeing its earnings outlook improve to a greater extent. But this is just one factor that value investors are interested in. Value investors are also interested in a number of tried-and-true valuation metrics that help show when a company is undervalued at its current share price levels. Our Value category highlights undervalued companies by looking at a variety of key metrics, including the popular P/E ratio, as well as the P/S ratio, earnings yield, cash flow per share, and a variety of other fundamentals that have been used by value investors for years. TGLS currently has a forward P/E ratio of 10.54, while FAST has a forward P/E of 18.71. We also note that TGLS has a PEG ratio of 0.53. This popular figure is similar to the widely-used P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also considers a company's expected EPS growth rate. FAST currently has a PEG ratio of 1.34. Another notable valuation metric for TGLS is its P/B ratio of 2.04. The P/B is a method of comparing a stock's market value to its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. By comparison, FAST has a P/B of 6.45. These are just a few of the metrics contributing to TGLS's Value grade of A and FAST's Value grade of D. TGLS stands above FAST thanks to its solid earnings outlook, and based on these valuation figures, we also feel that TGLS is the superior value option right now. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Tecnoglass Inc. (TGLS): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Shows Improved Relative Price Performance; Still Shy Of Benchmark"", ""TGLS or FAST: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?""]"
FAST,2019-01-08,23.8226,24.2164,23.4525,24.1947,
FAST,2019-01-09,24.3566,24.6172,23.9796,24.2608,"Fastenal (FAST) Shares Cross Above 200 DMA In trading on Wednesday, shares of Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) crossed above their 200 day moving average of $54.20, changing hands as high as $54.68 per share. Fastenal Co. shares are currently trading up about 1% on the day. The chart below shows the one year performance of FAST shares, versus its 200 day moving average: Looking at the chart above, FAST's low point in its 52 week range is $47.37 per share, with $61.14 as the 52 week high point - that compares with a last trade of $54.13. Click here to find out which 9 other dividend stocks recently crossed above their 200 day moving average » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2019-01-10,24.0891,24.5875,24.0042,24.5264,"[""Fastenal (FAST) Earnings Expected to Grow: Should You Buy?"", ""Stock Upgrades: Fastenal Shows Rising Relative Strength"", ""Stock Upgrades: Fastenal Shows Rising Relative Strength"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Earnings Expected to Grow: Should You Buy?"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Earnings Expected to Grow: Should You Buy? Wall Street expects a year-over-year increase in earnings on higher revenues when Fastenal (FAST) reports results for the quarter ended December 2018. While this widely-known consensus outlook is important in gauging the company's earnings picture, a powerful factor that could impact its near-term stock price is how the actual results compare to these estimates. The stock might move higher if these key numbers top expectations in the upcoming earnings report, which is expected to be released on January 17. On the other hand, if they miss, the stock may move lower. While the sustainability of the immediate price change and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's discussion of business conditions on the earnings call , it's worth handicapping the probability of a positive EPS surprise. Zacks Consensus Estimate This maker of industrial and construction fasteners is expected to pos t quarterly earnings of $0.60 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of +33.3%. Revenues are expected to be $1.22 billion, up 12% from the year-ago quarter. Estimate Revisions Trend The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has been revised 0.23% higher over the last 30 days to the current level. This is essentially a reflection of how the covering analysts have collectively reassessed their initial estimates over this period. Investors should keep in mind that an aggregate change may not always reflect the direction of estimate revisions by each of the covering analysts. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Earnings Whisper Estimate revisions ahead of a company's earnings release offer clues to the business conditions for the period whose results are coming out. Our proprietary surprise prediction model -- the Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction) -- has this insight at its core. The Zacks Earnings ESP compares the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter; the Most Accurate Estimate is a version of the Zacks Consensus whose definition is subject to change. The idea here is that analysts revising their estimates right before an earnings release have the latest information, which could potentially be more accurate than what they and others contributing to the consensus had predicted earlier. Thus, a positive or negative Earnings ESP reading theoretically indicates the likely deviation of the actual earnings from the consensus estimate. However, the model's predictive power is significant for positive ESP readings only. A positive Earnings ESP is a strong predictor of an earnings beat, particularly when combined with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold). Our research shows that stocks with this combination produce a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time , and a solid Zacks Rank actually increases the predictive power of Earnings ESP. Please note that a negative Earnings ESP reading is not indicative of an earnings miss. Our research shows that it is difficult to predict an earnings beat with any degree of confidence for stocks with negative Earnings ESP readings and/or Zacks Rank of 4 (Sell) or 5 (Strong Sell). How Have the Numbers Shaped Up for Fastenal? For Fastenal, the Most Accurate Estimate is higher than the Zacks Consensus Estimate, suggesting that analysts have recently become bullish on the company's earnings prospects. This has resulted in an Earnings ESP of +0.19%. On the other hand, the stock currently carries a Zacks Rank of #4. So, this combination makes it difficult to conclusively predict that Fastenal will beat the consensus EPS estimate. Does Earnings Surprise History Hold Any Clue? While calculating estimates for a company's future earnings, analysts often consider to what extent it has been able to match past consensus estimates. So, it's worth taking a look at the surprise history for gauging its influence on the upcoming number. For the las t report ed quarter, it was expected that Fastenal would pos t earnings of $0.67 per share when it actually produced earnings of $0.69, delivering a surprise of +2.99%. Over the last four quarters, the company has beaten consensus EPS estimates two times. Bottom Line An earnings beat or miss may not be the sole basis for a stock moving higher or lower. Many stocks end up losing ground despite an earnings beat due to other factors that disappoint investors. Similarly, unforeseen catalysts help a number of stocks gain despite an earnings miss. That said, betting on stocks that are expected to beat earnings expectations does increase the odds of success. This is why it's worth checking a company's Earnings ESP and Zacks Rank ahead of its quarterly release. Make sure to utilize our Earnings ESP Filter to uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they've reported. Fastenal doesn't appear a compelling earnings-beat candidate. However, investors should pay attention to other factors too for betting on this stock or staying away from it ahead of its earnings release. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Stock Upgrades: Fastenal Shows Rising Relative Strength"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Earnings Expected to Grow: Should You Buy?""]"
FAST,2019-01-11,24.4365,24.7485,24.3981,24.6883,"[""Fastenal Has Adapted To Business Scenario Changes, Growth To Follow"", ""MSC Industrial Has To Offer More Than Lackluster Growth And No Margin Leverage"", ""Fastenal Has Adapted To Business Scenario Changes, Growth To Follow"", ""MSC Industrial Has To Offer More Than Lackluster Growth And No Margin Leverage"", ""12.7% of DLN Holdings Seeing Recent Insider Buys A look at the weighted underlying holdings of the WisdomTree U.S. LargeCap Dividend Fund (Symbol: DLN) shows an impressive 12.7% of holdings on a weighted basis have experienced insider buying within the past six months. State Street Corp. (Symbol: STT), which makes up 0.18% of the WisdomTree U.S. LargeCap Dividend Fund (Symbol: DLN), has seen 2 directors and officers purchase shares in the past six months, according to the recent Form 4 data. The ETF holds a total of $3,472,712 worth of STT, making it the #122 largest holding. The table below details the recent insider buying activity observed at STT: STT - last trade: $66.51 - Recent Insider Buys: And Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST), the #212 largest holding among components of the WisdomTree U.S. LargeCap Dividend Fund (Symbol: DLN), shows 5 directors and officers as recently filing Form 4's indicating purchases. The ETF holds $2,038,383 worth of FAST, which represents approximately 0.10% of the ETF's total assets at last check. The recent insider buying activity observed at FAST is detailed in the table below: FAST - last trade: $54.48 - Recent Insider Buys: 10 ETFs With Stocks That Insiders Are Buying \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Has Adapted To Business Scenario Changes, Growth To Follow"", ""MSC Industrial Has To Offer More Than Lackluster Growth And No Margin Leverage""]"
FAST,2019-01-14,24.5363,24.6981,24.3339,24.3428,"[""WESCO International's Drivers Are Steady In The Short Run"", ""WESCO International's Drivers Are Steady In The Short Run"", ""WESCO International's Drivers Are Steady In The Short Run""]"
FAST,2019-01-15,24.3477,24.7267,24.3112,24.5797,"Fastenal (FAST) to Report Q4 Earnings: What's in the Offing? Fastenal CompanyFAST is scheduled to report fourth-quarter 2018 results on Jan 17, before the opening bell. The company surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 2.9% in the las t report ed quarter. In fact, it reported positive earnings surprise in all the trailing four quarters, with average of 3.8%. How are Estimates Faring? Let's take a look at the estimate revision trend in order to get a clear picture of what analysts are thinking about the company prior to the earnings release. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter to be reported is currently pegged at 60 cents, remaining unchanged over the past 60 days. Nonetheless, this reflects an increase of 33.3% from the year-ago earnings of 45 cents per share. Revenues are expected to be $1.22 billion, up 12% year over year. Fastenal Company Price and EPS Surprise Fastenal Company Price and EPS Surprise | Fastenal Company Quote Let's take a look at the factors that might affect the company's results in the fourth quarter. Fastenal is expected to benefit from its core product offerings like Onsite Locations/vending machines/managed inventory. However, higher product and freight expenses, along with changes in product and customer mix raise concerns. Vending Machines to Drive Growth: Over the past few quarters, Fastenal's sales have been driven by an increased installation of industrial vending machines. Sales through vending devices continued to grow at a double-digit pace, both in the first nine months and the third quarter of 2018, primarily due to higher installed base. Fastenal's signings of industrial vending devices grew 23.2% year over year in the quarter and were up more than 13% in the first nine months of 2018. Installed device count (as of Sep 30, 2018) increased 14% from the year-ago quarter. The trend is expected to continue in the to-be-reported quarter as well. Onsite Locations to Boost Sales: A consistent increase in the number of on-site locations is likely to strengthen Fastenal's market share and boost quarterly numbers. As of Sep 30, 2018, it had 828 active sites, up 49.2% from a year ago. The increased number of onsite locations is likely to expand Fastenal's market share. The trend is expected to continue in the fourth quarter of 2018 as well. Fastenal aims to achieve 360-385 onsite signings in 2018, reflecting an increase from 270 signings in 2017. Solid End-Market Demand: Robust construction market, especially the non-residential one, has been acting as a major tailwind for Fastenal's performance over the past few quarters. Non-residential construction grew 16.2% and manufacturing increased 13% in the third quarter, consistent with the second quarter's growth. The trend is likely to have continued in the fourth quarter of 2018 as well. The company is expected to report impressive top- and bottom-line growth in the fourth quarter, courtesy of sustained strength in most of its end markets, as well as strong momentum in vending machine installations and onsite locations. Gross Margin Pressure: Fastenal's changes in product and customer mix have been hurting the gross margin for quite some time now. In the first nine months of 2018, gross margins contracted 90 basis points year over year. Moreover, freight and product cost inflation added to the woes. That said, Fastenal remains optimistic about its performance in the second half of the year, given improved pricing expectation as well as reasonable gross margin comparisons through the rest of 2018. Here is What Our Quantitative Model Predicts: Fastenal does not have the right combination of the two key ingredients - a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) or higher - to increase the odds of an earnings beat. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here . You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they're reported with our Earnings ESP Filter . Earnings ESP: Fastenal has an Earnings ESP of -0.65%. Zacks Rank: T he company carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell), which decreases the predictive power of ESP. Stocks to Consider Here are some companies in the Zacks Retail-Wholesale sector, which according to our model have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat in their respective quarters to be reported: Ralph Lauren Corporation RL has an Earnings ESP of +0.78% and a Zacks Rank #3. The company is slated to report quarterly numbers on Feb 5, 2019. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. GPI has an Earnings ESP of +1.32% and sports a Zacks Rank #1. The company is expected to report quarterly numbers on Feb 14, 2019. Advance Auto Parts, Inc. AAP has an Earnings ESP of +2.01% and a Zacks Rank #3. The company is expected to report quarterly results on Feb 20. Looking for Stocks with Skyrocketing Upside? Zacks has just released a Special Report on the booming investment opportunities of legal marijuana. Ignited by new referendums and legislation, this industry is expected to blast from an already robust $6.7 billion to $20.2 billion in 2021. Early investors stand to make a killing, but you have to be ready to act and know just where to look. See the pot trades we're targeting>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2019-01-16,24.6439,24.8471,24.3201,24.3655,"[""Wedgewood Partners Fourth Quarter 2018 Client Letter"", ""Fastenal Q4 2018 Earnings Preview"", ""Fastenal declares $0.43 dividend"", ""Notable earnings before Thursday's open"", ""Fastenal Q4 Earnings Preview"", ""Fastenal Q4 Earnings Preview"", ""Fastenal Q4 2018 Earnings Preview"", ""Notable earnings before Thursday's open"", ""Fastenal declares $0.43 dividend"", ""Wedgewood Partners Fourth Quarter 2018 Client Letter"", ""Fastenal Q4 Earnings Preview"", ""Fastenal Q4 2018 Earnings Preview"", ""Notable earnings before Thursday's open"", ""Fastenal declares $0.43 dividend"", ""Wedgewood Partners Fourth Quarter 2018 Client Letter""]"
FAST,2019-01-17,24.9637,25.931,24.708,25.8164,"[""Fastenal EPS in-line, beats on revenue"", ""Mixed results from Fastenal after dividend hike"", ""Fastenal Company 2018 Q4 - Results - Earnings Call Slides"", ""Netflix Earnings Preview and Results from MS, TSM, FAST, & PPG"", ""Fastenal (FAST) CEO, Dan Florness on Q4 2018 Results - Earnings Call Transcript"", ""Stock Market Rallies On China Tariff News; Netflix Holds Tight Ahead Of Results"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Q4 Earnings In Line, Sales Beat, Stock Dips"", ""Jobless Claims & Q4 Earnings"", ""Jobless Claims Good, Q4 Earnings Mixed"", ""Earnings Scheduled For January 17, 2019"", ""10 Stocks To Watch For January 17, 2019"", ""Fastenal Q4 Adj. EPS $0.60, Inline, Sales $1.232B Beat $1.22B Estimate"", ""Fastenal shares are trading higher after the company beat Q4 sales estimates and announced a $0.43 dividend."", ""Fastenal shares are trading higher after the company beat Q4 sales estimates and announced a $0.43 dividend."", ""Fastenal Q4 Adj. EPS $0.60, Inline, Sales $1.232B Beat $1.22B Estimate"", ""10 Stocks To Watch For January 17, 2019"", ""Earnings Scheduled For January 17, 2019"", ""Stock Market Rallies On China Tariff News; Netflix Holds Tight Ahead Of Results"", ""Fastenal (FAST) CEO, Dan Florness on Q4 2018 Results - Earnings Call Transcript"", ""Netflix Earnings Preview and Results from MS, TSM, FAST, & PPG"", ""Jobless Claims & Q4 Earnings"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Q4 Earnings In Line, Sales Beat, Stock Dips"", ""Jobless Claims Good, Q4 Earnings Mixed"", ""Fastenal Company 2018 Q4 - Results - Earnings Call Slides"", ""Mixed results from Fastenal after dividend hike"", ""Fastenal EPS in-line, beats on revenue"", ""Jobless Claims & Q4 Earnings We're again somewhat light on economic data this morning, with new Housing Starts and Building Permits for December going unreported due to the partial U.S. government shutdown, which tomorrow will reach four full weeks, and already an all-time record. Thankfully, Q4 earnings season and normal Thursday Initial Jobless Claims will help inform the markets, which are starting out pre-market trading in the red. Initial Jobless Claims fell last week by 3000 claims to 213K, from an unrevised 216K the previous week. This is also 20K claims lower than we saw in this read two weeks ago, when claims leaped out of the long-term 200-225K range. The U.S. labor market remains historically robust, with no headwinds showing up in the data - and when they do, they tend to correct back to the mean. Continuing Claims went to 1.737 million last week, up from the originally reported 1.722 million from a week ago. These figures have buoyed up slightly from levels down under 1.7 million for a while there, but are nevertheless consistent with a very healthy domestic work force. January Philly Fed numbers also surprised to the positive this morning, posting a 17.0 headline - more than double the 8.0 reported last month, and well above the 9.5 expected by analysts. This is economic data in relative microcosm: commerce from a top ten U.S. city via its federal agency, which can fluctuate notably month to month. As such, this is a pleasing figure that will hopefully continue as 2019 rolls along. Q4 Earnings Misses and Mixed The most noteworthy firm to have reported earnings results this morning is investment giant Morgan Stanley MS , which underperformed fairly badly in its Q4 report compared to expectations. Earnings of 73 cents per share was not only far beneath the 90 cents in the Zacks consensus, but also pales in comparison -13% year over year. Revenues of $8.54 billion was well under the estimated $9.44 billion, down 10% from a year ago. CEO James Gorman offered some words of encouragement, however, when he said, \""Q4 is not the 'new normal.\"" Gorman pointed out that calendar 2018 was a \""great year that finished on a disappointing note.\"" The takeaway here is that the massive sell-off we saw in the end of last year had hit Morgan Stanley worse than expected. Shares are down nearly 4% in pre-market activity, and -9% over the past three months. Fellow Wall Street banker BB&T BBT beat bottom line estimates by a penny to $1.05 cents per share. Revenues, however, missed slightly - $2.94 billion versus $2.95 billion in the Zacks consensus. Commerce Bancshares CBSH also topped expectations by a penny to 96 cents per share, and up strongly from the 70 cents reported in the year-ago quarter. Revenues of $345.3 million outperformed the Zacks consensus by 2.9%. Manufacturing sector indicator FastenalFAST - a company that makes fasteners for scores of different hard goods - was in-line with its Q4 estimates: 60 cents per share exactly met expectations, while its $1.23 billion in quarterly sales beat the Zacks consensus by 1%. Chemicals and high-performance paint manufacturer PPG PPG topped earnings estimates - $1.15 per share versus $1.09 expected - on $3.65 billion, which represented a slight miss on the top line. These figures are also down a tad from a year ago. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report BB&T Corporation (BBT): Free Stock Analysis Report Commerce Bancshares, Inc. (CBSH): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report PPG Industries, Inc. (PPG): Get Free Report Morgan Stanley (MS): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal (FAST) Q4 Earnings In Line, Sales Beat, Stock Dips Fastenal CompanyFAST reported fourth-quarter 2018 results, wherein earnings met the Zacks Consensus Estimate, while sales beat. Higher market demand, coupled with growth in industrial vending business and existing Onsite locations are encouraging. However, gross margin suffered due to inflationary pressures. Shares of the company slipped 1.9% in the pre-market trading session, following the earnings release. Earnings & Sales Detail Fastenal reported adjusted earnings (adjusting for discrete tax items) of 60 cents per share in the quarter, in line with analysts' expectation. That said, earnings surged 34.9% from 45 cents reported a year ago. Net sales of $1.23 billion surpassed the consensus mark of $1.22 billion. Sales also grew 13.2% year over year on the back of higher underlying market demand, along with growth in industrial vending business and existing Onsite locations. The company's daily sales grew 13.2% in the quarter, lower than 14.8% increase recorded in the prior-year quarter. On a monthly basis, daily sales improved 14.5% in December, 12.3% in November and 12.4% in October compared with 13.8%, 15.4% and 14.7%, respectively, in the prior-year months. Daily sales of Fastener products (mainly used for industrial production and accounting for approximately 34.4% of third-quarter sales) rose 11.3% year over year in the quarter. Non-fastener products' daily sales (mainly used for maintenance and representing 65.6% of the quarterly sales) increased 14.6% year over year. Fastenal Company Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Fastenal Company Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise | Fastenal Company Quote Vending Trends and Other Growth Drivers As of Dec 31, 2018, Fastenal operated 81,137 vending machines, up 13.6% year over year. During the quarter, the company signed 4,980 machine contracts, up 16.7% year over year. Fastenal signed 67 new Onsite locations during the quarter, up 17.5% from 57 signings in the prior-year quarter. As of Dec 31, 2018, the company had 894 active sites, up 47.8% from a year ago. The company signed 32 new national account contracts in the fourth quarter (representing 52.4% of the total revenues in the quarter). Daily sales to national account customers increased 18.1% on a year-over-year basis during the quarter. Higher Costs Hurting Gross Margin Gross margin of 47.7% in the fourth quarter of 2018 contracted 110 basis points (bps) year over year due to changes in product and customer mix, inflation, as well as higher product and freight expenses. However, operating margin expanded 30 bps year over year to 19% in the quarter, owing to an improvement in operating and administrative expenses. 2018 Highlights Earnings came in at $2.62 per share in 2018, reflecting 30.5% growth from the 2017 level. Net sales were $4.96 billion, up 13.1% from 2017. Daily sales grew 13.1% from a year ago. Financials Cash and cash equivalents were $167.2 million as of Dec 31, 2018, up from $116.9 million on Dec 31, 2017. Long-term debt was $497 million, up from $412 million at the end of 2017. Zacks Rank & Other Stocks to Consider Fastenal currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Other top-ranked stocks in the Zacks Retail-Wholesale sector include Lumber Liquidators Holdings, Inc. LL , AutoZone, Inc. AZO and O'Reilly Automotive, Inc. ORLY , each carrying a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here . Lumber Liquidators has a three-five year expected EPS growth rate of 27.5%. AutoZone is expected to witness an earnings growth rate of 17.7% this year. O'Reilly Automotive is expected to record earnings growth of 11.2% in 2019. Today's Stocks from Zacks' Hottest Strategies It's hard to believe, even for us at Zacks. But while the market gained +21.9% in 2017, our top stock-picking screens have returned +115.0%, +109.3%, +104.9%, +98.6% and +67.1%. And this outperformance has not just been a recent phenomenon. Over the years it has been remarkably consistent. From 2000 - 2017, the composite yearly average gain for these strategies has beaten the market more than 19X over. Maybe even more remarkable is the fact that we're willing to share their latest stocks with you without cost or obligation. See Them Free>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report AutoZone, Inc. (AZO): Free Stock Analysis Report O'Reilly Automotive, Inc. (ORLY): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Lumber Liquidators Holdings, Inc (LL): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Earnings Reaction History: Fastenal Co., 54.5% Follow-Through Indicator, 4.6% Sensitive Expected Earnings Release: 01/17/2019, Premarket Avg. Extended-Hours Dollar Volume: $2,781,253 Fastenal Co. ( FAST ) is due to issue its quarterly earnings report in the upcoming extended-hours session. Given its history, traders can expect light trading in the issue immediately following its quarterly earnings announcement. Historical earnings event related premarket and after-hours trading activity in FAST indicates that the price change in the extended hours is likely to be of limited value in forecasting additional price movement by the following regular session close. Last 12 Qtrs Positive Only Price Reactions Percent of time added to extended-hours gains: 50% Average next regular session additional gain: 3.5% Over the prior three fiscal years (12 quarters), when shares of FAST rose in the extended-hours session in reaction to its earnings announcement, history shows that 50.0% of the time (1 event) the stock posted additional gains in the following regular session by an average of 3.5%. Last 12 Qtrs Negative Only Price Reactions Percent of time added to extended-hours losses: 77.8% Average next regular session additional loss: 1.7% Over that same historical period, when shares of FAST dropped in the extended-hours in reaction to its earnings announcement, history shows that 77.8% of the time (7 events) the stock dropped further, adding to the extended-hours losses by an average of 1.7% by the following regular session close. Data provided by the MT Pro service at MTNewswires.com. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. Copyright (C) 2016 MTNewswires.com. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Jobless Claims Good, Q4 Earnings Mixed Thursday, January 17, 2019 We're again somewhat light on economic data this morning, with new Housing Starts and Building Permits for December going unreported due to the partial U.S. government shutdown, which tomorrow will reach four full weeks, and already an all-time record. Thankfully, Q4 earnings season and normal Thursday Initial Jobless Claims will help inform the markets, which are starting out pre-market trading in the red. Initial Jobless Claims fell last week by 3000 claims to 213K, from an unrevised 216K the previous week. This is also 20K claims lower than we saw in this read two weeks ago, when claims leaped out of the long-term 200-225K range. The U.S. labor market remains historically robust, with no headwinds showing up in the data - and when they do, they tend to correct back to the mean. Continuing Claims went to 1.737 million last week, up from the originally reported 1.722 million from a week ago. These figures have buoyed up slightly from levels down under 1.7 million for a while there, but are nevertheless consistent with a very healthy domestic work force. January Philly Fed numbers also surprised to the positive this morning, posting a 17.0 headline - more than double the 8.0 reported last month, and well above the 9.5 expected by analysts. This is economic data in relative microcosm: commerce from a top ten U.S. city via its federal agency, which can fluctuate notably month to month. As such, this is a pleasing figure that will hopefully continue as 2019 rolls along. Q4 Earnings Misses and Mixed The most noteworthy firm to have reported earnings results this morning is investment giant Morgan Stanley MS , which underperformed fairly badly in its Q4 report compared to expectations. Earnings of 73 cents per share was not only far beneath the 90 cents in the Zacks consensus, but also pales in comparison -13% year over year. Revenues of $8.54 billion was well under the estimated $9.44 billion, down 10% from a year ago. CEO James Gorman offered some words of encouragement, however, when he said, \""Q4 is not the 'new normal.\"" Gorman pointed out that calendar 2018 was a \""great year that finished on a disappointing note.\"" The takeaway here is that the massive sell-off we saw in the end of last year had hit Morgan Stanley worse than expected. Shares are down nearly 4% in pre-market activity, and -9% over the past three months. For more on MS' earnings, click here. Fellow Wall Street banker BB&T BBT beat bottom line estimates by a penny to $1.05 cents per share. Revenues, however, missed slightly - $2.94 billion versus $2.95 billion in the Zacks consensus. For more on BBT's earnings, click here. Commerce Bancshares CBSH also topped expectations by a penny to 96 cents per share, and up strongly from the 70 cents reported in the year-ago quarter. Revenues of $345.3 million outperformed the Zacks consensus by 2.9%. For more on CBSGH's earnings, click here. Manufacturing sector indicator Fastenal FAST - a company that makes fasteners for scores of different hard goods - was in-line with its Q4 estimates: 60 cents per share exactly met expectations, while its $1.23 billion in quarterly sales beat the Zacks consensus by 1%. For more on FAST's earnings, click here. Chemicals and high-performance paint manufacturer PPG PPG topped earnings estimates - $1.15 per share versus $1.09 expected - on $3.65 billion, which represented a slight miss on the top line. These figures are also down a tad from a year ago. For more on PPG's earnings, click here. Mark Vickery Senior Editor Questions or comments about this article and/or its author? Click here>> Today's Stocks from Zacks' Hottest Strategies It's hard to believe, even for us at Zacks. But while the market gained +21.9% in 2017, our top stock-picking screens have returned +115.0%, +109.3%, +104.9%, +98.6%, and +67.1%. And this outperformance has not just been a recent phenomenon. Over the years it has been remarkably consistent. From 2000 - 2017, the composite yearly average gain for these strategies has beaten the market more than 19X over. Maybe even more remarkable is the fact that we're willing to share their latest stocks with you without cost or obligation. See Them Free>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report BB&T Corporation (BBT): Free Stock Analysis Report Commerce Bancshares, Inc. (CBSH): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report PPG Industries, Inc. (PPG): Get Free Report Morgan Stanley (MS): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""S&P 500 Movers: WDC, PCG In early trading on Thursday, shares of PG&E Corp ( PCG ) topped the list of the day's best performing components of the S&P 500 index, trading up 13.8%. Year to date, PG&E Corp has lost about 66.3% of its value. And the worst performing S&P 500 component thus far on the day is Western Digital Corp ( WDC ), trading down 7.0%. Western Digital Corp is lower by about 4.8% looking at the year to date performance. Two other components making moves today are Morgan Stanley ( MS ), trading down 5.9%, and Fastenal ( FAST ), trading up 3.9% on the day. VIDEO: S&P 500 Movers: WDC, PCG The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Q4 18 Earnings Conference Call At 10:00 AM ET (RTTNews.com) - Fastenal Co. ( FAST ) will host a conference call at 10:00 AM ET on January 17, 2019, to discuss Q4 18 earnings results. To access the live webcast, log on to http://investor.fastenal.com/events.cfm Read the original article on RTTNews (http://www.rttnews.com/2970110/fastenal-q4-18-earnings-conference-call-at-10-00-am-et.aspx) For comments and feedback: contact editorial@rttnews.com The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Market Close Report: NASDAQ trading volume joins the top ten ranking for the year. NASDAQ Composite Index closes at 7,084.46 Today's session closes with the NASDAQ Composite Index volume reaching the 10th place in the top ten list for this year. The last time the index closed above 0.36 billion shares was on Jan 03 2019. The total shares traded for the NASDAQ was over 2.18 billion. Advancers stocks led declining by 1.66 to 1 ratio. There were 1951 advancers and 1175 decliners for the day. On the NASDAQ Stock Exchange 16 stocks reached a 52 week high and 12 those reaching lows totaled. The most active, advancers, decliners, unusual volume and most active by dollar volume can be monitored intraday on the Most Active Stocks page. The NASDAQ 100 index closed up .75% for the day; a total of 49.89 points. The current value is 6,718.45. Western Digital Corporation ( WDC ) had the largest percent change down (-3.6%) while Fastenal Company ( FAST ) had the largest percent change gain rising 5.95%. The Dow Jones index closed up .67% for the day; a total of 162.94 points. The current value is 24,370.1. Home Depot, Inc. (The) ( HD ) had the largest percent change down (-1.23%) while DowDuPont Inc. ( DWDP ) had the largest percent change gain rising 2.96%. NASDAQ Market Wrap As of 1/17/2019 4:44:02 PM NASDAQ COMPOSITE INDEX 10th VOLUME MILESTONE2.18 billion JOINS 2019TOP TEN 16 STOCKS REACHED A 52 WEEK HIGH 12 THOSE REACHING LOWS TOTALEDFastenal Company [FAST]TOPS ADVANCERS LISTOF NASDAQ 100 INDEX % 5.95 ROSE The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Nasdaq 100 Movers: WDC, FAST In early trading on Thursday, shares of Fastenal ( FAST ) topped the list of the day's best performing components of the Nasdaq 100 index, trading up 4.0%. Year to date, Fastenal registers a 7.7% gain. And the worst performing Nasdaq 100 component thus far on the day is Western Digital Corp ( WDC ), trading down 7.1%. Western Digital Corp is lower by about 4.9% looking at the year to date performance. Two other components making moves today are CSX Corp ( CSX ), trading down 2.6%, and J.B. Hunt Transport Services ( JBHT ), trading up 3.1% on the day. VIDEO: Nasdaq 100 Movers: WDC, FAST The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Daily Dividend Report: FAST, CMS, VNO, MS, SO, KMI Fastenal Company ( FAST ) reported its board of directors declared a dividend of $0.43 per share to be paid in cash on February 27, 2019 to shareholders of record at the close of business on January 31, 2019. CMS Energy today increased the quarterly dividend on the company's common stock to 38.25 cents per share, up from 35.75 cents per share. The first quarter dividend for the common stock is payable Feb. 28, 2019, to shareholders of record on Feb. 1, 2019. Vornado Realty Trust ( VNO ) has declared an increased quarterly dividend of $.66 per share, a 2019 annual dividend rate of $2.64. The dividend will be payable on February 14, 2019 to shareholders of record on January 28, 2019. Morgan Stanley ( MS ) declared a $0.30 quarterly dividend per share, payable on February 15, 2019 to common shareholders of record on January 31, 2019. Southern Company announced a regular quarterly dividend of 60 cents per share on the company's common stock, payable March 6, 2019, to shareholders of record as of February 19, 2019. Kinder Morgan ( KMI ) approved a cash dividend of $0.20 per share for the fourth quarter ($0.80 annualized) payable on February 15, 2019, to common stockholders of record as of the close of business on January 31, 2019. VIDEO: Daily Dividend Report: FAST, CMS, VNO, MS, SO, KMI The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Co (FAST) Q4 2018 Earnings Conference Call Transcript Fastenal Co (NASDAQ: FAST) Q4 2018 Earnings Conference Call Jan. 17, 2019 , 10:00 a.m. ET Contents: Prepared Remarks Questions and Answers Call Participants Prepared Remarks: Operator Good day, ladies and gentlemen and welcome to the Fastenal Company Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2018 Earnings Results Conference Call. At this time all participants are in a listen-only mode. Later we will conduct a Question-and-Answer session and instructions will follow at that time. (Operator Instructions) As a reminder this conference call is being recorded. I would now like to turn the conference over to Ellen Stolts, Investor Relations, you may begin. Ellen Stolts -- Investor Relations Welcome to the Fastenal Company 2018 Annual and Fourth Quarter Earnings Conference Call. This call will be hosted by Dan Florness, our President and Chief Executive Officer, and Holden Lewis, Our Chief Financial Officer. The call will last for up to one hour, and we'll start with a general overview of our quarterly results and operation, with the remainder of the time being open for questions-and-answers. Today's conference call is a proprietary Fastenal presentation and is being recorded by Fastenal. No recording, reproduction, transmission or distribution of today's call is permitted without Fastenal's consent. This call is being audio simulcast on the internet via the Fastenal Investor Relations homepage investor.fastenal.com. A replay of the webcast will be available on the website until March 1, 2019 at midnight Central Time. As a reminder, today's conference call may include statements regarding the company's future plans and prospects. These statements are based on our current expectations and we undertake no duty to update them. It is important to note that the company's actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Factors that could cause actual results to differ from anticipated results are contained in the company's lates t earnings release and periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and we encourage you to review those factors carefully. I would now like to turn the call over to Mr. Dan Florness. Dan Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer Thanks, Ellen and good morning everybody and welcome to the fourth quarter conference call for Fastenal. Before we delve into Holden's flipbook, just want to touch on a few things and -- so if I go back in time to late 2015 or just 2015 in general, we've seen a dramatic slowdown in the economy we sell into. We had a tough year. I was stepping into this role and I member the first comment I made to the team was, Hey folks, we have a ton of great things, we can do for our customer; what we can do for our employees, our suppliers and our shareholders, that's focused on the future, and let's just get going. And in 2016, it was the year of investment. We invested an inventory in our branch network to support our customer. We invested in growth drivers of the business and the infrastructure to support those growth drivers and as all you recall, we had a tough year from the standpoint of nominal growth. But we really grew our expenses and our working capital because we were setting ourselves up to be a better supply chain partner for our customer. In 2017, we armed with the economy that was not kick at us in the face, but was actually giving us a little bit a tailwind, we looked at the team and said, you know, let's grow our sales and earnings this year and when I talked about our earnings, I'm not talking just about Fastenal, I'm talking about our people too, and we did a nice job that year of doing all three. In 2019, we've improved that from the standpoint. I think we found a better balance in growing the aspects of our business. And one thing that was really important to us was an incremental margin that started with a two. And second half of the year, we've been able to deliver that. It was good enough in the second half of the year that it -- we produced it for the year. And that's an important component because it's not just about growth, but it's about profitable growth and creating opportunities for your customer and your employee in the process. In 2019. I think that matters is -- that's find little bit more balance and that's extend to what we're doing already. But that's extended to the cash flow statement and really hit all pieces and reward all constituencies. When speaking of constituencies, we keep it really simple here, there's four. There's customers, there's employees, there's suppliers and there's shareholders. It has to work for all four for our business to be successful, short term and long term and we look at everything with a long term perspective. But we try to have a short term edge to it, have a sense of urgency. From a customer's perspective, the biggest thing that we do every every day is, we thank you for the business. Thank you for trusting and embracing our supply chain partners --partnership. Supply chain is critical to each and every one of our customers and I thought I'd share a few tidbits out of a recent customer letter that came in and it actually -- was an unsolicited letter I received last week. It was a customer where we had taken on, we signed an Onsite earlier in the year. It's been a customer for years from an MRO perspective, but we took on their OEM fasteners. As we've talked on the past, OEM fasteners is a very intimate relationship because we're selling them not just the stuff they need in their facility, we're selling them the components of what they're representing and selling to their customer. We're part of their DNA in the OEM fastener world. And the letter touched on a handful of bullets about the business that first talked about the bidding process. The last sentence in the brief paragraph, Fastenal by far presented the best with the most advantages for present and future growth. Fastenal is a best -- the best option. From a transition of implementation again, that's a scary place for a customer to be because your production line is dependent on hiccups that can occur in transition. And second sentence in this paragraph Fastenal merely brought on for an Onsite a team of professionals with a lead implementation person that manage through each item of inventory with each group function within our company. Stackouts through the process which started in March 2018, we have not seen a single stockout situation within our company. Communication was and is top notch on all matters. Urgency, Fastenal communication and sense of urgency has been exceptional. Engineering support; knowledge support and testing that we get now in all parts, is exceptional. Sourcing; we've been able to keep current manufacturers, as well as looking at other options for cost savings. The value we bring is the high level of service, but it's also an opportunity to challenge status quo and take costs out of supply chain. That's what we do for our customers. It's not just about fulfillment, that's an important component. But it's also about bringing the supply chain knowledge to lower your cost, and improve yours and your customers' value proposition in the marketplace. Service support; Fastenal onsite management has been exceptional and in our letter closes to say, we look at Fastenal as an extension of our company and with the onsite service we have, our folks don't have any doubt on where to go. So, I thought I'd share that letter. It was really fun to receive and I called the individual that sent it, and personally thanked her. But it's really indicative of what our business and our onsite strategy is about, as it relates to engaging with our customer. Secondly employees. So we grew our business 13% in the last 12 months. Our FTE growth is up about 6%. Now it's no secret in the marketplace, there's some inflation going on because it's a tight labor market. There is also when you have advancements in the organization, folks that are stepping into leading a new onsite, maybe you are the second or third person of branch before. Getting added to our implementation team, our National Accounts Sales team or Industrial Services Teams, all the teams within Fastenal are -- our base pay, we saw it increased about 9%. So on a 6% increase in headcount, base pay is up about 9%. Some of that is inflation. Some of that is advancements in positions within the organization because of the opportunity our team and our customers are creating. Incentive compensation; that's commissions at the branch, that's incentive to our leaders, that's incentive to the folks in support areas of our organization. Despite the fact that it grown handsomely in 2017, it grew again in 2018, it's up 20%. Profit sharing; we share the rewards of the business with everybody in the business. From 2017 to 2018, I'm proud to say our profit sharing contribution this year is up about 24%. Despite all that we were able to leverage our employee cost, which meant we were able to leverage our SG&A. Our total employee costs were up about 11%. Another way to think about it, there's a lot of ways to think about productivity and productivity is key to our current and future success, because it's bringing greater value to the customer, but doing it in a more cost efficient manner. Every $1 we spent in payroll in 2017, translated into a $1.02 profit. So we had $881 million of profit last year. We spent $862 million in total payroll, Holden is probably trending (ph) right now that I'm sharing that number because people wanted it again and again and again. Sorry Holden. But I think that's an important component of our business. But despite all the investments we made in people and resources in the last year, the last three years. In 2018, we spent $962 million in total payroll cost. That's everything in there, base pay, incentive, profit sharing, Social Security taxes, Worker's Comp, health insurance, everything added up. We spent $962 million, but it din't then generate a $1.02 -- $1.02 of profit, it generated $4. We generated $999 million, essentially $1 billion in profit in the last 12 months. That's productivity and I'm really excited what that means for our team and I think there's a lot of opportunities to expand that in the future. Our suppliers that are constituent had a really successful years with us. Suppliers have been -- that have been willing to evolve and change to support our vending business in the last 10 years, our onsite business in the last three years, four years; our construction business, our National Account business, our local business, a Fastenal model, have had really successful years. I've met with a lot of more in the last two months and really excited about what 2019 can mean and what they're seeing downstream in their business. Finally shareholders; you know, our shareholders have been rewarded as well. Our stock has been, it's been a little bit in purgatory, feels like for a period, a period of years. We've started to move out of it though and we were seeing that you know some in '17, some in '18. Our sector is no secret to the folks in this call. I've seen a bit of a multiple compression and we've tried to offset some of that by strong dividend and buyback aspects and I'm pleased to say when I look at that press release we just put out or last night on our dividend and our stock buybacks, if I take the dividend we just declared for the first quarter of 2019 and extend it to the year, assuming we pay about the same each quarter, and look at the last 9 years and add the 600 million of buybacks we've done. We've returned almost $4 billion, $3 billion -- $3.85 billion to be exact to our shareholders. In a business that's thrived and grown in that time frame and we've essentially doubled in size in that 10-year time frame from a little over $2 billion to about $5 billion in revenue. In the last five years, we've returned about 65% of that number, about $2.5 billion and on a $15.5 billion market cap, we've returned about 16% of that number over the last five years. We're proud of that number. And we believe we have ability to grow that in the future. We just need to work on a cash flow statement little bit better, to be able to do set even further. Turning to the flipbook and before we started on that, I do want to cite, I mentioned the aspect of employees within Fastenal, a part of our Blue team. There's a few Blue team members I want to cite right now. First is, we have two employees that are going to hit a really big milestone and we believe in service and milestones and every year at our Florida event, we recognize our 25-year employees. We actually have two employees here in 2019 that are going to recognize 40 years of service within Fastenal. The first one is Nick Lundquist. In March -- he joined us in 1979. In March, he will hit 40 years with the company. You know, he must've started when he was about 10 years, or 11 years old. Because he's got the spunky has in him and the dedication he brings to the organization everyday is impressive and he continues to develop people around him, which is a sign of a great leader. The second person is Dana Johnson. In August, Dana will celebrate 40 years with the organization. Dana, might not be is well known to this group. Dana is -- leads our property area and over the years Dana has had a multitude roles within organization and the professionalism and the talent he brings to every role he serves, is impressive. So, I congratulate both of them on the 40-year milestone this year. Speaking of Blue team. Two people that are particularly close to me within Fastenal a lot, recently lost a parent. In December, Reyne Wisecup, lost her father and here several weeks ago, Nick Lundquist lost his mother. Now both of those individuals enjoyed long lives. They are great families. But for Nick and Maria and for Reyne and John, even an important part of our Blue team family and our condolences and prayers are with you. Now let's flip to the book. Fourth Quarter 2018, it came in at $0.59. There's a discrete tax item in there, a little bit of noise in tax items in the last four or five quarters, something about a new tax law signed in the U.S., creates a little bit noise. Absent this, our EPS would have been $0.60 for the quarter. Adjusting for discrete items in both years, EPS grew about 14%. Demand is strong, 13.2% sales growth in the fourth quarter. That's our sixth quarter of at least 13% growth. We continue to execute really well on our growth drivers and I'll touch on that in a few minutes. Operating leverage; remains strong. We have gross margin pressure, some of that self-imposed, because our growth drivers naturally lower our gross margin, but inflation and more recently tariffs are creating some ripples in our business. Despite that, we had incremental margin of 21% in the quarter. Price; prices are trending favorably. When I talk about price and cost in these discussions, price is our sale price to our customer. Cost is the inbound, whether that is the cost of goods cost, freight cost or an OpEx cost, but I'll try to use those terminologies to be more concise and how we describe things. Price tended favorably, but it's still lagging cost inflation a bit here and that is pressurizing our gross margin more than just pure mix and Holden will touch on that in greater detail. As you all know, list three of the tariffs, did impact Fastenal. And -- but most of the impacts on the working capital that are added to inventory late in the year and again Holden will touch on that. One thing that's positive, we have a supply chain relationship with our customers. Tariffs and inflation are not a foreign concept, no pun intended to our customers and those discussions are going well and I'm encouraged about what we saw in the month of December, what we're seeing in January, February, and March, what we expect to see in February and March, as it relates to our ability to pass through those tariffs. We're better yet, find better cost options for our customer, in many cases that involves substitution. Q4 cash generation continues to be impacted by the working capital trends. However, we were still able to return $177 million to our shareholders via repurchase and dividends, while retaining, what I would consider, pretty flexible capital structure. Now let's go to the growth drivers; Page 4, Onsites. The team really is making progress there. When I think about, back in 2014, we had a couple hundred Onsites. We were adding 10-a year, which meant 3% to 5% of our district managers were really engaged in this game. The rest of folks were really engaged in the more traditional side of our business, plus the Vending that we've introduced in the last 10 years. We started to change that in 2015. We went into high gear in '16, '17 and '18. In 2015, that's about 25% of our district managers signed it Onsite. Next year that went to 50%. Last year it was in the low 70s% and we always talked about, that's drive that to 80%. If we drive that to 80%, we are an Onsite company, because we're engaged in that throughout the business, not in a subset of our business. In 2018, 79% of our district managers signed an Onsite. We will pierce that number of 80% in 2019 and I'm really excited about what that means for our ability to keep growing and manage the business. However, when you go from 200 Onsites to 900 Onsites in a few short years, you do deleverage that business quite dramatically and -- so our average Onsite back in 2014 did $150,000 a month. Today our average Onsite does $120,000 a month. And it isn't because we are lowering at the bar on opportunity. It's because we have a whole bunch of really young Onsites and that's deleveraging the business. But on the flip side of that coin, our branch network has been leveraging like crazy. And that's what allowed us to maintain an incremental margin in the last two years of a little 20%. But on Onsites, we signed 336 for the year. Not quite our goal, our goal is pretty aggressive, but well above the 270 of last year. We have 48% more active sites today than we did just a year ago. And our goal for next year is 375 to 400. Vending. We have really breathed new life in the Vending. The team has done a wonderful job in the last few years. We met our goal for the year. We signed 22,073. We signed over 90-a day in the third quarter. Incredible milestone in my mind. And our installed base ended the year at just over 81,000 about a 14% increase from last year. Product sales, through those devices, is up more than 20%. For next year, our goal is 23,000 to 25,000. I told a team there's 254 days next year. If we hit 100-a day, that's 25,400. It's a really nice number. But our goal -- our stated goal is 23,000 to 25,000. One thing that isn't mentioned in this list of bullets, is construction. You know, when we are making these investments back in '16, '17 and '18, a big one was inventory in our branch network. We had languished in the construction market for a better part of a decade with growth between 3% and 4%, very on Fastenal like. We were focused on other things and we lost our sight on construction. Between -- put the inventory on our branch, opening the door to our customer and that we had a great local plan and in the process beginning the development of a good national and international plan. Our construction business is now not growing 3% or 4%, it's growing 15% as we exit the year. The construction market itself has grown about 5%, the end market. We're tripling that. That's market share gains and it's about a great team going after that market being prepared. We ended the year with just over 3,100 locations versus 2,988 a year ago, despite the fact we closed 157 branches. So that leveraging we're getting in our system, is coming from people leveraged and occupancy leveraged. And we're converting those closed locations into ever more customer serving locations by moving Onsite, by moving in and lowering our cost structure and improving our value proposition to our customer. National Accounts; they had an outstanding year, 18% growth in the fourth quarter, large customer growth was also 18% for the entire year. Our non-U.S. daily sales, it's about 14%, sales grew at mid-to-high teens rate and slightly below in the latter part of the year, Europe and Asia have slowed a little bit and currency has given us some headwind. With that I'll turn it over to Holden. Holden Lewis -- Chief Financial Officer Great. Thank you, Dan. Good morning. I'm going to begin with a quick recap of our 2018 results before moving on to the quarter. In 2018, Fastenal generated a record $4.97 billion in sales, which is up 13.1% from 2017. We generated at least 13% growth in each quarter of the year, reflecting what had been stable and sustained macro tailwinds, as well as effective execution of our growth drivers. To touch on those growth drivers, for Onsites, we signed 336 new agreements in 2018, that was shy of our 360 to 385 goal. But it's well above last year's 270 signings. If I exclude the branch transfer revenues, sales through Onsites grew more than 20% for the full year. We're targeting 375 to 400 signings in 2019. For Vending, we finished 2018 with more than 81,000 installed product dispensing machines, which is up 13.6% over 2017. Our 2018 signings of 22,073 machines, were up 14% and around the midpoint of our 21,000 to 23,000 signing goal for the year. Sales through our machines rose more than 20% in 2018 and we're targeting 23,000 and 25,000 signings in 2019. Lastly National Accounts pace the overall business with sales growth through our largest customers in 2018 accelerating to up 18.1%. We were active with new signings, but this acceleration also reflects success in expanding our sales to existing customers. Though today, they represent a relatively small part of our business, we also continue to see healthy growth in our non-North American revenues as well as sales through our e-commerce channel. Our operating margin was flat year-to-year at 20.1% in 2018. This stability does mask improved leverage as the years progressed, with our operating margin expanding by about 30 basis points in the second half of 2018. Our gross margin finished 2018 at 48.3%, down 100 basis points largely from product and customer mix, freight costs, negative price costs and growth allowances. Our ability to narrow our gross margin declines going forward will rest heavily on our ability to close the gap between rising prices and rising costs. We generated an offsetting 100 basis points of SG&A leverage, 30 to 40 basis of this was from employee related expenses, as we cleared our incentive reset in the second quarter of 2018 and grew headcount more slowly than sales. 30 to 40 basis points with some leveraging occupancy as the closure of 157 branches in 2018 mitigated growth in our base of vending machines. Finally, we leveraged our remaining operating costs by 30 to 40 basis points. Given continued growth in our business, there remains further room to leverage our operating expenses given continued healthy growth, our overall goal for operating margins entering 2019 is unchanged. That's even incremental margin between 20% and 25% and deliver some margin expansion. Below the operating line, interest expense is up 39% on higher average debt balances largely from share repurchase activity. Our tax rate fell to 23.8% in 2018 from 33.7% in 2017, excluding discrete items from both periods, our tax rate fell to 24.5% in 2018 from 36.5% in 2017, reflecting the Tax Act which had the effect of lowering our tax rate beginning in the first quarter. It all blended to a full year 2018 EPS figure of $2.62 versus $2.01 in 2017. If I exclude the discrete tax items however, our EPS would have been $2.59, a 35% increase from a $1.92 in 2017. If I further adjust for the differing tax rates that apply between 2017 and '18 as a result of U.S. tax reform, our EPS grew 13.4%. Moving to Slide 5, in our review of the fourth quarter, as Dan covered sales were up 13.2% in the fourth quarter of 2018, which included daily sales growth of 14.5% in December. We have now grown our organic daily sales at a 10% plus rate for 19 consecutive months. We continue to see good contribution from our growth drivers. We also saw continued favorable macro trends, as illustrated by fourth quarter '18 Purchasing Managers Index and industrial production readings. Still sentiment was a bit choppier in the period with rising cautiousness in November, seeming to dissipate a bit in December. Our business does not provide much visibility to future trends and so we cannot speculate as to whether this choppy at all will persist. However, it did not affect performance in the fourth quarter, as you can see by the growth of our end markets, our products and our channels provided in Slide 5. As it relates to pricing, during the quarter, we put in place focused resources to evaluate and execute our pricing strategies. This is appropriate in light of the prevalence of inflation and tariffs as well as the growth of our National Accounts business, all of which makes the pricing environment more complex than we have seen it in many years. In addition to this group strategic objectives, it has also taken a fresh look at how we measure pricing costs with two observations resulting first. As we reported before, we have achieved improved price realization throughout 2018 with a notable step up in the third quarter as is necessary because our costs have also risen throughout 2018. Second the impact of price on our results is slightly below what we had previously modeled. As a result, we've realized between 110 and 140 basis points of price in the fourth quarter 2018, which is improved on the 85 to 150 basis points of price that we realized in the third quarter '18. As it relates to tariffs, there was minimal impact on the P&L in the fourth quarter of '18, but that will grow in the first quarter and full year of 2019. The impact on the balance sheet is also modest at this point with one exception, while we did not buy any excess inventory in anticipation of higher tariffs, we did accelerate the shipping of plan spend to arrive before the potential 25% tariffs kicked in, which was originally expected on January 1st. This pulled roughly $12 million in inventory that would have otherwise gone into the first quarter of 2019, into the fourth quarter of 2018. Now to Slide 6. Our gross margin was 47.7% in the fourth quarter of 2018, down 110 basis points versus the fourth quarter of 2017. This decline was slightly more than we expected. Relative to prior periods, we did see the negative effects of freight and net rebates moderate in the fourth quarter, primarily as a result of easier comparisons. However, product margin was below where we thought it would be. The negative impacts of price cost widened as product cost increases outpaced our price increases. The negative impact of customer product mix similarly widened as an increasing proportion of our gross derived from our growth drivers. Our operating margin was 19% in the fourth quarter of 2018, up 30 basis points year-over-year. Continued healthy growth drove us 130 basis points of cost leverage and generated an incremental margin of 21%. Looking at the pieces, we achieved 60 basis points of leverage over employee related costs, which were up 10%. Growth in headcount was below growth in sales and growth in incentive compensation though healthy moderated versus last year. Occupancy related costs were up 7.2% generating 25 basis points of leverage. Total occupancy cost grew very slightly with higher expenses at non-branch facilities more than offsetting a decline in branch facilities. As a result, most of the growth in costs related to higher vending expenses to support the growth in our installed base. We realized an additional 55 basis points of leverage of other and operating administrative expenses. Putting it all together, reported fourth quarter EPS were $0.59 versus $0.53 in fourth quarter 2017. However, the current year does include $3.2 million discrete tax charge while the prior year period includes a $24.4 million discrete tax benefit. Both related to the effects of the Tax Act. Excluding these discrete items, fourth quarter '18 EPS would have been $0.60 or up 34.2% from the fourth quarter of 2017, boosted by a lower tax rate as a result of the Tax Act. Absent tax reform, EPS growth would have been 13.9%. Turning to Slide 7. We generated $178 million of operating cash in the fourth quarter of 2018 or 106% of net income. This is slightly below the conversion we typically see in fourth quarters, again relating to working capital. I'll cover that in a moment. Net capital spending in the fourth quarter 2018 were $78 million, bringing our year-to-date outlays to $167 million, an increase of 48.3% over 2017. We expected an uptick in spending in the fourth quarter just based on project timing related to hub investments. But we also had an opportunity to purchase property in North Carolina for future hub expansion that was unanticipated and added nearly $20 million to this total. Our current growth and growth drivers require additional investments in 2019 and we expect net capital spending to be in a range of $195 million to $225 million, largely for investments in the hub, property and equipment, vending devices to support our rising success in this initiative and vehicles. We paid $114 million in dividends in the quarter and $442 million for the year. We also repurchased $63 million stock in the quarter and $103 million for the year, the second most active year in our history. We finished the quarter with debt at 17.8% of total capital, a little above last year's 16.5%, but still at levels that provide ample liquidity to take advantage of opportunities to invest in our business. The working capital picture remains challenging. Inventories were up 17% in the fourth quarter and days on hand ticked up slightly for the first time in 2018. Some of the growth related to supporting demand in our growth drivers and some was related to the accelerated shipments mentioned above. However, the third major element was simply the growing impact of inflation. Receivables grew 17.5% in the fourth quarter and is up more than three days. Sustained strong growth in National Accounts and international businesses matter. But the biggest factor remains customers pushing payments past quarter end, which intensified further in the fourth quarter of 2018. Receivables quality remains good with no deterioration in past due balances. That's all for our formal presentation. So with that, operator, we'll take questions. Questions and Answers: Operator Thank you. (Operator Instructions) Our first question comes from Chris Dankert of Longbow Research. Your line is now open. Chris Dankert -- Longbow Research -- Analyst Morning guys. Thanks for taking my question. I guess first off and I don't know, if it was limited, but we're going into the New Year here, obviously price cost was a headwind, last year we're kind of comping on that. Given that you're going to be pushing some more pricing in a more focused way, given that volumes are going to be up, is it fair to assume that gross margin in the first quarter should be up a little bit sequentially or are we still kind of fighting sideways here? Holden Lewis -- Chief Financial Officer Well I think if you look sort of sequentially at how things usually play out with gross margin. Historically, we've seen an uptick in Q1 over Q4, but over the last three years, really that the Q4 to Q1 cadence has been more flattish. And I think a lot of that has to do with, is sort of the inherent volatility in gross margin in Q4. So it can be difficult to predict. We're moving into a quarter where we're going to see how the tariff price cost dynamic plays out. We still have inflation price cost dynamic playing out. I think if what you're asking about is what we should think about in terms of sequential gross margin, I would think about Q1 looking somewhat similar to where Q4 comes in. Chris Dankert -- Longbow Research -- Analyst Got it, guys. Thanks. That's helpful. And just the quick follow up, thinking about the full year price cost, with the team in place, should we -- is it fair to expect that by 2Q we're starting to claw back some of that price cost versus more of a like back half type of dynamic? Holden Lewis -- Chief Financial Officer Well, the -- what all I emphasize is, we have improved our price realization each quarter this year and setting aside the question of tariffs, just looking at generalized inflation, I would expect that, that's going to continue as we enter 2019. So given that the question really comes down to what do we expect out of costs as we go into 2019. I'll tell you that as much as we've realized the incremental pricing, we've also realized incremental cost each quarter of this year as well. So we still see pressure there quite frankly. But that said, we are making a lot of progress in terms of our ability to realize price. We talked a little bit about the pricing tools that went in midyear 2018. We talked a little bit here about how we've sort of rejiggered the group a little bit to give us a bit more focus information et cetera. And I think that's going to continue to provide us some additional incremental benefits. So our expectation in 2019, is that we're going to continue to narrow and frankly get rid of the gap that exists today between price and cost. Chris Dankert -- Longbow Research -- Analyst Got it. Got it. That's so helpful. Congrats on '18 and look at moving on to New Year. Dan Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer Thanks Chris. Just one item, I'll add to Holden's commentary. When I think of the dynamic that's going on right now, whether it's inflation or tariff in general. I think this is a huge opportunity for the Fastenal's supply chain capabilities where we can flex our skill set. And I mean that from the standpoint, we're not a fulfillment company. We don't just supply you what you ordered. We also challenge in the process of saying, you know, the item you are ordering, we don't know that, we don't -- based on what we know about your business, we would question if that's optimal for your business. Sometimes it's substituting the product from the standpoint of the durability of that product, does it fit, either is it adequate or too adequate, to the demand of the use. But also, we have great partner brands, we've great exclusive brands. And sometimes it's coming to your customer and saying you've used this same brand for years. We have this brand that we actively support and we have a better price points on, better cost point which translates into a better price point. And we can offset inflation and/or tariffs by actively substituting and that comes from an active engagement with knowing how the customer is using it, and where their pain points are, where they're willing to be flexible and where they can't be flexible. And I think that's an important component of Fastenal's supply chain. Chris Dankert -- Longbow Research -- Analyst Thank you, Dan. Operator Thank you, and our next question comes from David Manthey of Baird. Your line is now open. David Manthey -- Baird -- Analyst Good morning guys. Happy New Year. First of all I'm hoping I could get a little bit of color on these large customer pricing conversations. Are you through all of them? When do the changes start taking effect? And I assume you've outlined agreements for the 10% and 25% tariff environments, but have you also reached contractual agreements as it relates to when the tariffs are eventually rolled back? Dan Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer You know, the agreements we have, allow for windows for discussions. We've talked about this in the past of when pricing can change. There is legally you can do things, you know, beyond that, you know, from the standpoint of there's always force majeure elements of contracts. We're not a fan of that on up or down because we don't think that's part of a supply chain partnership. So we're having active discussions with the customers, the discussions are going quite well, are some more successful than others. Yeah, a lot of times it depends on where we find success in the things I just mentioned, the ability to substitute, the alternative sources of supply, the level of service trade-offs, have we grown our business with et cetera. And -- but we've been largely successful. We were seeing some price increases that are going into place as we speak and we'll be going in place over the upcoming months. In regard to the specifics of what happens when it goes from 10 to 25 or what happens when it unwinds, you can talk through scenarios, but there's no agreement that that contemplates the -- I don't know if I want to use the word craziness or the noise or all the stuff that's going on in the marketplace. And so, it's going to be a fluid environment on all regards, though the one thing we did put through some price increases that took effect in the middle of -- mid-December and in those, we just -- we're really having the discussion with our customer of saying, you know what, the tariffs started on September 24th. Here's the latency we're putting in. These tariffs unwind. Here's how we'll unwind the tariffs in those discussions and really having the same kind of latency and the idea was trying to match-up best you can, where it's impacting your P&L, where it's impacting your business and having a fair trade off on the in and out, because there are going to be distinct lines in the span, but it's not a foregone conclusion that the 10 or 25, what's going to happen when or if some or all of it remains there essentially and perpetually. Holden Lewis -- Chief Financial Officer What I'll add to that, David, is yes, I do believe that the vast majority of conversations have been had in fact when I asked why our signings of Onsites were perhaps a little bit lower in Q4 than we've seen the rest of the year. One of the answers I got was because of all the time and attention that we diverted to having those conversations. So those groups both locally and National Accounts have worked really hard to have those conversations in a compressed period of time and they came into those conversations with a great plan and every bit is important with great data, which allowed us to define the issue fairly precisely and it's a known issue. And I think those are the elements that have given -- that make us be very encouraged about how those conversations have gone down. We do believe that those conversations have been generally successful. The costs related to the 10% tariff will begin to roll into the P&L in the first quarter. But frankly, I think that most of the agreements that we've reached with many of our customers will also begin to roll into January and February window as well. So what that means in terms of the incremental price cost in sort of the January/February time-frame, time will tell, but that's just a timing issue. AS I said, we're encouraged by how those conversations went and we're sort of expecting that we're going to largely be able to neutralize the tariff impact. David Manthey -- Baird -- Analyst That's great color. Thanks guys. Operator Thank you. And our next question comes from Ryan Merkel of William Blair. Your line is now open. Ryan Merkel -- William Blair -- Analyst Hey, couple of questions from me. So first, I'm getting a lot of questions about tariffs and FIFO accounting. So how should we think about gross margins sort of first half '19 to second half '19, as it relates to FIFO? Holden Lewis -- Chief Financial Officer Well that's why we began to build some cost in the inventory in the fourth quarter based on when the containers begin to sort of hit the shores at the end of September. And we expect that we will begin to see that inventory that is currently sitting there, roll into cost of goods as we get into the first quarter. So that was all expected, Ryan. We knew that there would be some impact on the inventory side of the ledger. But that -- it'll take some time for that to roll through. But the nature of the tariffs as opposed to our usual purchasing was going to compress that window. That's why we spent so much time talking to investors in a very tight window because we knew how that was going to roll out in Q1. So I think the effects you're alluding to are certainly playing out, but our original goal was to have pricing conversations ready to roll out as we began to see the costs shift off the balance sheet and into the income statement. And we think that we have largely achieved that goal. And so going forward, we're going to continue to see that -- the containers move through the inventory and into the COGS at, that's sort of a comparable rate and then we should begin to see the pricing in Q1 and then Q2 related to that specifically and that's how we tend to view it. So, I'm not sure that I see a huge difference between the first half and the second half, as it relates to the tariffs. Dan Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer The only thing, I'll add to Holden's commentary and this is putting my old hat on for a second, is when I think of our business just holistically and I think about it over the years we've had roughly 160 days of inventory plus or minus a handful and I'm not going to get into exacts, but just holistically. About 100 of those days, we're physically at the branch. And about 60 of those days were physically at the distribution center. Now in the case of a lot of our products, and I'm setting vending aside and I'm setting OEM fasteners aside, in the case of a lot of our products that kind of mirrors where the replenishment cycles coming in and really what put us in the position of having these discussions and having a little bit of a window to react to. But that product that was in the branches is, now we're three months away from a little over three months away from the start of tariffs, where -- that product that's going into the branches is starting to get replaced with stuff that was coming in and so you'll see bits and pieces of it coming in January, and February and March that will be billing as opposed to the quarter. The full team will really hit in Q2. Holden Lewis -- Chief Financial Officer And then I think maybe another way to think about it is, traditionally when we buy a product from overseas, it might take you know, six months or two quarters or whatever to move into our -- to sort of move into our system that's -- but the tariffs were not applied at the point that you purchased the product. The tariffs were applied at the point that it hit the shores. So when the tariffs went into place on September 24, I think it was any container that hit on September 25th, we might have bought the product three months earlier, but that tariff hit right then. And so that's why when you talk about the timing, the timing as it relates to tariffs and how we saw our system is compressed compared to our normal purchasing sort of our normal purchasing period, that make sense? David Manthey -- Baird -- Analyst Yes. Okay. That's helpful guys. And then secondly Holden, I think you mentioned the goal for incremental margins in 2019, was that 20%, 25% range. So. Just two questions on that. First, what level of sales growth you need to achieve that. And then secondly, it sounds like you're assuming that you can neutralize tariffs and product cost inflation with price? Holden Lewis -- Chief Financial Officer Well, the -- currently we're assuming that we continue to grow double digits now. However the cycle plays out, we'll have a lot to say about that. But we believe that the momentum that we have, in our growth drivers, is going to continue. We think that will continue in the current environment to improve the price profile. And so the real question is what does the cycle do. But at least through Q4, demand is still fairly healthy, so we're assuming we're going to grow double digits in order to achieve that. Dan Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer The one thing I'll add to that Ryan is, if you look at it in the last couple of years, so Terry Owen had -- we had our Board meeting yesterday and Terry Owen came in and talked to the Board about Terry overseas a big chunk of our behind the scenes business, so all of our National Accounts team, our solutions people which is Onsite, which is vending, government, our marketing folks, our finance that support National Accounts. All those things rolled into one. Those are the bedrock of our growth drivers. We've added 30% more people into his team or teams over the last three years. And so when you look at that non-branch, the sales headcount that's non-branch, that's the part I'm talking about. And we plan to keep adding aggressively into that area because that customer letter I talked about, that's reflective of what that group does, as well as our local team and the District Manager of bringing that type of execution to our customer. And so in double digit environment, we're going to keep growing that group aggressively to support what we're doing. Obviously if we weren't in a double digit environment, I'd have to go to Terry, let's go to a bunch of folks in the organization and say, hey folks, tighten the belt, because we don't have the luxury to add that. But before I stepped into this role, one thing one thing I learned from this -- from this population quite acutely is, great incremental margin if you're not growing doesn't matter. Now it's changed a little bit. Great growth where you don't have great incremental margin, doesn't matter either. And I agree with both statements and -- but we want to be very mindful of growing the infrastructure to be great at Onsite, because this is just like vending, it's incredibly disruptive to the space and we are designed to be the best at this. And so let's go after it with a vengeance. Holden Lewis -- Chief Financial Officer Just to finish off the last part of that. So yes, with regards to tariffs, we do expect that the success of how do we allow us to neutralize that, that's a different conversation from price cost. Price cost, I think was about a 30 basis point drag to our business for the year. Our intention is to eliminate that drag and what we'll see how that plays out over the course of the year. But our expectation is to eliminate that drag. Dan Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer We think we have a good plan to do it. Holden Lewis -- Chief Financial Officer Yep. David Manthey -- Baird -- Analyst Helpful, thank you. Holden Lewis -- Chief Financial Officer Now that would be part of achieving that incremental margins. Operator Thank you, and our next question comes from Scott Graham of BMO Capital Markets. Your lines is now open. Scott Graham -- BMO Capital Markets -- Analyst Hey, good morning, Dan, Holden, Ellen. Dan Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer Good morning. Scott Graham -- BMO Capital Markets -- Analyst So, I want to go back to what your -- just now comment was holding on price cost and kind of looping your earlier comment that the key to gross margin in 2019 will be to sort of get to this. You know, call it price cost neutrality. Price cost broadly defined as being your entire P&L as opposed to just materials, I assume. I guess as we look at your -- the trends of your sales, recognizing that on a longer term basis the Onsite stuff does start to even out a little bit, but the mix is still kind of running negative. So you have in the past said, you have to look to backfill something like 20 to 30 basis points to just keep your gross margin flat due to mix. I guess is that number still applicable and maybe connect the dots here for me that, why is that not as important as managing price cost to get to your gross margin to improve this (inaudible) gross margin? Holden Lewis -- Chief Financial Officer Yes sure. So I don't want to give the impression that mix is not important as something that we need to mitigate right. Because we do need to find ways to improve our profitability and to the extent that whatever the mix number is, we should be able to reduce it just to other activities, but let's not lose sight of the fact that the mix is going down or the mix is a drag on gross margin because we're getting tremendous growth in our growth drivers. And so, I don't think I've ever asserted to you that our gross margin was unlikely to decline provided we are successful with our growth drivers. But it is still incumbent upon us as an organization do, everything we can to maximize our gross margin and mitigate the impacts of that. But you shouldn't have any expectation that our gross margins are going to be flat to going up as long as we are successful with these growth drivers. Look, Onsites have a gross margin in the neighborhood of 35% give or take. It's just math, right? I mean if we're going to grow that business 40% take out the transferred sales, it's 20%. The math is going to tell you, it's going to be difficult for us to expand our gross margin environment, but it's a real big reason why we're outgrowing everybody else in the space. So, we're not as hung up with the idea of offsetting mix fully as perhaps your question suggests that we should. So -- but that said, price cost, that is something where that is not -- that should be in our control. We know what our costs are rising. We know what we need to offset, the markets that allow it and we should be able to go to our customers and say look we're not trying to take advantage here, but this is what the marketplace is doing, this is what we need to be doing. That's something that's about our discipline as an organization. That's a very different conversation than one about mix. Scott Graham -- BMO Capital Markets -- Analyst Understood. Thank you. I was under the impression that if you were able to backfill the 20 to 30 that the gross margin would be flat for the year, but it sounded me like you are not saying... Holden Lewis -- Chief Financial Officer Yeah I know. So, -- yeah I mean if we -- whatever the number is, if we could backfill, it obviously would be -- it would be flat and we always try to backfill, but you know the fact is, it's difficult to find those in any given period. So no, I think we've been fairly open that if we're going to be this successful with our Vending and our non fasteners and our Onsites, in all likelihood over a period of time, our gross margin will go down. That doesn't mean by the way that our operating margin needs to go down. We get tremendous leverage from the growth that we're seeing and we saw that this year as well. I think the dynamic you saw this year is very comparable to the dynamic we expect to continue to see. Now I'll tell you, mix expanded beyond that 20, 30 in 2018 and it did so because if you think about it, National Accounts in 2017 grew 14.5%. It grew 18% in '18. Onsites grew 35% including transferred revenues. In 2017, they grew 42% in '18. Non-fastener accelerated, with those accelerations, we did see an expansion in the impact from customer -- from customer mix, but again we can't lose sight of the fact that you know growth in National Accounts growing at 14.5 to 18 -- 14.5% to 18%, also drives more dollars to the revenue line that we then have leveraged at the operating -- at the operating expense line. That's how our model works at this point. Scott Graham -- BMO Capital Markets -- Analyst Yes understood. Thank you. my -- just a quick follow up would be, you know in the past you've talked about sort of in-product line and in-channel mix, so products fasteners versus non fasteners, markets manufacturing versus non-residential. Could you -- did you see anything in the mix in any of these four groups that went with you or went against you? Dan Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer You mean within the group itself as opposed to the changing mix of the individual groups. Scott Graham -- BMO Capital Markets -- Analyst That's correct. Holden Lewis -- Chief Financial Officer Yeah, I mean where products are concerned, our non fasteners grew faster than our fasteners this year. Dan Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer I think he's talking about within the individual components, the dynamic of March. Scott Graham -- BMO Capital Markets -- Analyst Yes. Holden Lewis -- Chief Financial Officer Oh, so OK, I got it. Yeah I mean the element of the -- the element of price cost was a drag in a lot of these areas. Right, I mean I think I indicated price cost is about a 30 basis point drag to margin for the full year. And you know, I think that affected the margin in most of the channels and products that we were in. Now it affected fasteners more than non fasteners without a doubt. It was probably more significant in the local business than it was on the Onsites and the National Accounts et cetera. So, there were some differential, but price cost was a challenge across the business. Scott Graham -- BMO Capital Markets -- Analyst It's fine, thank you. Holden Lewis -- Chief Financial Officer Thank you. Operator Thank you. And our next question comes from Adam Uhlman of Cleveland Research, line is now open. Adam Uhlman -- Cleveland Research -- Analyst Hey good morning everybody. Happy New Year. I was wondering Holden (multiple speakers), if you go back to the cash flow outlook for this year. How should I be thinking about working capital kind of in your plan right now for 2019 -- as we'll get rid of some of the one time pull forward impacts that you outlined on inventory, but just directionally, which we see there in cash days improve and then could you just talk about like your downturn scenario planning if you've done any, what if the business kind of ground to a halt, that's a lot different than several years ago, the last downturn. How would you expect working capital to perform with the change in the mix of the business? Holden Lewis -- Chief Financial Officer Sure. So frankly, my rule of thumb model for our balance sheet would be a slight increase in days on the AR simply because of the growth in National Accounts and growth in international businesses. But a meaningful multi-day decrease in days of inventory.That's how we would like to build it out. Now the reality is right now, there are some challenges that by the back half of 2018, it was very difficult for us to achieve those. We have to take steps in 2019 to get back on the track that I just laid out. We're not there right now, but we have plans to begin to try to address that. Normally, what I would tell you is for the full year, we should convert more than 100% of our net income into operating cash flow. And this year, the biggest reason why we did not, was because of working capital and the expectation is that as we go into 2019, we should be able to deliver that. The challenges obviously are related to the inflation and tariffs and things like that, what impact that might have on inventory. So, that's sort of the rule of thumb that I look at when I think about the balance sheet. We have to show that we can deliver that again in 2019 because 2018 was a struggle and the variables that caused it to be a struggle in 2018 have not gone away. As it relates to a downturn scenario, traditionally if it's a short, relatively normal downturn, we need less working capital in that environment and our cash flow is usually pretty stable and steady. Dan Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer I'll just throw in a couple of thoughts just after being in for 20 plus years, I am the old guy, so I can give a little perspective. The interesting thing about a distribution business, it's a working capital business. We have a little more fixed capital business now because of things like vending and automation and warehouse and the fact we have our own trucking network. But it's really a working capital business and when we put up good growth, the number Holden just cited that 100%. That becomes more challenging and historically I would expect our number if we're putting up good growth to pull down into the mid 90s as a percentage o f earnings , because your AR and your inventory have grown faster because you're supporting an ever growing business and that's considered a good problem. The dynamics have changed a little bit on that math because our tax rates are lower now. So we produced a higher, the hundred, -- the hundreds of earnings isn't a hundred of earnings anymore. It's a little bit higher and so you can, it raises that relationship. If I look at when growth really stalls, I mean the best year we've had for operating cash to earnings as a percentage, the best year and that I've ever seen was 2009. I hope that never repeats itself. We drew up more cash than you can imagine because the business slowed down and our -- if you don't have more sales, you don't have more receivables. If you don't have sales growing in the future, you don't need to be beefing up your inventory. The only dynamic that can mark that up is if it slows down quickly because we can't shut off the inbound inventory fast. But the receivables will drop off, as the sales drop off. With that I see we're on -- at 959. I just want to close the call with a few final thoughts. First off thank you for participating on our call today. Thanks for your interest in Fastenal and for being a shareholder in Fastenal. One thing for us to think about is we're moving from a $5 billion to a $10 billion company and you start thinking about gross profit operating expenses and operating margin, the message internally is quite clear for our employees. As our business evolves, if I looked out to that $10 billion company and I was just putting a guess of where I think the numbers are. I think gross margin, if the mix ends up where I think it's going to be, I think the gross margin is around 46. And I think there's some things we have to do to get better at, be at 46, is there upside to that? Sure. But in planning for that 46, I would also tell our team we need a plan on operating expenses being in the lower half of 20s, 24 is the number I always think of. And that allows us to be in a position where we could throw off operating margins at 22. I think that is very realistic. If I look at regions where we have a lot of Onsites in a mature business, the Midwestern U.S. as an example, we're above those numbers. This is a conservative view of the future. But I look at it and say if I look at Page 9 of Holden's flip book, the question a shareholder needs to ask himself is, Fastenal is investing to grow rapidly. We've added 30% to our key account teams in the last three years. Technology, we decided three years ago to spend 50 basis points more every year to become a leader in technology industry, not a follower of technology in our industry. We saw the great partnerships over the years, our vending partnership over the last 10. Our mobility partnership, we put in place next year, we think we're a different organization now. Fastenal Express, as I touched on in the last call, is not a train, it's a rocket. It's growing nicely in our business. It's not about the revenue growth it can produce, which I think it can. It's about the efficiency it can bring to our team. But looking at all those things and are you still being a shareholder in Fastenal, looking at the return on invested capital that we throw off, that whole in details out on Page 9. I think we're a great proposition to own. And I would challenge our shareholders to step up and buy some more, just like I challenge our employees to be willing to learn and change and we challenge our customers to be open minded about their supply chain. That's how we all get better. Thanks and have a good week everybody. Operator Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your participation in today's conference. This concludes today's program, you may all disconnect. Everyone have a great day. Duration: 61 minutes Call participants: Ellen Stolts -- Investor Relations Dan Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer Holden Lewis -- Chief Financial Officer Chris Dankert -- Longbow Research -- Analyst David Manthey -- Baird -- Analyst Ryan Merkel -- William Blair -- Analyst Scott Graham -- BMO Capital Markets -- Analyst Adam Uhlman -- Cleveland Research -- Analyst More FAST analysis Transcript powered by AlphaStreet This article is a transcript of this conference call produced for The Motley Fool. While we strive for our Foolish Best, there may be errors, omissions, or inaccuracies in this transcript. As with all our articles, The Motley Fool does not assume any responsibility for your use of this content, and we strongly encourage you to do your own research, including listening to the call yourself and reading the company's SEC filings. Please see ourTerms and Conditionsfor additional details, including our Obligatory Capitalized Disclaimers of Liability. 10 stocks we like better than Fastenal When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor , has quadrupled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Fastenal wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. Click here to learn about these picks! *Stock Advisor returns as of November 14, 2018 Motley Fool Transcribers has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy . The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Named Top Dividend Stock With Insider Buying and 3.18% Yield (FAST) In this series, we look through the most recent Dividend Channel''DividendRank'' report, and then we cherry pick only those companies that have experienced insider buying within the past six months. The officers and directors of a company tend to have a unique insider's view of the business, and presumably the only reason an insider would choose to take their hard-earned cash and use it to buy stock in the open market, is that they expect to make money - maybe they find the stock very undervalued, or maybe they see exciting progress within the company, or maybe both. So when stocks turn up that see insider buying, and are also top ranked, investors are wise to take notice. One such company is Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST), which saw buying by Executive Vice-President William Joseph Drazkowski. Back on October 23, Drazkowski invested $41,948.20 into 830 shares of FAST, for a cost per share of $50.54. In trading on Thursday, shares were changing hands as low as $54.88 per share, which is 8.6% above Drazkowski's purchase price. Fastenal Co. shares are currently trading +5.06% on the day. The chart below shows the one year performance of FAST shares, versus its 200 day moving average: Looking at the chart above, FAST's low point in its 52 week range is $47.37 per share, with $61.14 as the 52 week high point - that compares with a last trade of $56.98. By comparison, below is a table showing the prices at which insider buying was recorded over the last six months: The DividendRank report noted that among the coverage universe, FAST shares displayed both attractive valuation metrics and strong profitability metrics. The report also cited the strong quarterly dividend history at Fastenal Co., and favorable long-term multi-year growth rates in key fundamental data points. The report stated, '' Dividend investors approaching investing from a value standpoint are generally most interested in researching the strongest most profitable companies, that also happen to be trading at an attractive valuation. That's what we aim to find using our proprietary DividendRank formula, which ranks the coverage universe based upon our various criteria for both profitability and valuation, to generate a list of the top most 'interesting' stocks, meant for investors as a source of ideas that merit further research. '' The annualized dividend paid by Fastenal Co. is $1.72/share, currently paid in quarterly installments, and its most recent dividend ex-date was on 01/30/2019. Below is a long-term dividend history chart for FAST, which the report stressed as being of key importance. Indeed, studying a company's past dividend history can be of good help in judging whether the most recent dividend is likely to continue. The Top DividendRank'ed Stocks With Insider Buying \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Netflix Earnings Preview and Results from MS, TSM, FAST, & PPG On today's episode of Free Lunch, Ryan McQueeney recaps earnings results from industry bellwethers Morgan Stanley, Taiwan Semi, Fastenal, and PPG. Later, he previews the upcoming earnings report of video streaming giant Netflix. Want more video content from Zacks? Subscribe to Zacks Investment News now! Free Lunch is presented by Zacks Investment Research. It is streamed live, four times per week, and features breaking news and analysis from Zacks strategists. Free Lunch is available on YouTube, Twitter, and other major streaming platforms. Wall Street had a handful of bellwether earnings reports to digest on Thursday morning, with companies that serve as indicators for the financial, industrial, and tech sectors all filing quarterly results recently. Morgan Stanley MS disappointed investors, missing EPS and revenue expectations on the back of poor performances in key segments, including wealth management. Nevertheless, Morgan Stanley chief James Gorman pledged that these quarterly results would not be the \""new normal\"" for the company. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing TSM also failed to satisfy investors, despite beating estimates on the top and bottom lines. It was the chip giant's poor outlook that had people worried, as TSM guided for current-quarter sales of just $7.4 billion, more than $1 billion below Street estimates. This underscored existing sector-wide fears about weak demand for smartphones. Things were a bit better for industrial and manufacturing bellwethers Fastenal FAST and PPG PPG . Fastenal, a maker of fasteners and other parts for all sorts of equipment, matched EPS estimates and tallied profit growth of 11%. PPG also cruised pas t earnings per share projections, inspiring a healthy rally in morning trading today. Now, the attention will turn to Netflix NFLX , which is scheduled to release its lates t quarterly earnings results after the bell today. The video streaming company has a solid history of beating EPS figures, but most who follow the stock prefer to hear about subscriber additions and profit margins. The uncertainty of these types of results tend to create volatility ahead of and after Netflix's report, and the stock has indeed seen some wild swings in recent quarters. Moreover, this report feels especially important after the company's recent announcement that it plans to raise prices for its subscription plans. What should investors expect from Netflix this afternoon? Make sure to check out today's Free Lunch to hear Ryan's answer to that very question! Today's Stocks from Zacks' Hottest Strategies It's hard to believe, even for us at Zacks. But while the market gained +21.9% in 2017, our top stock-picking screens have returned +115.0%, +109.3%, +104.9%, +98.6%, and +67.1%. And this outperformance has not just been a recent phenomenon. Over the years it has been remarkably consistent. From 2000 - 2017, the composite yearly average gain for these strategies has beaten the market more than 19X over. Maybe even more remarkable is the fact that we're willing to share their latest stocks with you without cost or obligation. See Them Free>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Netflix, Inc. (NFLX): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report PPG Industries, Inc. (PPG): Get Free Report Morgan Stanley (MS): Free Stock Analysis Report Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd. (TSM): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Thursday's ETF with Unusual Volume: ACWF The iShares Edge MSCI Multifactor Global ETF ( ACWF ) is seeing unusually high volume in afternoon trading Thursday, with over 415,000 shares traded versus three month average volume of about 138,000. Shares of ACWF were up about 0.5% on the day. Components of that ETF with the highest volume on Thursday were Micron Technology ( MU ), trading trading flat with over 15.2 million shares changing hands so far this session, and Regions Financial ( RF ), up about 0.4% on volume of over 5.4 million shares. Fastenal ( FAST ) is the component faring the best Thursday, higher by about 4.4% on the day, while F5 Networks ( FFIV ) is lagging other components of the iShares Edge MSCI Multifactor Global ETF, trading lower by about 3.5%. VIDEO: Thursday's ETF with Unusual Volume: ACWF The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal shares are trading higher after the company beat Q4 sales estimates and announced a $0.43 dividend."", ""Fastenal Q4 Adj. EPS $0.60, Inline, Sales $1.232B Beat $1.22B Estimate"", ""10 Stocks To Watch For January 17, 2019"", ""Earnings Scheduled For January 17, 2019"", ""Stock Market Rallies On China Tariff News; Netflix Holds Tight Ahead Of Results"", ""Fastenal (FAST) CEO, Dan Florness on Q4 2018 Results - Earnings Call Transcript"", ""Netflix Earnings Preview and Results from MS, TSM, FAST, & PPG"", ""Jobless Claims & Q4 Earnings"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Q4 Earnings In Line, Sales Beat, Stock Dips"", ""Jobless Claims Good, Q4 Earnings Mixed"", ""Fastenal Company 2018 Q4 - Results - Earnings Call Slides"", ""Mixed results from Fastenal after dividend hike"", ""Fastenal EPS in-line, beats on revenue"", ""PPG Industries, CSX Fall as Stock Futures Point at Losses Trade, the government shutdown and China weighed on market sentiment again Thurday morning. International stocks were mostly lower and U.S. stock-index futures were down."", ""Dow Adds 163 Points Because Hope Is a Terrible Thing to Waste The market jumped sharply following a report that U.S. officials are considering lifting tariffs on Chinese imports as a way to advance trade talks. Gains soon faded.""]"
FAST,2019-01-18,26.1066,26.7345,25.9428,26.7206,"[""Fastenal (FAST) Looks Good: Stock Adds 6% in Session"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Looks Good: Stock Adds 6% in Session"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Looks Good: Stock Adds 6% in Session Fastenal CompanyFAST was a big mover last session, as the company saw its shares rise nearly 6% on the day. The move came on solid volume too with far more shares changing hands than in a normal session. This breaks the recent trend of the company, as the stock is now trading above the volatile price range of $49.36 to $54.84 in the past one-month time frame. The move came after the company reported solid fourth-quarter 2018 results. The company has seen no changes when it comes to estimate revision over the past few weeks, while the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current quarter has also remained unchanged. The recent price action is encouraging though, so make sure to keep a close watch on this firm in the near future. Fastenal currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) while its Earnings ESP is negative. Fastenal Company Price Fastenal Company Price | Fastenal Company Quote A better-ranked stock in the Retail-Wholesale sector is Abercrombie & Fitch Co. ANF , which currently carries a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here . Is FAST going up? Or down? Predict to see what others think: Up or Down Looking for Stocks with Skyrocketing Upside? Zacks has just released a Special Report on the booming investment opportunities of legal marijuana. Ignited by new referendums and legislation, this industry is expected to blast from an already robust $6.7 billion to $20.2 billion in 2021. Early investors stand to make a killing, but you have to be ready to act and know just where to look. See the pot trades we're targeting>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Abercrombie & Fitch Company (ANF): Get Free Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal (FAST) Looks Good: Stock Adds 6% in Session""]"
FAST,2019-01-22,26.4314,26.8607,26.4185,26.6081,"[""Fastenal Pitting Operational Excellence Against A More Challenging Macro"", ""Stocks To Watch: Fastenal Sees RS Rating Jump To 92"", ""Fastenal Is Still Booming"", ""Fastenal Is Still Booming"", ""Stocks To Watch: Fastenal Sees RS Rating Jump To 92"", ""Fastenal Pitting Operational Excellence Against A More Challenging Macro"", ""Fastenal Is Still Booming"", ""Stocks To Watch: Fastenal Sees RS Rating Jump To 92"", ""Fastenal Pitting Operational Excellence Against A More Challenging Macro""]"
FAST,2019-01-23,26.3169,26.9131,26.2754,26.5173,"[""7 Dividend Growth Stocks Rewarding Shareholders With a Raise"", ""Moving Average Crossover Alert: Fastenal"", ""Fastenal (FAST) is a Great Momentum Stock: Should You Buy?"", ""Fastenal (FAST) is a Great Momentum Stock: Should You Buy?"", ""7 Dividend Growth Stocks Rewarding Shareholders With a Raise"", ""Moving Average Crossover Alert: Fastenal"", ""Fastenal (FAST) is a Great Momentum Stock: Should You Buy? Momentum investing revolves around the idea of following a stock's recent trend in either direction. In the 'long' context, investors will be essentially be \""buying high, but hoping to sell even higher.\"" With this methodology, taking advantage of trends in a stock's price is key; once a stock establishes a course, it is more than likely to continue moving that way. The goal is that once a stock heads down a fixed path, it will lead to timely and profitable trades. Even though momentum is a popular stock characteristic, it can be tough to define. Debate surrounding which are the best and worst metrics to focus on is lengthy, but the Zacks Momentum Style Score, part of the Zacks Style Scores , helps address this issue for us. Below, we take a look at Fastenal (FAST) , a company that currently holds a Momentum Style Score of A. We also talk about price change and earnings estimate revisions, two of the main aspects of the Momentum Style Score. It's also important to note that Style Scores work as a complement to the Zacks Rank, our stock rating system that has an impressive track record of outperformance. Fastenal currently has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy). Our research shows that stocks rated Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and #2 (Buy) and Style Scores of A or B outperform the market over the following one-month period. You can see the current list of Zacks #1 Rank Stocks here >>> Set to Beat the Market? In order to see if FAST is a promising momentum pick, let's examine some Momentum Style elements to see if this maker of industrial and construction fasteners holds up. Looking at a stock's short-term price activity is a great way to gauge if it has momentum, since this can reflect both the current interest in a stock and if buyers or sellers have the upper hand at the moment. It is also useful to compare a security to its industry, as this can help investors pinpoint the top companies in a particular area. For FAST, shares are up 8.22% over the past week while the Zacks Building Products - Retail industry is up 1.74% over the same time period. Shares are looking quite well from a longer time frame too, as the monthly price change of 19.73% compares favorably with the industry's 13.26% performance as well. While any stock can see its price increase, it takes a real winner to consistently beat the market. That is why looking at longer term price metrics -- such as performance over the past three months or year -- can be useful as well. Over the past quarter, shares of Fastenal have risen 15.16%, and are up 8.62% in the last year. In comparison, the S&P 500 has only moved -3.95% and -5.16%, respectively. Investors should also take note of FAST's average 20-day trading volume. Volume is a useful item in many ways, and the 20-day average establishes a good price-to-volume baseline; a rising stock with above average volume is generally a bullish sign, whereas a declining stock on above average volume is typically bearish. Right now, FAST is averaging 2,717,854 shares for the last 20 days. Earnings Outlook The Zacks Momentum Style Score encompasses many things, including estimate revisions and a stock's price movement. Investors should note tha t earnings estimates are also significant to the Zacks Rank, and a nice path here can be promising. We have recently been noticing this with FAST. Over the past two months, 7 earnings estimates moved higher compared to 1 lower for the full year. These revisions helped boost FAST's consensus estimate, increasing from $2.78 to $2.83 in the past 60 days. Looking at the next fiscal year, 3 estimates have moved upwards while there have been no downward revisions in the same time period. Bottom Line Given these factors, it shouldn't be surprising that FAST is a #2 (Buy) stock and boasts a Momentum Score of A. If you're looking for a fresh pick that's set to soar in the near-term, make sure to keep Fastenal on your short list. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal (FAST) is a Great Momentum Stock: Should You Buy?"", ""7 Dividend Growth Stocks Rewarding Shareholders With a Raise"", ""Moving Average Crossover Alert: Fastenal"", ""3 Risks That Could Crush GE and Other Industrial Stocks Trade, shutdowns, and weak economic data are weighing on industrial shares. Here\u2019s how should investors position themselves for coming earnings.""]"
FAST,2019-01-24,26.5389,26.6623,26.2764,26.4797,"[""16 Upcoming Dividend Increases"", ""16 Upcoming Dividend Increases"", ""16 Upcoming Dividend Increases"", ""Industrial Stocks Could Rise as Results Cast Doubt on Recession Worries Fear about trade conflicts and the economy sent industrial shares down 15% last year. Investors may have hit the sell button a little too fast.""]"
FAST,2019-01-25,26.6881,26.9071,26.6081,26.8005,"[""Grainger Looks For A Soft Landing As Industrial Headwinds Build"", ""Grainger Looks For A Soft Landing As Industrial Headwinds Build"", ""Grainger Looks For A Soft Landing As Industrial Headwinds Build""]"
FAST,2019-01-28,26.4749,26.8785,26.2893,26.7383,"[""Are \""Growth\"" And \""Value\"" Exclusive Of Each Other? No!"", ""Are \""Growth\"" And \""Value\"" Exclusive Of Each Other? No!"", ""Are \""Growth\"" And \""Value\"" Exclusive Of Each Other? No!""]"
FAST,2019-01-29,26.8341,27.1431,26.7423,27.0019,"[""Stocks That Will Be Trading Ex Dividend Wed., Jan. 30, 2019"", ""Stocks That Will Be Trading Ex Dividend Wed., Jan. 30, 2019"", ""Fastenal Company (FAST) Ex-Dividend Date Scheduled for January 30, 2019 Fastenal Company ( FAST ) will begin trading ex-dividend on January 30, 2019. A cash dividend payment of $0.43 per share is scheduled to be paid on February 27, 2019. Shareholders who purchased FAST prior to the ex-dividend date are eligible for the cash dividend payment. This represents an 7.5% increase over prior dividend payment. The previous trading day's last sale of FAST was $59.39, representing a -2.86% decrease from the 52 week high of $61.14 and a 25.37% increase over the 52 week low of $47.37. FAST is a part of the Consumer Services sector, which includes companies such as Home Depot, Inc. ( HD ) and Lowe's Companies, Inc. ( LOW ). FAST's current earnings per share, an indicator of a company's profitability, is $2.63. Zacks Investment Research reports FAST's forecasted earnings growth in 2019 as 7.48%, compared to an industry average of 20.8%. For more information on the declaration, record and payment dates, visit the FAST Dividend History page. Our Dividend Calendar has the full list of stocks that have an ex-dividend today. Interested in gaining exposure to FAST through an Exchange Traded Fund [ETF]? The following ETF(s) have FAST as a top-10 holding: Franklin Templeton ETF Trust ( FLQM ) Invesco Raymond James SB-1 Equity ETF ( RYJ ). The top-performing ETF of this group is FLQM with an decrease of -3.12% over the last 100 days. It also has the highest percent weighting of FAST at 1.03%. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Stocks That Will Be Trading Ex Dividend Wed., Jan. 30, 2019""]"
FAST,2019-01-30,27.148,27.446,26.8973,27.2931,"[""ClearBridge Appreciation Strategy Portfolio Manager Commentary Q4 2018"", ""ClearBridge Appreciation Strategy Portfolio Manager Commentary Q4 2018"", ""ClearBridge Appreciation Strategy Portfolio Manager Commentary Q4 2018""]"
FAST,2019-01-31,27.2724,27.598,27.1184,27.4155,
FAST,2019-02-01,27.5378,27.752,27.2309,27.457,"[""Fastenal (FAST) is an Incredible Growth Stock: 3 Reasons Why"", ""Fastenal (FAST) is an Incredible Growth Stock: 3 Reasons Why"", ""Top Ranked Momentum Stocks to Buy for February 1st Here are four stocks with buy rank and strong momentum characteristics for investors to consider today, February 1st: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (HMC) : This automobile manufacturer has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and witnessed the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings increasing 6.4% over the last 60 days. Honda Motor Co., Ltd. Price and Consensus Honda Motor Co., Ltd. price-consensus-chart | Honda Motor Co., Ltd. Quote Honda Motor's shares gained 15.1% over the last one month against the S&P 500's rise of 10.5%. The company possesses a Momentum Score of B. Honda Motor Co., Ltd. Price Honda Motor Co., Ltd. price | Honda Motor Co., Ltd. Quote Fastenal Company (FAST) : This industrial and construction supplies distributor has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and witnessed the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings increasing 1.8% over the last 60 days. Fastenal Company Price and Consensus Fastenal Company price-consensus-chart | Fastenal Company Quote Fastenal's shares gained 21% over the last one month. The company possesses a Momentum Score of B. Fastenal Company Price Fastenal Company price | Fastenal Company Quote United Technologies Corporation (UTX) : This provider of technology products and services to aerospace industries and building systems has a Zacks Rank #2 and witnessed the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings increasing 2.3% over the last 60 days. United Technologies Corporation Price and Consensus United Technologies Corporation price-consensus-chart | United Technologies Corporation Quote United Technologies' shares gained 14.1% over the last one month. The company possesses a Momentum Score of A. United Technologies Corporation Price United Technologies Corporation price | United Technologies Corporation Quote EMCOR Group, Inc. (EME) : This electrical and mechanical construction, and facilities services provider has a Zacks Rank #2 and witnessed the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings increasing 0.2% over the last 60 days. EMCOR Group, Inc. Price and Consensus EMCOR Group, Inc. price-consensus-chart | EMCOR Group, Inc. Quote EMCOR's shares gained 12.3% over the last one month. The company possesses a Momentum Score of B. EMCOR Group, Inc. Price EMCOR Group, Inc. price | EMCOR Group, Inc. Quote See the full list of top ranked stocks here . Learn more about the Momentum score and how it is calculated here . More Stock News: This Is Bigger than the iPhone! It could become the mother of all technological revolutions. Apple sold a mere 1 billion iPhones in 10 years but a new breakthrough is expected to generate more than 27 billion devices in just 3 years, creating a $1.7 trillion market. Zacks has just released a Special Report that spotlights this fast-emerging phenomenon and 6 tickers for taking advantage of it. If you don't buy now, you may kick yourself in 2020. Click here for the 6 trades >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report United Technologies Corporation (UTX): Free Stock Analysis Report Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (HMC): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Get Free Report EMCOR Group, Inc. (EME): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal (FAST) is an Incredible Growth Stock: 3 Reasons Why Growth stocks are attractive to many investors, as above-average financial growth helps these stocks easily grab the market's attention and produce exceptional returns. However, it isn't easy to find a great growth stock. That's because, these stocks usually carry above-average risk and volatility. In fact, betting on a stock for which the growth story is actually over or nearing its end could lead to significant loss. However, the task of finding cutting-edge growth stocks is made easy with the help of the Zacks Growth Style Score (part of the Zacks Style Scores system), which looks beyond the traditional growth attributes to analyze a company's real growth prospects. Fastenal (FAST) is on the list of such stocks currently recommended by our proprietary system. In addition to a favorable Growth Score, it carries a top Zacks Rank. Research shows that stocks carrying the best growth features consistently beat the market. And for stocks that have a combination of a Growth Score of A or B and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy), returns are even better. Here are three of the most important factors that make the stock of this maker of industrial and construction fasteners a great growth pick right now. Earnings Growth Earnings growth is arguably the most important factor, as stocks exhibiting exceptionally surging profit levels tend to attract the attention of most investors. For growth investors, double-digi t earnings growth is highly preferable, as it is often perceived as an indication of strong prospects (and stock price gains) for the company under consideration. While the historical EPS growth rate for Fastenal is 9%, investors should actually focus on the projected growth. The company's EPS is expected to grow 7.5% this year, crushing the industry average, which calls for EPS growth of 1.3%. Cash Flow Growth Cash is the lifeblood of any business, but higher-than-average cash flow growth is more beneficial and important for growth-oriented companies than for mature companies. That's because, high cash accumulation enables these companies to undertake new projects without raising expensive outside funds. Right now, year-over-year cash flow growth for Fastenal is 31%, which is higher than many of its peers. In fact, the rate compares to the industry average of 2.8%. While investors should actually consider the current cash flow growth, it's worth taking a look at the historical rate too for putting the current reading into proper perspective. The company's annualized cash flow growth rate has been 11.7% over the past 3-5 years versus the industry average of 11.5%. Promising Earnings Estimate Revisions Beyond the metrics outlined above, investors should consider the trend in earnings estimate revisions. A positive trend is a plus here. Empirical research shows that there is a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and near-term stock price movements. There have been upward revisions in current-year earnings estimates for Fastenal. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has surged 1.7% over the past month. Bottom Line While the overall earnings estimate revisions have made Fastenal a Zacks Rank #2 stock, it has earned itself a Growth Score of A based on a number of factors, including the ones discussed above. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here . This combination indicates that Fastenal is a potential outperformer and a solid choice for growth investors. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Get Free Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal (FAST) is an Incredible Growth Stock: 3 Reasons Why""]"
FAST,2019-02-04,27.5378,27.8518,27.376,27.8518,"[""Annual Dividend Growth Announcements Expected From PepsiCo, Next Era Energy, 7 Others In First Half Of February"", ""Annual Dividend Growth Announcements Expected From PepsiCo, Next Era Energy, 7 Others In First Half Of February"", ""BECN vs. FAST: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option? Investors with an interest in Building Products - Retail stocks have likely encountered both Beacon Roofing Supply (BECN) and Fastenal (FAST). But which of these two stocks offers value investors a better bang for their buck right now? We'll need to take a closer look. We have found that the best way to discover great value opportunities is to pair a strong Zacks Rank with a great grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system. The Zacks Rank favors stocks with strong earnings estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight companies with specific traits. Both Beacon Roofing Supply and Fastenal have a Zacks Rank of # 2 (Buy) right now. This system places an emphasis on companies that have seen positive earnings estimate revisions, so investors should feel comfortable knowing that these stocks have improving earnings outlooks. However, value investors will care about much more than just this. Value investors also tend to look at a number of traditional, tried-and-true figures to help them find stocks that they believe are undervalued at their current share price levels. Our Value category highlights undervalued companies by looking at a variety of key metrics, including the popular P/E ratio, as well as the P/S ratio, earnings yield, cash flow per share, and a variety of other fundamentals that have been used by value investors for years. BECN currently has a forward P/E ratio of 11.84, while FAST has a forward P/E of 21.42. We also note that BECN has a PEG ratio of 0.62. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. FAST currently has a PEG ratio of 1.34. Another notable valuation metric for BECN is its P/B ratio of 1.32. The P/B ratio pits a stock's market value against its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. For comparison, FAST has a P/B of 7.55. These are just a few of the metrics contributing to BECN's Value grade of A and FAST's Value grade of C. Both BECN and FAST are impressive stocks with solid earnings outlooks, but based on these valuation figures, we feel that BECN is the superior value option right now. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. (BECN): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Get Free Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Annual Dividend Growth Announcements Expected From PepsiCo, Next Era Energy, 7 Others In First Half Of February""]"
FAST,2019-02-05,27.222,27.9554,27.222,27.9416,"[""Houston Wire & Cable Company Lacks The Spark"", ""Houston Wire & Cable Company Lacks The Spark"", ""Houston Wire & Cable Company Lacks The Spark""]"
FAST,2019-02-06,27.8192,28.1706,27.756,27.8992,"[""Fastenal Co (FAST) Files \u2013\u2026-K for the Fiscal Year Ended on December '\u2013, \u2014\u2026\u20138"", ""Fastenal Co (FAST) Files \u2013\u2026-K for the Fiscal Year Ended on December '\u2013, \u2014\u2026\u20138"", ""Why Fastenal Stock Rose 15% in January What happened The shares of Fastenal Company (NASDAQ: FAST) , an industrial supplier of fasteners, tools, and other supplies, rose an impressive 15% in January, according to data provided by S&P Global Market Intelligence . That was likely a relief for investors, who saw the stock fall nearly 12% in December and roughly 4% for all of 2018. What was most interesting about January's performance, however, was the material spike higher in the middle of the month -- just when Fastenal reported earnings. So what As an industrial company, Fastenal is sensitive to the ups and downs of the economy. When its customers experience slowing demand, they don't order as many fasteners because they simply don't need them. That, in turn, puts a crimp in Fastenal's business. Although the U.S. economy has been doing fairly well lately, there have been increasing concerns that the good times can't last forever -- a fact that recently caused the U.S. Federal Reserve to soften its stance on interest rate hikes. This was a key driver of Fastenal's weak showing in December and for the year overall. When Fastenal reported 2018 financial results, however, there was no question that the company remains in growth mode. Year-over-year fourth-quarter earnings advanced 11% on a 13% top-line gain. The full-year numbers were even better, with earnings up 30% on a 13% revenue increase. Fastenal is clearly doing very well today despite investor concerns about the economy. So it makes sense that when investor sentiment turned more positive in January, Fastenal shares picked up. And when the company reported strong growth in the middle of the month, the shares got another shot of adrenaline. That said, there's an important nuance to monitor here. The company closed 147 locations in 2018. At first, that sounds pretty bad, but it isn't. Fastenal has been shifting its business model toward on-site locations to better integrate with its customers. That has, notably, included vending machines -- the company grew its vending fleet by 14% in 2018, adding more than 22,000 vending devices. The trend toward on-site locations is the one to watch here, and it looks like the results are still strong. That's a trend that bodes well for financial results in 2019. Now what Investor sentiment helped turn December's share price decline around in January, with an extra boost from strong 2018 earnings. The key story on the earnings front, meanwhile, is Fastenal's continued successful shift toward on-site locations. That said, the dour mood on Wall Street that pushed the company's shares lower at the end of 2018 shouldn't be ignored. Fastenal operates in the cyclical industrial sector , and the U.S. growth streak is, indeed, looking a little long in the tooth. There's nothing imminent to suggest a downturn is in the cards, but if you buy Fastenal, you should go in knowing that when the next downturn hits, the company will feel the hit on the top and bottom lines. And, more to the point, investors are likely to push the shares lower again even if the company's shift toward on-site locations continues to progress as expected. 10 stocks we like better than Fastenal When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor , has quadrupled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Fastenal wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of January 31, 2019 Reuben Gregg Brewer has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy . The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Co (FAST) Files \u2013\u2026-K for the Fiscal Year Ended on December '\u2013, \u2014\u2026\u20138""]"
FAST,2019-02-07,27.7382,27.9031,27.3336,27.5468,"[""Tracking William Von Mueffling's Cantillon Capital Management Portfolio - Q4 2018 Update"", ""Tracking William Von Mueffling's Cantillon Capital Management Portfolio - Q4 2018 Update"", ""Tracking William Von Mueffling's Cantillon Capital Management Portfolio - Q4 2018 Update"", ""Why This Global Investor Is Suddenly Loading Up on Stocks Abhay Deshpande is buying shares of companies such as Switzerland\u2019s Richemont, Brazil\u2019s Cielo, Malaysia\u2019s Genting, and U.S.-based Mohawk Industries. He hasn\u2019t been this aggressive since 2011.""]"
FAST,2019-02-08,27.381,27.6208,27.1233,27.5162,"[""Beacon Roofing (BECN) Q1 Earnings & Revenues Top, Shares Up"", ""Opinion: How Organizational Transformation Impacts Shareholder Value"", ""Opinion: How Organizational Transformation Impacts Shareholder Value"", ""Beacon Roofing (BECN) Q1 Earnings & Revenues Top, Shares Up"", ""Why Fastenal Co. is a Top 25 SAFE Dividend Stock Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) has been named to the Dividend Channel ''S.A.F.E. 25'' list, signifying a stock with above-average ''DividendRank'' statistics including a strong 2.8% yield, as well as a superb track record of at least two decades of dividend growth, according to the most recent ''DividendRank'' report. According to the ETF Finder at ETF Channel , Fastenal Co. is a member of the iShares S&P 1500 Index ETF ( ITOT ), and is also an underlying holding representing 1.08% of the SPDR S&P Dividend ETF ( SDY ), which holds $189,159,153 worth of FAST shares. Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) made the \""Dividend Channel S.A.F.E. 25\"" list because of these qualities: S . Solid return - hefty yield and strong DividendRank characteristics; A. Accelerating amount - consistent dividend increases over time; F . Flawless history - never a missed or lowered dividend; E. Enduring - at least two decades of dividend payments. The annualized dividend paid by Fastenal Co. is $1.72/share, currently paid in quarterly installments, and its most recent dividend ex-date was on 01/30/2019. Below is a long-term dividend history chart for FAST, which the report stressed as being of key importance. FAST operates in the Home Improvement Stores sector, among companies like Home Depot Inc ( HD ), and Lowe's Companies Inc ( LOW ). Top 25 S.A.F.E. Dividend Stocks Increasing Payments For Decades \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Opinion: How Organizational Transformation Impacts Shareholder Value"", ""Beacon Roofing (BECN) Q1 Earnings & Revenues Top, Shares Up""]"
FAST,2019-02-11,27.6386,28.0699,27.6386,28.0571,"[""Here's Why Momentum Investors Will Love Fastenal (FAST)"", ""Here's Why Momentum Investors Will Love Fastenal (FAST)"", ""Here's Why Momentum Investors Will Love Fastenal (FAST) Momentum investing is all about the idea of following a stock's recent trend, which can be in either direction. In the 'long' context, investors will essentially be \""buying high, but hoping to sell even higher.\"" And for investors following this methodology, taking advantage of trends in a stock's price is key; once a stock establishes a course, it is more than likely to continue moving in that direction. The goal is that once a stock heads down a fixed path, it will lead to timely and profitable trades. While many investors like to look for momentum in stocks, this can be very tough to define. There is a lot of debate surrounding which metrics are the best to focus on and which are poor quality indicators of future performance. The Zacks Momentum Style Score, part of the Zacks Style Scores , helps address this issue for us. Below, we take a look at Fastenal (FAST) , which currently has a Momentum Style Score of B. We also discuss some of the main drivers of the Momentum Style Score, like price change and earnings estimate revisions. It's also important to note that Style Scores work as a complement to the Zacks Rank, our stock rating system that has an impressive track record of outperformance. Fastenal currently has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy). Our research shows that stocks rated Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and #2 (Buy) and Style Scores of A or B outperform the market over the following one-month period. You can see the current list of Zacks #1 Rank Stocks here >>> Set to Beat the Market? Let's discuss some of the components of the Momentum Style Score for FAST that show why this maker of industrial and construction fasteners shows promise as a solid momentum pick. A good momentum benchmark for a stock is to look at its short-term price activity, as this can reflect both current interest and if buyers or sellers currently have the upper hand. It is also useful to compare a security to its industry, as this can help investors pinpoint the top companies in a particular area. For FAST, shares are up 1.71% over the past week while the Zacks Building Products - Retail industry is up 1.71% over the same time period. Shares are looking quite well from a longer time frame too, as the monthly price change of 11.38% compares favorably with the industry's 3.15% performance as well. While any stock can see a spike in price, it takes a real winner to consistently outperform the market. Over the past quarter, shares of Fastenal have risen 6.44%, and are up 16.36% in the last year. In comparison, the S&P 500 has only moved -3.05% and 6.96%, respectively. Investors should also take note of FAST's average 20-day trading volume. Volume is a useful item in many ways, and the 20-day average establishes a good price-to-volume baseline; a rising stock with above average volume is generally a bullish sign, whereas a declining stock on above average volume is typically bearish. Right now, FAST is averaging 3,205,267 shares for the last 20 days. Earnings Outlook The Zacks Momentum Style Score encompasses many things, including estimate revisions and a stock's price movement. Investors should note tha t earnings estimates are also significant to the Zacks Rank, and a nice path here can be promising. We have recently been noticing this with FAST. Over the past two months, 7 earnings estimates moved higher compared to 1 lower for the full year. These revisions helped boost FAST's consensus estimate, increasing from $2.78 to $2.83 in the past 60 days. Looking at the next fiscal year, 3 estimates have moved upwards while there have been no downward revisions in the same time period. Bottom Line Taking into account all of these elements, it should come as no surprise that FAST is a #2 (Buy) stock with a Momentum Score of B. If you've been searching for a fresh pick that's set to rise in the near-term, make sure to keep Fastenal on your short list. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Get Free Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Here's Why Momentum Investors Will Love Fastenal (FAST)""]"
FAST,2019-02-12,27.907,28.596,27.907,28.5051,"[""Home Improvement Stocks Headed Up This Year"", ""Fastenal Joins Rank Of Stocks With RS Ratings Over 90"", ""KeyBanc Downgrades Fastenal to Sector Weight"", ""UPDATE: KeyBanc Downgrades Fastenal As Firm Notes 'At current levels, FAST is trading in line with its historical EV/EBITDA multiple, and at its historical premium to peers on both P/E and EV/EBITDA'"", ""UPDATE: KeyBanc On Fastenal Also Sees 'tough comps against moderating cycle growth, and our general view that distributor multiples are unlikely to return to historical levels given greater price transparency and evolving gross margin profiles'"", ""Benzinga's Top Upgrades, Downgrades For February 12, 2019"", ""Benzinga's Top Upgrades, Downgrades For February 12, 2019"", ""UPDATE: KeyBanc On Fastenal Also Sees 'tough comps against moderating cycle growth, and our general view that distributor multiples are unlikely to return to historical levels given greater price transparency and evolving gross margin profiles'"", ""UPDATE: KeyBanc Downgrades Fastenal As Firm Notes 'At current levels, FAST is trading in line with its historical EV/EBITDA multiple, and at its historical premium to peers on both P/E and EV/EBITDA'"", ""KeyBanc Downgrades Fastenal to Sector Weight"", ""Home Improvement Stocks Headed Up This Year"", ""Home Improvement Stocks Headed Up This Year"", ""Fastenal Joins Rank Of Stocks With RS Ratings Over 90"", ""Moving Average Crossover Alert: Fastenal Company Fastenal CompanyFAST is looking like an interesting pick from a technical perspective, as the company is seeing favorable trends on the moving average crossover front. Recently, the 50 Day Moving Average for FAST broke out above the 200 Day Simple Moving Average, suggesting a short-term bullish trend. This has already started to take place, as the stock has moved higher by 1.8% in the past four weeks. Plus, the company currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) suggesting that now could definitely be the time for this breakout candidate. More bullishness may especially be the case when investors consider what has been happening for FAST on the earnings estimate revision front lately. One estimate has gone lower in the past two months, compared to 7 higher, while the consensus estimate has also moved higher too. So given this move in estimates, and the positive technical factors, investors may want to watch this breakout candidate closely for more gains in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here . Zacks' Best Stock-Picking Strategy It's hard to believe, even for us at Zacks. But from 2000-2018, while the market gained +4.8% per year, our top stock-picking strategy averaged +54.3% per year. How has that screen done lately? From 2017-2018, it sextupled the market's +15.8% gain with a soaring +98.3% return. Free - See the Stocks It Turned Up for Today >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Get Free Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Home Improvement Stocks Headed Up This Year Home improvement spending results from the interplay of myriad factors, the most important of which are existing home sales, mortgage rates and home prices. Then there are other factors like unemployment rates, consumer confidence, demographics, broader economic growth, technology adoption and even the weather. So when interest rates rise as they did through 2018 pulling mortgage rates along with them, the cost of acquiring homes goes up, pushing some buyers out of the market. Conversely, when they stabilize as expected in 2019, people tend to reach for their wallets. Mortgage guarantor Freddie Mac says that already, improving sentiments about interest rates have pushed down the 30-year mortgage rate to its 10-month low of 4.41% (week ending Feb 7). Rest assured that this will help drive existing home sales (90% of all home sales in the U.S.) going forward. One factor that has consistently thrown water on the bear market theory is unemployment rates. Despite the slight uptick in January (partly on account of the government shutdown rather than economic weakness), the unemployment rate of 4% remains at historic lows. What's more, the labor force participation rate, at 63.2% and the employment-population ratio, at 60.7% edged up 0.5 points from last year. A low unemployment rate increases consumer confidence, which again encourages home sales. As far as demographics are concerned both baby boomers and millennials participate in the home improvement market. Older millennials are the ones going for new homes and as may be expected, they want them smart. So they spend not just on the home but also on technology. Younger millennials prefer to rent, which is a negative for home sales, but not so for home improvement. Also, with millennials gradually getting into the home buying market, demand is relatively less elastic, supporting relatively stronger pricing. Baby boomers on the other hand generally prefer home improvements, and that includes technology adoption. Remember these are the folks that have spent fortunes on their homes because of which they are loathe to move. They would much rather renovate or add smart home technology. Contrary to popular perception, a growing percentage of this group is spending on things like Internet-connected TV, streaming video, digital devices for photo viewing and Netflix, as the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) finds. eMarketer finds that 8.2 million baby boomers were using smart speakers in 2018, up 28.1% from 6.4 million in 2017. The uncertainty in weather conditions encourage home improvement spending to deal with untoward weather conditions. Major Players The Home Depot HD and Lowe's Companies LOW dominate the market, and both have a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) and VGM score A. Other stocks in the Zacks-classified Building products-Retail industry are Zacks #2 (Buy) ranked Beacon Roofing Supply BECN , Lumber Liquidators Holdings, Inc LL and Fastenal Company FAST . You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here Zacks' Best Stock-Picking Strategy It's hard to believe, even for us at Zacks. But from 2000-2018, while the market gained +4.8% per year, our top stock-picking strategy averaged +54.3% per year. How has that screen done lately? From 2017-2018, it sextupled the market's +15.8% gain with a soaring +98.3% return. Free - See the Stocks It Turned Up for Today >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. (BECN): Free Stock Analysis Report The Home Depot, Inc. (HD): Get Free Report Lowe's Companies, Inc. (LOW): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Get Free Report Lumber Liquidators Holdings, Inc (LL): Get Free Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Benzinga's Top Upgrades, Downgrades For February 12, 2019"", ""UPDATE: KeyBanc On Fastenal Also Sees 'tough comps against moderating cycle growth, and our general view that distributor multiples are unlikely to return to historical levels given greater price transparency and evolving gross margin profiles'"", ""UPDATE: KeyBanc Downgrades Fastenal As Firm Notes 'At current levels, FAST is trading in line with its historical EV/EBITDA multiple, and at its historical premium to peers on both P/E and EV/EBITDA'"", ""KeyBanc Downgrades Fastenal to Sector Weight"", ""Home Improvement Stocks Headed Up This Year"", ""Home Improvement Stocks Headed Up This Year"", ""Fastenal Joins Rank Of Stocks With RS Ratings Over 90"", ""Dow Futures Rise Because a Shutdown Deal Outweighs Stock-Rating Cuts News of a potential U.S. border-security deal sent stocks higher around the world. U.S. stock futures rose even as analysts\u2019 ratings downgrades outnumbered upgrades by 3:1.""]"
FAST,2019-02-13,28.5693,28.6977,28.3917,28.5733,"The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: Home Depot, Lowe's, Beacon, Lumber and Fastenal For Immediate Release Chicago, IL -February 13, 2019 - Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: Home DepotHD , Lowe's CompaniesLOW , Beacon Roofing SupplyBECN , Lumber Liquidators Holdings, IncLL and Fastenal CompanyFAST . Here are highlights from Tuesday's Analyst Blog: Home Improvement Stocks Headed Up This Year Home improvement spending results from the interplay of myriad factors, the most important of which are existing home sales, mortgage rates and home prices. Then there are other factors like unemployment rates, consumer confidence, demographics, broader economic growth, technology adoption and even the weather. So when interest rates rise as they did through 2018 pulling mortgage rates along with them, the cost of acquiring homes goes up, pushing some buyers out of the market. Conversely, when they stabilize as expected in 2019, people tend to reach for their wallets. Mortgage guarantor Freddie Mac says that already, improving sentiments about interest rates have pushed down the 30-year mortgage rate to its 10-month low of 4.41% (week ending Feb 7). Rest assured that this will help drive existing home sales (90% of all home sales in the U.S.) going forward. One factor that has consistently thrown water on the bear market theory is unemployment rates. Despite the slight uptick in January (partly on account of the government shutdown rather than economic weakness), the unemployment rate of 4% remains at historic lows. What's more, the labor force participation rate, at 63.2% and the employment-population ratio, at 60.7% edged up 0.5 points from last year. A low unemployment rate increases consumer confidence, which again encourages home sales. As far as demographics are concerned both baby boomers and millennials participate in the home improvement market. Older millennials are the ones going for new homes and as may be expected, they want them smart. So they spend not just on the home but also on technology. Younger millennials prefer to rent, which is a negative for home sales, but not so for home improvement. Also, with millennials gradually getting into the home buying market, demand is relatively less elastic, supporting relatively stronger pricing. Baby boomers on the other hand generally prefer home improvements, and that includes technology adoption. Remember these are the folks that have spent fortunes on their homes because of which they are loathe to move. They would much rather renovate or add smart home technology. Contrary to popular perception, a growing percentage of this group is spending on things like Internet-connected TV, streaming video, digital devices for photo viewing and Netflix, as the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) finds. eMarketer finds that 8.2 million baby boomers were using smart speakers in 2018, up 28.1% from 6.4 million in 2017. The uncertainty in weather conditions encourage home improvement spending to deal with untoward weather conditions. Major Players The Home Depot and Lowe's Companies dominate the market, and both have a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) and VGM score A. Other stocks in the Zacks-classified Building products-Retail industry are Zacks #2 (Buy) ranked Beacon Roofing Supply , Lumber Liquidators Holdings, Inc and Fastenal Company. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here Zacks' Best Stock-Picking Strategy It's hard to believe, even for us at Zacks. But from 2000-2018, while the market gained +4.8% per year, our top stock-picking strategy averaged +54.3% per year. How has that screen done lately? From 2017-2018, it sextupled the market's +15.8% gain with a soaring +98.3% return. Free - See the Stocks It Turned Up for Today >> Media Contact Zacks Investment Research 800-767-3771 ext. 9339 support@zacks.com http://www.zacks.com Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss . This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit http://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Get Free Report Lowe's Companies, Inc. (LOW): Get Free Report Lumber Liquidators Holdings, Inc (LL): Get Free Report The Home Depot, Inc. (HD): Get Free Report Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. (BECN): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2019-02-14,28.3957,28.5367,28.1222,28.2831,"[""Home Depot (HD) Plans 450 Spring Jobs in Charlotte Area"", ""Home Depot (HD) Plans 450 Spring Jobs in Charlotte Area"", ""Home Depot (HD) Plans 450 Spring Jobs in Charlotte Area Home Depot Inc.HD is again gearing up for the spring season, its busiest selling period, with plans to hire about 450 employees in the Charlotte area stores, per sources. The company operates nearly 13 stores in the area. This hiring follows the company's announcement made in the last week to take aboard 700 people in the Tampa Bay area over the next few months. Notably, Home Depot hires regularly to fulfill requirements of seasonal and permanent positions. The company currently has an employee base of nearly 400,000, operating across 2,286 stores in the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, 10 Canadian provinces and Mexico. Spring season hiring is customary for this home improvement biggie as the onset of warmer weather brings people out of their homes, concentrating on gardening, lawns and other home improvement outdoor projects. Consequently, the demand for garden and lawn equipment, portico furniture and other home d\u00e9cor-related products are usually at its peak during this season. Coming back to the hiring, interested candidates in the Charlotte area may use Home Depot's 15-minute application or even text the company to begin the application process. Home Depot is accepting applications for various positions - including sales employees, cashiers, operations personnel and online order-fulfillment staff to make the most of the spring season. These positions comprise both permanent part-time and seasonal job openings. In 2017, Home Depot rolled out a 15-minute application, Mobile Apply and Text-to-Apply facilities, easing the job application process, which reflected 50% increase in job applications. The company states that nearly 50% of the seasonal jobs generally transition into permanent jobs at Home Depot. Notably, Home Depot's arch-rival Lowe's CompaniesLOW also announced its second National Hiring Day to hire over 50,000 full-time, part-time and seasonal employees in its more than 1,700 U.S. stores to make the spring season more profitable. As part of the event, Lowe's will hire about 1,200 employees in the Charlotte area. The company currently employs more than 240,000 people in its U.S. stores. We note that hiring plans had little impact on Home Depot's stock price, which has improved 1.6% yesterday. However, this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stock has outperformed the industry in the past month. The company's shares have gained 6.8% while the industry grew 5.6%. We look forward to the company's fourth-quarter fiscal 2018 earnings release on Feb 26. 2 Better-Ranked Stocks to Watch Fastenal Company FAST has a long-term earnings growth rate of 16% and it currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here . Beacon Roofing Supply BECN , also a Zacks Rank #2 stock, has a long-term earnings growth rate of 21%. Will You Make a Fortune on the Shift to Electric Cars? Here's another stock idea to consider. Much like petroleum 150 years ago, lithium power may soon shake the world, creating millionaires and reshaping geo-politics. Soon electric vehicles (EVs) may be cheaper than gas guzzlers. Some are already reaching 265 miles on a single charge. With battery prices plummeting and charging stations set to multiply, one company stands out as the #1 stock to buy according to Zacks research. It's not the one you think. See This Ticker Free >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Lowe's Companies, Inc. (LOW): Free Stock Analysis Report The Home Depot, Inc. (HD): Free Stock Analysis Report Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. (BECN): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Home Depot (HD) Plans 450 Spring Jobs in Charlotte Area""]"
FAST,2019-02-15,28.5467,28.6315,28.3285,28.5545,"[""3 Big Stock Charts for Friday: Davita, Fastenal Company and BorgWarner InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips The bulls tried their best, but when push came to shove, they just didn't have enough fight. Spurred by just a few too many lackluster earnings reports, the S&P 500 ended yesterday's action down to the tune of 0.27%. The Coca-Cola Co (NYSE: KO ) was one of those names with an alarming quarterly report. KO stock fell more than 8% on the heels of expected Q4 sales and profits, but a 2019 profit outlook that was considerably less than estimated. Centurylink (NYSE: CTL ) ended the day even deeper in the red, though, sliding 13% after cutting its divided in half . There were a handful of winners, like Encana (NYSE: ECA ), which advanced 2.2% in step with rising oil prices, and was up another percentage point in after-hours trading. In fact, there was more bullish volume than bearish volume on Thursday. There just wasn't enough buying interest in the right stocks to lift the market over the hump. Headed into the weekend, the stock charts of Davita (NYSE: DVA ), BorgWarner (NYSE: BWA ) and Fastenal Company (NASDAQ: FAST ) are of the most interest. Here's why, and what to look for. Fastenal Company (FAST) Back in October, Fastenal Company shares were in something of a freefall, After bumping into a long-standing resistance line in August, all signs pointed to a trip back to the lower edge of the trading range that has framed the volatile rally going back to 2016. Should You Buy, Sell, Or Hold These 7 Medical Cannabis Stocks? That never happened \u2026 at least not in full. Rather than making a complete pullback, FAST stock hit a low about halfway there, and then made a triple bottom and established a new support line in December. Now we're back at the long-term ceiling, and hinting at another bearish outcome. The question is, which floor is the one that will do the job? Click to Enlarge \u2022 The trading range is framed by white dashed lines on both stock charts. We bumped into the upper one this week. \u2022 The newly developed intermediate-term floor is marked with a yellow dashed line, also on both stock charts. \u2022 The weekly chart's stochastic indicator is in overbought territory, which has also coincided with pullbacks; that's not a condition that lasts long. Davita (DVA) With nothing more than a quick glance, the 0.3% gain Davita dished out yesterday is little to cheer. Indeed, DVA has been suspiciously left out of the most of the post-December rally. A closer, second look at Thursday's action, though, sets the stage for renewed bullishness in light of the other clues that have materialized over the course of the past couple of weeks. Click to Enlarge \u2022 While Thursday's gain was ho-hum, the intraday turnaround was telling. The bears had a chance to tip it over with the early move back under key short-term moving average lines, but the bulls weren't going to give up any ground. \u2022 And those bulls are certainly strong in number. Even beyond yesterday's volume surge behind the advance, the accumulation (buying) days have seen higher and higher volume. \u2022 There may be some brewing resistance around the $58.10 area, which is marked with a dashed blue line on both stock charts. BorgWarner (BWA) Finally, it's not said often enough, but there's a lot of value in spotting a surge in volatility from a particular stock, or index. When the war between the buyers and sellers heats up, it often signals a turning point. BorgWarner shares have been particularly volatile the past few days, in all the right places. It looked like the bears were going to take control last week, but the bulls made a strong statement yesterday. They also failed to move above the one key ceiling they really needed to clear, however, so the outcome of this skirmish hangs on the balance. Either way, some something big is likely to come from the melee. Click to Enlarge \u2022 The big line in the sand is $41.50, plotted with a yellow dashed line on both stock charts. That's where BorgWarner has peaked several times since October, and it was still trouble as of yesterday. \u2022 Also noteworthy, however, is how the purple 50-day moving average line has stepped up as a technical floor. \u2022 Even before yesterday's big gain, the bullish volume was brewing, suggesting the undertow is bullish. The stumble from last week, though on above-average volume, didn't take shape with a lot of bears' support. As of this writing, James Brumley did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities. You can learn more about James at his site, jamesbrumley.com , or follow him on Twitter , at @jbrumley. More From InvestorPlace 2 Toxic Pot Stocks You Should Avoid 9 U.S. Stocks That Are Coming to Life Again The 7 Best Video Game Stocks to Power Up Your Portfolio! 5 Tips to Become a Better Stock Trader Compare Brokers The post 3 Big Stock Charts for Friday: Davita, Fastenal Company and BorgWarner appeared first on InvestorPlace . The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""No Sector Is Immune From Amazon Add electric cars to the list of industries potentially disrupted by the online retail giant.""]"
FAST,2019-02-19,28.4223,28.5151,28.2594,28.3235,"FAST: Insiders vs. Shorts The most recent short interest data was recently released for the 01/31/2019 settlement date, and Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) is the #54 most shorted of the S&P 500 components, based on 6.29 ""days to cover."" There are a number of ways to look at short data, but one metric that we find particularly useful is the ""days to cover"" because it considers both the total shares short and the average daily volume of shares typically traded. The number of shares short is then divided by the average daily volume, to express the total number of trading days it would take to close out all of the open short positions if every share traded represented a short position being closed. In the case of Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST), the total short interest at the 01/31/2019 settlement date was 26,261,976 shares, which compares to the average daily trading volume of just 4,175,664 shares, for a ""days to cover"" ratio of 6.29. When short sellers eventually cover their positions, by definition there must be buying activity because a share that is currently sold short must be purchased to be covered. At the present levels of short interest, if from this point forward every single FAST share traded represented a short position being closed, then at the average daily volume of 4,175,664 shares it would only be during the 7th trading day that every short position would be closed. So it would stand to reason that should some unexpectedly good news come out, and short sellers did not have 7 days of patience but instead wanted to cover their short positions very suddenly, that situation could result in sending the stock higher until the higher price produces enough sellers to generate the necessary volume to close out those positions quickly. Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) has something relatively rare for a stock with this much short interest, that being insiders taking the other side of the trade. Looking back over the trailing six month period, FAST has seen 5 different instances of insider buying, as summarized by the table below: Below is a chart showing the ""days to cover"" for FAST over time: And looking at the chart below, FAST's low point in its 52 week range is $47.37 per share, with $63.285 as the 52 week high point - that compares with a last trade of $62.49. In recent trading, shares of Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) were changing hands at $62.49/share. Ten Bargains You Can Buy Cheaper Than The Insiders Did » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2019-02-20,28.3097,28.3739,27.982,28.1607,"[""Things You Need to Know Before Lowe's (LOW) Q4 Earnings"", ""Things You Need to Know Before Lowe's (LOW) Q4 Earnings"", ""Things You Need to Know Before Lowe's (LOW) Q4 Earnings Lowe's Companies, Inc.LOW is scheduled to report fourth-quarter fiscal 2018 numbers on Feb 27, before the opening bell. In the las t report ed quarter, the company delivered a positive earnings surprise of 7.2%. However, in the trailing four quarters, this home improvement retailer's bottom line missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by an average of 2.2%. Let's see what's in store for the company this time around. How are Estimates Faring? The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fourth-quarter earnings is pegged at 80 cents, reflecting an 8.1% increase from 74 cents reported in the year-ago quarter. Notably, the consensus mark has remained stable over the past 30 days. For revenues, the consensus mark stands at $15,720 million, mirroring a 1.5% improvement from the year-ago quarter's tally. For fiscal 2018, the consensus estimates for the top and bottom lines are pegged at $71.39 billion and $5.11, respectively. Lowe's Companies, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Lowe's Companies, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise | Lowe's Companies, Inc. Quote Factors at Play Lowe's has been focusing on augmenting sales, containing costs and improving cash flow generation from operations. To meet these goals, the company is undertaking a better customer-centric approach and exploring market opportunities via merchandising efforts and omni-channel endeavors. For fiscal 2018, management forecasts total sales growth of approximately 4%, with comparable sales expected to rise about 2.5%. Adjusted earnings are projected to be in the band of $5.08-$5.13 per share. Apart from these, the company is streamlining its store portfolio, which along with its strategy of enhancing customer shopping experience with advanced technology and inventory rationalizing, is likely to generate incremental sales. There lies a significant opportunity to enhance pro-sales. Meanwhile, Lowe's is on track with its plans to exit Mexico retail operations, Orchard Supply Hardware business and certain non-core businesses in U.S. home improvements including Alacrity Renovation and Iris Smart Home. The decision is likely to enable the company to focus more on prospective areas such as home improvements, home furnishing products, repair and maintenance. As part of its exiting certain operations and non-core businesses, management had earlier stated that the company is likely to incur incremental pre-tax costs of $460-$580 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2018. Lowe's envisions operating margin to decline in the range of 240-255 basis points, including 135-150 basis points from charges related to strategic reassessment. What Does the Zacks Model Say? Our proven model does not conclusively show that Lowe's is likely to beat estimates in fourth-quarter fiscal 2018. This is because a stock needs to have both - a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) and a positive Earnings ESP - for this to happen. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they're reported with our Earnings ESP Filter. Though Lowe's has a Zacks Rank #3, its Earnings ESP of -3.41% makes surprise prediction difficult. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here . Stocks With Favorable Combination Here are some other companies you may want to consider as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements to pos t earnings beat. Fastenal Company FAST has an Earnings ESP of +1.13% and a Zacks Rank #2. American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. AEO has an Earnings ESP of +0.60% and a Zacks Rank #2. The Home Depot, Inc. HD has an Earnings ESP of +1.22% and a Zacks Rank #3. Zacks' Top 10 Stocks for 2019 In addition to the stocks discussed above, would you like to know about our 10 finest buy-and-holds for the year? Who wouldn't? Our annual Top 10s have beaten the market with amazing regularity. In 2018, while the market dropped -5.2%, the portfolio scored well into double-digits overall with individual stocks rising as high as +61.5%. And from 2012-2017, while the market boomed +126.3, Zacks' Top 10s reached an even more sensational +181.9%. See Latest Stocks Today >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report The Home Depot, Inc. (HD): Free Stock Analysis Report Lowe's Companies, Inc. (LOW): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (AEO): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""SPDR Russell 1000 Yield Focus ETF -- Insider Buying Index Registering 10.1% A look at the weighted underlying holdings of the SPDR Russell 1000 Yield Focus ETF (Symbol: ONEY) shows an impressive 10.1% of holdings on a weighted basis have experienced insider buying within the past six months. Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST), which makes up 0.62% of the SPDR Russell 1000 Yield Focus ETF (Symbol: ONEY), has seen 5 directors and officers purchase shares in the past six months, according to the recent Form 4 data. The ETF holds a total of $2,535,571 worth of FAST, making it the #44 largest holding. The table below details the recent insider buying activity observed at FAST: FAST - last trade: $62.46 - Recent Insider Buys: And Apple Hospitality REIT Inc (Symbol: APLE), the #146 largest holding among components of the SPDR Russell 1000 Yield Focus ETF (Symbol: ONEY), shows 6 directors and officers as recently filing Form 4's indicating purchases. The ETF holds $1,148,961 worth of APLE, which represents approximately 0.28% of the ETF's total assets at last check. The recent insider buying activity observed at APLE is detailed in the table below: APLE - last trade: $16.36 - Recent Insider Buys: 10 ETFs With Stocks That Insiders Are Buying \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Things You Need to Know Before Lowe's (LOW) Q4 Earnings""]"
FAST,2019-02-21,28.1706,28.4933,28.1143,28.3197,"[""BECN vs. FAST: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?"", ""BECN vs. FAST: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?"", ""BECN vs. FAST: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option? Investors with an interest in Building Products - Retail stocks have likely encountered both Beacon Roofing Supply (BECN) and Fastenal (FAST). But which of these two stocks offers value investors a better bang for their buck right now? We'll need to take a closer look. The best way to find great value stocks is to pair a strong Zacks Rank with an impressive grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system. The Zacks Rank favors stocks with strong earnings estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight companies with specific traits. Right now, both Beacon Roofing Supply and Fastenal are sporting a Zacks Rank of # 2 (Buy). This system places an emphasis on companies that have seen positive earnings estimate revisions, so investors should feel comfortable knowing that these stocks have improving earnings outlooks. But this is only part of the picture for value investors. Value investors also try to analyze a wide range of traditional figures and metrics to help determine whether a company is undervalued at its current share price levels. Our Value category grades stocks based on a number of key metrics, including the tried-and-true P/E ratio, the P/S ratio, earnings yield, and cash flow per share, as well as a variety of other fundamentals that value investors frequently use. BECN currently has a forward P/E ratio of 11.72, while FAST has a forward P/E of 21.97. We also note that BECN has a PEG ratio of 0.56. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. FAST currently has a PEG ratio of 1.37. Another notable valuation metric for BECN is its P/B ratio of 1.34. The P/B is a method of comparing a stock's market value to its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. By comparison, FAST has a P/B of 7.71. These metrics, and several others, help BECN earn a Value grade of B, while FAST has been given a Value grade of C. Both BECN and FAST are impressive stocks with solid earnings outlooks, but based on these valuation figures, we feel that BECN is the superior value option right now. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. (BECN): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""BECN vs. FAST: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?""]"
FAST,2019-02-22,28.4815,28.5693,28.3235,28.4134,
FAST,2019-02-25,28.5645,28.5773,28.4173,28.5229,
FAST,2019-02-26,28.5319,28.7263,28.4449,28.4815,"Home Depot (HD) Beats on Q4 Earnings, Sales Lag Hurts Stock The Home Depot, Inc.HD posted better-than-expected earnings for fourth-quarter fiscal 2018, retaining its five-year-long trend of delivering positive earnings surprises. However, the company's top line lagged the Zacks Consensus Estimate while comparable store sales (comps) growth was below analysts' expectations. This led shares of this home-improvement retailer to decline nearly 2.1% in the pre-market session. Net sales grew 10.9% to $26.49 billion from $23.88 billion in the year-ago quarter but lagged the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $26.56 billion. The additional 14th week in fourth-quarter fiscal 2018 contributed an incremental $1.7 billion to sales. The company's overall comps increased 3.2% and comps in the United States grew 3.7%. During the reported quarter, comps were aided by 2.5% rise in average ticket and 7.7% increase in customer transactions. Moreover, sales per square foot rose 4.9%. Meanwhile, this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company's adjusted earnings of $2.25 per share increased 48% from $1.52 recorded in the year-ago quarter. Moreover, the bottom line beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.16. Earnings benefited from the contribution of nearly 21 cents per share from the additional 14th week in fiscal 2018 compared with fiscal 2017. Excluding a non-recurring pre-tax charge of nearly 16 cents per share related to impairment loss incurred by certain trade names at Interline Brands, GAAP earnings per share for the fiscal fourth quarter was $2.09, up 37.5% year over year. The company is on track with investment plans that were outlined in December 2017. It is benefiting from efforts to provide an interconnected shopping experience to customers, with localized and innovative products, and improved productivity. Other Quarterly Details Gross profit margin expanded 20 basis points (bps) to 34.1%. In dollar terms, gross profit improved 11.5% to $9,027 million from $8,093 million in the year-ago quarter, primarily driven by higher sales. Excluding the impact of the ASU No. 2014-09 revenue recognition standards adopted in first-quarter fiscal 2018, gross margin contracted 30 bps to 33.6%. Adjusted operating income increased 13.7% to $3,625 million while adjusted operating margin expanded 30 bps year over year to 13.7%. Balance Sheet and Cash Flow Home Depot ended fiscal 2018 with cash and cash equivalents of $1,778 million, long-term debt (excluding current maturities) of $26,807 million, and shareholders' deficit of $1,878 million. In fiscal 2018, it generated $13,038 million of net cash from operations. Further, the company remains committed to rewarding shareholders through dividends and share repurchases. This is clear from the recent 32% hike in its quarterly dividend to $1.36 per share, which is payable on Mar 28 to shareholders with record as of Mar 14. This marked the 128th straight quarter of dividend payment for the company. Moreover, the company authorized new $15-million share buyback program, which replaces its existing authorization. Outlook Home Depot outlined a solid view for fiscal 2019 and reaffirmed long-term financial targets. For fiscal 2019, which has 52 weeks, the company expects sales growth of nearly 3.3%, with comps growth of about 5% (for the comparable 52-week period). Further, the company projects gross margin of approximately 34% and operating margin of 14.4%. Other assumptions include net interest expenses of approximately $1.2 billion, with effective tax rate estimated to be about 25.5%. The company anticipates earnings per share of $10.03 for fiscal 2019, up nearly 3.1% year over year. The company estimates capital expenditure of nearly $2.7 billion, with nearly five net new stores planned for the fiscal year. Cash flow from operations is expected to be $14.1 billion while depreciation and amortization are likely to be $2.3 billion. Moreover, it plans to repurchase shares worth nearly $5 billion in the fiscal year. The company reiterated its targets for fiscal 2020, anticipating total sales of nearly $115-$120 billion. Further, it expects operating margin of 14.4-15%. Return on invested capital is estimated to be more than 40%. Want Better-Ranked Stocks? Check These Lucrative Picks Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. BECN has long-term earnings growth rate of 11.9% and a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here . Fastenal Company FAST has long-term earnings growth rate of 16% and a Zacks Rank #2. Lumber Liquidators Holdings, Inc LL has long-term earnings growth rate of 27.5% and a Zacks Rank #2. Breakout Biotech Stocks with Triple-Digit Profit Potential The biotech sector is projected to surge beyond $775 billion by 2024 as scientists develop treatments for thousands of diseases. They're also finding ways to edit the human genome to literally erase our vulnerability to these diseases. Zacks has just released Century of Biology: 7 Biotech Stocks to Buy Right Now to help investors profit from 7 stocks poised for outperformance. Our recent biotech recommendations have produced gains of +98%, +119% and +164% in as little as 1 month. The stocks in this report could perform even better. See these 7 breakthrough stocks now>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Lumber Liquidators Holdings, Inc (LL): Free Stock Analysis Report Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. (BECN): Free Stock Analysis Report The Home Depot, Inc. (HD): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2019-02-27,28.3503,28.8941,28.1973,28.8033,"[""Lowe's (LOW) Q4 Earnings Meet, Revenues Miss Estimates"", ""IBD Stock Of The Day: This Industry Group Leader With 139% Growth Chases Buy Point"", ""IBD Stock Of The Day: This Industry Group Leader With 139% Growth Chases Buy Point"", ""Lowe's (LOW) Q4 Earnings Meet, Revenues Miss Estimates"", ""Lowe's (LOW) Q4 Earnings Meet, Revenues Miss Estimates Lowe's Companies, Inc.LOW reported fourth-quarter fiscal 2018 results, wherein the top line missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate but the bottom line met the respective mark. Moreover, comparable sales fell short of analysts' expectations. However, both net sales and earnings per share improved year over year. While the home improvement retailer remains optimistic about the U.S. economy, it anticipates softness in the Canadian housing market to persist in the near-term. The company is streamlining its store portfolio, which along with its strategy of enhancing customer shopping experience with advanced technology and inventory rationalizing, is likely to generate incremental sales. There lies a significant opportunity to enhance pro-sales. Meanwhile, Lowe's is on track with its plans to exit Mexico retail operations, Orchard Supply Hardware business and certain non-core businesses in U.S. home improvements including Alacrity Renovation and Iris Smart Home. The decision is likely to enable the company to focus more on prospective areas such as home improvements, home furnishing products, repair and maintenance. Shares of this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company are up roughly 3% during the pre-market trading session. Q4 Performance Lowe's posted adjusted earnings of 80 cents a share that came in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate and increased approximately 8.1% from 74 cents in the year-ago quarter. Net sales of $15.6 billion fell short of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $15.7 billion. Notably, sales in the quarter under review inched up 1% year over year. Prior to that, the company posted sales growth of 3.8%, 7.1% and 3% in the third, second and first quarters, respectively. Comparable sales rose 1.7% in the quarter under review, following an increase of 1.5%, 5.2% and 0.6% recorded in the third, second and first quarters, respectively. Comparable sales for the U.S. home improvement business jumped 2.4%. Comparable sales for the U.S. business grew 2%, 5.3% and 0.5% in the third, second and first quarters, respectively. Gross profit decreased 1.3% year over year to $4,898 million, while gross margin contracted around 74 basis points to 31.3%. Other Financial Aspects Lowe's, which competes with Home Depot HD , ended the quarter with cash and cash equivalents of $511 million, long-term debt (excluding current maturities) of $14,391 million and shareholders' equity of $3,644 million. The company generated cash flow from operations of $6,193 million for fiscal 2018. In the reported quarter, the company repurchased shares worth $529 million and distributed $387 million as dividends. Outlook For fiscal 2019, management continues to project total sales growth of approximately 2% with comparable sales expected to increase roughly 3%. Additionally, Lowe's envisions adjusted operating margin to increase 85-95 basis points and projects earnings per share in the band of $6.00-$6.10. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the fiscal year is currently pegged at $6.05. Don't Miss These Solid Retail Stocks Beacon Roofing Supply BECN has long-term earnings growth rate of 21% and carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here . Fastenal Company FAST with a Zacks Rank #2 has a long-term earnings growth rate of 16%. Is Your Investment Advisor Fumbling Your Financial Future? See how you can more effectively safeguard your retirement with a new Special Report, \""4 Warning Signs Your Investment Advisor Might Be Sabotaging Your Financial Future.\"" Click to get it free >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. (BECN): Free Stock Analysis Report Lowe's Companies, Inc. (LOW): Free Stock Analysis Report The Home Depot, Inc. (HD): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""IBD Stock Of The Day: This Industry Group Leader With 139% Growth Chases Buy Point"", ""Lowe's (LOW) Q4 Earnings Meet, Revenues Miss Estimates""]"
FAST,2019-02-28,28.7934,28.7934,28.5003,28.5417,
FAST,2019-03-01,28.7361,28.8556,28.0206,28.2189,
FAST,2019-03-04,28.2189,28.4263,28.0018,28.4095,"3 Big Stock Charts for Monday: Nielsen Holdings, Kroger and Fastenal Company InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips Teetering on the edge of a full-blown pullback as of Thursday, the bulls finally decided to make a stand. Friday's 0.69% advance from the S&P 500 may not have undeniably averted a disaster, but it certainly let stocks end the week on a high note. Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN ) did most of the heavy lifting, up nearly 2% in response to news that it was planning to open dozens of grocery stores in the near future … an announcement that ultimately shook shares of at least one competitor out of a budding uptrend. Smaller Chesapeake Energy (NYSE: CHK ) was actually a bigger winner, however, rallying close to 6% as investors increasingly believe its turnaround effort is taking hold. The market's gain overcame the dead weight Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA ) brought to the table. Shares of the electric car company fell almost 8% in response to concerns that Tesla can't actually afford to make the $35,000 Model 3 it touted on Thursday. None of those names are especially well suited for trading as this week gets going, though. Rather, it's the stock charts of Fastenal Company (NASDAQ: FAST ), Nielsen Holdings (NYSE: NLSN ) and Kroger (NYSE: KR ) that appear to be entering well-developed trends. Kroger (KR) Over the course of the past several months, we've watched Kroger shares bounce around inside of, and sometimes outside of, a narrowing trading range. Since December, the stock has spent more time below the floor of that range than above it, although it never really suffered that ""death blow."" On Friday, however, the 4.5% stumble in response to news of Amazon's grocery ambitions broke several key support lines. 7 March Madness Stocks to Consider for the Big Dance There's one more chance to salvage it, but the bulls are going to have to work a little magic to keep several months' worth of indecision from becoming unleashed in a hurry. Click to Enlarge • The shape and placement of Friday's bar is the key. Kroger shares started above them all, but in one fell swoop the stock broke back under all three key moving average lines as well as the lower edge of the rising wedge, framed with yellow lines on both stock charts. • The weekly chart puts things in perspective. Last year's momentum has been slipping for a while now. • The line in the sand is around $26.65, plotted with a red dashed line on both stock charts. That's where Kroger found a bottom in October and again in December. That floor may not survive a third test. Fastenal Company (FAST) Fastenal Company is another name that's made its way onto our radar several times in recent weeks, largely for the same reason as Kroger. That is, like KR, FAST shares have been bouncing around - rather reliably - within a wide trading range since 2016. The recent bump into the upper boundary of that range has, as of Friday, started to become true trouble for the stock. Click to Enlarge • There are actually two support lines in play here. The near-term minor one is plotted in yellow, and tagged all the key lows since the middle of last year. The ultimate floor, however, is plotted with a white dashed line on the weekly chart. It's paired up with the uppermost ceiling at the top of both stock charts. • That same weekly chart indicates Fastenal shares are stochastically overbought … a condition that tends to coincide with encounters of the upper edge of the trading range, and a condition that's usually quickly ended with some significant selling. • Still, although clearly vulnerable to more downside, this setup would be much stronger if the market helped, and if FAST can log at least one more lower close. Nielsen Holdings (NLSN) Finally, it's still miles away from securing its place in a new uptrend. But, Nielsen Holdings has moved well enough to that condition to justify putting it on your radar now. Just know that odds are good there will still be a time in the very foreseeable future that it doesn't feel like NLSN has snapped out of the bearish funk that's dragged it lower for the past couple of years. Click to Enlarge • The ""notice"" is this past week's push up and off the purple 50-day moving average line and, briefly anyway, back above the white 200-day moving average line. It's the best attack on the long-term moving average line we've seen in months, underscored by strong volume. • The weekly chart shows previous attempts to move above the 200-day average have petered out. This one is different, though, in the sense that it's starting after what looks like a capitulation in July. • Bear in mind a reversal out of a long-term downtrend like this one is more of a process and less of an event. It's most likely that Nielsen will wiggle its way into an uptrend rather than make a clean ""V."" As of this writing, James Brumley did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities. You can learn more about James at his site, jamesbrumley.com , or follow him on Twitter , at @jbrumley. More From InvestorPlace 2 Toxic Pot Stocks You Should Avoid 7 Reasons Kraft Heinz Stock Is a Contrarian Buy 5 Housing Stocks to Buy for Renewed Homebuilder Confidence 7 of the Best ETFs to Buy for a Rock-Solid Portfolio Compare Brokers The post 3 Big Stock Charts for Monday: Nielsen Holdings, Kroger and Fastenal Company appeared first on InvestorPlace . The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2019-03-05,28.4263,28.4263,28.0867,28.1005,"[""Investment Process Special (Part 1 Of 3): The Core Value Drivers With Novo Nordisk And W.W. Grainger"", ""Investment Process Special (Part 1 Of 3): The Core Value Drivers With Novo Nordisk And W.W. Grainger"", ""Investment Process Special (Part 1 Of 3): The Core Value Drivers With Novo Nordisk And W.W. Grainger""]"
FAST,2019-03-06,28.065,28.2743,28.0393,28.1271,"[""Fastenal reports figures for February"", ""Fastenal reports figures for February"", ""Fastenal reports figures for February""]"
FAST,2019-03-07,28.0867,28.1183,27.6622,27.8992,"[""Your 55 March Quarter NASDAQ Dividend Dogs By Yield, Upside And Net Gains"", ""Fastenal Reports Solid February Sales Despite Weather Woes"", ""Fastenal Reports Solid February Sales Despite Weather Woes"", ""Your 55 March Quarter NASDAQ Dividend Dogs By Yield, Upside And Net Gains"", ""7 Dividend Stocks Already Rewarding Shareholders In 2019 InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips When you write about investing as much as I do, sometimes it takes a little divine intervention to come up with ideas. Sometimes, I'll borrow an idea from another writer. Recently, I saw an article about dividend stocks that have already increased their quarterly payment early in 2019. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Eric Volkman, the author in question,recommendedPepsiCo (NASDAQ: PEP ), Walmart (NYSE: WMT ) and TJX (NYSE: TJX ). All Dividend Aristocrats, I like the latter two. Pepsi not so much. However, I do appreciate the inspiration. Now, on to the task at hand. I'm looking for seven dividend stocks that I'd want to own that have announced a dividend increase in the first 64 days of the year. While they don't have to be in the S&P 500 , nor do they have to be a Dividend Aristocrat, they should have a market cap higher than $2 billion. To help with diversification, I'll try to get one stock for seven different sectors. I can't guarantee that will be the case, but I'll give it my best shot. 10 High-Yield Monthly Dividend Stocks So, without further ado, here are my seven dividend stocks to own now. EPR Properties (EPR) On Jan. 16, 2019, EPR Properties (NYSE: EPR ) announced a 4.2%increase in its monthly cash dividend . Payable as of Feb. 15, the monthly dividend is now 37.5 cents or $4.50 on an annual basis. It is the company's ninth consecutive year increasing its dividend. In February 2018, I recommendedthe REIT that specializes in experiential real estate, to own in good times and bad. At the time, it was yielding 7.7%. As of Mar. 5, 2019, it's yielding 6.1%. That's because it has appreciated significantly over the past year. I've been a fan of EPR stock for a long time. I first recommendedit in 2013 when it was trading in the $50s. In 2019, EPR expects to generate adjusted funds from operation (FFO) of at least $5.30 a share. With all the interesting experiential real estate it owns or is developing, I continue to believe it's a REIT to hold for the next 20 years. Fastenal (FAST) On Jan. 16, 2019, Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST ) announceda 3-cent increase in its quarterly dividend. Payable as of Feb. 27, the quarterly dividend is now 43 cents or $1.72 on an annual basis. As of Mar. 5, it yielded 2.8%. The company first paid an annual dividend in 1991. It went to semi-annual dividends in 2003, and finally to quarterly dividends in 2011. It has also paid out special dividends in 2010 and 2012. Fastenal is a wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies. Although I haven't coveredthe company in recent years, its results from fiscal 2018 suggest it's doing just fine. In 2018, Fastenal grew revenues by 13% to $5 billion. On the bottom line, it increased earnings by 30% to $752 million. Both the company's fastener and non-fastener products experienced healthy double-digit growth in 2018. 10 Small-Cap Stocks That Look Like Bargains CEO Daniel Florness plans to double company sales to $10 billion . That ought to happen sometime in 2024. Perhaps earlier. BlackRock (BLK) On Jan. 16, 2019, BlackRock (NYSE: BLK ) announceda 5% increase in its quarterly dividend to $3.30. Payable as of Mar. 21, the quarterly dividend works out to $13.20 on an annual basis. As of Mar. 5, it yielded 3.0%. BlackRock CEO Larry Fink has become almost as famous for his annual letter to CEOs as he has for building the owner of iShares ETFs into a global asset management powerhouse. Fink's 2019 letter was another classic. Here's the part that stands out for me: \""Companies must embrace a greater responsibility to help workers navigate retirement, lending their expertise and capacity for innovation to solve this immense global challenge. In doing so, companies will create not just a more stable and engaged workforce, but also a more economically secure population in the places where they operate,\"" Fink statedin BlackRock's 2019 Letter to CEOs . He's not shy to say what's on his mind. Some people don't like it. I do. Ibelieveit's what sets BlackRock apart from other asset management and financial services firms. Stand up for the little guy, and the little guy will give it his or her all for management. It's a contract Fink believes should still exist within companies. I couldn't agree more. Penske Automotive (PAG) On Jan. 30, 2019, Penske Automotive Group (NYSE: PAG ) announceda 1-cent increase in its quarterly dividend to 38 cents. Payable as of Mar. 1, the quarterly dividend works out to $1.52 on an annual basis. As of Mar. 5, it yielded 3.4%. A penny increase in the quarterly dividend might not seem like a lot, but it adds up. That's especially true when you've increased the dividend for 31 consecutive quarters. That's not a typo. There aren't many companies that are that consistent about their dividend. Of course, would you expect any less from Roger Penske, the King of motor racing? It hasn't been smooth motoring for PAG stock over the past 26 months with negative total returns of 5.3% and 12.8% in 2017 and 2018, respectively; it's nice to see Penske stock is up almost 9% year-to-date. 7 Dow Jones Stocks to Buy I recommendedPAG stock last August as one of seven dividend growth stocks to buy. Although it has gone slightly backward since then, I see its juicy 3.4% dividend yield as an excellent check to earn while you wait for its stock to revert to the mean. Brookfield Infrastructure Partners (BIP) On Feb. 6, 2019, Brookfield Infrastructure Partners (NYSE: BIP ) announced a 6.9% increase in its quarterly dividend to 50 cents. Payable as of Mar. 29, the quarterly dividend works out to $2.01 on an annual basis. As of Mar. 5, it yielded 5%. Google the word \""infrastructure,\"" and you get 718 million results. Without infrastructure investments, economies wither and die. President Trump ran on an impressive platform in 2016 to grow the nation's infrastructure, but very little has been done. That's because America is broke and infrastructure is a costly adventure. It's not for the faint of heart, hence the 5% dividend yield. In fiscal 2018, BIP saw funds from operations (FFO) increase by 5%to $1.23 billion . Leading the charge was its energy business, which saw FFO increase by almost 29% in the past year. A significant part of the increase was the result of the company's investment in a Canadian midstream business as well as a North American residential energy infrastructure company. Like its affiliated former parent, Brookfield Asset Management (NYSE: BAM ), BIP's goal is to acquire assets at a reasonable price, get them operating both efficiently and profitably, and then sell those assets when prices are high. Then take the proceeds and do it again. Rince and repeat. Church & Dwight (CHD) On Feb. 5, 2019, Church & Dwight (NYSE: CHD ) announced a 4.6%increase in its quarterly dividend to 22.75 cents. Payable as of Mar. 1, the quarterly dividend works out to 91 cents on an annual basis. As of Mar. 5, it yielded 1.4%. What the maker of Arm & Hammer baking soda fails to provide in terms of dividend yield, it more than makes up for it with lots of capital appreciation. Year-to-date, CHD stock is up 0.54%. Off to a slow start in 2019, Church & Dwight stock is in danger of a losing year, the first in more than a decade. Over the past ten years, CHD's delivered an annualized total return of 19.6%, 250 basis points higher than the S&P 500. 7 Stocks That Should Be Worried About a Data Dividend That is why IbelieveChurch & Dwight is the best consumer staples stock for investors to own for the long haul. Best Buy (BBY) On Feb. 27, 2019, Best Buy (NYSE: BBY ) announced an 11%increase in its quarterly dividend to 50 cents. Payable as of April 10, the quarterly dividend works out to $2 on an annual basis. As of Mar. 5, it yielded 3%. With the 11% increase, Best Buy has now increased its annual dividend payment for six consecutive years. It has also paid a dividend for 61 straight quarters. Best Buy's past issues including its ongoing fight with Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN ) appear to be very much in the rear window. In 2018, Best Buy grew same-store sales by4.8% , overall revenues increased 1.7% to $42.9 billion, and earnings-per-share on a non-GAAP basis increased by 20.4% to $5.32 a share. In 2019, it expects to generate at least $5.45 a share in earnings on $42.9 billion in revenue. It might not be massive growth, but considering its shares were trading around $12 in 2012, it has come a long way. When I wroteabout Best Buy in August 2013 , it had online sales that accounted for 6.1% of its overall revenue. Today, it's 21.9% or almost four times as much. It's one of the best comeback stories of the 21st century. As of this writing, Will Ashworth did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities. More From InvestorPlace 2 Toxic Pot Stocks You Should Avoid 7 Stocks That Should Be Worried About a Data Dividend 5 Cheap ETFs Worth Considering 7 Cheap Stocks Under $5 That Could Soar Compare Brokers The post 7 Dividend Stocks Already Rewarding Shareholders In 2019 appeared first on InvestorPlace . The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Reports Solid February Sales Despite Weather Woes Fastenal CompanyFAST came out with February sales report, wherein net sales grew 10.5% year over year to $411.9 million. However, the figure was down from 13.3% net sales growth in January. Meanwhile, daily sales grew 10.5% to $20.6 million, down from 13.3% growth registered in January. Winter storms negatively impacted February sales by an estimated 130-160 basis points (bps). Foreign exchange also impacted the same by 50 bps. That said, the sales pace is in line with the company's expectation of double-digit growth in 2019, owing to a combination of company-specific growth drivers (i.e. Onsite, vending) and price realization. From end-market perspective, manufacturing sales grew 11.6% during the month, comparing unfavorably with the 15.9% growth in the year-ago period. Again, non-residential construction grew 11%, better than the 10.5% growth reported in February 2018. Fastenal derives sales from the fastener product line and the other product line. Fasteners growth slowed to 8.7% from 13.3% in January and 13.1% in February 2018. Non-fasteners continued with its double-digit growth rate of 11.9%. However, it slowed down from 13.6% in January and 16.3% in February 2018. National account growth was an impressive 16% compared with 19% a year ago, given the fact that 78% of the top 100 accounts are expanding. However, non-national accounts grew just 3%, down from 7% in January and 9% a year ago. We believe that the slowdown in non-national account customer growth may reflect slowing industrial demand. Although growth of national accounts is encouraging, it reflects continued gross margin pressure. Also, a dip in fastener sales relative to other sales added to the woes. Negative customer/product mix as a result of enhanced growth of lower-margin national accounts and lower proportion of higher margin fasteners has been serving as dampeners for Fastenal's gross margin since the past three years. Its customer mix shifted toward the large-account end-market, which produces low-margin gross profit but stronger operating income. The product mix shifted from high-margin fastener products to lower margin non-fastener products. Fastenal ended 2018 with a gross margin of 48.3%, down 100 bps from the 2017 level, mainly due to product and customer mix, as well as freight inflation. Nonetheless, Fastenal, a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) stock, remains optimistic about its performance in the forthcoming quarters, given improved pricing expectation. Over the past three months, shares of Fastenal have gained 13.6%, outperforming its industry 's 9.7% growth. Other Top-Ranked Stocks Other top-ranked stocks in the Zacks Retail-Wholesale sector include Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. BECN , AutoZone, Inc. AZO and Tech Data Corporation TECD , each carrying a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here . Beacon Roofing has a three-five year expected EPS growth rate of 21%. AutoZone is expected to witness an earnings growth rate of 21.4% this year. Tech Data has a three-five year expected EPS growth rate of 8.7%. Is Your Investment Advisor Fumbling Your Financial Future? See how you can more effectively safeguard your retirement with a new Special Report, \""4 Warning Signs Your Investment Advisor Might Be Sabotaging Your Financial Future.\"" Click to get it free >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report AutoZone, Inc. (AZO): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. (BECN): Free Stock Analysis Report Tech Data Corporation (TECD): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Reports Solid February Sales Despite Weather Woes"", ""Your 55 March Quarter NASDAQ Dividend Dogs By Yield, Upside And Net Gains""]"
FAST,2019-03-08,27.7018,27.9337,27.4708,27.8557,"[""3 Reasons Why Fastenal (FAST) Is a Great Growth Stock"", ""3 Reasons Why Fastenal (FAST) Is a Great Growth Stock"", ""3 Reasons Why Fastenal (FAST) Is a Great Growth Stock Investors seek growth stocks to capitalize on above-average growth in financials that help these securities grab the market's attention and produce exceptional returns. But finding a great growth stock is not easy at all. By their very nature, these stocks carry above-average risk and volatility. Moreover, if a company's growth story is over or nearing its end, betting on it could lead to significant loss. However, the Zacks Growth Style Score (part of the Zacks Style Scores system), which looks beyond the traditional growth attributes to analyze a company's real growth prospects, makes it pretty easy to find cutting-edge growth stocks. Our proprietary system currently recommends Fastenal (FAST) as one such stock. This company not only has a favorable Growth Score, but also carries a top Zacks Rank. Studies have shown that stocks with the best growth features consistently outperform the market. And returns are even better for stocks that possess the combination of a Growth Score of A or B and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy). While there are numerous reasons why the stock of this maker of industrial and construction fasteners is a great growth pick right now, we have highlighted three of the most important factors below: Earnings Growth Arguably nothing is more important than earnings growth, as surging profit levels is what most investors are after. For growth investors, double-digi t earnings growth is highly preferable, as it is often perceived as an indication of strong prospects (and stock price gains) for the company under consideration. While the historical EPS growth rate for Fastenal is 9%, investors should actually focus on the projected growth. The company's EPS is expected to grow 7.9% this year, crushing the industry average, which calls for EPS growth of 2.2%. Cash Flow Growth Cash is the lifeblood of any business, but higher-than-average cash flow growth is more beneficial and important for growth-oriented companies than for mature companies. That's because, high cash accumulation enables these companies to undertake new projects without raising expensive outside funds. Right now, year-over-year cash flow growth for Fastenal is 31%, which is higher than many of its peers. In fact, the rate compares to the industry average of 6.5%. While investors should actually consider the current cash flow growth, it's worth taking a look at the historical rate too for putting the current reading into proper perspective. The company's annualized cash flow growth rate has been 11.7% over the past 3-5 years versus the industry average of 11.5%. Promising Earnings Estimate Revisions Superiority of a stock in terms of the metrics outlined above can be further validated by looking at the trend in earnings estimate revisions. A positive trend is of course favorable here. Empirical research shows that there is a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and near-term stock price movements. The current-year earnings estimates for Fastenal have been revising upward. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has surged 0.4% over the past month. Bottom Line While the overall earnings estimate revisions have made Fastenal a Zacks Rank #2 stock, it has earned itself a Growth Score of A based on a number of factors, including the ones discussed above. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here . This combination positions Fastenal well for outperformance, so growth investors may want to bet on it. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""3 Reasons Why Fastenal (FAST) Is a Great Growth Stock""]"
FAST,2019-03-11,27.8557,28.0245,27.8419,27.986,"[""Portfolio Highlights"", ""Portfolio Highlights"", ""Portfolio Highlights""]"
FAST,2019-03-12,28.0739,28.2831,27.9159,28.1933,
FAST,2019-03-13,28.2061,28.4815,28.1933,28.4223,"[""IBD 50 Stocks To Watch: Fastenal Stock In Buy Range"", ""IBD 50 Stocks To Watch: Fastenal Stock In Buy Range"", ""IBD 50 Stocks To Watch: Fastenal Stock In Buy Range""]"
FAST,2019-03-14,28.3699,28.4045,28.065,28.2012,
FAST,2019-03-15,28.1893,28.4233,28.1271,28.2407,
FAST,2019-03-18,28.2743,28.6533,28.2743,28.6405,"BECN vs. FAST: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option? Investors interested in stocks from the Building Products - Retail sector have probably already heard of Beacon Roofing Supply (BECN) and Fastenal (FAST). But which of these two stocks presents investors with the better value opportunity right now? Let's take a closer look. The best way to find great value stocks is to pair a strong Zacks Rank with an impressive grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system. The proven Zacks Rank emphasizes companies with positive estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight stocks with specific traits. Beacon Roofing Supply and Fastenal are both sporting a Zacks Rank of # 2 (Buy) right now. This means that both companies have witnessed positive earnings estimate revisions, so investors should feel comfortable knowing that both of these stocks have an improving earnings outlook. But this is just one factor that value investors are interested in. Value investors are also interested in a number of tried-and-true valuation metrics that help show when a company is undervalued at its current share price levels. Our Value category highlights undervalued companies by looking at a variety of key metrics, including the popular P/E ratio, as well as the P/S ratio, earnings yield, cash flow per share, and a variety of other fundamentals that have been used by value investors for years. BECN currently has a forward P/E ratio of 11.07, while FAST has a forward P/E of 21.94. We also note that BECN has a PEG ratio of 0.53. This figure is similar to the commonly-used P/E ratio, with the PEG ratio also factoring in a company's expected earnings growth rate. FAST currently has a PEG ratio of 1.37. Another notable valuation metric for BECN is its P/B ratio of 1.26. The P/B is a method of comparing a stock's market value to its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. By comparison, FAST has a P/B of 7.73. Based on these metrics and many more, BECN holds a Value grade of B, while FAST has a Value grade of C. Both BECN and FAST are impressive stocks with solid earnings outlooks, but based on these valuation figures, we feel that BECN is the superior value option right now. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. (BECN): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2019-03-19,28.7747,28.8556,28.2446,28.4005,"[""Strategic Acquisitions Bode Well for Masco, Costs Increase"", ""Strategic Acquisitions Bode Well for Masco, Costs Increase"", ""Strategic Acquisitions Bode Well for Masco, Costs Increase Masco Corporation 's MAS inorganic moves, value-building techniques and cost-saving initiatives are key growth drivers. Meanwhile, shares of Masco have gained 35.1% in the past three months, outperforming its industry 's rally of 12.5%. However, rising raw material costs and prevailing homebuilding headwinds raise concerns. Let's delve deeper into the factors substantiating its Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Key Growth Drivers Masco, being one of the leading cabinet manufacturers in the United States, holds the highest share in faucets. The company's value-building techniques depict strong demand for its market-leading brands. Notably, its Behr brand is the topmost brand for architectural coatings in the DIY market. The company expands its product portfolio through various inorganic moves. In 2018, the company acquired Kichler Lighting in order to complement its product line and expand in the fragmented $6-billion U.S. residential lighting industry. The acquisition significantly contributed to sales growth of the Decorative Architectural Products segment in 2018. Its 2019 performance will continue to be leveraged by enhanced product portfolio, with existing and new customers realizing further operational improvements, and optimizing its brand and go-to-market capabilities. Meanwhile, the company regularly divests the less profitable and underperforming businesses to focus on its core areas, in a bid to accelerate growth and improve shareholder value. The company is enthusiastic about the future prospect of expansion and margin growth. Cost-cutting initiatives are boosting profits through business consolidations, system implementations, plant & branch closures, improvement in the global supply chain, and headcount reductions. Although the company has been experiencing depressed margins, it remains structured to optimize corporate demand for driving strong growth and margin expansion in the near future. Notably, in 2018, selling, general and administrative expenses were 17.7% of net revenues, contracting 90 basis points (bps) year over year. Causes of Concern In 2018, Masco's adjusted gross and operating margins declined 200 bps and 60 bps, respectively, due to increased commodity costs, higher depreciation expense, and ERP and logistics costs. Raw material costs and expenses related to new product launches are hurting its margins and profits. Masco purchases several raw materials like resin, copper and zinc to manufacture its products. Fluctuations in the prices and availability of these raw materials might increase the cost of production. Meanwhile, the company's overall performance is directly affected by volatility in the housing market. Over the last few quarters, the housing market has been witnessing a slowdown due to the affordability concerns arising from higher housing prices and rising mortgage rate. The company believes that the above-mentioned headwinds are likely to hamper its performance going forward. For full-year 2019, repair and remodel business (which represents approximately 85% of its business), is expected to grow in mid-single digits, lower than the 2018 level. Also, new construction is anticipated to rise in low-single digits, mainly due to labor constraints and affordability concerns prevailing in the market. Moreover, in international markets, specifically in Europe, sales are likely to grow in low-single digits. Consequently, overall sales growth (excluding currency) is expected in the range of 3-5% (versus 9.4% improvement in the year-ago period). Stocks to Consider Arcosa and Armstrong World's earnings for the next year are expected to increase 28.7% and 12.6%, respectively. Fastenal is expected to record 8% earnings growth in the current year. Zacks' Top 10 Stocks for 2019 In addition to the stocks discussed above, would you like to know about our 10 finest buy-and-holds for the year? Who wouldn't? Our annual Top 10s have beaten the market with amazing regularity. In 2018, while the market dropped -5.2%, the portfolio scored well into double-digits overall with individual stocks rising as high as +61.5%. And from 2012-2017, while the market boomed +126.3, Zacks' Top 10s reached an even more sensational +181.9%. See Latest Stocks Today >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Armstrong World Industries, Inc. (AWI): Free Stock Analysis Report Masco Corporation (MAS): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Arcosa, Inc. (ACA): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Strategic Acquisitions Bode Well for Masco, Costs Increase""]"
FAST,2019-03-20,28.3197,28.6681,28.1459,28.4005,"[""Vulcan (VMC) Rides on Strong Aggregates Demand, Costs Rise"", ""Can Growth Initiatives Aid Home Depot Despite Sales Woes?"", ""W.W. Grainger Is a Buy Now"", ""W.W. Grainger Is a Buy Now"", ""Vulcan (VMC) Rides on Strong Aggregates Demand, Costs Rise"", ""Can Growth Initiatives Aid Home Depot Despite Sales Woes?"", ""Vulcan (VMC) Rides on Strong Aggregates Demand, Costs Rise Vulcan Materials CompanyVMC is riding on higher aggregate shipments, strong pricing, cost-saving initiatives and strategic acquisitions. However, rising diesel and liquid asphalt costs, along with seasonal influences on construction activity are likely to weigh on the company's performance. Meanwhile, shares of Vulcan have outperformed its industry and the S&P 500 composite in the past three months. Its shares have gained 23.6% compared with the industry's 17.1% growth and the S&P 500's 17.7% rally in the same time frame. Let's delve deeper into the factors substantiating its Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Catalysts Driving Growth Based in New Jersey, Vulcan is one of the nation's largest producers of construction aggregates. The company's Aggregates business (including crushed stone, sand and gravel, and sand and other aggregates), contributing 80.2% to total revenues in 2018, is one of the major growth drivers for the company. Over the past few quarters, the company has been experiencing strong aggregate shipments and pricing, backed by growing public demand and operational discipline. In 2018, its aggregate sales increased 13% from a year ago to $3,513.6 million. Shipments (volumes) were up 10% year over year (6% on a same-store basis) and mix-adjusted price increased 3.5%, led by double-digit growth in Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Tennessee and Texas. Notably, total revenues grew 13% on a year-over-year basis to $4,382.9 million in 2018. Vulcan projects aggregate shipments to rise 3-5% year over year in 2019. Also, aggregates freight-adjusted price is expected to increase 5-7% from a year ago. Meanwhile, increased construction spending in the United States in recent times is a pure bliss for Vulcan. Precisely, public sector construction spending (representing 45-55% of total aggregate shipments) is quite stable compared with the private sector, as it is less affected by general economic cycles. The company is witnessing strong public-sector demand, courtesy of Trump's impetus to fix America's infrastructure over the next 10 years. Again, the company focuses on reducing controllable costs and maximizing operating efficiency across the organization in order to generate higher earnings and cash flow. Strong local operating disciplines, production efficiency and a commitment to improve on a regular basis have led to considerable cost savings for Vulcan. Notably, in 2018, its selling, administrative and general expenses, as a percentage of total revenues, improved 75 basis points. Adjusted EBITDA increased 15.3% from a year ago in the same period. Notably, the company anticipates double-digi t earnings growth in 2019, backed by continued strength in public and private construction demand. Per the consensus estimate, adjusted earnings is currently pegged at $4.78 per share for 2019, reflecting 18% year-over-year growth. Vulcan followed a systematic inorganic strategy for expansion and has wrapped up various bolt-on acquisitions that significantly contributed to growth. In 2018, the company closed four acquisitions for a total consideration of $219.9 million. Factors Affecting Vulcan's Profitability Vulcan is experiencing higher diesel and liquid asphalt costs over the last few quarters. Diesel expenses increased 25% and liquid asphalt costs grew 32% year over year in 2018. Asphalt gross profit declined 38.5% year over year, as higher liquid asphalt costs negatively affected segmental earnings by $54 million. The company uses large amounts of electricity, diesel fuel, liquid asphalt and other petroleum-based resources, subject to potential supply constraints and significant price fluctuation. Variability in the supply and prices of these resources could weigh on its operating costs and profitability going forward. Moreover, the company is prone to bad weather conditions, as most of its products are used outdoors in the public or private construction industry. Also, the company's production and distribution facilities are located outdoors. Inclement weather affects its ability to produce and distribute products, in turn impacting demand. Stocks to Consider Some better-ranked stocks in the Zacks Construction sector include Arcosa, Inc. ACA , Armstrong World Industries, Inc. AWI and Fastenal Company FAST , each carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here . Arcosa and Armstrong World's earnings for the next year are expected to increase 28.7% and 12.6%, respectively. Fastenal is expected to record 8% earnings growth in the current year. This Could Be the Fastest Way to Grow Wealth in 2019 Research indicates one sector is poised to deliver a crop of the best-performing stocks you'll find anywhere in the market. Breaking news in this space frequently creates quick double- and triple-digit profit opportunities. These companies are changing the world - and owning their stocks could transform your portfolio in 2019 and beyond. Recent trades from this sector have generated +98%, +119% and +164% gains in as little as 1 month. Click here to see these breakthrough stocks now >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Armstrong World Industries, Inc. (AWI): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Vulcan Materials Company (VMC): Free Stock Analysis Report Arcosa, Inc. (ACA): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Can Growth Initiatives Aid Home Depot Despite Sales Woes? The Home Depot Inc.HD has been performing well lately as evident from 14.7% rise in the stock price in the past three months. This growth stemmed from progress on its integrated retail strategy that connects offline and online channels. Further, the company's omni-channel expansion efforts and momentum in the Pro business supported this momentum. However, this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stock has witnessed a snag in the past month, owing to lower-than-expected sales and comparable store sales (comps) reported in fourth-quarter fiscal 2018. Tough comparisons, hurricane-related sales gains in the prior year, currency headwinds and commodity price inflation in the first three quarters of fiscal 2018 deterred comps growth. While these headwinds were factored in the company's guidance, an unexpected impact of wet winter weather in all regions throughout the quarter largely weighed on comps. The wet weather caused project delays, thus reducing demand, which negatively impacted comp sales in the fiscal fourth quarter by nearly 85 bps. Clearly, the stock has declined 4% in the past month against the sector 's growth of 2.5%. Nonetheless, there are more positive factors that can cushion the performance of Home Depot's stock despite the aforementioned deterrents. Let's get a detailed view of factors that may aid the stock's growth moving ahead. Integrated Retail Strategy on Track Home Depot's integrated retail strategy is well received by customers as clear from improved customer satisfaction scores and conversion rates through investments in interconnected capabilities that encompass digital properties and physical store assets. Online sales, representing nearly 7.9% of total sales, increased about 22.7% and 24.1%, respectively, in the fourth quarter and fiscal 2018. Further, as a testament to its interconnected retail strategy, physical stores continue to be relevant to shoppers as nearly 50% of the online orders in the United States were picked up in stores. Moreover, the company continues to roll out automated lockers in its stores to make picking-up of online orders easier and convenient. Currently, automated lockers are available in about 1,000 stores. The company expects to roll out more lockers in 2019. Pro Sales Outpace DIY Sales Home Depot's Pro segment is key growth driver, with Pro sales outpacing DIY (do-it-yourself) sales for the past several quarters. The Pro segment is benefiting from the company's efforts to enhance service capabilities for Pros. The fiscal fourth quarter was marked by the rollout of a consolidated go-to-market approach for Pro customers under the Home Depot Pro banner. Further, the company is investing to bring more personalized experience for Pro customers through new B2B website. It expects to roll out this new Pro online experience to more than a million Pros in 2019. Robust Outlook - Long-Term Targets Reiterated Driven by strong close to fiscal 2018, the company outlined a solid view for fiscal 2019 and reaffirmed long-term financial targets. For fiscal 2019, it expects sales growth of nearly 3.3%, with comps growth of about 5%. The company anticipates earnings per share of $10.03, up nearly 3.1% year over year. Home Depot is tracking well with the \""one Home Depot\"" investment plans that were outlined in December 2017. It is benefiting from efforts to provide an interconnected shopping experience to customers, with localized and innovative products, and improved productivity. As a result, the company continues to anticipate total sales of nearly $115-$120 billion by fiscal 2020, representing compounded annual sales growth of nearly 4.5-6%. Operating margin is expected to be 14.4-15%. Moreover, it expects annual average capital spending to be about 2.5% of sales, with return on invested capital of more than 40%, reflecting the impact of the new tax reform. Conclusion A detailed review of the company's growth strategies suggests that the stock is definitely poised to regain traction in the future. This view is further supported by our VGM Score of A and a long-term earnings growth rate of 11.6%. Our research shows that stocks with a VGM Score of A or B combined with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy) offer the best investment opportunities. 3 Better-Ranked Stocks in the Same Industry With Potential to Grow Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. BECN has long-term earnings per share growth rate of 21% and a Zacks Rank #1 at present. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here . Fastenal Company FAST has long-term earnings per share growth rate of 16% and a Zacks Rank #2 currently. Tecnoglass Inc. TGLS has long-term earnings per share growth rate of 20% and a Zacks Rank #2 presently. This Could Be the Fastest Way to Grow Wealth in 2019 Research indicates one sector is poised to deliver a crop of the best-performing stocks you'll find anywhere in the market. Breaking news in this space frequently creates quick double- and triple-digit profit opportunities. These companies are changing the world - and owning their stocks could transform your portfolio in 2019 and beyond. Recent trades from this sector have generated +98%, +119% and +164% gains in as little as 1 month. Click here to see these breakthrough stocks now >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report The Home Depot, Inc. (HD): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Tecnoglass Inc. (TGLS): Free Stock Analysis Report Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. (BECN): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""W.W. Grainger Is a Buy Now"", ""Vulcan (VMC) Rides on Strong Aggregates Demand, Costs Rise"", ""Can Growth Initiatives Aid Home Depot Despite Sales Woes?""]"
FAST,2019-03-21,28.3651,29.0076,28.2367,28.9671,
FAST,2019-03-22,28.8556,28.9257,27.9594,27.9781,
FAST,2019-03-25,28.0107,28.2239,27.9159,28.0699,
FAST,2019-03-26,28.2189,28.2831,27.982,28.2594,"[""Beacon Roofing's Q2 Performance to be Hit by Adverse Weather"", ""Fastenal Company Announces Conference Call to Review \u2014\u2026\u20139 First Quarter Earnings"", ""Why You Should Buy Williams-Sonoma (WSM) Stock Right Now"", ""Fastenal Company Announces Conference Call to Review \u2014\u2026\u20139 First Quarter Earnings"", ""Why You Should Buy Williams-Sonoma (WSM) Stock Right Now"", ""Beacon Roofing's Q2 Performance to be Hit by Adverse Weather"", ""Beacon Roofing's Q2 Performance to be Hit by Adverse Weather Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc.BECN expects its second quarter of fiscal 2019 bottom line to be impacted by unfavorable weather conditions. The company expects to incur loss between 45 cents and 55 cents per share (on an adjusted basis), which is much wider than the current Zacks Consensus Estimate of 26 cents. Historically, the second quarter has been the most difficult quarter. The company experienced extremely harsh weather conditions in this fiscal second quarter, mostly in February and early March. Through mid-March, the weather negatively impacted 40% to 75% of the company's available selling days, depending on geography. Higher-than-normal seasonal pressure impacted margins that contracted more than the company had anticipated. It also resulted in higher variable expenses given weather fluctuations. Beacon Roofing expects its fiscal 2019 earnings to be toward the lower end of its earlier guided range of $2.90 to $3.35. A Look at Beacon Roofing's Q1 Performance In the las t report ed quarter, the company's top and bottom lines surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 3.6% and 7.1%, respectively on higher revenues and gross margin. Beacon Roofing, one of the largest distributors of residential as well as commercial roofing materials and complementary building products, posted record sales of $1.72 billion in the fiscal first quarter, up 53.4% year over year. However, earnings decreased 11.8% from a year ago, primarily due to 80.1% increase in operating expense during the quarter. Increased interest expenses along with preferred dividend payments associated with the acquisition of Allied added to the woes. Also, its earnings lagged the consensus mark in five of the trailing seven quarters. On a positive note, the company remains confident that it will be able to overcome the current weather-related unfavorable impact in the second half of fiscal 2019 on the back of higher volumes and margin expansion. Over the past three months, the company's shares have gained 10.8%, compared with its industry's rally of 12.1%. Higher contribution from the Allied Building Products acquisition and successful price increases associated with solid demand environment are expected to support Beacon Roofing's growth. Also, its focus on productivity enhancement is likely to aid this Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) company's performance. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here . Other Key Picks Other top-ranked stocks from the Zacks Retail-Wholesale sector include Fastenal Company FAST , Kohl's Corporation KSS and The Kroger Co. KR , each carrying a Zacks Rank #2. Fastenal has a long-term earnings growth rate of 16%. Kohl's surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in all the trailing four quarters, with the average positive surprise being 10.7%. Kroger has a solid return on equity of 23.5%, much higher than its industry's 10%. Is Your Investment Advisor Fumbling Your Financial Future? See how you can more effectively safeguard your retirement with a new Special Report, \""4 Warning Signs Your Investment Advisor Might Be Sabotaging Your Financial Future.\"" Click to get it free >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. (BECN): Free Stock Analysis Report Kohl's Corporation (KSS): Free Stock Analysis Report The Kroger Co. (KR): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Company Announces Conference Call to Review \u2014\u2026\u20139 First Quarter Earnings"", ""Why You Should Buy Williams-Sonoma (WSM) Stock Right Now"", ""Beacon Roofing's Q2 Performance to be Hit by Adverse Weather""]"
FAST,2019-03-27,28.3097,28.5003,28.0946,28.4411,"[""Tech Stocks: The Best Long-Term Winners?"", ""Tech Stocks: The Best Long-Term Winners?"", ""Tech Stocks: The Best Long-Term Winners?""]"
FAST,2019-03-28,28.4875,28.8635,28.4351,28.7983,"[""Zacks Market Edge Highlights: Microsoft, Amazon, Micron, Union Pacific and Fastenal"", ""Zacks Market Edge Highlights: Microsoft, Amazon, Micron, Union Pacific and Fastenal"", ""Insiders Bullish on Certain Holdings of TUSA A look at the weighted underlying holdings of the First Trust Total US Market AlphaDEX ETF (TUSA) shows an impressive 11.0% of holdings on a weighted basis have experienced insider buying within the past six months. Zimmer Biomet Holdings Inc (Symbol: ZBH), which makes up 0.35% of the First Trust Total US Market AlphaDEX ETF (TUSA), has seen 10 directors and officers purchase shares in the past six months, according to the recent Form 4 data. The ETF holds a total of $58,321 worth of ZBH, making it the #55 largest holding. The table below details the recent insider buying activity observed at ZBH: ZBH \u2014 last trade: $126.89 \u2014 Recent Insider Buys: Purchased Insider Title Shares Price/Share Value 02/05/2019 Robert Hagemann Director 2,000 $119.83 $239,651 02/06/2019 Betsy J. Bernard Director 4,250 $117.41 $498,994 02/06/2019 Christopher B. Begley Director 2,540 $117.19 $297,659 02/05/2019 Gail Boudreaux Director 2,095 $119.33 $249,988 02/07/2019 Bryan C. Hanson President and CEO 2,100 $119.02 $249,936 02/07/2019 Maria Teresa Hilado Director 1,650 $118.18 $194,990 02/13/2019 Michael J. Farrell Director 2,000 $123.62 $247,250 02/08/2019 Michael W. Michelson Director 2,085 $119.69 $249,553 02/15/2019 Arthur J. Higgins Director 500 $123.28 $61,638 03/01/2019 Syed A. Jafry Director 1,925 $125.52 $241,624 And Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST), the #92 largest holding among components of the First Trust Total US Market AlphaDEX ETF (TUSA), shows 5 directors and officers as recently filing Form 4's indicating purchases. The ETF holds $43,389 worth of FAST, which represents approximately 0.26% of the ETF's total assets at last check. The recent insider buying activity observed at FAST is detailed in the table below: FAST \u2014 last trade: $62.72 \u2014 Recent Insider Buys: Purchased Insider Title Shares Price/Share Value 10/12/2018 Terry Modock Owen Senior Executive VP 1,500 $52.07 $78,105 10/12/2018 Daniel L. Florness CEO and President 2,000 $51.95 $103,900 10/16/2018 Holden Lewis Chief Financial Officer/EVP 500 $52.28 $26,142 10/23/2018 William Joseph Drazkowski Executive Vice-President 830 $50.54 $41,948 10/22/2018 Daniel L. Johnson Director 965 $51.56 $49,754 10 ETFs With Stocks That Insiders Are Buying \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Zacks Market Edge Highlights: Microsoft, Amazon, Micron, Union Pacific and Fastenal""]"
FAST,2019-03-29,29.0165,29.2662,28.9444,29.1626,
FAST,2019-04-01,29.4528,29.8644,29.2622,29.8338,
FAST,2019-04-02,29.8288,29.9779,29.7331,29.9325,"[""Top Ranked Momentum Stocks to Buy for April 2nd"", ""Top Ranked Momentum Stocks to Buy for April 2nd"", ""Top Ranked Momentum Stocks to Buy for April 2nd""]"
FAST,2019-04-03,30.0065,30.197,29.7775,29.8476,
FAST,2019-04-04,29.9325,30.1773,29.8506,30.0736,"[""Fastenal (FAST) Reports Next Week: Wall Street Expects Earnings Growth"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Reports Next Week: Wall Street Expects Earnings Growth"", ""Why Housing ETFs & Stocks Could Spring Higher The housing market is probably entering a good spell. Winter months were subdued for homebuilding as the weather was too wet in the south and severely chilly in the north. Per some surveyed wood products companies, the homebuilding backlog is rising and a surge of domestic business will be seen in May and June . The housing market has, in fact, entered the key spring selling season, which is considered the peak time for home sellers. Normally, the season starts in March and lasts through May-June thanks to warmer weather after a chilly winter and buyers' inclination to move to a new house before the next school calendar starts. Buyers will be trying to dip their toes into the housing market for as long as the rates remain affordable. A solid job market is doing its bit to drive this segment. Despite persistently low inventories and rising price issues, the latest pool of sales data came in favorable. Sales of previously owned houses in the United States - which make up the majority of the market - surged 11.8% in February, marking the highest reading in 11 months and the biggest monthly rise since December 2015. Sales of new single-family houses rose 4.9% in February, beating market expectations and logging the highest reading since March 2018. Unlike last year, the Fed has been pretty dovish from the start of this year. The central bank has pledged to take a patient stance toward the future rate outlook amid global growth worries. Federal funds rate projections for 2019 were trimmed to 2.4% from 2.9%, while the same for 2020 and 2021 was cut to 2.6% from 3.1%. The U.S. benchmark yield is hovering around 2.48% as of Apr 2, down from this year's high of 2.79% hit in January. This will result in lower mortgage rates and benefit housing ETFs (read: Top ETF Stories of March ). Thanks to a dovish Fed and upbeat market sentiments, SPDR S&P Homebuilders ETF XHB (up 19.6%)has already surpassed the S&P 500 (up 14.4%) this year. The fund is still 7.3% off from its 52-week high, which entails more room to run. Against this backdrop, below we highlight a few stocks and ETFs that could be in focus in the coming days. Stocks in Focus Summit Materials Inc. SUM This is a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) construction material company. Fastenal Company FAST The Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) company, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the wholesale distribution of industrial and construction supplies in the United States, Canada and internationally. ETFs in Focus XHB The fund tracks the S&P Homebuilders Select Industry Index and charges 35 bps in fees. No stock accounts for more than 4.81% of the portfolio. iShares U.S. Home Construction ETF ITB The fund tracks the Dow Jones U.S. Select Home Builders Index, which includes companies that are constructors of residential homes, including manufacturers of mobile and prefabricated homes. The fund is heavy on two companies - D R Horton and Lennar. It charges 43 bps in fees. Want key ETF info delivered straight to your inbox? Zacks' free Fund Newsletter will brief you on top news and analysis, as well as top-performing ETFs, each week. Get it free >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Summit Materials, Inc. (SUM): Free Stock Analysis Report iShares U.S. Home Construction ETF (ITB): ETF Research Reports SPDR S&P Homebuilders ETF (XHB): ETF Research Reports To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal (FAST) Reports Next Week: Wall Street Expects Earnings Growth""]"
FAST,2019-04-05,30.2009,30.3075,30.043,30.2335,"Verizon’s 5G Wireless Network Is Live, but There’s a Big Catch Verizon just launched its first 5G wireless phone service—in Chicago and Minneapolis. But the company probably won’t see a real 5G payoff until 2021."
FAST,2019-04-08,30.2295,30.4251,30.1171,30.197,"[""Fastenal (FAST) Q1 Earnings: Can Solid Sales Ease Margin Woes?"", ""Buckingham Maintains Neutral on Fastenal, Raises Price Target to $60"", ""Buckingham Maintains Neutral on Fastenal, Raises Price Target to $60"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Q1 Earnings: Can Solid Sales Ease Margin Woes?"", ""Week Ahead: Looking for Earnings Season Clues This week, as we head into what could be a pivotal earnings season, many investors will be looking at early returns for clues as to what to expect over the next few weeks. Delta Airlines (DAL) is always quick off the mark and will be the first to report for the quarter that ended at the end of March when they do so on Wednesday, followed by building supply company Fastenal (FAST) on Thursday and then PNC Financial Services (PNC), Wells Fargo (WFC) and JP Morgan Chase (JPM) on Friday. All of those earnings will be closely-watched and parsed for clues as to what is to come, but the best indications may come not from facts, but from opinions. It is always dangerous to read too much into small sample sizes, and that is especially true here. The three financial sector companies\u2019 earnings on Friday will probably receive the most attention, but, as investors have seen all too clearly in the past, profits in banking don\u2019t necessarily translate to broad economic health and, in the case of WFC at least, that bank\u2019s individual issues will muddy the waters. FAST and DAL will be more indicative of overall conditions, but there too there will be industry- and company-specific factors that could result in a misleading indicator. The week before earnings season gets fully underway, however, is when analysts tend to adjust their forecasts, and changes there may well give investors a better idea of what to expect. It is easy to dismiss these price targets and ratings as just one person\u2019s opinion in each case. There have certainly been some high-profile misses and bad calls in the past, and no doubt there will be again, but the degree of specialization in analysts\u2019 work means that their opinions are worth more than most. Over the years, I have had many friends in the analysts\u2019 profession and know first-hand the degree of hard work, dedication and research that goes into their calls. That is why when someone like Stephen Tusa at JPM downgrades a stock like GE (GE) and cuts his price target, it directly affects the stock price. Tusa was not alone in issuing an adjustment this morning either; there were fifteen major ratings and price target changes made to start the week. As I said, this is often a time for such announcements, but fifteen is a large enough number in one day to make it worth looking at the average and attempting to divine a trend. Of those fifteen calls this morning, ten were negative and only five were upgrades. That makes it seem that there is some trepidation going into earnings season. In context though, that is hardly surprising. There were many reasons for the big drop in stocks at the end of last year, but one of those reasons was that many companies used third quarter earnings releases as an opportunity to temper expectations for the start of this year. As we have bounced back to recover almost all of those losses, those warnings have been largely forgotten by traders ... but not by analysts. The negativity we are seeing now is likely more about pricing in that context than about any real fear of recession, but it still suggests that this earnings season may not be as supportive of stock prices as we have come to expect. If nothing else, if this morning\u2019s calls are a guide, this week could be a bit bumpy. The actual results will decide the market\u2019s direction after that though, and the fact that an average of over two-thirds of S&P 500 companies beat expectations every quarter is why earnings are usually a positive boost to the market. That happens because analysts, and the CEOs\u2019 guidance that form an integral part of their calculations, are inherently cautious. However, even with that tendency to underestimate, a rash of downgrades should be seen as a warning. So, if the early reports this week bring some positive news, or if they disappoint, don\u2019t get carried away in either case. Whatever your view of the economy and the broader market, listen to what the analysts are saying. They set the tone for traders and investors and will give easily readable clues as to what to expect over the next few weeks. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Buckingham Maintains Neutral on Fastenal, Raises Price Target to $60"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Q1 Earnings: Can Solid Sales Ease Margin Woes?""]"
FAST,2019-04-09,30.0115,30.0115,29.4152,29.4616,
FAST,2019-04-10,29.284,29.6245,29.0668,29.5614,"[""Notable earnings before Thursday's open"", ""Fastenal declares $0.43 dividend"", ""Buy These 5 Low Leverage Stocks to Avoid the Perils of Debt"", ""Fastenal Q1 2019 Earnings Preview"", ""Fastenal Q1 2019 Earnings Preview"", ""Notable earnings before Thursday's open"", ""Fastenal declares $0.43 dividend"", ""Buy These 5 Low Leverage Stocks to Avoid the Perils of Debt"", ""Top Buys by Top Brass: CEO and President Florness's $103.9K Bet on FAST A company's own top management tend to have the best inside view into the business, so when company officers make major buys, investors are wise to take notice. Presumably the only reason an insider would take their hard-earned cash and use it to buy stock of their company in the open market, is that they expect to make money \u2014 maybe they find the stock very undervalued, or maybe they see exciting progress within the company, or maybe both. So in this series we look at the largest insider buys by the ''top brass'' over the trailing six month period, one of which was a total of $103.9K by Daniel L. Florness, CEO and President at Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST). Florness's average cost works out to $51.95/share. Shares of Fastenal Co. were changing hands at $64.96 at last check, trading off about 0.1% on Wednesday. The chart below shows the one year performance of FAST shares, versus its 200 day moving average: Looking at the chart above, FAST's low point in its 52 week range is $47.37 per share, with $67.09 as the 52 week high point \u2014 that compares with a last trade of $64.96. The current annualized dividend paid by Fastenal Co. is $1.72/share, currently paid in quarterly installments, and its most recent dividend ex-date was on 01/30/2019. Below is a long-term dividend history chart for FAST, which can be of good help in judging whether the most recent dividend with approx. 2.6% annualized yield is likely to continue. Click here to find out which other top insider buys by the ''top brass'' you need to know about \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Pre-Market Earnings Report for April 11, 2019 : FAST, CBSH, APOG, RAD The following companies are expected to repor t earnings prior to market open on 04/11/2019. Visit our Earnings Calendar for a full list of expected earnings releases. Fastenal Company ( FAST ) is reporting for the quarter ending March 31, 2019. The building company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 9 analysts that follow the stock is $0.67. This value represents a 9.84% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year FAST has met analyst expectations twice and beat the expectations the other two quarters. The \""days to cover\"" for this stock exceeds 15 days. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2019 Price to Earnings ratio for FAST is 22.88 vs. an industry ratio of 15.40, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Commerce Bancshares, Inc. ( CBSH ) is reporting for the quarter ending March 31, 2019. The bank (midwest) company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 8 analysts that follow the stock is $0.91. This value represents a 3.41% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year CBSH has beat the expectations every quarter. The highest one was in the 4th calendar quarter where they beat the consensus by 1.05%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2019 Price to Earnings ratio for CBSH is 15.64 vs. an industry ratio of 11.60, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Apogee Enterprises, Inc. ( APOG ) is reporting for the quarter ending February 28, 2019. The glass products company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 4 analysts that follow the stock is $0.91. This value represents a 9.64% increase compared to the same quarter last year. The last two quarters APOG had negative earnings surprises; the lates t report they missed by -3.61%. The \""days to cover\"" for this stock exceeds 11 days. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2019 Price to Earnings ratio for APOG is 12.56 vs. an industry ratio of 9.50, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Rite Aid Corporation ( RAD ) is reporting for the quarter ending February 28, 2019. The drug store company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 1 analyst that follows the stock is $-0.03. This value represents a 200.00% decrease compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year RAD has met analyst expectations once and beat the expectations the other two quarters. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2019 Price to Earnings ratio for RAD is -27.89 vs. an industry ratio of 4.70. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Q1 2019 Earnings Preview"", ""Notable earnings before Thursday's open"", ""Fastenal declares $0.43 dividend"", ""Buy These 5 Low Leverage Stocks to Avoid the Perils of Debt"", ""Delta\u2019s Profit Beats Estimates as Earnings Season Starts, and More to Know for Wednesday A flurry of news hit the market Wednesday. Among the highlights are Delta\u2019s results, a Sell rating for Apple, and a report that Uber plans to file paperwork soon for its initial public offering.""]"
FAST,2019-04-11,30.6402,31.3805,30.3835,31.0538,"[""Fenimore Asset Management Inc Buys Frontdoor Inc, Fastenal Co, Broadridge Financial Solutions ..."", ""Fastenal Company 2019 Q1 - Results - Earnings Call Slides"", ""Fastenal jumps to all-time highs following Q1 report"", ""Fastenal beats by $0.01, revenue in-line"", ""Fastenal inches up after EPS beat"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Q1 Earnings and Revenues Beat Estimates"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Q1 Earnings & Sales Top Estimates, Stock Up"", ""\""Davidson\"" On Fastenal"", ""Zacks.com featured expert Kevin Matras highlights: WellCare Health Plans, Domtar, Amedysis, Fastenal and DMC Global"", ""Dow Jones Leads Stock Market Action; Blue Chip Stock In Buy Range"", ""Fastenal Jumps on Earnings Beat"", ""Fastenal Company (FAST) CEO Daniel Florness on Q1 2019 Results - Earnings Call Transcript"", ""Earnings Scheduled For April 11, 2019"", ""7 Stocks To Watch For April 11, 2019"", ""Fastenal Q1 EPS $0.68 Beats $0.67 Estimate, Sales $1.309B Miss $1.31B Estimate"", ""Fastenal Co shares are trading higher after the company reported better-than-expected Q1 EPS and announced a $0.43 per share cash dividend."", ""Mid-Morning Market Update: Markets Mixed; Fastenal Profit Tops Estimates"", ""Mid-Day Market Update: SemiLEDs Falls After Q2 Results; China Bat Group Shares Surge"", ""36 Stocks Moving In Thursday's Mid-Day Session"", ""Mid-Afternoon Market Update: Crude Oil Down 1.6%; Papa Murphy's Shares Spike Higher"", ""Mid-Afternoon Market Update: Crude Oil Down 1.6%; Papa Murphy's Shares Spike Higher"", ""36 Stocks Moving In Thursday's Mid-Day Session"", ""Mid-Day Market Update: SemiLEDs Falls After Q2 Results; China Bat Group Shares Surge"", ""Mid-Morning Market Update: Markets Mixed; Fastenal Profit Tops Estimates"", ""Fastenal Co shares are trading higher after the company reported better-than-expected Q1 EPS and announced a $0.43 per share cash dividend."", ""Fastenal Q1 EPS $0.68 Beats $0.67 Estimate, Sales $1.309B Miss $1.31B Estimate"", ""7 Stocks To Watch For April 11, 2019"", ""Earnings Scheduled For April 11, 2019"", ""Fastenal Company (FAST) CEO Daniel Florness on Q1 2019 Results - Earnings Call Transcript"", ""Fastenal Jumps on Earnings Beat"", ""Fenimore Asset Management Inc Buys Frontdoor Inc, Fastenal Co, Broadridge Financial Solutions ..."", ""Fastenal jumps to all-time highs following Q1 report"", ""\""Davidson\"" On Fastenal"", ""Zacks.com featured expert Kevin Matras highlights: WellCare Health Plans, Domtar, Amedysis, Fastenal and DMC Global"", ""Dow Jones Leads Stock Market Action; Blue Chip Stock In Buy Range"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Q1 Earnings & Sales Top Estimates, Stock Up"", ""Fastenal Company 2019 Q1 - Results - Earnings Call Slides"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Q1 Earnings and Revenues Beat Estimates"", ""Fastenal inches up after EPS beat"", ""Fastenal beats by $0.01, revenue in-line"", ""Nasdaq 100 Movers: TSLA, FAST In early trading on Thursday, shares of Fastenal topped the list of the day's best performing components of the Nasdaq 100 index, trading up 4.1%. Year to date, Fastenal registers a 29.8% gain. And the worst performing Nasdaq 100 component thus far on the day is Tesla, trading down 2.9%. Tesla is lower by about 19.4% looking at the year to date performance. Two other components making moves today are eBay, trading down 2.2%, and American Airlines Group, trading up 1.7% on the day. VIDEO: Nasdaq 100 Movers: TSLA, FAST The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Co. Reveals Gain In Q1 Earnings (RTTNews) - Fastenal Co. (FAST) reported a profit for its first quarter that increased from the same period last year. The company's earnings came in at $194.1 million, or $0.68 per share. This compares with $174.3 million, or $0.61 per share, in last year's first quarter. Analysts had expected the company to earn $0.67 per share, according to figures compiled by Thomson Reuters. Analysts' estimates typically exclude special items. The company's revenue for the quarter rose 10.1% to $1.31 billion from $1.19 billion last year. Fastenal Co. earnings at a glance: -Earnings (Q1): $194.1 Mln. vs. $174.3 Mln. last year. -EPS (Q1): $0.68 vs. $0.61 last year. -Analysts Estimate: $0.67 -Revenue (Q1): $1.31 Bln vs. $1.19 Bln last year. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Co (FAST) Q1 2019 Earnings Call Transcript Image source: The Motley Fool. Fastenal Co (NASDAQ: FAST) Q1 2019 Earnings Call April 11, 2019, 11:00 a.m. ET Contents: Prepared Remarks Questions and Answers Call Participants Prepared Remarks: Operator Good day, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the Fastenal Company First Quarter 2019 Earnings Results Conference Call. At this time, all participants are in a listen-only mode. Later, we will conduct a question-and-answer session and instructions will follow at that time. (Operator Instructions) And as a reminder, this conference is being recorded. I'd now like to hand the call over to Ms. Ellen Stolts. You may begin. Ellen Stolts -- Financial Reporting and Regulatory Compliance Manager Welcome to the Fastenal Company 2019 first quarterearnings conference call This call will be hosted by Dan Florness, our President and Chief Executive Officer, and Holden Lewis, our Chief Financial Officer. The call will last for up to one hour and will start with a general overview of our quarterly results and operations, with the remainder of the time being open for questions and answers. Today's conference call is a proprietary Fastenal presentation and is being recorded by Fastenal. No recording, reproduction, transmission or distribution of today's call is permitted without Fastenal's consent. This call is being audio simulcast on the Internet via the Fastenal Investor Relations home page, investor.fastenal.com. A replay of the webcast will be available on the website until June 1, 2019, at midnight Central Time. As a reminder, today's conference call may include statements regarding the company's future plans and prospects. These statements are based on our current expectations and we undertake no duty to update them. It is important to note that the company's actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Factors that could cause actual results to differ from anticipated results are contained in the company's latest earnings release and periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and we encourage you to review those factors carefully. I would now like to turn the call over to Mr. Dan Florness. Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer Thank you, Ellen, and good morning everybody. And thank you for joining us for our first quarterearnings call I'm going to -- before I step into Holden's flipbook, just going to touch on a few comments that I had with our leadership in our normal call at 7 o'clock this morning to talk about the quarter, to give them a little insight about some things that we'll be focusing on the call, as well as just some of the comments I made to them. My first comment to them this morning was a sincere thank you for a job well done. I think this is a really nice start to the year. I'm pleased with the performance we're seeing across our business units throughout the planet and a very positive start to the year. I also mentioned them about the challenge that comes when you get into the -- a multi-year improvement in business. So, when I think back to stepping into this role back in 2000 -- late in 2015, we've had a tough year. The economy had not been our friend that year. And when you're exposed to the industrial marketplace and it flips on you, it can cause some pain in the short-term. But we kept focusing on what we focus on. That's our customer. We kept focusing on things to make our business better, and we really started the transition to a much more focused approach on some of our growth drivers, particularly breathing some new life into vending and challenging ourselves to look at Onsites as a meet -- as not a solution, when there's not an alternative, but as a means to grow faster and a new growth drive within our business. It's a wonderful way to extend what is the traditional Fastenal relationship, but lower your cost structure at the same time. And I hope these numbers are all correct. I haven't proofed them through our screening process. And this is just me jotting down some numbers. But what I shared with them was, if I stack together multiple years, five months of the last seven months, if I look at it, taking the three years added together and again, I hope I calculated it correctly, I believe five months or less seven months, we've been 30% plus, when you look at the cumulative impact of the last three years. And November and January were the only two months that didn't break that 30% and they were at 29%. So, a good number. And I believe for the last 14 months, if you looked at on a two-year basis and combined year one and year two growth, you're at a number that starts with the 2. So, north of 20%. But since August, I believe that number is north of 25%. So, not only are we -- do we have great local plans to engage with our customer and grow our business, but we're able to stack it on top of some comps that are frankly challenging. I'm really pleased with what the group is doing, and I'm really proud of the group and proud to be associated with them. I also shared with them one of their -- one of the blessings and curses of the Internet age, is it's easy to -- for people to make comments. Sometimes you read through a newspaper and some of the comments you see, you're kind of like, boy, that person just seems angry about something that's not this article, but they're just angry or you can tell that person's maybe political view is driving their commentary they're putting into an article. But at 10 o'clock last night, I was reading a comment that came in from a customer. And every comment that comes into Fastenal, I'm on an email distribution list and I read through them. Sometimes I do it late at night before I go to bed. Sometimes I do it early in the morning. And I'm reading one last night. It was a fellow. He said, I'm an older gentlemen, I'm 61 years old. That pain me a little bit because I'm 55. And I hear somebody at 61 refer to themselves that old was a little troubling, but that's a different issue. But this individual was talking about, where our branch, it was a San Antonio Texas branch, but where our branch went above and beyond the call and really helped them solve the problem. And I floated out to our regional leadership last night and I said, you know what, folks, this is what we're about. We're about solving peoples' problems. Because in today's world, sometimes it's hard to find people to help you solve a problem. And it was fun one to share because sometimes you get in a few here and there that aren't as positive and you assess them to understand what we can do to be better. But now, I'll flip the Holden's book here. We grew -- we had 68% -- $0.68 of earnings and I start there, almost 12% earnings-per-share growth. Bottom line is we grew our earnings faster than our sales. And that's not an easy act in a quarter, where weather was impact -- very impactful and with one less selling day. We were in the situation of -- with $20 million a day in revenue, there's a chunk of revenue, a chunk of gross profit dollars that are out there but the expenses typically are. So to pull off what we did, when we were down a day is a pretty positive thing. Despite the challenging weather, our demand continued to be healthy. Our daily sales growth was 12.2% in the quarter. And I think Holden said it well, 2019 has started where 2018 left off. Operating margin expanded 20 basis points and our incremental margin was 21.7. As we've talked about in prior calls, our growth drivers are changing the mix of our business. If we're successful with it, it's going to pull gross margins down. If we're successful with it, we should be able to leverage our operating expenses. And it should result in a great win for our customer, for our employee, for our supplier and for you, our shareholders. And I think you saw that in the first quarter here. But sequentially, we did hold gross margin flat, which was really a sign of some of the price increases we put in late last year in the wake of tariffs and inflations, allowed us a little breathing room in the short-term. But Holden will touch on that a little bit more in his comments. We talked about this in the past. Our business, as it continues to grow with larger customers and with international customers, sometimes we get caught in a situation where you have a customer who is doing some window dressing at the end of the year, end of the quarter. And they frankly stop paying with two, three, four weeks left in the quarter and it makes for a challenging situation. Our solution here is to constantly be engaged in discussion with our customer about -- our value proposition to you is a better supply chain. We take inventory up to your balance sheet. Don't do this to us at the end of the quarter because what it ultimately does, it puts us in a position where we can't fund inventory. But there's a trade-off. If we know we're going to have an extra $5 million in receivables, we have to squeeze that somewhere else and that doesn't serve our customer. And we need to be engaged in that dialogue and challenge. If you want to do window dressing, do it with somebody else's payable, not with ours. And -- but we did produced stronger cash flow in the quarter and allowed us to pay a higher dividend and reduced debt a little bit. Onsites, I remember, when years ago we did CSP and we really went through a change in our branch network. But at some point in time, we stopped talking about CSP because CSP became part of us. Now, we're going to keep talking about Onsites from the standpoint, sharing with you our location count and our penetration of the market and where we're finding success. But we're going to break a thousand Onsites sometime here in the second quarter. I guess, that's a forward-looking statement, but it's one I'm pretty safe in saying. But it's truly part of Fastenal now. We have Onsites throughout our region, throughout our districts. And so it's not something we're experimenting with, or pushing people to change or even pushing customers to consider and change. We're doing all that, but we're doing that from a base of knowledge similar to a -- not too many years ago, when we were talking to the industry about vending machines. But on Onsites, our goals are pretty simple this year. Let's sign 375 to 400. There's 52 weeks in the year. You've got to take out a couple of those weeks because it's the holidays and a lot happens in those weeks. But if we can do eight signings per week and do it 50 weeks of the year, that's 400. And so in the first quarter, we got off to a really nice start. We hit that number, and we signed 105. So, very pleased. Our sales growth, removing the transferred sales, so if I have an existing customer and we go Onsite, we'll probably pull some revenue out of a branch and move it over there. But ignoring that, that business is growing north 20%. Really pleased with what the team is doing. On vending, our goal is to do 23,000 units to 25,000 units. So, there's 254 business days in the year. We need to sign roughly a 100 every day to get it to the high end of that number. If we sign 90 every day, we're at the low end of that number. We were just shy of 90 in the first quarter. But in the month of March, we rounded up to a 100. We were at 99.6 per day. So, we were off to, I think, a nice start. And again, it's just part of our extension into our customers' facilities. Speaking of vending, I had a new experience yesterday. So, one of the things that we've struggled with is, we've had, I remember a few years ago at Investor Day, talked about the idea of having outdoor lockers or having lockers where we can do deliveries into. Frankly, we struggled to make the technology easy to use. And so we didn't get really much traction with it. And we have very few branches that have outdoor lockers. We have now built the interface between our point-of-sales system and our vending platform, which is a third-party software. And yesterday morning, I ordered something. We had turned on our Winona branch on Monday. So yesterday morning, I ordered something. I immediately had a confirmation of that order and a couple hours later I got an email, your order is ready to pick up and I went over and I punched in my six digit code and I pulled an item out of the locker. It was a really easy and seamless transaction. That doesn't mean we're going to be getting into the retail business anytime soon. But if I think of our Onsites, if I think of our customers that need something and they want to get in and out quickly or they are coming in after hours, it provides a great extension of our -- of the hours of our day and our ability to serve our customers. And I'm really excited about what that means, but really also proud of our technology team for developing that and it worked really easily. And I've gotten in the habit in recent months of buying a lot of stuff online. One of the companies I'm really impressed with and I buy from them once a week to understand what they're changing and I keep bringing comments to our folks as a result. I don't know if any of you have ever bought on Walmart online. They do a really nice job. Now, again, we're not a retailer, but making it easy and making it efficient for your customer is an important part of the equation. And we finally have that working. National Accounts grew 17% in the first quarter. The team continues do a great job of making promises to customers. And our branch and Onsite network, along with everybody else that supports them, does a great job of honoring those promises. So, good -- good quarter. Outside the US, exchange rate is a full right now. International is about 14% of our revenue and we grew in the mid-teens. I believe the number was about 17%, and so continued to be really impressed with our teams there, and our ability to extend the U.S and Canadian relationships broadly around the planet. So, excellent job to the team. With that, I'm going to turn over to Holden. But before I do that, when I read through his notes, one thing jumped out at me and that was the PMI at 55.4 and I almost -- when I read stuff or even read his notes, it almost felt like that was kind of an eee number (ph). And I've been here over 23 years, and I've never thought of 55.4 as an E-number and I've seen that in some of the external reporting. So, we're seeing a good tone in the marketplace. Holden is going to touch on some oil and gas concerns. And being a farm kid, I know the agricultural side has had some tough time in the last year with commodity prices and I'm sure there'll be some weakness there. But we're pretty bullish on what we're seeing. Holden? Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Great. Thank you very much. Good morning. So, let's just jump on to slide five. Total sales, as Dan indicated, were up 10.4%. There was one fewer sales day in the first quarter versus last year. So, on a same-day basis, sales were up 12.2%. We estimate that severe weather in the Northern US and Central Canada reduced sales by between 60 basis points and 90 basis points. So, remember last year, there was a weather issue as well, so net of last year's weather impact. The total effect was probably 20 basis points to 30 basis points. In March, our daily sales growth was 12.7%. Pricing in response to tariffs and general inflation contributed 90 basis points to 120 basis points in the period. This is below the level of the fourth quarter of 2018, but incremental progress is being masked in the current period by having to grow over the price increases that began to benefit last year's 1Q. We do look at it and believe that sequentially, our price realization was slightly higher. From a macro standpoint, as Dan said, the PMI averaged 55.4 in the first quarter of 2019. This is the lowest level in nine quarters, which is getting a lot of the print. But it does still constitute a healthy level, as reflected in continued low to mid single-digit growth in industrial production. Relatedly, our manufacturing and markets were up 13.4%, with recent trends remaining in force. Most sub verticals that we track are healthy, the main exception being oil and gas which remains soft. Construction was up 13.1% in the first quarter of 2019. The January comparison was easy, but February and March also continued to grow double-digits, as a result of healthy markets and strong internal selling energy. From a product standpoint, on a daily sales basis, fasteners were up 11.8% and non-fasteners were up 12.7%. In March, fasteners outgrew non-fasteners. Fastener growth has been sustained at high levels, while safety growth moderated to a mid-teens rate following what were two years of 20% plus growth in that product vertical. This has served to narrow the growth gap between fasteners and other products. But overall, we remain pleased with the growth of our main product categories. From a customer standpoint, National Accounts were up 16.9% in the quarter, with 81 of our top 100 accounts growing. Growth to non-national accounts was mid single-digits. Nearly, 65% of our branches grew in the first quarter. In terms of market tone, regional leadership remains constructive on demand, with the caution that was evident last November largely gone. The exception, as I mentioned, was oil and gas. We haven't seen the weakness in that market deepened, but we have seen it broadened across more of our regions. Still on the whole, 2019 seems to be starting much as 2018 finished. Now to slide six. Our gross margin was 47.7% in the first quarter of 2019, down a 100 basis points from first quarter of 2018, but flat on a sequential basis. Something we haven't seen since the first quarter of 2015. On a year-over-year basis, the familiar variables played out. Customer and product mix pulled the margin down, which is expected, given that the National Accounts and Onsite continue to drive our growth. Freight remained a drag, though not to the same degree we experienced through 2018. Our net rebates were a slight negative as well as a result of efforts to limit inventory growth. Our price cost deficit in the first quarter of 2019 was 20 basis points, which was half of the deficit that we experienced in the fourth quarter of 2018, as a result of incremental progress with pricing in the period to address inflation and tariffs. We expect to make further progress toward eliminating this deficit in the second quarter of 2019 and over the course of the full year. Our operating margin was 20% in the first quarter of 2019, up 20 basis points year-over-year. Continued healthy growth drove a 110 basis points of cost leverage and generated an incremental margin of 21.7%. Looking at the pieces, we achieved 60 basis points of leverage over employee-related costs, which were up 7.1%. This leverage was generated because FTE headcount growth lag sales at up 6.2% and due to our incentive compensation growing at a healthy but moderated level versus last year. Occupancy-related costs were up 2.3%, generating 35 basis points of leverage. A decline in branch expense as we continue to rationalize sites and only modest increases to non-branch occupancy costs, mitigated what was double-digit growth in vending costs as we continue to expand the installed base. We generated 20 basis points of leverage over other operating administrative expenses. The benefits of higher sales on this line was partly offset by a relatively active quarter for legal settlements and a large net debt write-off. This generated probably $2 million to $2.5 million more in costs in this period than we would have otherwise expected. As described in the past successfully, our growth drivers is likely to reduce gross margin over time, but also provides the platform and volume that generates good operating expense leverage. That played out in the first quarter of 2019, and we expect it to continue to play out over time. So putting it all together, we reported first quarter '19 EPS of $0.68 versus $0.61 in the first quarter of 2018, an increase of 11.9%. Turning to slide seven. Before jumping into the numbers, I just wanted to call to your attention, a change in our balance sheet. This quarter, we adopted FASB's new standards for accounting for leases, which requires us to move operating leases onto the balance sheet. You will see these values on separate lines identified as right-of-use assets and current long-term liabilities. The impact of adopting this standard on our income statement and cash flow was immaterial. Now, looking at the cash flow statement. We generated $205 million in operating cash in the first quarter of 2019 or 106% of net income. This remains below the historical rates of conversion that we have experienced in first quarters, but is meaningfully above last year's 92% figure. The challenge remains working capital, which I will cover in a moment. Net capital spending in the first quarter was $53 million, up from $29 million in the first quarter 2018, but consistent with expectations. This reflects investments in hub property and equipment that are necessary to support our high-service levels, as well as investments in vending equipment to support growth in our installed base. Our 2018 range for total net capital spending is unchanged between $195 million and $225 million to invest in hub property and equipment and vehicles to support our growth and vending devices to support our rising success in this initiative. We increased funds paydown dividend by 16% (ph) to $123 million and reduced debt. We finished the quarter with debt at 16.9% of total capital above last year's 15.7%, but down sequentially and at a level that we believe provides ample liquidity to invest in our business and pay our dividend. The working capital picture remains challenging but improved. Inventories were up 14% in the first quarter of 2019, with days on hand flat year-over-year. We continue to experience inflationary pressure on our inventories. However, during the period, we worked off the foreign sourced inventory that was accelerated into the US in the fourth quarter of 2018 and advanced several initiatives aimed at making us more efficient with inventory. AR grew 15.2% in the first quarter of 2019, with customers continuing to aggressively push payments out past quarter end. As has been the case in past quarters, we are not seeing any meaningful change in hard-to-collect balances. Reducing these annual growth rates will be an area on which to improve over the balance of the year. That is all for our formal presentation. So with that operator, we'll take questions. Questions and Answers: Operator Thank you. (Operator Instructions) Our first question comes from the line of Robert Barry of Buckingham. Your line is open. Robert Barry -- Buckingham Research -- Analyst Hey, guys. Good morning. Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer Good morning. Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Good morning. Robert Barry -- Buckingham Research -- Analyst Congrats. Solid start to the year. Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer Thanks. Robert Barry -- Buckingham Research -- Analyst So, you mentioned in the slide deck that reminded us that Good Friday is in April this year versus in March last year. How much did that impact the March number? And adjusting for that, do you read that things may be decelerated a little bit in March? Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Yeah. So, I think it's difficult to really burrow into what that number meant. I mean last year, Good Friday fell on the last day of the month and it fell on a Friday and so we have a lot of sort of month-end payments coming through. So, what was there -- was there a modest impact as a result of the timing of the holidays in the month? There probably was. But, look, I guess, the perspective that I would give to you -- to you, Rob, is this. If we're going to try to parse out the impact of a holiday, the impact of days in the month, et cetera, we also should probably be talking about variables such as foreign exchange and weather, and all these other things that impact our month. And if I look at -- if I try to adjust for all of these things, the fact is the growth that we experienced in the first quarter, if I adjust for acquisitions over the past 22 months, if I adjust for foreign exchange, if I adjust for weather events that we call out, we grew north of 13%, adjusting for all of those things. If I look at the six months growth rate, it was a little over 13%. If I look at the 12 months growth rate, it was a little over 13%. So the question that you're trying to get at the end of the day is, if you take out one piece, does that suggest that we're growing more slowly? And the answer I would give you is, that's not what we're experiencing in the market through March. I would say that, if you try to adjust for all the pieces, our growth rate has been remarkably stable at a fairly high level. And I think that with the exception of oil and gas, it's reflective of a business environment that remains fairly healthy through March. So, that's probably how I'd characterize. So -- no, I think you're right. But let's not lose sight of the fact that foreign exchange was as big of a drag on this quarter as we've seen, since we began to grow. There's a lot of moving pieces that go into it. But generally speaking, the environment feels healthy to us. Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer Rob, I'm going to throw in a little adder. Holden's dead on right. And he comes out -- I can always tell he worked in your world for many years. He thinks about stuff. I enjoy our conversations, so he thinks about things fundamentally different. My answer probably would have been a little brief, Rob. I'd probably said, you know what, I honestly don't know. If I ask 10 people, I'd get 14 answers. Historically, internally, I've always said to our team, you know what, when we pick up a day or lose a day or Good Friday comes into play, I usually throw in the joke that Easter is on a Sunday this year and Good Friday is on Friday. But I always had in my head, it's probably half a point. And when Holden asked me earlier about this question, I said, yeah, I said it helped us. Weather hurt us. This morning, my kids were at home, driving my dogs crazy because we have a snowstorm in Winona and it was thundering and lightning all night long. Weather impacted us. Good Friday impacted us. Good Friday will hurt us here in April. And if I were to put a number on it, probably 0.5%. But your underlying question is, did the tone change? And I honestly don't think it did. Robert Barry -- Buckingham Research -- Analyst All right. Great. Great. I guess, my other question was just on, seeing the FTEs grow just over six and kind of looking at data from the BLF, looks like wage inflation and manufacturing is running 2%, 3%. So, to see your employee-related expense up only seven, seems like a pretty noteworthy performance. And I was just wondering, if you can comment on kind of what's driving that and kind of how sustainable you think the ability to kind of leverage that line at this level is, as we kind of look out over the next several quarters? Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer I'll chime in on that and then Holden can add some nuance of some things that I might not be sharing or appreciating. And if you think of what was going on in the last couple years, we were seeing massive inflation in our numbers, not because of the marketplace but because of our performance. We pay a lot of incentive comp. And so, this morning, as an example, I was talking -- when we were talking to the RVPs, our Regional Vice Presidents, one of the things I said to him, is I said, hey folks, congratulations on a nice first quarter. But I gave a little bit of a cautious tone going into the second quarter. I said, second quarter of this year is our most challenging year from a comp stand -- from a comparison standpoint and earnings, the incremental margin standpoint. Because, last year, in the first quarter, we grew our earnings. I believe it was $21 million. And then from Q1 to Q2, that number -- that earnings growth number went to $30 million. And so our incentive comp expanded dramatically. I mean, if you looked in our proxy, you could see, from a leadership standpoint and that proportion works out throughout the organization. We pay-off earnings growth. And so, I gave him a caution for Q2. But in an answer to your question, are we seeing underlying inflation in labor rates, if I think of people that are working in our distribution centers, that are throughout the organization? Yeah, we're seeing inflation rates of the economy. One of the things that's masking a bit right now is the fact that our incentive comp isn't expanding at the pace it was the last couple of years. And that's why our incremental margin is shining through things, we talked about in the past. But it gives a buffer. And one of your peers described it really well years ago, when he talked about the shock absorbers in our system. When we're getting great earnings growth, we share a chunk-up with our employees and it takes a little leverage out. In a weaker environment, everybody steps up to the plate and loses a little bit of pay because the incentive comp contracts. And so that's part of the dynamic we have going on there is, yeah, is there an underlying inflation in wage rates? Yeah. We're employing the same base of people everybody else is from the standpoint where we draw from. But our incentive comp is at a high watermark a year ago and it's at that high watermark now. But incrementally, it's not growing in the same way. Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer That's right. And -- but, yeah, Rob, there definitely was a little bit of inflation as it relates to just sort of our base pay to our full timers and our part timers. But when you marry that up with the increase that we had in FTEs and headcount, we were still able to leverage that piece of our business. And then, when you throw on top of that, that the incentive pay piece, we actually didn't leverage that because the good news is when we're growing like we're growing, incentive pay is a big piece that shock absorber, if you will, when we're growing, we didn't leverage the incentive pay because the folks who are driving our business are being fairly successful. But that dynamic has been in place. I would expect a very similar dynamic going forward. We'll continue to expand our headcount. We'll probably continue to see some wage inflation in the market that's out there today. But this isn't the first quarter that dynamic has been in place. It existed for much or all of last year as well. And I think that the first quarter labor dynamics are very similar to what we experienced all last year too. And I would anticipate experiencing much of the rest of this year as well. If we grow double-digits, we should be able to leverage that. Robert Barry -- Buckingham Research -- Analyst Got it. All right. I'll pass it on. Thanks, guys. Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer You bet. Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Thanks. Operator Thank you. Our next question is from the line of Evelyn Chow of Goldman Sachs. Your line is open. Evelyn Chow -- Goldman Sachs -- Analyst Hi. Good morning, Dan, Holden. Maybe just starting on price realization this quarter. Fantastic job and encouraging to see that price-cost gap narrow. I noticed on pricing specifically, I think your comps on a stand-alone basis continue to get even harder throughout the year. So, would it be your expectation that though the price-cost gap turns positive, the actual stand-alone pricing level maybe is at its highest point in 1Q? Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Well, you're right that in 1Q what began to happen relative to 4Q was that we had to grow over price increases that we put in, essentially at the beginning of last year. And we'll have that dynamic in Q2, Q3, Q4 as well, where we have to grow with those same price increases. And in Q2, they probably got a little bit better. So from a sequential standpoint, what I expect from the fact that we grew pricing at 1%, little better than 1% in the quarter? Do I expect that necessarily to meaningfully increase? Perhaps not, given the comps. But all that said, we do believe that there is incremental sequential pricing to be had in the business over the next, certainly over the next quarter or two, as we continue to adjust to what the marketplace realities. And regardless of what sort of the year-over-year comp number looks like, as I said, I still believe there's opportunity for us to be constructive on pricing, sequentially into next quarter or two. And that should allow us to continue to mitigate and eliminate the deficit. So, I think what you're describing is kind of a comp issue and I get it. But I think, if you get the substance of the matter, I don't see our ability to pursue price as being worse today than it was in first quarter. And I don't see our ability to narrow that deficit on price-cost as being any more difficult today than it was in the first quarter or fourth quarter. So, I guess, hopefully that answers the question, Evelyn. Evelyn Chow -- Goldman Sachs -- Analyst That's very helpful, Holden. And then maybe just on Onsites. Obviously, nice to see the pace of signings and the continued commitment there. I noticed you called out, you had 66 activations and 15 closures this quarter. So, is that about the level of attrition you would expect going forward? Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Attrition regarding the closures, you're talking about? Evelyn Chow -- Goldman Sachs -- Analyst Yes, exactly. Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer So, that was a little bit higher this quarter than what we typically see. We will typically see some attrition, right? Looking into the reason behind those 15 closures, there was nothing unusual there. I would say that about half of them were simply because a plant closed or moved. I think that there was probably an equal number, where frankly we went Onsite, we didn't get the kind of revenue that we anticipated getting. So, we decided to leave or their business was off, right, or their business was off. But one way or the other, what made sense at the time didn't make sense today. And so we closed up that Onsite and we'll service them from the branches we always have. And there's -- I think there might be one or two in there, where -- where maybe we didn't deliver the performance we told them we would or another competitors sort of made some inroads and we left. And -- but those things do happen every quarter. It was a little bit higher this quarter than normal. But I don't see that as a trend necessarily. And we didn't see any unusual reasons for the number. Seem to be the usual stuff. Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer The -- I would throw a little -- some tidbit in there and I'll use vending as my example. When we started vending and it really was ramping up five yeas, six years, seven years ago, we didn't know what type of attrition there would be because it was a new industry. And what we found when we got into 2014 and 2015, that a lot of those machines that we had signed in '11 and '12 and '13 were extremely successful. But there was a handful that we signed that were just either -- oops, maybe we shouldn't have put this one in there. And we were pulling out on -- going into a given year, I looked at what we had for installed base and we were pulling out about and I don't have the stats in front of me, but my recollection, it is about 15% a year. But when we really looked at the underlying data, we saw that five of the -- probably a third of those were ones, where, you know what, we need to continue to get better at how we make it easy for our branches to serve these machines, because we felt we could lower that number to 10. What we've done in the last three years is we've lowered that number to about 11. And we think we still believe we can get it to 10. So if we have 80,000 machines out there, it would tell me we're probably going to pull out. In a good year, 8,000 and a less than good year, 9,000 or 10,000. And bottom line is we think that's a reasonable proposition because it helps us grow faster. In Onsites, if I looked at historically, we pull out about 10 a year, but we had 200 though. And so we didn't really know what it would be. And we still don't frankly know because there's still a newer animal. But sending those Onsites, we want to be mindful. We're really cautious about where we do it, where we don't do it. Because it's more expensive to pull out an Onsite than it is to pull out a vending machine. But I love the fact that we're engaging with our customers and we're growing faster, but it's going to take some time to figure out what that number is. When we have 1,000 Onsites, how many do we pull out a year? Because either the customer closed its facility or I mean, the customer gets acquired and the acquiring company doesn't use Fastenal. There are few of those out there and we're trying to reduce that number every day. Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer And with regards to the new active, new active is just a little bit lower in the quarter. We would expect to have a greater rate of active growth as you go through the rest of the year. Evelyn Chow -- Goldman Sachs -- Analyst All right. Well, thanks, again, for the time today, guys. Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer Thanks, Evelyn. Operator Thank you. Our next question is from the line of David Manthey of Baird. Your line is open. David Manthey -- Robert W. Baird & Company -- Analyst Hey, guys. Good morning. First off, could you talk about the cost structure of the business today? And I'm wondering if you think that the model is more or less variable than it was 10 years ago in terms of costs? And what I'm getting at here is if growth does moderate slightly, are you still going to be able to sustain 20% contribution margins in that environment? Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer The -- first, in your underlying, when I think back to a decade ago when we started what we called the pathway to profit, one of the things that we were truly doing is we were slowly making the model more variable in that by not opening branches as fast. That added to the fixed cost infrastructure of the business and we were making it more variable. One of the things that hurt our ability to leverage, as the economy was picking up is, A, I personally felt we needed to make some additional investments in some people resources to support Onsite to our vending, but also we made significant advancements in our infrastructure to do great things from a technology standpoint. And we talked about those dollars that we were willing to spend and consume some of the leverage. But also the variable nature consumed some of the leverage and incentive comp is a good example. To the extent, we're talking about incentive comp and the people energy, the model is more variable today than it was in the past. The question about incremental margin really becomes challenging in the short-term because it really falls back to how much do you want to dial back on certain growth drivers. Because the deleverage comes from -- if we have a branch out there doing 200,000 and that market softens and they go to 180, that's a painful downhill because that's a highly profitable branch, that's levered like crazy and there it's going to delever. And it's not very -- and it's more fixed than variable. The incentive comp-up piece, obviously, comes into play. So, it's probably a long -- not very -- a long, long answer to your question, Dave, but it depends on the timeframe. In the short-term, we could -- incentive comp pulls back automatically and you're the one that use the historical reference of the shock absorbers, which I think is a great descriptor. And in the shorter term, it's not as difficult. In the longer term, it really comes down to, do you want to start cutting away on some of the flesh? When the economy we sell into is huge, the opportunity is huge. But our installed base has contracted because we have all of this customer spend but their spend is down 20%. And so it makes it really challenging to do that because I'm a firm believer, I'm more interested in the going after the 100 billion plus market than I am about raining everything in the short-term. David Manthey -- Robert W. Baird & Company -- Analyst Yeah. Okay. Sounds different but still manageable. So that's fair. Second question. In previous quarters, you've talked about the customer conversations you're having around tariff-related price increases. And Holden, you answered this question to some extent. But I guess to refine it, have those sort of negotiated price changes been reflected already in the first quarter results. And also on the inventory side, are you now seeing the tariff cost increases flow through FIFO? Or do those two things continue to evolve with a glide path from first quarter into second quarter? Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Well, yes, on all of it, first off. Yes. So the conversations were aggressive through Q4 and frankly, fairly constructive. When we said, we were encouraged, I see no reason to sort of step away from the fact that we thought the conversations with our customers went fairly well. And I think there's a lot of reasons why that has been the case. One was simply the plan that was put together to address the issue of tariffs. We feel that was fairly open and fair, and I think our customers responded in -- as we would have hoped, they would have given that. We also put a lot of energy into having those conversations face-to-face with our customers. And so, yeah, they went fairly well. Now, our expectation at the time and I think it's played out this way is that we would begin to see those costs flow through the business in Q1, and so we had to be timed to start getting some of the pricing flowing through the business in Q1. And I believe that, that happened. And when we talk about seeing some sequential increase in pricing, I think that some of that is increases coming as a result of tariffs in that February, March period. And when we talk about being able to see some sequential increases in pricing, I think there is going to be some additional relationships and that come online, as we go through the early part of the second quarter and third quarter. So -- but at this point, I wouldn't say that we've been able to narrow the deficit with those things happening. The timing has worked out like we had planned for it to work out, and the dialogue with the customers has been positive around it. So, I guess that's where I would leave that. Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer Dave, the only thing I'd throw in as an adder is sudden jolts are disruptive as heck. And what it really requires is all of us, our suppliers, Fastenal, our customers having a really informed, frank discussion about what's happening because it's been incredibly disruptive in the last four months. In fact, it probably took away some growth because you're having -- a lot of our sales teams are having discussions about pricing when I'd rather have discussions about growing the business. And -- but it's going to be disruptive. If anybody on the call has a crystal ball and can tell me what's going to happen with the tariff in six months and twelve months from now and do they get bigger? Do they get smaller? Do they unwind? Is it messy? It's going to be disruptive. Just disruptive on the unwind is -- was it unwind. And only time will tell how that works. Fortunately, on an unwind, whenever it occurs, while it might be disruptive to pricing, it's probably going to be helpful to the underlying economy. So, there'll be a lot of noise to our numbers. But in destructive times and times of radical change, the best cure is just good, open honest dialogue with your customer and we managed to do it. David Manthey -- Robert W. Baird & Company -- Analyst Okay. Thanks very much. Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer Thanks, Dave. Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Thanks, Dave. Operator Thank you. Our next question is from the line of Ryan Merkel of William Blair. Your line is open. Ryan Merkel -- William Blair & Company -- Analyst Thanks. Hey, everyone. Nice quarter. Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer Thanks. Good morning Ryan. Ryan Merkel -- William Blair & Company -- Analyst Yeah. So, first question I had was on oil and gas. I recall going back to maybe February, that the RVPs were saying this was just a pullback in spending. It was just a pause. Is this still the case and what are you hearing today? Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer Yeah. Well -- so the RVPs obviously respond to what their customers are telling them. And the -- what we're hearing is that -- what we're hearing is that it's a challenging marketplace. We're not seeing wholesale sort of layoffs and cutting of capital spending and things like that. And frankly, the weakness that we're seeing seems to be fairly measured and tempered, which doesn't always sound like what oil and gas has been like historically, right. And so if I think about the RVP tone on oil and gas, some of them were more encouraged about what the second half looks like than what the first half looks like. But all of them say, what oil price is going to do, right? And so, I think -- if I think about the tone around oil and gas, I guess, it began to weaken, I think, we began talking about this probably November, December last year. And the degree of weakness hasn't necessarily gotten more severe over that period of time. It has persisted but it's also broadened. So, what something which began in Houston and Dallas has spread to other regions, right, in terms of commentary. And like I said, some of them feel like this is going to clear itself out by the second half, some of them feel like they don't know and all of them understand that it's about what happens to the price of oil and how their customers feel. And we just don't have a great answer to it. But that's where we have oil and gas today. Ryan Merkel -- William Blair & Company -- Analyst Okay. That's helpful. And then second question on Onsite margin inflection. I recall 2020 could be the year where more mature Onsites at higher margins start to offset the newer Onsites. Is this still the case based on what we know today? And then, how much do you think it could lift overall company margin? Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Yeah. So, we haven't seen any real change in kind of the pacing of how we expect that to play out. And so, what I've said before is, today, where we've got so many new Onsites, you don't have sort of an equal ratio between how they're aging versus how we're adding them. But over time, that's going to change. And I think the proxy for that will be when does the average size per Onsite stop declining, right? And my feeling is that is probably late '19 but probably more in 2020, which means by the time you get to 2021, 2022, instead of just continuing to work against our overall level of gross profitability, that -- it will begin to diminish in terms of the impact on the mix. We still feel like that is the case. Now, what we've said before is -- and I think Dan laid this out last time, right? I mean, when we double our revenues, we want to be a 22% operating margin company, thereabouts. And in order for that to happen from 20% today, we need to see some of those Onsites begin to mature and become more profitable. And we think that, that will happen. And so, what is the impact? I would tell you, today, the overall impact is a drag, more so on the gross margin, the operating margin but it's in both. But over the next, let's call it 18 months, I think you're going to begin to see that drag really flatten out and then it begins to contribute more toward our goal of being a 22% operating margin company. Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer And one thing to keep in mind, it's a two-pronged drag in the short -- over the last few years. The one drag is the mix of Onsites and the average revenue per Onsite going down. The other drag is, we went from not really signing Onsites to 80s and 180s and 280 and now close to 400. And every time we sign an Onsite, I sense (ph) that, most of the times that when we sign an Onsite, we're taking our customer relationship out of a branch, a highly profitable branch and we're delevering it. So, you kind of have a two for going on. Not only are you pulling down the average of your Onsites, you're actually hurting the profitability of your branch network a little bit in the short term. And when you get to a steady state of how many are coming in and going out, that's when life becomes a little easier. No different than, think about how the math changed decade ago, when we slowed down opening branches through the pathway to profit. All of a sudden, your mix of branch has changed. So, that's kind of the trajectory. And frankly, what's been great is that, that really has been playing out largely as we would have modeled it out a year ago, two years ago. Ryan Merkel -- William Blair & Company -- Analyst Perfect. That's good to hear. It was kind of what I was getting at. Thanks, guys. I will pass it on. Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer Thanks, Ryan. Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Thank you. Operator Thank you. And your next question is from the line of Hamzah Mazari of Macquarie. Your line is open. Mario Cortellacci -- Macquarie Research -- Analyst Hi, guys. This is actually Mario Cortellacci filling in for Hamzah. I know there has been questions about pricing already. But I mean, do you think it's harder for distributors in general to get pricing during the cycle versus prior cycles? Or maybe asked in a different way, I mean, given where the demand environment is and where commodity inflation is, should pricing be higher than where it is? Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer Yeah. Since I've been here longer, I'll take a shot at that and Holden, I can say can chime in and correct me on some things he disagrees with. But pricing is always hard. People talk about transparency in today's world. And it is greater. But frankly, our customers knew what they were spending for product and what product costs were around town 10 and 20 and 30 years ago. So, it's always been hard. It's about, are you bringing the great value to your customer and their willingness to pay for that value if you think it that way? I think probably the toughest one right now on a pricing front is, pricing is always hard. But I think the one that's got a little bit harder is the freight one. Now for us, it's two-fold. One, the freight dynamic is a little bit different because Onsites are a different dynamic for freight than the branch network. And so we almost have to understand the two pieces individually. But in today's world, there's a lot of examples of where freights included or freights this or freights flat and it's fundamentally different models. And it's always just having a good discussion about your freight -- the freight side of your picture. And that's probably the more challenging element in today's world, setting mix aside. Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Yeah. And I would say, I don't know what it should be, compared to history, I would say this. I mean, every quarter, going back to beginning of 2018, we've made sequential progress in raising price. We've done that because there has also been sequential increase in costs. And so we don't love obviously that we have a deficit on the price-cost dynamic. But part of that is perhaps, we needed to be more aggressive than we were. But that shouldn't be read to mean that we weren't doing what we had to do to protect the margins because as I said, pricing has gone up every quarter. But we also have to acknowledge that we've had some pretty significant increases in costs. And if I look at how much our costs has increased in the first quarter, it's more than twice what that same increase was in the first quarter of last year. And so we're kind of chasing -- we're chasing that piece of it as well. But I don't want to give the impression that because we have a price-cost deficit, that doesn't mean that we haven't been able to pass price through because we passed more price through every quarter in response to the marketplace. But if you give us a flattening in the cost environment, we'll catch up. But the -- I don't want to leave the impression that we haven't been able to pass price through because we have. Mario Cortellacci -- Macquarie Research -- Analyst Great. And just one more and I'll turn it over and you actually mentioned the freight. Just wanted to see if the benefit, essentially running your own captive fleet, it hasn't been fully optimized. Or do you think there's more room to go there? And I guess, if there is more room for improvement, I guess how much do you think that could be? Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer Well, first off, the advantage of having a captive fleet, it's indescribable from the standpoint of -- set the costs aside for a second, our ability to provide service is night and day different from all our competitors. Earlier I used the example of that outdoor locker. A year from now, I fully expect us to be able to take an order from a customer that comes in late in the day, maybe in the evening and let's say, one time in 100 that customer is in a jam and they need it like two hours ago. Our competitors are going to be providing that. They're probably going to have to freight that in using small parcel. And it's not getting there to 10 o'clock tomorrow morning and that's a really expensive trip. Our driver gets to that branch at 4:00 in the morning or 2:00 in the morning or 6:00 in the morning. You pick the time because it's different for each branch. But let's say, this branch is 4:00 in the morning, our driver could throw that item in an outdoor locker and that customer would get a text at 4:00 in the morning, say the item you ordered at 5 o'clock last night is here and nobody else in that market can do that. So to me, the value of a captive trucking is you could provide a level of service that just separates you in the marketplace. From a cost standpoint, we have a great cost structure compared to our peers and we're able to use that cost structure. Part of our gross margin differential in our industry is because of that freight advantage. Our cost structure is lower. But it puts you in a position to challenge it every day. It also puts you in a position to have conversations with your customer and maybe move some product for them on the back hauls. So, one of the reasons that we've always been successful is we do a nice job with back hauls from our suppliers and more recently from some customers. That's where I think we have some more legs to it, especially on the Onsite piece of saying to customers to get some pallets, you need move -- we'll move it. And maybe you get freight that way. To quantify the potential, I'm not ready to go there right now because I don't know that we know it. Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Yeah. The only thing I would add is, I mean, I think, one direction you're going is, it is more cost effective to move product on our trucks than on third-parties. And from the fourth quarter of 2017, we really begin to see the field utilizing our truck network at a greater rate because of what was going on outside of our truck network. That kind of hit a level in Q3 of 2018 that we sustained a very high level. So if the question is what can you ship more and more onto your trucks, yeah, there's always good reasons to use a third-party, whether it's a customer requirement or what have you. So, we're probably at a good level for that. But I can't emphasize enough that in a period like this of inflation, third-party inflation is going up at a far greater rate than the costs that we're experiencing on our own captive fleet. And what that means is we have a huge advantage in the marketplace that is only getting wider by having that fleet. So, what we can never tell you is how much of an advantage are we getting in winning business because we have our captive fleet, even in an environment where there's inflation, especially in an environment where there's inflation. I can't answer that question for you. But it goes into our calculations and it's a reason why we win. So, I guess the tenor of the question is when are they going to stop impacting gross margin. I wanted to take the answer a little bit more broadly because we've done things to sort of minimize the impact. But you can't underestimate the value of that trucking fleet and our ability to manage costs and our ability to win business. Mario Cortellacci -- Macquarie Research -- Analyst Got it. Thanks for the time, guys. Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Thank you. Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer So, I show on my watch 9:57, and very mindful that we're in an earning season and everybody on this call has a busy schedule. And so, I don't want to go along. I just want to close out with a few thoughts. I mentioned earlier in the question and I thought I'd just touched on it again to make sure I didn't freak anybody out with my kind of -- off-the-cuff comment. The message I have to our team is, as we go forward, just like it's more challenging to grow when you start stacking years together, it's more challenging for incremental margin. And that means we need to work harder every day to achieve it. Doesn't mean -- if this -- that isn't a cautionary tale. That's just a statement of fact. And I feel great about the team we have and their ability to manage this business and to grow this business. The second item, we talk about the weather impact and you see the discussion centers on impact to sales and the impact to our customers. One thing I'm really proud of is the -- because the biggest impact quite frankly, is to the folks that drive our semis down the road. We were talking about freight. Picture you are driving through the middle of the night and they're in the middle of a snowstorm. That's a tough thing. I think I mentioned on last call, I mentioned it to our team internally about a semi driver who was stranded outside of Chicago because their fuel line gelled up because it was so cold. And a branch manager on the last day of the month went and rescued that person, and got him into a warm environment because it was 30 below zero. And one thing, I'm really proud of is the way our branches and our district -- and our distribution managers treat our driver from the standpoint of, hey, make sure your back dock is -- snows are removed and it's a safe environment for your driver because that driver is the lifeblood of your business. And really pleased to say we came through it with a very safe circumstance for our semi drivers. Last thing, great people pursuing a common goal can do great things. Learned that from Bob 23 years ago and it is true today as it was then. Thanks, everybody. Have a good day. Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Thank you. Operator Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your participation on today's conference. This does conclude the program. You may now disconnect. Everyone have a great day. Duration: 58 minutes Call participants: Ellen Stolts -- Financial Reporting and Regulatory Compliance Manager Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Robert Barry -- Buckingham Research -- Analyst Evelyn Chow -- Goldman Sachs -- Analyst David Manthey -- Robert W. Baird & Company -- Analyst Ryan Merkel -- William Blair & Company -- Analyst Mario Cortellacci -- Macquarie Research -- Analyst More FAST analysis Transcript powered by AlphaStreet This article is a transcript of this conference call produced for The Motley Fool. While we strive for our Foolish Best, there may be errors, omissions, or inaccuracies in this transcript. As with all our articles, The Motley Fool does not assume any responsibility for your use of this content, and we strongly encourage you to do your own research, including listening to the call yourself and reading the company's SEC filings. Please see our Terms and Conditions for additional details, including our Obligatory Capitalized Disclaimers of Liability. 10 stocks we like better than Fastenal When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has quadrupled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Fastenal wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of March 1, 2019 Motley Fool Transcribers has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Mid-Day Market Update: SemiLEDs Falls After Q2 Results; China Bat Group Shares Surge Midway through trading Thursday, the Dow traded up 0.12 percent to 26188.79 while the NASDAQ declined 0.05 percent to 7,960.16. The S&P also rose, gaining 0.11 percent to 2,891.44. Leading and Lagging Sectors On Thursday, the industrial shares rose 0.8 percent. Meanwhile, top gainers in the sector included Yangtze River Port and Logistics Limited (NASDAQ: YRIV) up 8 percent, and Fastenal Company (NASDAQ: FAST) up 6 percent. In trading on Thursday, health care shares fell 0.7 percent. Top Headline Fastenal Company (NASDAQ: FAST) reported stronger-than-expected earnings for its first quarter. Fastenal's first-quarter adjusted earnings came in at 68 cents per share on sales of $1.309 billion. However, analysts were expecting earnings of 67 per share on sales of $1.31 billion. Equities Trading UP China Bat Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: GLG) shares got a boost, shooting up 76 percent to $3.5699 after the company signed an agreement with Liten Group to establish a strategic partnership in the fields of automobile sourcing channels, automobile finance and car rental. Shares of Future FinTech Group Inc. (NASDAQ: FTFT) shot up 221 percent to $2.58 after the company announced the establishment of a subsidiary to expand its chain cloud mall business. Papa Murphy's Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: FRSH) shares were also up, gaining 31 percent to $6.41 after the company announced it will be acquired by MYT Food Group for $6.45 per share. Equities Trading DOWN China Jo-Jo Drugstores, Inc. (NASDAQ: CJJD) shares dropped 41 percent to $1.83 after the company filed for a $60 million mixed shelf offering and announced a $10 million registered direct offering. Shares of ATA Inc. (NASDAQ: ATAI) were down 18 percent to $3.1500 in a potential sell off following a recent rally on news of the company entering into preliminary agreements to acquire a leading Chinese service provider. SemiLEDs Corporation (NASDAQ: LEDS) was down, falling around 13 percent to $3.90 after reporting second-quarter earnings. Earnings came in at $(0.24), up from $(0.32) year over year. Sales came in at $1.6 million, up from $1.543 million year over year. The company sees third-quarter sales of $1.6 million, plus or minus 10 percent. Commodities In commodity news, oil traded down 1.1 percent to $63.88 while gold traded down 1.1 percent to $1,299.90. Silver traded down 1.5 percent Thursday to $15.015, while copper fell 0.6 percent to $2.907. Eurozone European shares were mostly higher today. The eurozone\u2019s STOXX 600 gained 0.11 percent, the Spanish Ibex Index rose 0.57 percent, while Italy\u2019s FTSE MIB Index climbed 0.33 percent. Meanwhile the German DAX climbed 0.33 percent, and the French CAC 40 rose 0.83 percent while U.K. shares fell 0.03 percent. Economics Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell is set to speak in Leesburg, Virginia. Initial jobless claims dropped 8,000 to 196,000 last week. However, economists were projecting a reading of 211,000. The Producer Price Index rose 0.6 percent for March, versus economists\u2019 expectations for a 0.3 percent increase. Domestic supplies of natural gas increased 25 billion cubic feet for the week ended April 5, the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported. However, analysts expected a gain of 33 billion cubic feet. Federal Reserve Member of the Board of Governors Michelle Bowman is set to speak in San Francisco, California at 4:00 p.m. ET. Data on money supply for the recent week will be released at 4:30 p.m. ET. \u00a9 2019 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Profit with More New & Research. Gain access to a streaming platform with all the information you need to invest better today. Click here to start your 14 Day Trial of Benzinga Professional The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""What Happened in the Stock Market Today Stocks opened higher Thursday and then drifted down during the session as investors looked forward to first-quarter earnings reports. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI) and the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) were essentially flat for the day. Today's stock market Data source: Yahoo! Finance. As for individual stocks, Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST) reported strong first-quarter results, and an optimistic outlook from Bed Bath & Beyond (NASDAQ: BBBY) got a cool reception from investors. Image source: Getty Images. Fastenal sees strong industrial demand Shares of Fastenal rose 5% after the wholesaler of industrial parts reported first-quarter results that beat profit expectations and indicated that industrial activity remains strong. Net sales grew 10.4% to $1.31 billion, meeting expectations, and the company earned $0.68 per share, exceeding the analyst consensus by $0.01. Daily sales increased 12.2%, and were up 12.7% in the month of March, rebounding from 10.5% growth in February, which was affected by bad weather. The company says it is seeing strong underlying market demand resulting in higher unit sales despite some price increases it made in 2018 to mitigate higher freight costs and tariff-related inflation. Fastenal continues to succeed with its strategy of placing vending machines with its customers and locating dedicated sales and service people on or near customer premises. The number of installed vending machines rose 13.4% to 83,410 and onsite locations grew 39.4% to 945. The report of strong demand helped lift the industrial sector, and a strategy that's clearly working boosted Fastenal stock to a new 52-week high. Investors lose more faith in Bed Bath & Beyond Bed Bath & Beyond posted fiscal fourth-quarter results that beat profit estimates and gave guidance that exceeded expectations, but investor distrust of the management team only intensified following the report, and shares plunged 8.8%. Net sales in the holiday quarter fell 11% to $3.31 billion, missing analysts' expectations for $3.33 billion, and earnings per share excluding a non-cash impairment charge came in at $1.20, above the analyst consensus of $1.11. Comparable sales fell 1.4%. The company raised its earnings guidance for fiscal 2019 from flat growth to a range of $2.11 to $2.20 per share, excluding one-time charges, or an increase of 3% to 7.3%. For 2020 and beyond, management said it expected gross margin improvement of 2 percentage points, operating margin expansion of 3 points, and double-digit growth rates in earnings per share. That rosy outlook was immediately challenged by analysts on the conference call, who couldn't understand how Bed Bath & Beyond could expect gross margin to improve so much when it has been falling in recent quarters. CEO Steve Temares would not provide any details, nor would he comment on the effort by activist investors to replace him and the entire board, news of which had previously sent the stock soaring 22%. That silence did nothing to lend credibility to the company's turnaround plans. Offer from The Motley Fool: The 10 best stocks to buy now Motley Fool co-founders Tom and David Gardner have spent more than a decade beating the market. In fact, the newsletter they run, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has quadrupled the S&P 500!* Tom and David just revealed their ten top stock picks for investors to buy right now. Click here to get access to the full list! *Stock Advisor returns as of Jan. 31, 2019. Jim Crumly has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Daily Dividend Report: BBBY, ISCA, FAST, AGR, LEN The Bed Bath & Beyond board of directors today declared an increase in the quarterly dividend to $0.17 per share from $0.16 per share, payable on July 16, 2019 to shareholders of record at the close of business on June 14, 2019. International Speedway today announced an increase in its annual dividend and re-election of four members to the Company's Board of Directors. ISC declared an annual dividend of $0.49 per share, payable on June 28, 2019, to common stockholders of record on May 31, 2019. The annual dividend for 2019 is an increase of 4.3% over the annual dividend paid in 2018 of $0.47 per share, and marks the 14th consecutive increase in ISC's annual dividend paid to shareholders. Fastenal reported its board of directors declared a dividend of $0.43 per share to be paid in cash on May 22, 2019 to shareholders of record at the close of business on April 24, 2019. Except for share and per share information, dollar amounts are stated in millions. Fastenal began paying annual dividends in 1991, semi-annual dividends in 2003, and then expanded to quarterly dividends in 2011. Today AVANGRID, announced that its Board of Directors declared a quarterly dividend of $0.44 per share on its Common Stock. This dividend is payable July 1, 2019 to shareholders of record at the close of business on June 7, 2019. Lennar, one of the nation's leading homebuilders, announced that its Board of Directors has declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.04 per share for both Class A and Class B common stock payable on May 8, 2019 to holders of record at the close of business on April 24, 2019. VIDEO: Daily Dividend Report: BBBY, ISCA, FAST, AGR, LEN The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Earnings: FAST Stock Jumps on Q1 Beat InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips Fastenal earnings for the first quarter of 2019 have FAST stock heading higher on Thursday. Source: Shutterstock Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST ) starts off its earnings report for the first quarter of the year with earnings per share of 68 cents. This is an increase over the company's earnings per share of 61 cents from the same time last year. It was also good news for FAST stock by beating out Wall Street's earnings per share estimate of 67 cents for the quarter. Net income reported in the Fastenal earnings release for the first quarter of 2019 comes in at $194.10 million. This is an 11% increase over the company's net income of $173.40 million reported in the first quarter of 2018. The Fastenal earnings report for the first quarter of the year also includes operating income of $261.40 million. The company's operating income from the same period of the year prior was $234.50 million. Fastenal earnings for the first quarter of 2019 have revenue for the year coming in at $1.31 billion . This is up 10% from the company's revenue of $1.19 billion reported in the first quarter of the previous year. It was also a boon to FAST stock by matching analysts' revenue estimate for the period. 7 AI Stocks to Watch with Strong Long-Term Narratives Fastenal also notes that its gross profit, as a percentage of revenue, in the first quarter of 2019 was down 100 basis points to 47.70%. The company attributes this to \""impacts of customer and product mix and net inflation on product margins, higher freight costs, and lower net rebates reflecting our inventory control programs.\"" FAST stock was up 4% as of Thursday afternoon and is up 26% since the start of the year. More From InvestorPlace 2 Toxic Pot Stocks You Should Avoid FAANNG Stocks, Ranked From Cheapest to Most Expensive 7 Stocks With a Lot on the Line This Earnings Season 7 Marijuana Companies: Which Pot Stocks Should You Buy? As of this writing, William White did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities. Compare Brokers The post Fastenal Earnings: FAST Stock Jumps on Q1 Beat appeared first on InvestorPlace . The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Market Close Report: NASDAQ Composite index closes at 7,947.36 down -16.88 points Thursday's session closes with the NASDAQ Composite Index at 7,947.36. The total shares traded for the NASDAQ was over 2.69 billion. Declining stocks led advancers by 1.2 to 1 ratio. There were 1413 advancers and 1697 decliners for the day. On the NASDAQ Stock Exchange 42 stocks reached a 52 week high and 24 those reaching lows totaled. The most active, advancers, decliners, unusual volume and most active by dollar volume can be monitored intraday on the Most Active Stocks page. The NASDAQ 100 index closed down -.22% for the day; a total of -16.6 points. The current value is 7,594.89. BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. ( BMRN ) had the largest percent change down (-3.76%) while Fastenal Company ( FAST ) had the largest percent change gain rising 5.05%. The Dow Jones index closed down -.05% for the day; a total of -14.11 points. The current value is 26,143.05. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated ( UNH ) had the largest percent change down (-4.31%) while Boeing Company (The) ( BA ) had the largest percent change gain rising 1.43%. NASDAQ Market Wrap As of 4/11/2019 4:44:00 PM BILLIONS OF 2.69 NASDAQ SHARES TRADED TODAY 42 STOCKS REACHED A 52 WEEK HIGH 24 THOSE REACHING LOWS TOTALEDFastenal Company [FAST]TOPS ADVANCERS LISTOF NASDAQ 100 INDEX % 5.05 ROSE The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""S&P 500 Movers: RSG, FAST In early trading on Thursday, shares of Fastenal topped the list of the day's best performing components of the S&P 500 index, trading up 4.2%. Year to date, Fastenal registers a 29.9% gain. And the worst performing S&P 500 component thus far on the day is Republic Services, trading down 4.3%. Republic Services Inc is showing a gain of 5.7% looking at the year to date performance. Two other components making moves today are Waste Management, trading down 4.2%, and W.W. Grainger trading up 3.1% on the day. VIDEO: S&P 500 Movers: RSG, FAST The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Nasdaq 100 Movers: TSLA, FAST In early trading on Thursday, shares of Fastenal topped the list of the day's best performing components of the Nasdaq 100 index, trading up 4.1%. Year to date, Fastenal registers a 29.8% gain. And the worst performing Nasdaq 100 component thus far on the day is Tesla, trading down 2.9%. Tesla is lower by about 19.4% looking at the year to date performance. Two other components making moves today are eBay, trading down 2.2%, and American Airlines Group, trading up 1.7% on the day. VIDEO: Nasdaq 100 Movers: TSLA, FAST The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Earnings: FAST Stock Jumps on Q1 Beat Fastenal earnings for the first quarter of 2019 have FAST stock heading higher on Thursday. Source: Shutterstock Fastenal (NASDAQ:) starts off its earnings report for the first quarter of the year with earnings per share of 68 cents. This is an increase over the company\u2019s earnings per share of 61 cents from the same time last year. It was also good news for FAST stock by beating out Wall Street\u2019s earnings per share estimate of 67 cents for the quarter. Net income reported in the Fastenal earnings release for the first quarter of 2019 comes in at $194.10 million. This is an 11% increase over the company\u2019s net income of $173.40 million reported in the first quarter of 2018. The Fastenal earnings report for the first quarter of the year also includes operating income of $261.40 million. The company\u2019s operating income from the same period of the year prior was $234.50 million. Fastenal earnings for the first quarter of 2019 have revenue for the year coming in at . This is up 10% from the company\u2019s revenue of $1.19 billion reported in the first quarter of the previous year. It was also a boon to FAST stock by matching analysts\u2019 revenue estimate for the period. Fastenal also notes that its gross profit, as a percentage of revenue, in the first quarter of 2019 was down 100 basis points to 47.70%. The company attributes this to \u201cimpacts of customer and product mix and net inflation on product margins, higher freight costs, and lower net rebates reflecting our inventory control programs.\u201d FAST stock was up 4% as of Thursday afternoon and is up 26% since the start of the year. As of this writing, William White did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities. The post appeared first on InvestorPlace. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Co (FAST) Q1 2019 Earnings Call Transcript Fastenal Co (NASDAQ: FAST) Q1 2019 Earnings Call April 11, 2019 , 11:00 a.m. ET Contents: Prepared Remarks Questions and Answers Call Participants Prepared Remarks: Operator Good day, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the Fastenal Company First Quarter 2019 Earnings Results Conference Call. At this time, all participants are in a listen-only mode. Later, we will conduct a question-and-answer session and instructions will follow at that time. (Operator Instructions) And as a reminder, this conference is being recorded. I'd now like to hand the call over to Ms. Ellen Stolts. You may begin. Ellen Stolts -- Financial Reporting and Regulatory Compliance Manager Welcome to the Fastenal Company 2019 first quarter earnings conference call . This call will be hosted by Dan Florness, our President and Chief Executive Officer, and Holden Lewis, our Chief Financial Officer. The call will last for up to one hour and will start with a general overview of our quarterly results and operations, with the remainder of the time being open for questions and answers. Today's conference call is a proprietary Fastenal presentation and is being recorded by Fastenal. No recording, reproduction, transmission or distribution of today's call is permitted without Fastenal's consent. This call is being audio simulcast on the Internet via the Fastenal Investor Relations home page, investor.fastenal.com. A replay of the webcast will be available on the website until June 1, 2019, at midnight Central Time. As a reminder, today's conference call may include statements regarding the company's future plans and prospects. These statements are based on our current expectations and we undertake no duty to update them. It is important to note that the company's actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Factors that could cause actual results to differ from anticipated results are contained in the company's lates t earnings release and periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and we encourage you to review those factors carefully. I would now like to turn the call over to Mr. Dan Florness. Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer Thank you, Ellen, and good morning everybody. And thank you for joining us for our first quarter earnings call . I'm going to -- before I step into Holden's flipbook, just going to touch on a few comments that I had with our leadership in our normal call at 7 o'clock this morning to talk about the quarter, to give them a little insight about some things that we'll be focusing on the call, as well as just some of the comments I made to them. My first comment to them this morning was a sincere thank you for a job well done. I think this is a really nice start to the year. I'm pleased with the performance we're seeing across our business units throughout the planet and a very positive start to the year. I also mentioned them about the challenge that comes when you get into the -- a multi-year improvement in business. So, when I think back to stepping into this role back in 2000 -- late in 2015, we've had a tough year. The economy had not been our friend that year. And when you're exposed to the industrial marketplace and it flips on you, it can cause some pain in the short-term. But we kept focusing on what we focus on. That's our customer. We kept focusing on things to make our business better, and we really started the transition to a much more focused approach on some of our growth drivers, particularly breathing some new life into vending and challenging ourselves to look at Onsites as a meet -- as not a solution, when there's not an alternative, but as a means to grow faster and a new growth drive within our business. It's a wonderful way to extend what is the traditional Fastenal relationship, but lower your cost structure at the same time. And I hope these numbers are all correct. I haven't proofed them through our screening process. And this is just me jotting down some numbers. But what I shared with them was, if I stack together multiple years, five months of the last seven months, if I look at it, taking the three years added together and again, I hope I calculated it correctly, I believe five months or less seven months, we've been 30% plus, when you look at the cumulative impact of the last three years. And November and January were the only two months that didn't break that 30% and they were at 29%. So, a good number. And I believe for the last 14 months, if you looked at on a two-year basis and combined year one and year two growth, you're at a number that starts with the 2. So, north of 20%. But since August, I believe that number is north of 25%. So, not only are we -- do we have great local plans to engage with our customer and grow our business, but we're able to stack it on top of some comps that are frankly challenging. I'm really pleased with what the group is doing, and I'm really proud of the group and proud to be associated with them. I also shared with them one of their -- one of the blessings and curses of the Internet age, is it's easy to -- for people to make comments. Sometimes you read through a newspaper and some of the comments you see, you're kind of like, boy, that person just seems angry about something that's not this article, but they're just angry or you can tell that person's maybe political view is driving their commentary they're putting into an article. But at 10 o'clock last night, I was reading a comment that came in from a customer. And every comment that comes into Fastenal, I'm on an email distribution list and I read through them. Sometimes I do it late at night before I go to bed. Sometimes I do it early in the morning. And I'm reading one last night. It was a fellow. He said, I'm an older gentlemen, I'm 61 years old. That pain me a little bit because I'm 55. And I hear somebody at 61 refer to themselves that old was a little troubling, but that's a different issue. But this individual was talking about, where our branch, it was a San Antonio Texas branch, but where our branch went above and beyond the call and really helped them solve the problem. And I floated out to our regional leadership last night and I said, you know what, folks, this is what we're about. We're about solving peoples' problems. Because in today's world, sometimes it's hard to find people to help you solve a problem. And it was fun one to share because sometimes you get in a few here and there that aren't as positive and you assess them to understand what we can do to be better. But now, I'll flip the Holden's book here. We grew -- we had 68% -- $0.68 o f earnings and I start there, almost 12% earnings-per-share growth. Bottom line is we grew our earnings faster than our sales. And that's not an easy act in a quarter, where weather was impact -- very impactful and with one less selling day. We were in the situation of -- with $20 million a day in revenue, there's a chunk of revenue, a chunk of gross profit dollars that are out there but the expenses typically are. So to pull off what we did, when we were down a day is a pretty positive thing. Despite the challenging weather, our demand continued to be healthy. Our daily sales growth was 12.2% in the quarter. And I think Holden said it well, 2019 has started where 2018 left off. Operating margin expanded 20 basis points and our incremental margin was 21.7. As we've talked about in prior calls, our growth drivers are changing the mix of our business. If we're successful with it, it's going to pull gross margins down. If we're successful with it, we should be able to leverage our operating expenses. And it should result in a great win for our customer, for our employee, for our supplier and for you, our shareholders. And I think you saw that in the first quarter here. But sequentially, we did hold gross margin flat, which was really a sign of some of the price increases we put in late last year in the wake of tariffs and inflations, allowed us a little breathing room in the short-term. But Holden will touch on that a little bit more in his comments. We talked about this in the past. Our business, as it continues to grow with larger customers and with international customers, sometimes we get caught in a situation where you have a customer who is doing some window dressing at the end of the year, end of the quarter. And they frankly stop paying with two, three, four weeks left in the quarter and it makes for a challenging situation. Our solution here is to constantly be engaged in discussion with our customer about -- our value proposition to you is a better supply chain. We take inventory up to your balance sheet. Don't do this to us at the end of the quarter because what it ultimately does, it puts us in a position where we can't fund inventory. But there's a trade-off. If we know we're going to have an extra $5 million in receivables, we have to squeeze that somewhere else and that doesn't serve our customer. And we need to be engaged in that dialogue and challenge. If you want to do window dressing, do it with somebody else's payable, not with ours. And -- but we did produced stronger cash flow in the quarter and allowed us to pay a higher dividend and reduced debt a little bit. Onsites, I remember, when years ago we did CSP and we really went through a change in our branch network. But at some point in time, we stopped talking about CSP because CSP became part of us. Now, we're going to keep talking about Onsites from the standpoint, sharing with you our location count and our penetration of the market and where we're finding success. But we're going to break a thousand Onsites sometime here in the second quarter. I guess, that's a forward-looking statement, but it's one I'm pretty safe in saying. But it's truly part of Fastenal now. We have Onsites throughout our region, throughout our districts. And so it's not something we're experimenting with, or pushing people to change or even pushing customers to consider and change. We're doing all that, but we're doing that from a base of knowledge similar to a -- not too many years ago, when we were talking to the industry about vending machines. But on Onsites, our goals are pretty simple this year. Let's sign 375 to 400. There's 52 weeks in the year. You've got to take out a couple of those weeks because it's the holidays and a lot happens in those weeks. But if we can do eight signings per week and do it 50 weeks of the year, that's 400. And so in the first quarter, we got off to a really nice start. We hit that number, and we signed 105. So, very pleased. Our sales growth, removing the transferred sales, so if I have an existing customer and we go Onsite, we'll probably pull some revenue out of a branch and move it over there. But ignoring that, that business is growing north 20%. Really pleased with what the team is doing. On vending, our goal is to do 23,000 units to 25,000 units. So, there's 254 business days in the year. We need to sign roughly a 100 every day to get it to the high end of that number. If we sign 90 every day, we're at the low end of that number. We were just shy of 90 in the first quarter. But in the month of March, we rounded up to a 100. We were at 99.6 per day. So, we were off to, I think, a nice start. And again, it's just part of our extension into our customers' facilities. Speaking of vending, I had a new experience yesterday. So, one of the things that we've struggled with is, we've had, I remember a few years ago at Investor Day, talked about the idea of having outdoor lockers or having lockers where we can do deliveries into. Frankly, we struggled to make the technology easy to use. And so we didn't get really much traction with it. And we have very few branches that have outdoor lockers. We have now built the interface between our point-of-sales system and our vending platform, which is a third-party software. And yesterday morning, I ordered something. We had turned on our Winona branch on Monday. So yesterday morning, I ordered something. I immediately had a confirmation of that order and a couple hours later I got an email, your order is ready to pick up and I went over and I punched in my six digit code and I pulled an item out of the locker. It was a really easy and seamless transaction. That doesn't mean we're going to be getting into the retail business anytime soon. But if I think of our Onsites, if I think of our customers that need something and they want to get in and out quickly or they are coming in after hours, it provides a great extension of our -- of the hours of our day and our ability to serve our customers. And I'm really excited about what that means, but really also proud of our technology team for developing that and it worked really easily. And I've gotten in the habit in recent months of buying a lot of stuff online. One of the companies I'm really impressed with and I buy from them once a week to understand what they're changing and I keep bringing comments to our folks as a result. I don't know if any of you have ever bought on Walmart online. They do a really nice job. Now, again, we're not a retailer, but making it easy and making it efficient for your customer is an important part of the equation. And we finally have that working. National Accounts grew 17% in the first quarter. The team continues do a great job of making promises to customers. And our branch and Onsite network, along with everybody else that supports them, does a great job of honoring those promises. So, good -- good quarter. Outside the US, exchange rate is a full right now. International is about 14% of our revenue and we grew in the mid-teens. I believe the number was about 17%, and so continued to be really impressed with our teams there, and our ability to extend the U.S and Canadian relationships broadly around the planet. So, excellent job to the team. With that, I'm going to turn over to Holden. But before I do that, when I read through his notes, one thing jumped out at me and that was the PMI at 55.4 and I almost -- when I read stuff or even read his notes, it almost felt like that was kind of an eee number (ph). And I've been here over 23 years, and I've never thought of 55.4 as an E-number and I've seen that in some of the external reporting. So, we're seeing a good tone in the marketplace. Holden is going to touch on some oil and gas concerns. And being a farm kid, I know the agricultural side has had some tough time in the last year with commodity prices and I'm sure there'll be some weakness there. But we're pretty bullish on what we're seeing. Holden? Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Great. Thank you very much. Good morning. So, let's just jump on to slide five. Total sales, as Dan indicated, were up 10.4%. There was one fewer sales day in the first quarter versus last year. So, on a same-day basis, sales were up 12.2%. We estimate that severe weather in the Northern US and Central Canada reduced sales by between 60 basis points and 90 basis points. So, remember last year, there was a weather issue as well, so net of last year's weather impact. The total effect was probably 20 basis points to 30 basis points. In March, our daily sales growth was 12.7%. Pricing in response to tariffs and general inflation contributed 90 basis points to 120 basis points in the period. This is below the level of the fourth quarter of 2018, but incremental progress is being masked in the current period by having to grow over the price increases that began to benefit last year's 1Q. We do look at it and believe that sequentially, our price realization was slightly higher. From a macro standpoint, as Dan said, the PMI averaged 55.4 in the first quarter of 2019. This is the lowest level in nine quarters, which is getting a lot of the print. But it does still constitute a healthy level, as reflected in continued low to mid single-digit growth in industrial production. Relatedly, our manufacturing and markets were up 13.4%, with recent trends remaining in force. Most sub verticals that we track are healthy, the main exception being oil and gas which remains soft. Construction was up 13.1% in the first quarter of 2019. The January comparison was easy, but February and March also continued to grow double-digits, as a result of healthy markets and strong internal selling energy. From a product standpoint, on a daily sales basis, fasteners were up 11.8% and non-fasteners were up 12.7%. In March, fasteners outgrew non-fasteners. Fastener growth has been sustained at high levels, while safety growth moderated to a mid-teens rate following what were two years of 20% plus growth in that product vertical. This has served to narrow the growth gap between fasteners and other products. But overall, we remain pleased with the growth of our main product categories. From a customer standpoint, National Accounts were up 16.9% in the quarter, with 81 of our top 100 accounts growing. Growth to non-national accounts was mid single-digits. Nearly, 65% of our branches grew in the first quarter. In terms of market tone, regional leadership remains constructive on demand, with the caution that was evident last November largely gone. The exception, as I mentioned, was oil and gas. We haven't seen the weakness in that market deepened, but we have seen it broadened across more of our regions. Still on the whole, 2019 seems to be starting much as 2018 finished. Now to slide six. Our gross margin was 47.7% in the first quarter of 2019, down a 100 basis points from first quarter of 2018, but flat on a sequential basis. Something we haven't seen since the first quarter of 2015. On a year-over-year basis, the familiar variables played out. Customer and product mix pulled the margin down, which is expected, given that the National Accounts and Onsite continue to drive our growth. Freight remained a drag, though not to the same degree we experienced through 2018. Our net rebates were a slight negative as well as a result of efforts to limit inventory growth. Our price cost deficit in the first quarter of 2019 was 20 basis points, which was half of the deficit that we experienced in the fourth quarter of 2018, as a result of incremental progress with pricing in the period to address inflation and tariffs. We expect to make further progress toward eliminating this deficit in the second quarter of 2019 and over the course of the full year. Our operating margin was 20% in the first quarter of 2019, up 20 basis points year-over-year. Continued healthy growth drove a 110 basis points of cost leverage and generated an incremental margin of 21.7%. Looking at the pieces, we achieved 60 basis points of leverage over employee-related costs, which were up 7.1%. This leverage was generated because FTE headcount growth lag sales at up 6.2% and due to our incentive compensation growing at a healthy but moderated level versus last year. Occupancy-related costs were up 2.3%, generating 35 basis points of leverage. A decline in branch expense as we continue to rationalize sites and only modest increases to non-branch occupancy costs, mitigated what was double-digit growth in vending costs as we continue to expand the installed base. We generated 20 basis points of leverage over other operating administrative expenses. The benefits of higher sales on this line was partly offset by a relatively active quarter for legal settlements and a large net debt write-off. This generated probably $2 million to $2.5 million more in costs in this period than we would have otherwise expected. As described in the past successfully, our growth drivers is likely to reduce gross margin over time, but also provides the platform and volume that generates good operating expense leverage. That played out in the first quarter of 2019, and we expect it to continue to play out over time. So putting it all together, we reported first quarter '19 EPS of $0.68 versus $0.61 in the first quarter of 2018, an increase of 11.9%. Turning to slide seven. Before jumping into the numbers, I just wanted to call to your attention, a change in our balance sheet. This quarter, we adopted FASB's new standards for accounting for leases, which requires us to move operating leases onto the balance sheet. You will see these values on separate lines identified as right-of-use assets and current long-term liabilities. The impact of adopting this standard on our income statement and cash flow was immaterial. Now, looking at the cash flow statement. We generated $205 million in operating cash in the first quarter of 2019 or 106% of net income. This remains below the historical rates of conversion that we have experienced in first quarters, but is meaningfully above last year's 92% figure. The challenge remains working capital, which I will cover in a moment. Net capital spending in the first quarter was $53 million, up from $29 million in the first quarter 2018, but consistent with expectations. This reflects investments in hub property and equipment that are necessary to support our high-service levels, as well as investments in vending equipment to support growth in our installed base. Our 2018 range for total net capital spending is unchanged between $195 million and $225 million to invest in hub property and equipment and vehicles to support our growth and vending devices to support our rising success in this initiative. We increased funds paydown dividend by 16% (ph) to $123 million and reduced debt. We finished the quarter with debt at 16.9% of total capital above last year's 15.7%, but down sequentially and at a level that we believe provides ample liquidity to invest in our business and pay our dividend. The working capital picture remains challenging but improved. Inventories were up 14% in the first quarter of 2019, with days on hand flat year-over-year. We continue to experience inflationary pressure on our inventories. However, during the period, we worked off the foreign sourced inventory that was accelerated into the US in the fourth quarter of 2018 and advanced several initiatives aimed at making us more efficient with inventory. AR grew 15.2% in the first quarter of 2019, with customers continuing to aggressively push payments out past quarter end. As has been the case in past quarters, we are not seeing any meaningful change in hard-to-collect balances. Reducing these annual growth rates will be an area on which to improve over the balance of the year. That is all for our formal presentation. So with that operator, we'll take questions. Questions and Answers: Operator Thank you. (Operator Instructions) Our first question comes from the line of Robert Barry of Buckingham. Your line is open. Robert Barry -- Buckingham Research -- Analyst Hey, guys. Good morning. Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer Good morning. Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Good morning. Robert Barry -- Buckingham Research -- Analyst Congrats. Solid start to the year. Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer Thanks. Robert Barry -- Buckingham Research -- Analyst So, you mentioned in the slide deck that reminded us that Good Friday is in April this year versus in March last year. How much did that impact the March number? And adjusting for that, do you read that things may be decelerated a little bit in March? Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Yeah. So, I think it's difficult to really burrow into what that number meant. I mean last year, Good Friday fell on the last day of the month and it fell on a Friday and so we have a lot of sort of month-end payments coming through. So, what was there -- was there a modest impact as a result of the timing of the holidays in the month? There probably was. But, look, I guess, the perspective that I would give to you -- to you, Rob, is this. If we're going to try to parse out the impact of a holiday, the impact of days in the month, et cetera, we also should probably be talking about variables such as foreign exchange and weather, and all these other things that impact our month. And if I look at -- if I try to adjust for all of these things, the fact is the growth that we experienced in the first quarter, if I adjust for acquisitions over the past 22 months, if I adjust for foreign exchange, if I adjust for weather events that we call out, we grew north of 13%, adjusting for all of those things. If I look at the six months growth rate, it was a little over 13%. If I look at the 12 months growth rate, it was a little over 13%. So the question that you're trying to get at the end of the day is, if you take out one piece, does that suggest that we're growing more slowly? And the answer I would give you is, that's not what we're experiencing in the market through March. I would say that, if you try to adjust for all the pieces, our growth rate has been remarkably stable at a fairly high level. And I think that with the exception of oil and gas, it's reflective of a business environment that remains fairly healthy through March. So, that's probably how I'd characterize. So -- no, I think you're right. But let's not lose sight of the fact that foreign exchange was as big of a drag on this quarter as we've seen, since we began to grow. There's a lot of moving pieces that go into it. But generally speaking, the environment feels healthy to us. Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer Rob, I'm going to throw in a little adder. Holden's dead on right. And he comes out -- I can always tell he worked in your world for many years. He thinks about stuff. I enjoy our conversations, so he thinks about things fundamentally different. My answer probably would have been a little brief, Rob. I'd probably said, you know what, I honestly don't know. If I ask 10 people, I'd get 14 answers. Historically, internally, I've always said to our team, you know what, when we pick up a day or lose a day or Good Friday comes into play, I usually throw in the joke that Easter is on a Sunday this year and Good Friday is on Friday. But I always had in my head, it's probably half a point. And when Holden asked me earlier about this question, I said, yeah, I said it helped us. Weather hurt us. This morning, my kids were at home, driving my dogs crazy because we have a snowstorm in Winona and it was thundering and lightning all night long. Weather impacted us. Good Friday impacted us. Good Friday will hurt us here in April. And if I were to put a number on it, probably 0.5%. But your underlying question is, did the tone change? And I honestly don't think it did. Robert Barry -- Buckingham Research -- Analyst All right. Great. Great. I guess, my other question was just on, seeing the FTEs grow just over six and kind of looking at data from the BLF, looks like wage inflation and manufacturing is running 2%, 3%. So, to see your employee-related expense up only seven, seems like a pretty noteworthy performance. And I was just wondering, if you can comment on kind of what's driving that and kind of how sustainable you think the ability to kind of leverage that line at this level is, as we kind of look out over the next several quarters? Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer I'll chime in on that and then Holden can add some nuance of some things that I might not be sharing or appreciating. And if you think of what was going on in the last couple years, we were seeing massive inflation in our numbers, not because of the marketplace but because of our performance. We pay a lot of incentive comp. And so, this morning, as an example, I was talking -- when we were talking to the RVPs, our Regional Vice Presidents, one of the things I said to him, is I said, hey folks, congratulations on a nice first quarter. But I gave a little bit of a cautious tone going into the second quarter. I said, second quarter of this year is our most challenging year from a comp stand -- from a comparison standpoint and earnings, the incremental margin standpoint. Because, last year, in the first quarter, we grew our earnings. I believe it was $21 million. And then from Q1 to Q2, that number -- that earnings growth number went to $30 million. And so our incentive comp expanded dramatically. I mean, if you looked in our proxy, you could see, from a leadership standpoint and that proportion works out throughout the organization. We pay-off earnings growth. And so, I gave him a caution for Q2. But in an answer to your question, are we seeing underlying inflation in labor rates, if I think of people that are working in our distribution centers, that are throughout the organization? Yeah, we're seeing inflation rates of the economy. One of the things that's masking a bit right now is the fact that our incentive comp isn't expanding at the pace it was the last couple of years. And that's why our incremental margin is shining through things, we talked about in the past. But it gives a buffer. And one of your peers described it really well years ago, when he talked about the shock absorbers in our system. When we're getting great earnings growth, we share a chunk-up with our employees and it takes a little leverage out. In a weaker environment, everybody steps up to the plate and loses a little bit of pay because the incentive comp contracts. And so that's part of the dynamic we have going on there is, yeah, is there an underlying inflation in wage rates? Yeah. We're employing the same base of people everybody else is from the standpoint where we draw from. But our incentive comp is at a high watermark a year ago and it's at that high watermark now. But incrementally, it's not growing in the same way. Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer That's right. And -- but, yeah, Rob, there definitely was a little bit of inflation as it relates to just sort of our base pay to our full timers and our part timers. But when you marry that up with the increase that we had in FTEs and headcount, we were still able to leverage that piece of our business. And then, when you throw on top of that, that the incentive pay piece, we actually didn't leverage that because the good news is when we're growing like we're growing, incentive pay is a big piece that shock absorber, if you will, when we're growing, we didn't leverage the incentive pay because the folks who are driving our business are being fairly successful. But that dynamic has been in place. I would expect a very similar dynamic going forward. We'll continue to expand our headcount. We'll probably continue to see some wage inflation in the market that's out there today. But this isn't the first quarter that dynamic has been in place. It existed for much or all of last year as well. And I think that the first quarter labor dynamics are very similar to what we experienced all last year too. And I would anticipate experiencing much of the rest of this year as well. If we grow double-digits, we should be able to leverage that. Robert Barry -- Buckingham Research -- Analyst Got it. All right. I'll pass it on. Thanks, guys. Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer You bet. Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Thanks. Operator Thank you. Our next question is from the line of Evelyn Chow of Goldman Sachs. Your line is open. Evelyn Chow -- Goldman Sachs -- Analyst Hi. Good morning, Dan, Holden. Maybe just starting on price realization this quarter. Fantastic job and encouraging to see that price-cost gap narrow. I noticed on pricing specifically, I think your comps on a stand-alone basis continue to get even harder throughout the year. So, would it be your expectation that though the price-cost gap turns positive, the actual stand-alone pricing level maybe is at its highest point in 1Q? Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Well, you're right that in 1Q what began to happen relative to 4Q was that we had to grow over price increases that we put in, essentially at the beginning of last year. And we'll have that dynamic in Q2, Q3, Q4 as well, where we have to grow with those same price increases. And in Q2, they probably got a little bit better. So from a sequential standpoint, what I expect from the fact that we grew pricing at 1%, little better than 1% in the quarter? Do I expect that necessarily to meaningfully increase? Perhaps not, given the comps. But all that said, we do believe that there is incremental sequential pricing to be had in the business over the next, certainly over the next quarter or two, as we continue to adjust to what the marketplace realities. And regardless of what sort of the year-over-year comp number looks like, as I said, I still believe there's opportunity for us to be constructive on pricing, sequentially into next quarter or two. And that should allow us to continue to mitigate and eliminate the deficit. So, I think what you're describing is kind of a comp issue and I get it. But I think, if you get the substance of the matter, I don't see our ability to pursue price as being worse today than it was in first quarter. And I don't see our ability to narrow that deficit on price-cost as being any more difficult today than it was in the first quarter or fourth quarter. So, I guess, hopefully that answers the question, Evelyn. Evelyn Chow -- Goldman Sachs -- Analyst That's very helpful, Holden. And then maybe just on Onsites. Obviously, nice to see the pace of signings and the continued commitment there. I noticed you called out, you had 66 activations and 15 closures this quarter. So, is that about the level of attrition you would expect going forward? Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Attrition regarding the closures, you're talking about? Evelyn Chow -- Goldman Sachs -- Analyst Yes, exactly. Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer So, that was a little bit higher this quarter than what we typically see. We will typically see some attrition, right? Looking into the reason behind those 15 closures, there was nothing unusual there. I would say that about half of them were simply because a plant closed or moved. I think that there was probably an equal number, where frankly we went Onsite, we didn't get the kind of revenue that we anticipated getting. So, we decided to leave or their business was off, right, or their business was off. But one way or the other, what made sense at the time didn't make sense today. And so we closed up that Onsite and we'll service them from the branches we always have. And there's -- I think there might be one or two in there, where -- where maybe we didn't deliver the performance we told them we would or another competitors sort of made some inroads and we left. And -- but those things do happen every quarter. It was a little bit higher this quarter than normal. But I don't see that as a trend necessarily. And we didn't see any unusual reasons for the number. Seem to be the usual stuff. Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer The -- I would throw a little -- some tidbit in there and I'll use vending as my example. When we started vending and it really was ramping up five yeas, six years, seven years ago, we didn't know what type of attrition there would be because it was a new industry. And what we found when we got into 2014 and 2015, that a lot of those machines that we had signed in '11 and '12 and '13 were extremely successful. But there was a handful that we signed that were just either -- oops, maybe we shouldn't have put this one in there. And we were pulling out on -- going into a given year, I looked at what we had for installed base and we were pulling out about and I don't have the stats in front of me, but my recollection, it is about 15% a year. But when we really looked at the underlying data, we saw that five of the -- probably a third of those were ones, where, you know what, we need to continue to get better at how we make it easy for our branches to serve these machines, because we felt we could lower that number to 10. What we've done in the last three years is we've lowered that number to about 11. And we think we still believe we can get it to 10. So if we have 80,000 machines out there, it would tell me we're probably going to pull out. In a good year, 8,000 and a less than good year, 9,000 or 10,000. And bottom line is we think that's a reasonable proposition because it helps us grow faster. In Onsites, if I looked at historically, we pull out about 10 a year, but we had 200 though. And so we didn't really know what it would be. And we still don't frankly know because there's still a newer animal. But sending those Onsites, we want to be mindful. We're really cautious about where we do it, where we don't do it. Because it's more expensive to pull out an Onsite than it is to pull out a vending machine. But I love the fact that we're engaging with our customers and we're growing faster, but it's going to take some time to figure out what that number is. When we have 1,000 Onsites, how many do we pull out a year? Because either the customer closed its facility or I mean, the customer gets acquired and the acquiring company doesn't use Fastenal. There are few of those out there and we're trying to reduce that number every day. Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer And with regards to the new active, new active is just a little bit lower in the quarter. We would expect to have a greater rate of active growth as you go through the rest of the year. Evelyn Chow -- Goldman Sachs -- Analyst All right. Well, thanks, again, for the time today, guys. Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer Thanks, Evelyn. Operator Thank you. Our next question is from the line of David Manthey of Baird. Your line is open. David Manthey -- Robert W. Baird & Company -- Analyst Hey, guys. Good morning. First off, could you talk about the cost structure of the business today? And I'm wondering if you think that the model is more or less variable than it was 10 years ago in terms of costs? And what I'm getting at here is if growth does moderate slightly, are you still going to be able to sustain 20% contribution margins in that environment? Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer The -- first, in your underlying, when I think back to a decade ago when we started what we called the pathway to profit, one of the things that we were truly doing is we were slowly making the model more variable in that by not opening branches as fast. That added to the fixed cost infrastructure of the business and we were making it more variable. One of the things that hurt our ability to leverage, as the economy was picking up is, A, I personally felt we needed to make some additional investments in some people resources to support Onsite to our vending, but also we made significant advancements in our infrastructure to do great things from a technology standpoint. And we talked about those dollars that we were willing to spend and consume some of the leverage. But also the variable nature consumed some of the leverage and incentive comp is a good example. To the extent, we're talking about incentive comp and the people energy, the model is more variable today than it was in the past. The question about incremental margin really becomes challenging in the short-term because it really falls back to how much do you want to dial back on certain growth drivers. Because the deleverage comes from -- if we have a branch out there doing 200,000 and that market softens and they go to 180, that's a painful downhill because that's a highly profitable branch, that's levered like crazy and there it's going to delever. And it's not very -- and it's more fixed than variable. The incentive comp-up piece, obviously, comes into play. So, it's probably a long -- not very -- a long, long answer to your question, Dave, but it depends on the timeframe. In the short-term, we could -- incentive comp pulls back automatically and you're the one that use the historical reference of the shock absorbers, which I think is a great descriptor. And in the shorter term, it's not as difficult. In the longer term, it really comes down to, do you want to start cutting away on some of the flesh? When the economy we sell into is huge, the opportunity is huge. But our installed base has contracted because we have all of this customer spend but their spend is down 20%. And so it makes it really challenging to do that because I'm a firm believer, I'm more interested in the going after the 100 billion plus market than I am about raining everything in the short-term. David Manthey -- Robert W. Baird & Company -- Analyst Yeah. Okay. Sounds different but still manageable. So that's fair. Second question. In previous quarters, you've talked about the customer conversations you're having around tariff-related price increases. And Holden, you answered this question to some extent. But I guess to refine it, have those sort of negotiated price changes been reflected already in the first quarter results. And also on the inventory side, are you now seeing the tariff cost increases flow through FIFO? Or do those two things continue to evolve with a glide path from first quarter into second quarter? Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Well, yes, on all of it, first off. Yes. So the conversations were aggressive through Q4 and frankly, fairly constructive. When we said, we were encouraged, I see no reason to sort of step away from the fact that we thought the conversations with our customers went fairly well. And I think there's a lot of reasons why that has been the case. One was simply the plan that was put together to address the issue of tariffs. We feel that was fairly open and fair, and I think our customers responded in -- as we would have hoped, they would have given that. We also put a lot of energy into having those conversations face-to-face with our customers. And so, yeah, they went fairly well. Now, our expectation at the time and I think it's played out this way is that we would begin to see those costs flow through the business in Q1, and so we had to be timed to start getting some of the pricing flowing through the business in Q1. And I believe that, that happened. And when we talk about seeing some sequential increase in pricing, I think that some of that is increases coming as a result of tariffs in that February, March period. And when we talk about being able to see some sequential increases in pricing, I think there is going to be some additional relationships and that come online, as we go through the early part of the second quarter and third quarter. So -- but at this point, I wouldn't say that we've been able to narrow the deficit with those things happening. The timing has worked out like we had planned for it to work out, and the dialogue with the customers has been positive around it. So, I guess that's where I would leave that. Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer Dave, the only thing I'd throw in as an adder is sudden jolts are disruptive as heck. And what it really requires is all of us, our suppliers, Fastenal, our customers having a really informed, frank discussion about what's happening because it's been incredibly disruptive in the last four months. In fact, it probably took away some growth because you're having -- a lot of our sales teams are having discussions about pricing when I'd rather have discussions about growing the business. And -- but it's going to be disruptive. If anybody on the call has a crystal ball and can tell me what's going to happen with the tariff in six months and twelve months from now and do they get bigger? Do they get smaller? Do they unwind? Is it messy? It's going to be disruptive. Just disruptive on the unwind is -- was it unwind. And only time will tell how that works. Fortunately, on an unwind, whenever it occurs, while it might be disruptive to pricing, it's probably going to be helpful to the underlying economy. So, there'll be a lot of noise to our numbers. But in destructive times and times of radical change, the best cure is just good, open honest dialogue with your customer and we managed to do it. David Manthey -- Robert W. Baird & Company -- Analyst Okay. Thanks very much. Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer Thanks, Dave. Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Thanks, Dave. Operator Thank you. Our next question is from the line of Ryan Merkel of William Blair. Your line is open. Ryan Merkel -- William Blair & Company -- Analyst Thanks. Hey, everyone. Nice quarter. Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer Thanks. Good morning Ryan. Ryan Merkel -- William Blair & Company -- Analyst Yeah. So, first question I had was on oil and gas. I recall going back to maybe February, that the RVPs were saying this was just a pullback in spending. It was just a pause. Is this still the case and what are you hearing today? Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer Yeah. Well -- so the RVPs obviously respond to what their customers are telling them. And the -- what we're hearing is that -- what we're hearing is that it's a challenging marketplace. We're not seeing wholesale sort of layoffs and cutting of capital spending and things like that. And frankly, the weakness that we're seeing seems to be fairly measured and tempered, which doesn't always sound like what oil and gas has been like historically, right. And so if I think about the RVP tone on oil and gas, some of them were more encouraged about what the second half looks like than what the first half looks like. But all of them say, what oil price is going to do, right? And so, I think -- if I think about the tone around oil and gas, I guess, it began to weaken, I think, we began talking about this probably November, December last year. And the degree of weakness hasn't necessarily gotten more severe over that period of time. It has persisted but it's also broadened. So, what something which began in Houston and Dallas has spread to other regions, right, in terms of commentary. And like I said, some of them feel like this is going to clear itself out by the second half, some of them feel like they don't know and all of them understand that it's about what happens to the price of oil and how their customers feel. And we just don't have a great answer to it. But that's where we have oil and gas today. Ryan Merkel -- William Blair & Company -- Analyst Okay. That's helpful. And then second question on Onsite margin inflection. I recall 2020 could be the year where more mature Onsites at higher margins start to offset the newer Onsites. Is this still the case based on what we know today? And then, how much do you think it could lift overall company margin? Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Yeah. So, we haven't seen any real change in kind of the pacing of how we expect that to play out. And so, what I've said before is, today, where we've got so many new Onsites, you don't have sort of an equal ratio between how they're aging versus how we're adding them. But over time, that's going to change. And I think the proxy for that will be when does the average size per Onsite stop declining, right? And my feeling is that is probably late '19 but probably more in 2020, which means by the time you get to 2021, 2022, instead of just continuing to work against our overall level of gross profitability, that -- it will begin to diminish in terms of the impact on the mix. We still feel like that is the case. Now, what we've said before is -- and I think Dan laid this out last time, right? I mean, when we double our revenues, we want to be a 22% operating margin company, thereabouts. And in order for that to happen from 20% today, we need to see some of those Onsites begin to mature and become more profitable. And we think that, that will happen. And so, what is the impact? I would tell you, today, the overall impact is a drag, more so on the gross margin, the operating margin but it's in both. But over the next, let's call it 18 months, I think you're going to begin to see that drag really flatten out and then it begins to contribute more toward our goal of being a 22% operating margin company. Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer And one thing to keep in mind, it's a two-pronged drag in the short -- over the last few years. The one drag is the mix of Onsites and the average revenue per Onsite going down. The other drag is, we went from not really signing Onsites to 80s and 180s and 280 and now close to 400. And every time we sign an Onsite, I sense (ph) that, most of the times that when we sign an Onsite, we're taking our customer relationship out of a branch, a highly profitable branch and we're delevering it. So, you kind of have a two for going on. Not only are you pulling down the average of your Onsites, you're actually hurting the profitability of your branch network a little bit in the short term. And when you get to a steady state of how many are coming in and going out, that's when life becomes a little easier. No different than, think about how the math changed decade ago, when we slowed down opening branches through the pathway to profit. All of a sudden, your mix of branch has changed. So, that's kind of the trajectory. And frankly, what's been great is that, that really has been playing out largely as we would have modeled it out a year ago, two years ago. Ryan Merkel -- William Blair & Company -- Analyst Perfect. That's good to hear. It was kind of what I was getting at. Thanks, guys. I will pass it on. Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer Thanks, Ryan. Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Thank you. Operator Thank you. And your next question is from the line of Hamzah Mazari of Macquarie. Your line is open. Mario Cortellacci -- Macquarie Research -- Analyst Hi, guys. This is actually Mario Cortellacci filling in for Hamzah. I know there has been questions about pricing already. But I mean, do you think it's harder for distributors in general to get pricing during the cycle versus prior cycles? Or maybe asked in a different way, I mean, given where the demand environment is and where commodity inflation is, should pricing be higher than where it is? Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer Yeah. Since I've been here longer, I'll take a shot at that and Holden, I can say can chime in and correct me on some things he disagrees with. But pricing is always hard. People talk about transparency in today's world. And it is greater. But frankly, our customers knew what they were spending for product and what product costs were around town 10 and 20 and 30 years ago. So, it's always been hard. It's about, are you bringing the great value to your customer and their willingness to pay for that value if you think it that way? I think probably the toughest one right now on a pricing front is, pricing is always hard. But I think the one that's got a little bit harder is the freight one. Now for us, it's two-fold. One, the freight dynamic is a little bit different because Onsites are a different dynamic for freight than the branch network. And so we almost have to understand the two pieces individually. But in today's world, there's a lot of examples of where freights included or freights this or freights flat and it's fundamentally different models. And it's always just having a good discussion about your freight -- the freight side of your picture. And that's probably the more challenging element in today's world, setting mix aside. Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Yeah. And I would say, I don't know what it should be, compared to history, I would say this. I mean, every quarter, going back to beginning of 2018, we've made sequential progress in raising price. We've done that because there has also been sequential increase in costs. And so we don't love obviously that we have a deficit on the price-cost dynamic. But part of that is perhaps, we needed to be more aggressive than we were. But that shouldn't be read to mean that we weren't doing what we had to do to protect the margins because as I said, pricing has gone up every quarter. But we also have to acknowledge that we've had some pretty significant increases in costs. And if I look at how much our costs has increased in the first quarter, it's more than twice what that same increase was in the first quarter of last year. And so we're kind of chasing -- we're chasing that piece of it as well. But I don't want to give the impression that because we have a price-cost deficit, that doesn't mean that we haven't been able to pass price through because we passed more price through every quarter in response to the marketplace. But if you give us a flattening in the cost environment, we'll catch up. But the -- I don't want to leave the impression that we haven't been able to pass price through because we have. Mario Cortellacci -- Macquarie Research -- Analyst Great. And just one more and I'll turn it over and you actually mentioned the freight. Just wanted to see if the benefit, essentially running your own captive fleet, it hasn't been fully optimized. Or do you think there's more room to go there? And I guess, if there is more room for improvement, I guess how much do you think that could be? Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer Well, first off, the advantage of having a captive fleet, it's indescribable from the standpoint of -- set the costs aside for a second, our ability to provide service is night and day different from all our competitors. Earlier I used the example of that outdoor locker. A year from now, I fully expect us to be able to take an order from a customer that comes in late in the day, maybe in the evening and let's say, one time in 100 that customer is in a jam and they need it like two hours ago. Our competitors are going to be providing that. They're probably going to have to freight that in using small parcel. And it's not getting there to 10 o'clock tomorrow morning and that's a really expensive trip. Our driver gets to that branch at 4:00 in the morning or 2:00 in the morning or 6:00 in the morning. You pick the time because it's different for each branch. But let's say, this branch is 4:00 in the morning, our driver could throw that item in an outdoor locker and that customer would get a text at 4:00 in the morning, say the item you ordered at 5 o'clock last night is here and nobody else in that market can do that. So to me, the value of a captive trucking is you could provide a level of service that just separates you in the marketplace. From a cost standpoint, we have a great cost structure compared to our peers and we're able to use that cost structure. Part of our gross margin differential in our industry is because of that freight advantage. Our cost structure is lower. But it puts you in a position to challenge it every day. It also puts you in a position to have conversations with your customer and maybe move some product for them on the back hauls. So, one of the reasons that we've always been successful is we do a nice job with back hauls from our suppliers and more recently from some customers. That's where I think we have some more legs to it, especially on the Onsite piece of saying to customers to get some pallets, you need move -- we'll move it. And maybe you get freight that way. To quantify the potential, I'm not ready to go there right now because I don't know that we know it. Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Yeah. The only thing I would add is, I mean, I think, one direction you're going is, it is more cost effective to move product on our trucks than on third-parties. And from the fourth quarter of 2017, we really begin to see the field utilizing our truck network at a greater rate because of what was going on outside of our truck network. That kind of hit a level in Q3 of 2018 that we sustained a very high level. So if the question is what can you ship more and more onto your trucks, yeah, there's always good reasons to use a third-party, whether it's a customer requirement or what have you. So, we're probably at a good level for that. But I can't emphasize enough that in a period like this of inflation, third-party inflation is going up at a far greater rate than the costs that we're experiencing on our own captive fleet. And what that means is we have a huge advantage in the marketplace that is only getting wider by having that fleet. So, what we can never tell you is how much of an advantage are we getting in winning business because we have our captive fleet, even in an environment where there's inflation, especially in an environment where there's inflation. I can't answer that question for you. But it goes into our calculations and it's a reason why we win. So, I guess the tenor of the question is when are they going to stop impacting gross margin. I wanted to take the answer a little bit more broadly because we've done things to sort of minimize the impact. But you can't underestimate the value of that trucking fleet and our ability to manage costs and our ability to win business. Mario Cortellacci -- Macquarie Research -- Analyst Got it. Thanks for the time, guys. Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Thank you. Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer So, I show on my watch 9:57, and very mindful that we're in an earning season and everybody on this call has a busy schedule. And so, I don't want to go along. I just want to close out with a few thoughts. I mentioned earlier in the question and I thought I'd just touched on it again to make sure I didn't freak anybody out with my kind of -- off-the-cuff comment. The message I have to our team is, as we go forward, just like it's more challenging to grow when you start stacking years together, it's more challenging for incremental margin. And that means we need to work harder every day to achieve it. Doesn't mean -- if this -- that isn't a cautionary tale. That's just a statement of fact. And I feel great about the team we have and their ability to manage this business and to grow this business. The second item, we talk about the weather impact and you see the discussion centers on impact to sales and the impact to our customers. One thing I'm really proud of is the -- because the biggest impact quite frankly, is to the folks that drive our semis down the road. We were talking about freight. Picture you are driving through the middle of the night and they're in the middle of a snowstorm. That's a tough thing. I think I mentioned on last call, I mentioned it to our team internally about a semi driver who was stranded outside of Chicago because their fuel line gelled up because it was so cold. And a branch manager on the last day of the month went and rescued that person, and got him into a warm environment because it was 30 below zero. And one thing, I'm really proud of is the way our branches and our district -- and our distribution managers treat our driver from the standpoint of, hey, make sure your back dock is -- snows are removed and it's a safe environment for your driver because that driver is the lifeblood of your business. And really pleased to say we came through it with a very safe circumstance for our semi drivers. Last thing, great people pursuing a common goal can do great things. Learned that from Bob 23 years ago and it is true today as it was then. Thanks, everybody. Have a good day. Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Thank you. Operator Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your participation on today's conference. This does conclude the program. You may now disconnect. Everyone have a great day. Duration: 58 minutes Call participants: Ellen Stolts -- Financial Reporting and Regulatory Compliance Manager Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Robert Barry -- Buckingham Research -- Analyst Evelyn Chow -- Goldman Sachs -- Analyst David Manthey -- Robert W. Baird & Company -- Analyst Ryan Merkel -- William Blair & Company -- Analyst Mario Cortellacci -- Macquarie Research -- Analyst More FAST analysis Transcript powered by AlphaStreet This article is a transcript of this conference call produced for The Motley Fool. While we strive for our Foolish Best, there may be errors, omissions, or inaccuracies in this transcript. As with all our articles, The Motley Fool does not assume any responsibility for your use of this content, and we strongly encourage you to do your own research, including listening to the call yourself and reading the company's SEC filings. Please see ourTerms and Conditionsfor additional details, including our Obligatory Capitalized Disclaimers of Liability. 10 stocks we like better than Fastenal When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor , has quadrupled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Fastenal wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of March 1, 2019 Motley Fool Transcribers has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy . The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""S&P 500 Movers: RSG, FAST In early trading on Thursday, shares of Fastenal topped the list of the day's best performing components of the S&P 500 index, trading up 4.2%. Year to date, Fastenal registers a 29.9% gain. And the worst performing S&P 500 component thus far on the day is Republic Services, trading down 4.3%. Republic Services Inc is showing a gain of 5.7% looking at the year to date performance. Two other components making moves today are Waste Management, trading down 4.2%, and W.W. Grainger trading up 3.1% on the day. VIDEO: S&P 500 Movers: RSG, FAST The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Mid-Afternoon Market Update: Crude Oil Down 1.6%; Papa Murphy's Shares Spike Higher"", ""36 Stocks Moving In Thursday's Mid-Day Session"", ""Mid-Day Market Update: SemiLEDs Falls After Q2 Results; China Bat Group Shares Surge"", ""Mid-Morning Market Update: Markets Mixed; Fastenal Profit Tops Estimates"", ""Fastenal Co shares are trading higher after the company reported better-than-expected Q1 EPS and announced a $0.43 per share cash dividend."", ""Fastenal Q1 EPS $0.68 Beats $0.67 Estimate, Sales $1.309B Miss $1.31B Estimate"", ""7 Stocks To Watch For April 11, 2019"", ""Earnings Scheduled For April 11, 2019"", ""Fastenal Company (FAST) CEO Daniel Florness on Q1 2019 Results - Earnings Call Transcript"", ""Fastenal Jumps on Earnings Beat"", ""Fenimore Asset Management Inc Buys Frontdoor Inc, Fastenal Co, Broadridge Financial Solutions ..."", ""Fastenal jumps to all-time highs following Q1 report"", ""\""Davidson\"" On Fastenal"", ""Zacks.com featured expert Kevin Matras highlights: WellCare Health Plans, Domtar, Amedysis, Fastenal and DMC Global"", ""Dow Jones Leads Stock Market Action; Blue Chip Stock In Buy Range"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Q1 Earnings & Sales Top Estimates, Stock Up"", ""Fastenal Company 2019 Q1 - Results - Earnings Call Slides"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Q1 Earnings and Revenues Beat Estimates"", ""Fastenal inches up after EPS beat"", ""Fastenal beats by $0.01, revenue in-line"", ""Tesla Stock Falls, Trump Tweets on Trade, and More to Know for Thursday Panasonic and Tesla are reportedly halting expansion of a big battery plant, raising concern about demand for electric vehicles. The latest Trump tweet on trade and a flurry of stock-ratings news are in focus as well."", ""Dow Drops 14 Points and Earnings Season Might Not Be Able to Get It Moving One day after 7 points, the Dow fell 14. What is the market waiting for?""]"
FAST,2019-04-12,31.185,31.65,30.9363,31.6105,"[""Fastenal (FAST) Looks Good: Stock Adds 5% in Session"", ""Company News For Apr 12, 2019"", ""50 Biggest Movers From Yesterday"", ""Raymond James Maintains Strong Buy on Fastenal, Raises Price Target to $78"", ""Buckingham Maintains Neutral on Fastenal, Raises Price Target to $65"", ""Buckingham Maintains Neutral on Fastenal, Raises Price Target to $65"", ""Raymond James Maintains Strong Buy on Fastenal, Raises Price Target to $78"", ""50 Biggest Movers From Yesterday"", ""Company News For Apr 12, 2019"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Looks Good: Stock Adds 5% in Session"", ""Buckingham Maintains Neutral on Fastenal, Raises Price Target to $65"", ""Raymond James Maintains Strong Buy on Fastenal, Raises Price Target to $78"", ""50 Biggest Movers From Yesterday"", ""Company News For Apr 12, 2019"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Looks Good: Stock Adds 5% in Session""]"
FAST,2019-04-15,31.4545,31.6884,31.1436,31.185,"[""Fastenal's Execution Remains Beyond Fault, But The Valuation And Macro Picture Are More Debatable"", ""Standing Up For MSC Industrial Getting Harder And Harder"", ""Fastenal's Execution Remains Beyond Fault, But The Valuation And Macro Picture Are More Debatable"", ""Standing Up For MSC Industrial Getting Harder And Harder"", ""Fastenal's Execution Remains Beyond Fault, But The Valuation And Macro Picture Are More Debatable"", ""Standing Up For MSC Industrial Getting Harder And Harder"", ""Stocks Near Record Highs as Investors Sit Tight \u201cIt feels like individuals and portfolio managers are playing not to lose,\u201d says one strategist.""]"
FAST,2019-04-16,31.3064,31.5759,31.185,31.5246,"[""Morgan Stanley Maintains Equal-Weight on Fastenal, Raises Price Target to $63"", ""Morgan Stanley Maintains Equal-Weight on Fastenal, Raises Price Target to $63"", ""Morgan Stanley Maintains Equal-Weight on Fastenal, Raises Price Target to $63""]"
FAST,2019-04-17,31.6746,31.9056,31.5799,31.802,
FAST,2019-04-18,32.0093,32.2451,31.725,32.2323,"[""Nasdaq 100 At All-Time Highs: Time To Sell Stocks Or More Gains Ahead?"", ""Fastenal announces stock split"", ""Research Report Identifies Fastenal, Ideal Power, Fuel Tech, CTI BioPharma, Aptevo ..."", ""Fastenal announces stock split"", ""Nasdaq 100 At All-Time Highs: Time To Sell Stocks Or More Gains Ahead?"", ""Research Report Identifies Fastenal, Ideal Power, Fuel Tech, CTI BioPharma, Aptevo ..."", ""Fastenal Fastens Its Steep Upward Trajectory Shares of industrial and construction-supplies distributor Fastenal Company (NASDAQ: FAST) have soared more than 35% since the beginning of the year. The company's first-quarter 2019 earnings, released last week on April 11, provide some perspective around investors' enthusiasm for the industrial-behemoth's stock. Below, we'll review condensed quarterly results and walk through success factors driving recent results. Note that all comparative numbers are presented against the prior-year quarter. Fastenal results: The raw numbers Data source: Fastenal Company. YOY = year over year. What happened with Fastenal this quarter? Image source: Getty Images. Fastenal's revenue increase was keyed by improvement in its closely watched internal metric of daily sales. Daily sales rose 12.2%, to $20.8 million. Management attributed the strength to higher industrial vending-machine sales, additional Onsite location implementations (i.e. dedicated inventory management at customer locations), and sales of construction supplies. To a lesser extent, management also pointed to the positive effect of higher prices, which the company recently instituted to absorb cost inflation due to tariff imports. Sales of fastener products expanded by 11.8% on a daily sales basis, while non-fastener product sales grew by 12.7% on a daily sales basis. Fastener products comprised 34.8% of the quarter's revenue, with the balance to non-fastener products. Gross margin decreased 100 basis points, to 47.7%, due to product mix, higher freight costs, general inflationary pressures on margin, and rebate adjustments on the company's customer inventory programs. Operating margin improved by 20 basis points, to 20%. Management attributed the increase to its ability to contain facility occupancy charges, as well as improved employee productivity -- even as employee expenses increased 7% against the prior-year quarter. Operating cash flow rose 28%, to roughly $205 million, due to higher earnings, as well as reduced drag from working capital needs versus the first quarter of 2018. Management's perspective Fastenal has notched noteworthy results in recent quarters by focusing on the high industrial demand for on-premise supplies and inventory solutions. Management has prioritized increasing the presence of its industrial vending machines in manufacturing facilities and promoting Onsite locations in which Fastenal supplies both physical inventory and a team to manage the inventory process. During the company's earnings conference call last week, CEO Dan Florness discussed Fastenal's aggressive current-year goals for both Onsite and vending-machine penetration: [O]n Onsites, our goals are pretty simple this year. Let's sign 375 to 400. There's 52 weeks in the year. You've got to take out a couple of those weeks because it's the holidays and a lot happens in those weeks...On vending, our goal is to do 23,000 units to 25,000 units. So, there's 254 business days in the year. We need to sign roughly 100 every day to get to the high end of that number. If we sign 90 every day, we're at the low end of that number. We were just shy of 90 in the first quarter. But in the month of March, we rounded up to 100. We were at 99.6 [vending machines signed up] per day. So, we were off [to] a nice start. The reasoning behind these lofty sales targets is fairly straightforward. In chasing brisk on-premise expansion, Fastenal gains immediate market share, but more crucially, each vending machine or Onsite installation also creates a conduit for long-term supplies and services revenue. Through the first quarter, Fastenal signed 105 new Onsite locations, and active Onsite locations grew 39.4% year over year, to 945 in total. The company signed roughly 5,600 new industrial vending machines in the first quarter and its installed-machine count expanded by more than 13% year over year to approximately 83,400 vending devices. An ascending curve of on-premise device installations is fastening Fastenal's rising share-price trajectory. 10 stocks we like better than Fastenal When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has quadrupled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Fastenal wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of March 1, 2019 Asit Sharma has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Fastens Its Steep Upward Trajectory Shares of industrial and construction-supplies distributor Fastenal Company (NASDAQ: FAST) have soared more than 35% since the beginning of the year. The company's first-quarter 2019 earnings, released last week on April 11, provide some perspective around investors' enthusiasm for the industrial-behemoth's stock. Below, we'll review condensed quarterly results and walk through success factors driving recent results. Note that all comparative numbers are presented against the prior-year quarter. Fastenal results: The raw numbers Data source: Fastenal Company. YOY = year over year. What happened with Fastenal this quarter? Fastenal's revenue increase was keyed by improvement in its closely watched internal metric of daily sales. Daily sales rose 12.2%, to $20.8 million. Management attributed the strength to higher industrial vending-machine sales, additional Onsite location implementations (i.e. dedicated inventory management at customer locations), and sales of construction supplies. To a lesser extent, management also pointed to the positive effect of higher prices, which the company recently instituted to absorb cost inflation due to tariff imports. Sales of fastener products expanded by 11.8% on a daily sales basis, while non-fastener product sales grew by 12.7% on a daily sales basis. Fastener products comprised 34.8% of the quarter's revenue, with the balance to non-fastener products. Gross margin decreased 100 basis points , to 47.7%, due to product mix, higher freight costs, general inflationary pressures on margin, and rebate adjustments on the company's customer inventory programs. Operating margin improved by 20 basis points, to 20%. Management attributed the increase to its ability to contain facility occupancy charges, as well as improved employee productivity -- even as employee expenses increased 7% against the prior-year quarter. Operating cash flow rose 28%, to roughly $205 million, due to higher earnings, as well as reduced drag from working capital needs versus the first quarter of 2018. Management's perspective Fastenal has notched noteworthy results in recent quarters by focusing on the high industrial demand for on-premise supplies and inventory solutions. Management has prioritized increasing the presence of its industrial vending machines in manufacturing facilities and promoting Onsite locations in which Fastenal supplies both physical inventory and a team to manage the inventory process. During the company's earnings conference call last week , CEO Dan Florness discussed Fastenal's aggressive current-year goals for both Onsite and vending-machine penetration: The reasoning behind these lofty sales targets is fairly straightforward. In chasing brisk on-premise expansion, Fastenal gains immediate market share, but more crucially, each vending machine or Onsite installation also creates a conduit for long-term supplies and services revenue. Through the first quarter, Fastenal signed 105 new Onsite locations, and active Onsite locations grew 39.4% year over year, to 945 in total. The company signed roughly 5,600 new industrial vending machines in the first quarter and its installed-machine count expanded by more than 13% year over year to approximately 83,400 vending devices. An ascending curve of on-premise device installations is fastening Fastenal's rising share-price trajectory. 10 stocks we like better than Fastenal When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor , has quadrupled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Fastenal wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of March 1, 2019 Asit Sharma has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy . The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""7 Companies That Are Closing the CEO-Worker Wage Gap InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips A 2018 survey of CEO pay in 22 countries around the world including the U.S. found that the average CEO was paid $3.55 million annually. Here in Canada, where I live, the average CEO was paid a little more than $7 million. In the UK, it was almost a million higher than Canada. How about the U.S.? Well, it was the number one country for CEO pay at $14.25 million - or more than four times the global average. Are U.S. CEOs worth that much - or that much more than CEOs in other countries? Not by a long shot. But that doesn't stop some professorial types from singing their praises. \""The efforts of America's highest-earning 1% have been one of the more dynamic elements of the global economy. It's not popular to say, but one reason their pay has gone up so much is that CEOs really have upped their game relative to many other workers in the U.S. economy,\"" stated George Mason University Economics professor Tyler Cowen in his recent book Big Business: A Love Letter to an American Anti-Hero. CEOs might have a more complicated job than they had 20 years ago, but that doesn't justify pay that is 361 times the average U.S. rank-and-file worker. U.S. Congressman Keith Ellison released a report in 2018 that suggested a median employee at Mattel (NYSE: MAT) would have to work at the company for 495 years to earn as much as a CEO's annual pay. Ridiculous. Investors need only to consider one fact. \""Since 2008, the 100 companies with the lowest CEO compensation within the S&P 500 index have outperformed the 100 with the highest compensation every year except 2013,\"" Bloomberg reported in March of this year. \""The annualized return from 2008 to 2018 was 17.2 percent compared with 8.4 percent.\"" It is clear that investing in companies who are doing a good job cutting the gap between the CEO's pay and the average employee is key to your portfolio's future success. The Jobs Report Isn't an Effective Metric for the U.S. Economy Here are seven stocks to buy in that vein. Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) Source: Jon Fingas via Flickr (Modified) CEO Pay: $5.1 million Pay Ratio: 32:1 The median worker's pay at Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ: ISRG ) is $157,491, the 22nd highest amount of compensation in the S&P 500 . It kind of makes sense. Do you really want a bunch of low-paid workers manufacturing the company's da Vinci surgical robotic systems? One wrong move and your hernia repair becomes a one-way ticket to the morgue. I'm facetious, but I think you get my meaning. By having well-paid employees, not only are they likely to be happier; they're probably more productive especially when they realize that the CEO makes just 32 times their pay, about one-tenth the U.S. average. Intuitive Surgical has come a long way from 1999 when it launched the first da Vinci system. At the end of 2018, it had almost 5,000 systems installed; 64% of them in the U.S. with Europe and Asia its next biggest markets, but with plenty of room to grow. The global surgical robotics market is expected to grow by almost 14% annually over the next seven years to $17 billion. ISRG currently has a 17% market share. If it grows that market share to 25% by 2025, it translates into an additional $1.4 billion in revenue. As people age, minimally invasive surgery will become even more critical than it already is. As secular trends go, ISRG is one of the best bets you can make. American Water Works (AWK) Source: Shutterstock CEO Pay: $4.4 million Pay Ratio: 53:1 American Water Works (NYSE: AWK ) CEO Susan Story is the only woman on this list so if ESG issues are of interest to you; AWK is an excellent stock to consider. As for its business, that's also good. AWK was recently named one of Barron's 100 Most Sustainable U.S. Companies. Also, Bloomberg included AWK on its list of 230 companies for the 2019 Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index (GEI), a group selected for their dedication advancing the cause of women. That's a big deal when you consider that providing equal pay for U.S. women would add $512 billion to the economy on an annual basis. Here's another reason to like the water utility. AWK stock hasn't had a single year with a negative total return delivering a 10-year annualized total return of 20.6%, which goes entirely against the theory that utilities are dull and poor performers over the long haul. 5 Dividend Stocks Perfect for Retirees Providing water services to more than 14 million people in 46 states, AWK is a stock whose business will never go the way of the Dodo bird. Fastenal (FAST) Source: Shutterstock CEO Pay: $2.0 million Pay Ratio: 58:1 If you've owned Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST ) for the past five years, your patience is finally being rewarded after spending four years rangebound between $40-$50. Up 32% year to date through April 15, FAST stock looks like its gallop to $100 is underway. Consider that the supplier of industrial and construction supplies grew revenues and operating profits over the past five years by 49% and 40% to $5.0 billion and $1.0 billion respectively. And for that, its stock went sideways. In the company's Q1 2019 earnings, Fastenal grew the top and bottom lines by double digits. Revenues were up 12.2% on a like-for-like basis, and net earnings rose 11.9% to $0.68 a share. Helping move the needle is its industrial vending machine program. In the first quarter, it signed 5,603, bringing the total number to 83,410, an increase of 13.4% over Q1 2018. Sales at those machines grew in the high teens in the first quarter. And you thought vending machines were a thing of the past. Fastenal is all about customer service. It's got the growth to prove it. Amazon (AMZN) Source: Shutterstock CEO Pay: $1.7 million Pay Ratio: 59:1 Say what you will about Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN ) CEO and founder Jeff Bezos, but you can't deny his company's success. A $10,000 investment ten years ago is worth almost $247,000 today. Bezos might be amoral or immoral in your opinion but his ability to deliver what the world's craving is astonishing. Everything Amazon does is to please the customer. In Bezos' annual letter to shareholders, he mentions the word customer on 49 occasions. \""Much of what we build at AWS is based on listening to customers. It's critical to ask customers what they want, listen carefully to their answers, and figure out a plan to provide it thoughtfully and quickly (speed matters in business!). No business could thrive without that kind of customer obsession. But it's also not enough. The biggest needle movers will be things that customers don't know to ask for,\"" the CEO wrote . 7 Stocks to Buy for Spring Season Growth How many CEOs do you know that think like this? I can count the number on two hands. He might be an a**hole in the minds of many, but he's a brilliant one, cut from the same cloth as Elon Musk. Garmin (GRMN) Source: slgckgc via Flickr (modified) CEO Pay: $2.4 million Pay Ratio: 76:1 The cream always rises to the top. Garmin (NASDAQ: GRMN ) is one of those companies that seems to fly under the radar despite being a reasonably large company. If you own Fitbit (NASDAQ: FIT ) stock, however, you're likely more than a little aware of Garmin. In the most recent quarter, Garmin delivered boffo earnings. Since announcing Q4 2018 results February 20, GRMN stock is up 24%. A key highlight from earnings was its guidance for 2019. Analysts were expecting earnings of $3.52 a share on $3.43 billion in revenue. Garmin CEO Cliff Pemble's outlook is for $3.70 a share on the bottom line and $3.50 billion on the top line. \""2018 was another remarkable year of revenue and operating income growth driven by strong performance in our aviation, marine, outdoor and fitness segments,\"" Pemble said in its news release. \""Entering 2019, we see many opportunities ahead and believe that we are well positioned to seize these opportunities with a strong lineup of products across all of our segments.\"" Hopefully, you're beginning to see a trend. Companies that keep the pay ratio low tend to deliver strong long-term results. Since Pemble became CEO in January 2013 , GRMN stock has generated a 19.7% annualized total return for shareholders, 440 basis points greater than the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (NYSEARCA: SPY ). Simon Property (SPG) Source: m01229 via Flickr (Modified) CEO Pay: $4.8 million Pay Ratio: 88:1 A lot of investors might have a problem owning shopping malls. I certainly wouldn't. But they've got to be good. They can't be Class C malls with no-name retailers filling the place. That's a recipe for disaster. Zacks recently wondered if Simon Property's (NYSE: SPG ) efforts were enough to battle the retail blues. Are we seriously still having that discussion in 2019. Well, it turns out there are a lot of crappy retailers still operating including Sears. \""The deepening of the relationship with existing tenants, and the launch of its online retail platform, weaved with an omni-channel strategy, will likely be accretive to Simon Property's long-term growth,\"" wrote Zack's equity research team April 8. \""In fact, the company is investing billions and actively restructuring its portfolio, aiming at premium acquisitions and transformative redevelopments. The transformational plans include the addition of hotels, restaurants, residences and luxury stores.\"" The fact is, very few retail mall owners have the vision of the Simon family. They've been doing this a long time. They're more than capable of rolling with the punches. 10 S&P 500 Stocks to Weather the Earnings Storm Good brick-and-mortar retail isn't disappearing. Just the crappy kind is. Know the difference. O'Reilly Automotive (ORLY) Source: JJBers via Flickr (modified) CEO Pay: $2.9 million Pay Ratio: 141:1 O'Reilly Automotive (NASDAQ: ORLY ) makes it on to the list despite hitting a 26-year high of $398.41 in early April and carrying on past $400 in the days that followed. Up 19% year to date through April 15, ORLY's only had one year of negative returns since 2009. As a result, you're looking at a 10-year annualized total return of 27.3%, almost double the S&P 500. In 2018, the retailer of aftermarket auto parts had same-store sales growth of 3.8% , at the top of its estimate for the year, the company's 26th year with an increase. In 2019, it expects same-store sales growth of 3%-5%. This past year it opened 200 net new stores in 36 states. It plans to open as many as 210 in 2019. It now has 5,219 stores across the U.S. On the bottom line, O'Reilly increased its EPS by 27% over 2017 to $16.10, the 10th consecutive year with a 15% increase in earnings. In 2019, it expects EPS of at least $17.37. Given its track record, you should expect more than that. At the time of this writing Will Ashworth did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities. More From InvestorPlace 2 Toxic Pot Stocks You Should Avoid 5 Dividend Stocks Perfect for Retirees 7 Reasons the Stock Market Rally Isn't Over Yet 10 S&P 500 Stocks to Weather the Earnings Storm Compare Brokers The post 7 Companies That Are Closing the CEO-Worker Wage Gap appeared first on InvestorPlace . The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal announces stock split"", ""Nasdaq 100 At All-Time Highs: Time To Sell Stocks Or More Gains Ahead?"", ""Research Report Identifies Fastenal, Ideal Power, Fuel Tech, CTI BioPharma, Aptevo ...""]"
FAST,2019-04-22,32.2599,32.3942,31.6381,31.7891,"[""Fastenal Late Thurs. Announced 2-For-1 Split, Effective May 22, 2019"", ""Fastenal Late Thurs. Announced 2-For-1 Split, Effective May 22, 2019"", ""Fastenal Late Thurs. Announced 2-For-1 Split, Effective May 22, 2019"", ""Tesla Stock Falls, Halliburton Gains, and 3 More Monday Movers Shares of Fastenal, Intuitive Surgical, and Lam Research were getting attention, while the Dow was poised to open lower.""]"
FAST,2019-04-23,31.7378,32.563,31.7191,32.4396,"[""NVR's Shares Jump More Than 6% as Q1 Earnings Beat Estimates"", ""NVR's Shares Jump More Than 6% as Q1 Earnings Beat Estimates"", ""NVR's Shares Jump More Than 6% as Q1 Earnings Beat Estimates""]"
FAST,2019-04-24,32.4781,32.7959,32.4495,32.5531,
FAST,2019-04-25,32.2757,32.5403,31.8967,32.3774,"[""Fastenal: Making Dollars And Cents With Nuts And Bolts"", ""Fastenal: Making Dollars And Cents With Nuts And Bolts"", ""Fastenal: Making Dollars And Cents With Nuts And Bolts""]"
FAST,2019-04-26,32.4061,32.5501,32.3093,32.5235,"FVD, I, FAST, BLK: ETF Inflow Alert Looking today at week-over-week shares outstanding changes among the universe of ETFs covered at ETF Channel, one standout is the First Trust Value Line Dividend Index Fund (Symbol: FVD) where we have detected an approximate $67.7 million dollar inflow -- that's a 1.2% increase week over week in outstanding units (from 173,937,986 to 175,987,986). Among the largest underlying components of FVD, in trading today Intelsat SA (Symbol: I) is up about 0.7%, Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) is trading flat, and Blackrock Inc (Symbol: BLK) is lower by about 0.2%. For a complete list of holdings, visit the FVD Holdings page » The chart below shows the one year price performance of FVD, versus its 200 day moving average: Looking at the chart above, FVD's low point in its 52 week range is $27.59 per share, with $33.1837 as the 52 week high point — that compares with a last trade of $33.10. Comparing the most recent share price to the 200 day moving average can also be a useful technical analysis technique -- learn more about the 200 day moving average ». Exchange traded funds (ETFs) trade just like stocks, but instead of ''shares'' investors are actually buying and selling ''units''. These ''units'' can be traded back and forth just like stocks, but can also be created or destroyed to accommodate investor demand. Each week we monitor the week-over-week change in shares outstanding data, to keep a lookout for those ETFs experiencing notable inflows (many new units created) or outflows (many old units destroyed). Creation of new units will mean the underlying holdings of the ETF need to be purchased, while destruction of units involves selling underlying holdings, so large flows can also impact the individual components held within ETFs. Click here to find out which 9 other ETFs had notable inflows » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2019-04-29,32.5847,32.715,32.0695,32.1365,
FAST,2019-04-30,32.1661,32.3537,31.9974,32.1879,"This Money Manager Is Sticking With Alphabet, Facebook, and Berkshire Hathaway Ingrid Hendershot said she’s neutral on the market in our latest Big Money poll. But some stocks still look appealing"
FAST,2019-05-01,32.2067,32.3143,31.4644,31.6046,"[""Harfst & Associates, Inc. Buys Invesco S&P 5\u2026\u2026 Low Volatility, Stryker Corp, TJX ..."", ""Harfst & Associates, Inc. Buys Invesco S&P 5\u2026\u2026 Low Volatility, Stryker Corp, TJX ..."", ""5 Elephant-Sized Companies Warren Buffett Could Buy Warren Buffett has a problem. One-hundred and twelve billion of them to be exact. That\u2019s the amount of cash that Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:,NYSE:BRK.B) has on its balance sheet at the end of 2018. And odds are, Buffett\u2019s cash hoard has only grown over the last three months as his vast empire continues to pay some hefty dividends. The problem for Warren Buffett and Berkshire is that amount of cash starts to be a real drag on its profitability and returns. So, for the last year or so, Buffett has been searching for a firm to buy. And given BRK\u2019s size, it needs to be a big one to move the needle. Unfortunately, the Oracle of Omaha hasn\u2019t found just the right one yet. But there could be plenty of choices. Analysts have started to look at what Buffett could buy to add to the Berkshire Hathaway arsenal. In total, about 141 different firms could meet the Warren Buffett standard for cash flows, profitability and value. Here are the best possible Warren Buffett stocks that regular retail investors may want to snag up as well. Cincinnati Financial Corporation (CINF) Source: Shutterstock It\u2019s no secret that Warren Buffett loves insurance stocks and BRK is chockfull of them. That\u2019s because Buffett loves their float. An insurance company\u2019s float is basically all the premiums it\u2019s collected, but hasn\u2019t paid out just yet. This money can be invested in a wide range of things \u2014 with some caveats on amounts. Most insurance companies use bonds and other fixed-income instruments, but not all. Berkshire\u2019s subsidiaries use their float to bet on stocks. And so does insurer Cincinnati Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:). CINF is property and causality insurer that has been very successful in using its float to boost its returns over the years. Additionally, the company has some very conservative underwriting standards which have helped limit losses. Combining this plus its local agent-specific businesses model \u2014 which partners with existing insurance agencies to promote its businesses \u2014 and Cincinnati Financial has been a long-term winner. In fact, with its last dividend hike, CINF has managed to raise its dividend for That sort of steadfastness could be exactly what Buffett is looking for. Moreover, CINF could be an easy fit into Berkshire\u2019s other insurance assets. With a market cap of around $15 billion, the stock would be an easy one for Buffett to swallow as well. Fastenal (FAST) Source: Shutterstock If there is one thing Buffett likes, its simple to explain businesses that churn out hefty cash flows year in and year out. That\u2019s basically what Fastenal (NASADQ:) has been doing for the last 50 years. FAST produces and sells a variety of hardware and supplies that other industrial firms or businesses need to keep running. This includes everything from boring nuts and bolts to more exotic fare like tools and pumps. It\u2019s basically an industrial supplier to the industrials. That\u2019s a good place to be. Over the years, Fastenal has cemented itself as one of the top players in this niche. The key for the firm comes down to its relationships with other industrials and manufacturers. FAST\u2019s system makes it easy for procurement managers to order. The firm operates more than 2,220 branches and a hefty online website. But the real win is that FAST has been able to get inside manufacturers themselves. This comes from Fastenal\u2019s storage bin replenishment and vending machine programs. Here, FAST is able to directly integrate into a manufacturer\u2019s ordering/supply chain and allows for ease of repeat customers. Simply, FAST is able to integrate itself into a customers\u2019 workflow. Last year, the firm processed more than 41 million orders and pulled in more than . More importantly, it has allowed FAST to grow at a very hefty clip in terms of margins and profits. With a wide moat, great growth and $20 billion market-cap, Buffett could and should swallow up Fastenal. Sherwin-Williams (SHW) Source: Shutterstock Buffett is clearly a fan of homeownership as several of Berkshire Hathaway\u2019s subsidiaries focus on products for construction and decorating. This includes carpet-producer Shaw Flooring. Under this banner, paint-producer Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:) could get the nod from Buffett. With its 2017 purchase of Valspar, SHW became the global leader in paints and coatings. This includes a hefty amount of paints and stains for personal/home use. But the real reason why Buffett could give SHW a nod is its industrial businesses. Sherwin-Williams produces a ton of different coatings and paints for a variety of industries \u2014 including lucrative aerospace and automotive/transportation finishes. These sort of performance coatings have been a bright spot in its business \u2014 in the last quarter. Profits here jumped by over 60% as Valspar was able to significantly contribute. That\u2019s the sort of growth that Buffett would love to see inside Berkshire. And Buffett could find plenty to love in its dividend as well. Thanks to big growth in several of these performance coatings segments, Sherwin-Williams recently was able to raise its dividend by Meanwhile, the stocks payout ratio is measly 23%. That leaves plenty of room for future payout increases. In the end, SHW is the kind of specialty industrial business that throws off serious cash flows. Exactly what characterizes most Warren Buffett stocks. Southwest Airlines (LUV) Source: The long joke among investors is that investing in an airline was the surest way to lose to money. For the longest time, no Warren Buffett stocks were airlines. But that was then and this is now. And now Berkshire counts holdings in the four major airlines, but Southwest (NYSE:) could ultimately be the one that gets bought out. Things have changed a lot for the industry. Thanks to deregulation and the wave of mergers, the number of airlines has shrunk in the U.S. That has provided the remaining ones with larger operating footprints and better profit profiles. Additionally, dropping oil prices have reduced one of the biggest costs for the sector. That\u2019s what initially drew Buffett into the sector in the first place. Why Southwest will get the love is that it the airline checks a lot of boxes for Buffett. For one thing, the corporate culture at LUV is top notch and is still run by early insiders and founders. Secondly, it\u2019s moat as a carrier is deeply entrenched and many low-cost competitors have difficulty competing. Finally, the top-notch carrier may be cheap. LUV cut its guidance twice in the last two months thanks to woes over canceled flights. Southwest flies almost \u2014 though not exclusively 737 Max planes. With that, shares have dropped and now trade for just 10 times free cash flows. That\u2019s a very juicy figure and could get Buffett to just buy out the stock. Moody\u2019s Corporation (MCO) Businesses that produce plenty of cash flows because they have no overhead are something Buffett likes as well. So, when you combine with this with an irreplaceable moat, you know Buffett is 100% onboard. This could help explain his attraction to Moody\u2019s Corporation (NYSE:). Moody\u2019s \u2014 along with rival S&P Global (NYSE:) \u2014 provides credit ratings, research, and risk analysis services. And as one of the three main ratings agencies, investors, banks and other customers rely on MCO to make their investment decisions. This includes BRK. In fact, a company can\u2019t issue a bond without a ratings agency giving it it\u2019s blessing. The best part is that Moody\u2019s only real overhead is salary. That leads to plenty of cash generation and mega-sized margins for its products. This year, that it will generate more than $1.6 billion in free cash flows. Meanwhile, the firm has been more than happy to share those cash flows with investors. Over the last five years, MCO has managed to grow its dividend by an average of 12%. Currently, the stock yields 1.03%. These factors are some of the reasons why Buffett and Berkshire own a hefty slog of Moody\u2019s shares. Add in its growth potential from side analytic business and the need for robust credit research and there\u2019s a good chance that Buffett could finally take the firm private. Disclosure: At the time of writing, Aaron Levitt did not hold a position in any of the stocks mentioned. The post appeared first on InvestorPlace. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Harfst & Associates, Inc. Buys Invesco S&P 5\u2026\u2026 Low Volatility, Stryker Corp, TJX ...""]"
FAST,2019-05-02,31.5552,31.8829,31.3814,31.8691,
FAST,2019-05-03,32.0467,32.3913,31.8967,32.3349,"[""A.O. Smith: The Continued Tempest In The China Teapot"", ""A.O. Smith: The Continued Tempest In The China Teapot"", ""A.O. Smith: The Continued Tempest In The China Teapot"", ""Amazon Keeps Hitting Trucking Stocks. It\u2019s Not a Threat. Rapid growth and logistics ambitions from a retail behemoth aren\u2019t new. Still, the \u201cAmazon effect\u201d looms large today in the trucking space.""]"
FAST,2019-05-06,30.5346,31.107,30.5277,31.0064,"[""Introducing The Urbem Quality Score"", ""Fastenal -4% following sales slowdown"", ""Fastenal Reports Apr. Net Sales $460.7M, Up 12.5%"", ""Shares of several multinational companies are trading lower following a tweet from President Trump which hinted at additional tariffs on China and China indicated it may back out of upcoming trade negotiations."", ""Shares of several multinational companies are trading lower following a tweet from President Trump which hinted at additional tariffs on China and China indicated it may back out of upcoming trade negotiations."", ""Fastenal Reports Apr. Net Sales $460.7M, Up 12.5%"", ""Fastenal -4% following sales slowdown"", ""Introducing The Urbem Quality Score"", ""Shares of several multinational companies are trading lower following a tweet from President Trump which hinted at additional tariffs on China and China indicated it may back out of upcoming trade negotiations."", ""Fastenal Reports Apr. Net Sales $460.7M, Up 12.5%"", ""Fastenal -4% following sales slowdown"", ""Introducing The Urbem Quality Score"", ""Here are the biggest stock-market losers after Trump threatens more tariffs China is still sending a trade delegation to Washington, but investors panicked Monday China is still sending a trade delegation to Washington, but investors panicked Monday morning."", ""Anadarko Petroleum Rises, Expedia Falls, and 3 More Morning Movers President Donald Trump\u2019s tweets threatening higher tariffs on Chinese goods have spooked investors, upending the recent earnings-related stock market gains.""]"
FAST,2019-05-07,30.4339,30.5909,29.9809,30.3401,
FAST,2019-05-08,30.3401,30.5227,30.1299,30.1961,
FAST,2019-05-09,29.7617,30.2809,29.6126,30.1161,
FAST,2019-05-10,29.9265,30.1349,29.3974,29.9473,
FAST,2019-05-13,29.2504,29.3334,28.8131,29.1004,"[""Tracking William Von Mueffling's Cantillon Capital Management Portfolio - Q1 2019 Update"", ""Shares of automotive and industrial companies are trading lower amid revamped US-China trade tensions. New tariffs between the two nations could increase input and materials costs for companies in these sectors and harm their overseas operations."", ""Shares of automotive and industrial companies are trading lower amid revamped US-China trade tensions. New tariffs between the two nations could increase input and materials costs for companies in these sectors and harm their overseas operations."", ""Tracking William Von Mueffling's Cantillon Capital Management Portfolio - Q1 2019 Update"", ""Shares of automotive and industrial companies are trading lower amid revamped US-China trade tensions. New tariffs between the two nations could increase input and materials costs for companies in these sectors and harm their overseas operations."", ""Tracking William Von Mueffling's Cantillon Capital Management Portfolio - Q1 2019 Update""]"
FAST,2019-05-14,29.132,29.5514,29.0866,29.2722,
FAST,2019-05-15,29.0422,29.4952,28.9681,29.3472,
FAST,2019-05-16,29.5426,29.9265,29.4054,29.4794,"[""Hidden Gem Exploration: Smaller Caps Earning Top Quality Scores - Part 1"", ""Hidden Gem Exploration: Smaller Caps Earning Top Quality Scores - Part 1"", ""Hidden Gem Exploration: Smaller Caps Earning Top Quality Scores - Part 1""]"
FAST,2019-05-17,29.3057,29.5939,29.0718,29.277,"Amazon Can’t Resist Competing With Everyone, Including Uber Amazon’s reach, highlighted by an investment in the food-delivery service Deliveroo, can be hard to track. Here’s a guide to what industries the giant retailer has moved into."
FAST,2019-05-20,28.8369,29.433,28.7983,29.2464,
FAST,2019-05-21,29.5022,29.9108,29.4568,29.662,
FAST,2019-05-22,29.582,29.7568,29.3196,29.3284,"First Week of FAST July 19th Options Trading Investors in Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) saw new options begin trading this week, for the July 19th expiration. At Stock Options Channel, our YieldBoost formula has looked up and down the FAST options chain for the new July 19th contracts and identified one put and one call contract of particular interest. The put contract at the $62.50 strike price has a current bid of $1.60. If an investor was to sell-to-open that put contract, they are committing to purchase the stock at $62.50, but will also collect the premium, putting the cost basis of the shares at $60.90 (before broker commissions). To an investor already interested in purchasing shares of FAST, that could represent an attractive alternative to paying $65.09/share today. Because the $62.50 strike represents an approximate 4% discount to the current trading price of the stock (in other words it is out-of-the-money by that percentage), there is also the possibility that the put contract would expire worthless. The current analytical data (including greeks and implied greeks) suggest the current odds of that happening are 67%. Stock Options Channel will track those odds over time to see how they change, publishing a chart of those numbers on our website under the contract detail page for this contract. Should the contract expire worthless, the premium would represent a 2.56% return on the cash commitment, or 16.11% annualized — at Stock Options Channel we call this the YieldBoost. Below is a chart showing the trailing twelve month trading history for Fastenal Co., and highlighting in green where the $62.50 strike is located relative to that history: Turning to the calls side of the option chain, the call contract at the $67.50 strike price has a current bid of $1.65. If an investor was to purchase shares of FAST stock at the current price level of $65.09/share, and then sell-to-open that call contract as a ""covered call,"" they are committing to sell the stock at $67.50. Considering the call seller will also collect the premium, that would drive a total return (excluding dividends, if any) of 6.24% if the stock gets called away at the July 19th expiration (before broker commissions). Of course, a lot of upside could potentially be left on the table if FAST shares really soar, which is why looking at the trailing twelve month trading history for Fastenal Co., as well as studying the business fundamentals becomes important. Below is a chart showing FAST's trailing twelve month trading history, with the $67.50 strike highlighted in red: Considering the fact that the $67.50 strike represents an approximate 4% premium to the current trading price of the stock (in other words it is out-of-the-money by that percentage), there is also the possibility that the covered call contract would expire worthless, in which case the investor would keep both their shares of stock and the premium collected. The current analytical data (including greeks and implied greeks) suggest the current odds of that happening are 62%. On our website under the contract detail page for this contract, Stock Options Channel will track those odds over time to see how they change and publish a chart of those numbers (the trading history of the option contract will also be charted). Should the covered call contract expire worthless, the premium would represent a 2.53% boost of extra return to the investor, or 15.95% annualized, which we refer to as the YieldBoost. The implied volatility in the put contract example is 30%, while the implied volatility in the call contract example is 27%. Meanwhile, we calculate the actual trailing twelve month volatility (considering the last 251 trading day closing values as well as today's price of $65.09) to be 26%. For more put and call options contract ideas worth looking at, visit StockOptionsChannel.com. Top YieldBoost Calls of the Nasdaq 100 » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2019-05-23,29.127,29.8575,28.3058,28.597,"[""Return on Capital Super Heroes"", ""25 Stocks Moving In Thursday's Pre-Market Session"", ""25 Stocks Moving In Thursday's Pre-Market Session"", ""Return on Capital Super Heroes"", ""25 Stocks Moving In Thursday's Pre-Market Session"", ""Return on Capital Super Heroes""]"
FAST,2019-05-24,28.7451,28.8803,28.0294,28.1607,
FAST,2019-05-28,28.2061,28.4065,27.6592,27.7214,
FAST,2019-05-29,27.6494,28.0699,27.4757,27.831,
FAST,2019-05-30,27.9495,28.3058,27.831,28.0344,"[""Top 10 Most Overbought Stocks Via Benzinga Pro's Radar Tool For Thur., May 30, 2019"", ""Top 10 Most Overbought Stocks Via Benzinga Pro's Radar Tool For Thur., May 30, 2019"", ""Top 10 Most Overbought Stocks Via Benzinga Pro's Radar Tool For Thur., May 30, 2019""]"
FAST,2019-05-31,27.686,28.1973,27.3562,27.9149,
FAST,2019-06-03,27.3858,28.3847,27.3858,28.1607,
FAST,2019-06-04,28.4885,29.0185,28.3887,29.0007,"[""Shares of several industrial companies are trading higher amid eased trade tensions after China's Commerce Ministry stated they are open to dialogue to resolve trade tensions; Mexico trade concerns also eased after Mexican officials said they could find c"", ""Shares of several industrial companies are trading higher amid eased trade tensions after China's Commerce Ministry stated they are open to dialogue to resolve trade tensions; Mexico trade concerns also eased after Mexican officials said they could find c"", ""Shares of several industrial companies are trading higher amid eased trade tensions after China's Commerce Ministry stated they are open to dialogue to resolve trade tensions; Mexico trade concerns also eased after Mexican officials said they could find c""]"
FAST,2019-06-05,29.0816,29.4094,28.5161,29.365,"[""Fastenal Earns Relative Strength Rating Upgrade; Hits Key Benchmark"", ""Fastenal Earns Relative Strength Rating Upgrade; Hits Key Benchmark"", ""Fastenal Earns Relative Strength Rating Upgrade; Hits Key Benchmark""]"
FAST,2019-06-06,29.4094,29.739,28.6907,29.1646,"[""Fastenal Hits Industrial Vending Milestone: \u2013\u2026\u2026,\u2026\u2026\u2026+ Active Devices"", ""Fastenal Reports May Sales $472.4M, Up 9.5% Year Over Year"", ""Fastenal Reports May Sales $472.4M, Up 9.5% Year Over Year"", ""Fastenal Hits Industrial Vending Milestone: \u2013\u2026\u2026,\u2026\u2026\u2026+ Active Devices"", ""Fastenal Reports May Sales $472.4M, Up 9.5% Year Over Year"", ""Fastenal Hits Industrial Vending Milestone: \u2013\u2026\u2026,\u2026\u2026\u2026+ Active Devices""]"
FAST,2019-06-07,29.2376,29.7114,29.1004,29.438,"[""Fastenal's (FAST) 9.5% Sales Growth in May Fall From April"", ""Fastenal's (FAST) 9.5% Sales Growth in May Fall From April"", ""This Key Strategy Is Driving Fastenal's Growth On the surface, industrial parts supplier Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST) is a boring, easy-to-understand business. As the economy waxes and wanes, so, too, will the cyclical company's top and bottom lines. Although that big-picture view is true, it misses a huge opportunity that Fastenal is working on today. One that has been and will continue to support its long-term growth. Here's the secret sauce that management is using today to spice up its business. Nothing to write home about Fastenal makes things like nuts and bolts. It is not a sexy business, but it is one that's pretty important to its customers. Without the often tiny parts that Fastenal makes, its customers' operations would grind to a halt. So being a reliable partner that makes quality parts is an important attribute, but not one that's going to get investors excited. It's more along the lines of table stakes in a highly fragmented and competitive business. Image source: Getty Images. At the end of the first quarter Fastenal had just under 2,200 of the branches through which it sells its products. This has long been the core of the business, supporting its relationships with customers. That number, however, was down 6% year over year. Despite the decline in its branch count, first-quarter sales were up 10% and earnings per share advanced around 11%. If you simply looked at these numbers you might walk away thinking that Fastenal is doing more with less -- but that's not the big story. In fact, the company has been closing branches for a number of years now. At the end of 2013, Fastenal had roughly 2,680 branch locations. So over that roughly five-year span the company's store count has fallen around 18%. That's a huge decline. And yet sales have continued higher just the same, with trailing 12-month revenues and earnings per share higher by around 45% and 75%, respectively, over the past five years. FAST Revenue (TTM) data by YCharts Fastenal is good at what it does, but not good enough that it can shut 18% of its stores and still continue to expand like that. So what's going on? Fastenal has figured out a way to get even closer to its companies. On-site The main focus of a company like Fastenal is to become an indispensable supplier. Or, at the very least, really hard to get rid of. Historically it's done that by being reliable and providing high-quality parts. Now, however, Fastenal's growth is being driven by actually getting inside the companies with which it works. With an on-site location, Fastenal basically operates a customer's parts inventory for it. At the end of the first quarter it had 945 on-site locations, up nearly 40% year over year. It has two primary methods here, managing an open inventory system at a customer location and some 83,400 vending machines that it maintains inside customer facilities. For reference, the vending machines contain parts, not candy and soda. Put the 40% year-over-year increase in on-site locations against the 6% decline in branches and it's pretty clear what's driving Fastenal's growth today. But don't stop there; the bigger picture here is more important. While Fastenal has, indeed, found a great way to continue expanding its business, it is doing so in a way that makes it even more vital to its customers' operations. It's fairly easy to switch to a new supplier if the parts a customer gets come in a big box that the customer then deals with internally. The only thing that has to change is the box holding the parts. It's much more difficult to shift to a new supplier if your existing supplier is handling your internal parts processes. That includes keeping track of what parts are in need of replacement and ensuring that the parts go to the places where they are needed. Once a company outsources those two tasks it would need to either rebuild the processes and controls to exit a relationship with Fastenal or find some other company with the same capabilities as Fastenal. Neither would be an easy task. On-site locations, then, are the real underlying story behind Fastenal's still-solid growth outlook. Yes, the company's sales and earnings will wax and wane with economic activity, but its business is getting even more sticky (for lack of a better term) as it further integrates itself into its customers' businesses. When you read about earnings, this is the story to keep an eye on. FAST data by YCharts A wish-list stock Fastenal is a very well-run company, a fact proven out by two decades of annual dividend increases (the annualized dividend increase over the past decade was roughly 20%, an impressive figure). And it has been getting even better by getting inside its customers' operations. But Fastenal stock is rarely cheap. Today its price-to-earnings and price-to-cash-flow ratios are a little below their five-year averages, while price to sales and price to book value are a little above. The dividend yield at 2.4% doesn't really stand out (3% appears to be a more attractive entry point, historically speaking). For investors looking to add a good company at a reasonable price, Fastenal is worth a deep dive. But for most, this is one to put on your wish list for the next economic downturn. If you can hold out until Wall Street is frightened by a temporary economic malaise, you'll likely be able to buy Fastenal at a discount, knowing that its customers will have a hard time switching to a new supplier. 10 stocks we like better than Fastenal When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has quadrupled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Fastenal wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of March 1, 2019 Reuben Gregg Brewer has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal's (FAST) 9.5% Sales Growth in May Fall From April""]"
FAST,2019-06-10,29.592,29.9039,29.5022,29.7844,
FAST,2019-06-11,30.0322,30.1397,29.438,29.5199,"[""Top 10 Most Overbought Stocks Via Benzinga Pro's Radar Tool From Yesterday, Mon., June 10, 2019"", ""Top 10 Most Overbought Stocks Via Benzinga Pro's Radar Tool For Tue., June 11, 2019"", ""Top 10 Most Overbought Stocks Via Benzinga Pro's Radar Tool For Tue., June 11, 2019"", ""Top 10 Most Overbought Stocks Via Benzinga Pro's Radar Tool From Yesterday, Mon., June 10, 2019"", ""Top 10 Most Overbought Stocks Via Benzinga Pro's Radar Tool For Tue., June 11, 2019"", ""Top 10 Most Overbought Stocks Via Benzinga Pro's Radar Tool From Yesterday, Mon., June 10, 2019""]"
FAST,2019-06-12,29.592,29.7746,29.283,29.4468,
FAST,2019-06-13,29.5762,30.0183,29.438,29.8663,
FAST,2019-06-14,29.8121,29.8209,28.4065,28.8803,"[""Fastenal slides after Buckingham warning"", ""Buckingham Research Maintains Neutral on Fastenal, Lowers Price Target to $31"", ""Fastenal shares are trading lower after Buckingham Research maintained a Neutral rating on the stock and lowered the price target from $32 to $31."", ""Fastenal shares are trading lower after Buckingham Research maintained a Neutral rating on the stock and lowered the price target from $32 to $31."", ""Buckingham Research Maintains Neutral on Fastenal, Lowers Price Target to $31"", ""Fastenal slides after Buckingham warning"", ""Fastenal shares are trading lower after Buckingham Research maintained a Neutral rating on the stock and lowered the price target from $32 to $31."", ""Buckingham Research Maintains Neutral on Fastenal, Lowers Price Target to $31"", ""Fastenal slides after Buckingham warning""]"
FAST,2019-06-17,28.9829,29.0046,28.5625,28.597,"[""Top 10 Most Overbought Stocks Via Benzinga Pro's Radar Tool For Mon., June 17, 2019"", ""Top 10 Most Overbought Stocks Via Benzinga Pro's Radar Tool For Mon., June 17, 2019"", ""Top 10 Most Overbought Stocks Via Benzinga Pro's Radar Tool For Mon., June 17, 2019""]"
FAST,2019-06-18,28.8369,29.4192,28.7263,29.3018,"[""Top 10 Most Overbought Stocks Via Benzinga Pro's Radar Tool For Tue., Jun. 18, 2019"", ""Top 10 Most Overbought Stocks Via Benzinga Pro's Radar Tool For Tue., Jun. 18, 2019"", ""Top 10 Most Overbought Stocks Via Benzinga Pro's Radar Tool For Tue., Jun. 18, 2019""]"
FAST,2019-06-19,29.3284,29.6798,29.055,29.5662,"[""Top 10 Most Overbought Stocks Via Benzinga Pro's Radar Tool For Wed., June 19, 2019"", ""Top 10 Most Overbought Stocks Via Benzinga Pro's Radar Tool For Wed., June 19, 2019"", ""Top 10 Most Overbought Stocks Via Benzinga Pro's Radar Tool For Wed., June 19, 2019""]"
FAST,2019-06-20,30.0588,30.3313,29.7064,30.3313,
FAST,2019-06-21,30.121,30.2237,29.6354,29.7489,
FAST,2019-06-24,29.7568,29.9571,29.5762,29.7568,
FAST,2019-06-25,29.739,29.8861,29.211,29.3284,"[""A Look At Benzinga Pro's Most-Overbought Stocks For June 25, 2019"", ""A Look At Benzinga Pro's Most-Overbought Stocks For June 25, 2019"", ""A Look At Benzinga Pro's Most-Overbought Stocks For June 25, 2019""]"
FAST,2019-06-26,29.4744,29.5022,29.1231,29.1547,
FAST,2019-06-27,29.2208,29.4744,29.05,29.3926,
FAST,2019-06-28,29.511,29.8121,29.3018,29.739,
FAST,2019-07-01,30.0411,30.1961,29.5386,29.8032,"[""Walgreens Boots Alliance Expected To Lead Increases From 8 Dividend Growth Companies In A Quiet July"", ""Cacti Asset Management Llc Buys Fox Corp, Fastenal Co, Sells Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, ..."", ""Cacti Asset Management Llc Buys Fox Corp, Fastenal Co, Sells Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, ..."", ""Walgreens Boots Alliance Expected To Lead Increases From 8 Dividend Growth Companies In A Quiet July"", ""Cacti Asset Management Llc Buys Fox Corp, Fastenal Co, Sells Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, ..."", ""Walgreens Boots Alliance Expected To Lead Increases From 8 Dividend Growth Companies In A Quiet July""]"
FAST,2019-07-02,29.6946,29.7568,29.0046,29.3106,
FAST,2019-07-03,29.438,29.4744,29.127,29.438,
FAST,2019-07-05,29.282,29.365,28.9069,29.282,"[""Best Dividend Stocks: This Industrial Stock's Yield Pounds The S&P 500 By 188%"", ""Best Dividend Stocks: This Industrial Stock's Yield Pounds The S&P 500 By 188%"", ""Best Dividend Stocks: This Industrial Stock's Yield Pounds The S&P 500 By 188%"", ""5 Extreme Stocks: Great for Traders, Tougher for Investors Sometimes Wall Street can\u2019t agree on a stock, and the controversy seems to lead to higher volatility and weaker returns. But that could also set up stocks to gain as controversy fades.""]"
FAST,2019-07-08,29.2464,29.3196,28.9306,29.0461,"[""Good News Is Bad News, or Vice-Versa?"", ""Wall Street Tumbles Despite Robust Job Additions"", ""Pinnacle Bank Buys Vanguard Total International Bond ETF, Vanguard Tax-Exempt Bond, Vanguard ..."", ""Will Slower Growth Impact Fastenal's (FAST) Q2 Earnings?"", ""Pinnacle Bank Buys Vanguard Total International Bond ETF, Vanguard Tax-Exempt Bond, Vanguard ..."", ""Wall Street Tumbles Despite Robust Job Additions"", ""Good News Is Bad News, or Vice-Versa?"", ""Will Slower Growth Impact Fastenal's (FAST) Q2 Earnings?"", ""Pinnacle Bank Buys Vanguard Total International Bond ETF, Vanguard Tax-Exempt Bond, Vanguard ..."", ""Wall Street Tumbles Despite Robust Job Additions"", ""Good News Is Bad News, or Vice-Versa?"", ""Will Slower Growth Impact Fastenal's (FAST) Q2 Earnings?""]"
FAST,2019-07-09,28.8467,28.9454,28.4717,28.8082,What to Watch for in Fastenal Earnings Fastenal is scheduled to report its second-quarter earnings Thursday. Its numbers will hold a lot of clues for investors regarding the health of the industrial economy.
FAST,2019-07-10,28.9257,29.0185,28.2061,28.5161,"[""Fastenal declares $0.22 dividend"", ""Fastenal Q2 2019 Earnings Preview"", ""Notable earnings before Thursday's open"", ""Wiley Bros.-aintree Capital, Llc Buys Oxford Lane Capital, Eagle Point Credit Co Inc, Blackrock ..."", ""Notable earnings before Thursday's open"", ""Fastenal Q2 2019 Earnings Preview"", ""Fastenal declares $0.22 dividend"", ""Wiley Bros.-aintree Capital, Llc Buys Oxford Lane Capital, Eagle Point Credit Co Inc, Blackrock ..."", ""Nasdaq 100 Movers: MYL, MU In early trading on Wednesday, shares of Micron Technology topped the list of the day's best performing components of the Nasdaq 100 index, trading up 6.3%. Year to date, Micron Technology registers a 38.6% gain. And the worst performing Nasdaq 100 component thus far on the day is Mylan, trading down 4.2%. Mylan is lower by about 31.4% looking at the year to date performance. Two other components making moves today are Fastenal, trading down 1.4%, and Western Digital, trading up 4.0% on the day. VIDEO: Nasdaq 100 Movers: MYL, MU The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Notable earnings before Thursday's open"", ""Fastenal Q2 2019 Earnings Preview"", ""Fastenal declares $0.22 dividend"", ""Wiley Bros.-aintree Capital, Llc Buys Oxford Lane Capital, Eagle Point Credit Co Inc, Blackrock ...""]"
FAST,2019-07-11,27.2576,27.7876,26.8657,27.7037,"[""Dow Jones Tops 27,000 Price Level; Blue Chip UnitedHealth Surges"", ""Fastenal Company (FAST) CEO Daniel Florness on Q2 2019 Results - Earnings Call Transcript"", ""Fastenal Company 2019 Q2 - Results - Earnings Call Slides"", ""Fastenal EPS misses by $0.01, misses on revenue"", ""Fastenal slips 6% amid 'slowing' activity"", ""Webster Bank, N. A. Buys DuPont de Nemours Inc, iShares Core U.S. ..."", ""Spinnaker Trust Buys iShares 7-\u2013\u2026 Year Treasury Bond ETF, Real Estate Select Sector SPDR ..."", ""Peoples Financial Services Corp. Buys Fastenal Co, DuPont de Nemours Inc, Vodafone Group PLC, ..."", ""Fastenal -4% after Q1 earnings miss, price increaes fail to offset inflation"", ""Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co Buys Sysco Corp, Costco Wholesale Corp, DuPont de Nemours Inc, ..."", ""' Stocks Move on Thursday"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Stock Down on Q2 Earnings and Sales Miss"", ""Earnings Scheduled For July 11, 2019"", ""7 Stocks To Watch For July 11, 2019"", ""Fastenal Q2 EPS $0.36 Misses $0.37 Estimate, Sales $1.368B Miss $1.38B Estimate"", ""A Peek Into The Markets: US Stock Futures Gain; Delta Air Beats Q2 Views"", ""Fastenal Falls After Q2 Earnings Miss"", ""Fastenal shares are trading lower after the company reported worse-than-expected Q2 EPS and sales results."", ""35 Stocks Moving In Thursday's Pre-Market Session"", ""48 Stocks Moving In Thursday's Mid-Day Session"", ""48 Stocks Moving In Thursday's Mid-Day Session"", ""35 Stocks Moving In Thursday's Pre-Market Session"", ""Fastenal shares are trading lower after the company reported worse-than-expected Q2 EPS and sales results."", ""Fastenal Falls After Q2 Earnings Miss"", ""A Peek Into The Markets: US Stock Futures Gain; Delta Air Beats Q2 Views"", ""Fastenal Q2 EPS $0.36 Misses $0.37 Estimate, Sales $1.368B Miss $1.38B Estimate"", ""7 Stocks To Watch For July 11, 2019"", ""Earnings Scheduled For July 11, 2019"", ""Fastenal Company (FAST) CEO Daniel Florness on Q2 2019 Results - Earnings Call Transcript"", ""' Stocks Move on Thursday"", ""Spinnaker Trust Buys iShares 7-\u2013\u2026 Year Treasury Bond ETF, Real Estate Select Sector SPDR ..."", ""Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co Buys Sysco Corp, Costco Wholesale Corp, DuPont de Nemours Inc, ..."", ""Peoples Financial Services Corp. Buys Fastenal Co, DuPont de Nemours Inc, Vodafone Group PLC, ..."", ""Webster Bank, N. A. Buys DuPont de Nemours Inc, iShares Core U.S. ..."", ""Fastenal -4% after Q1 earnings miss, price increaes fail to offset inflation"", ""Dow Jones Tops 27,000 Price Level; Blue Chip UnitedHealth Surges"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Stock Down on Q2 Earnings and Sales Miss"", ""Fastenal Company 2019 Q2 - Results - Earnings Call Slides"", ""Fastenal slips 6% amid 'slowing' activity"", ""Fastenal EPS misses by $0.01, misses on revenue"", ""Fastenal Company Earnings: FAST Stock Falls on Q2 Miss Fastenal Company (NASDAQ:) reported its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, bringing in a profit and sales that were below what analysts called for, which sent the company\u2019s stock declining more than 2% today. The Winona, Minn.-based industrial supply business said that for its second quarter of its fiscal year, it amassed earnings of 36 cents per share, which was below its profit of 37 cents per share from the same period a year ago. This figure also missed the Wall Street consensus estimate of 36 cents per share. Fastenal Company\u2019s revenue for the period tallied up to $1.37 billion, which missed the Wall Street consensus estimate of $1.38 billion. It is also worth noting that the organization\u2019s sales growth was underwhelming, as it came in at 7.9% when compared to the year-ago quarter\u2013this is the first three-month period in which sales have failed to gain at least 10% year-over-year in nine such periods. This increase was caused in large part due to higher unit sales, which are linked to growth drivers. There were notable contributions from its industrial vending business, onsite locations and construction, among others. Fastenal\u2019s daily sales growth was also 7.9%, which missed the 12.2% and 13.1% gains from the first quarter of its 2019 and its year-ago quarter respectively. Daily sales gained 7% on a monthly basis in June, 9.5% in May and 12.5% in April, all below the same amounts in the company\u2019s year-ago months. FAST stock is down about 2.9% today. The post appeared first on InvestorPlace. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Daily Dividend Report: WBA, FAST, CVS, MCO, CSX Walgreens Boots Alliance today announced that its board of directors has declared a quarterly dividend of 45.75 cents per share, an increase of 4 percent. The increased dividend is payable September 12, 2019 to stockholders of record as of August 20, 2019, and raises the annual rate from $1.76 per share to $1.83 per share. This marks the 44th consecutive year that Walgreens Boots Alliance and its predecessor company, Walgreen Co., have raised the dividend. Fastenal reported its board of directors declared a dividend of $0.22 per share to be paid in cash on August 22, 2019 to shareholders of record at the close of business on July 25, 2019. Fastenal began paying annual dividends in 1991, semi-annual dividends in 2003, and then expanded to quarterly dividends in 2011. CVS Health today announced that its board of directors has approved a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share on the corporation's common stock. The dividend is payable on August 2, 2019, to holders of record on July 25, 2019. On July 9, 2019, the Board of Directors of Moody's declared a regular quarterly dividend of 50 cents per share of MCO Common Stock. The dividend will be payable on September 10, 2019 to stockholders of record at the close of business on August 20, 2019. Today, the Board of Directors of CSX approved a $0.24 per share quarterly dividend on the company's common stock. The dividend is payable on September 13, 2019, to shareholders of record at the close of business on August 30, 2019. VIDEO: Daily Dividend Report: WBA, FAST, CVS, MCO, CSX The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Books Fast Growth, but Sees Bumpy Conditions Ahead Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST) unveiled relatively healthy second-quarter 2019 earnings on Thursday before the markets opened for trading. However, while the wholesale industrial and construction supplies distributor continued the fast top-line growth it recorded in the first quarter, it was circumspect about the effect of macroeconomic activity on results going forward, and also warned of margin pressure in the coming quarters. Note that all comparative numbers in the discussion that follows are presented against the prior-year quarter. Fastenal results: The raw numbers Data source: Fastenal. YOY = year over year. What happened with Fastenal this quarter? Image source: Getty Images. The company's total revenue advance was mirrored by a 7.9% increase in its all-important \""daily sales\"" metric. Management attributed top-line growth to industrial vending, Onsite locations (the company's dedicated inventory management program at customer sites), and construction supplies sales. Management also pointed to price increases from late 2018 and early 2019 as contributing to the sales improvement. These increases were instituted to offset tariff-related cost pressure, as well as the effects of inflation. Fastenal noted that while general economic activity \""remained positive,\"" it saw slowing customer activity levels over the last three months in comparison to the first quarter of the year, potentially signaling slower sales ahead. Fastener product sales improved by 5.5% on a daily basis and comprised 34.5% of total quarterly sales. The balance of quarterly sales was supplied by nonfastener products, which expanded by 9.5% on a daily basis. Gross margin dipped by 180 basis points, to 46.9%. The company cited changing customer and product mix, as well as inflationary effects on product margins, as factors behind the decline. Operating margin slipped by roughly one percentage point to 2.10%, as the lower gross margin outweighed the company's efforts at general and administrative expense control. Fastenal raised its quarterly dividend from $0.215 to $0.220, an increase of 2.3%. On an annualized basis, its payout yields 2.9% at current share price. On-premise growth and conditions going forward As I discussed last quarter, Fastenal is focused on expanding its on-premise solutions for both supplies and inventory. The company installed 5,439 industrial vending machines during the second quarter, bringing its year-to-date total to 11,042 units. Fastenal reaffirmed its goal of installing 23,000-25,000 of these units in 2019. The company's total vending machine base jumped by 13% year over year to approximately 86,000 units. Fastenal also maintained a steady pace of Onsite installations, in which it provides physical inventory and a team to manage both sales and service either within or in close proximity to a customer's location. The organization signed 94 new Onsite installations in the second quarter, marking 199 deals in the first half of the year, and is on track to ink between 375 and 400 Onsite deals in 2019. At quarter-end, Fastenal's installed base of 1,026 active Onsite locations represented a 35% increase over the comparable 2018 quarter. Looking forward, Fastenal's year-to-date sales growth of 9.1% and steady progress in on-premise installations are somewhat overshadowed by sales and margin uncertainty. As noted above, management is wary of the pace of economic activity in the back half of the year. Underscoring the caution, in Fastenal's June 2019 activity report released alongside earnings, daily sales increased 7% over June 2018, a pace that's 2 percentage points off the daily sales growth of 9% recorded overall in the first half of the year. On the margin front, the company observed that its recent price increases helped to mitigate tariff-related cost escalation, but was inadequate in overcoming general inflationary pressures in the second quarter. According to the earnings press release, Fastenal has \""taken additional actions in the third quarter of 2019 to counter the broader pressures [we] are experiencing on our costs as well as the additional tariffs that were levied on China-sourced products in May 2019.\"" Thus, the company will attempt to stave off further gross margin pressure in the back half of the year, but for now, it hasn't promised a complete offset. While Fastenal has enjoyed decent expansion so far in 2019, its slightly cloudy outlook for the final two quarters may have provided some investors with an excuse to book profits after a share price increase of nearly 20% year to date. Shares opened down roughly 4.5% at the outset of the Thursday trading session. 10 stocks we like better than Fastenal When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has quadrupled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Fastenal wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of June 1, 2019 Asit Sharma has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Fastenal. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal's (FAST) Earnings Hint at What is To Come E arnings season is just beginning as companies release their results for Q2 2019, and that will come as a relief for many market watchers. After a few months of trying to read the minds of the Fed and following the Presidential Twitter feed, it will be nice to get back to more mundane, measurable things like corporate profitability. Or at least, that is the theory, but if early indications are anything to go by, this earnings season will be more about opinion and speculation than the traditional metrics of EPS and revenue. Fastenal (FAST) was one of the first companies to release second quarter earnings when they did so Thursday morning. The Minnesota-based company is the largest U.S. manufacturer and distributor of fasteners and is traditionally one of the first companies to report. Despite that, though, they are not widely seen as an indicator of what is to come, probably because a large part of their business is tied to construction, an industry that has its own cycles within larger economic trends. This morning, however, was different. Fastenal missed on both the top and bottom lines, and growth fell below ten percent for the first time in over two years, causing the stock to lose close to five percent in early trading. All that is interesting information for stockholders and those that follow FAST, but for most people the real interest here came not in the results themselves, but in the reason given for the disappointing numbers. Fastenal\u2019s management were very clear in the accompanying comments that the tariffs and trade war were almost entirely to blame for the disappointing numbers. I have no reason to doubt the board when they say that, although cynics might say that tariffs were the obvious excuse for not hitting targets, so the explanation should be taken with a pinch of salt. The details of the release suggest that isn\u2019t the case. The most noticeable change was a 1.8% decrease in margins year on year, something that is logically attributable to a company absorbing some of the cost of tariffs. Even if it is the case, though, what we heard this morning is still likely to set the tone for the next few weeks of earnings. Excuses will be pretty commonplace. They are, after all, out there and available. If it isn\u2019t the direct effect of the trade war and tariffs, then it will be the hardship placed on exporters by dollar strength. Those that are currently criticizing the Fed will latch onto the latter as proof of their point, while critics of the Trump administration will highlight the former. There will be a lot of shouting, but investors need to minimize the effects of the noise and concentrate on the underlying trends. Whether you blame Trump or Powell, the fact is that both sides are readying their excuses in preparation for a disappointing quarter. There will probably still be the usual two thirds of S&P 500 companies beating expectations, but that is because those expectations have been adjusted downward recently in a big way. According to Bloomberg, over eighty percent of S&P 500 companies have cut their profit outlook in advance of this earnings season, with analysts downgrading at a pace not seen for a couple of years. That wouldn\u2019t matter that much if the market was priced accordingly, but it is not. As most are probably aware, the S&P 500 broke 3000 for the first time yesterday, and we are going into earnings season with multiples that would be appropriate to booming corporate profits, not profit warnings from a massive majority of companies. Of course, that doesn\u2019t mean that you should sell everything. Traders have latched onto the chances of a Fed policy reversal and that is what is driving stocks higher. We have seen on many occasions, most notably in 2000 and 2007, that asset prices that are inflating, whether by accident or design, can continue to do so long past the logical endpoint. Eventually though, the reality of corporate profits always intrudes and, given the possibility of major earnings disappointments over the next few weeks, that means that adjusting your portfolio to a more defensive posture may be a smart move. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Nasdaq 100 Movers: FAST, NVDA In early trading on Thursday, shares of NVIDIA topped the list of the day's best performing components of the Nasdaq 100 index, trading up 2.9%. Year to date, NVIDIA registers a 23.3% gain. And the worst performing Nasdaq 100 component thus far on the day is Fastenal, trading down 3.9%. Fastenal is showing a gain of 14.8% looking at the year to date performance. Two other components making moves today are Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, trading down 3.4%, and Walgreens Boots Alliance, trading up 1.6% on the day. VIDEO: Nasdaq 100 Movers: FAST, NVDA The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""S&P 500 Movers: IRM, CI In early trading on Thursday, shares of Cigna topped the list of the day's best performing components of the S&P 500 index, trading up 13.6%. Year to date, Cigna has lost about 4.0% of its value. And the worst performing S&P 500 component thus far on the day is Iron Mountain, trading down 5.0%. Iron Mountain is lower by about 6.0% looking at the year to date performance. Two other components making moves today are Fastenal, trading down 4.0%, and CVS Health, trading up 6.6% on the day. VIDEO: S&P 500 Movers: IRM, CI The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""48 Stocks Moving In Thursday's Mid-Day Session"", ""35 Stocks Moving In Thursday's Pre-Market Session"", ""Fastenal shares are trading lower after the company reported worse-than-expected Q2 EPS and sales results."", ""Fastenal Falls After Q2 Earnings Miss"", ""A Peek Into The Markets: US Stock Futures Gain; Delta Air Beats Q2 Views"", ""Fastenal Q2 EPS $0.36 Misses $0.37 Estimate, Sales $1.368B Miss $1.38B Estimate"", ""7 Stocks To Watch For July 11, 2019"", ""Earnings Scheduled For July 11, 2019"", ""Fastenal Company (FAST) CEO Daniel Florness on Q2 2019 Results - Earnings Call Transcript"", ""' Stocks Move on Thursday"", ""Spinnaker Trust Buys iShares 7-\u2013\u2026 Year Treasury Bond ETF, Real Estate Select Sector SPDR ..."", ""Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co Buys Sysco Corp, Costco Wholesale Corp, DuPont de Nemours Inc, ..."", ""Peoples Financial Services Corp. Buys Fastenal Co, DuPont de Nemours Inc, Vodafone Group PLC, ..."", ""Webster Bank, N. A. Buys DuPont de Nemours Inc, iShares Core U.S. ..."", ""Fastenal -4% after Q1 earnings miss, price increaes fail to offset inflation"", ""Dow Jones Tops 27,000 Price Level; Blue Chip UnitedHealth Surges"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Stock Down on Q2 Earnings and Sales Miss"", ""Fastenal Company 2019 Q2 - Results - Earnings Call Slides"", ""Fastenal slips 6% amid 'slowing' activity"", ""Fastenal EPS misses by $0.01, misses on revenue"", ""Industrial Distributor Fastenal Reported Weak Earnings. It\u2019s Bad News for Manufacturing. The company reported lower second-quarter sales and earnings than Wall Street expected."", ""Cigna, CVS Health Soar as the Dow Rises Again Stocks are still rising after Fed Chairman Jerome Powell added to expectations for an interest-rate cut."", ""Fastenal's stock drops after profit and revenue miss, raised prices fail to offset inflation Shares of Fastenal Co. dropped 4.6% toward a 6-month low, after the industrial and construction supplies distributor reported second-quarter earnings and revenue that missed expectations. Net earnings fell to $204.6 million, or 36 cents a share, from $211.2 million, or 37 cents a share, in the year-ago period, below analyst consensus expectations of 37 cents a share, according to FactSet. Sales rose 7.9% to $1.37 billion, just shy of the FactSet consensus of $1.38 billion. The company said economic activity slowed during the quarter relative to the sequential first quarter. Gross profit as a percentage of sales fell 180 basis points to 46.9%. \""While we successfully raised prices as one element of our strategy to offset tariffs placed to date on products sourced from China, those increases were not sufficient to also counter general inflation in the marketplace,\"" the company said in statement. The stock, which is on track for the lowest close since Jan. 24, has slumped 13% over the past three months, while the SPDR Industrial Select Sector ETF has edged up 0.4% and the S&P 500 has gained 3.7%."", ""Delta, Walgreens, Fastenal Boost Dividends Delta\u2019s quarterly payout will jump to 40.25 cents a share, up from 35 cents. Walgreens will boost its dividend by 4% to 45.75 cents, and Fastenal declared a dividend of 22 cents a share, up by half a cent."", ""Weight Watchers Stock Soars and Allstate Slumps as Dow Jumps 195 Points The three major U.S. stock indexes stayed on the rise after Fed Chairman Jerome Powell increased expectations of a July rate cut in his Congressional testimony.""]"
FAST,2019-07-12,27.7037,28.4795,27.4668,28.2417,"[""Univest Corp Of Pennsylvania Buys Monster Beverage Corp, Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF, ..."", ""Gofen & Glossberg Llc Buys DuPont de Nemours Inc, Fastenal Co, Vanguard Total Stock ..."", ""Nisa Investment Advisors L L C Buys iShares Core U.S. ..."", ""Capital Investment Services of America, Inc. Buys iShares Short-Term Corporate Bond ETF, Amazon. ..."", ""Riverview Trust Co Buys Jewett-Cameron Trading Co, DuPont de Nemours Inc, Fastenal Co, Sells ..."", ""Stonebridge Capital Management Inc Buys Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, DaVita Inc, Fastenal Co, ..."", ""Morgan Stanley Maintains Equal-Weight on Fastenal, Lowers Price Target to $29"", ""Raymond James Maintains Strong Buy on Fastenal, Lowers Price Target to $37"", ""Wells Fargo Maintains Market Perform on Fastenal, Lowers Price Target to $30"", ""Buckingham Research Maintains Neutral on Fastenal, Lowers Price Target to $29"", ""Benzinga Pro's Top 10 Most-Searched Tickers For Morning of Friday, July 12, 2019"", ""A Look At Benzinga Pro's Most-Searched Tickers For July 12, 2019"", ""A Look At Benzinga Pro's Most-Searched Tickers For July 12, 2019"", ""Benzinga Pro's Top 10 Most-Searched Tickers For Morning of Friday, July 12, 2019"", ""Buckingham Research Maintains Neutral on Fastenal, Lowers Price Target to $29"", ""Wells Fargo Maintains Market Perform on Fastenal, Lowers Price Target to $30"", ""Raymond James Maintains Strong Buy on Fastenal, Lowers Price Target to $37"", ""Morgan Stanley Maintains Equal-Weight on Fastenal, Lowers Price Target to $29"", ""Stonebridge Capital Management Inc Buys Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, DaVita Inc, Fastenal Co, ..."", ""Univest Corp Of Pennsylvania Buys Monster Beverage Corp, Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF, ..."", ""Capital Investment Services of America, Inc. Buys iShares Short-Term Corporate Bond ETF, Amazon. ..."", ""Riverview Trust Co Buys Jewett-Cameron Trading Co, DuPont de Nemours Inc, Fastenal Co, Sells ..."", ""Nisa Investment Advisors L L C Buys iShares Core U.S. ..."", ""Gofen & Glossberg Llc Buys DuPont de Nemours Inc, Fastenal Co, Vanguard Total Stock ..."", ""A Look At Benzinga Pro's Most-Searched Tickers For July 12, 2019"", ""Benzinga Pro's Top 10 Most-Searched Tickers For Morning of Friday, July 12, 2019"", ""Buckingham Research Maintains Neutral on Fastenal, Lowers Price Target to $29"", ""Wells Fargo Maintains Market Perform on Fastenal, Lowers Price Target to $30"", ""Raymond James Maintains Strong Buy on Fastenal, Lowers Price Target to $37"", ""Morgan Stanley Maintains Equal-Weight on Fastenal, Lowers Price Target to $29"", ""Stonebridge Capital Management Inc Buys Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, DaVita Inc, Fastenal Co, ..."", ""Univest Corp Of Pennsylvania Buys Monster Beverage Corp, Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF, ..."", ""Capital Investment Services of America, Inc. Buys iShares Short-Term Corporate Bond ETF, Amazon. ..."", ""Riverview Trust Co Buys Jewett-Cameron Trading Co, DuPont de Nemours Inc, Fastenal Co, Sells ..."", ""Nisa Investment Advisors L L C Buys iShares Core U.S. ..."", ""Gofen & Glossberg Llc Buys DuPont de Nemours Inc, Fastenal Co, Vanguard Total Stock ...""]"
FAST,2019-07-15,28.2703,28.3719,27.9771,27.9959,"[""Lantz Financial LLC Buys SPDR Series Trust Portfolio S&P 5\u2026\u2026 Growth, WisdomTree U.S. ..."", ""Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Buys Steris PLC, DuPont de Nemours Inc, Cousins ..."", ""Liberty Capital Management, Inc. Buys Vanguard Total Stock Market, Schwab U.S. ..."", ""Old National Bancorp Buys Vanguard Mega Cap Value, SPDR Select Sector Fund - Energy Select ..."", ""Raymond James Trust N.a. Buys DuPont de Nemours Inc, iShares Core \u2013-5 Year USD Bond ETF, ..."", ""Nine Companies That Love To Raise Their Dividends"", ""Dividend Increases: July 1-12, 2019"", ""Carlson Capital Management Buys iShares Core S&P Mid-Cap, Fastenal Co, Snap Inc, Sells ..."", ""Old National Bancorp Buys Vanguard Mega Cap Value, SPDR Select Sector Fund - Energy Select ..."", ""Liberty Capital Management, Inc. Buys Vanguard Total Stock Market, Schwab U.S. ..."", ""Lantz Financial LLC Buys SPDR Series Trust Portfolio S&P 5\u2026\u2026 Growth, WisdomTree U.S. ..."", ""Carlson Capital Management Buys iShares Core S&P Mid-Cap, Fastenal Co, Snap Inc, Sells ..."", ""Raymond James Trust N.a. Buys DuPont de Nemours Inc, iShares Core \u2013-5 Year USD Bond ETF, ..."", ""Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Buys Steris PLC, DuPont de Nemours Inc, Cousins ..."", ""Dividend Increases: July 1-12, 2019"", ""Nine Companies That Love To Raise Their Dividends"", ""Old National Bancorp Buys Vanguard Mega Cap Value, SPDR Select Sector Fund - Energy Select ..."", ""Liberty Capital Management, Inc. Buys Vanguard Total Stock Market, Schwab U.S. ..."", ""Lantz Financial LLC Buys SPDR Series Trust Portfolio S&P 5\u2026\u2026 Growth, WisdomTree U.S. ..."", ""Carlson Capital Management Buys iShares Core S&P Mid-Cap, Fastenal Co, Snap Inc, Sells ..."", ""Raymond James Trust N.a. Buys DuPont de Nemours Inc, iShares Core \u2013-5 Year USD Bond ETF, ..."", ""Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Buys Steris PLC, DuPont de Nemours Inc, Cousins ..."", ""Dividend Increases: July 1-12, 2019"", ""Nine Companies That Love To Raise Their Dividends""]"
FAST,2019-07-16,27.8676,28.6443,27.8676,28.5447,"[""Old North State Trust, LLC Buys iShares Core \u2013-5 Year USD Bond ETF, LyondellBasell Industries ..."", ""Harvey Investment Co Llc Buys Fastenal Co, Agilent Technologies Inc, CarMax Inc, Sells Croda ..."", ""Pratt Collard Advisory Partners LLC Buys Fastenal Co, M&T Bank Corp, Ball Corp, Sells ..."", ""IFM Investors Pty Ltd Buys DuPont de Nemours Inc, Twilio Inc, Exact Sciences Corp, Sells ..."", ""Whitnell & Co. Buys iShares Russell \u2013\u2026\u2026\u2026 Value, DuPont de Nemours Inc, Fastenal Co, ..."", ""Wendell David Associates Inc Buys Fastenal Co, Allstate Corp, DuPont de Nemours Inc, Sells ..."", ""Harvey Investment Co Llc Buys Fastenal Co, Agilent Technologies Inc, CarMax Inc, Sells Croda ..."", ""IFM Investors Pty Ltd Buys DuPont de Nemours Inc, Twilio Inc, Exact Sciences Corp, Sells ..."", ""Whitnell & Co. Buys iShares Russell \u2013\u2026\u2026\u2026 Value, DuPont de Nemours Inc, Fastenal Co, ..."", ""Old North State Trust, LLC Buys iShares Core \u2013-5 Year USD Bond ETF, LyondellBasell Industries ..."", ""Wendell David Associates Inc Buys Fastenal Co, Allstate Corp, DuPont de Nemours Inc, Sells ..."", ""Pratt Collard Advisory Partners LLC Buys Fastenal Co, M&T Bank Corp, Ball Corp, Sells ..."", ""Harvey Investment Co Llc Buys Fastenal Co, Agilent Technologies Inc, CarMax Inc, Sells Croda ..."", ""IFM Investors Pty Ltd Buys DuPont de Nemours Inc, Twilio Inc, Exact Sciences Corp, Sells ..."", ""Whitnell & Co. Buys iShares Russell \u2013\u2026\u2026\u2026 Value, DuPont de Nemours Inc, Fastenal Co, ..."", ""Old North State Trust, LLC Buys iShares Core \u2013-5 Year USD Bond ETF, LyondellBasell Industries ..."", ""Wendell David Associates Inc Buys Fastenal Co, Allstate Corp, DuPont de Nemours Inc, Sells ..."", ""Pratt Collard Advisory Partners LLC Buys Fastenal Co, M&T Bank Corp, Ball Corp, Sells ...""]"
FAST,2019-07-17,28.4795,28.5575,27.9149,27.9149,"[""MSC Industrial Offering Weaker Execution On Lower Expectations"", ""Fastenal Still The Best House On The Block, But The Neighborhood Isn't Looking So Good"", ""Fastenal Still The Best House On The Block, But The Neighborhood Isn't Looking So Good"", ""MSC Industrial Offering Weaker Execution On Lower Expectations"", ""Fastenal Still The Best House On The Block, But The Neighborhood Isn't Looking So Good"", ""MSC Industrial Offering Weaker Execution On Lower Expectations"", ""With trade tensions escalating, here are 5 things to know about this earnings season Investors should brace for some bad news with all signs suggesting we are entering an earnings recession The second-quarter earnings season will kick off in earnest next week, and investors should brace for bad news with all signs signaling a second straight decline that will confirm an earnings recession.""]"
FAST,2019-07-18,27.7876,27.8676,27.4116,27.6494,"[""Leavell Investment Management, Inc. Buys DuPont de Nemours Inc, Blackstone Group Inc, Dominion ..."", ""Archford Capital Strategies, LLC Buys Fastenal Co, Alphabet Inc, Amazon. ..."", ""New York State Teachers Retirement System Buys DuPont de Nemours Inc, Fastenal Co, Apartment ..."", ""Archford Capital Strategies, LLC Buys Fastenal Co, Alphabet Inc, Amazon. ..."", ""Leavell Investment Management, Inc. Buys DuPont de Nemours Inc, Blackstone Group Inc, Dominion ..."", ""New York State Teachers Retirement System Buys DuPont de Nemours Inc, Fastenal Co, Apartment ..."", ""Archford Capital Strategies, LLC Buys Fastenal Co, Alphabet Inc, Amazon. ..."", ""Leavell Investment Management, Inc. Buys DuPont de Nemours Inc, Blackstone Group Inc, Dominion ..."", ""New York State Teachers Retirement System Buys DuPont de Nemours Inc, Fastenal Co, Apartment ...""]"
FAST,2019-07-19,27.8596,28.2061,27.686,27.7116,"[""Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA Buys DuPont de Nemours Inc, NextEra Energy ..."", ""Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA Buys DuPont de Nemours Inc, NextEra Energy ..."", ""Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA Buys DuPont de Nemours Inc, NextEra Energy ...""]"
FAST,2019-07-22,27.8498,28.1973,27.831,27.9584,"[""Fastenal Company: Waiting For A Better Entry Level"", ""Fastenal Company: Waiting For A Better Entry Level"", ""Ex-Dividend Reminder: Fastenal, CVS Health and Lakeland Financial Looking at the universe of stocks we cover at Dividend Channel, on 7/24/19, Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST), CVS Health Corporation (Symbol: CVS), and Lakeland Financial Corp (Symbol: LKFN) will all trade ex-dividend for their respective upcoming dividends. Fastenal Co. will pay its quarterly dividend of $0.22 on 8/22/19, CVS Health Corporation will pay its quarterly dividend of $0.50 on 8/2/19, and Lakeland Financial Corp will pay its quarterly dividend of $0.30 on 8/5/19. As a percentage of FAST's recent stock price of $30.85, this dividend works out to approximately 0.71%, so look for shares of Fastenal Co. to trade 0.71% lower \u2014 all else being equal \u2014 when FAST shares open for trading on 7/24/19. Similarly, investors should look for CVS to open 0.89% lower in price and for LKFN to open 0.68% lower, all else being equal. Below are dividend history charts for FAST, CVS, and LKFN, showing historical dividends prior to the most recent ones declared. Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST): CVS Health Corporation (Symbol: CVS): Lakeland Financial Corp (Symbol: LKFN): In general, dividends are not always predictable, following the ups and downs of company profits over time. Therefore, a good first due diligence step in forming an expectation of annual yield going forward, is looking at the history above, for a sense of stability over time. This can help in judging whether the most recent dividends from these companies are likely to continue. If they do continue, the current estimated yields on annualized basis would be 2.85% for Fastenal Co., 3.58% for CVS Health Corporation, and 2.71% for Lakeland Financial Corp. In Monday trading, Fastenal Co. shares are currently up about 1.6%, CVS Health Corporation shares are trading flat, and Lakeland Financial Corp shares are off about 0.3% on the day. Click here to learn which 25 S.A.F.E. dividend stocks should be on your radar screen \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""3 Big Stock Charts for Monday: Southern Co., Fastenal and PepsiCo The market started to follow through on Thursday\u2019s rebound effort, opening higher on Friday. When push came to shove as the closing bell for the week approached, however, traders panicked again. The S&P 500\u2019s loss of 0.62% left it at 2976.61 \u2026 the lowest close in nearly two weeks. Source: Shutterstock Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ:) did the most net damage, losing 1.5% of its value, with investors taking Mizuho\u2019s profit-taking advice to heart. Snapchat parent Snap (NYSE:) logged the most noteworthy loss on Friday though, falling 3.6% as investors hesitate heading into its earnings report this week. The 170% rally since its late-2018 low suggests confidence, but leaves the stock subject to profit-taking no matter what its quarterly report looks like. At the other end of the spectrum, Boeing (NYSE:) flew 4.5% higher after the company announced plans to take a $4.9 billion charge related to its 737 debacle. Although bad news on the surface, the market may have been pricing in worse. As the new week\u2019s trading action gets started though, none of those names are top trading prospects. Rather, it\u2019s the stock charts of Southern Co. (NYSE:), PepsiCo (NASDAQ:) and Fastenal (NASDAQ:) that merit the closest looks. PepsiCo (PEP) A week and a half ago PepsiCo was put under the microscope, as it was putting pressure on what was quickly taking shape as an . That floor ended up stopping the weakness before it got started. That recovery effort, however, faltered just as quickly when a familiar ceiling was revisited. Friday\u2019s tumble was the one that broke PEP stock out of that rut, for the worst. In fact, two key technical floors were shattered, opening the door to what could be a sizable selloff. The floor in question is, or was, $130.59, marked in yellow. PepsiCo was held up there a couple of times since late June. Friday\u2019s close failed to find support there. Fastenal (FAST) With nothing more than a passing glance, it would be easy to chalk up the recent weakness from Fastenal to market-driven bearishness. And, perhaps that\u2019s all it is. Fastenal is inching dangerously close to a more significant breakdown though, and one more misstep could open the selling floodgates. The support area to watch is right around $30. That\u2019s just below the white 200-day moving average is, and where May\u2019s low was. That area has also been resistance in recent months, making it more meaningful. The current weakness appears to be an effort to drag Fastenal all the way back to a floor currently near $26, which tags all the major lows going back to the beginning of 2016. Southern Co. (SO) Southern Co. didn\u2019t end last week on a particularly high note. The stock fell 1.5% on Friday, peeling back on above average volume. Nevertheless, the bigger trend remains a bullish one. The support line that has been steering SO shares upward since February remains intact, and Southern Co. stock remains above its pivotal moving average, plotted in pink on the daily chart. The flavor and support for the rally is changing though, for the worst. It took a bump into a familiar resistance line to get the ball rolling, but SO is now in more trouble than it may seem to be on the surface. Friday\u2019s bearish volume was above average, but not just more than the norm. It was the most daily distribution we\u2019ve seen since April, hinting there are many would-be profit takers waiting in the wings. As of this writing, James Brumley held a long position in Boeing. You can learn more about James at his site, , or follow him on Twitter, at @jbrumley. The post appeared first on InvestorPlace. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Company: Waiting For A Better Entry Level""]"
FAST,2019-07-23,28.0146,29.0185,28.0146,28.9168,"[""Arcadia Investment Management Corp Buys Fastenal Co, Microsoft Corp, Ingersoll-Rand PLC, Sells ..."", ""Arcadia Investment Management Corp Buys Fastenal Co, Microsoft Corp, Ingersoll-Rand PLC, Sells ..."", ""Arcadia Investment Management Corp Buys Fastenal Co, Microsoft Corp, Ingersoll-Rand PLC, Sells ...""]"
FAST,2019-07-24,28.6888,29.4044,28.5783,29.3402,"[""Fastenal: A 10-Year, Full-Cycle Analysis"", ""Gross Margin Improvement Can Push Fastenal Upwards"", ""Financial Consulate, Inc Buys Schwab U.S. ..."", ""Greenleaf Trust Buys The Wendy's Co, AT&T Inc, AerCap Holdings NV, Sells Celgene Corp, ..."", ""Fastenal Still Holds Fast"", ""M&r Capital Management Inc Buys Church & Dwight Co Inc, JPMorgan Ultra-Short Income, ..."", ""Fayerweather Charles Buys Becton, Dickinson and Co, Chevron Corp, The Walt Disney Co, Sells ..."", ""Duncker Streett & Co Inc Buys Centene Corp, Nike Inc, DuPont de Nemours Inc, Sells Schwab U. ..."", ""Logan Capital Management Inc Buys US Bancorp, Grand Canyon Education Inc, Floor & Decor ..."", ""Duncker Streett & Co Inc Buys Centene Corp, Nike Inc, DuPont de Nemours Inc, Sells Schwab U. ..."", ""Logan Capital Management Inc Buys US Bancorp, Grand Canyon Education Inc, Floor & Decor ..."", ""Greenleaf Trust Buys The Wendy's Co, AT&T Inc, AerCap Holdings NV, Sells Celgene Corp, ..."", ""M&r Capital Management Inc Buys Church & Dwight Co Inc, JPMorgan Ultra-Short Income, ..."", ""Financial Consulate, Inc Buys Schwab U.S. ..."", ""Fayerweather Charles Buys Becton, Dickinson and Co, Chevron Corp, The Walt Disney Co, Sells ..."", ""Gross Margin Improvement Can Push Fastenal Upwards"", ""Fastenal: A 10-Year, Full-Cycle Analysis"", ""Fastenal Still Holds Fast"", ""Duncker Streett & Co Inc Buys Centene Corp, Nike Inc, DuPont de Nemours Inc, Sells Schwab U. ..."", ""Logan Capital Management Inc Buys US Bancorp, Grand Canyon Education Inc, Floor & Decor ..."", ""Greenleaf Trust Buys The Wendy's Co, AT&T Inc, AerCap Holdings NV, Sells Celgene Corp, ..."", ""M&r Capital Management Inc Buys Church & Dwight Co Inc, JPMorgan Ultra-Short Income, ..."", ""Financial Consulate, Inc Buys Schwab U.S. ..."", ""Fayerweather Charles Buys Becton, Dickinson and Co, Chevron Corp, The Walt Disney Co, Sells ..."", ""Gross Margin Improvement Can Push Fastenal Upwards"", ""Fastenal: A 10-Year, Full-Cycle Analysis"", ""Fastenal Still Holds Fast""]"
FAST,2019-07-25,29.359,29.4784,28.8457,28.8901,"[""Palisade Asset Management, LLC Buys Fastenal Co, DuPont de Nemours Inc, iShares Core MSCI EAFE, ..."", ""Chemical Bank Buys DuPont de Nemours Inc, L'Harris Technologies Inc, Salesforce. ..."", ""Diversified Investment Strategies, LLC Buys Waitr Holdings Inc, Capital One Financial Corp, ..."", ""Chemical Bank Buys DuPont de Nemours Inc, L'Harris Technologies Inc, Salesforce. ..."", ""Diversified Investment Strategies, LLC Buys Waitr Holdings Inc, Capital One Financial Corp, ..."", ""Palisade Asset Management, LLC Buys Fastenal Co, DuPont de Nemours Inc, iShares Core MSCI EAFE, ..."", ""Chemical Bank Buys DuPont de Nemours Inc, L'Harris Technologies Inc, Salesforce. ..."", ""Diversified Investment Strategies, LLC Buys Waitr Holdings Inc, Capital One Financial Corp, ..."", ""Palisade Asset Management, LLC Buys Fastenal Co, DuPont de Nemours Inc, iShares Core MSCI EAFE, ...""]"
FAST,2019-07-26,28.9257,29.1665,28.7529,29.0658,
FAST,2019-07-29,29.0382,29.2484,28.6977,28.7776,"[""Thomas Story & Son Llc Buys Fastenal Co, Caterpillar Inc, NextEra Energy Inc"", ""Tracking William von Mueffling's Cantillon Capital Management Portfolio - Q2 2019 Update"", ""Grandfield & Dodd, Llc Buys Blackbaud Inc, DuPont de Nemours Inc, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals ..."", ""Ashfield Capital Partners, LLC Buys Lockheed Martin Corp, Facebook Inc, Tetra Tech Inc, Sells ..."", ""Grandfield & Dodd, Llc Buys Blackbaud Inc, DuPont de Nemours Inc, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals ..."", ""Ashfield Capital Partners, LLC Buys Lockheed Martin Corp, Facebook Inc, Tetra Tech Inc, Sells ..."", ""Thomas Story & Son Llc Buys Fastenal Co, Caterpillar Inc, NextEra Energy Inc"", ""Tracking William von Mueffling's Cantillon Capital Management Portfolio - Q2 2019 Update"", ""Grandfield & Dodd, Llc Buys Blackbaud Inc, DuPont de Nemours Inc, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals ..."", ""Ashfield Capital Partners, LLC Buys Lockheed Martin Corp, Facebook Inc, Tetra Tech Inc, Sells ..."", ""Thomas Story & Son Llc Buys Fastenal Co, Caterpillar Inc, NextEra Energy Inc"", ""Tracking William von Mueffling's Cantillon Capital Management Portfolio - Q2 2019 Update""]"
FAST,2019-07-30,28.6335,29.1566,28.5229,29.0471,"[""Bfsg, Llc Buys Vanguard Real Estate, iShares Edge MSCI Min Vol USA, Fastenal Co, Sells Apple ..."", ""Construction Earnings Due on Jul 31: KBR, TMHC, MDC & More"", ""A Quiet Dividend Growth Summer Continues As Badger Meter, Illinois Tool Works Expected To Lead Payout Boosts In August"", ""Boston Family Office Llc Buys SS&C Technologies Holdings Inc, Adobe Inc, JPMorgan Chase, ..."", ""Albert D Mason Inc Buys Skyworks Solutions Inc, Western Midstream Partners LP, CVS Health Corp, ..."", ""Pegasus Partners Ltd. Buys iShares Core S&P 5\u2026\u2026, Varian Medical Systems Inc, Lockheed ..."", ""Boston Family Office Llc Buys SS&C Technologies Holdings Inc, Adobe Inc, JPMorgan Chase, ..."", ""Albert D Mason Inc Buys Skyworks Solutions Inc, Western Midstream Partners LP, CVS Health Corp, ..."", ""Bfsg, Llc Buys Vanguard Real Estate, iShares Edge MSCI Min Vol USA, Fastenal Co, Sells Apple ..."", ""Pegasus Partners Ltd. Buys iShares Core S&P 5\u2026\u2026, Varian Medical Systems Inc, Lockheed ..."", ""Construction Earnings Due on Jul 31: KBR, TMHC, MDC & More"", ""A Quiet Dividend Growth Summer Continues As Badger Meter, Illinois Tool Works Expected To Lead Payout Boosts In August"", ""Boston Family Office Llc Buys SS&C Technologies Holdings Inc, Adobe Inc, JPMorgan Chase, ..."", ""Albert D Mason Inc Buys Skyworks Solutions Inc, Western Midstream Partners LP, CVS Health Corp, ..."", ""Bfsg, Llc Buys Vanguard Real Estate, iShares Edge MSCI Min Vol USA, Fastenal Co, Sells Apple ..."", ""Pegasus Partners Ltd. Buys iShares Core S&P 5\u2026\u2026, Varian Medical Systems Inc, Lockheed ..."", ""Construction Earnings Due on Jul 31: KBR, TMHC, MDC & More"", ""A Quiet Dividend Growth Summer Continues As Badger Meter, Illinois Tool Works Expected To Lead Payout Boosts In August""]"
FAST,2019-07-31,29.0382,29.051,28.0452,28.3009,"[""Saturna Capital CORP Buys Fastenal Co, Corteva Inc, Alcon Inc, Sells Alphabet Inc, DuPont de ..."", ""Capital Management Corp Buys Tessco Technologies Inc, Mobile Mini Inc, Schlumberger, Sells ..."", ""Cookson Peirce & Co Inc Buys Netflix Inc, Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc, AMETEK Inc, Sells ..."", ""Saturna Capital CORP Buys Fastenal Co, Corteva Inc, Alcon Inc, Sells Alphabet Inc, DuPont de ..."", ""Capital Management Corp Buys Tessco Technologies Inc, Mobile Mini Inc, Schlumberger, Sells ..."", ""Cookson Peirce & Co Inc Buys Netflix Inc, Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc, AMETEK Inc, Sells ..."", ""Saturna Capital CORP Buys Fastenal Co, Corteva Inc, Alcon Inc, Sells Alphabet Inc, DuPont de ..."", ""Capital Management Corp Buys Tessco Technologies Inc, Mobile Mini Inc, Schlumberger, Sells ..."", ""Cookson Peirce & Co Inc Buys Netflix Inc, Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc, AMETEK Inc, Sells ...""]"
FAST,2019-08-01,28.3383,28.4765,27.1184,27.227,"[""Eukles Asset Management Buys Illumina Inc, PayPal Holdings Inc, iShares Core \u2013-5 Year USD ..."", ""MSC Industrial Direct Dividend Stock Analysis"", ""Eukles Asset Management Buys Illumina Inc, PayPal Holdings Inc, iShares Core \u2013-5 Year USD ..."", ""MSC Industrial Direct Dividend Stock Analysis"", ""Eukles Asset Management Buys Illumina Inc, PayPal Holdings Inc, iShares Core \u2013-5 Year USD ..."", ""MSC Industrial Direct Dividend Stock Analysis""]"
FAST,2019-08-02,26.9989,27.2546,26.4659,27.219,"[""Oakworth Capital, Inc. Buys ConocoPhillips, iShares S&P 5\u2026\u2026 Value ETF, The Travelers ..."", ""Steginsky Capital Llc Buys Fastenal Co"", ""McKinley Carter Wealth Services, Inc. Buys Sysco Corp, Medtronic PLC, Marathon Petroleum Corp, ..."", ""McKinley Carter Wealth Services, Inc. Buys Sysco Corp, Medtronic PLC, Marathon Petroleum Corp, ..."", ""Oakworth Capital, Inc. Buys ConocoPhillips, iShares S&P 5\u2026\u2026 Value ETF, The Travelers ..."", ""Steginsky Capital Llc Buys Fastenal Co"", ""Fastenal Continues to Make Progress With New Growth Segments When industrial and construction supplier Fastenal Company (NASDAQ: FAST) reported second quarter earnings last month, some investors were disappointed as they pointed to the results as a harbinger of declining market conditions for the manufacturing segment. In fact, management acknowledged as much, saying, \""While general economic activity remained positive, we did see slowing in the second quarter of 2019 relative to activity levels experienced in the first quarter of 2019.\"" Source: Fastenal Company But looking from a broader lens, while short-term results may be negatively impacted by a lull in market demand and higher costs that the company claims are tariff-related, the longer-term growth drivers of onsite locations and vending machines continue to perform well. Celebrating milestones In early June, the company announced that it surpassed 100,000 active vending devices and celebrated having over 1,000 onsite locations in July. Before we look closer at these growth opportunities, let's look a little more at the recent quarterly results. As mentioned, higher costs and a slowdown in end markets were headwinds for Fastenal. In line with 2018, for the first six months of 2019, 86% of sales occurred in the United States, so domestic macroeconomic conditions play a significant role in how the company performs. The following table compares daily net sales growth through last year (net sales divided by the number of days in the reporting period) as well as gross profit. Fastener products and non-fastener products account for approximately one-third and two-thirds of sales, respectively: Data source: Fastenal financial filings. Near-term headwinds Though overall sales rose a respectable 7.9% for the quarter, it's apparent that the biggest highlights are trends of slowing growth and increasing costs. Management pointed to increased inflation on net product margins as a growing cost-related factor over the first quarter: While we successfully raised prices as one element of our strategy to offset tariffs placed to date on products sourced from China, those increases were not sufficient to also counter general inflation in the marketplace. We have taken additional actions in the third quarter of 2019 to counter the broader pressures we are experiencing on our costs as well as the additional tariffs that were levied on China-sourced products in May 2019. Building customer relationships While it's clear there are some near-term challenges, the longer-term strategy remains on track. The milestones achieved with active vending devices and onsite locations were a reminder of the progress Fastenal has made on projects the company can control. Both the vending machines and onsite program are meant to bring the company closer to the customer, both literally and figuratively. By setting up in a customer's facility, Fastenal creates a stickiness that helps establish a long, productive relationship for both parties. The milestone onsite facility is with an existing customer, Nutrien, the world's largest provider of crop inputs, services, and solutions. A manager at Nutrien described the benefits of the program: Some of our locations are in remote areas, so an immediate benefit of a Fastenal Onsite program is that it shortens supply chain from a distribution standpoint [...] Integration is also very important to us. Having a fully dedicated Fastenal resource allows us to step away from tactical activities to become more efficient and focused on our core business. Positive results from these initiatives The most recent quarter saw continued success with these growth drivers. The following table shows what the company reported related to these initiatives, including the rate of daily sales achieved through the two areas: *This does not include more than 15,000 devices that are part of a lease locker program. Data source: Fastenal. The quarterly results certainly highlighted some headwinds from areas out of management's control, but long-term shareholders should be satisfied that the company's focus on growth through vending devices and onsite locations is paying off. Fastenal also announced a dividend increase in July, following a pattern that has given shareholders an annual dividend increase rate of over 15% over the past decade. With the dividend payout ratio hovering around 60%, there's every reason to think this trend will continue, giving shareholders an income stream as any macroeconomic headwinds and cycles play out. The success of management's key strategies along the way should make for an even stronger company in the future. 10 stocks we like better than Fastenal When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has quadrupled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now\u2026 and Fastenal wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of June 1, 2019 Howard Smith owns shares of FAST. The Motley Fool recommends Fastenal. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""McKinley Carter Wealth Services, Inc. Buys Sysco Corp, Medtronic PLC, Marathon Petroleum Corp, ..."", ""Oakworth Capital, Inc. Buys ConocoPhillips, iShares S&P 5\u2026\u2026 Value ETF, The Travelers ..."", ""Steginsky Capital Llc Buys Fastenal Co""]"
FAST,2019-08-05,26.6397,26.6495,26.1057,26.2419,"[""State Board Of Administration Of Florida Retiremen Buys Corteva Inc, Fastenal Co, Spotify ..."", ""Fiduciary Group LLC Buys iShares \u2013-' Year Credit Bond ETF, Dollar Tree Inc, Corteva Inc, ..."", ""Taylor Hoffman Wealth Management Buys Fastenal Co, Vanguard S&P 5\u2026\u2026 ETF, Booking ..."", ""State Board Of Administration Of Florida Retiremen Buys Corteva Inc, Fastenal Co, Spotify ..."", ""Taylor Hoffman Wealth Management Buys Fastenal Co, Vanguard S&P 5\u2026\u2026 ETF, Booking ..."", ""Fiduciary Group LLC Buys iShares \u2013-' Year Credit Bond ETF, Dollar Tree Inc, Corteva Inc, ..."", ""Once the Trade War Ends, Patience with Fastenal Stock Will Be Rewarded Here comes the trade war, and that isn\u2019t good news for Fastenal (NASDAQ:) which dropped nearly 4% on news that U.S. President Donald Trump will impose a 10% tariff on $300 billion worth of Chinese goods at the start of September. Don\u2019t count Fastenal stock out just yet, though. The logic here is simple enough. Fastenal is the world\u2019s largest fastener distributor in North America. As the largest fastener distributor in North America, Fastenal sells heavily to North American industrial and manufacturing companies. They also source a ton of product from Asia, particularly China. Consequently, the company has been hit hard by a double headwind of slowing demand and rising costs amid escalating trade tensions. Revenue growth has slowed. Margins have compressed. Profits have fallen flat. FAST stock has dropped, falling close to bear market territory (almost 20% off recent highs), while the S&P 500 is just 3% off its all-time highs. This new round of tariffs is more bad news for FAST stock. It\u2019s basically confirmation that things won\u2019t get much better anytime soon, and that Fastenal stock will likely remain depressed for the foreseeable future. But, this trade war isn\u2019t a permanent thing. Eventually, it will stop. Nobody really knows when. But, it will, because the global economy is so connected that neither side can fight with the other forever. Once the trade war does get resolved, Fastenal\u2019s headwinds will disappear. Revenue growth will pace higher. Margins will rise. Profits will rebound. So will FAST stock. As such, patience will be rewarded here. FAST sock won\u2019t turn things around right away. But, in a multi-year window, this stock does have tremendous upside in the likely scenario that a trade resolution is struck within the next few years. Fastenal Stock Won\u2019t Turnaround Just Yet The first important thing to note about Fastenal stock is that it\u2019s depressed for a reason (the trade war) and that reason isn\u2019t going away anytime soon. There are two things here: supply and demand. On the supply side, Fastenal sources a ton of product from Asia, particularly China, so as Trump has continued to impose more and more tariffs on Chinese imports, it has resulted in rising costs for a healthy portion of Fastenal\u2019s products. Fastenal has tried to hike prices to offset these rising costs. But, such efforts have fallen short thus far. Consequently, gross margins are getting squeezed. Last quarter, Fastenal reported nearly 200 basis points of year-over-year gross margin compression. On the demand side, Fastenal sells a ton of product to North American manufacturing and industrial companies. Those companies are being hit hard by the trade war. Because prices are going up, business operations are being disrupted, and everyone in the industry is uncertain about what\u2019s going to happen next. The result is, capex and investment levels are dropping. Indeed, by many metrics, U.S. manufacturing activity has plunged in 2019 to a . As U.S. manufacturing activity has slowed, so has demand for Fastenal\u2019s products. Daily sales growth, the important revenue metric for this business, was 8%. It was the first sub-10% reading since the first quarter of 2017. Overall, then, the trade war is creating a huge drag on Fastenal\u2019s business. That drag isn\u2019t going away anytime soon. So long as it remains, FAST stock will remain depressed. Huge Upside Potential, Eventually The second important thing to note about Fastenal stock is that near term weakness isn\u2019t here to stay forever, and it\u2019s ultimately creating a compelling long term buying opportunity. Zooming out, the big picture fundamentals here are very good. Since 2010, U.S. manufacturing sales have grown at a compounded annual growth rate. Fastenal, due to its expansion and growth drivers, has significantly outpaced the industry, growing revenues at a 10%-plus compounded annual growth rate since 2010. This outperformance persists today, even in a time of turbulence. U.S. manufacturing sales have fallen flat in 2019. Fastenal reported first-quarter sales growth of 12% and second-quarter sales growth of 8%. That\u2019s impressive. Thus, Fastenal is a winning company in a long-term stable industry that\u2019s going through a rough patch right now. But, this rough patch won\u2019t last forever. Because their two economies are so connected and dependent upon one another, the U.S. and China are unlikely to fight on trade forever. Instead, Trump will keep upping the ante, China will be forced into a position to make a more meaningful deal, and a resolution will likely be reached within the next few quarters or years. Once that resolution is reached, FAST stock should jump. The math here is easy to follow. Even accounting for the trade war, Fastenal still projects as a mid-single-digit revenue grower over the next several years. Gross margins should rebound as Fastenal more consistently and optimally leverages price hikes to offset rising costs. The opex rate should keep falling since management sounded a big cost savings tone on the last call. Putting all that together, profit growth should run around 10% over the next several years. That puts 2025 EPS at around $2.50. Based on a historically average 20-times forward multiple, that implies a 2024 price target of $50. Discounted back by 7% per year (3 points below 10% to account for the yield), which equates to a 2019 price target of ~$35. Bottom Line on Fastenal Stock According to the long term fundamentals, FAST stock is materially undervalued at the current moment. But, this undervaluation promises to hang around so long as the trade war persists. As such, patience is key here, and it will ultimately be rewarded long term once trade disputes fade into the rear-view mirror. As of this writing, Luke Lango did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities. The post appeared first on InvestorPlace. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""State Board Of Administration Of Florida Retiremen Buys Corteva Inc, Fastenal Co, Spotify ..."", ""Taylor Hoffman Wealth Management Buys Fastenal Co, Vanguard S&P 5\u2026\u2026 ETF, Booking ..."", ""Fiduciary Group LLC Buys iShares \u2013-' Year Credit Bond ETF, Dollar Tree Inc, Corteva Inc, ...""]"
FAST,2019-08-06,26.3189,27.1529,26.2517,26.8331,"[""Linscomb & Williams, Inc. Buys Tesla Inc, Corteva Inc, Invesco BulletShares \u2014\u2026\u2014\u2013 ..."", ""Linscomb & Williams, Inc. Buys Tesla Inc, Corteva Inc, Invesco BulletShares \u2014\u2026\u2014\u2013 ..."", ""Linscomb & Williams, Inc. Buys Tesla Inc, Corteva Inc, Invesco BulletShares \u2014\u2026\u2014\u2013 ...""]"
FAST,2019-08-07,26.4185,27.0898,26.078,26.8874,"[""Summit Asset Management, LLC Buys 'M Co, Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF, The Walt Disney ..."", ""Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp Buys iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ..."", ""Summit Asset Management, LLC Buys 'M Co, Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF, The Walt Disney ..."", ""Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp Buys iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ..."", ""Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp Buys iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ..."", ""Summit Asset Management, LLC Buys 'M Co, Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF, The Walt Disney ..."", ""Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp Buys iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ..."", ""Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp Buys iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ...""]"
FAST,2019-08-08,26.9989,27.447,26.9989,27.3266,"[""Check Capital Management Inc Buys Alliance Data Systems Corp, Capital One Financial Corp, ..."", ""Stocks For You To Swing-Trade: NFLX, DVA, FAST"", ""Check Capital Management Inc Buys Alliance Data Systems Corp, Capital One Financial Corp, ..."", ""Check Capital Management Inc Buys Alliance Data Systems Corp, Capital One Financial Corp, ..."", ""Stocks For You To Swing-Trade: NFLX, DVA, FAST"", ""Check Capital Management Inc Buys Alliance Data Systems Corp, Capital One Financial Corp, ..."", ""Check Capital Management Inc Buys Alliance Data Systems Corp, Capital One Financial Corp, ..."", ""Stocks For You To Swing-Trade: NFLX, DVA, FAST""]"
FAST,2019-08-09,27.2921,27.447,26.9091,27.3266,"[""First National Bank of South Miami Buys iShares Short Treasury Bond ETF, General Dynamics Corp, ..."", ""Roberts Glore & Co Inc Buys BP PLC, iShares MSCI EAFE ETF, Exxon Mobil Corp, Sells SPDR ..."", ""Schwab Charles Investment Management Inc Buys Corteva Inc, Fastenal Co, Newmont Goldcorp Corp, ..."", ""Roberts Glore & Co Inc Buys BP PLC, iShares MSCI EAFE ETF, Exxon Mobil Corp, Sells SPDR ..."", ""First National Bank of South Miami Buys iShares Short Treasury Bond ETF, General Dynamics Corp, ..."", ""Schwab Charles Investment Management Inc Buys Corteva Inc, Fastenal Co, Newmont Goldcorp Corp, ..."", ""Roberts Glore & Co Inc Buys BP PLC, iShares MSCI EAFE ETF, Exxon Mobil Corp, Sells SPDR ..."", ""First National Bank of South Miami Buys iShares Short Treasury Bond ETF, General Dynamics Corp, ..."", ""Schwab Charles Investment Management Inc Buys Corteva Inc, Fastenal Co, Newmont Goldcorp Corp, ...""]"
FAST,2019-08-12,27.1184,27.2428,26.8697,27.0069,"[""Managers Investment Group LLC Buys Williams Inc, Fidelity National Financial Inc, Six Flags ..."", ""Ashmore Wealth Management Llc Buys Fastenal Co, Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corp, Delta ..."", ""Fastenal: Time To Buy"", ""North Star Asset Management Inc Buys Schwab U.S. Large-Cap ETF, Schwab U.S. ..."", ""Fastenal: Time To Buy"", ""Managers Investment Group LLC Buys Williams Inc, Fidelity National Financial Inc, Six Flags ..."", ""Ashmore Wealth Management Llc Buys Fastenal Co, Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corp, Delta ..."", ""North Star Asset Management Inc Buys Schwab U.S. Large-Cap ETF, Schwab U.S. ..."", ""Fastenal: Time To Buy"", ""Managers Investment Group LLC Buys Williams Inc, Fidelity National Financial Inc, Six Flags ..."", ""Ashmore Wealth Management Llc Buys Fastenal Co, Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corp, Delta ..."", ""North Star Asset Management Inc Buys Schwab U.S. Large-Cap ETF, Schwab U.S. ...""]"
FAST,2019-08-13,27.0434,28.4203,26.842,27.53,"[""Nicholas Co Inc Buys Coca-Cola Co, Alcon Inc, Fastenal Co, Sells East West Bancorp Inc, ..."", ""Beck Mack & Oliver Llc Buys Blackstone Group Inc, RadNet Inc, Amazon. ..."", ""Roundview Capital LLC Buys SPDR Barclays Aggregate Bond ETF, iShares Intermediate Credit Bond ..."", ""Haverford Trust Co Buys Corteva Inc, The Home Depot Inc, Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF, ..."", ""Glen Harbor Capital Management LLC Buys iShares Russell \u2013\u2026\u2026\u2026 Growth ETF, iShares Core ..."", ""This Is How I Evaluate Management As An Investor"", ""Neuburgh Advisers LLC Buys iShares Russell \u2013\u2026\u2026\u2026 Growth ETF, iShares Core S&P ..."", ""Guardian Life Insurance Co Of America Buys SPDR Barclays High Yield Bond ETF, United States ..."", ""Shares of several industrial companies are trading higher with the overall market after the U.S. announced it is excluding and delaying the additional 10% tariff on certain products."", ""Shares of several industrial companies are trading higher with the overall market after the U.S. announced it is excluding and delaying the additional 10% tariff on certain products."", ""Beck Mack & Oliver Llc Buys Blackstone Group Inc, RadNet Inc, Amazon. ..."", ""Haverford Trust Co Buys Corteva Inc, The Home Depot Inc, Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF, ..."", ""Glen Harbor Capital Management LLC Buys iShares Russell \u2013\u2026\u2026\u2026 Growth ETF, iShares Core ..."", ""Neuburgh Advisers LLC Buys iShares Russell \u2013\u2026\u2026\u2026 Growth ETF, iShares Core S&P ..."", ""Nicholas Co Inc Buys Coca-Cola Co, Alcon Inc, Fastenal Co, Sells East West Bancorp Inc, ..."", ""This Is How I Evaluate Management As An Investor"", ""Roundview Capital LLC Buys SPDR Barclays Aggregate Bond ETF, iShares Intermediate Credit Bond ..."", ""Guardian Life Insurance Co Of America Buys SPDR Barclays High Yield Bond ETF, United States ..."", ""Shares of several industrial companies are trading higher with the overall market after the U.S. announced it is excluding and delaying the additional 10% tariff on certain products."", ""Beck Mack & Oliver Llc Buys Blackstone Group Inc, RadNet Inc, Amazon. ..."", ""Haverford Trust Co Buys Corteva Inc, The Home Depot Inc, Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF, ..."", ""Glen Harbor Capital Management LLC Buys iShares Russell \u2013\u2026\u2026\u2026 Growth ETF, iShares Core ..."", ""Neuburgh Advisers LLC Buys iShares Russell \u2013\u2026\u2026\u2026 Growth ETF, iShares Core S&P ..."", ""Nicholas Co Inc Buys Coca-Cola Co, Alcon Inc, Fastenal Co, Sells East West Bancorp Inc, ..."", ""This Is How I Evaluate Management As An Investor"", ""Roundview Capital LLC Buys SPDR Barclays Aggregate Bond ETF, iShares Intermediate Credit Bond ..."", ""Guardian Life Insurance Co Of America Buys SPDR Barclays High Yield Bond ETF, United States ...""]"
FAST,2019-08-14,27.2092,27.2644,26.6585,26.7947,"[""CAMG Solamere Management, LLC Buys Apple Inc, Textron Inc, Cardinal Health Inc, Sells Marathon ..."", ""CAMG Solamere Management, LLC Buys Apple Inc, Textron Inc, Cardinal Health Inc, Sells Marathon ..."", ""CAMG Solamere Management, LLC Buys Apple Inc, Textron Inc, Cardinal Health Inc, Sells Marathon ...""]"
FAST,2019-08-15,26.9141,27.0898,26.7029,26.9042,"[""Wedgewood Partners, Inc. Buys Motorola Solutions Inc, Alcon Inc, Electronic Arts Inc, Sells ..."", ""Auxier Asset Management Buys Booking Holdings Inc, Corteva Inc, Alphabet Inc, Sells DuPont de ..."", ""These High-Quality Stocks Are Yielding More Than The Treasury Bond And Growing Dividends At Double Digits"", ""Auxier Asset Management Buys Booking Holdings Inc, Corteva Inc, Alphabet Inc, Sells DuPont de ..."", ""These High-Quality Stocks Are Yielding More Than The Treasury Bond And Growing Dividends At Double Digits"", ""Wedgewood Partners, Inc. Buys Motorola Solutions Inc, Alcon Inc, Electronic Arts Inc, Sells ..."", ""Auxier Asset Management Buys Booking Holdings Inc, Corteva Inc, Alphabet Inc, Sells DuPont de ..."", ""These High-Quality Stocks Are Yielding More Than The Treasury Bond And Growing Dividends At Double Digits"", ""Wedgewood Partners, Inc. Buys Motorola Solutions Inc, Alcon Inc, Electronic Arts Inc, Sells ...""]"
FAST,2019-08-16,27.1273,27.604,26.9328,27.5488,"[""Clifford Capital Partners Llc Buys The Kraft Heinz Co, GlaxoSmithKline PLC, Fastenal Co, Sells ..."", ""Stearns Financial Services Group Buys SPDR Barclays Short Term Treasury ETF, Vanguard FTSE ..."", ""Clifford Capital Partners Llc Buys The Kraft Heinz Co, GlaxoSmithKline PLC, Fastenal Co, Sells ..."", ""Stearns Financial Services Group Buys SPDR Barclays Short Term Treasury ETF, Vanguard FTSE ..."", ""Clifford Capital Partners Llc Buys The Kraft Heinz Co, GlaxoSmithKline PLC, Fastenal Co, Sells ..."", ""Stearns Financial Services Group Buys SPDR Barclays Short Term Treasury ETF, Vanguard FTSE ...""]"
FAST,2019-08-19,27.9258,28.2337,27.8241,28.1745,"[""TGLS vs. FAST: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?"", ""TGLS vs. FAST: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?"", ""TGLS vs. FAST: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?""]"
FAST,2019-08-20,28.1558,28.3383,27.9426,28.0077,
FAST,2019-08-21,28.3009,28.5051,28.1834,28.2743,"[""Pacific Global Investment Management CO Buys Constellation Brands Inc, Match Group Inc, Amazon. ..."", ""David Rolfe Adds 4 Stocks to Portfolio in \u2014nd Quarter"", ""University Of Notre Dame Du Lac Buys IQVIA Holdings Inc, TransUnion, Micro Focus International ..."", ""Amalgamated Bank Buys iShares Russell '\u2026\u2026\u2026 ETF, Corteva Inc, Newmont Goldcorp Corp, ..."", ""Metropolitan Life Insurance Co Buys iShares Russell \u2013\u2026\u2026\u2026 Growth ETF, Corteva Inc, ..."", ""Green Square Capital Llc Buys Vanguard S&P 5\u2026\u2026 ETF, Alerian MLP ETF, Fastenal Co, Sells ..."", ""State Street Corp Buys Corteva Inc, Amcor PLC, SPDR Barclays Long Term Treasury ETF, Sells ..."", ""Vanguard Group Inc Buys Corteva Inc, Fastenal Co, Newmont Goldcorp Corp, Sells DuPont de ..."", ""Advisors Management Group Inc Buys Spirit Realty Capital Inc, Invesco BulletShares ..."", ""Legal & General Group Plc Buys Corteva Inc, Entergy Corp, Fastenal Co, Sells DuPont de ..."", ""David Rolfe Adds 4 Stocks to Portfolio in \u2014nd Quarter"", ""State Street Corp Buys Corteva Inc, Amcor PLC, SPDR Barclays Long Term Treasury ETF, Sells ..."", ""Vanguard Group Inc Buys Corteva Inc, Fastenal Co, Newmont Goldcorp Corp, Sells DuPont de ..."", ""Metropolitan Life Insurance Co Buys iShares Russell \u2013\u2026\u2026\u2026 Growth ETF, Corteva Inc, ..."", ""Legal & General Group Plc Buys Corteva Inc, Entergy Corp, Fastenal Co, Sells DuPont de ..."", ""Amalgamated Bank Buys iShares Russell '\u2026\u2026\u2026 ETF, Corteva Inc, Newmont Goldcorp Corp, ..."", ""Pacific Global Investment Management CO Buys Constellation Brands Inc, Match Group Inc, Amazon. ..."", ""University Of Notre Dame Du Lac Buys IQVIA Holdings Inc, TransUnion, Micro Focus International ..."", ""Advisors Management Group Inc Buys Spirit Realty Capital Inc, Invesco BulletShares ..."", ""Green Square Capital Llc Buys Vanguard S&P 5\u2026\u2026 ETF, Alerian MLP ETF, Fastenal Co, Sells ..."", ""David Rolfe Adds 4 Stocks to Portfolio in \u2014nd Quarter"", ""State Street Corp Buys Corteva Inc, Amcor PLC, SPDR Barclays Long Term Treasury ETF, Sells ..."", ""Vanguard Group Inc Buys Corteva Inc, Fastenal Co, Newmont Goldcorp Corp, Sells DuPont de ..."", ""Metropolitan Life Insurance Co Buys iShares Russell \u2013\u2026\u2026\u2026 Growth ETF, Corteva Inc, ..."", ""Legal & General Group Plc Buys Corteva Inc, Entergy Corp, Fastenal Co, Sells DuPont de ..."", ""Amalgamated Bank Buys iShares Russell '\u2026\u2026\u2026 ETF, Corteva Inc, Newmont Goldcorp Corp, ..."", ""Pacific Global Investment Management CO Buys Constellation Brands Inc, Match Group Inc, Amazon. ..."", ""University Of Notre Dame Du Lac Buys IQVIA Holdings Inc, TransUnion, Micro Focus International ..."", ""Advisors Management Group Inc Buys Spirit Realty Capital Inc, Invesco BulletShares ..."", ""Green Square Capital Llc Buys Vanguard S&P 5\u2026\u2026 ETF, Alerian MLP ETF, Fastenal Co, Sells ...""]"
FAST,2019-08-22,28.4765,28.4953,28.06,28.2377,
FAST,2019-08-23,28.0808,28.2288,27.0523,27.2546,
FAST,2019-08-26,27.6306,27.6958,27.0611,27.3198,
FAST,2019-08-27,27.5398,27.5488,27.0523,27.2921,
FAST,2019-08-28,27.1628,27.4934,26.8874,27.447,
FAST,2019-08-29,27.833,28.2555,27.5852,28.064,"[""Grainger Executing On Margins, But The Pressures Are Increasing"", ""Grainger Executing On Margins, But The Pressures Are Increasing"", ""Grainger Executing On Margins, But The Pressures Are Increasing""]"
FAST,2019-08-30,28.2929,28.5783,28.0176,28.136,
FAST,2019-09-03,27.8518,28.0452,27.1273,27.3098,"[""Fastenal Option Alert: Sep 20 $30 Calls at the Ask: 626 @ $0.651 vs 465 OI; Earnings 10/9 Before Open [est] Ref=$29.535"", ""Fastenal Option Alert: Sep 20 $30 Calls at the Ask: 626 @ $0.651 vs 465 OI; Earnings 10/9 Before Open [est] Ref=$29.535"", ""Fastenal Option Alert: Sep 20 $30 Calls at the Ask: 626 @ $0.651 vs 465 OI; Earnings 10/9 Before Open [est] Ref=$29.535""]"
FAST,2019-09-04,27.5852,27.8064,27.4708,27.53,
FAST,2019-09-05,27.8518,28.8803,27.8518,28.5417,"[""Shares of several industrial companies are trading higher with the broader stock market after the Chinese Minister of Commerce said the leaders of the U.S. and China are set to meet in Washington D.C in early October."", ""Shares of several industrial companies are trading higher with the broader stock market after the Chinese Minister of Commerce said the leaders of the U.S. and China are set to meet in Washington D.C in early October."", ""4 Top Industrial Stocks to Watch in September With signs of an industrial slowdown appearing all around us, it's time to take a step back and examine the big picture. We know that a slew of companies served notice of slowing demand in short-cycle industries in the last quarter. But is that the start of a lengthy downtrend, or is it just a sentiment-led pause? Let's take a look at some important data points that investors can use to gauge what's going on. Image source: Getty Images. 1. Caterpillar: A font of monthly sales data Everyone knows that company quarterly earnings reports contain a wealth of useful data and commentary, but some companies also report monthly sales data. Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT) will release its retail sales figures in the middle of the month. Investors will be particularly focused on the number from its resource industries segment: Caterpillar is relying on capital spending in the mining industry, to help to offset potential weakness in construction spending growth and a delay in spending in the Permian basin in its energy and transportation segment. This is a particular concern because Cummins (NYSE: CMI) recently gave some cautious commentary on the length and strength of the recovery in the mining capital spending cycle. Data source: Caterpillar presentations. Chart by author. 2. Fastenal: A barometer for industrial supply companies Industrial supply companies usually set the tone for industrial earnings season, and this quarter was no different. Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST) and MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE: MSM) spooked the market with their disappointing earnings in the second quarter -- when industrial activity slows, the first thing to get hit is revenue at industrial supply companies. Neither company will report earnings in September, but Fastenal will soon report sales data for July, and the market will be keeping a close eye on it. Data source: Fastenal presentations. Chart by author. 3. FedEx: Will it blame the economy again? FedEx (NYSE: FDX) has not had a great year so far, and has notably underperformed its greatest rival United Parcel Service (NYSE: UPS) in 2019. FedEx CEO Fred Smith has been vocal in blaming the impact of weakening end markets on his company's performance. In this context the market will be looking for Smith's commentary on global trade trends and their impact on FedEx's international volumes. It will say a lot about the outlook for trade in the third quarter. From a stock-specific perspective, investors will be focusing on monitoring progress in the ongoing integration of TNT Express -- in the previous quarter, the European business faced margin challenges due to an unfavorable sales mix -- and judging how well the company is dealing with margin pressure from burgeoning e-commerce deliveries. 4. AAR Corp.: Can aerospace growth offset weakness elsewhere? With a market cap of around $1.5 billion, AAR Corp. (NYSE: AIR) is far from being a household name. However, as an aviation parts supplier and an MRO (maintenance, repair, and operations) services company, it has its finger on the pulse of the aviation aftermarket. This is an extremely important sector for industrial markets because it's been the area of strength for the largest of the industrial conglomerates. For example, United Technologies (NYSE: UTX) has disappointed with its non-aerospace segments (Otis and Carrier) so far in 2019. But good progress at Pratt & Whitney and Collins Aerospace led to management nudging its full-year EPS guidance range higher on the last earnings call. Honeywell International (NYSE: HON) also saw a bit of weakness in its short-cycle businesses in its second-quarter earnings. But here again, strength in the commercial aviation aftermarket helped management to raise full-year earnings guidance. Meanwhile, General Electric (NYSE: GE) is also relying on aviation spares to help support GE Aviation, particularly as LEAP engine production may be curtailed if the Boeing 737 MAX doesn't get back into service. There's no two ways about it: The last thing the giants of the industrial sector need to see is a slowing in the commercial aviation aftermarket. This is why AAR's earnings report close to the end of September (the first of its fiscal 2020) will be very interesting for investors. On one hand, there's actually some upside potential -- the grounding of the 737 MAX may lead to more parts and MRO needed for legacy aircraft as they are flown more. On the other hand, if a slowing in the industrial economy bleeds through into a slowdown in cargo and passenger traffic, it could challenge the profit outlook for many industrial companies; AAR's earnings will give an early look. Looking ahead This article has focused on potential negative trends, but that's because the warning signs were established in previous quarters. However, it's important to note that a change in sentiment on global trade can happen pretty quickly. Moreover, if it really is all about companies pausing spending, rather than a fundamental slowdown, then conditions could reverse soon enough. Time will tell, and these companies' data points will help provide an early look at the future. 10 stocks we like better than FedEx When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has quadrupled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and FedEx wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of June 1, 2019 Lee Samaha owns shares of Honeywell International. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends FedEx. The Motley Fool owns shares of MSC Industrial Direct. The Motley Fool recommends Cummins and Fastenal. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Shares of several industrial companies are trading higher with the broader stock market after the Chinese Minister of Commerce said the leaders of the U.S. and China are set to meet in Washington D.C in early October.""]"
FAST,2019-09-06,28.7441,29.2948,28.6572,29.0017,"[""US Stocks Gain on Friday"", ""US Stocks Gain on Friday"", ""US Stocks Gain on Friday""]"
FAST,2019-09-09,29.2484,29.7212,29.0688,29.4686,"[""Portfolio Highlights - September 2019"", ""Fastenal (FAST) August Sales Consistent With Market Pattern"", ""Fastenal Option Alert: Nov 15 $33.8 Calls Sweep (2) near the Ask: 500 @ $0.825 vs 1594 OI; Earnings 10/9 Before Open [est] Ref=$31.925"", ""Fastenal Option Alert: Nov 15 $33.8 Calls Sweep (2) near the Ask: 500 @ $0.825 vs 1594 OI; Earnings 10/9 Before Open [est] Ref=$31.925"", ""Portfolio Highlights - September 2019"", ""Fastenal (FAST) August Sales Consistent With Market Pattern"", ""Fastenal Option Alert: Nov 15 $33.8 Calls Sweep (2) near the Ask: 500 @ $0.825 vs 1594 OI; Earnings 10/9 Before Open [est] Ref=$31.925"", ""Portfolio Highlights - September 2019"", ""Fastenal (FAST) August Sales Consistent With Market Pattern""]"
FAST,2019-09-10,29.2129,30.1487,29.0471,30.1289,"[""Fastenal Shows Improved Relative Strength; Still Shy Of Benchmark"", ""S&P 500 Breakout Stocks"", ""S&P 500 Breakout Stocks"", ""Fastenal Shows Improved Relative Strength; Still Shy Of Benchmark"", ""S&P 500 Breakout Stocks"", ""Fastenal Shows Improved Relative Strength; Still Shy Of Benchmark""]"
FAST,2019-09-11,30.1961,30.7843,29.9503,30.7843,"3 Big Stock Charts for Wednesday: Micron, JPMorgan Chase and Fastenal Last week’s bullishness continues to fade away, with the S&P 500 ending yesterday’s action up a nearly immeasurable 0.03%. And, that gain only took shape in the last few minutes of the day’s trading action. Source: Shutterstock Disney (NYSE:) and Netflix (NASDAQ:) were the proverbial problem children, albeit for understandable reasons. The former fell while the latter was off by after Apple (NASDAQ:) unveiled its competing streaming service. Priced at only $4.99 per month, even offering less content than its rivals, the iPhone maker has tacitly declared something of a price war. To that end, AAPL shares gained more than 1% in response to its announcement. That gain was chump-change compared to the 2.5% advance Bank of America (NYSE:) shares logged today. BofA leads a group of bank stocks higher, in step with recovering interest rates. Headed into hump-day, however, it’s the stock charts of JPMorgan Chase (NYSE:), Fastenal Company (NASDAQ:) and Micron Technology (NASDAQ:) that have earned a closer look. Here’s why, and what may lie ahead for each. Micron Technology (MU) Just a few months ago, Micron Technology was presumed to be in serious peril. Yet another memory chip glut had lowered prices, punishing manufacturers who dared to ramp up production to meet what was perceived to be sustainable demand. This year has been dramatically different though. Not only is MU stock up, it has moved higher in a way that has set the stage for an explosive move higher from here. It will need some help to do so, and the effort may not be long-lived. The potential is tremendous though. Micron shares are moving into the opportunity well-positioned too. The purple 50-day moving average line recently crossed above the white 200-day moving average line, and MU shares found support at the 50-day line a couple of weeks back. JPMorgan Chase (JPM) Micron Technology isn’t the only name on the verge of benefiting from what appears to be an upside-down head and shoulders pattern, however. JPMorgan Chase is as well. Although it’s not as well-formed as Micron’s and has moved a little more erratically as it has unfurled, the prospective upside is still noteworthy. In fact, JPM stock is arguably better positioned to make a nice run given a hint offered up on the long-term weekly chart. Simultaneously, the string of higher lows seen since December of last year is actually an extension of a support line that started to materializing in 2016. It’s marked as a red dashed line on the weekly timeframe. Fastenal Company (FAST) Finally, the last time we looked at Fastenal Company shares , the stock was fighting a losing battle. Its 50-day moving average line capped a rally attempt, and sent shares lower to test a major support line around $30. The bulls tried to push back, but by early August that last-ditch floor was broken. The sheer scope and speed of the selloff, however, didn’t let FAST stock move all the way back to a long-established floor where it would be able to make a reversal. The rebound started to take shape just a few days later, and is sending the stock soaring to a new paradigm now. As of this writing, James Brumley did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities. You can learn more about him at his website , or follow him on Twitter, at @jbrumley. The post appeared first on InvestorPlace. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2019-09-12,30.7843,31.2324,30.5445,30.9038,
FAST,2019-09-13,31.0301,31.3252,30.8564,30.9126,
FAST,2019-09-16,30.6905,31.04,30.5069,30.7488,"[""Stocks Showing Improving Market Leadership: Fastenal Earns 82 RS Rating"", ""Top Stocks To Watch In Today's Stock Market Include Ally Financial, Boot Barn"", ""Top Stocks To Watch In Today's Stock Market Include Ally Financial, Boot Barn"", ""Stocks Showing Improving Market Leadership: Fastenal Earns 82 RS Rating"", ""Top Stocks To Watch In Today's Stock Market Include Ally Financial, Boot Barn"", ""Stocks Showing Improving Market Leadership: Fastenal Earns 82 RS Rating""]"
FAST,2019-09-17,30.729,30.884,30.12,30.8465,"[""Buckingham Maintains Neutral on Fastenal, Raises Price Target to $30"", ""Buckingham Maintains Neutral on Fastenal, Raises Price Target to $30"", ""Buckingham Maintains Neutral on Fastenal, Raises Price Target to $30""]"
FAST,2019-09-18,30.7488,30.7488,29.7864,30.2049,"[""Fastenal Earns IBD Stock Rating Upgrade"", ""Fastenal Earns IBD Stock Rating Upgrade"", ""Fastenal Earns IBD Stock Rating Upgrade""]"
FAST,2019-09-19,30.12,30.2425,29.7351,29.7716,
FAST,2019-09-20,29.7814,29.9828,29.2662,29.2751,
FAST,2019-09-23,29.285,29.7814,29.129,29.663,
FAST,2019-09-24,29.9009,29.9927,28.9257,29.129,"[""Fastenal Sees RS Rating Rise To 73"", ""Fastenal Could Make A Strong Dividend Growth Investment - At The Right Price"", ""Fastenal Sees RS Rating Rise To 73"", ""Fastenal Could Make A Strong Dividend Growth Investment - At The Right Price"", ""Fastenal Sees RS Rating Rise To 73"", ""Fastenal Could Make A Strong Dividend Growth Investment - At The Right Price""]"
FAST,2019-09-25,29.1665,29.6403,29.129,29.4962,
FAST,2019-09-26,29.4132,29.5199,29.2484,29.3966,"[""Fastenal Gets Relative Strength Rating Upgrade"", ""Fastenal Gets Relative Strength Rating Upgrade"", ""Fastenal Gets Relative Strength Rating Upgrade""]"
FAST,2019-09-27,29.6255,29.6709,29.2948,29.6156,
FAST,2019-09-30,29.7074,30.1911,29.6956,30.0213,"[""Stocks Showing Improved Relative Strength: Fastenal"", ""Stocks Showing Improved Relative Strength: Fastenal"", ""Stocks Showing Improved Relative Strength: Fastenal""]"
FAST,2019-10-01,30.3233,30.4685,28.4687,28.6424,"[""Shares of several industrial companies are trading lower after worse-than-expected PMI results."", ""Shares of several industrial companies are trading lower after worse-than-expected PMI results."", ""Shares of several industrial companies are trading lower after worse-than-expected PMI results.""]"
FAST,2019-10-02,28.368,28.5951,28.0729,28.4489,"[""Shares of several industrial companies are trading lower on continued fears of a recession following weak ADP jobs report. There is also uncertainty in the market over the upcoming U.S.-China meeting next week."", ""Shares of several industrial companies are trading lower on continued fears of a recession following weak ADP jobs report. There is also uncertainty in the market over the upcoming U.S.-China meeting next week."", ""Shares of several industrial companies are trading lower on continued fears of a recession following weak ADP jobs report. There is also uncertainty in the market over the upcoming U.S.-China meeting next week.""]"
FAST,2019-10-03,28.4035,28.5131,27.9169,28.4953,"[""Stock Upgrades: Fastenal Shows Rising Relative Strength"", ""Stock Upgrades: Fastenal Shows Rising Relative Strength"", ""Stock Upgrades: Fastenal Shows Rising Relative Strength""]"
FAST,2019-10-04,28.6799,29.2662,28.5693,29.203,"[""Fastenal (FAST) Earnings Expected to Grow: Should You Buy?"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Earnings Expected to Grow: Should You Buy?"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Earnings Expected to Grow: Should You Buy?""]"
FAST,2019-10-07,28.8655,28.9168,28.3937,28.5131,"[""What Traders Should Watch For This Week As The WeTrader Paper Trading Competition Kicks Off"", ""What Traders Should Watch For This Week As The WeTrader Paper Trading Competition Kicks Off"", ""What Traders Should Watch For This Week As The WeTrader Paper Trading Competition Kicks Off"", ""Levi Strauss, Delta Air Lines, and Other Stocks to Watch This Week In a quiet week for earnings, Fed Chairman Jerome Powell will give a speech and the Federal Open Market Committee will release the minutes of its mid-September meeting.""]"
FAST,2019-10-08,28.0906,28.5506,27.6958,28.1212,"[""Shares of several industrial companies are trading lower as optimism around the upcoming U.S.-China trade talks waned. A report says China is toning down its expectations of the meeting. The U.S. expanded its trade blacklist, and scheduled an increase in tariffs on $250 billion worth of Chinese goods from 25% to 30% on Oct. 15, which will go into effect if no progress is made."", ""Shares of several industrial companies are trading lower as optimism around the upcoming U.S.-China trade talks waned. A report says China is toning down its expectations of the meeting. The U.S. expanded its trade blacklist, and scheduled an increase in tariffs on $250 billion worth of Chinese goods from 25% to 30% on Oct. 15, which will go into effect if no progress is made."", ""Shares of several industrial companies are trading lower as optimism around the upcoming U.S.-China trade talks waned. A report says China is toning down its expectations of the meeting. The U.S. expanded its trade blacklist, and scheduled an increase in tariffs on $250 billion worth of Chinese goods from 25% to 30% on Oct. 15, which will go into effect if no progress is made.""]"
FAST,2019-10-09,28.2288,28.3937,27.9801,28.1647,"[""Will Margin Woes Hurt Fastenal's (FAST) Earnings in Q3?"", ""Will Margin Woes Hurt Fastenal's (FAST) Earnings in Q3?"", ""Caterpillar Investors Should Prepare for a Difficult Quarter The upcoming third quarter isn't likely to be a vintage one for Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT). The company's headwinds have been growing, and a combination of industry dynamics and macroeconomic difficulties threatens its near-term outlook. Let's take a look ahead at why it's set to be a tricky period for the company. Image source: Getty Images. How Caterpillar makes money It's clear that the construction segment of the business is the largest profit generator, but the change in profit -- the key swing factor in determining the stock's prospects -- was pretty much split among the three equipment segments in 2018. Data source: Caterpillar presentations. Unfortunately, all three faced difficult conditions in the third quarter. Construction industries Readers have already seen how a host of information from engine and component manufacturer Cummins (NYSE: CMI), which raised red flags for Caterpillar, not least the concern that China's construction industry is on the slide. As we shall see in a moment Cummins's management had some cautionary commentary on the outlook for oil & gas and mining spending in 2019 -- key end markets for Caterpillar. In addition to the macro-economic challenges, CFO Andrew Bonfield talked of \""pricing pressures from local competitors\"" during the second-quarterearnings call Furthermore, a look at industrial supply company Fastenal's (NASDAQ: FAST) monthly sales data for its construction (nonresidential) end market shows a clear slowdown, and this could feed through into weak orders for Caterpillar. Data source: Fastenal presentations. Indeed, Caterpillar's global rolling three-month construction industries retail sales turned negative in July and remained so in August, with North America growth slowing to just 1% and Asia/Pacific down 15%. Of course, this is the last thing that Caterpillar needs, because on the lastearnings call Bonfield said that he expected dealer inventories to rise by $900 million in 2019 compared to a previous estimate for inventories to be flat last year. On the second-quarter call, Bonfield said about dealer inventory, \""We are comfortable that this level is supported by positive end-user demand.\"" However, if end-market sales growth is slowing (and inventories have already been rising more than previously expected), dealer inventories are likely to go up more, meaning that they are less likely to order more equipment from Caterpillar. Resource industries Going into 2019, investors had high hopes that mining companies were on the verge of beginning a long cycle of capital spending following a few years of weakness. Indeed, as you can see below, they have remained strong in 2019 so far. Data source: Caterpillar presentations. Moreover, a quick survey of the capital spending plans of major miners like Rio Tinto, BHP, and Freeport-McMoRan shows that they remain in place. However, if global growth is slowing, it's likely to take demand for commodities like iron ore, copper, and coal with it. Cummins CEO Tom Linebarger has talked of mining not looking \""like it's at peak, but it's definitely leveled off.\"" The question is whether that leveling off will also be seen in Caterpillar's resource industries sales and whether it's compatible with management's expectations for the segment in 2019. Energy and transportation There are two areas of concern here. First, Caterpillar is expecting reciprocating engine sales to bounce in the fourth quarter as takeaway capacity comes online in the Permian Basin. However, other companies such as Cummins have been reducing their expectations for spending from the region, and Emerson Electric CEO David Farr has already cited weakness in spending from the Permian Basin this year. Indeed, the management of Emerson's process automation rival, Honeywell, has also spoken of large projects being pushed out. Second, adoption of precision scheduled railroading (PSR) by nearly all the major railroads in the U.S. is likely to improve the efficiency of rail networks, and history suggests that this will mean a drop in locomotive and railcar equipment demand. Caterpillar's rival in locomotives, Wabtec (NYSE: WAB), had its CEO Rafael Santana stating on his company's second-quarterearnings callthat \""precision scheduled railroading is certainly having some effect on new local orders.\"" All told, the longer-term impact of PSR on holding back locomotive order growth is a concern. Looking ahead The company certainly faces headwinds, but to be fair, a lot of this is probably already priced into the stock. For example, even if Caterpillar only hits the bottom end of its guidance range of $12.06 to $13.06, it will trade on just 10 times earnings. That makes the stock look like a good value, but just be aware that the headline news might not be great in the next six months or so, and the headwinds outlined here might cause a lowering of its earnings outlook in the near term. 10 stocks we like better than Caterpillar When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has quadrupled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Caterpillar wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of June 1, 2019 Lee Samaha owns shares of Honeywell International. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies. The Motley Fool recommends Cummins and Fastenal. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Will Margin Woes Hurt Fastenal's (FAST) Earnings in Q3?""]"
FAST,2019-10-10,28.1558,28.6187,28.1558,28.5051,"[""Notable earnings before Friday's open"", ""Fastenal Q3 2019 Earnings Preview"", ""Fastenal declares $0.22 dividend"", ""Top \u2014\u2026\u20139 Dividend Growers With Promising Plans for the Future"", ""Fastenal Earns Relative Strength Rating Upgrade"", ""Bridge Creek Capital Management LLC Buys Fastenal Co, Salesforce. ..."", ""Fastenal's Q3 Earnings Preview"", ""Fastenal's Q3 Earnings Preview"", ""Notable earnings before Friday's open"", ""Fastenal Q3 2019 Earnings Preview"", ""Fastenal declares $0.22 dividend"", ""Bridge Creek Capital Management LLC Buys Fastenal Co, Salesforce. ..."", ""Top \u2014\u2026\u20139 Dividend Growers With Promising Plans for the Future"", ""Fastenal Earns Relative Strength Rating Upgrade"", ""Fastenal's Q3 Earnings Preview"", ""Notable earnings before Friday's open"", ""Fastenal Q3 2019 Earnings Preview"", ""Fastenal declares $0.22 dividend"", ""Bridge Creek Capital Management LLC Buys Fastenal Co, Salesforce. ..."", ""Top \u2014\u2026\u20139 Dividend Growers With Promising Plans for the Future"", ""Fastenal Earns Relative Strength Rating Upgrade""]"
FAST,2019-10-11,31.3341,33.6142,31.2778,33.3921,"[""Stocks Surge On Thaw In Trade War; Indexes Top 50-Day Lines"", ""Fastenal's Q3 beat eases fears of sharper industrial slowdown"", ""Fastenal Company (FAST) CEO Daniel Florness on Q3 2019 Results - Earnings Call Transcript"", ""Dow Jones Powers Higher Amid China Trade Optimism; Apple Stock Hits An All-Time High"", ""FAST, GPRO, VAL and YNDX among midday movers"", ""Fastenal Company 2019 Q3 - Results - Earnings Call Presentation"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Q3 Earnings and Revenues Surpass Estimates"", ""Fastenal +6% after beating profit estimates"", ""Fastenal EPS beats by $0.01, revenue in-line"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Stock Gains on Q3 Earnings and Sales Beat"", ""Wall Street Rallies Friday"", ""Fastenal Confirms Main Street Doing Better Than Wall Street - Also, It's All About Stocks And Earnings"", ""SDRL, ROKU among top premarket gainers"", ""Earnings Scheduled For October 11, 2019"", ""5 Stocks To Watch For October 11, 2019"", ""Fastenal Q3 EPS $0.37 Beats $0.36 Estimate, Sales $1.379B Beat $1.37B Estimate"", ""Fastenal shares are trading higher after the company reported better-than-expected Q3 EPS and sales results."", ""28 Stocks Moving in Friday's Pre-Market Session"", ""Fastenal Trades Higher On Q3 Earnings Beat"", ""18 Industrials Stocks Moving In Friday's Pre-Market Session"", ""Benzinga Pro's Top 10 Most-Searched Tickers For Morning of Friday, October 11, 2019"", ""Mid-Morning Market Update: Markets Open Higher; Fastenal Beats Q3 Expectations"", ""Stocks That Hit 52-Week Highs On Friday"", ""Mid-Day Market Update: Crude Oil Up 1.5%; Aclaris Therapeutics Shares Jump"", ""A Look At Benzinga Pro's Most-Searched Tickers For October 11, 2019"", ""38 Stocks Moving In Friday's Mid-Day Session"", ""Mid-Afternoon Market Update: Dow Rises More Than 400 Points; Synthesis Energy Systems Shares Spike Higher"", ""Mid-Afternoon Market Update: Dow Rises More Than 400 Points; Synthesis Energy Systems Shares Spike Higher"", ""38 Stocks Moving In Friday's Mid-Day Session"", ""A Look At Benzinga Pro's Most-Searched Tickers For October 11, 2019"", ""Mid-Day Market Update: Crude Oil Up 1.5%; Aclaris Therapeutics Shares Jump"", ""Stocks That Hit 52-Week Highs On Friday"", ""Mid-Morning Market Update: Markets Open Higher; Fastenal Beats Q3 Expectations"", ""Benzinga Pro's Top 10 Most-Searched Tickers For Morning of Friday, October 11, 2019"", ""18 Industrials Stocks Moving In Friday's Pre-Market Session"", ""Fastenal Trades Higher On Q3 Earnings Beat"", ""28 Stocks Moving in Friday's Pre-Market Session"", ""Fastenal shares are trading higher after the company reported better-than-expected Q3 EPS and sales results."", ""Fastenal Q3 EPS $0.37 Beats $0.36 Estimate, Sales $1.379B Beat $1.37B Estimate"", ""5 Stocks To Watch For October 11, 2019"", ""Earnings Scheduled For October 11, 2019"", ""Stocks Surge On Thaw In Trade War; Indexes Top 50-Day Lines"", ""Fastenal's Q3 beat eases fears of sharper industrial slowdown"", ""Fastenal Company (FAST) CEO Daniel Florness on Q3 2019 Results - Earnings Call Transcript"", ""Wall Street Rallies Friday"", ""Dow Jones Powers Higher Amid China Trade Optimism; Apple Stock Hits An All-Time High"", ""FAST, GPRO, VAL and YNDX among midday movers"", ""Fastenal Confirms Main Street Doing Better Than Wall Street - Also, It's All About Stocks And Earnings"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Stock Gains on Q3 Earnings and Sales Beat"", ""Fastenal Company 2019 Q3 - Results - Earnings Call Presentation"", ""SDRL, ROKU among top premarket gainers"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Q3 Earnings and Revenues Surpass Estimates"", ""Fastenal +6% after beating profit estimates"", ""Fastenal EPS beats by $0.01, revenue in-line"", ""S&P 500 Movers: NEM, FAST In early trading on Friday, shares of Fastenal topped the list of the day's best performing components of the S&P 500 index, trading up 15.9%. Year to date, Fastenal registers a 37.4% gain. And the worst performing S&P 500 component thus far on the day is Newmont Goldcorp, trading down 2.5%. Newmont Goldcorp Corp is showing a gain of 9.6% looking at the year to date performance. Two other components making moves today are WEC Energy Group, trading down 1.8%, and W.W. Grainger, trading up 6.5% on the day. VIDEO: S&P 500 Movers: NEM, FAST The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""What Happened in the Stock Market Today Optimism about trade talks with China fueled a big rally on Wall Street Friday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI) and the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) were up almost 2% during the day but fell in the final minutes of the session. Industrial and material stocks led the market, while utilities, real estate, and consumer staples were the only sectors to decline. Today's stock market Data source: Yahoo! Finance. As for individual stocks, Ford (NYSE: F) reported China sales numbers and Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST) announced growing sales and profit. Image source: Getty Images. Ford's China sales picked up in September Ford released third-quarter results for China that showed a continued year-over-year decline in this important market, but there was improvement as the quarter progressed, and shares rose 1.9%. Sales in China declined 30.3% in Q3 from the period a year ago to 131,060 vehicles, after a 21.7% decline in the second quarter and a 35.8% drop in Q1. Sales of Ford-branded vehicles were down 37.7% to 77,443, Lincoln sales dropped 24.1% to 11,618 units, and JMC indigenous-branded sales were down 13.3% to 41,999. Ford cited signs that the company's turnaround plan for China is taking hold. Sales of the Ford brand in September were up 5% compared with August, and 25% above July sales. September sales of Lincolns were up 11% compared with August, and 13% compared with July. Ford China launched several new models during the quarter, which the company said contributed to growth. Ford isn't alone in its struggles in a China market affected by a sluggish economy and talk of a trade war. General Motors said this week that sales in China fell 17.5% in the third quarter. Fastenal beats expectations despite weakening industrial activity Fastenal, a distributor of supplies for manufacturing and construction, reported better-than-expected results for the third quarter, and shares soared 17%. Net sales increased 7.8% to $1.38 billion, but would have risen 6.1% without an extra day in the quarter. Earnings per share rose 8.8% to $0.37. Analysts were anticipating EPS of $0.35 on sales of $1.37 billion. Sales were boosted by new installations of Fastenal's industrial vending machines and new sales locations on customer sites. The installed base of vending machines grew 12.2%, and daily sales through them grew at a mid-teens rate. On-site sales locations increased 30% year over year and daily sales through them grew in the low teens. The company also successfully implemented higher prices to pass on rising product cost from inflation and tariffs, boosting gross margin 30 basis points from a disappointing second quarter. Fastenal is often seen as a bellwether for industrial activity, and the company reported softness in most industrial sectors except for transportation and steadiness in consumer-related businesses. The rate of sales growth to non-residential construction customers declined, with smaller, local customers weaker than larger ones. Offer from The Motley Fool: The 10 best stocks to buy now Motley Fool co-founders Tom and David Gardner have spent more than a decade beating the market. In fact, the newsletter they run, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has quadrupled the S&P 500!* Tom and David just revealed their ten top stock picks for investors to buy right now. Click here to get access to the full list! *Stock Advisor returns as of June 1, 2019 Jim Crumly has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Fastenal. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Stock Market News Today: Oct. 11, 2019 Optimism surrounding the trade talks between the U.S. and China propelled the major stock indices higher on Friday. President Donald Trump has said that the negotiations are going \""very well,\"" and he plans to meet with the top Chinese negotiator today. Data source: Yahoo! Finance. Shares of budget airline Spirit (NYSE: SAVE) and wholesaler Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST) were star performers on Friday. Spirit stock was boosted by an improved third-quarter outlook, and Fastenal stock soared following a solid third-quarter report. Spirit improves its outlook Shares of Spirit have tumbled this year, brought down by trade war fears, weak third-quarter guidance, and a concerning cost outlook from Delta. The budget airline stock has lost about 35% of its value since the start of 2019. The picture brightened a bit on Friday when Spirit updated its third-quarter guidance for the better. The company is seeing a lower-than-expected impact on forward bookings related to Hurricane Dorian, and passenger volumes have exceeded expectations. Total revenue per available seat mile is now expected to decline by just 2% in the third quarter, as opposed to a 2.5% to 3.5% decline the company anticipated in early September. Image source: Spirit. Spirit's outlook for adjusted cost per available seat mile excluding fuel has also improved. The company now sees an 8.5% increase in the third quarter, down from a previous guidance range calling for a 9% to 10% increase. Spirit credited lower crew disruption and passenger reaccommodation expenses for the improvement. This positive update sent shares of Spirit soaring. The stock was up 10.2% at 12:30 p.m. EDT, enough to erase a portion of its losses over the past six months. With Spirit trading for a single-digit multiple of earnings, the budget airline could be an interesting value opportunity for investors. Fastenal beats expectations Solid revenue and profit growth for industrial supplies wholesaler Fastenal in the third quarter lit a fire under the stock on Friday. While sales were in line with analyst expectations, a modest earnings beat put investors in a good mood. Fastenal stock was up 17% by 12:30 p.m. EDT. Fastenal grew its third-quarter revenue by 7.8% from the prior-year period, producing net sales of $1.38 billion. An extra selling day helped the cause, but sales would have still increased by 6.1% without that extra day. The company is still seeing slowing economic activity, but growth in industrial vending and higher product prices pushed up the top line. Earnings per share were up 8% to $0.37, edging out the average analyst estimate by $0.01. Gross profit was down 0.9 percentage points year over year thanks to growth in industrial vending and on-site locations, which carry lower gross margins than other channels. The company signed 5,671 industrial vending devices during the third quarter, bringing its total installed base to 88,327 devices. Fastenal is delivering growth against a backdrop of tariffs and economic uncertainty. The stock carved out a new 52-week high on Friday thanks to its strong third-quarter results. 10 stocks we like better than Fastenal When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has quadrupled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Fastenal wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of June 1, 2019 Timothy Green has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Delta Air Lines and Spirit Airlines. The Motley Fool recommends Fastenal. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Daily Dividend Report: PKI, EV, UTX, F, FAST Parkland Fuel announces that a dividend of $0.0995 per share will be paid on November 15, 2019 to shareholders of record on October 22, 2019. The dividend will be an 'eligible dividend' for Canadian income tax purposes. The ex-dividend date is October 21, 2019. The Board of Directors of Eaton Vance today declared a quarterly dividend of $0.375 per share on its common stock. The new quarterly rate represents an increase of 7.1 percent over the $0.35 per share declared in each of the Company's last four fiscal quarters. The dividend is payable November 15, 2019 to shareholders of record on October 31, 2019. The increase marks the 39th consecutive fiscal year that the Company has raised its regular quarterly dividend, which has grown at a compound annual rate of 17 percent over that period. The United Technologies' Board of Directors today declared a dividend of 73.5 cents per share on the outstanding shares of UTC's common stock. The dividend will be payable on December 10, 2019, to shareowners of record at the close of business on November 15, 2019. UTC has paid cash dividends on its common stock every year since 1936. The Board of Directors of Ford Motor Company declared a fourth quarter regular dividend of $0.15 per share on the company's outstanding Class B and common stock. The fourth quarter dividend is the same amount of regular dividend that has been paid by the company each quarter since 2016. The fourth quarter dividend is payable on Dec. 2, 2019, to shareholders of record at the close of business on Oct. 22, 2019. Fastenal reported its board of directors declared a dividend of $0.22 per share to be paid in cash on November 22, 2019 to shareholders of record at the close of business on October 25, 2019. Fastenal began paying annual dividends in 1991, semi-annual dividends in 2003, and then expanded to quarterly dividends in 2011. VIDEO: Daily Dividend Report: PKI, EV, UTX, F, FAST The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Why Shares of Fastenal Are Soaring Today What happened Shares of Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST) traded up more than 14% on Friday after the industrial and construction supplier reported third-quarter results that came in ahead of expectations. Concerns about growing costs and a potential slowdown should the U.S. fall into a recession have lingered around the stock in recent months, but Fastenal is showing it can generate results even in this environment. So what Fastenal before markets opened on Friday reported third-quarter earnings of $0.37 per share on revenue of $1.38 billion, ahead of the consensus estimate for $0.35 per share in earnings on sales of $1.37 billion. Prior to the Friday jump, Fastenal shares had been down about 12% since the beginning of May due to concerns about the impact of tariffs and fears of a slowdown, but Fastenal's results show the company is managing. Image source: Getty Images. The company in a statement said that the \""general slowing in economic activity that we experienced in the second quarter of 2019 continued in the third quarter of 2019,\"" but also said that it was having some success adjusting prices higher to mitigate the impact of tariffs. Fastenal said its push into industrial vending machines and onsite locations, designed to bring it closer to the customer, is having the desired impact, with daily sales up 6.1% from the same three months of 2018 on higher unit sales. The growth did come at a cost. Gross profit as a percentage of sales declined 90 basis points to 47.2% in the quarter. Fastenal said the most significant driver of that decline was that vending and onsite locations tend to have lower gross margins due to customer and product mix. Now what Fastenal reiterated its expectations that it would record $195 million to $225 million in capital expenditures for the full year, up from $166.8 million in 2018, as it continues spending on developing its hub capacity and vending devices. That spending should pay off over time, but in the near term the cost will weigh on earnings. The near-term outlook is likely to be clouded by worries about trade wars, tariff increases, and the health of the U.S. economy, but Fastenal appears to be making the right moves to secure its place as an essential partner to its customers. There's a lot for buy-and-hold investors to like about these latest results. 10 stocks we like better than Fastenal When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has quadrupled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Fastenal wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of June 1, 2019 Lou Whiteman has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Fastenal. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Daily Markets: Investors Hanging Tooth and Nail On US-China Trade Talk Results A fter yesterday\u2019s stunning reversal in the stock market induced by a trade-related presidential tweet, investors will be hanging on by tooth and nail today for the outcome of the two-day trade talks between the US and China. Tension and speculation was high heading into the start of these talks yesterday, but expectations for the outcome have improved in the past 24 hours. Today President Trump is expected to meet with Chinese Vice Premier Liu this afternoon and odds are that the outcome and other trade discussions will likely decide if the October 15 planned US tariff hike on at least $250 billion in Chinese goods to 30% from 25% will go forward. If enacted, investors should expect stiffer economic headwinds and more downside revisions to both GDP and earnings expectations to be had. US equity futures are in the green, pointing to a strong open today following comments from President Trump yesterday that trade talks with China went \""very well.\u201d Let\u2019s hope this isn\u2019t the trade equivalent of the famous Peanuts football gag in which Lucy pulls the football from Charlie Brown at the last minute. Markets in Asia closed solidly in positive territory and European markets have spent the morning in the green thanks to the renewed hope that China and the US can reach some sort of an agreement today. Brent crude jumped over 2% early this morning on news that two rockets had struck an Iranian tanker off the coast of Saudi Arabia. This morning the British Pound Sterling rose about $1.25 on the hope that some agreement could be reached on Brexit, particularly concerning the Irish border afterword that a discussion yesterday between the two nations was constructive. Data Download The domestically-focused economic data to be had today includes September Import & Export prices as well as the preliminary read on October consumer sentiment published by the University of Michigan. The September consumer sentiment data found consumers starting to express a greater degree of economic uncertainty, with trade policies having the greatest negative impact. The consensus view on for the preliminary October consumer sentiment is 92, down from 93.2 in September. Following the week\u2019s economic data that included several September inflation metrics and the September NFIB Small Business Optimism Index, the Atlanta Fed trimmed its current quarter GDP forecast to 1.7% from 1.8% last week and 2.3% in late August. While we wait for the Atlanta Fed\u2019s next update on October 16, we will be watching for the New York Fed\u2019s latest Nowcasting reading for the December quarter that will be out later today; as of October 4th, its most recent reading was 2.03%. The latest Wall Street Journal economic survey shows 65.3% of private-sector forecasters say the manufacturing sector is in recession. The consensus among those forecasters is US GDP will hit 1.82% in the September quarter and 1.77% in December one compared to 2.0% in the June quarter. In our view, this confirms an increasingly obvious view the domestic economy's slowdown is accelerating. Citing evidence of a continued slowdown in Europe, India, Japan, Korea, and the US, this morning the International Energy Agency (IEA) again cut its oil demand growth forecast for this year and next on weakness in major world economies for the second time in as many months. Inflation in the eurozone remains elusive. This morning Germany reported an annual inflation rate in September than met expectations at 1.2%, down from 1.4% in August. Spain reported an annual inflation rate of just 0.1%, matching expectations and down from 0.3% in August. Stocks to Watch Pre-market earnings. Before the market opens Fastenal (FAST), a wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies and technology consulting company Infosys (INFY) are slated to report their quarterly results. Consensus expectations for Fastenal are EPS on $0.36 on revenue of $1.375.6 billion and given recent data that confirms the slowing global and domestic manufacturing economy investors will be assessing comments for the company\u2019s major end markets. Fastenal doesn\u2019t have a great track record of positive surprises for investors - of the prior 70 earnings reports it has beaten on EPS and Sales less than 50% of the time. Infosys Ltd (INFY) will also report this morning, with expectations for EPS of INR 9.38 on sales of INR 22.498 billion. Digging into the quarterly results, investors will focus on IT spending in key markets that include cloud, IoT, data analytics and cybersecurity. Infosys has a decent track record of pleasantly surprising its investors, beating on EPS and Sales 71% of the time over the prior 63 reports. Software and services company SAP (SAP) announced long-time CEO Bill McDermott is stepping down and named Board members Jennifer Morgan and Christian Klein are co-CEOs, effective immediately. Alongside that news, SAP announced preliminary September quarter results that included new cloud bookings up 38% year over year (33% at constant currencies). September quarter cloud revenue jumped 37% year over year with cloud gross margins climbing more than 500 basis points year over year. Those robust cloud metrics are likely to give some lift to other cloud company names including Oracle (ORCL), Salesforce (CRM), Adobe (ADBE) and Amazon (AMZN). Shares of three-dimensional printing machine company ExOne (XONE) fell in after-hours trading last night after the company slashed its September quarter revenue guidance to $10-$11 million from its prior guidance of \u201cup modestly\u201d compared to $15.3 million in the June quarter. ExOne also cut its 2019 revenue growth expectations and will provide a more in-depth update during its November 7 earnings call. Stocks to watch on this negative pre-announcement news include 3D Systems Corp. (DDD) and Stratasys Ltd. (SSYS). Door and window manufacturer JELD-WEN Holding (JELD) also saw its shares down in aftermarket trading last night after the company cut its full-year revenue guidance and put forth preliminary September quarter numbers that were below expectations. The company is holding a conference call this morning to discuss these revisions. Team communication platform company Slack Technologies (WORK) shared for each day in September, its Slack active user base exceeded 12 million users, up 37% year over year. The context for that achievement will be had on October 23rd when Microsoft (MSFT) reports its quarterly earnings and shares similar metrics for its Teams product. The board of directors for the struggling auto manufacturer Renault (RNSDF) voted to replace its CEO executive Theirry Bollor\u00e9 immediately, to be replaced by CFO Clotilde Delbos on an interim basis. Northern Californians woke up to the third straight day of mass blackouts as PG&E Corp. (PGE) cut power to hundreds of thousands of households and businesses across 22 counties in and around the Bay Area. Apollo Global Management (APO) is reportedly pitching an arrangement to AT&T (T) that would fold Dish Network (DISH) into a new company including DirecTV under AT&T's control. Per the report, Apollo would provide financing and hold a minority stake, along with Dish. German biotech company BioNTech (BNTX), which is developing individualized immunotherapies for cancer with a pipeline of more than 20 candidates targeting tumors and infectious disease, raised $150 million yesterday in a US IPO that values the company at $3.4 billion. The company, which is the third-largest biotech to list in the past decade, priced 10 million shares at $15.00. HBT Financial (HBT), the holding company for Heartland Bank and Trust Company and State Bank of Lincoln that has 64 branches in central and northeastern Illinois, priced its IPO of 8.3 million common shares at $16 per share, below the expected pricing range of $17-$19. HBT shares are slated to begin trading on the Nasdaq later today. Vir Biotechnology (VIR), a Phase 2 immunology company focused on combining immunologic insights with cutting-edge technologies to treat and prevent serious infectious diseases, announced yesterday that it has priced its initial public offering of 7,142,858 shares of its common stock at a public offering price of $20.00 per share, which is at the low end of the expected $20-$22 price range. VIR shares are expected to begin trading today on the Nasdaq. There are no expected earnings reports after today\u2019s market close and none slated for Monday, October 14. Over 20 companies will report on Tuesday, October 15th as the next earnings season kicks into gear. On the Horizon Upcoming IPOs next week: Bellring Brands, Inc (BRBR), a subsidiary of Post Holdings, is expected to begin trading on October 17th on the NYSE. The company will be a holding company operating in the global convenient nutrition category. Its primary brands, Premier Protein\u00ae, Dymatize\u00ae, and PowerBar\u00ae, comprise all major product forms, including ready-to-drink protein shakes, powders and nutrition bars, and are distributed across channels including club, food, drug, mass, eCommerce, convenience and specialty. The offering consists of 30 million shares of its Class A common stock that are expected to be priced between $16 and $19 per share with an option for an additional 4.5 million shares granted to the underwriters for 30-days at the IPO price. Innate Pharma SA (IPHA), a French biotechnology company focused on therapeutic antibodies for the treatment of cancer, is expected to begin trading on October 17th on Nasdaq Global. The company expected to offer 10.67 million of its ordinary shares to specified categories of investors, comprised of an initial public offering of American Depositary Shares, each representing one ordinary share, in the United States, and a concurrent private placement of ordinary shares in Europe (including France) and other countries outside of the United States. The company expects to offer around 20 million shares to be priced at $7.50 per share. The company currently already has over 64 million shares trading on the Euronext Paris under the Bloomberg ticker IPH.FP. In September 2015 Citibank launched an unsponsored ADR on the OTC under the symbol INNTY with CUSIP: 45781k105. Dates to mark: October 14th: With the recent EU data pointing to a slowing economy, Monday\u2019s Industrial Production numbers, which expect a decline of -2% year-over-year, warrant attention. October 15: Next US Democratic Presidential debate October 15: Tariffs set to increase on Chinese goods barring progress in the trade talks. October 16: US Retail Sales - given slowing growth in consumer credit and rising auto loan delinquencies, this will be particularly important October 18: Date the US is expected to impose tariffs on $7.5 billion in aircraft, food products and other goods from the European Union October 23 - Facebook (FB) CEO Mark Zuckerberg is due to testify before the House Financial Services Committee October 27 - Saudi Arabian oil company Aramco (ARMCO) is expected to publish its IPO prospectus, in what could be one of the largest offerings of the year. October 29-30: Federal Reserve monetary policy meeting October 31: Brexit? Thoughts for the Day \u201cDrama is life with the dull bits cut out.\u201d - Alfred Hitchcock To do is to be. Nietzsche To be is to do. Kant Do be do be do. Sinatra Have a great weekend! The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Co. Reveals Increase In Q3 Earnings (RTTNews) - Fastenal Co. (FAST) reported a profit for its third quarter that increased from the same period last year. The company's profit came in at $213.5 million, or $0.37 per share. This compares with $197.6 million, or $0.34 per share, in last year's third quarter. Analysts had expected the company to earn $0.35 per share, according to figures compiled by Thomson Reuters. Analysts' estimates typically exclude special items. The company's revenue for the quarter rose 7.8% to $1.38 billion from $1.28 billion last year. Fastenal Co. earnings at a glance: -Earnings (Q3): $213.5 Mln. vs. $197.6 Mln. last year. -EPS (Q3): $0.37 vs. $0.34 last year. -Analysts Estimate: $0.35 -Revenue (Q3): $1.38 Bln vs. $1.28 Bln last year. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Q3 19 Earnings Conference Call At 10:00 AM ET (RTTNews) - Fastenal Co. (FAST) will host a conference call at 10:00 AM ET on Oct. 11, 2019, to discuss Q3 19 earnings results. To access the live webcast, log on to https://investor.fastenal.com/events.cfm The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Nasdaq 100 Movers: XEL, FAST In early trading on Friday, shares of Fastenal topped the list of the day's best performing components of the Nasdaq 100 index, trading up 15.7%. Year to date, Fastenal registers a 37.3% gain. And the worst performing Nasdaq 100 component thus far on the day is Xcel Energy, trading down 1.2%. Xcel Energy Inc is showing a gain of 28.2% looking at the year to date performance. Two other components making moves today are PepsiCo, trading down 0.6%, and Ctrip.com International, trading up 5.3% on the day. VIDEO: Nasdaq 100 Movers: XEL, FAST The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Mid-Afternoon Market Update: Dow Rises More Than 400 Points; Synthesis Energy Systems Shares Spike Higher"", ""38 Stocks Moving In Friday's Mid-Day Session"", ""A Look At Benzinga Pro's Most-Searched Tickers For October 11, 2019"", ""Mid-Day Market Update: Crude Oil Up 1.5%; Aclaris Therapeutics Shares Jump"", ""Stocks That Hit 52-Week Highs On Friday"", ""Mid-Morning Market Update: Markets Open Higher; Fastenal Beats Q3 Expectations"", ""Benzinga Pro's Top 10 Most-Searched Tickers For Morning of Friday, October 11, 2019"", ""18 Industrials Stocks Moving In Friday's Pre-Market Session"", ""Fastenal Trades Higher On Q3 Earnings Beat"", ""28 Stocks Moving in Friday's Pre-Market Session"", ""Fastenal shares are trading higher after the company reported better-than-expected Q3 EPS and sales results."", ""Fastenal Q3 EPS $0.37 Beats $0.36 Estimate, Sales $1.379B Beat $1.37B Estimate"", ""5 Stocks To Watch For October 11, 2019"", ""Earnings Scheduled For October 11, 2019"", ""Stocks Surge On Thaw In Trade War; Indexes Top 50-Day Lines"", ""Fastenal's Q3 beat eases fears of sharper industrial slowdown"", ""Fastenal Company (FAST) CEO Daniel Florness on Q3 2019 Results - Earnings Call Transcript"", ""Wall Street Rallies Friday"", ""Dow Jones Powers Higher Amid China Trade Optimism; Apple Stock Hits An All-Time High"", ""FAST, GPRO, VAL and YNDX among midday movers"", ""Fastenal Confirms Main Street Doing Better Than Wall Street - Also, It's All About Stocks And Earnings"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Stock Gains on Q3 Earnings and Sales Beat"", ""Fastenal Company 2019 Q3 - Results - Earnings Call Presentation"", ""SDRL, ROKU among top premarket gainers"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Q3 Earnings and Revenues Surpass Estimates"", ""Fastenal +6% after beating profit estimates"", ""Fastenal EPS beats by $0.01, revenue in-line"", ""Fastenal's stock surges as profit, sales rise above expectations Shares of Fastenal Co. surged 5.6% in premarket trading Friday after the maker of fasteners, tools and manufacturing supplies reported third-quarter profit and sales that rose above expectations. Net income increased to $213.5 million, or 37 cents a share, from $197.6 million, or 34 cents a share, in the year-ago period. The FactSet consensus for earnings per share was 35 cents. Sales grew 7.8% to $1.38 billion, above the FactSet consensus of $1.37 billion, amid higher unit sales and higher product pricing. Fastenal said the \""general slowing\"" in economic activity seen during the second quarter continued into the third quarter. Gross margin declined to 47.2% from 48.1%. The stock has gained 2.2% over the past three months through Thursday, while the S&P 500 has slipped 2.1%."", ""The Dow Is Rising as Trade Hopes Build, and Earnings Spark Fastenal and SAP After some upbeat commentary from the White House, investors appear hopeful that U.S.-China trade talks will be more productive than previous rounds."", ""The Dow Is Up 386 Points Because of Trump\u2019s Upbeat Trade Tweets The three major U.S. stock market indexes rose as investors expected good news from the trade talks between the U.S. and China. President Donald Trump tweeted that \u201cgood things are happening.\u201d""]"
FAST,2019-10-14,32.484,33.3013,32.4554,32.5521,"[""Company News For Oct 14, 2019"", ""Fastenal Shows Rising Price Performance With Jump To 93 RS Rating"", ""Fastenal hit with two downgrades following Friday's rally to all-time highs"", ""58 Biggest Movers From Friday"", ""22 Stocks Moving in Monday's Pre-Market Session"", ""Raymond James Downgrades Fastenal to Market Perform"", ""5 Industrials Stocks Moving In Monday's Pre-Market Session"", ""Morgan Stanley Maintains Equal-Weight on Fastenal, Raises Price Target to $31"", ""Banks In Focus This Week As JPMorgan , Goldman Sachs, Others Report Tuesday"", ""Baird Maintains Neutral on Fastenal, Raises Price Target to $37"", ""Benzinga's Top Upgrades, Downgrades For October 14, 2019"", ""Analysts Say Additional Fastenal Upside Is Limited Following Earnings Pop"", ""UPDATE: Raymond James Downgrades Fastenal To Market Perform As Firm Notes 'broad demand continues to soften', 'we believe the valuation now implies bullish market assumptions for long-term organic growth rates for mature branches'"", ""UPDATE: Raymond James On Fastenal Also Notes 'the stock's historical correlation with the company's ROTNA now suggests limited further upside'"", ""UPDATE: KeyBanc Maintains Sector Weight On Fastenal Notes 'Solid Quarter', But 'challenging sales trends against tough prior-year comparisons and deceleration in key macro data points makes Friday's move and resulting valuation hard to justify'"", ""UPDATE: KeyBanc Maintains Sector Weight On Fastenal Notes 'Solid Quarter', But 'challenging sales trends against tough prior-year comparisons and deceleration in key macro data points makes Friday's move and resulting valuation hard to justify'"", ""UPDATE: Raymond James On Fastenal Also Notes 'the stock's historical correlation with the company's ROTNA now suggests limited further upside'"", ""UPDATE: Raymond James Downgrades Fastenal To Market Perform As Firm Notes 'broad demand continues to soften', 'we believe the valuation now implies bullish market assumptions for long-term organic growth rates for mature branches'"", ""Analysts Say Additional Fastenal Upside Is Limited Following Earnings Pop"", ""Benzinga's Top Upgrades, Downgrades For October 14, 2019"", ""Baird Maintains Neutral on Fastenal, Raises Price Target to $37"", ""Banks In Focus This Week As JPMorgan , Goldman Sachs, Others Report Tuesday"", ""Morgan Stanley Maintains Equal-Weight on Fastenal, Raises Price Target to $31"", ""5 Industrials Stocks Moving In Monday's Pre-Market Session"", ""Raymond James Downgrades Fastenal to Market Perform"", ""22 Stocks Moving in Monday's Pre-Market Session"", ""58 Biggest Movers From Friday"", ""Fastenal hit with two downgrades following Friday's rally to all-time highs"", ""Fastenal Shows Rising Price Performance With Jump To 93 RS Rating"", ""Company News For Oct 14, 2019"", ""UPDATE: KeyBanc Maintains Sector Weight On Fastenal Notes 'Solid Quarter', But 'challenging sales trends against tough prior-year comparisons and deceleration in key macro data points makes Friday's move and resulting valuation hard to justify'"", ""UPDATE: Raymond James On Fastenal Also Notes 'the stock's historical correlation with the company's ROTNA now suggests limited further upside'"", ""UPDATE: Raymond James Downgrades Fastenal To Market Perform As Firm Notes 'broad demand continues to soften', 'we believe the valuation now implies bullish market assumptions for long-term organic growth rates for mature branches'"", ""Analysts Say Additional Fastenal Upside Is Limited Following Earnings Pop"", ""Benzinga's Top Upgrades, Downgrades For October 14, 2019"", ""Baird Maintains Neutral on Fastenal, Raises Price Target to $37"", ""Banks In Focus This Week As JPMorgan , Goldman Sachs, Others Report Tuesday"", ""Morgan Stanley Maintains Equal-Weight on Fastenal, Raises Price Target to $31"", ""5 Industrials Stocks Moving In Monday's Pre-Market Session"", ""Raymond James Downgrades Fastenal to Market Perform"", ""22 Stocks Moving in Monday's Pre-Market Session"", ""58 Biggest Movers From Friday"", ""Fastenal hit with two downgrades following Friday's rally to all-time highs"", ""Fastenal Shows Rising Price Performance With Jump To 93 RS Rating"", ""Company News For Oct 14, 2019"", ""Fastenal\u2019s stock rockets to best day in 32 years after earnings beat Stock hits record high as profit and sales surpass expectations, despite slowing economy and weakness in local construction business Shares of Fastenal Co. soared to a record high Friday, as the industrials company managed to fend off a continued slowing in economic activity and a mysterious weakening in its local construction business to produce a third-quarter profit and sales that rose above Wall Street forecasts."", ""Stocks close lower amid trade-deal skepticism, economic growth concerns IMF likely to lower global growth forecast further Tuesday U.S. stocks snap a three-day winning streak on Monday during a partial U.S. holiday as investors mulled the trade deal with China and monitored the latest developments in the Brexit drama""]"
FAST,2019-10-15,32.7495,33.1898,32.5482,32.8976,"[""Buckingham Maintains Neutral on Fastenal, Raises Price Target to $33"", ""10 Biggest Price Target Changes For Tuesday"", ""Benzinga's Top Upgrades, Downgrades For October 15, 2019"", ""Benzinga's Top Upgrades, Downgrades For October 15, 2019"", ""10 Biggest Price Target Changes For Tuesday"", ""Buckingham Maintains Neutral on Fastenal, Raises Price Target to $33"", ""Benzinga's Top Upgrades, Downgrades For October 15, 2019"", ""10 Biggest Price Target Changes For Tuesday"", ""Buckingham Maintains Neutral on Fastenal, Raises Price Target to $33"", ""Some See Industrials Bouncing Back by Mid-2020 Manufacturing is suffering through decelerating growth. The good news? Industrials could be out of the doldrums by the middle of 2020, according to at least one analyst.""]"
FAST,2019-10-16,32.8137,32.9696,32.5343,32.7229,"[""The Top Large-Cap Stocks To Buy This Week"", ""Fastenal Co (FAST) CEO and President Daniel L Florness Sold $\u2013.4 million of Shares"", ""Fastenal Co (FAST) CEO and President Daniel L Florness Sold $\u2013.4 million of Shares"", ""The Top Large-Cap Stocks To Buy This Week"", ""Fastenal Co (FAST) CEO and President Daniel L Florness Sold $\u2013.4 million of Shares"", ""The Top Large-Cap Stocks To Buy This Week"", ""China casts a long shadow over stocks as earnings season opens this week Trade tensions, China tariffs and a slowing global economy are just some of the issues expected to feature prominently in Q3 The third-quarter earnings season will kick off at in earnest next week with the first reports expected Tuesday from big banks JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, along with fellow Dow components Johnson and Johnson and UnitedHealth Group.""]"
FAST,2019-10-17,32.6666,33.3586,32.6666,33.099,"[""Fastenal Delivers Superior Execution In A Weakening Market"", ""Fastenal Delivers Superior Execution In A Weakening Market"", ""Do Fastenal's Earnings Suggest Recession Fears Are Overblown? The third-quarter earnings of industrial supply company Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST) led to a double-digit increase in the share price on the day of their release (Friday 11th Oct) and raised the hopes of investors in the industrial sector. But was the jubilation justified? The numbers suggests there is reason for some cautious optimism, but it might not be from the area that many expected it. Why industrial supply companies matter Companies like Fastenal and MSC Industrial (NYSE: MSM) tend to set the tone for the industrial sector because they have extremely short sales cycles. In other words, as soon as manufacturing companies see a slowdown, the first thing they will do is cut back on buying supplies from Fastenal. Image source: Getty Images. Indeed, the weak results from MSC Industrial and Fastenal in the previous quarter set the tone for a disappointing quarter of earnings from the industrial sector. That said, Fastenal's most recent results were broadly better than the market was expecting, so does that mean that end-market conditions have improved and investors won't have to prepare for a recession? The reason for the optimism can be shown in the chart below, specifically the uptick in the last bar of the chart. The chart is a bit complicated, so bear with me while I take you through it. Sequential monthly sales growth simply means the growth rate from one month to the next -- for example, from January to February in the same year. In this case, the benchmark (which the sequential sales growth rate is compared with in the chart) is simply the historical average sequential growth rate for the same periods in question. Therefore, when Fastenal's monthly average daily sales rate is higher than the benchmark (a positive number in the chart), you could argue that Fastenal is in a growth phase; when it's negative, Fastenal is in a slowdown. In addition, it's important to note that overall performance -- and benchmarked performance -- can naturally bounce around from month to month because some sales can be delayed or pulled forward over the month. Nevertheless, as you can see below, there was a definite slowing in the April-to-August period, but it picked up in September. Let's look at why. Data source: Fastenal presentations. Three reasons investors shouldn't get excited Unfortunately, the outlook isn't as bright as suggested by the September data above. First, breaking out the daily sales growth rate by end market shows that the headline sales growth rate was helped by a bounce in Fastenal's construction sales growth. In fact, the year-over-year growth rate for Fastenal's manufacturing sales fell in September. Data source: Fastenal presentations. Second, Fastenal raised prices in the quarter, and as CEO Daniel Florness pointed out on the earnings call: \""we did do a little bit better with pricing in the quarter, obviously. And I think that that kind of moved through as the quarter went on as well.\"" In other words, revenue was boosted a bit in September by pricing impacts, which could prove difficult to repeat. Third, regarding sales performance in the third quarter, CFO Holden Lewis noted that \""This largely reflects moderation in the variables that impacted the second quarter.\"" Putting it another way, the deterioration in the third quarter wasn't as bad as it was in the second quarter, and as you can see in the first chart above, sales growth does tend to bounce around. Three reasons investors should be excited Turning to a more positive perspective, there are three key points to note about Fastenal's earnings: Construction sales did bounce for Fastenal in the quarter, with Lewis saying that he liked \""what we saw in September\"" in construction, and the sector is a very important part of the industrial economy. The bounce in construction data shows that conditions can turn quickly -- indicating that some progress on trade discussions could lead to a bounce in sentiment and manufacturing activity. The sharp improvement in Fastenal's share price on relatively mundane news shows the depths of pessimism baked into the industrial sector right now. Looking ahead One swallow doesn't make a summer, and the construction sales growth in September isn't enough to encourage wide-scale optimism. Meanwhile, Fastenal's manufacturing sales data and management commentary indicate that the industrial sector continues to weaken. In short, Fastenal's earnings don't provide much succor for those hoping that manufacturing will avoid a recession. On the other hand, a lot of negativity appears to be baked into many industrial stocks, and any relatively positive news could immediately reward long-term investors who have taken advantage of recent weakness to buy stock. That's a good way to think about the upcoming earnings season. There are likely to be some guidance cuts, but merely maintaining guidance might be enough for many companies to see positive reactions. 10 stocks we like better than Walmart When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have an investing tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has quadrupled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Walmart wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. See the 10 stocks {% render_component 'sa-returns-as-of' type='rg'%} Lee Samaha has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of MSC Industrial Direct. The Motley Fool recommends Fastenal. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Delivers Superior Execution In A Weakening Market"", ""Bullish bias persists, S&P 500 nails the breakout point Focus: Currency cross currents surface amid global-market rally attempt, FXY, UUP, FXE, HD, FAST, KNX U.S. stocks are higher early Thursday, rising amid reports that a tentative Brexit agreement has been reached. Against this backdrop, the major U.S. benchmarks are acting well technically, extending the mid-month break to a higher plateau.""]"
FAST,2019-10-18,33.0822,33.2243,32.9074,32.9252,"[""14 Firms Going Ex-Dividend Next Week, Including CVS Health, Apache And Delta Air Lines"", ""Honeywell Comes Through On Margins, But Growth Lagged A Bit"", ""Are Q3 2019 Earnings Results Really That Good?"", ""Are Q3 2019 Earnings Results Really That Good?"", ""14 Firms Going Ex-Dividend Next Week, Including CVS Health, Apache And Delta Air Lines"", ""Honeywell Comes Through On Margins, But Growth Lagged A Bit"", ""First Trust Value Line Dividend Index Fund Experiences Big Inflow Looking today at week-over-week shares outstanding changes among the universe of ETFs covered at ETF Channel, one standout is the First Trust Value Line Dividend Index Fund (Symbol: FVD) where we have detected an approximate $162.9 million dollar inflow -- that's a 2.1% increase week over week in outstanding units (from 229,137,986 to 233,837,986). Among the largest underlying components of FVD, in trading today Intelsat SA (Symbol: I) is off about 1.4%, Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) is off about 0.3%, and Stanley Black & Decker Inc (Symbol: SWK) is lower by about 0.3%. For a complete list of holdings, visit the FVD Holdings page \u00bb The chart below shows the one year price performance of FVD, versus its 200 day moving average: Looking at the chart above, FVD's low point in its 52 week range is $27.59 per share, with $35.159 as the 52 week high point \u2014 that compares with a last trade of $34.62. Comparing the most recent share price to the 200 day moving average can also be a useful technical analysis technique -- learn more about the 200 day moving average \u00bb. Exchange traded funds (ETFs) trade just like stocks, but instead of ''shares'' investors are actually buying and selling ''units''. These ''units'' can be traded back and forth just like stocks, but can also be created or destroyed to accommodate investor demand. Each week we monitor the week-over-week change in shares outstanding data, to keep a lookout for those ETFs experiencing notable inflows (many new units created) or outflows (many old units destroyed). Creation of new units will mean the underlying holdings of the ETF need to be purchased, while destruction of units involves selling underlying holdings, so large flows can also impact the individual components held within ETFs. Click here to find out which 9 other ETFs had notable inflows \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Are Q3 2019 Earnings Results Really That Good?"", ""14 Firms Going Ex-Dividend Next Week, Including CVS Health, Apache And Delta Air Lines"", ""Honeywell Comes Through On Margins, But Growth Lagged A Bit""]"
FAST,2019-10-21,33.172,33.9665,33.0634,33.8077,"[""Stocks That Hit 52-Week Highs On Monday"", ""Stocks That Hit 52-Week Highs On Monday"", ""Stocks That Hit 52-Week Highs On Monday""]"
FAST,2019-10-22,33.9073,34.5815,33.6093,34.3357,"[""Fenimore Asset Management Inc Buys Fastenal Co, Zebra Technologies Corp, Monro Inc, Sells CDW ..."", ""The Top Large Cap Stocks Now"", ""Some Thoughts on Fastenal"", ""The Top Large Cap Stocks Now"", ""Fenimore Asset Management Inc Buys Fastenal Co, Zebra Technologies Corp, Monro Inc, Sells CDW ..."", ""Some Thoughts on Fastenal"", ""Insiders Bullish on Certain Holdings of VIS A look at the weighted underlying holdings of the Vanguard Industrials ETF (VIS) shows an impressive 12.0% of holdings on a weighted basis have experienced insider buying within the past six months. L3Harris Technologies Inc (Symbol: LHX), which makes up 1.48% of the Vanguard Industrials ETF (VIS), has seen 3 directors and officers purchase shares in the past six months, according to the recent Form 4 data. The ETF holds a total of $55,228,999 worth of LHX, making it the #17 largest holding. The table below details the recent insider buying activity observed at LHX: LHX \u2014 last trade: $199.66 \u2014 Recent Insider Buys: And Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST), the #39 largest holding among components of the Vanguard Industrials ETF (VIS), shows 2 directors and officers as recently filing Form 4's indicating purchases. The ETF holds $25,972,755 worth of FAST, which represents approximately 0.69% of the ETF's total assets at last check. The recent insider buying activity observed at FAST is detailed in the table below: FAST \u2014 last trade: $36.79 \u2014 Recent Insider Buys: 10 ETFs With Stocks That Insiders Are Buying \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""The Top Large Cap Stocks Now"", ""Fenimore Asset Management Inc Buys Fastenal Co, Zebra Technologies Corp, Monro Inc, Sells CDW ..."", ""Some Thoughts on Fastenal""]"
FAST,2019-10-23,34.1383,34.7326,33.8343,34.6062,"[""Fastenal Joins Elite List Of Stocks With 95-Plus Composite Rating"", ""A Better-Than-Expected Earnings Picture"", ""Some Thoughts on Fastenal"", ""Bossard AG - Switzerland's Fastenal"", ""Some Thoughts on Fastenal"", ""A Better-Than-Expected Earnings Picture"", ""Fastenal Joins Elite List Of Stocks With 95-Plus Composite Rating"", ""Bossard AG - Switzerland's Fastenal"", ""Some Thoughts on Fastenal"", ""A Better-Than-Expected Earnings Picture"", ""Fastenal Joins Elite List Of Stocks With 95-Plus Composite Rating"", ""Bossard AG - Switzerland's Fastenal""]"
FAST,2019-10-24,34.5499,34.6595,34.0683,34.3653,"[""Zacks Earnings Trends Highlights: Fastenal, United Rentals, Caterpillar, Texas Instruments and Hasbro"", ""Zacks Earnings Trends Highlights: Fastenal, United Rentals, Caterpillar, Texas Instruments and Hasbro"", ""Zacks Earnings Trends Highlights: Fastenal, United Rentals, Caterpillar, Texas Instruments and Hasbro""]"
FAST,2019-10-25,34.2923,34.5332,34.2351,34.3653,"[""MSC Industrial Executes Decently Against Lowered Expectations"", ""Making Sense of Q3 Earnings Season"", ""Making Sense of Q3 Earnings Season"", ""MSC Industrial Executes Decently Against Lowered Expectations"", ""Making Sense of Q3 Earnings Season"", ""MSC Industrial Executes Decently Against Lowered Expectations""]"
FAST,2019-10-28,34.5578,34.7098,33.9123,34.0406,"[""Ford, Texas Instruments, Fastenal, Kansas City Southern and Dover are part of Zacks Earnings Preview"", ""Stocks With Rising Composite Ratings: Fastenal"", ""5 Construction Stocks Poised for a Beat This Earnings Season"", ""Stocks With Rising Composite Ratings: Fastenal"", ""Ford, Texas Instruments, Fastenal, Kansas City Southern and Dover are part of Zacks Earnings Preview"", ""5 Construction Stocks Poised for a Beat This Earnings Season"", ""Stocks With Rising Composite Ratings: Fastenal"", ""Ford, Texas Instruments, Fastenal, Kansas City Southern and Dover are part of Zacks Earnings Preview"", ""5 Construction Stocks Poised for a Beat This Earnings Season""]"
FAST,2019-10-29,33.6547,34.0485,33.6181,33.9498,"[""25 Stocks Screened For Growth, Dividend Growth, And Value"", ""25 Stocks Screened For Growth, Dividend Growth, And Value"", ""25 Stocks Screened For Growth, Dividend Growth, And Value""]"
FAST,2019-10-30,34.0229,34.0781,33.2855,33.5421,
FAST,2019-10-31,33.3842,33.5421,32.7841,33.2184,
FAST,2019-11-01,33.551,34.3486,33.4612,34.3387,"[""A Reassuring Q3 Earnings Picture"", ""The Top Large-Cap Stocks To Buy Now"", ""Zacks Earnings Trends Highlights: Fastenal, United Rentals, Caterpillar, Texas Instruments and Hasbro"", ""Fastenal shares are trading higher. This could potentially be in sympathy with WESCO International after the company reported better-than-expected Q3 EPS results in yesterday's premarket hours."", ""Fastenal shares are trading higher. This could potentially be in sympathy with WESCO International after the company reported better-than-expected Q3 EPS results in yesterday's premarket hours."", ""The Top Large-Cap Stocks To Buy Now"", ""A Reassuring Q3 Earnings Picture"", ""Zacks Earnings Trends Highlights: Fastenal, United Rentals, Caterpillar, Texas Instruments and Hasbro"", ""Wall Street Overreacted to Fastenal's Positive Earnings News With the S&P 500 index hovering near all-time highs and economic growth around the globe showing signs of slowing, market participants are on edge. Bad news from a company can result in harsh punishment, while good news can lead to a wave of investor enthusiasm, which is what Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST) saw when it reported third-quarter 2019 earnings that beat expectations. The stock rocketed 14% higher the day of the earnings release. It kept rising, too, and is up nearly 20% at this point. But was the news really that good? Beating expectations The big headline from the third quarter was that Fastenal beat Wall Street's earnings expectations. That's clearly good, but step back and look at the actual numbers. Analysts had been calling for earnings of $0.35 a share in the quarter and Fastenal came up with $0.37 a share -- a $0.02 beat. Yes, shareholders get excited about things like this, but long-term investors shouldn't see a few pennies here or there as all that important. Image source: Getty Images. That said, earnings were up roughly 8% year over year in the quarter, which is a positive when you look at the global growth picture. In fact, Fastenal is managing what appears to be a slowing worldwide economy in relative stride. To put that into perspective, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) just lowered its global growth forecast to 3%, stating that the world is in a \""synchronized slowdown.\"" If 3% sounds pretty good, remember that this is for the whole world, including fast-growing emerging markets and slower-growing developed markets -- which is largely where Fastenal operates. Developed markets are only expected to come in with 1.7% growth this year, which was also lowered from previous expectations. (More on this topic in a second.) But it wasn't just earnings that came in on the positive side of things. There was also good news on some of the company's key growth initiatives. For example, it continues to reduce its store count while increasing the number of on-site locations, including vending machines. Branches are expensive to operate and become less valuable as Fastenal gets entrenched in a customer's business by setting up shop within the customer's facilities. Shifting to on-site locations helps to create very \""sticky\"" relationships with customers, who can't easily replace the services that Fastenal provides once they partner up on site. And, thus, closing branches at the same time helps keep costs in check while the company is expanding its reach in other, more productive ways. Solid execution on this front further solidifies Fastenal's long-term story. The bad news hidden in plain sight But not all of the news was good. Notably, the industrial company's sales are slowing. A key metric Fastenal provides investors is its daily sales rate, which is basically net sales divided by the number of business days. In the third quarter, the daily sales rate was up 6.1% year over year. At first blush that sounds great, but step back and look at the longer-term trend. Daily sales were on an upward trajectory throughout 2017, peaking at 14.8% in the final stanza of that year. In 2018 that fell a bit, but generally trended sideways at about 13% or so. Daily sales have declined each quarter so far in 2019, going from that 13% figure to the recent 6.1%. That's more than a 50% haircut in daily sales rate growth in just three quarters. Meanwhile, the weakness is hitting every part of the company's business. Daily sales of non-fasteners, about two-thirds of the top line, were lower each quarter. Daily sales of fasteners, the company's namesake product and roughly 33% of revenue, rose in the first quarter, but have fallen dramatically since. They've now fallen from daily sales of roughly 12% to around 3%. And the trouble spans the heavy equipment, construction, and manufacturing breakouts offered by management as well. Fastenal is doing well based given the conditions it is facing, but it is clearly dealing with a broad slowdown in demand. FAST data by YCharts. And it isn't the only industrial supplier that's seeing weakening trends, with a lot of other industrial companies showing signs of a slowdown and lowering their growth outlooks. If a slowdown is all that happens, as the IMF is suggesting, then Fastenal should be fine. However, if the slowdown takes a nasty turn and becomes a recession, then Fastenal (and most other industrials) will likely see a steep drop-off in demand. These are cyclical businesses, so that's just par for the course. But with so many companies -- including Fastenal -- showing signs of slowing growth, it's probably better to err on the side of caution than to jump in with both feet. Value versus price After the big run-up, Fastenal's stock is trading near all-time highs. Its price-to-sales, price-to-earnings, price-to-book-value, and price-to-cash-flow ratios are all above their five-year averages. It would be hard to argue that Fastenal isn't executing well today, like it always has (which is why it is a favorite of growth investors). But at a time when the company's underlying sales are weakening and the global outlook for growth is tenuous, the good report that sent Fastenal's shares up 20% isn't really good enough to justify buying today. Too much good news is priced into the stock at a time when bad news looks far more likely. 10 stocks we like better than Fastenal When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has quadrupled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Fastenal wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of June 1, 2019 Reuben Gregg Brewer has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Fastenal. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal shares are trading higher. This could potentially be in sympathy with WESCO International after the company reported better-than-expected Q3 EPS results in yesterday's premarket hours."", ""The Top Large-Cap Stocks To Buy Now"", ""A Reassuring Q3 Earnings Picture"", ""Zacks Earnings Trends Highlights: Fastenal, United Rentals, Caterpillar, Texas Instruments and Hasbro""]"
FAST,2019-11-04,34.5766,35.0414,34.3653,34.4769,"[""Stocks That Hit 52-Week Highs On Monday"", ""Stocks That Hit 52-Week Highs On Monday"", ""Is Illinois Tool Works Still a Buy? Anyone who just blindly blames the economy for all industrial stocks' woes might want to take a look at the difference in performance between Illinois Tool Works (NYSE: ITW) and 3M (NYSE: MMM) over the last year. The former is up 37%, while its multi-industry peer is down 8.6% in the same period. Let's look at what Illinois Tool Works is doing right and whether it can continue. The story on guidance It's no secret that the industrial sector has seen broad-based slowing in 2019; indeed, blue chip stocks like 3M and Caterpillar have both lowered full-year guidance during the current earnings season. Similarly, ITW's recent third-quarter earnings showed the signs of strain. Image source: Getty Images. As you can see below, the revenue growth outlook has been lowered through the year, and management reduced its full-year margin outlook. EPS guidance was maintained, but CEO Scott Santi acknowledged that \""the combination of near-term macro uncertainties and the lingering strike at General Motors\"" means the final figure is more likely to come in at the lower end of guidance. Data source: Illinois Tool Works. Moreover, only one of its seven segments (polymers and fluids) reported organic growth in the quarter. Whichever way you look at it, the economy isn't helping the company much, just as it didn't with 3M and others that have broad-based short-cycle exposure. Data source: Illinois Tool Works. That said, why is ITW managing to outperform? Three reasons the stock is doing well First, the recent bump in the price is probably down to the idea that end-market conditions aren't quite as bad as feared. Just as industrial supply company Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST) indicated at the start of earnings season, conditions are getting worse, but the rate of deterioration didn't increase in the third quarter -- suggesting that stabilization could be on the way. Second, Illinois Tool Works continues to do a great job with expanding margin in the face of falling volumes and some pressure from rising costs -- a long-term comparison with 3M reveals much about the two companies' contrasting fortunes. ITW Operating Margin (TTM) data by YCharts. TTM = trailing 12 months. A large part of the reason comes down its so-called \""enterprise initiatives\"" -- the company's ongoing efforts to refocus on its most profitable customers and product lines. The chart below shows how the initiatives helped offset pressure from rising costs in 2017 and 2018, and then declining volume in 2019. Meanwhile, the trend in margin remains upward. Data source: Company presentations. BP= basis points. Third, through its so-called product-line simplification (PLS) program, management continues to take the scalpel to businesses and products that are detrimental to its margin. And there's more to come, according to CFO Michael Larsen, who said on theearnings call \"" ... we are looking to divest certain businesses with revenues totaling up to $1 billion and are targeting to complete this effort by year-end 2020 with about half of the divestitures in 2019.\"" This level of portfolio pruning stands in direct contrast to 3M's lack of significant action -- mere portfolio reshuffling isn't enough. A warning sign? There was plenty of good news in the recent results, but as you can see in the first table above, management cut its full-year operating margin guidance, implying a weak fourth-quarter result in terms of margin. In response to a number of analyst questions on the matter, Larsen said it came down to bringing forward restructuring projects and the possible impact of an extended strike at General Motors alongside more overall volume declines -- in short, investors need to watch for the margin outlook on the nextearnings call Looking ahead Analysts have Illinois Tool Works growing EPS by 5.2% in 2020 to $8.01. That puts the stock's 2020 P/E at 21.5 times earnings. That's not especially cheap, and the company will have to demonstrate it can continue to expand margin in order to grow into the valuation. It's a great company, but the upside to the stock looks limited for now. Please make sure you've selected a ticker. Lee Samaha has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends 3M and Fastenal. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Stocks That Hit 52-Week Highs On Monday""]"
FAST,2019-11-05,34.5233,35.0414,34.2074,34.4571,
FAST,2019-11-06,34.1077,34.3486,33.7129,34.3387,"[""Diamond Hill Continues to Buy Baidu, Deere"", ""The Evolving Earnings Picture"", ""The Evolving Earnings Picture"", ""The Evolving Earnings Picture"", ""Diamond Hill Continues to Buy Baidu, Deere"", ""Why Fastenal Stock Spiked 10% in October What happened Shares of Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST), the industrial supplies store, gained 10% last month, according to data provided by S&P Global Market Intelligence. Amid the trade wars and uncertainty in the business environment, investors cheered its third-quarter earnings, which saw EPS come in $0.02 above analysts' estimates. Net sales improved 7.8% year over year to $1.379 billion. Earnings per share of $0.37 were 8% higher than the year-ago quarter. Image source: Getty Images. So what Management characterized business conditions as \""sluggish.\"" One of the metrics it focuses on is daily sales growth, which has decelerated from 12.2% in the first quarter to 6.1% in the most recent quarter. That was blamed on a \""general slowing in economic activity\"" that began in the second quarter and continued in the third quarter. But investors were clearly pleased with how the company is handling the impact of tariffs. Gross margin was down 0.9 percentage points compared with the year-ago quarter, but improved 0.30 points over Q2 2019. The company said this performance \""reflects improved execution of our strategies to offset tariffs and inflation.\"" Now what Fastenal continues to invest in its three growth drivers: on-site locations, vending machines, and e-commerce. These initiatives are about getting closer to customers. Historically, Fastenal delivered market-beating returns with its strategy to open branch stores around the country. That story has played out, so to keep growing, management has started opening on-site locations and vending machines at or near the customer. In the last quarter, the number of on-site locations grew by 30% year over year, and the number of vending locations increased by 12%. Additionally, e-commerce sales increased by 28% over the year-ago quarter. Analysts currently expect the company to grow sales 8.1% this year and 5.7% next year. Earnings are expected to be up 6.1% this year and 5% in 2020. 10 stocks we like better than Fastenal When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has quadrupled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Fastenal wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of June 1, 2019 John Ballard has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Fastenal. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""The Evolving Earnings Picture"", ""The Evolving Earnings Picture"", ""Diamond Hill Continues to Buy Baidu, Deere""]"
FAST,2019-11-07,34.5677,34.7207,34.0061,34.3288,"[""Tracking William Von Mueffling's Cantillon Capital Management Portfolio - Q3 2019 Update"", ""Tracking William Von Mueffling's Cantillon Capital Management Portfolio - Q3 2019 Update"", ""Tracking William Von Mueffling's Cantillon Capital Management Portfolio - Q3 2019 Update""]"
FAST,2019-11-08,34.3111,34.3288,34.0406,34.2647,"[""Were Q3 Earnings Estimates Too Low?"", ""Were Q3 Earnings Estimates Too Low?"", ""Were Q3 Earnings Estimates Too Low?""]"
FAST,2019-11-11,34.0327,34.0929,33.7939,34.0406,"The Rust Belt Is the Next Hot Spot for Stocks. Watch These 4. It looks as if Wall Street believes the worse is past for industrial stocks. After a period of weakening demand, things are looking up."
FAST,2019-11-12,34.0327,34.2074,33.8027,34.1077,
FAST,2019-11-13,33.8659,33.8699,33.248,33.2934,
FAST,2019-11-14,33.2934,33.5609,33.025,33.4612,"[""Bad Picks or Bad Models: The Future of Value"", ""HBK Sorce Advisory LLC Buys Global Payments Inc, SPDR Barclays Convertible Securities ETF, ..."", ""8 Undervalued Stocks Diamond Hill Capital Continues to Buy"", ""HBK Sorce Advisory LLC Buys Global Payments Inc, SPDR Barclays Convertible Securities ETF, ..."", ""Bad Picks or Bad Models: The Future of Value"", ""8 Undervalued Stocks Diamond Hill Capital Continues to Buy"", ""3 Top Industrial Stocks to Watch in November It's no secret that global growth has slowed in 2019, and the industrial economy in particular has taken a downturn. The near-term outlook is negative, but long-term investors don't buy stocks with a quarter-by-quarter view. The big question is when the cycle will turn positive again. With this in mind, three companies giving earnings reports in November -- Rockwell Automation (NYSE: ROK), Analog Devices (NASDAQ: ADI), and Deere (NYSE: DE) -- will help to provide answers for investors in stocks ranging across a wide swath of industries. stock market report\"" src=\""https://g.foolcdn.com/image/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fg.foolcdn.com%2Feditorial%2Fimages%2F547290%2Fgettyimages-1155610132.jpg&w=700\"" /> Image source: Getty Images. Rockwell Automation for automotives, robotics, and industrial automation The company is one of the leading factory automation companies in the world, and as such, its revenue is other companies' capital spending, making it a key bellwether of overall industrial conditions. The company gives its fourth-quarter results in the middle of November, and aside from the general market commentary, there are three things to keep an eye out for. First, management believes that organic sales will decline by 3% to 3.5% in the fourth quarter, but aside from the headline number, investors should focus on the architecture and software systems segment results and revenue growth outlook -- it tends to be more exposed to short-cycle spending patterns and so will lead the direction of Rockwell's overall sales. Data source: Company presentations. The second thing to look for is its guidance on its automotive end market. Rockwell CEO Blake Moret started fiscal 2019 expecting flat sales growth from the automotive end market, only to reduce expectations to a mid-single-digit decline on theearnings callin January and then cut it to a 10% decline in April. Will Rockwell meet this guidance? And what will Moret say about 2020? Third, semiconductor spending has been weak in 2019, but companies that supply the market such as 3M, Siemens, and Lam Research have all been pointing to improving conditions lately, and it wouldn't be a surprise if Rockwell indicated potential improvement too -- something to look out for. Analog Devices for semiconductors and consumer electronics Speaking of the semiconductor sector, Analog devices will give earnings toward the end of the month, and investors will be looking to see if the sector has really passed a trough, as Siemens CEO Joe Kaeser believes it has. The company's year-over-year sales growth has been in negative territory for the last four quarters, and it's hard to expect much improvement from its automotive end markets, while communications growth has been driven by 5G spending. However, considering the brighter outlook given by some of its peers, it's possible that Analog could report some relatively positive numbers on its consumer end markets and some stabilization in its industrial end market. Analysts have the company eking out 1% sales growth in 2020, and it will be interesting to see whether the company guidance matches or even meets that estimate as it reports its fourth-quarter 2019 results. Meanwhile, for broader market watchers, it's worth noting that semiconductor capital spending is often seen as being a very early-cycle activity, and if it comes back, investors can feel more positive about the general economic outlook in 2020. Data source: Company presentations. Deere for agriculture and construction Agricultural and construction machinery company Deere will also give its fourth-quarter results at the end of the month. The key things to look out for are its outlook for U.S. and Canadian agricultural machinery equipment sales in 2020 and its overall construction equipment sales forecast. It's been a complicated year for the company, with a combination of the fallout of the trade war (agriculture has been a key battleground, leading to a slump in U.S. soybean exports to China) and African swine fever causing dramatic declines in China's pig herd and consequently its demand for soybean meal. As such, management now expects its full-year U.S. and Canadian agricultural equipment sales to be flat compared to a forecast for flat to up 5% given at the start of the fiscal year. The key question is what Deere will guide toward for 2020. The answer will tell investors a lot about how the trade war is impacting the U.S. agricultural sector. Data source: Company presentations. Deere also has a construction equipment business, and as you can see in the table above, the construction segment has also lowered full-year guidance through the year. That said, there's been some evidence of an improvement in the construction end market recently -- for example, industrial supply company Fastenal's construction sales data and Caterpillar's rolling three-month construction machinery retail sales turned positive in October after a few months in negative territory. Looking ahead Given the recent strength in the S&P 500 and the 24% gain so far this year, the market appears to believe the industrial economy will avoid a recession. However, investors will feel a lot more confident if companies like Rockwell, Analog Devices, and Deere give decent outlooks, and what their managements say will guide investors as to which sectors are best placed to invest in during 2020. 10 stocks we like better than Analog Devices When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has quadrupled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Analog Devices wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of June 1, 2019 Lee Samaha owns shares of Siemens AG (ADR). The Motley Fool recommends 3M, Fastenal, and Lam Research. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""HBK Sorce Advisory LLC Buys Global Payments Inc, SPDR Barclays Convertible Securities ETF, ..."", ""Bad Picks or Bad Models: The Future of Value"", ""8 Undervalued Stocks Diamond Hill Capital Continues to Buy""]"
FAST,2019-11-15,33.6715,33.8205,33.3516,33.5797,"[""Tikehau Investment Management Buys Microsoft Corp, FactSet Research Systems Inc, 'M Co, Sells ..."", ""Tikehau Investment Management Buys Microsoft Corp, FactSet Research Systems Inc, 'M Co, Sells ..."", ""Tikehau Investment Management Buys Microsoft Corp, FactSet Research Systems Inc, 'M Co, Sells ...""]"
FAST,2019-11-18,33.4967,33.5046,32.9608,33.1454,"[""GMS or FAST: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?"", ""GMS or FAST: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?"", ""GMS or FAST: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?""]"
FAST,2019-11-19,33.3842,33.3941,32.9874,33.025,"[""Investing Based on Your Own Analysis"", ""Investing Based on Your Own Analysis"", ""Investing Based on Your Own Analysis""]"
FAST,2019-11-20,32.9608,33.025,32.3952,32.5896,"[""Weak Retail Sector Earnings"", ""Weak Retail Sector Earnings"", ""Weak Retail Sector Earnings"", ""Weak Retail Sector Earnings"", ""Weak Retail Sector Earnings""]"
FAST,2019-11-21,32.6469,32.6982,32.2718,32.4811,"[""Lowe Brockenbrough & Co Inc Buys iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF, Schwab U.S. ..."", ""Lowe Brockenbrough & Co Inc Buys iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF, Schwab U.S. ..."", ""Lowe Brockenbrough & Co Inc Buys iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF, Schwab U.S. ...""]"
FAST,2019-11-22,32.6834,33.0288,32.3053,33.0062,
FAST,2019-11-25,33.099,33.4701,32.9696,33.3388,"[""10 Top Stocks Are Likely To Take Off Before Year's End"", ""10 Top Stocks Are Likely To Take Off Before Year's End"", ""10 Top Stocks Are Likely To Take Off Before Year's End""]"
FAST,2019-11-26,33.2184,33.3941,33.0822,33.1908,"This ETF Holds Stocks Insiders Want to Own A look at the weighted underlying holdings of the WisdomTree U.S. Dividend ex-Financials Fund (Symbol: DTN) shows an impressive 15.0% of holdings on a weighted basis have experienced insider buying within the past six months. Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST), which makes up 0.97% of the WisdomTree U.S. Dividend ex-Financials Fund (Symbol: DTN), has seen 2 directors and officers purchase shares in the past six months, according to the recent Form 4 data. The ETF holds a total of $7,989,545 worth of FAST, making it the #50 largest holding. The table below details the recent insider buying activity observed at FAST: FAST — last trade: $36.07 — Recent Insider Buys: 10 ETFs With Stocks That Insiders Are Buying » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2019-11-27,33.3842,33.3842,32.8591,33.0822,"[""Fastenal (FAST) Moves to Buy: Rationale Behind the Upgrade"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Moves to Buy: Rationale Behind the Upgrade"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Moves to Buy: Rationale Behind the Upgrade""]"
FAST,2019-11-29,32.9608,33.1908,32.7476,32.8314,"[""Here's Why the Home Depot (HD) Stock Still Holds Potential"", ""GMS' Q2 Earnings to Benefit From Cost Synergies, High Demand"", ""Here's Why the Home Depot (HD) Stock Still Holds Potential"", ""GMS' Q2 Earnings to Benefit From Cost Synergies, High Demand"", ""Here's Why the Home Depot (HD) Stock Still Holds Potential"", ""GMS' Q2 Earnings to Benefit From Cost Synergies, High Demand""]"
FAST,2019-12-02,32.7032,33.2756,32.2481,32.3153,
FAST,2019-12-03,31.9076,32.3833,31.4555,32.2669,
FAST,2019-12-04,32.3952,32.6834,32.3419,32.4041,
FAST,2019-12-05,32.9518,33.7179,32.5176,32.6084,"[""Fastenal reports figures for November"", ""6 Industrials Stocks Moving In Thursday's Pre-Market Session"", ""6 Industrials Stocks Moving In Thursday's Pre-Market Session"", ""Fastenal reports figures for November"", ""Thursday's ETF with Unusual Volume: SPHQ The Invesco S&P 500 Quality ETF (SPHQ) is seeing unusually high volume in afternoon trading Thursday, with over 671,000 shares traded versus three month average volume of about 319,000. Shares of SPHQ were off about 0.1% on the day. Components of that ETF with the highest volume on Thursday were Apple (AAPL), trading up about 0.6% with over 5.1 million shares changing hands so far this session, and Cisco Systems (CSCO), down about 0.7% on volume of over 4.8 million shares. Fastenal (FAST) is the component faring the best Thursday, higher by about 2% on the day, while Corteva (CTVA) is lagging other components of the Invesco S&P 500\u2014 Quality ETF, trading lower by about 2%. VIDEO: Thursday's ETF with Unusual Volume: SPHQ The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""6 Industrials Stocks Moving In Thursday's Pre-Market Session"", ""Fastenal reports figures for November""]"
FAST,2019-12-06,32.8868,33.3892,32.8868,33.2184,"[""Fastenal (FAST) November Sales Beat Normal Seasonal Patterns"", ""Best Large-Cap Stocks To Buy Now"", ""Fastenal (FAST) November Sales Beat Normal Seasonal Patterns"", ""Best Large-Cap Stocks To Buy Now"", ""Fastenal (FAST) November Sales Beat Normal Seasonal Patterns"", ""Best Large-Cap Stocks To Buy Now""]"
FAST,2019-12-09,33.2382,33.5234,33.1908,33.3753,
FAST,2019-12-10,33.3122,33.478,33.092,33.2184,
FAST,2019-12-11,33.3477,33.5698,33.1266,33.4918,"[""Morgan Stanley Maintains Equal-Weight on Fastenal, Raises Price Target to $34"", ""Morgan Stanley Maintains Equal-Weight on Fastenal, Raises Price Target to $34"", ""Morgan Stanley Maintains Equal-Weight on Fastenal, Raises Price Target to $34""]"
FAST,2019-12-12,33.4701,34.8894,33.248,34.7996,"[""Fastenal shares are trading higher in sympathy with the overall market amid positive US-China trade developments which have caused US equities across many sectors to trade higher."", ""Fastenal shares are trading higher in sympathy with the overall market amid positive US-China trade developments which have caused US equities across many sectors to trade higher."", ""Fastenal shares are trading higher in sympathy with the overall market amid positive US-China trade developments which have caused US equities across many sectors to trade higher.""]"
FAST,2019-12-13,34.6526,35.0711,34.1403,34.2261,"[""Stocks That Hit 52-Week Highs On Friday"", ""Stocks That Hit 52-Week Highs On Friday"", ""Stocks That Hit 52-Week Highs On Friday""]"
FAST,2019-12-16,34.4196,34.619,34.2647,34.5766,
FAST,2019-12-17,34.928,34.928,33.9399,34.0781,
FAST,2019-12-18,34.0229,34.0683,33.7839,34.0485,
FAST,2019-12-19,34.0229,34.1176,33.8205,34.0101,"[""Portfolio Review: TD Ameritrade, Fastenal, 3M, MSC Industrial, Ulta Beauty"", ""Portfolio Review: TD Ameritrade, Fastenal, 3M, MSC Industrial, Ulta Beauty"", ""Portfolio Review: TD Ameritrade, Fastenal, 3M, MSC Industrial, Ulta Beauty""]"
FAST,2019-12-20,34.4196,34.4196,33.9399,34.3111,"Roaring or Tearful ’20s? 5 Dividends (up to 11.6%) for A Market Meltdown By Brett Owens Are you worried about a market meltdown in 2020? Fair enoughaEUR""stocks went straight up for an entire decade, making a pullback more than due as we head into the 20s. Now, more than ever, itaEURtms vital that your portfolio is anchored by bulletproof dividend payers. If itaEURtms not, read on, and IaEURtmll introduce you to a few of the marketaEURtms five-star income playsaEUR""payouts so safe that even a worst-case recession scenario wonaEURtmt touch them. BofA Merrill Lynch analyst Michael Harnett, looking at recent developments such as our aEURoephase oneaEUR deal with China and the U.K.aEURtms recent elections, said stocks are aEURoeprimed for Q1 2020 risk asset melt-up,aEUR projecting that the S&P 500 will rip off a quick 5% by March. Not bad, right? He goes on to say that 2020aEURtms returns will be aEURoefront-loaded,aEUR however. ThataEURtms a tell. Even more damning is that earlier term: aEURoeMelt-up.aEUR A melt-up often isnaEURtmt rational. ItaEURtms often driven by aEURoeFOMOaEURaEUR""fear of missing outaEUR""as hesitant mom-aEUR~naEURtm-pop investors finally cave in to all the positive headlines and buy at sky-high prices. And it can often result in a harsh meltdown. If that sounds familiar, it should. But if not, this should jog some memories: Stocks Melted Up Into the Dot-Com Crash You donaEURtmt want to get caught with your pants down if weaEURtmre in the final innings of a similar melt-up. Dividends generally will ensure you get paid even if your stocks are limping. ThataEURtms good. But the highest-quality dividend stocks will limp less, if at all, and will keep growing their payouts even if things get rough. Really, these are the kinds of stocks you should own, rain or shine. LetaEURtms dig into a few aEURoefive-staraEUR picks for the next decadeaEUR""one that potentially could start off in a rocky way. Each of these picks pass muster with one of my favorite sources of dividend data: Blockforce CapitalaEURtms proprietary aEURoeDIVCONaEUR system. Think of this as a dividend health test of sorts. The rating system takes numerous factors into account in evaluating the health of a dividendaEUR""cash flow, earnings, dividend trends and even external ratingsaEUR""and assigns each stock a score from 1 to 5. DIVCON 1 means a stock is likely to cut its dividend. We want DIVCON 5saEUR""the highest-probability dividend raisers that are gushing cash and have a track record of heaping cash on investors. Here are five, yielding between 3.1% and 11.6%, that you should examine more closely as long-term holdings. Evercore (EVR) Dividend Yield: 3.1% DIVCON Level: 5 Evercore (EVR) isnaEURtmt an everyday name. Not for your average American, nor for your average investor. In fact, chances are, if youaEURtmve heard of them, itaEURtms because one of their analysts have sounded off on a stock du jour such as Netflix (NFLX) or McDonaldaEURtms (MCD). But EVR does hold a lofty spot among these aEURoefive-staraEUR payouts. Namely, while many DIVCON 5 stocks sport uber-safe dividends and often aggressively growing payouts, current yields are a little chintzy. Evercore is among the very highest yields in the group. Evercore is heavily entrenched in advisory servicesaEUR""on a global scale. They provideinvestment research they delve into strategic advisory activities on things such as mergers & acquisitions and activist-investing defenses; and they also offer investment management services to high-net-worth individuals, foundations and endowments. It’s a good businessaEUR""one thataEURtms generally growing. First, consider its past five years of encouraging operational metrics: Yes, 2019 is expected to see a decent-sized pullback in profits before recovering next year, but investors might have overdone their selling of late: Evercore (EVR) Might Start Chasing Its Dividend Again Evercore, which has doubled its dividend in just a half-decade, trades at just 9 times next yearaEURtms earnings amid whataEURtms expected to be a high-single-digit bounceback. These kinds of value opportunities sometimes pop up in under-covered stocks. Just be careful. EVRaEURtms skinflint payout ratio of just 27% means the payout is absolutely safe, come what may. ThataEURtms not the concern. What should worry investors is that a significant market downturn would likely hit Evercore and its core business much harder than others. LetaEURtms keep looking. Mastercard (MA) Dividend Yield: 0.5% DIVCON Level: 5 No one will ever accuse Mastercard (MA) of being a value play. At 32-times 2020 profits and a dividend yield youaEURtmd need a microscope to see, this payment-services stock looks like a hyper-growth tech play with a baby-fresh dividend. However, reality is a little different. Mastercard is indeed an impressive growth play. Its earnings and revenues have each been growing by about 10% compounded over the past four years, which is saying something for a roughly $300 billion mega-cap. WhataEURtms more, Wall StreetaEURtms pros are expecting better-than-usual growth next year: an improvement of roughly 14% and 18% on the top and bottom lines, respectively. But the dividend is established, and it has a rock-solid foundation. Quarterly payments have rocketed 110% higher since 2016aEUR""a rapid pace that led me to call out the stockaEURtms potential on Dec. 1, 2018. Since then? Mastercard (MA) Mashes the Market Mastercard isnaEURtmt anywhere near done, either. Its payout ratio is just 15%. Even if it tripled its payout tomorrow, that dividend would still look bulletproof by any typical measure, leading to its DIVCON 5 rating. And while Mastercard wouldnaEURtmt exactly welcome an economic slowdown, it still has a massive market to gobble up. An astonishingly high percentage of the globe remains cash-based, meaning MA should find avenues for growth, or at least ways to counter potential weakness in the U.S., for years to come. Fastenal (FAST) Dividend Yield: 2.4% DIVCON Level: 5 Fastenal (FAST) does indeed specialize in fasteners such as bolts, screws, nuts and pins. But itaEURtms so much more. Fastenal services the nation via 3,200 branches and customer-specific on-sites, doling out not just a wide array of industrial supplies spanning electronics and HVAC to packaging gear and janitorial products, but even logistics solutions and supply consulting. ItaEURtms quite literally the backbone of AmericaaEURtms economic growthaEUR""no wonder, then, that the company boasts a 377% return in the past decade. ThataEURtms about 120 percentage points better than the index in that time. FAST shares continued to outperform in 2019, streaking 45% year-to-date, amid a year in which it has unveiled good (but not great) financial results. The problem? ThereaEURtms no aEURoeunder-covered discountaEUR on this stock. FAST has plenty of covering analysts, and those pros are heading toward the sidelines. As analysts start to make their calls for the year ahead, this stock has racked up just one Buy call across 11 notes over the past three months. One of those is a Sell from Wolfe Research, which sees an overpriced stock (25 times estimates) tangoing with aEURoeelevatedaEUR expectations. ThataEURtms a worrisome combination if we are about to hit some market turbulence. The dividend is safe enough, but IaEURtmve done a deep dive into DIVCONaEURtms data and found devils in the details. Fastenal does merit a DIVCON 5 rating, but its underlying score is near the bottom of that tier, and itaEURtms propped up by a few trailing measures such as past profit growth. Meanwhile, FASTaEURtms earnings payout ratio is actually a merely OK 63%, and its free-cash-flow-to-dividend (FCF/D) of 112.9%, while not bad, is fourth-lowest among 88 DIVCON 5 stocks. IaEURtmm not sold. DominoaEURtms Pizza (DPZ) Dividend Yield: 0.9% DIVCON Level: 5 As it stands today, DominoaEURtms Pizza (DPZ) is the best stock of the 2010s, with a jaw-dropping 3,960% total return between Dec. 31, 2009, and now. But how will it handle the aEUR~20s? Right now, that answer is fuzzy. DominoaEURtms earned those gains by writing one of the best turnaround stories in corporate history. In 2009, the company flat-out admitted to America that its pizza was garbage and began to reinvent its pie. The lesser-told part of the story is that CEO J. Patrick Doyle, hired in 2010 and known for his presence in commercials propping up its wildly improved pies, also pushed a swath of improvements in in-store, delivery and online technology. Doyle stepped down in 2018, and the stock has been a roller-coaster ride ever since. DominoaEURtms (DPZ) Delivery Route Has Developed Some PotholesA ThereaEURtms nothing wrong with the dividend. It has blossomed by 160% in just five years and is covered with an excellent 27% payout ratio. Free cash flow is more than thrice what it needs to cover the dividend, too. But the leadership change, though more than a year old, remains a considerable concern that bears watching. Meanwhile, the market expects solid high-single-digit growth out of DPZ for next year, but thataEURtms been more than baked in, given a high forward P/E of 27. ThataEURtms a little too much risk. Cummins (CMI) Dividend Yield: 2.9% DIVCON Level: 5 Cummins is a global engines and power systems manufacturer that also boasts a distribution arm. Of late, the company has pushed itself into the 21st century by adding an aEURoeElectrified Power SegmentaEUR that offers hybrid and fully electric powertrain solutions. Cummins doesnaEURtmt log breakneck growth, but it has been outpacing its peers over the past eight years with 7.6% compound average annual revenue growth. That growth sometimes comes in chunks. In 2018, revenues popped 16% and profitsaEUR""even backing out the positive effect of the tax cutsaEUR""shot up 80%. 2019aEURtms pace isnaEURtmt so great, with the company likely to report a small sales decline for the full year, but profits should improve by double-digits regardless. CMI gives you a nearly 3% yieldaEUR""high among DIVCON 5 stocksaEUR""on a dividend that has grown every year since 2006. Less than a third of its profits goes toward funding the payout, too, so the dividend is as safe as safe gets. But Cummins itself admits that it is aEURoeentering a weak period in many marketsaEUR and has been aEURoepreparing for a downturn.aEUR The company is being proactive by finding cost improvements and making strategic investments, but the outlook isnaEURtmt pretty. Analysts are projecting another 8% hit to sales and a 14% dip in profits. UBSaEURtm Steven Fisher, who says to sell the stock, says that not only does 2020 look weak, but an anticipated rebound in 2021 is aEURoeless robustaEUR than initially thought. The payout might be safe, but what good is a 3% dividend if CMI shares end up kicking off the decade with a couple years of even modest declines? Never Fear a Pullback Again: aEURoe2008-ProofaEUR Stocks With 7.5%+ Yields, 10%+ Upside This is no time for aEURoebutaEUR stocks. You know. aEURoeItaEURtms a great stock, but aEUR The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2019-12-23,34.5578,34.5963,34.0535,34.1353,
FAST,2019-12-24,34.2548,34.2548,33.9597,34.2074,
FAST,2019-12-26,34.1985,34.1985,33.9034,34.1443,"3 Top Mid-Cap Stocks to Buy Right Now Mid-cap stocks could be the Goldilocks segment of the market for many investors: bigger than the sometimes risky, often volatile small-cap end of the pool, but smaller and more agile than the more lethargic large-cap end. While mid-cap stocks between $2 billion and $10 billion can certainly be both risky and slow-growing, they have often established themselves enough to generate sufficient sales and profits that put them on a firmer foundation. Fortunately, there are still opportunities to grab from growth ahead of them. The three mid-caps below give investors a chance to strike the right balance between risk and reward. Image source: Getty Images. Ready for Cannabis 2.0 The first year of legal marijuana in Canada has been a rather rough one for Canopy Growth (NYSE: CGC) and other pot producers, but the advent of Cannabis 2.0 up north, or the legalization of cannabis derivatives products, has many expecting year two to be less of a buzzkill. Canopy Growth is arguably positioned to capitalize on this next phase of legalization because it has one of the broadest suites of products ready for the market. Included in its portfolio are several lines of CBD- and THC-infused beverages, cannabis-infused chocolate, and even vape pens and cartridges. The market saw fit to take down the entire segment this year as the rollout of marijuana legalization was met with bureaucratic snafus because of an overwhelming crush of applications. The delays have hurt sales for producers, and some companies saw their stocks lose three quarters of their value or more. Canopy didn't escape the carnage, and shares are down 62% from their 52-week high. However, many view Canopy as the strongest of the players, and with financial backing from Constellation Brands, it has a better chance than many of bouncing back sharply in 2020. Mop up with a rebound Shares of industrial maintenance and supply organization HD Supply (NASDAQ: HDS) have traded in a fairly narrow range for the better part of the year as the market remains concerned about slowing growth in a cyclical business. Whereas it benefits from various multiyear construction projects already under its belt, industrial activity is decelerating, according to the Institute for Supply Management, whose national factory activity index dipped again in November to 48.1. A reading below 50 indicates contraction in the manufacturing sector. However, sales at HD Supply are still growing despite the market volatility, and business sentiment will improve now that the first stage of a trade agreement with China is being negotiated. The big news, of course, is that HD Supply plans to split itself into two separate publicly traded companies, one focusing on facilities maintenance and the other, construction and industrial. The former will be renamed HD Supply Facilities Maintenance, with approximately $3 billion in net sales; the latter will be called Construction & Industrial White Cap and expects similar revenue. The deal is expected to be completed by the middle of fiscal 2020. Investors would be getting a leading player in two spaces trading at a discount to rivals Fastenal and MSM Industrial Direct, with an economy that might not be ready to creak to a halt just yet. The grass is greener Unlike Canopy Growth and HD Supply, shares of leading lawn care products specialist Scotts Miracle-Gro (NYSE: SMG) have not been beaten down in 2019. In fact, they've gained almost 75% this year, which might have some thinking it's approaching the end of a bullish period. That may be premature. Although lawn care provides the bulk of Scotts' revenue and profit, its hydroponic business is the faster-growing segment, and as it caters to the expanding legal marijuana market in the U.S., it has the potential to assume a much larger proportion of importance for the company. Sales at Hawthorne, Scotts' cannabis subsidiary, grew 38% in the fiscal fourth quarter, with growth exceeding 50% in some west coast markets such as California. Although the segment experienced some hiccups following Scotts' acquisition of the business, it has since gotten it back on track, and Chairman and CEO Jim Hagedorn said Hawthorne's performance gives Scotts ""a high degree of confidence as we look ahead into fiscal 2020."" It should give investors a degree of surety, too, that during the pot stock meltdown this year, Scotts Miracle-Gro was unaffected. Supplying the picks and shovels to whoever the miners are is still a smart way to play the market. And Hagedorn has promised to boost Hawthorne's profitability. Don't discount the lawn-care business from sprouting further growth: It was only expected to see 1% to 2% gains this year, but Scotts bumped it up to 6% to 7% during the summer. It ended up reporting 8% growth for the full year. Scotts Miracle-Gro isn't a cheap stock, but it still has the potential to grow like a weed. 10 stocks we like better than Scotts Miracle-Gro When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Scotts Miracle-Gro wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of December 1, 2019 Rich Duprey has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of MSC Industrial Direct. The Motley Fool recommends Constellation Brands and Fastenal. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2019-12-27,34.1985,34.2735,33.8837,34.1807,
FAST,2019-12-30,34.1985,34.3288,34.0583,34.1491,
FAST,2019-12-31,34.0683,34.3653,34.0485,34.1531,
FAST,2020-01-02,34.2735,34.5055,33.8738,34.4107,"[""Will Slower Demand Offset Fastenal's Ongoing Growth Efforts?"", ""Will Slower Demand Offset Fastenal's Ongoing Growth Efforts?"", ""Insiders Bullish on Certain Holdings of FXZ A look at the weighted underlying holdings of the First Trust Materials AlphaDEX Fund (FXZ) shows an impressive 17.4% of holdings on a weighted basis have experienced insider buying within the past six months. Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST), which makes up 0.70% of the First Trust Materials AlphaDEX Fund (FXZ), has seen 2 directors and officers purchase shares in the past six months, according to the recent Form 4 data. The ETF holds a total of $1,081,120 worth of FAST, making it the #42 largest holding. The table below details the recent insider buying activity observed at FAST: FAST \u2014 last trade: $36.95 \u2014 Recent Insider Buys: PURCHASED INSIDER TITLE SHARES PRICE/SHARE VALUE 07/18/2019 Michael J. Ancius Director 1,104 $30.13 $33,264 08/01/2019 Daniel L. Johnson Director 2,500 $30.49 $76,218 08/05/2019 Michael J. Ancius Director 1,000 $28.99 $28,990 10 ETFs With Stocks That Insiders Are Buying \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Will Slower Demand Offset Fastenal's Ongoing Growth Efforts?""]"
FAST,2020-01-03,33.8935,34.0327,33.3032,33.8027,
FAST,2020-01-06,33.4967,33.5461,33.0436,33.2756,
FAST,2020-01-07,33.1552,33.3654,32.9518,33.2095,
FAST,2020-01-08,33.3753,33.8521,33.2095,33.4612,
FAST,2020-01-09,33.4523,33.6547,33.1266,33.478,
FAST,2020-01-10,33.478,33.8027,33.1818,33.5797,"[""Fastenal (FAST) Earnings Expected to Grow: What to Know Ahead of Next Week's Release"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Earnings Expected to Grow: What to Know Ahead of Next Week's Release"", ""Why Shares in Fastenal Soared 41% in 2019 What happened Shares in industrial supply company Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST) soared 41.3% in 2019 according to data provided by S&P Global Market Intelligence. It was a truly remarkable occurrence, not least because most of it comes down to internal execution. Image source: Getty Images. In a year when U.S. industrial production came in lower than most of the expectations going into it, Fastenal managed to generate high-single-digit sales and operating income growth largely based on its strategy of expanding onsite locations, e-commerce sales growth, and placing industrial vending machines. There's a useful snapshot of the company's progress on its strategic initiatives in the third-quarter earnings figures: Onsite locations increased 30% year over year to 1,076. The installed base of vending machines increased 12.2% year over year to 88,327. Third-quarter e-commerce sales increased 28% compared to the same period a year ago. The end result was a 7.8% year-over-year increase in sales in the third quarter and a 7.4% increase in operating income. Fastenal is still a growth stock. So what Fastenal's results in 2019 are very good, especially when you consider the headwinds it's faced from a slowing industrial economy, cost increases emanating from tariff actions, and the threat from online competition. As you can see below, the company's year-over-year growth rate has slowed as a consequence of weakness in the industrial economy, but Fastenal still remain firmly in positive territory. For reference, industrial supply companies have what economists call short-cycle sales. This means there's a short lead time between initial contact and the generation of a sale, so when industrial production starts to slow, industrial supply companies will be hit first. Data source: Fastenal presentations. Now what With Fastenal having demonstrated it can grow even in a slowing environment -- indeed, a slowdown could lead to a scenario where it grabs market share from smaller distributors -- the key question is what kind of assistance the company can receive from the economy in 2020? The question is subject to debate. Bulls will argue that the slowdown is largely a consequence of issues that can be rectified in due course, such as the trade conflict and a natural slowing in transportation markets (automobile and truck sales). In addition, the underlying economy remains in good shape with falling unemployment, low interest rates, and solid housing markets. Meanwhile, bears will point out that the current trend in the industrial economy is negative, Europe remains in an anemic growth mode, and there's no shortage of geopolitical issues to worry about right now. If the bulls are right, there should be an improvement in the industrial economy at some point in the middle of 2020 -- something that could lead to a much brighter outlook for Fastenal's earnings in 2021. 10 stocks we like better than Fastenal When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Fastenal wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of December 1, 2019 Lee Samaha has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Fastenal. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal (FAST) Earnings Expected to Grow: What to Know Ahead of Next Week's Release""]"
FAST,2020-01-13,33.8293,33.8738,33.5945,33.8205,
FAST,2020-01-14,33.8659,34.3614,33.7079,34.0327,"Small Cap Systemax Is Streamlined and Ready to Grow Systemax (NYSE: SYX) may not be on your radar yet. But this small-cap industrial products distributor to small and medium-size businesses has used 2019 to reposition itself and focus on a new path to growth. A new CEO and the final divestiture of its overseas business could lead to strong sales gains. Image source: Getty Images. While peer industrial suppliers Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST) and MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE: MSM) may be more recognizable names in the business, Systemax distributes private-label and brand-name equipment and supplies under the somewhat more familiar name Global Industrial. But with market capitalizations of over $20 billion and over $4 billion for Fastenal and MSC, respectively, both are much bigger players in the business of industrial product supply. A long and varied history Systemax began in 1949 as a materials handling business. The ensuing decades consisted of much acquisitive growth. By 2008, sales exceeded $3 billion, and the acquisitions continued, including the e-commerce assets of bankrupt electronics retailer Circuit City. Systemax's sprawling technology products group also included the familiar CompUSA retail stores, and it added information technology businesses in the Netherlands, France, Germany, and the U.K. The most recent few years have seen a divestiture of the technology products group, with the final sale of its French business closing in September 2018. What remains is a more focused, profitable North American industrial products group, with a market capitalization of approximately $900 million. With proceeds from the sale of the French business and 2018 cash flow, the company paid shareholders a December 2018 special dividend of $6.50 per share, marking the third special dividend in a 12-month span. The company also announced that board member Barry Litwin would become the new CEO effective January 2019, to leverage his background in e-commerce businesses and digital strategy. Litwin planned to concentrate on improving customer experience through digital channels within the industrial products group. Back to its roots So after almost 70 years, Systemax is now back close to where it started: as an industrial products supplier in the MRO (maintenance, repair, and operations) segment. But today's version is highly digital, with its new global industrial website having been launched this past November. This profitable segment should keep the company in a good position for both growth and capital returns to shareholders. As of the end of the quarter that included September 2019, the balance sheet was strong, with $98 million in cash and virtually no debt, along with $72 million available under its credit facility. Free cash flow from operations was $11 million in the third quarter. This should allow the company to continue to grow its business organically, take advantage of any appropriate potential acquisitions, and reward shareholders with its ongoing dividends. Current efforts have been aimed at opening a new Dallas distribution center. As Litwin stated, ""The expansion of our distribution network is a key component of our strategy and was critical to providing customers with shorter lead times and more-competitive shipping rates while supporting growth and long-term operating leverage."" A good valuation? Investors should keep in mind the cyclicality of the business. So a good way to look at valuation in this sector is to compare metrics with its peers. The following chart shows that Systemax is priced lower than both MSC Industrial and Fastenal versus last year's sales (its first full year with all the international businesses off the books). Data by YCharts. Its forward P/E ratio also shows that while it's trading slightly higher than MSC Industrial, if Systemax's new streamlined business focus shows results, it could have the cheapest valuation among its larger peers on both metrics. As a small-cap industrial sector company, Systemax should be positioned to grow from here and continue returning capital to shareholders -- and may be worth a look for that sector of an investor's portfolio. 10 stocks we like better than Systemax When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now… and Systemax wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of December 1, 2019 Howard Smith owns shares of Fastenal. The Motley Fool owns shares of MSC Industrial Direct. The Motley Fool recommends Fastenal. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2020-01-15,33.8935,34.1807,33.6892,34.0061,"[""5 Bellwether Earnings Charts to Watch This Week"", ""5 Bellwether Earnings Charts to Watch This Week"", ""5 Bellwether Earnings Charts to Watch This Week""]"
FAST,2020-01-16,34.1077,34.5104,34.0139,34.4868,"Why This Industrial Bellwether Could Fall When It Reports Earnings: Should Investors Fear a Recession? Industrial supplies wholesale distributor Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST) outpaced the broader market by a wide margin in 2019, as shares raced higher by 41% against the S&P 500 index's gain of nearly 29%. The company reports on its final quarter of 2019 on Jan. 17 before markets open for trading. Investors will pay special attention to this report, as it will set the tone for Fastenal's share price performance in 2020, but also because the company's operations give us some insight into the current health of the manufacturing and construction industries. Below, let's review what the report might tell us about Fastenal's results -- and the broader economy in general. Sales numbers and installation signings Fastenal's share price ascent last year was fueled in part by vibrant sales growth. Through the first three quarters of 2019, Fastenal booked $4.1 billion in revenue, translating into year-over-year top-line growth of 8.7%. Revenue advanced by nearly 8% in the third quarter over the comparable period, to $1.4 billion. Will this sales momentum continue? We already know that the company experienced a curbing of its growth rate in two of the last three months of the year, as Fastenal has released its October 2019 and November 2019 monthly sales reports (December's report will be released simultaneously with earnings on the 17th). In October, total sales increased by 4.3% over the prior year, while Fastenal's key metric of daily sales (total sales divided by the number of days in the month) also advanced by 4.3%. In November, sales rose by 0.7%, but this was mostly attributable to the period's 20 business days versus 21 days in November 2018. Daily sales in November improved by 5.7%. Both reported sales and daily sales are tracking below the sales growth of the first nine months of 2019, so the suspense is building on how much December might improve or further dilute the two-month trend. Image source: Getty Images. Investors will also scrutinize two other important metrics in the earnings release: the number of industrial vending machines Fastenal signed for placement in customers' worksites during the third quarter, and the number of Onsite inventory fulfillment locations it signed with customers. In the trailing 12 months ending in September 2019, Fastenal increased its total installed vending machine count by 12.2%, to approximately 88,000 units. However, during the latter part of 2019, management noted that ""slower economic activity"" was lengthening the sales cycle for its vending machines. Thus, management reduced Fastenal's full-year 2019 vending sales goal from a range of 23,000-25,000 units, to 22,000 units. As I discussed in my earnings recap from last quarter, this is still a healthy target. The organization had clinched signed agreements for roughly 16,700 vending machines through the first nine months of 2019. As for Onsite locations, Fastenal signed 283 new locations in the first three quarters of 2019, with a goal of hitting 375 to 400 signings by year-end -- an ambitious goal. The company counted a total of 1,076 of these on-premise inventory centers at the end of Q3 2019. Industrial vending machines and Onsite locations are Fastenal's two biggest growth drivers, and a rush of signings at year-end will likely bolster shareholder enthusiasm, even if the total pace of revenue growth indeed slows in the fourth quarter. Conversely, lackluster revenue numbers coupled with weak customer signings could spur profit-taking in this industrial sector investment. Given the company's huge share price run-up last year, investors shouldn't be surprised it Fastenal gives back a few percentage points of its stock gains if releases only moderately improved earnings. Following the bigger picture Fastenal's fourth-quarter 2019 earnings report will be utilized by some market watchers as an early data point on the health of the U.S. economy. With its huge installed base of tens of thousands of vending machines, and continuous order flow deriving from two vital industries (manufacturing and construction), the company can be seen as a proxy for waxing or waning business demand. A pickup in sales coupled with healthy vending and Onsite signings will give investors useful information to supplement upcoming readings of the economy. On the other hand, a weak quarter from Fastenal, one that builds on the company's cautious note of slower economic activity in the latter half of 2019, may signal to some investors that it's not too early to begin worrying about a possible recession later this year. The takeaway from such a report should be a resolve to monitor the earnings of similar economic bellwethers as they begin to release year-end 2019 earnings over the next few weeks and to pay close attention to early 2020 macroeconomic reports. Key domestic figures to track in this scenario include U.S. manufacturing output, labor expansion, and, of course, the all-important metric of gross domestic product (GDP) growth. 10 stocks we like better than Fastenal When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Fastenal wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of December 1, 2019 Asit Sharma has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Fastenal. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2020-01-17,33.6181,34.7522,33.473,34.0139,"[""Fastenal (FAST) Stock Down on Q4 Earnings and Sales Miss"", ""Earnings Scheduled For January 17, 2020"", ""8 Stocks To Watch For January 17, 2020"", ""A Peek Into The Markets: US Stock Futures Up Ahead Of Earnings, Economic Data"", ""Fastenal Q4 EPS $0.31, Inline, Sales $1.277B Miss $1.29B Estimate"", ""Fastenal shares are trading lower after the company reported worse-than-expected Q4 sales results."", ""Fastenal shares are trading lower after the company reported worse-than-expected Q4 sales results."", ""Fastenal Q4 EPS $0.31, Inline, Sales $1.277B Miss $1.29B Estimate"", ""A Peek Into The Markets: US Stock Futures Up Ahead Of Earnings, Economic Data"", ""8 Stocks To Watch For January 17, 2020"", ""Earnings Scheduled For January 17, 2020"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Stock Down on Q4 Earnings and Sales Miss"", ""Daily Dividend Report: ED, FAST, CMS, J, KEY Consolidated Edison (ED) declared a quarterly dividend of 76.5 cents a share on its common stock, payable March 16, 2020 to stockholders of record as of February 19, 2020, an annualized increase of 10 cents over the previous annualized dividend of $2.96 a share. Fastenal Company (FAST) reported its board of directors declared a dividend of $0.25 per share to be paid in cash on February 28, 2020 to shareholders of record at the close of business on January 31, 2020. CMS Energy increased the quarterly dividend on the company's common stock to 40.75 cents per share, up from 38.25 cents per share. The first quarter dividend for the common stock is payable Feb. 28, 2020, to shareholders of record Feb. 7, 2020. Jacobs (J) has declared a quarterly cash dividend payable to shareholders in the amount of $0.19 per share of Jacobs common stock, an increase of 12% from its previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. This dividend will be paid on February 28, 2020, to shareholders of record as of the close of business on January 31, 2020. KeyCorp (KEY) declared a cash dividend of $0.185 per share on the corporation's outstanding common shares. The dividend is payable on March 13, 2020 to holders of record of such common shares as of the close of business on March 3, 2020. VIDEO: Daily Dividend Report: ED, FAST, CMS, J, KEY The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Q4 19 Earnings Conference Call At 10:00 AM ET (RTTNews) - Fastenal Co. (FAST) will host a conference call at 10:00 AM ET on Jan. 17, 2020, to discuss Q4 19 earnings results. To access the live webcast, log on to https://investor.fastenal.com/events.cfm The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Co. Q4 Earnings Advance (RTTNews) - Fastenal Co. (FAST) announced a profit for its fourth quarter that increased from the same period last year. The company's bottom line came in at $178.7 million, or $0.31 per share. This compares with $168.8 million, or $0.29 per share, in last year's fourth quarter. Analysts had expected the company to earn $0.31 per share, according to figures compiled by Thomson Reuters. Analysts' estimates typically exclude special items. The company's revenue for the quarter rose 4.1% to $1.28 billion from $1.23 billion last year. Fastenal Co. earnings at a glance: -Earnings (Q4): $178.7 Mln. vs. $168.8 Mln. last year. -EPS (Q4): $0.31 vs. $0.29 last year. -Analysts Estimate: $0.31 -Revenue (Q4): $1.28 Bln vs. $1.23 Bln last year. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal shares are trading lower after the company reported worse-than-expected Q4 sales results."", ""Fastenal Q4 EPS $0.31, Inline, Sales $1.277B Miss $1.29B Estimate"", ""A Peek Into The Markets: US Stock Futures Up Ahead Of Earnings, Economic Data"", ""8 Stocks To Watch For January 17, 2020"", ""Earnings Scheduled For January 17, 2020"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Stock Down on Q4 Earnings and Sales Miss"", ""Fastenal shares fall premarket after sales fall short of estimates Fastenal Inc. shares slid 3.9% in premarket trade Friday, after the provider of industrial and construction supplies posted weaker-than-expected sales for the fourth quarter. Winona, Minn.-based Fastenal said it had net income of $178.7 million, or 31 cents a share, in the quarter, up from $168.8 million, or 29 cents a share, in the year-earlier period. Sales rose 3.7% to $1.277 billion from $1.232 billion. The FactSet consensus was for EPS of 31 cents and sales of $1.289 billion. \""The general slowing in economic activity that we experienced in the second and third quarters of 2019 continued in the fourth quarter of 2019,\"" the company said in a statement. \""This general softness was exacerbated in December by holiday timing and longer than usual year-end plant shutdowns.\"" Shares have gained 30% in the last 12 months, while the S&P 500 has gained 26%."", ""Fastenal\u2019s Earnings Offer No Relief for Struggling Industrial Stocks Fastenal warned of weakness into the first half of 2020. Investors should pay attention to the industrial distributors results. They know industrial markets have been weak, but were waiting for a pickup in activity in the new year.""]"
FAST,2020-01-21,33.6715,33.8659,32.7614,33.1168,"[""Evolution and Your Investment Criteria"", ""Company News for Jan 21, 2020"", ""Buckingham Maintains Neutral on Fastenal, Raises Price Target to $36"", ""Fastenal shares are trading lower despite Buckingham maintaining a Neutral rating and raising the price target from $33 to $36. Not seeing any news to justify the bearish price action."", ""71 Industrials Stocks Moving In Tuesday's Session"", ""71 Industrials Stocks Moving In Tuesday's Session"", ""Fastenal shares are trading lower despite Buckingham maintaining a Neutral rating and raising the price target from $33 to $36. Not seeing any news to justify the bearish price action."", ""Buckingham Maintains Neutral on Fastenal, Raises Price Target to $36"", ""Evolution and Your Investment Criteria"", ""Company News for Jan 21, 2020"", ""71 Industrials Stocks Moving In Tuesday's Session"", ""Fastenal shares are trading lower despite Buckingham maintaining a Neutral rating and raising the price target from $33 to $36. Not seeing any news to justify the bearish price action."", ""Buckingham Maintains Neutral on Fastenal, Raises Price Target to $36"", ""Evolution and Your Investment Criteria"", ""Company News for Jan 21, 2020""]"
FAST,2020-01-22,33.4434,33.551,33.1552,33.2095,
FAST,2020-01-23,33.1454,33.3842,32.6183,33.3319,
FAST,2020-01-24,33.3842,33.4336,32.3745,32.8314,
FAST,2020-01-27,32.2955,32.8591,32.0083,32.5807,"Monday 1/27 Insider Buying Report: FAST, TCON As the saying goes, there are many possible reasons for an insider to sell a stock, but only one reason to buy -- they expect to make money. So let's look at two noteworthy recent insider buys. At Fastenal (FAST), a filing with the SEC revealed that on Thursday, Director Darren R. Jackson purchased 18,000 shares of FAST, at a cost of $35.57 each, for a total investment of $640,231. Bargain hunters can pick up FAST even cheaper than Jackson did, with shares changing hands as low as $34.63 in trading on Monday -- that's 2.6% below Jackson's purchase price. Fastenal is trading off about 1.6% on the day Monday. This buy marks the first one filed by Jackson in the past year. And also on Thursday, Chief Business Officer Mark C. Wiggins bought $20,102 worth of TRACON Pharmaceuticals (TCON), buying 5,000 shares at a cost of $4.02 each. TRACON Pharmaceuticals is trading off about 3.3% on the day Monday. VIDEO: Monday 1/27 Insider Buying Report: FAST, TCON The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2020-01-28,32.712,33.1818,32.4139,33.0634,"Ex-Dividend Reminder: Fastenal, Signet Jewelers and Alliant Energy Looking at the universe of stocks we cover at Dividend Channel, on 1/30/20, Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST), Signet Jewelers Ltd (Symbol: SIG), and Alliant Energy Corp (Symbol: LNT) will all trade ex-dividend for their respective upcoming dividends. Fastenal Co. will pay its quarterly dividend of $0.25 on 2/28/20, Signet Jewelers Ltd will pay its quarterly dividend of $0.37 on 2/28/20, and Alliant Energy Corp will pay its quarterly dividend of $0.38 on 2/18/20. As a percentage of FAST's recent stock price of $35.35, this dividend works out to approximately 0.71%, so look for shares of Fastenal Co. to trade 0.71% lower — all else being equal — when FAST shares open for trading on 1/30/20. Similarly, investors should look for SIG to open 1.42% lower in price and for LNT to open 0.64% lower, all else being equal. Below are dividend history charts for FAST, SIG, and LNT, showing historical dividends prior to the most recent ones declared. Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST): Signet Jewelers Ltd (Symbol: SIG): Alliant Energy Corp (Symbol: LNT): In general, dividends are not always predictable, following the ups and downs of company profits over time. Therefore, a good first due diligence step in forming an expectation of annual yield going forward, is looking at the history above, for a sense of stability over time. This can help in judging whether the most recent dividends from these companies are likely to continue. If they do continue, the current estimated yields on annualized basis would be 2.83% for Fastenal Co., 5.69% for Signet Jewelers Ltd, and 2.57% for Alliant Energy Corp. In Tuesday trading, Fastenal Co. shares are currently up about 0.3%, Signet Jewelers Ltd shares are up about 1.1%, and Alliant Energy Corp shares are up about 0.5% on the day. Click here to learn which 25 S.A.F.E. dividend stocks should be on your radar screen » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2020-01-29,33.2668,33.7751,33.1168,33.1818,
FAST,2020-01-30,32.3261,33.6744,32.3261,33.6399,"[""Arabesque Asset Management Ltd Buys Amedisys Inc, Williams-Sonoma Inc, Fortinet Inc, Sells ..."", ""Arabesque Asset Management Ltd Buys Amedisys Inc, Williams-Sonoma Inc, Fortinet Inc, Sells ..."", ""Arabesque Asset Management Ltd Buys Amedisys Inc, Williams-Sonoma Inc, Fortinet Inc, Sells ...""]"
FAST,2020-01-31,33.3487,33.4987,32.3261,32.4663,"[""Fastenal shares are trading lower. The continued coronavirus spread has caused fears of economic disruption, negatively impacting industrials."", ""Fastenal shares are trading lower. The continued coronavirus spread has caused fears of economic disruption, negatively impacting industrials."", ""Fastenal shares are trading lower. The continued coronavirus spread has caused fears of economic disruption, negatively impacting industrials.""]"
FAST,2020-02-03,32.7722,33.5639,32.6044,33.3714,"[""Shares of several companies in the broader industrial space are trading higher as markets rebound from recent coronavirus fears."", ""Shares of several companies in the broader industrial space are trading higher as markets rebound from recent coronavirus fears."", ""FAST: Insiders vs. Shorts The most recent short interest data was recently released for the 04/15/2019 settlement date, and Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) is the #35 most shorted of the S&P 500 components, based on 9.44 \""days to cover.\"" There are a number of ways to look at short data, but one metric that we find particularly useful is the \""days to cover\"" because it considers both the total shares short and the average daily volume of shares typically traded. The number of shares short is then divided by the average daily volume, to express the total number of trading days it would take to close out all of the open short positions if every share traded represented a short position being closed. In the case of Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST), the total short interest at the 04/15/2019 settlement date was 22,224,359 shares, which compares to the average daily trading volume of just 2,354,139 shares, for a \""days to cover\"" ratio of 9.44. When short sellers eventually cover their positions, by definition there must be buying activity because a share that is currently sold short must be purchased to be covered. At the present levels of short interest, if from this point forward every single FAST share traded represented a short position being closed, then at the average daily volume of 2,354,139 shares it would only be during the 10th trading day that every short position would be closed. So it would stand to reason that should some unexpectedly good news come out, and short sellers did not have 10 days of patience but instead wanted to cover their short positions very suddenly, that situation could result in sending the stock higher until the higher price produces enough sellers to generate the necessary volume to close out those positions quickly. Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) has something relatively rare for a stock with this much short interest, that being insiders taking the other side of the trade. Looking back over the trailing six month period, FAST has seen 2 different instances of insider buying, as summarized by the table below: PURCHASED INSIDER TITLE SHARES PRICE/SHARE VALUE 08/05/2019 Michael J. Ancius Director 1,000 $28.99 $28,990.00 01/23/2020 Darren R. Jackson Director 18,000 $35.57 $640,231.20 01/27/2020 Michael J. Ancius Director 740 $34.94 $25,855.60 Below is a chart showing the \""days to cover\"" for FAST over time: And looking at the chart below, FAST's low point in its 52 week range is $28.38 per share, with $37.94 as the 52 week high point \u2014 that compares with a last trade of $35.93. In recent trading, shares of Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) were changing hands at $35.93/share. Ten Bargains You Can Buy Cheaper Than The Insiders Did \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Shares of several companies in the broader industrial space are trading higher as markets rebound from recent coronavirus fears.""]"
FAST,2020-02-04,33.9755,34.6634,33.7494,34.3742,"[""Shares of several industrial companies are trading higher in sympathy with the overall market on a continued rebound after increased fear of the Wuhan coronavirus' impact on the economy dropped the Dow roughly 600 points on Friday."", ""Shares of several industrial companies are trading higher in sympathy with the overall market on a continued rebound after increased fear of the Wuhan coronavirus' impact on the economy dropped the Dow roughly 600 points on Friday."", ""Shares of several industrial companies are trading higher in sympathy with the overall market on a continued rebound after increased fear of the Wuhan coronavirus' impact on the economy dropped the Dow roughly 600 points on Friday.""]"
FAST,2020-02-05,34.9496,35.0652,34.5973,35.0454,
FAST,2020-02-06,35.3692,35.5933,34.9496,35.2754,"[""Fastenal Co (FAST) Files \u2013\u2026-K for the Fiscal Year Ended on December '\u2013, \u2014\u2026\u20139"", ""Makena Capital Management Llc Buys Fastenal Co, Liberty SiriusXM Group, Alphabet Inc, Sells ..."", ""Stocks That Hit 52-Week Highs On Thursday"", ""Stocks That Hit 52-Week Highs On Thursday"", ""Fastenal Co (FAST) Files \u2013\u2026-K for the Fiscal Year Ended on December '\u2013, \u2014\u2026\u20139"", ""Makena Capital Management Llc Buys Fastenal Co, Liberty SiriusXM Group, Alphabet Inc, Sells ..."", ""Insider Bets Paying Off At FAST As New 52-Week High Reached In trading on Thursday, shares of Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) touched a new 52-week high of $38.24/share. That's a 34.74% rise, or $9.86 per share from the 52-week low of $28.38 set back on 08/07/2019. That means at today's intraday high, any investor who purchased FAST stock any time over the past 52 weeks has an unrealized gain, including company insiders. Over the past six months, insiders have been scooping up shares, and those bets are now paying off handsomely. As summarized by the table below, FAST has seen 2 different instances of insiders buying over the trailing six month period. PURCHASED INSIDER TITLE SHARES PRICE/SHARE VALUE 01/23/2020 Darren R. Jackson Director 18,000 $35.57 $640,231.20 01/27/2020 Michael J. Ancius Director 740 $34.94 $25,855.60 The chart below shows where FAST has traded over the past year, with the 50-day and 200-day moving averages included. In afternoon trading on Thursday, FAST shares are changing hands at $37.67/share, slightly below the new 52-week high. Ten Bargains You Can Buy Cheaper Than The Insiders Did \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Stocks That Hit 52-Week Highs On Thursday"", ""Fastenal Co (FAST) Files \u2013\u2026-K for the Fiscal Year Ended on December '\u2013, \u2014\u2026\u20139"", ""Makena Capital Management Llc Buys Fastenal Co, Liberty SiriusXM Group, Alphabet Inc, Sells ...""]"
FAST,2020-02-07,35.0553,35.3188,34.5499,34.7642,
FAST,2020-02-10,34.5874,34.692,34.1511,34.3821,"[""Mawer Investment Management Ltd. Buys Accenture PLC, Fastenal Co, Hologic Inc, Sells IAA Inc, ..."", ""Mawer Investment Management Ltd. Buys Accenture PLC, Fastenal Co, Hologic Inc, Sells IAA Inc, ..."", ""Insiders Buy the Holdings of DTN ETF A look at the weighted underlying holdings of the WisdomTree U.S. Dividend ex-Financials Fund (DTN) shows an impressive 11.3% of holdings on a weighted basis have experienced insider buying within the past six months. Lilly (Eli) & Co (Symbol: LLY), which makes up 0.70% of the WisdomTree U.S. Dividend ex-Financials Fund (DTN), has seen 5 directors and officers purchase shares in the past six months, according to the recent Form 4 data. The ETF holds a total of $5,732,501 worth of LLY, making it the #82 largest holding. The table below details the recent insider buying activity observed at LLY: LLY \u2014 last trade: $146.41 \u2014 Recent Insider Buys: PURCHASED INSIDER TITLE SHARES PRICE/SHARE VALUE 10/25/2019 David A. Ricks President & CEO 4,615 $108.38 $500,174 10/24/2019 Jackson P. Tai Director 1,861 $107.49 $200,039 10/25/2019 Anne E. White SVP & Pres-Lilly Oncology 1,000 $108.84 $108,840 10/25/2019 Joshua L. Smiley SVP and CFO 929 $107.59 $99,951 10/25/2019 Daniel Skovronsky SVP, CSO, and Pres. LRL 5,000 $108.61 $543,050 And Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST), the #88 largest holding among components of the WisdomTree U.S. Dividend ex-Financials Fund (DTN), shows 2 directors and officers as recently filing Form 4's indicating purchases. The ETF holds $5,523,832 worth of FAST, which represents approximately 0.68% of the ETF's total assets at last check. The recent insider buying activity observed at FAST is detailed in the table below: FAST \u2014 last trade: $37.35 \u2014 Recent Insider Buys: PURCHASED INSIDER TITLE SHARES PRICE/SHARE VALUE 01/23/2020 Darren R. Jackson Director 18,000 $35.57 $640,231 01/27/2020 Michael J. Ancius Director 740 $34.94 $25,856 10 ETFs With Stocks That Insiders Are Buying \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Mawer Investment Management Ltd. Buys Accenture PLC, Fastenal Co, Hologic Inc, Sells IAA Inc, ...""]"
FAST,2020-02-11,34.5332,35.3228,34.5233,35.2034,
FAST,2020-02-12,35.2754,35.7383,35.2754,35.6861,"[""Stocks That Hit 52-Week Highs On Wednesday"", ""Stocks That Hit 52-Week Highs On Wednesday"", ""Stocks That Hit 52-Week Highs On Wednesday""]"
FAST,2020-02-13,35.5093,35.8055,35.3613,35.5933,"[""Stocks That Hit 52-Week Highs On Thursday"", ""Stocks That Hit 52-Week Highs On Thursday"", ""Stocks That Hit 52-Week Highs On Thursday""]"
FAST,2020-02-14,35.5834,35.8953,35.3791,35.6683,"[""BTC Capital Management, Inc. Buys Meredith Corp, Healthcare Trust of America Inc, Chemed Corp, ..."", ""BTC Capital Management, Inc. Buys Meredith Corp, Healthcare Trust of America Inc, Chemed Corp, ..."", ""BTC Capital Management, Inc. Buys Meredith Corp, Healthcare Trust of America Inc, Chemed Corp, ...""]"
FAST,2020-02-18,35.6288,35.7749,35.2537,35.6387,
FAST,2020-02-19,35.7147,35.9821,35.5479,35.6387,"[""David Rolfe's Firm Cuts Apple, Visa"", ""Stocks That Hit 52-Week Highs On Wednesday"", ""Stocks That Hit 52-Week Highs On Wednesday"", ""David Rolfe's Firm Cuts Apple, Visa"", ""Stocks That Hit 52-Week Highs On Wednesday"", ""David Rolfe's Firm Cuts Apple, Visa""]"
FAST,2020-02-20,35.7511,36.5842,35.6387,36.3197,"[""Stocks That Hit 52-Week Highs On Thursday"", ""Stocks That Hit 52-Week Highs On Thursday"", ""Validea Warren Buffett Strategy Daily Upgrade Report - 2/20/2020 The following are today's upgrades for Validea's Patient Investor model based on the published strategy of Warren Buffett. This strategy seeks out firms with long-term, predictable profitability and low debt that trade at reasonable valuations. FASTENAL COMPANY (FAST) is a large-cap growth stock in the Constr. & Agric. Machinery industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Warren Buffett changed from 86% to 93% based on the firm\u2019s underlying fundamentals and the stock\u2019s valuation. A score of 80% or above typically indicates that the strategy has some interest in the stock and a score above 90% typically indicates strong interest. Company Description: Fastenal Company is engaged in wholesale distribution of industrial and construction supplies. The Company is engaged in fastener distribution, and non-fastener maintenance and supply business. As of December 31, 2016, it distributed these supplies through a network of approximately 2,500 stores. Its customers are in the manufacturing and non-residential construction markets. The manufacturing market includes both original equipment manufacturers (OEM) and maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO). The non-residential construction market includes general, electrical, plumbing, sheet metal and road contractors. Other users of its products include farmers, truckers, railroads, oil exploration, production and refinement companies, mining companies, federal, state, and local governmental entities, schools and certain retail trades. Its original product offerings are fasteners and other industrial and construction supplies, many of which are sold under the Fastenal product name. The following table summarizes whether the stock meets each of this strategy's tests. Not all criteria in the below table receive equal weighting or are independent, but the table provides a brief overview of the strong and weak points of the security in the context of the strategy's criteria. EARNINGS PREDICTABILITY: PASS DEBT SERVICE: PASS RETURN ON EQUITY: PASS RETURN ON TOTAL CAPITAL: PASS FREE CASH FLOW: PASS USE OF RETAINED EARNINGS: PASS SHARE REPURCHASE: PASS INITIAL RATE OF RETURN: PASS EXPECTED RETURN: PASS For a full detailed analysis using NASDAQ's Guru Analysis tool, click here CAPRI HOLDINGS LTD (CPRI) is a mid-cap value stock in the Apparel/Accessories industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Warren Buffett changed from 61% to 89% based on the firm\u2019s underlying fundamentals and the stock\u2019s valuation. A score of 80% or above typically indicates that the strategy has some interest in the stock and a score above 90% typically indicates strong interest. Company Description: Capri Holdings Limited, formerly Michael Kors Holdings Limited ,is a designer, marketer, distributor and retailer of branded women's apparel and accessories and men's apparel bearing the Michael Kors tradename and related trademarks MICHAEL KORS, MICHAEL MICHAEL KORS, and various other related trademarks and logos. The Company operates through three segments: retail, wholesale and licensing. The Retail operations consist of collection stores and lifestyle stores, including concessions and outlet stores, located primarily in the Americas (the United States, Canada and Latin America), Europe and Asia, as well as e-commerce. Wholesale revenues are principally derived from major department and specialty stores located throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia. The Company licenses its trademarks on products, such as fragrances, beauty, eyewear, leather goods, jewelry, watches, coats, men's suits, swimwear, furs and ties, as well as through geographic licenses. The following table summarizes whether the stock meets each of this strategy's tests. Not all criteria in the below table receive equal weighting or are independent, but the table provides a brief overview of the strong and weak points of the security in the context of the strategy's criteria. EARNINGS PREDICTABILITY: PASS DEBT SERVICE: PASS RETURN ON EQUITY: PASS RETURN ON TOTAL CAPITAL: PASS FREE CASH FLOW: PASS USE OF RETAINED EARNINGS: PASS SHARE REPURCHASE: PASS INITIAL RATE OF RETURN: PASS EXPECTED RETURN: PASS For a full detailed analysis using NASDAQ's Guru Analysis tool, click here NEWMARKET CORPORATION (NEU) is a mid-cap growth stock in the Chemical Manufacturing industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Warren Buffett changed from 70% to 82% based on the firm\u2019s underlying fundamentals and the stock\u2019s valuation. A score of 80% or above typically indicates that the strategy has some interest in the stock and a score above 90% typically indicates strong interest. Company Description: NewMarket Corporation is a holding company. The Company is the parent company of Afton Chemical Corporation (Afton), Ethyl Corporation (Ethyl), NewMarket Services Corporation (NewMarket Services), and NewMarket Development Corporation (NewMarket Development). The Company operates through petroleum additives segment, which is primarily represented by Afton. The Company manufactures chemical components that are selected to perform one or more specific functions and combine those chemicals with other chemicals or components to form additive packages for use in specified end user applications. The petroleum additives product applications include lubricant additives and fuel additives. The Company's All other category includes the operations of the TEL business, as well as contract manufacturing and services performed by Ethyl. The Ethyl plant facility is located in Houston, Texas. It is involved in terminal operations related to TEL and other fuel additives. The following table summarizes whether the stock meets each of this strategy's tests. Not all criteria in the below table receive equal weighting or are independent, but the table provides a brief overview of the strong and weak points of the security in the context of the strategy's criteria. EARNINGS PREDICTABILITY: PASS DEBT SERVICE: PASS RETURN ON EQUITY: PASS RETURN ON TOTAL CAPITAL: PASS FREE CASH FLOW: PASS USE OF RETAINED EARNINGS: FAIL SHARE REPURCHASE: PASS INITIAL RATE OF RETURN: PASS EXPECTED RETURN: PASS For a full detailed analysis using NASDAQ's Guru Analysis tool, click here Since its inception, Validea's strategy based on Warren Buffett has returned 272.07% vs. 219.00% for the S&P 500. For more details on this strategy, click here About Warren Buffett: Warren Buffett is considered by many to be the greatest investor of all time. As the chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, Buffett has consistently outperformed the S&P 500 for decades, and in the process has become one of the world's richest men. (Forbes puts his net worth at $37 billion.) Despite his fortune, Buffett is known for living a modest lifestyle, by billionaire standards. His primary residence remains the gray stucco Nebraska home he purchased for $31,500 nearly 50 years ago, according to Forbes, and his folksy Midwestern manner and penchant for simple pleasures -- a cherry Coke, a good burger, and a good book are all near the top of the list -- have been well-documented. About Validea: Validea is aninvestment researchservice that follows the published strategies of investment legends. Validea offers both stock analysis and model portfolios based on gurus who have outperformed the market over the long-term, including Warren Buffett, Benjamin Graham, Peter Lynch and Martin Zweig. For more information about Validea, click here The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Stocks That Hit 52-Week Highs On Thursday""]"
FAST,2020-02-21,36.1519,36.4688,35.7897,36.1687,"[""Stocks To Watch: Fastenal Sees RS Rating Jump To 83"", ""Stocks To Watch: Fastenal Sees RS Rating Jump To 83"", ""10 Dividend Stocks to Buy That Are Off to a Fast Start in 2020 A year ago, I wrote an article about that had announced a dividend increase in the first 64 days of 2019.\u00c3\u0082\u00c2 To make the exercise even more useful, I tried to diversify my picks by selecting one stock from seven different sectors. Here\u00c3\u00a2\u00c2\u0080\u00c2\u0099s how they\u00c3\u00a2\u00c2\u0080\u00c2\u0099ve performed since then.\u00c3\u0082\u00c2 1-Year Total Return \u00c3\u00a2\u00c2\u0080\u00c2\u0093 7 Dividend Stocks to Buy Company Total Return\u00c3\u0082\u00c2 Current Dividend Yield EPR Properties (NYSE:) 1.5% 6.52% Fastenal (NASDAQ:) 24.5% 2.6% BlackRock (NYSE:) 33.8% 2.6% Penske Automotive Group (NYSE:) 20.2% 3.2% Brookfield Infrastructure Partners\u00c3\u0082\u00c2 (NYSE:) 42% 3.9% Church & Dwight (NYSE:) 19.1% 1.3% Best Buy (NYSE:) 53.1% 2.2% Average 27.7% 3.18% While the performance of the seven dividend stocks managed to beat the Morningstar US Market Total Return Index by 480 basis points over the past year, I think I can do better. That said, I wouldn\u00c3\u00a2\u00c2\u0080\u00c2\u0099t have a problem if you went with the seven stocks listed above. They\u00c3\u00a2\u00c2\u0080\u00c2\u0099re all outstanding long-term holds.\u00c3\u0082\u00c2 However, if the name of the game is outperforming the benchmark by more than 480 basis points over the next year, here are 10 stocks that I believe have what it takes to deliver superior performance.\u00c3\u0082\u00c2 Changing things up a little, I\u00c3\u00a2\u00c2\u0080\u00c2\u0099m going with stocks that have at least a 2% dividend yield, are up at least 10% year to date, and have market caps greater than $2 billion. Like last time, I tried to include picks from as many different sectors as possible.\u00c3\u0082\u00c2 Sociedad Quimica (SQM) Source: Shutterstock Dividend Yield: 3.86% First up, we\u00c3\u00a2\u00c2\u0080\u00c2\u0099ve got Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile (NYSE:), a basic materials stock that\u00c3\u00a2\u00c2\u0080\u00c2\u0099s based in South America. SQM has a market cap of $3.8 billion, is yielding 3.86%, and has a year to date total return of 13.4% through Feb. 18. What does it do?\u00c3\u0082\u00c2 SQM is a producer of chemicals, including lithium, potassium fertilizer, iodine,\u00c3\u0082\u00c2 specialty plant nutrition, and industrial chemicals. Lithium accounts for , followed by specialty plant nutrition at 24%, iodine at 22%, potassium at 8%, and industrial chemicals at 3%. Lithium is used in the production of electric vehicle batteries. Quimica is the world\u00c3\u00a2\u00c2\u0080\u00c2\u0099s second-largest producer with 17%global marketshare. In November, SQM reported due to lower lithium prices combined with global oversupply issues.\u00c3\u0082\u00c2 As Quimica works to capture greater market share in China, investors should continue to expect significant volatility in its stock price. Long-term, I believe it\u00c3\u00a2\u00c2\u0080\u00c2\u0099s a winner.\u00c3\u0082\u00c2 Colgate-Palmolive (CL) Source: Shutterstock Dividend Yield: 2.27% Unless you\u00c3\u00a2\u00c2\u0080\u00c2\u0099ve been living in a cave, you\u00c3\u00a2\u00c2\u0080\u00c2\u0099ve probably heard of Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:), the consumer goods company behind Colgate toothpaste, Palmolive dish soap, and Hill\u00c3\u00a2\u00c2\u0080\u00c2\u0099s pet food. Colgate-Palmolive has a market cap of $64.9 billion, it\u00c3\u00a2\u00c2\u0080\u00c2\u0099s yielding 2.27%, and has a year to date total return of 11.1% through Feb. 18. If you\u00c3\u00a2\u00c2\u0080\u00c2\u0099ve owned CL stock in the past five years, you\u00c3\u00a2\u00c2\u0080\u00c2\u0099ve likely been disappointed as it generated an annualized total return of 3.6%, 576 basis points worse than its peers in household and personal products. It has done even worse relative to the Morningstar US Market Total Return Index, which generated an 11.8% annualized total return over the same period.\u00c3\u0082\u00c2 The move up so far in 2020 is an indication that CL stock is ready to revert to the mean.\u00c3\u0082\u00c2 On Jan. 23, Colgate announced that it had one of the fastest-growing premium oral care brands in the U.S. Just days later, Hello introduced a CBD product line that includes a variety of kinds of toothpaste and lip balms. If Colgate is going to get out of its funk, innovative brands like Hello Products are a step in the right direction. At I wouldn\u00c3\u00a2\u00c2\u0080\u00c2\u0099t categorize CL as cheap, but I would say it\u00c3\u00a2\u00c2\u0080\u00c2\u0099s not expensive either.\u00c3\u0082\u00c2 Long-term, this looks like the beginning of a long leg up to $100.\u00c3\u0082\u00c2 \u00c3\u0082\u00c2 \u00c3\u0082\u00c2 \u00c3\u0082\u00c2 \u00c3\u0082\u00c2 Blackstone Group (BX) Source: Isabelle OHara / Shutterstock.com Dividend Yield: 3.17% Unless you work on Wall Street, there\u00c3\u00a2\u00c2\u0080\u00c2\u0099s a good chance you might confuse Blackstone Group (NYSE:), an alternative asset manager with more than $571 billion in assets under management, with BlackRock, the investment manager I mentioned earlier in this article. Blackstone has a market cap of $72.8 billion, it\u00c3\u00a2\u00c2\u0080\u00c2\u0099s yielding 3.1%, and has a year to date through Feb. 18. Over the past five years, it\u00c3\u00a2\u00c2\u0080\u00c2\u0099s got an annualized total return of 14.5%, 268 basis points better than the markets as a whole.\u00c3\u0082\u00c2 of Brookfield Asset Management (NYSE:BAM), another alternative asset manager for several years. I don\u00c3\u00a2\u00c2\u0080\u00c2\u0099t know as much about Blackstone as I do BAM, but CEO and co-founder Stephen Schwarzman is as smart as they come.\u00c3\u0082\u00c2 It\u00c3\u00a2\u00c2\u0080\u00c2\u0099s appropriate that Brookfield CEO Bruce Flatt is equally bright. It makes for a wonderful competition. You can\u00c3\u00a2\u00c2\u0080\u00c2\u0099t go wrong owning either of these stocks.\u00c3\u0082\u00c2 \u00c3\u0082\u00c2 \u00c3\u0082\u00c2 Novo Nordisk (NVO) Source: Shutterstock Dividend Yield: 1.9% Selecting Danish health care company Novo Nordisk (NYSE:) was made easier by the fact NVO stock was the only health care company on my screen that was up more than 10% year to date.\u00c3\u0082\u00c2 Novo Nordisk has a market cap of $119.8 billion, it\u00c3\u00a2\u00c2\u0080\u00c2\u0099s yielding 1.9%, and has a year to date through Feb. 18. Over the past three years, it\u00c3\u00a2\u00c2\u0080\u00c2\u0099s got an annualized total return of 24.1%, almost 12 percentage points greater than its biotechnology peers.\u00c3\u0082\u00c2 The company reported its fiscal 2019 results on Feb. 5. They were extremely positive, with on the year with revenues increasing by 6% year over year to 122 billion Danish kroner, which is equivalent to $13.4 billion in U.S. dollars.\u00c3\u0082\u00c2 Novo Nordisk\u00c3\u00a2\u00c2\u0080\u00c2\u0099s revenues remained stagnant in the three years between 2016 and 2018. However, in 2019, its business took off, with sales growing 9% overall. A significant contributor to that growth was its international operations outside the U.S. Specifically, its AAMEO region (Africa, Asia, Middle East and Oceania), saw sales increase by 16% in 2019, an important number considering it accounts for 23% of sales outside the U.S. In 2019, three drugs in its Diabetes and Obesity care segment: NovoRapid, Victoza, and Ozempic, accounted for 50% of the segment\u00c3\u00a2\u00c2\u0080\u00c2\u0099s overall revenue and 42% of the company\u00c3\u00a2\u00c2\u0080\u00c2\u0099s total sales.\u00c3\u0082\u00c2 Somehow, given the diet of most Americans, I don\u00c3\u00a2\u00c2\u0080\u00c2\u0099t see the demand for these drugs going away anytime soon.\u00c3\u0082\u00c2 Lockheed Martin (LMT) Source: Ken Wolter / Shutterstock.com Dividend Yield: 2.25% Lockheed Martin (NYSE:) is one of only three companies that made the cut from the industrial goods sector. I went with LMT for a couple of reasons, which I will get to in a moment.\u00c3\u0082\u00c2 LMT is the largest defense contractor in the world. It\u00c3\u00a2\u00c2\u0080\u00c2\u0099s probably best known for the F-35 fighter jet. It has a market cap of $120 billion, it\u00c3\u00a2\u00c2\u0080\u00c2\u0099s yielding 2.25%, and has a year to date through Feb. 18. The first reason I like Lockheed Martin is that a woman runs it. Marilyn Hewson, its CEO, was named in 2018 by Chief Executive magazine. Go through a list of past winners and you\u00c3\u00a2\u00c2\u0080\u00c2\u0099ll see that the long-time employee is in good company.\u00c3\u0082\u00c2 When I just had to recommend its stock. It\u00c3\u00a2\u00c2\u0080\u00c2\u0099s up almost 50% since then. Defense contractors don\u00c3\u00a2\u00c2\u0080\u00c2\u0099t have it as easy as some might think. Hewson makes the job look easy.\u00c3\u0082\u00c2 The second reason I like LMT stock is that it\u00c3\u00a2\u00c2\u0080\u00c2\u0099s a for Bombardier (OTCMKTS:BDRBF) now that the Quebec aerospace company has sold off everything but its business jet program that includes the Learjet, Challenger, and Global brands.\u00c3\u0082\u00c2 Bombardier is better off within a larger company; Lockheed could use a civil aviation business. Like the merger many years ago between Lockheed and Martin Marietta, this one would be a winner. \u00c3\u0082\u00c2 \u00c3\u0082\u00c2 \u00c3\u0082\u00c2 \u00c3\u0082\u00c2 Darden Restaurants (DRI) Source: Shutterstock Dividend Yield: 2.9% For most investors, Darden Restaurants (NYSE:) is probably best known as the owner of Olive Garden. When I think of DRI, I think of Yardhouse, the company\u00c3\u00a2\u00c2\u0080\u00c2\u0099s food and craft beer concept, that has 79 locations across the U.S. However, there\u00c3\u00a2\u00c2\u0080\u00c2\u0099s no question that Olive Garden is the biggest brand in the Darden stable with 867 locations as of Q2 2020.\u00c3\u0082\u00c2 \u00c3\u0082\u00c2 \u00c3\u0082\u00c2 Darden has a market cap of $14.6 billion, it\u00c3\u00a2\u00c2\u0080\u00c2\u0099s yielding 2.9%, and has a year to date through Feb. 18. It has been a while since I\u00c3\u00a2\u00c2\u0080\u00c2\u0099ve considered DRI stock. The last time I wrote about the company in 2013, it still owned Red Lobster, which has since been sold off. At the time, CEO Clarence Otis was It needed a new direction. Current CEO Gene Lee has been the chief executive since October 2014, when the former COO was put in charge after On an interim basis at first, Lee became the permanent chief executive in February 2015.\u00c3\u0082\u00c2 Since Lee has taken the reins, DRI stock is up 116% over the past five years. He remains a firm hand in a very competitive industry.\u00c3\u0082\u00c2 \u00c3\u0082\u00c2 \u00c3\u0082\u00c2 NortonLifeLock (NLOK) Source: Shutterstock Dividend Yield: 2.4% It has been three months since NortonLifeLock (NASDAQ:NLOK), after Broadcom (NASDAQ:) acquired Symantec\u00c3\u00a2\u00c2\u0080\u00c2\u0099s enterprise business for $10.7 billion. NortonLifeLock has a market cap of $12.5 billion, it\u00c3\u00a2\u00c2\u0080\u00c2\u0099s yielding 2.4%, and has a year to date through Feb. 18.\u00c3\u0082\u00c2 What\u00c3\u00a2\u00c2\u0080\u00c2\u0099s left after the sale is the Norton and LifeLock consumer cyber safety brands. On its first day of trading, UBS analyst Fatima Boolani gave NLOK stock a \u00c3\u00a2\u00c2\u0080\u00c2\u009cbuy\u00c3\u00a2\u00c2\u0080\u00c2\u009d rating and a Boolani believes that NLOK has an excellent chance to be a reliable generator of free cash flow providing investors with a healthy dividend. It\u00c3\u00a2\u00c2\u0080\u00c2\u0099s important to note that most of the gains in 2020 are due to the paid on Jan. 31 as part of the company\u00c3\u00a2\u00c2\u0080\u00c2\u0099s pledge to return more than 100% of the after-tax proceeds from the sale of its enterprise business.\u00c3\u0082\u00c2 In fiscal 2020, NortonLifeLock is likely to finish the year with free cash flow approaching $1 billion. Based on its current market cap, it\u00c3\u00a2\u00c2\u0080\u00c2\u0099s got an FCF yield of 8%, which many consider being value territory.\u00c3\u0082\u00c2 Add in the healthy dividend and NLOK could be the best of the bunch value-wise.\u00c3\u0082\u00c2 Algonquin Power & Utilities (AQN) Source: Shutterstock Dividend Yield: 3% It\u00c3\u00a2\u00c2\u0080\u00c2\u0099s not often that you see a utility company make a list of stocks to buy for capital appreciation, but I did say I would include as many sectors as possible. Being from Canada, I take special pride in Algonquin Power & Utilities (NYSE:). The company has a market cap of $8.7 billion, it\u00c3\u00a2\u00c2\u0080\u00c2\u0099s yielding 3%, and has a year to date through Feb. 18. Over the past five years, it\u00c3\u00a2\u00c2\u0080\u00c2\u0099s got an annualized total return of 18%.\u00c3\u0082\u00c2 Vivian Lewis, the editor of the Global Investing newsletter, recently called AQN her It was her top pick for conservative investors in 2019.\u00c3\u0082\u00c2 As Lewis points out, Algonquin plans to be generating 75% of its electricity from renewable power no later than 2023. Selling to more than 750,000 customers in the U.S. and Canada, it is an excellent play on climate change.\u00c3\u0082\u00c2 There\u00c3\u00a2\u00c2\u0080\u00c2\u0099s no question AQN is a winner. That\u00c3\u00a2\u00c2\u0080\u00c2\u0099s why in November 2018, I called it one of the Since then, it\u00c3\u00a2\u00c2\u0080\u00c2\u0099s up 58%, an annualized rate of return of 48%.\u00c3\u0082\u00c2 If all utilities were like that, there wouldn\u00c3\u00a2\u00c2\u0080\u00c2\u0099t be anything else in my portfolio.\u00c3\u0082\u00c2 \u00c3\u0082\u00c2 BlackRock (BLK) Source: David Tran Photo / Shutterstock.com Dividend Yield: 2.6% Now that I\u00c3\u00a2\u00c2\u0080\u00c2\u0099ve gotten through all the sectors with at least one pick each, I\u00c3\u00a2\u00c2\u0080\u00c2\u0099ve gone back to one of two stocks from last year\u00c3\u00a2\u00c2\u0080\u00c2\u0099s recommendations mentioned earlier.\u00c3\u0082\u00c2 BlackRock has a market cap of $86.8 billion, it\u00c3\u00a2\u00c2\u0080\u00c2\u0099s yielding 2.6%, and has a year to date through Feb. 18.\u00c3\u0082\u00c2 As I highlighted earlier, BLK stock has a great return over the past year, up 27.8%. It even has a pretty good three-year annualized total return of 15.6%, 99 basis points higher than the markets as a whole. It\u00c3\u00a2\u00c2\u0080\u00c2\u0099s not nearly as good for the five- and 10-year periods.\u00c3\u0082\u00c2 Back in January 2019, I recommended BLK stock, suggesting that its (iShares accounted for just 38% of sales; in 2019, that was down to 30% of its base fees) make it an excellent investment in good times and bad.\u00c3\u0082\u00c2 CEO Larry Fink remains However, I say that with reverence. Very few CEOs of large companies have the stomach for honest conversations. To shareholders\u00c3\u00a2\u00c2\u0080\u00c2\u0099 benefit, Fink does. As long as Fink is CEO, BLK remains a fantastic dividend stock to own for the long haul.\u00c3\u0082\u00c2 Brookfield Infrastructure (BIP) Source: Shutterstock Dividend Yield: 3.86% Last but not least, I ave gone back to one of Brookfield Asset Management\u00c3\u00a2\u00c2\u0080\u00c2\u0099s spinoffs. It owns and went public in January 2008.\u00c3\u0082\u00c2 Brookfield Infrastructure has a market cap of $22.7 billion, it\u00c3\u00a2\u00c2\u0080\u00c2\u0099s yielding almost 3.9%, and has a year to date through Feb. 18. Over the past five years, it\u00c3\u00a2\u00c2\u0080\u00c2\u0099s got an annualized total return of 16.5%, 604 basis points higher than its peers in the utility sector. On Dec. 23, the company announced that it had acquired Cincinnati Bell (NYSE:) for $2.6 billion, including the assumption of debt. Brookfield\u00c3\u00a2\u00c2\u0080\u00c2\u0099s management wanted Cincinnati Bell because its footprint of more 1.3 million customers in Ohio, Kentucky, and Hawaii makes an excellent addition to its data infrastructure portfolio.\u00c3\u0082\u00c2 While some might consider Cincinnati Bell long past its prime, the company is halfway to upgrading its entire network. With Brookfield\u00c3\u00a2\u00c2\u0080\u00c2\u0099s help, it will get the other 50% completed sooner rather than later.\u00c3\u0082\u00c2 Brookfield remains an excellent judge of value. In 3-5 years, shareholders will be happy it paid a 36% premium to acquire CBB\u00c3\u00a2\u00c2\u0080\u00c2\u0099s stock.\u00c3\u0082\u00c2 Will Ashworth has written about investments full-time since 2008. Publications where he\u00c3\u00a2\u00c2\u0080\u00c2\u0099s appeared include InvestorPlace, The Motley Fool Canada, Investopedia, Kiplinger, and several others in both the U.S. and Canada. He particularly enjoys creating model portfolios that stand the test of time. He lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia. At the time of this writing Will Ashworth did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities. The post appeared first on InvestorPlace. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Stocks To Watch: Fastenal Sees RS Rating Jump To 83""]"
FAST,2020-02-24,35.4166,35.7334,34.6684,35.1461,
FAST,2020-02-25,35.3514,35.5389,33.48,33.6586,
FAST,2020-02-26,34.1334,34.2805,33.4059,33.4711,
FAST,2020-02-27,32.9222,33.9271,32.3547,32.5956,
FAST,2020-02-28,31.4684,32.4267,31.1732,31.8513,"Fastenal Enters Oversold Territory The DividendRank formula at Dividend Channel ranks a coverage universe of thousands of dividend stocks, according to a proprietary formula designed to identify those stocks that combine two important characteristics — strong fundamentals and a valuation that looks inexpensive. Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) presently has an above average rank, in the top 50% of the coverage universe, which suggests it is among the top most ""interesting"" ideas that merit further research by investors. But making Fastenal Co. an even more interesting and timely stock to look at, is the fact that in trading on Friday, shares of FAST entered into oversold territory, changing hands as low as $33.491 per share. We define oversold territory using the Relative Strength Index, or RSI, which is a technical analysis indicator used to measure momentum on a scale of zero to 100. A stock is considered to be oversold if the RSI reading falls below 30. In the case of Fastenal Co., the RSI reading has hit 29.8 — by comparison, the universe of dividend stocks covered by Dividend Channel currently has an average RSI of 24.1. A falling stock price — all else being equal — creates a better opportunity for dividend investors to capture a higher yield. Indeed, FAST's recent annualized dividend of 1/share (currently paid in quarterly installments) works out to an annual yield of 2.86% based upon the recent $35.02 share price. A bullish investor could look at FAST's 29.8 RSI reading today as a sign that the recent heavy selling is in the process of exhausting itself, and begin to look for entry point opportunities on the buy side. Among the fundamental datapoints dividend investors should investigate to decide if they are bullish on FAST is its dividend history. In general, dividends are not always predictable; but, looking at the history chart below can help in judging whether the most recent dividend is likely to continue. Click here to find out what 9 other oversold dividend stocks you need to know about » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2020-03-02,31.8177,32.7545,31.0034,32.7456,
FAST,2020-03-03,32.4179,33.8699,31.8128,32.0093,"[""LL vs. FAST: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?"", ""LL vs. FAST: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?"", ""LL vs. FAST: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?""]"
FAST,2020-03-04,32.5581,33.1266,31.9599,33.0762,"[""Here's How Casey's (CASY) Looks Just Ahead of Q3 Earnings"", ""Here's How Casey's (CASY) Looks Just Ahead of Q3 Earnings"", ""Here's How Casey's (CASY) Looks Just Ahead of Q3 Earnings""]"
FAST,2020-03-05,32.1583,33.554,32.0931,32.4267,"FAST Crosses Above Average Analyst Target In recent trading, shares of Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) have crossed above the average analyst 12-month target price of $35.28, changing hands for $35.53/share. When a stock reaches the target an analyst has set, the analyst logically has two ways to react: downgrade on valuation, or, re-adjust their target price to a higher level. Analyst reaction may also depend on the fundamental business developments that may be responsible for driving the stock price higher — if things are looking up for the company, perhaps it is time for that target price to be raised. There are 7 different analyst targets contributing to that average for Fastenal Co., but the average is just that — a mathematical average. There are analysts with lower targets than the average, including one looking for a price of $30.00. And then on the other side of the spectrum one analyst has a target as high as $39.00. The standard deviation is $3.728. But the whole reason to look at the average FAST price target in the first place is to tap into a ""wisdom of crowds"" effort, putting together the contributions of all the individual minds who contributed to the ultimate number, as opposed to what just one particular expert believes. And so with FAST crossing above that average target price of $35.28/share, investors in FAST have been given a good signal to spend fresh time assessing the company and deciding for themselves: is $35.28 just one stop on the way to an even higher target, or has the valuation gotten stretched to the point where it is time to think about taking some chips off the table? Below is a table showing the current thinking of the analysts that cover Fastenal Co.: RECENT FAST ANALYST RATINGS BREAKDOWN » Current 1 Month Ago 2 Month Ago 3 Month Ago Strong buy ratings: 0 0 0 0 Buy ratings: 0 0 0 0 Hold ratings: 11 11 11 12 Sell ratings: 0 0 0 0 Strong sell ratings: 0 0 0 0 Average rating: 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 The average rating presented in the last row of the above table above is from 1 to 5 where 1 is Strong Buy and 5 is Strong Sell. This article used data provided by Zacks Investment Research via Quandl.com. Get the latest Zacks research report on FAST — FREE. 10 ETFs With Most Upside To Analyst Targets » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2020-03-06,31.108,31.9165,31.0133,31.796,"[""Fastenal (FAST) February Sales Witness Sequential Increase"", ""Vail Resorts (MTN) to Report Q2 Earnings: What's in the Cards?"", ""Shares of several companies in the broader industrial sector are trading lower amid the global coronavirus outbreak, which has hampered global economic outlook for the sector."", ""Shares of several companies in the broader industrial sector are trading lower amid the global coronavirus outbreak, which has hampered global economic outlook for the sector."", ""Vail Resorts (MTN) to Report Q2 Earnings: What's in the Cards?"", ""Fastenal (FAST) February Sales Witness Sequential Increase"", ""Shares of several companies in the broader industrial sector are trading lower amid the global coronavirus outbreak, which has hampered global economic outlook for the sector."", ""Vail Resorts (MTN) to Report Q2 Earnings: What's in the Cards?"", ""Fastenal (FAST) February Sales Witness Sequential Increase""]"
FAST,2020-03-09,29.665,30.5681,28.4923,29.0323,Oil Is Plummeting. Here Are Industrial Companies That Could Take a Hit — and Some That Could Benefit. A lot of U.S. industrial firms sell into the oil-patch. Monday’s oil shock means some pain for the sector. Here’s who is affected the most.
FAST,2020-03-10,29.9897,31.2936,29.133,31.2758,"[""Shares of several industrial companies are trading higher as markets rebound following Monday's selloff. US President Trump on Monday suggested the US is considering a payroll tax cut to relieve the negative economic effects of the coronavirus."", ""Shares of several industrial companies are trading higher as markets rebound following Monday's selloff. US President Trump on Monday suggested the US is considering a payroll tax cut to relieve the negative economic effects of the coronavirus."", ""Shares of several industrial companies are trading higher as markets rebound following Monday's selloff. US President Trump on Monday suggested the US is considering a payroll tax cut to relieve the negative economic effects of the coronavirus.""]"
FAST,2020-03-11,30.2237,31.339,30.0825,30.6481,"[""Fastenal Getting Closer To Key Technical Benchmark"", ""Fastenal Getting Closer To Key Technical Benchmark"", ""Fastenal Getting Closer To Key Technical Benchmark""]"
FAST,2020-03-12,28.4253,30.5681,27.7274,28.7342,"[""Shares of several companies in the broader industrial sector including construction, shipping, defense and others, are trading lower as equities sell off. The global coronavirus outbreak has weakened economic outlook and negatively impacted industrials."", ""Shares of several companies in the broader industrial sector including construction, shipping, defense and others, are trading lower as equities sell off. The global coronavirus outbreak has weakened economic outlook and negatively impacted industrials."", ""3 Dividend Stocks That Pay You More Than Pepsi Does Pepsi (NASDAQ: PEP) is a steady business that pays a 2.9% dividend yield, which isn't bad -- but income-seeking investors can do better. While there are many stocks generating high single-digit or even double-digit dividend yields, investors need to be cautious about investing in these because many of them are declining businesses, have excessive levels of debt, or face other risks that cast doubt on the sustainability of their dividends. The dividend-yielding companies investors should want to own are high-quality, growing businesses that will almost certainly continue their track record of raising dividends every year. If you like the sound of that, here are three great companies that fit the bill. Vail Resorts Vail Resorts (NYSE: MTN) operates 17 world-class ski resorts and three urban ski properties in North America and Australia. Some of its most well-known properties include Whistler Blackcomb, Breckenridge Ski Resort, Vail Mountain Resort, Park City Resort, Keystone Resort, Beaver Creek Resort, Heavenly Mountain Resort, and Stowe Mountain Resort. The big thing Vail Resorts has going for it is the supply of ski mountains is essentially fixed. New competitors can't make new ski mountains, so there is virtually no risk of new skiing competition. This is also a business where most of the operating costs are fixed, which means the next visitor or skier is very profitable. Image source: Getty Images. Vail has done an incredible job over the years with its Epic Pass program. With Epic Pass, avid skiers can ski at any one of Vail's mountains worldwide. That creates a scale advantage other individual mountains can't compete with. The company has raised the price of the Epic Pass at an average rate of 4.5% per year since it launched in 2008. Clearly, the company has shown impressive pricing power, which has helped the stock appreciate by more than five times in the 11 years since then. That's a 15.7% average annual rate, and that doesn't even include the dividends the company has paid over the years. With the stock at $185.03 per share, the company's $1.76 per share quarterly dividend is a 3.8% annual dividend yield. That's far better than Pepsi's 2.9%, plus Vail Resorts is growing revenue and profit faster than Pepsi. Lamar Advertising Lamar Advertising (NASDAQ: LAMR) is one of the largest outdoor advertising companies in the United States. Lamar owns 157,800 billboards in the U.S. and Canada, as well as 3,500 digital billboards. The attractive thing about this business is outdoor advertising is one of the new \""old school\"" advertising methods that isn't being disrupted by digital advertising from Alphabet's Google, Facebook, Amazon.com, and others. As long as people continue to drive on highways, which seems highly likely to persist indefinitely, people will see Lamar's advertising. That means advertisers will pay Lamar for the ad space. It's even possible that we end up driving more in the long-term if we're driven around by autonomous cars. Lamar is also converting some of its static billboards to digital billboards. These digital billboards rotate the advertisement every so often and do so without the need for someone to visit the board and change the copy. That reduces operating costs. Digital boards also generate more revenue because there is more demand for digital spots that can be changed on the fly and don't require long-term advertising commitments. In addition, a broader variety of advertising partners finds that sort of medium useful. For example, a restaurant that's advertising a dinner special for that night only or a retailer off the next exit that's advertising a one-day sale. Lamar has grown its revenue and operating profit at 5.3% and 6.2% average annual rates over the last five years. The annual dividend has been raised every year since 2014 when Lamar converted to a real estate investment trust (REIT) for federal income tax purposes. At $74.90 per share, the stock's $1 per share quarterly dividend is a 5.3% annual dividend yield. That's way better than Pepsi. Certainly, advertising is a more cyclical business than snacks and soda, but long-term investors should still be rewarded. Fastenal Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST) is one of the largest industrial distributors of fasteners and supplies in the United States. Since its founding in 1967, the company has grown to a $5.3 billion revenue business. Two factors have enabled that growth. First, it competes in the $140 billion North American industrial distribution market. As a small fish in a huge pond, it's been able to grow without market penetration constraints. Second, it has a stellar reputation for customer service and fair prices. The company also operates a growing fleet of industrial vending machines and on-site locations that are integrated with its customers' facilities. These businesses provide customers with instant access to supplies, which improves customer satisfaction while both increasing revenue and lowering operating costs. The company now has 89,937 installed vending machines along with 1,114 on-site locations, which now make up 35% of its total public locations. Fastenal pays a $0.25-per-share quarterly dividend, which amounts to a 3.2% annual yield at the current $31.09 per share stock price. That's better than Pepsi's 2.9% yield and Fastenal is a higher quality business that has a much better growth profile. Investors should consider swapping Pepsi for one or more of these dividend-paying stocks. 10 stocks we like better than PepsiCo When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and PepsiCo wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of December 1, 2019 John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Randi Zuckerberg, a former director of market development and spokeswoman for Facebook and sister to its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Andrew Tseng owns shares of Alphabet (C shares), Amazon, and Facebook. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Alphabet (A shares), Alphabet (C shares), Amazon, and Facebook. The Motley Fool recommends Fastenal and Vail Resorts. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Shares of several companies in the broader industrial sector including construction, shipping, defense and others, are trading lower as equities sell off. The global coronavirus outbreak has weakened economic outlook and negatively impacted industrials.""]"
FAST,2020-03-13,30.5287,31.7871,29.05,31.7299,"[""Baird Upgrades Fastenal to Outperform, Raises Price Target to $40"", ""Shares of several companies in the broader industrial sector including construction are trading higher as rebound following Thursday's selloff. NOTE: The coronavirus outbreak has highly impacted the industrial sector due to fear of an economic slowdown."", ""Benzinga's Top Upgrades, Downgrades For March 13, 2020"", ""Benzinga's Top Upgrades, Downgrades For March 13, 2020"", ""Shares of several companies in the broader industrial sector including construction are trading higher as rebound following Thursday's selloff. NOTE: The coronavirus outbreak has highly impacted the industrial sector due to fear of an economic slowdown."", ""Baird Upgrades Fastenal to Outperform, Raises Price Target to $40"", ""Benzinga's Top Upgrades, Downgrades For March 13, 2020"", ""Shares of several companies in the broader industrial sector including construction are trading higher as rebound following Thursday's selloff. NOTE: The coronavirus outbreak has highly impacted the industrial sector due to fear of an economic slowdown."", ""Baird Upgrades Fastenal to Outperform, Raises Price Target to $40""]"
FAST,2020-03-16,28.3986,31.6282,27.9238,29.5248,"[""Here's How Five Below (FIVE) Looks Just Ahead of Q4 Earnings"", ""Shares of several industrial companies are trading lower as equities sell off amid continued global coronavirus concerns. The virus has caused global economic disruption and negatively impacted stocks across sectors."", ""Shares of several industrial companies are trading lower as equities sell off amid continued global coronavirus concerns. The virus has caused global economic disruption and negatively impacted stocks across sectors."", ""Here's How Five Below (FIVE) Looks Just Ahead of Q4 Earnings"", ""Shares of several industrial companies are trading lower as equities sell off amid continued global coronavirus concerns. The virus has caused global economic disruption and negatively impacted stocks across sectors."", ""Here's How Five Below (FIVE) Looks Just Ahead of Q4 Earnings""]"
FAST,2020-03-17,30.1378,32.6992,29.818,32.1227,"[""How Ollie's Bargain (OLLI) Looks Just Ahead of Q4 Earnings"", ""Shares of several industrial companies are trading higher rebounding from Monday's crash. Stocks may also potentially be getting a boost from expectations of a further $850 billion stimulus proposal."", ""Morgan Stanley Maintains Equal-Weight on Fastenal, Lowers Price Target to $30"", ""Morgan Stanley Maintains Equal-Weight on Fastenal, Lowers Price Target to $30"", ""Shares of several industrial companies are trading higher rebounding from Monday's crash. Stocks may also potentially be getting a boost from expectations of a further $850 billion stimulus proposal."", ""How Ollie's Bargain (OLLI) Looks Just Ahead of Q4 Earnings"", ""Morgan Stanley Maintains Equal-Weight on Fastenal, Lowers Price Target to $30"", ""Shares of several industrial companies are trading higher rebounding from Monday's crash. Stocks may also potentially be getting a boost from expectations of a further $850 billion stimulus proposal."", ""How Ollie's Bargain (OLLI) Looks Just Ahead of Q4 Earnings""]"
FAST,2020-03-18,30.4724,32.3922,29.2139,31.1338,
FAST,2020-03-19,31.0992,33.0052,29.7844,30.0647,"[""LL or FAST: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?"", ""Wells Fargo Upgrades Fastenal to Overweight, Announces $45 Price Target"", ""Wells Fargo Upgrades Fastenal to Overweight, Announces $45 Price Target"", ""LL or FAST: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?"", ""Wells Fargo Upgrades Fastenal to Overweight, Announces $45 Price Target"", ""LL or FAST: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?""]"
FAST,2020-03-20,30.1181,30.1378,26.4995,26.7502,
FAST,2020-03-23,27.9238,27.9238,24.8659,26.2281,"[""Will Coronavirus Outbreak Weigh on NIKE's (NKE) Q3 Earnings?"", ""Can lululemon (LULU) Q4 Earnings Beat Amid Coronavirus Crisis?"", ""Stocks That Hit 52-Week Lows On Monday"", ""Stocks That Hit 52-Week Lows On Monday"", ""Will Coronavirus Outbreak Weigh on NIKE's (NKE) Q3 Earnings?"", ""Can lululemon (LULU) Q4 Earnings Beat Amid Coronavirus Crisis?"", ""Stocks That Hit 52-Week Lows On Monday"", ""Will Coronavirus Outbreak Weigh on NIKE's (NKE) Q3 Earnings?"", ""Can lululemon (LULU) Q4 Earnings Beat Amid Coronavirus Crisis?""]"
FAST,2020-03-24,27.0207,29.3018,27.0207,29.1991,
FAST,2020-03-25,28.6405,29.5978,27.7462,28.137,"[""Fastenal Shows Market Leadership With Jump To 85 RS Rating"", ""Fastenal Shows Market Leadership With Jump To 85 RS Rating"", ""Fastenal Shows Market Leadership With Jump To 85 RS Rating""]"
FAST,2020-03-26,28.2219,30.2897,27.4214,30.0746,
FAST,2020-03-27,29.0125,29.593,28.1005,28.8921,
FAST,2020-03-30,28.9277,29.9996,28.6681,29.5978,
FAST,2020-03-31,29.2722,30.046,28.8171,29.0866,
FAST,2020-04-01,28.0817,28.8556,27.8488,28.4913,"[""Fastenal Acquires Apex Assets, Fortifies Industrial Vending"", ""Fastenal Acquires Apex Assets, Fortifies Industrial Vending"", ""Fastenal Acquires Apex Assets, Fortifies Industrial Vending""]"
FAST,2020-04-02,28.6019,29.1379,28.0817,28.5279,
FAST,2020-04-03,28.3887,29.1714,27.9288,28.3719,
FAST,2020-04-06,29.2632,30.0746,28.975,29.9512,"[""LL or FAST: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?"", ""Shares of several industrial companies are trading higher with the broader market on optimism that coronavirus cases in several US hotspots appear to be reaching their peak."", ""Shares of several industrial companies are trading higher with the broader market on optimism that coronavirus cases in several US hotspots appear to be reaching their peak."", ""LL or FAST: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?"", ""Shares of several industrial companies are trading higher with the broader market on optimism that coronavirus cases in several US hotspots appear to be reaching their peak."", ""LL or FAST: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?""]"
FAST,2020-04-07,29.8229,31.3212,29.7193,29.7943,"[""David Rolfe Comments on Fastenal"", ""David Rolfe's \u2013st-Quarter Wedgewood Funds Letter: 'Pandemic'"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Reports Next Week: What to Know Ahead of the Release"", ""JP Morgan Downgrades Fastenal to Underweight"", ""Benzinga's Top Upgrades, Downgrades For April 7, 2020"", ""Benzinga's Top Upgrades, Downgrades For April 7, 2020"", ""JP Morgan Downgrades Fastenal to Underweight"", ""David Rolfe Comments on Fastenal"", ""David Rolfe's \u2013st-Quarter Wedgewood Funds Letter: 'Pandemic'"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Reports Next Week: What to Know Ahead of the Release"", ""Benzinga's Top Upgrades, Downgrades For April 7, 2020"", ""JP Morgan Downgrades Fastenal to Underweight"", ""David Rolfe Comments on Fastenal"", ""David Rolfe's \u2013st-Quarter Wedgewood Funds Letter: 'Pandemic'"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Reports Next Week: What to Know Ahead of the Release""]"
FAST,2020-04-08,30.1753,30.4093,29.4498,30.2425,
FAST,2020-04-09,30.4724,31.3766,30.2947,31.2936,
FAST,2020-04-13,30.3529,31.108,29.665,30.0371,"[""Stephens & Co. Reiterates Equal-Weight on Fastenal, Lowers Price Target to $32"", ""Fastenal shares are trading lower after Stephens & Co maintained its Equal-Weight rating on the stock and lowered the price target from $37 to $32 per share."", ""Fastenal shares are trading lower after Stephens & Co maintained its Equal-Weight rating on the stock and lowered the price target from $37 to $32 per share."", ""Stephens & Co. Reiterates Equal-Weight on Fastenal, Lowers Price Target to $32"", ""Fastenal shares are trading lower after Stephens & Co maintained its Equal-Weight rating on the stock and lowered the price target from $37 to $32 per share."", ""Stephens & Co. Reiterates Equal-Weight on Fastenal, Lowers Price Target to $32""]"
FAST,2020-04-14,32.0457,32.7338,30.5484,32.1503,"[""Three Long Term Payers Announce Dividend Distributions"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Surpasses Q1 Earnings and Revenue Estimates"", ""Earnings Scheduled For April 14, 2020"", ""Fastenal Q1 EPS $0.350 Beats $0.340 Estimate, Sales $1.367B Beat $1.360B Estimate"", ""Fastenal: Q1 Earnings Insights"", ""Fastenal shares are trading higher after the company reported better-than-expected Q1 EPS and sales results."", ""JPMorgan, Wells Fargo Earnings Lower Than Expected, But Positive Tone Helps Shares"", ""JPMorgan, Wells Fargo Earnings Lower Than Expected, But Positive Tone Helps Shares"", ""Fastenal shares are trading higher after the company reported better-than-expected Q1 EPS and sales results."", ""Fastenal: Q1 Earnings Insights"", ""Fastenal Q1 EPS $0.350 Beats $0.340 Estimate, Sales $1.367B Beat $1.360B Estimate"", ""Earnings Scheduled For April 14, 2020"", ""Three Long Term Payers Announce Dividend Distributions"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Surpasses Q1 Earnings and Revenue Estimates"", ""Daily Dividend Report: JNJ,FAST,FRC,UNM,O Johnson & Johnson today announced that its Board of Directors has declared a 6.3% increase in the quarterly dividend rate, from $0.95 per share to $1.01 per share. \""In recognition of our 2019 results, strong financial position and confidence in the future of Johnson & Johnson, the Board has voted to increase the quarterly dividend for the 58th consecutive year,\"" said Alex Gorsky, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the company. At the new rate, the indicated dividend on an annual basis is $4.04 per share compared to the previous rate of $3.80 per share. The next quarterly dividend is payable on June 9, 2020 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on May 26, 2020. The ex-dividend date is May 22, 2020. Fastenal reported its board of directors declared a dividend of $0.25 per share to be paid in cash on May 26, 2020 to shareholders of record at the close of business on April 28, 2020. Fastenal began paying annual dividends in 1991, semi-annual dividends in 2003, and then expanded to quarterly dividends in 2011. First Republic Bank announced an increase of $0.01 in its quarterly cash dividend to $0.20 per share of common stock. This first quarter dividend is payable on May 14, 2020 to shareholders of record as of April 30, 2020. Effective April 9, 2020, the Unum Group Board of Directors declared a quarterly dividend of $0.285 per share on its common stock to be paid on May 15, 2020, to stockholders of record on April 27, 2020. Realty Income, The Monthly Dividend Company, today announced that its Board of Directors has declared the 598th consecutive common stock monthly dividend. The dividend amount of $0.233 per share, representing an annualized amount of $2.796 per share, is payable on May 15, 2020 to shareholders of record as of May 1, 2020. The ex-dividend date for May's dividend is April 30, 2020. VIDEO: Daily Dividend Report: JNJ,FAST,FRC,UNM,O The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""BUZZ-U.S. STOCKS ON THE MOVE-U.S. airlines, banks, General Electric, Tesla, J&J Eikon search string for individual stock moves: STXBZ The Day Ahead newsletter: http://tmsnrt.rs/2ggOmBi The Morning News Call newsletter: http://tmsnrt.rs/2fwPLTh Wall Street rose more than 2% on Tuesday on signs some economies would ease strict coronavirus-induced lockdowns, with investors also looking at quarterly earnings from JPMorgan and Johnson & Johnson for clues on the business hit from the outbreak. .N At 11:12 ET, the Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI was up 1.39% at 23,715.73. The S&P 500 .SPX was up 2.30% at 2,825.12 and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC was up 2.99% at 8,437.235. The top three S&P 500 .PG.INX percentage gainers: ** Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd , up 8.5% ** Fastenal Co , up 7.5% ** Carnival Corp , up 6.7% The top three S&P 500 .PL.INX percentage losers: ** Apache Corp , down 7.4% ** Devon Energy , down 7.2% ** Regions Financial Corp , down 6.2% The top two NYSE .PG.N percentage gainers: ** North Shore Global Uranium Mining ETF , up 36.3% ** Protalix Biotherapeutics , up 31.1% The top three NYSE .PL.N percentage losers: ** CorEnergy Infrastructure Trust Inc , down 38.4% ** Independent Contract Drilling , down 19.2% ** Mesabi Trust , down 11.9% The top three Nasdaq .PG.O percentage gainers: ** Aikido Pharma Inc , up 205.2% ** Sonnet Biotherapeutics Holdings Inc , up 151.8% ** Marin Software Inc , up 130.8% The top three Nasdaq .PL.O percentage losers: ** Neurobo Pharmaceuticals Inc , down 43.1% ** Esports Entertaiment Group Inc , down 23.5% ** Scworx Corp , down 22.9% ** Roku ROKU.O: up 7.9% BUZZ- Roku attracting millions of more eyeballs amid pandemic, shares jump - ** General Electric GE.N: down 2.1% BUZZ-JPM's Tusa says GE most expensive value trap, cuts PT to street-low ** JPMorgan Chase & Co JPM.N: down 4.2% ** Goldman Sachs GS.N: down 2.1% ** Wells Fargo & Co WFC.N: down 5.2% ** Morgan Stanley MS.N: down 2.5% BUZZ-Wall St banks trade steady; JPM sees modest economic recovery in H2 ** Johnson & Johnson JNJ.N: up 5.0% BUZZ- Rises on Q1 beat; lowers guidance on COVID-19 impact ** Tesla TSLA.O: up 10.2% BUZZ-Tesla surges 112% in 18 sessions to cross $700, again ** Apple Inc AAPL.O: up 3.7% BUZZ-China iPhone shipments rebound in March ** Axsome AXSM.O: up 8.4% BUZZ-Cowen says Axsome to provide much long-term shareholder value - ** American Airlines Group Inc AAL.O: up 2.6% ** United Airlines Holdings Inc UAL.O: up 5.4% ** Delta Air Lines Inc DAL.N: up 4.1% ** BUZZ-U.S. airlines close to accepting govt aid plan, shares rise ** Oneok Inc OKE.N: up 0.2% BUZZ-Rises after Jefferies upgrades on positive risk-reward opportunity ** MEI Pharma MEIP.O: up 53.8% BUZZ-Surges on licensing deal for cancer drug, gets $100 mln upfront ** Marriott International Inc MAR.O: up 1.5% BUZZ-Marriott International jumps on improvement in China bookings ** Aldeyra Therapeutics Inc ALDX.O: up 15.7% BUZZ-Aldeyra: Jumps on plans to test drug on COVID-19 patients ** Dick's Sporting Goods DKS.N: down 1.6% BUZZ-Dick's Sporting Goods: Falls on $500 mln notes offering ** Borr Drilling BORR.N: down 29.1% BUZZ-U.S. shares of Norway's Borr Drilling slump on contract terminations ** Biocept Inc BIOC.O: down 25.2% BUZZ-Biocept: Plunges on discounted $10.3 mln stock deal ** GSX Techedu Inc GSX.N: down 4.0% BUZZ-GSX Techedu hits 3-month low after bearish note from short seller The 11 major S&P 500 sectors: Communication Services .SPLRCL up 1.83% Consumer Discretionary .SPLRCD up 2.64% Consumer Staples .SPLRCS up 2.73% Energy .SPNY down 0.61% Financial .SPSY down 1.04% Health .SPXHC up 2.40% Industrial .SPLRCI up 1.00% Information Technology .SPLRCT up 2.56% Materials .SPLRCM up 0.36% Real Estate .SPLRCR up 2.74% Utilities .SPLRCU up 1.73% (Compiled by Arundhati Sarkar and Shanti S Nair in Bengaluru) The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal (FAST) Shares Cross Above 200 DMA In trading on Tuesday, shares of Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) crossed above their 200 day moving average of $33.90, changing hands as high as $35.17 per share. Fastenal Co. shares are currently trading up about 8.1% on the day. The chart below shows the one year performance of FAST shares, versus its 200 day moving average: Looking at the chart above, FAST's low point in its 52 week range is $26.715 per share, with $39.305 as the 52 week high point \u2014 that compares with a last trade of $34.61. The FAST DMA information above was sourced from TechnicalAnalysisChannel.com Click here to find out which 9 other dividend stocks recently crossed above their 200 day moving average \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Co. Reports Gain In Q1 Bottom Line (RTTNews) - Fastenal Co. (FAST) revealed earnings for its first quarter that increased from last year. The company's bottom line totaled $202.6 million, or $0.35 per share. This compares with $194.1 million, or $0.34 per share, in last year's first quarter. Analysts had expected the company to earn $0.34 per share, according to figures compiled by Thomson Reuters. Analysts' estimates typically exclude special items. The company's revenue for the quarter rose 4.6% to $1.37 billion from $1.31 billion last year. Fastenal Co. earnings at a glance: -Earnings (Q1): $202.6 Mln. vs. $194.1 Mln. last year. -EPS (Q1): $0.35 vs. $0.34 last year. -Analysts Estimate: $0.34 -Revenue (Q1): $1.37 Bln vs. $1.31 Bln last year. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""JPMorgan, Wells Fargo Earnings Lower Than Expected, But Positive Tone Helps Shares"", ""Fastenal shares are trading higher after the company reported better-than-expected Q1 EPS and sales results."", ""Fastenal: Q1 Earnings Insights"", ""Fastenal Q1 EPS $0.350 Beats $0.340 Estimate, Sales $1.367B Beat $1.360B Estimate"", ""Earnings Scheduled For April 14, 2020"", ""Three Long Term Payers Announce Dividend Distributions"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Surpasses Q1 Earnings and Revenue Estimates"", ""Fastenal\u2019s Earnings Show the Impact of Covid-19 Isn\u2019t as Bad as Feared The distributor is one of the first industrial companies to disclose its quarterly performance."", ""Stocks Take Off as Earnings Turn Out Better Than Feared The S&P 500 rose 3.1% on Tuesday as positive news about the coronavirus pandemic helped lift markets."", ""The Dow Rose 559 Points Because Good Coronavirus News Tops Bad Data Stocks wiped out Monday losses and then some on Tuesday, to continue a blistering rally off lows set in late March. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 558.99 points, or 2.39%, to close at 23,949.76.""]"
FAST,2020-04-15,31.7871,32.3991,31.3864,32.1671,"[""Fastenal Hits 80-Plus Relative Strength Rating Benchmark"", ""Company News for Apr 15, 2020"", ""Stephens & Co. Maintains Equal-Weight on Fastenal, Raises Price Target to $35"", ""Morgan Stanley Maintains Equal-Weight on Fastenal, Raises Price Target to $34"", ""Baird Maintains Outperform on Fastenal, Raises Price Target to $39"", ""Baird Maintains Outperform on Fastenal, Raises Price Target to $39"", ""Morgan Stanley Maintains Equal-Weight on Fastenal, Raises Price Target to $34"", ""Stephens & Co. Maintains Equal-Weight on Fastenal, Raises Price Target to $35"", ""Fastenal Hits 80-Plus Relative Strength Rating Benchmark"", ""Fastenal Hits 80-Plus Relative Strength Rating Benchmark"", ""Company News for Apr 15, 2020"", ""Baird Maintains Outperform on Fastenal, Raises Price Target to $39"", ""Morgan Stanley Maintains Equal-Weight on Fastenal, Raises Price Target to $34"", ""Stephens & Co. Maintains Equal-Weight on Fastenal, Raises Price Target to $35"", ""Fastenal Hits 80-Plus Relative Strength Rating Benchmark"", ""Fastenal Hits 80-Plus Relative Strength Rating Benchmark"", ""Company News for Apr 15, 2020""]"
FAST,2020-04-16,32.3735,33.0624,31.8089,32.9776,"[""Pratt Collard Advisory Partners LLC Buys Essential Utilities Inc, Fastenal Co, Codexis Inc, ..."", ""Pratt Collard Advisory Partners LLC Buys Essential Utilities Inc, Fastenal Co, Codexis Inc, ..."", ""Pratt Collard Advisory Partners LLC Buys Essential Utilities Inc, Fastenal Co, Codexis Inc, ...""]"
FAST,2020-04-17,33.7997,34.3643,32.94,33.4454,"[""Zacks Value Trader Highlights: Avid Technology, Cardinal Health, EMCOR and Fastenal"", ""Shares of several industrial companies are trading higher as investor coronavirus outlook improves following positive drug data from Gilead. Hopes of a successful treatment candidate have improved the outlook for a rebound in the economy."", ""Shares of several industrial companies are trading higher as investor coronavirus outlook improves following positive drug data from Gilead. Hopes of a successful treatment candidate have improved the outlook for a rebound in the economy."", ""Zacks Value Trader Highlights: Avid Technology, Cardinal Health, EMCOR and Fastenal"", ""Shares of several industrial companies are trading higher as investor coronavirus outlook improves following positive drug data from Gilead. Hopes of a successful treatment candidate have improved the outlook for a rebound in the economy."", ""Zacks Value Trader Highlights: Avid Technology, Cardinal Health, EMCOR and Fastenal""]"
FAST,2020-04-20,33.091,33.4356,32.4761,32.5037,
FAST,2020-04-21,32.1031,32.4031,31.6085,31.7783,
FAST,2020-04-22,32.3459,32.6331,32.0132,32.4267,This battle-tested pro in the stock market explains how you can ‘come out swinging’ when the pandemic eases Kim Scott of the Ivy Mid Cap Growth Fund says to avoid ‘cyclical’ companies and focus on those with strong growth prospects Kim Scott of the Ivy Mid Cap Growth Fund says to avoid ‘cyclical’ companies and focus on those with strong growth prospects.
FAST,2020-04-23,32.3646,33.099,32.2787,32.5037,"Ex-Div Reminder for Fastenal (FAST) Looking at the universe of stocks we cover at Dividend Channel, on 4/27/20, Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) will trade ex-dividend, for its quarterly dividend of $0.25, payable on 5/26/20. As a percentage of FAST's recent stock price of $34.84, this dividend works out to approximately 0.72%, so look for shares of Fastenal Co. to trade 0.72% lower — all else being equal — when FAST shares open for trading on 4/27/20. In general, dividends are not always predictable; but looking at the history above can help in judging whether the most recent dividend from FAST is likely to continue, and whether the current estimated yield of 2.87% on annualized basis is a reasonable expectation of annual yield going forward. The chart below shows the one year performance of FAST shares, versus its 200 day moving average: Looking at the chart above, FAST's low point in its 52 week range is $26.715 per share, with $39.305 as the 52 week high point — that compares with a last trade of $34.83. In Thursday trading, Fastenal Co. shares are currently trading flat on the day. Click here to learn which 25 S.A.F.E. dividend stocks should be on your radar screen » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2020-04-24,32.718,33.6399,32.4267,33.5352,"[""Cypress Capital Management Llc Buys iShares Russell Top \u2014\u2026\u2026 Growth, International ..."", ""Construction Stock Q1 Earnings Due on Apr 27: AWI, SSD, PCH"", ""Cypress Capital Management Llc Buys iShares Russell Top \u2014\u2026\u2026 Growth, International ..."", ""Construction Stock Q1 Earnings Due on Apr 27: AWI, SSD, PCH"", ""Fastenal Earnings Are a Bellwether for How Coronavirus Will Affect Industrial Stocks As a supplier to industrial and construction businesses, the performance of Fastenal Company (NASDAQ: FAST) can be a good way to look at the overall health of the manufacturing sector. If its business is strong, it is likely that portends positive results from its customers, as they continue to consume critical items to run their operations. Fastenal's biggest single product line is fasteners, which made up 34.2% of 2019 sales. But it also supplies general and specialty tools, safety items, and electrical, welding, and even janitorial supplies. So its recent earnings report should be a good way to see how the effects of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic may be beginning to influence manufacturing businesses. But digging into the details shows that a strong report from the supplier could be a deceptive signal. Image source: Getty Images. A deeper dive On the surface, the company had a solid earnings report, with 4.4% net sales growth versus last year. The company said growth continues to come from its investment initiatives in industrial vending and Onsite locations, as has been the case in recent years. It noted, however, that the results were also driven by \""increases in certain products later in the quarter related to the coronavirus pandemic.\"" Its biggest product line, fasteners, actually declined on a daily sales basis versus a year ago. Sales of its safety product line really drove the business, increasing 18.4%. PRODUCT LINE Q1 2020 SALES (%) 2019 SALES (%) Fasteners 32.9 34.2 Safety 19.8 17.9 Cutting tools & other supplies 47.3 47.9 New normal for businesses This shift in the business is likely telling as to what we will see from industrial companies this earnings season. Safety supply sales have been expanding for Fastenal, but not quite at the rate seen this quarter. Since 2017, this product line grew by 15.5% annually. So while the recent jump in sales is good for Fastenal, it doesn't bode well for its customers. These are likely not consumables that directly contribute to manufacturers' earnings, but rather ones that are becoming an added necessity -- and added cost -- in today's environment. Fastenal described business activity as \""sluggish\"" through the beginning of March. But it said that \""the second half of March saw activity levels weaken significantly in response to societal actions meant to address the coronavirus pandemic.\"" In illustrating the shift in its customers' businesses, the company reported that in March alone, fastener daily sales actually dropped 10.1%, while safety supply sales increased 31%, mainly from personal protective equipment (PPE). Additionally, sales to the government sector increased 31.1%, with sales to healthcare organizations more than doubling. At the same time, sales to manufacturers and residential construction dropped. Moving forward Fastenal has been seeing success in recent years from its main growth drivers: vending devices and Onsite locations. Vending provides point-of-use dispensing, storage, and delivery for customers to manage inventory more efficiently and save costs. Onsite locations are another initiative designed to improve the ease of doing business and build more loyalty in customer relationships. Both have shown positive results, with installed vending devices growing 10.4% year over year for the first quarter, to a total of over 92,000 units. Onsite locations grew by 24.8%. However, the company did withdraw its growth guidance for both items for the remainder of the year amid the uncertainty brought by the pandemic. While portions of its business are hurt by the economic slowdown, Fastenal's quarterly results show that the safety supply segment will help carry it forward. Unfortunately, the slowdown in fastener, cutting tool, and other non-safety equipment sales is likely to mean that upcoming quarterly results from its customer base of industrial and construction companies will show material weakness in the manufacturing sector. 10 stocks we like better than Fastenal When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Fastenal wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of April 16, 2020 Howard Smith owns shares of Fastenal. The Motley Fool recommends Fastenal. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Cypress Capital Management Llc Buys iShares Russell Top \u2014\u2026\u2026 Growth, International ..."", ""Construction Stock Q1 Earnings Due on Apr 27: AWI, SSD, PCH""]"
FAST,2020-04-27,33.8441,34.7484,33.8225,34.5351,"FAST Crosses Above Average Analyst Target In recent trading, shares of Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) have crossed above the average analyst 12-month target price of $35.33, changing hands for $36.03/share. When a stock reaches the target an analyst has set, the analyst logically has two ways to react: downgrade on valuation, or, re-adjust their target price to a higher level. Analyst reaction may also depend on the fundamental business developments that may be responsible for driving the stock price higher — if things are looking up for the company, perhaps it is time for that target price to be raised. There are 6 different analyst targets contributing to that average for Fastenal Co., but the average is just that — a mathematical average. There are analysts with lower targets than the average, including one looking for a price of $26.00. And then on the other side of the spectrum one analyst has a target as high as $45.00. The standard deviation is $6.345. But the whole reason to look at the average FAST price target in the first place is to tap into a ""wisdom of crowds"" effort, putting together the contributions of all the individual minds who contributed to the ultimate number, as opposed to what just one particular expert believes. And so with FAST crossing above that average target price of $35.33/share, investors in FAST have been given a good signal to spend fresh time assessing the company and deciding for themselves: is $35.33 just one stop on the way to an even higher target, or has the valuation gotten stretched to the point where it is time to think about taking some chips off the table? Below is a table showing the current thinking of the analysts that cover Fastenal Co.: RECENT FAST ANALYST RATINGS BREAKDOWN » Current 1 Month Ago 2 Month Ago 3 Month Ago Strong buy ratings: 2 2 0 0 Buy ratings: 0 0 0 0 Hold ratings: 8 9 11 11 Sell ratings: 0 0 0 0 Strong sell ratings: 1 0 0 0 Average rating: 2.82 2.64 3.0 3.0 The average rating presented in the last row of the above table above is from 1 to 5 where 1 is Strong Buy and 5 is Strong Sell. This article used data provided by Zacks Investment Research via Quandl.com. Get the latest Zacks research report on FAST — FREE. 10 ETFs With Most Upside To Analyst Targets » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2020-04-28,34.9408,35.5883,34.4986,34.6417,
FAST,2020-04-29,34.6812,35.1866,34.1649,34.4354,"[""Yorktown Management & Research Co Inc Buys Encompass Health Corp, Becton, Dickinson and Co, ..."", ""Yorktown Management & Research Co Inc Buys Encompass Health Corp, Becton, Dickinson and Co, ..."", ""Yorktown Management & Research Co Inc Buys Encompass Health Corp, Becton, Dickinson and Co, ...""]"
FAST,2020-04-30,34.1827,34.4838,33.632,33.9489,
FAST,2020-05-01,33.5441,33.7859,33.1522,33.4622,
FAST,2020-05-04,33.3023,33.632,32.9598,33.6023,
FAST,2020-05-05,33.9961,34.8302,33.8185,34.3337,"[""Shares of several industrial companies are trading higher amid positive investor sentiment as some US states begin to reopen their economies and as oil prices gain for the session."", ""Shares of several industrial companies are trading higher amid positive investor sentiment as some US states begin to reopen their economies and as oil prices gain for the session."", ""3 Top Industrial Stocks to Watch in May The two big questions stock investors have right now is how deep will the economic contraction be in the second quarter, and what will the shape of the recovery be like in future quarters? While those answers won't be definitively decided by any data being released in May, investors can still get very useful information on trends and also see which sectors might come back stronger than others. In this context, multi-industry industrial 3M (NYSE: MMM), heavy equipment machinery company Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT), and industrial supply company Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST) are the ones to watch. Here's why and what to look for with these three industrial stocks. 1. 3M: Providing monthly updates rather than full-year guidance The industrial giant 3M has withdrawn its full-year guidance on the back of the uncertainty created by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, on the company's recentearnings call CEO Mike Roman said, \""Starting in May, we will provide monthly updates on how our business is performing and we will continue to provide this until we are better able to forecast future performance.\"" In addition, CFO Nick Gangestad went on to outline that management would provide insights on trends by \""business and geography.\"" The economy is headed for a period of significant volatility. Image source: Getty Images 3M offers a wide array of products that straddle end markets as diverse as automotive (aftermarket and original equipment), personal safety, industrial adhesives, electronics, medical consumables, dental care, and home improvement. As such, its management has a pretty good handle on trends in the economy. Moreover, the breakout by industry and geography will be very useful to see which sectors/stocks might bounce back quickest. In particular, it will be interesting to see if China -- the country in which the COVID-19 pandemic originated and one of the earliest to start to normalize economic activity after the worst of the disease had run its course -- will have a sustained recovery, particularly in its automotive sector. SEGMENT Q1 2020 REVENUE Q1 2019 REVENUE 3M BUSINESS GROUPS WITH SALES ABOVE $250 MILLION IN Q1 2020 (ABOVE $500 MILLION IN BOLD) Safety and industrial $2.94 billion $2.96 billion Abrasives, automotive aftermarket, closure and masking systems, electrical materials, industrial adhesives and tapes, personal safety Transportation and electronics $2.24 billion $2.36 billion Advanced materials, automotive and aerospace solutions, commercial solutions, electronics Health care $2.10 billion $1.74 billion Health information systems, medical consumables Consumer $1.26 billion $1.20 billion Home care, home improvement Data source: 3M presentations. 2. Caterpillar: Indications are it's going to get worse The heavy equipment manufacture is releasing its three-month rolling retail sales data every month, as management believes it's the best way to monitor trends in its business. The chart below demonstrates that a picture really can be worth a thousand words. Caterpillar's sales were in a downtrend even before the coronavirus pandemic came, and hopes of a second-half recovery have obviously been dashed by fears of a recession. Data source: Caterpillar presentations. The overall data is obviously going to get worse in the coming months, but the extent and length of the drop is unknown. In addition, some of the granular-level detail will be fascinating. For example, given that China is normalizing its economy first, it's reasonable to expect relatively stronger numbers coming out of the Asia/Pacific region for Caterpillar. Of course, there's no guarantee that Europe and North America will follow the trend, but it's still worth following closely as a leading indicator. The chart below shows how Caterpillar's retail sales in Asia/Pacific fell off a cliff in early 2020 when the outbreak first occurred in China. However, some stabilization will likely occur in Asia/Pacific at least in the coming months, even as the numbers from Europe and North America start to worsen when April is included. Data source: Caterpillar presentations. 3. Fastenal: First hit, first to recover? Industrial supply companies always give great color on the economy, because their sales are the first to get hit in a slowdown and the first to recover when growth returns. As such, the monthly sales data from Fastenal -- set to be released on May 14 -- will be indicative of just how bad manufacturing conditions will be in the second quarter. The numbers in March were bad, but they are likely to get even worse in April. As incredible as this may sound, the March numbers might actually contain some pull-forward in demand as manufacturers may have stocked up in fear of not being able to source supplies later on -- at least that's what fellow industrial supply company MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE: MSM) said happened in its quarter. In common with Fastenal, MSC's sales are heavily tied to the operational activity of its manufacturing customers. Data source: Fastenal presentations. Year-over-year growth. While the average daily sales growth numbers for April are likely to be horrendous, investors will want to see just how bad they are before beginning to hope for a sequential uptick in May. It's definitely a number that investors should keep a very close eye on in the next few months. 10 stocks we like better than Caterpillar When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Caterpillar wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of April 16, 2020 Lee Samaha has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of MSC Industrial Direct. The Motley Fool recommends 3M and Fastenal. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Shares of several industrial companies are trading higher amid positive investor sentiment as some US states begin to reopen their economies and as oil prices gain for the session.""]"
FAST,2020-05-06,34.8776,35.6643,34.7,35.4758,
FAST,2020-05-07,35.7393,36.1885,35.3781,35.7867,"[""Morgan Stanley Maintains Equal-Weight on Fastenal, Raises Price Target to $36"", ""Baird Maintains Outperform on Fastenal, Raises Price Target to $42"", ""Baird Maintains Outperform on Fastenal, Raises Price Target to $42"", ""Morgan Stanley Maintains Equal-Weight on Fastenal, Raises Price Target to $36"", ""Baird Maintains Outperform on Fastenal, Raises Price Target to $42"", ""Morgan Stanley Maintains Equal-Weight on Fastenal, Raises Price Target to $36""]"
FAST,2020-05-08,36.0207,36.6582,36.0207,36.602,"[""Beacon Roofing (BECN) Q2 Loss In Line, Margins Increase Y/Y"", ""Beacon Roofing (BECN) Q2 Loss In Line, Margins Increase Y/Y"", ""Beacon Roofing (BECN) Q2 Loss In Line, Margins Increase Y/Y""]"
FAST,2020-05-11,36.0571,37.3808,36.0571,37.2466,"[""Jacobson & Schmitt Advisors, Llc Buys Fastenal Co, Digital Realty Trust Inc, Kinsale ..."", ""Jacobson & Schmitt Advisors, Llc Buys Fastenal Co, Digital Realty Trust Inc, Kinsale ..."", ""Insider Bets Paying Off At FAST As New 52-Week High Reached In trading on Monday, shares of Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) touched a new 52-week high of $39.65/share. That's a 48.45% rise, or $12.94 per share from the 52-week low of $26.71 set back on 03/23/2020. That means at today's intraday high, any investor who purchased FAST stock any time over the past 52 weeks has an unrealized gain, including company insiders. Over the past six months, insiders have been scooping up shares, and those bets are now paying off handsomely. As summarized by the table below, FAST has seen 3 different instances of insiders buying over the trailing six month period. PURCHASED INSIDER TITLE SHARES PRICE/SHARE VALUE 01/23/2020 Darren R. Jackson Director 18,000 $35.57 $640,231.20 01/27/2020 Michael J. Ancius Director 740 $34.94 $25,855.60 03/09/2020 Michael J. Ancius Director 205 $31.21 $6,398.05 03/12/2020 Holden Lewis Chief Financial Officer/EVP 1,500 $31.50 $47,248.50 The chart below shows where FAST has traded over the past year, with the 50-day and 200-day moving averages included. In afternoon trading on Monday, FAST shares are changing hands at $39.62/share, slightly below the new 52-week high. Ten Bargains You Can Buy Cheaper Than The Insiders Did \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Jacobson & Schmitt Advisors, Llc Buys Fastenal Co, Digital Realty Trust Inc, Kinsale ...""]"
FAST,2020-05-12,37.3028,37.4529,36.3849,36.3849,"[""Caledonia Investments Plc Buys Fastenal Co, Texas Instruments Inc, Watsco Inc, Sells Pfizer ..."", ""Caledonia Investments Plc Buys Fastenal Co, Texas Instruments Inc, Watsco Inc, Sells Pfizer ..."", ""Caledonia Investments Plc Buys Fastenal Co, Texas Instruments Inc, Watsco Inc, Sells Pfizer ...""]"
FAST,2020-05-13,36.2822,36.7796,35.4205,35.9347,
FAST,2020-05-14,35.7107,36.3158,35.3504,36.2556,
FAST,2020-05-15,35.8983,36.6632,35.6643,36.4806,"[""Ensemble Capital Management, LLC Buys Starbucks Corp, Broadridge Financial Solutions Inc, ..."", ""Wedgewood Partners, Inc. Buys Keysight Technologies Inc, Microsoft Corp, Blackstone Group Inc, ..."", ""Wedgewood Partners, Inc. Buys Keysight Technologies Inc, Microsoft Corp, Blackstone Group Inc, ..."", ""Ensemble Capital Management, LLC Buys Starbucks Corp, Broadridge Financial Solutions Inc, ..."", ""Wedgewood Partners, Inc. Buys Keysight Technologies Inc, Microsoft Corp, Blackstone Group Inc, ..."", ""Ensemble Capital Management, LLC Buys Starbucks Corp, Broadridge Financial Solutions Inc, ...""]"
FAST,2020-05-18,37.4903,37.9237,36.4984,36.6198,"[""Wedgewood Partners Cuts Fastenal, Alphabet, Visa"", ""Wedgewood Partners Cuts Fastenal, Alphabet, Visa"", ""Wedgewood Partners Cuts Fastenal, Alphabet, Visa""]"
FAST,2020-05-19,36.5536,36.8714,36.1282,36.1431,"[""David Rolfe Curbs Fastenal Holding, Buys ' Stocks in \u2013st Quarter"", ""David Rolfe Curbs Fastenal Holding, Buys ' Stocks in \u2013st Quarter"", ""David Rolfe Curbs Fastenal Holding, Buys ' Stocks in \u2013st Quarter""]"
FAST,2020-05-20,36.602,37.0965,36.3938,36.6396,
FAST,2020-05-21,36.7126,36.7126,36.1045,36.2822,"[""Quality Characteristics and Competition"", ""Quality Characteristics and Competition"", ""Quality Characteristics and Competition""]"
FAST,2020-05-22,36.1973,36.4806,36.0858,36.2556,
FAST,2020-05-26,36.6198,37.6877,36.4421,37.2298,"[""Tikehau Investment Management Buys Wells Fargo, Fastenal Co, Goldman Sachs Group Inc, Sells NVR ..."", ""Shares of several industrial companies are trading higher in sympathy with the overall market as equities rally on coronavirus vaccine hopes as well as a pickup in economic activity as some US states reopen businesses."", ""Shares of several industrial companies are trading higher in sympathy with the overall market as equities rally on coronavirus vaccine hopes as well as a pickup in economic activity as some US states reopen businesses."", ""Tikehau Investment Management Buys Wells Fargo, Fastenal Co, Goldman Sachs Group Inc, Sells NVR ..."", ""Shares of several industrial companies are trading higher in sympathy with the overall market as equities rally on coronavirus vaccine hopes as well as a pickup in economic activity as some US states reopen businesses."", ""Tikehau Investment Management Buys Wells Fargo, Fastenal Co, Goldman Sachs Group Inc, Sells NVR ...""]"
FAST,2020-05-27,37.4262,38.0165,36.8596,37.9977,
FAST,2020-05-28,38.129,38.354,37.6305,37.8467,"[""Stocks That Hit 52-Week Highs On Thursday"", ""Stocks That Hit 52-Week Highs On Thursday"", ""Stocks That Hit 52-Week Highs On Thursday""]"
FAST,2020-05-29,37.8565,38.8496,37.8101,38.6718,
FAST,2020-06-01,38.7854,38.7854,37.9928,38.1102,
FAST,2020-06-02,38.4014,38.6354,38.0964,38.6058,
FAST,2020-06-03,38.8782,39.6185,38.4942,39.4221,"[""Stocks That Hit 52-Week Highs On Wednesday"", ""Stocks That Hit 52-Week Highs On Wednesday"", ""Why Fastenal Stock Rose 14% in May What happened Shares of industrial parts supplier Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST) jumped roughly 14% in May according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence. That easily beat the 5% or so advance of the S&P 500 index during the month. Over the first five months of the year, Fastenal's stock was up by 11% versus a 5% decline in the S&P. There was, however, a sizable COVID-19 related dip in late February and March. Yet, when you look at the numbers, the big fears investors had about Fastenal's business never really materialized. So what Fastenal reports monthly sales, which is really helpful in seeing just how bad the COVID-19 headwind was for its business. The surprising thing is that the company's top-line growth has actually improved since the coronavirus started to spread. Sales increased 3.6% in January, 4.7% in February, 5% in March, and 6.7% in April. Based on these results, it looks like Fastenal actually benefited from the economic shutdowns related to COVID-19. Image source: Getty Images. That's not exactly true, since Fastenal's parts business saw a material drop in sales in April. The thing is, the company's efforts in recent years to diversify into safety products has proven a huge benefit. Demand in this business line more than doubled in April as companies looked to deal with COVID-19 health concerns. That huge gain more than offset the decline in the company's core business. In other words, investors were probably correct to be worried about Fastenal. However, with the benefit of the safety business, Fastenal has proven resilient to the current health-related headwinds. Investors have rewarded it for that. Now what Although Fastenal has managed to do quite well through the COVID-19 pandemic, this story is far from over. The weakness in the company's parts business is the piece that should be most worrying. It's highly likely that the efforts to contain the coronavirus will lead to a global recession. And, at its core, Fastenal is a cyclical business, so an economic downturn will mean continued headwinds. There's really no way to tell how long the safety segment can continue to offset the hit the larger parts division is experiencing. Long-term investors should go in with an eye on the horizon, because there are still some storm clouds brewing. 10 stocks we like better than Fastenal When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Fastenal wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of April 16, 2020 Reuben Gregg Brewer has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Stocks That Hit 52-Week Highs On Wednesday""]"
FAST,2020-06-04,39.2917,40.032,38.738,39.0845,"[""Stocks That Hit 52-Week Highs On Thursday"", ""Stocks That Hit 52-Week Highs On Thursday"", ""Stocks That Hit 52-Week Highs On Thursday""]"
FAST,2020-06-05,39.4221,40.1959,39.1615,39.9847,
FAST,2020-06-08,39.7211,40.4802,39.5089,40.191,"[""Stocks That Hit 52-Week Highs On Monday"", ""Stocks That Hit 52-Week Highs On Monday"", ""Stocks That Hit 52-Week Highs On Monday""]"
FAST,2020-06-09,39.6579,40.417,39.5721,40.1712,"11 High-Growth Stocks to Ride Out the Recession Barron’s screened each sector of the S&P 500 for stocks with the highest long-term growth rate, paired with year-to-date returns."
FAST,2020-06-10,40.3034,40.489,39.6807,39.8257,"[""Fastenal In Mid-March 2020, Established Operating Expense Reductions Within Business; Included In Operating Expense Reductions Was Decision To Eliminate Most Leadership Bonuses During Q2 Of 2020"", ""Fastenal In Mid-March 2020, Established Operating Expense Reductions Within Business; Included In Operating Expense Reductions Was Decision To Eliminate Most Leadership Bonuses During Q2 Of 2020"", ""Fastenal In Mid-March 2020, Established Operating Expense Reductions Within Business; Included In Operating Expense Reductions Was Decision To Eliminate Most Leadership Bonuses During Q2 Of 2020""]"
FAST,2020-06-11,39.3934,39.4497,38.0441,38.0925,
FAST,2020-06-12,38.8782,38.8782,36.8804,37.5496,
FAST,2020-06-15,37.1538,38.1754,36.6938,38.1556,
FAST,2020-06-16,39.1802,39.4467,38.3442,39.1871,
FAST,2020-06-17,39.4033,39.7123,39.0845,39.4221,
FAST,2020-06-18,39.2533,39.6333,39.0006,39.3569,
FAST,2020-06-19,39.7507,39.9748,38.7005,38.9779,
FAST,2020-06-22,38.8969,39.5622,38.4942,39.349,
FAST,2020-06-23,40.2393,40.2393,39.5573,39.5761,
FAST,2020-06-24,39.1516,39.5997,38.7005,38.7478,
FAST,2020-06-25,38.738,39.2147,38.3343,39.0558,
FAST,2020-06-26,38.9068,39.1615,37.9049,38.4192,
FAST,2020-06-29,38.6818,39.5622,38.663,39.2917,"Nasdaq 100 Movers: DOCU, CDW In early trading on Monday, shares of CDW topped the list of the day's best performing components of the Nasdaq 100 index, trading up 4.6%. Year to date, CDW has lost about 20.6% of its value. And the worst performing Nasdaq 100 component thus far on the day is DocuSign, trading down 4.5%. DocuSign is showing a gain of 128.8% looking at the year to date performance. Two other components making moves today are Zoom Video Communications, trading down 3.6%, and Fastenal, trading up 2.5% on the day. VIDEO: Nasdaq 100 Movers: DOCU, CDW The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2020-06-30,39.0845,40.4348,38.8594,40.1534,
FAST,2020-07-01,40.3212,40.4712,39.9471,40.3114,
FAST,2020-07-02,40.9421,41.484,40.8088,41.2787,
FAST,2020-07-06,41.7653,41.9815,41.1099,41.4465,"3 Dividend Stocks That Are Perfect for Retirement It doesn't do retirees much good to fill their portfolios with mature, no-growth companies just because they pay dividends. Instead, retirees should look for nicely growing companies that also pay dividends. That combination should increase total shareholder return, and these three companies provide it. Starbucks Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX) could be the perfect example of a dividend-paying company that still has a lot of growth to come. The company is the world's largest coffee chain, with 32,050 company-operated and licensed stores, 18,271 of which are in the Americas. The Americas are a mature market for Starbucks, but even there the company has room to grow. Management is targeting 3% to 4% annual net new store growth there over the long term, which would mean adding stores at a pace of about 500 a year. Image source: Starbucks Corporation. But the biggest growth opportunity is China. Starbucks had 4,351 stores in China as of the end of March, all of which are company-operated. Management expects to add to that count at a mid-teens annual percentage rate over the long-term, including opening about 500 stores this fiscal year (which ends Sept. 27). The company had planned for more than 600 new stores in China this year, but the COVID-19 pandemic compelled it to push some of those openings out into fiscal 2021. Long-term, the China opportunity is enormous. While there are substantial uncertainties to any long-term outlook, if Starbucks were to reach the same number of stores in China on a per capita basis as it operates in the U.S. today, it would have over 66,000 locations in China. And even its U.S. store density is still climbing. While some may have considered China's Luckin Coffee a threat to Starbucks's ambitions in China, few still do today. For one thing, a massive fraud was uncovered at Luckin in April that included ""fabricated transactions"" that resulted in fictitious revenue to the tune of RMB 2.2 billion (equivalent to about $311 million at today's exchange rate) between its second quarter and fourth quarters of last year. That is over 40% of the revenue the company expected to generate in 2019. Furthermore, Luckin stores aren't even remotely as productive as Starbucks stores. Even including the fictitious revenue, Luckin generated between $50,000 and $65,000 of revenue per average store in last year's second and third quarters. Adjusted lower for the fraudulent revenues, the figures appear to be between $26,000 and $34,000 per average store. Starbucks is clearly playing on another level. During the same two quarters, Starbucks generated about $190,000 of quarterly revenue per average store in China, which is over six times that of Luckin. Starbucks also generated 5% to 6% same-store sales growth during those quarters, suggesting no obvious signs of harm from competition. Considering the 95% plunge in Luckin Coffee's stock price since its January high, investors appear to agree. The $0.41 per share quarterly dividend yields 2.2% annually at Monday morning's share price, and the company has a long history of raising its payouts regularly. Last year, the dividend was about 49% of the company's net income. Retirees should consider Starbucks one of the best dividend-paying companies to own given its enduring qualities and the growth runway ahead of it. Fastenal Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST) is one of the largest distributors of industrial and construction products in the U.S. Not just fasteners -- bolts, screws, nails and the like, although it carries those in vast arrays -- but also a wide range of general industrial supplies. The company has an enviable track record of growth that's been driven by steady market share gains within the $140 billion North American industrial distribution market. Over the past 20 years, Fastenal stock has generated an impressive total return of 1,665%. Over the past several years, Fastenal has increasingly expanded its footprint within its customers' facilities with its industrial vending machines and full-blown on-site stores. By making inventory immediately available at its clients' locations, it not only delights customers and increases sales, but also reduces operating costs. Fastenal ended March with 92,124 vending machines, up 10.4% year over year, and 1,179 onsite locations, up 24.8% year over year. That growth has allowed the company to reduce the number of traditional branch locations it has, as well as its total employee base, while still growing revenue by over 4% year over year. While Fastenal's near-term fortunes are tied to the industrial economy, which could face headwinds, the company has proven itself to gain market share during downturns and emerge stronger. Fastenal pays a $0.25 per share quarterly dividend, which as of Monday morning yields about 2.3% annually. The dividend amounted to 63% of the company's net income last year. Investors can also expect continued share price appreciation. Vail Resorts Vail Resorts (NYSE: MTN) is the operator of 37 destination mountain ski resorts and regional ski areas across North America and Australia, the owner and/or manager of lodging properties, and a real estate developer. As a company reliant on a public physical activity and travel, Vail Resorts has been hit particularly hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. It closed all of its North American ski resorts, lodging, and retail stores in March. It also furloughed all of its hourly employees, its executives have taken pay cuts, and the company has reduced or deferred capital expenditures. Vail Resorts last paid a $1.76 per share quarterly dividend in April, but management has already announced it's suspending the payout for the next two quarters to preserve cash. With essentially no revenue coming in, but substantial fixed costs, that was a prudent decision. Assuming that COVID-19 is eventually brought under control -- which won't happen until and unless an effective vaccine is developed -- Vail Resorts is likely to make a full recovery. Skiing's popularity as a winter outdoor activity should stand the test of time. While some may think climate change and warming temperatures will cause a problem for Vail, that will actually only increase Vail's competitive advantages versus smaller mountains. With potentially higher operating costs for artificial snow-making, Vail should have no problem passing along any potentially higher costs to its customers, especially the likelihood of weaker competition. The company is scheduled to resume paying dividends next January. Before COVID, Vail paid out about 81% of its net income in dividends in its last fiscal year ending July 2019, which could raise questions about the dividend's sustainability. But Vail is a unique case because the company's non-cash depreciation expenses are far larger than the typical annual capital costs required to maintain its mountains. Adjusting for that, Vail paid out closer to 57% of the cash flow it generated before elective capital projects. That was a sustainable dividend policy, notwithstanding COVID-19. Investors who want to bet on a skiing recovery could buy the shares, which are still down 26% from the pre-COVID levels seen in February, and reap the rewards when the business is on firmer footing and the dividend payments resume. 10 stocks we like better than Fastenal When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Fastenal wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of June 2, 2020 Andrew Tseng owns shares of Starbucks. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Starbucks. The Motley Fool recommends Vail Resorts. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2020-07-07,41.4099,41.8502,41.1889,41.2985,
FAST,2020-07-08,41.2689,41.3527,39.8988,40.3212,
FAST,2020-07-09,40.266,40.64,39.9847,40.3972,
FAST,2020-07-10,40.3212,40.499,39.7171,40.3312,
FAST,2020-07-13,40.6223,41.4988,40.6036,40.6588,"Pre-Market Earnings Report for July 14, 2020 : JPM, C, WFC, FAST, FRC, DAL The following companies are expected to report earnings prior to market open on 07/14/2020. Visit our Earnings Calendar for a full list of expected earnings releases. J P Morgan Chase & Co (JPM) is reporting for the quarter ending June 30, 2020. The bank company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 9 analysts that follow the stock is $1.26. This value represents a 51.35% decrease compared to the same quarter last year. JPM missed the consensus earnings per share in the 1st calendar quarter of 2020 by -54.12%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2020 Price to Earnings ratio for JPM is 18.55 vs. an industry ratio of 18.60. Citigroup Inc. (C) is reporting for the quarter ending June 30, 2020. The bank company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 9 analysts that follow the stock is $0.55. This value represents a 69.95% decrease compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year C has beat the expectations every quarter. The highest one was in the 1st calendar quarter where they beat the consensus by 19.1%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2020 Price to Earnings ratio for C is 16.20 vs. an industry ratio of 18.60. Wells Fargo & Company (WFC) is reporting for the quarter ending June 30, 2020. The bank company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 11 analysts that follow the stock is $-0.07. This value represents a 105.38% decrease compared to the same quarter last year. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2020 Price to Earnings ratio for WFC is 46.31 vs. an industry ratio of 18.60, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Fastenal Company (FAST) is reporting for the quarter ending June 30, 2020. The building company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 9 analysts that follow the stock is $0.35. This value represents a 2.78% decrease compared to the same quarter last year. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2020 Price to Earnings ratio for FAST is 31.87 vs. an industry ratio of 21.30, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. FIRST REPUBLIC BANK (FRC) is reporting for the quarter ending June 30, 2020. The bank (west) company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 8 analysts that follow the stock is $1.20. This value represents a 3.23% decrease compared to the same quarter last year. FRC missed the consensus earnings per share in the 2nd calendar quarter of 2019 by -1.59%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2020 Price to Earnings ratio for FRC is 20.89 vs. an industry ratio of 14.40, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Delta Air Lines, Inc. (DAL) is reporting for the quarter ending June 30, 2020. The airline company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 10 analysts that follow the stock is $-4.06. This value represents a 272.77% decrease compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year DAL has beat the expectations every quarter. The highest one was in the 1st calendar quarter where they beat the consensus by 29.17%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2020 Price to Earnings ratio for DAL is -3.57 vs. an industry ratio of -0.90. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2020-07-14,41.1099,42.1779,39.7961,40.6776,"[""4 Top Stock Trades for Wednesday: JPM, DAL, FAST, INO InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips Stocks started off under pressure on Tuesday, but found their footing as earnings season gets underway. With that in mind, let\u2019s look at a few top stock trades for Wednesday. Top Stock Trades for Tomorrow No. 1: JPMorgan (JPM) Click to Enlarge Source: Chart courtesy of StockCharts.com For both JPMorgan (NYSE:JPM) and Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL), a little more post-earnings movement would have been nice. At least, from a trading perspective. JPMorgan kicked off earnings seasons with a top- and bottom-line beat. However, the stock is not moving all that much. On the plus side, though, it\u2019s not going down (and that price action may be an even larger positive for Delta). Sticking with one of, if not the best bank in the sector, this name is giving us a tight two-day pre- and post-earnings range. That is very unusual in any stock. Below the two-day low (from yesterday) at $96.31, and the stock is likely to test into the 20-day and 50-day moving averages currently near $95.20. Below that puts $91 in play, followed by uptrend support. 10 Micro-Cap Stocks to Buy Today for Value and Growth Over the two-day high (from today) at $99.95, puts $102 in play, followed by the 50% retracement near $106. Above that, and the 200-day moving average and the June high up at $114.65 are possible. Top Stock Trades for Tomorrow No. 2: Delta (DAL) Click to Enlarge Source: Chart courtesy of StockCharts.com As for Delta, the lack of upside is concerning. While admittedly the airline did report a brutal quarter, we don\u2019t care about the quarter. Instead, we care about the reaction to the quarter \u2014 which is always more telling. If I\u2019m looking to get long, I need some clarity. On the upside, that comes from clearing $29.50. That puts Delta above the notable $27.50 level, as well as all of its major moving averages. As it stands, it\u2019s below all of these marks, and that creates a problem for bulls. If the floor falls out, see how Delta stock does on a drop into the $21 to $22 area. If it gets there, this zone may be support. Below puts the May low in play at $17.50. Top Stock Trades for Tomorrow No. 3: Fastenal (FAST) Click to Enlarge Source: Chart courtesy of StockCharts.com Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) is a fun one. This stock has been trading well lately, and briefly ran to new highs on its earnings report. However, shares have since given up those gains and are now trading flat. From here, I really want to see it hold $42.38. That\u2019s the two-week low, which also comes into play near the 20-day moving average and uptrend support (blue line). All hope is not lost if this level breaks, though. It simply puts the 50-day moving averages and $40 level in play. However, if the level holds, a retest of $45 could be in play, as well as a breakout to new highs. 7 Infrastructure Stocks to Buy Ahead of Big Federal Spending Above $45 puts the 161.8% extension in play at $46.76. Top Stock Trades for Tomorrow No. 4: Inovio (INO) Click to Enlarge Source: Chart courtesy of StockCharts.com While Inovio Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:INO) burst higher by more than 22% at one point on Monday, shares ended higher by \u201cjust\u201d 9.5% on the day. After a strong open on Tuesday, Inovio again flushed lower, this time giving up all of its gains on the day. So, what now? Luckily, bulls have a pretty clear roadmap. On the upside, we must see INO clear this week\u2019s high at $28.54. Above that opens the door to the $32 area, and puts the $34 high on the table. Above that \u2014 with the two-times range extension coming into play at $33.59 \u2014 puts the 261.8% extension on the table at $42.38. On the downside, however, see that shares hold up over the 20-day moving average \u2014 currently at $22.23. If shares lose this mark, it means INO will be below the 10-day and 20-day moving averages, uptrend support (blue line) and prior resistance at $24. It could potentially create enough selling pressure down to the 50-day moving average. That doesn\u2019t mean INO stock will fall to the 50-day, just that it can. But that starts by losing the 20-day. Bret Kenwell is the manager and author of Future Blue Chips and is on Twitter @BretKenwell. As of this writing, Bret did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities. The post 4 Top Stock Trades for Wednesday: JPM, DAL, FAST, INO appeared first on InvestorPlace. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Co (FAST) Q2 2020 Earnings Call Transcript Image source: The Motley Fool. Fastenal Co (NASDAQ: FAST) Q2 2020 Earnings Call Jul 14, 2020, 10:00 a.m. ET Contents: Prepared Remarks Questions and Answers Call Participants Prepared Remarks: Operator Greetings and welcome to the Fastenal 2020 Second Quarter Earnings Results Conference Call. At this time, all participants are in a listen-only mode. A question-and-answer session will follow the formal presentation. [Operator Instructions] As a reminder, this conference is being recorded. It is now my pleasure to introduce your host, Ms. Ellen Stolts. Thank you. Ma'am, you may now begin. Ellen Stolts -- Financial Reporting & Regulatory Compliance Manager Welcome to the Fastenal Company 2020 second quarterearnings conference call This call will be hosted by Dan Florness, our President and Chief Executive Officer; and Holden Lewis, our Chief Financial Officer. The call will last for up to one hour and will start with a general overview of our quarterly results and operations with the remainder of the time open for questions and answers. Today's conference call is a proprietary Fastenal presentation and is being recorded by Fastenal. No recording, reproduction, transmission or distribution of today's call is permitted without Fastenal's consent. This call is being audio simulcast on the Internet via the Fastenal Investor Relations Homepage, investor.fastenal.com. A replay of the webcast will be available on the website until September 1, 2020 at midnight Central Time. As a reminder, today's conference call may include statements regarding the company's future plans, and prospects. These statements are based on our current expectations and we undertake no duty to update them. It is important to note that the company's actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Factors that could cause actual results to differ from anticipated results are contained in the Company's latest earnings release and periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and we encourage you to review those factors carefully. I would now like to turn the call over to Mr. Dan Florness. Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer Thanks, Ellen, and good morning, everybody, and thank you for taking time this morning to listen in on the Fastenalearnings call Before I start, I'd like to mention two milestones in Fastenal this week. And I want to do -- just got it written, and -- in case I would be negligent and miss it. Dave Donahue, today, celebrates 40 years with Fastenal. Dave, I want to say thank you and congratulations. Not far behind Dave is Lee Hein, who will celebrate 35 years with Fastenal tomorrow. Hey, Rodney, if you're listening, I would mention you as well, but you're only at 20 years. And so, in 10 years, I'll mention you on the call. Surround yourself with great people, people better than yourself. Be willing to learn, to change and be comfortable with trusting others and you will find success. And I'm pleased and I'm really proud of the Fastenal team for what we accomplished this quarter. First off, the team was successful in sourcing hard-to-find safety products. And bringing this product to our existing customers, but of equal importance -- maybe greater importance -- to new customers, customers we don't traditionally do much business with. And I'm thinking of hospitals and first responders when I talk about that group. The team was also successful in lowering our cost structure. It's really a combination of our model simply working the way it works. One item that assisted us this quarter is, is we've enjoyed great growth over the years. We are a promote from within organization. That means you're finding new talent every day in the organization. And the best way to do that, at least the best way that we found is you have constant relationships with four-year state colleges, two-year tactical schools, and you'll find folks every day to come work for us part-time. And so, we have a fair number of full-time students that work for us part-time. Well, as you can appreciate, in the spring of 2020, with all the schools closing, we lost some employees. But we fully expect and we're -- and we are maintaining contact with that group, because we want them back when they're back in school. But in the short-term, that helped us a little bit on managing the P&L and you see that shine through on our FTE numbers. Again, that's the model working as it should work in an environment like this. And the final piece, and that is if you truly believe in a decentralized decision-making structure, you can move faster than anybody else in the marketplace. And I think that was demonstrated this quarter in both our ability to move quickly and rein in expenses, but also to move quickly on finding sort of supply of critically needed safety products. And if there's anything that you take away from this quarter when we think back to this quarter in the years of Fastenal, trusting others is probably the most important lesson and it's probably one of the greatest legacies that Bob Kierlin has given to this organization. I'm going to be redundant here for a second, I'm flipping to the second bullet in the flipbook and our five priorities to the quarter, it was trust and fairness: Trust each other, be fair with each other, support each other. And if somebody needs to be home with a child today or a parent or something else, be flexible with that person's schedule. If somebody has a person in their household that has -- is particularly susceptible to the negative aspects of COVID-19, be mindful of that and conduct yourself accordingly in our branch, in our support area, wherever you are within the organization. And that's -- and maintain a safe environment for our people, that includes our peoples' family and for customers and their families. Customers allow us to come into their business every day to fill vending machines, to stock product on a production floor or in a bin stock. We have an obligation to them as well to maintain a safe environment. Support the people directly involved in the pandemic. They're the heroes here. Be there to support them, make sure you're reaching out to them to see what they need and be creative in finding solutions for them. Sustain our supply chain of critical products for our regular customers as well. They are the fabric of our society. And if you think about the infrastructure of this nation or the planet or you think about the things that you need in your day-to-day life, we supply the folks that make that product for you and they need a safe and resilient source of supply. The other suggestion I gave to the folks -- and this is probably a bad talking -- was may be shut off the TV and get off social media. There is more garbage there than value, unfortunately. Talk to each other; talk to your customer. Solve problems, that's the task of the day. Going down on Page 3, the effects of this PPE surge and Holden will touch on it in more detail, but the fact of this surge is -- notably shows up in our lower gross margin. Safety products is not the higher gross margin product, and our task in the quarter was getting product to market quickly. Sometimes, that meant flying product that should be on ship. Sometimes that meant using third-party transportation to move it in a different fashion. It's not an inexpensive proposition, but it brought the product to market quickly and that was more important in this environment. And you see that show up in our gross margin. I believe that will recover as we move into third quarter. The faster sales, daily sales, the hub picks and the vending expenses -- and more of that vending expenses in a second. Point two, bottoming of the environment we operated in in April, and improved trends in both May and June. I don't think there's anything new there for the folks that are looking at our monthly numbers, but just thought I'd share that. We added two charts to this quarter's discussion. And with 100,000 vending devices deployed across 25 countries, I think we've probably has good a view into what's happening real time of exists. So, the first is, looking at product dispenses and -- because I don't want to be in a situation where the analyst community is asking for numbers from now into infinity, we indexed everything back October to 100. And -- but it's really about looking at a machine out there, that's -- or a group machine that's dispensing 100 items per day, and what are the trends of that population. And as you go through, and the reason we chose October as the cut-off, it was well before the start of COVID-19. So, the gold line you see is a combination of the last four years of history. And you can see some points that move around. So, you see the Thanksgiving drop off. You see a low surge before Christmas, and that's probably related to a lot of -- we have a bunch of customers in the e-commerce world and there's probably much of activity that spikes up there. You see a drop off around Christmas and New Year. January and February kind of tread water. And you see based on history that if we started 100, we'll have 103 dispenses come early March. This year, we were at 105. A couple of weeks later, you see the noise that's around Easter. But you also see the direct impact of COVID-19. You see a dramatic shift as that blue line drops and bottoms out in mid-April at 76, relative to the 100 dispenses we were doing back in October. As we move into June, you see that 109 is about the number we had expected for the dip that occurs around July 4. This year, we're at 93; so, about 600 basis point delta. And you'd see by fall, we would expect to be at about 113 if you have maybe some nominal inflation in there, that would tell me our vending business is growing about 14% a year. Flipping to the next page, now we're looking at it not from a -- how much is dispensing, but how many unique users are accessing machine. Again, using that logic of 100 unique users last October, you can see a little fluttering around Thanksgiving. You see obviously the drop off around Christmas. Easter, we'd say we should be at about 104 people accessing instead of 100, come early March. That's primarily a result of -- we're adding new devices every month, and so you get the growth because of that. This year, we are actually at 106, 107. And then again, you see the little fluttering around Easter, but you see the dramatic drop-off because of COVID-19. And we bottom out at about 85. The marketplace has since recovered. We're at about 101. It's treading water, as you can see, through much of June. And -- but history says we should be at about 109, so about 800 basis point delta. And then come fall, we'd peak out about 119. We'd start a new cycle again as we go into the new year. This is more in my mind about people and employment. Reason I've shared this number internally, I think it's good for us to understand where we are in the marketplace. And you can see the very conservative stance we're taking in managing the expenses in the business and we intend to -- and continue that as we go into Q3, because it's still a weak, very weak environment. Holden will touch on that in a little more detail. Fortunately, for us, we were able to find additional business in the second quarter and make some lemonade out of lemons. Switching to Page 6 in the flipbook. Our vending and Onsite signings bottom in April. I don't think there's any surprise by that. They did improve in both May and June. Vending and Onsite is critical for us. That's two of our principal growth drivers. And they really allow us to build. They don't maybe have the same type of impact in the last 90 days or even the next 30 or 60 days, the vending does. But the Onsite is about building that momentum for growth as we go into the tail end of this year and into ' 21. And so, we're very-very attuned to getting signings back, because we need that for market share gains as we go into the future. We signed 40 Onsites in the quarter. Our goal coming in -- internally, our discussion is all about, \""How close can we get to a 100 per quarter?\"" Holden has shared numbers in the past. We've since pulled those numbers for the year. I'm pleased to say that of the 40 we signed in the quarter, 20 of those were in June. So, at least we're exiting the quarter with some positive momentum. But it's still at a lower level. If you look at vending, 100 is the same mantra. But there is not -- per quarter, it's -- it's how close did we get to 100 signings per day? Last few years, we've been in the 80s, then we moved into the 90s. And then, over time, moved into the 100 or moving north of 100. That dropped off in March as well. April was pretty low. We gained some traction in June, we signed 69 per day. So, we're almost back to 70. It's still at a lower level than last few years, but it's telling me that we can engage with customers in this kind of environment. You said, \""Be more creative with how you communicate and how you tell the story.\"" Finally, e-commerce, sales grew about 13.5% in the second quarter. They were climbing as we went into May and June. One thing that hurt our e-commerce numbers during the quarter is we put in place a very strict allocation process for our COVID-19 products, think masks, think face shields, think thermometers, sanitation products, etc., so that we essentially shut that product off from buying electronically, and you had to call the branch or call your contact to source that, because that was our best means to manage our supply chain of that product. So, we had a stable supply for everybody and could hold back the urge to hoard. With that, I will turn it over to Holden. Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Great. Thanks, Dan. I'll start on Slide 7. Second quarter 2020 sales were up 10.3%. It was a quarter that was marked by two really distinct trends, both evolving from the social and business efforts to manage the COVID-19 pandemic. The first trend was the weakening of the economy due to stay-at-home measures and steps taken by companies to protect their workforce. This caused customers to operate at greatly reduced utilization and even shut down through parts of the quarter, something which particularly impacted our Onsites. Conditions did improve as the quarter progressed, a pattern exemplified by our Fastenal daily sales, which declined 22.5% in April, 15.3% in May and 11.4% in June. That same pattern was evident in the vending data that Dan discussed, as well as our distribution center picks. We believe demand in our traditional business is still 10% to 15% below first quarter levels, and we have seen some flattening in those trends in the last few weeks. The second trend was a surge in demand for certain products that were critical to governments, healthcare providers and certain businesses in handling the pandemic. We estimate the surge sales of PPE, sanitizer and other products contributed $350 million to $360 million or roughly 25 percentage points of growth in the quarter. These volumes, which drove a 116% growth in our safety products and 260% growth in our government, healthcare business, more than offset weak underlying conditions in our traditional business. We've mostly sold through our pipeline of surge orders at this time. The near-term outlook remains difficult to project. The reopening of industry is occurring in fits and starts as customers reconstitute their workforces and their supply chains, and the trends in our internal metrics and a June PMI of 52.6 are encouraging. Further, while we do not expect a second quarter style surge in PPE and sanitizer products because the marketplace today has much better supply, the recent increase in COVID-19 infections and expanded customer list and key industries should sustain some degree of safety growth. On the other hand, it is less clear how that increase in infections will affect the pace of reopening. I would characterize the tone in the field to be one of cautious optimism for the third quarter of 2020. Now, to Slide 8. Gross margin was 44.5% in the second quarter of 2020, down 240 basis points versus the second quarter of 2019. Roughly, one-third of this decline related to mix, which was better than we would have expected at the start of the quarter. While the negative effects of product mix rose sharply, this was partly offset by customer mix as closures in April and May caused our Onsites with lower gross margins to underperform total company sales. We expect these dynamics to reverse as conditions normalize. Roughly, one-third of the decline in our gross margin related to lower safety margins, a byproduct of sourcing product quickly from non-traditional channels. This should be fully recovered, though it may take a couple of quarters as an oversupply of certain PPE, particularly masks, is impacting margins for those products. The remaining decline in gross margins from cyclical and organizational factors such as rebates and deleveraging of certain fixed costs, with the exception of specific lines with unique supply demand profiles, such as 3-ply masks, the pricing environment is stable. This decline in gross margin was more than offset by leveraging of SG&A, which at 23.6% of sales was 320 basis points better than in the second quarter of 2019. Most of our branch network did not have meaningful surge orders and reacted to weakness in our traditional business by reducing FTE by 9.4%, mostly through a reduction in part time labor of 15% and hours worked of 23%. This resulted in 240 basis points of leverage over labor in the second quarter. The remaining leverage was from tight control of costs related to travel, training, occupancy, etc., and produced an operating margin of 20.9%, up 80 basis points, and an incremental margin of 29%. Given still challenging macro conditions, we will continue to tightly control discretionary operating costs in the third quarter of 2020. Putting it all together, we reported second quarter 2020 EPS of $0.42, up 16.7% from $0.36 in the second quarter of 2019. Turning to Slide 7. Operating cash flow of $251 million -- sorry, Slide 9. I'm sorry. Turning to Slide 9. Those vending charts threw me. On Slide 9, operating cash flow of $251 million in the second quarter of 2020 was 105% of net income. The increase in operating cash flow versus the second quarter of 2019 was due to a $111 million in deferred taxes as part of the CARES Act and higher earnings. $104 million of the deferred taxes will be paid in the third quarter of 2020. Accounts receivable was up 7.5%, including approximately $75 million related to COVID, that we believe will be mostly paid in the third quarter of 2020. Inventories were up 4.1%, including approximately $50 million related to COVID, that we will work down over the course of the year. We deployed our balance sheet aggressively through the second quarter of 2020 to retain customer inventories while they were shuttered or operated at severely depressed levels, as well as to secure and move critical products quickly. Net capital spending in the second quarter of 2020 was $38 million, down from $67 million in the second quarter of 2019, which was expected, given reduced needs for new hub capacity after the investments made in 2019, but also reflects lower vending and trucks spending. Our capital spending range for 2020 remains a $155 million to $180 million. We returned cash to shareholders in the quarter in the form of $143 million in dividends. From a liquidity standpoint, we finished the second quarter of 2020 with debt at 12.7% of total capital, up versus the fourth quarter of 2019 due to the March 2020 Apex asset acquisition, but below the year-ago level of 16.6%. We did convert our variable rate revolver debt to fixed debt under our Master Note Agreement during the period. And as a result, we have about $660 million available on our existing credit lines. This leaves us with ample capacity to pay deferred taxes and our dividend as well as to support the reopening of our customers or any COVID-related needs that may yet emerge. This is all for our formal presentation. So, with that, operator, we'll take questions. Questions and Answers: Operator Thank you. [Operator Instructions] Our first question is coming from Josh Pokrzywinski of Morgan Stanley. Please go ahead. Josh Pokrzywinski -- Morgan Stanley -- Analyst Hey, thanks a lot everybody. Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer Hey, Josh. Good morning. Josh Pokrzywinski -- Morgan Stanley -- Analyst Holden, just first question from the comment you made, flattening in the past few weeks, I guess depending on whether I will get the charts that are kind of indexed to pass points in time or just think about year-over-year. Can you just help me unpack what that means? Is that business getting better in the last few weeks relative to how the quarter ended? Or are you trying to say that you've seen some tapering? It wasn't entirely clear, apologize for maybe being a little slow on the uptake there. Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer I think if you look at Page 4, which is the product expenses through vending, what you'll see is a bottom in April that really recovered nicely through May. But over the last, call it, three-four weeks, you've really seen a flattening in the number of vending dispenses that we've seen relative to prior weeks. And I think that's really what I'm referring to. We've seen something similar in hub picks. And so, I think what that kind of tells us, is in the last few weeks, you have that steady increase that we've been seeing week-upon-week there for a month-and-half, two months. Really, it's kind of flattened out in the last couple of weeks. Now, to what degree is that because of the timing of 4th July holiday? To what degree is that a function of an increase infections and maybe people reacting in certain parts of the country to that? We don't know that at this point. But I think what I was referring to in the dialog was really what you see on that chart on Slide 4. Josh Pokrzywinski -- Morgan Stanley -- Analyst Got it. I guess if I had to look it like a fastener-only version of that, stripping out some of the safety elements; do you think it would work the same or would it have more of a steady increase, kind of more representative of the day-to-day business as it were? Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer I think it would probably look the same, worth noting that we don't vend fasteners. Josh Pokrzywinski -- Morgan Stanley -- Analyst Right [Speech Overlap] more safety it represents. Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer So, there's -- it wouldn't reflect that, but -- but if I think about the trend in hub picks, which is much broader than just vending, right? And they show a very similar pattern. I think that you're -- I think that's what you're seeing. But like I said, the cause of it is difficult to know. This chart really -- this flattening really occurs around a significant holiday and timing of the week can matter and that sort of thing. So, it's really difficult to know what that means in terms of the remainder of July and the remainder of the third quarter, but it's there to sort of look at and we'll see how that plays out in coming weeks. Josh Pokrzywinski -- Morgan Stanley -- Analyst Got it. That's helpful. I'll jump back in the queue. I'm sure there's lot of people who want to ask questions. Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Sure. Thanks, Josh. Operator Thank you. Our next question is coming from David Manthey of Baird. Please go ahead. David Manthey -- Baird -- Analyst Hey, good morning, guys. Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer Hey, Dave. David Manthey -- Baird -- Analyst First off, I think that 2021 was supposed to be the year that Onsites would be gaining ground on operating margin, as you're adding fewer to the bucket and as the existing Onsites were improving profitability. Should we -- as we think about going through the downturn here, should we think about just moving that to the right a year? Do you still anticipate maybe 2022, where we start to see Onsites, as a group, improving in terms of profitability actually helping the overall margin? Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer I'll throw out a thought on it and I'll let Holden correct me if I go awry. You are correct with your comment about 2021. Our thinking is the same. I think there's two -- there is a couple of competing things going on. One will be, if our existing Onsites are at a depressed level and that depressed level stays in place, that wreaks having to what you're talking about. If that -- if we work our way out of that depressed level on the existing Onsites, all of a sudden their operating margin improves because their volumes improve and they're absorbing our cost. If you think of the impact of new Onsites coming in, actually that would help us in 2021. Unfortunately, it help us because we'd have fewer drain from the new Onsites. We won't have the revenue growth, but in the first year the Onsites actually hurt operating margin and so your comment about mix change is really a function of, as we get now four years into this accelerated Onsite signings and we're -- and it becomes a more balanced mix, a lower number in one year would actually help that in the short-term. I don't want that help. We want the signings. But mathematically, you know -- so, I don't know that it pushes it out and Holden might have a better insight because he is closer to the numbers than I am. Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Yes, I think it's -- for better or for worse, what has occurred -- nothing has changed in terms of our overall view of how this plays out. But what has occurred is we've injected a couple of more variables in that we didn't necessarily anticipate injecting in. I think Dan really spoke about those. Of the variables that was causing us to think about the timing originally, the one that comes to mind for me is, one reason the margin would get better is because the average size per Onsite gets better. And we were going to see those lines begin to cross in 2020 and therefore lead to some better improvement in 2021. I still think that's a key metric, Dave. And so, depending on how all these variables play out over the next 6 to 12 months, I think the key metric is the average size per Onsite bottoming out and beginning to rise in a sustainable fashion. And is it possible that that point can get pushed out a bit by all these moving pieces that are playing out? Yes, I think that that's possible. I think those are cyclical factors as opposed to secular ones, right? I think the overall dynamic is still very much in place, very much in force, and unfortunately, we've had some other variables that get injected into it. But I still believe that once the average size per Onsite begins to move up, that's where you're going to start to see the leverage in incremental margins in that business move up. If that slides a couple of quarters because of some of the things that's happening, it's possible, but I don't think it's changing anyway the overall secular picture around Onsites and improving profitability and returns. David Manthey -- Baird -- Analyst Got it, OK. And just -- it's been a while that I've asked you this question and the mix may have changed over time. But when you look at Fastenal's business today, particularly in the manufacturing verticals compared to industrial production, what verticals do you see the company right now as being slightly overweight versus slightly underweight? Can you just give us an idea of maybe the top one or two there? Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer I'm not sure how to answer that question. We're still a heavy -- heavy manufacturing company, of course, and heavy machinery is a big portion of that. Now, I think that's a natural byproduct of the kind of products that we serve, our history, the markets that we typically address, etc. So, I'm not sure that we're overweight. But I will tell you, we'd like to move our construction mix up. We'd like to move our government and education mix up. And I think that that's occurred over time. We'd like to see it happen faster. And so, if I think going forward, will manufacturing be slightly smaller in the mix than it is today relative to some of these government and healthcare and educational opportunities to construction? Probably. That's just us moving into additional markets and additional opportunities and making progress in those. So, that's probably how I'd characterize it. Dan, I don't know if you have different perspective. Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer You know, if you think about our manufacturing business, about half of our manufacturing business, to Holden's point, is heavy manufacturing. And a big chunk of that, probably two-thirds of that would be heavy equipment manufacturing within that heavy manufacturing subcategory. And you picked up, I saw -- I read the piece you put out earlier this morning, Dave, where you picked up on the fact that manufacturing did weaken a little bit in June. And that's where the weakening was. It gained some strength in May. It was down 24% in April; it was down 10% and then down 14% now in June. I don't know how much comps from last year played into that, because I just wanted visibility of that in front of me, but that's a piece. About 40% of our manufacturing business is broadly -- and let Holden describes on my intricate. My chhi-chhi here is medium manufacturing and I'll let him define what that means. That was just marginally negative in June. The remaining, which is about 10% of our manufacturing, which probably has a lot of food in it as well, that's actually growing double-digits in April, May and June, where it was only growing 9% back in March. David Manthey -- Baird -- Analyst Okay. Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer But if you're operating in Oklahoma -- yes, if you're operating in Oklahoma, Texas or Louisiana, that's a pretty tough manufacturing environment right now, because we do fair amount of business in oil and gas. David Manthey -- Baird -- Analyst Yes, OK. All right, thanks a lot, Dan. Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer Thanks. Operator Thank you. Our next question is coming from Hamzah Mazari of Jefferies. Please go ahead. Hamzah Mazari -- Jefferies -- Analyst Good morning. Thank you. My question was just on the -- on your captive trucking network. I think you mentioned using third-party transport. Any thoughts as to how you're thinking about freight and just longer-term, what kind of, what kind of competitive advantage your trucking network has? Historically, you've talked about optimizing that. Just curious where that stands? Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer Yes. So, I don't think our thought process on freight using our own captive network has changed at all during this. What we did do is we pulled -- our lowest day of the week for shipments is Tuesday. So, our shipment that goes out, our truck routes that go out Monday night, we effectively cancelled those in April. And branches that were getting five trucks, now are getting four trucks. And we really challenged those branches to work with their customer, understand your inventory stocking. So, we didn't -- so we didn't cancel Tuesday trucks, and then we freight in a bunch of stuff because we needed the product. We did a really nice job with that. Now, the savings there is in some labor, it's in fuel, obviously. The trucks, unfortunately, all we could do on that day is park them. And so, as they go off lease, we can reduce some of those, if it goes for the year. We used a fair amount for third-party because our trucking network is really this agile trucking system that lives and breathes within the Fastenal supply chain. And the surge orders, we weren't selling a box or a pallet product, we were selling truckloads or container loads. And so, that's what really prompted the need to use probably more third-party than we had typically, because it was just a different type of movement. Whereas our trucking network, I think of it as an LTL network. It does small parcel, it does LTL, and it's very agile, nimble. But if you want to move a truckload from point A to point B, it might be more cost effective to move it on one of our trucks and just drive it there, we'll move it on third-party who's got -- who has an open lane. The combination of under-utilizing some of our fleet, as well as if you look at how much product we move -- not on our fleet, but on third-party -- it was probably six to seven percentage points higher in this quarter than it has been in recent quarters. And again, that carries an incremental cost to it as well. But it's a reflection of some of the product that we did move, but those are some of the inefficiencies that get created in the network in an environment like this. Hamzah Mazari -- Jefferies -- Analyst Got it. Thank you. And just a follow-up question, I'll turn it over. Just what are you looking for in terms of visibility before you start adding costs back into the system, specifically, headcount? I know you mentioned you're cautiously optimistic today, but any thoughts as to what you're looking at internally there before you add cost back? Thank you. Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer Every Wednesday. I get an update on those vending stats you looked at. And I'm watching those vending stats because here's a billion-dollar business that touches on a daily basis, and I mean, seven days a week in across 25 countries, across a big piece of our customer base. I think it was on the latest employment numbers that came out and they were talking about how they were adjusting in the methods. We learned more about the methods for doing unemployment reporting at the federal level and, you know, I felt like, \""Jeez, why don't they just get a Ouija board and they can improve the accuracy.\"" Here we have something that looks at our business, every day, every week. It's incredibly accurate. When I see those trends move, we will be more comfortable to take steps. Hamzah Mazari -- Jefferies -- Analyst Got it. Thank you. Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer And I think to add to that, you will see some expenses come back. I mean, we had movement, travel, food, things of that nature among our sales and non-sales force. That was down 60% percent, just about 60% in the second quarter. Do I expect that to be down 60% in the third quarter? Probably not. Will it be down significantly? In all likelihood it will. If you talk to the RVPs on how they're viewing labor? At this point they are still looking to be very tight with what they add back. And as they add, if those opportunities present themselves, they're more likely to begin by adding hours, because I think there's plenty of capacity in our part-time workforce today to add hours before we have to add more heads or more bodies. So, the -- we're still going to operate, I think, well below sort of the Q1 level of expenses, and I think the market justifies that. But would you expect to see some increase as the market today looks really different than what we thought it might look like three months ago? Sure. But we're still at the very fairly tight nets controlled by the field. Hamzah Mazari -- Jefferies -- Analyst Got it. Thank you. Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Sure. Operator Thank you. Our next question is coming from Ryan Merkel of William Blair. Please go ahead. Ryan Merkel -- William Blair -- Analyst Hey, guys. Maybe I'll ask a few safety questions. So, I think, first off, any color on why safety sales in June only tapered slightly? I think, Holden, you're expecting maybe a bigger fall off. And I think one of your peers who reported, mentioned that, \""Hey, customers already bought.\"" So, they saw safety fall off pretty meaningfully in June? Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer I'll say the surge, the surge business was still pretty healthy in June. And I think that really gets to it. So, in both May and June, I would say the surge orders outperformed what I might have expected going into the month. And that's a positive thing. Not only for us as an organization but for what we can do for customers and for the marketplace in general. So, I think that that's great. But yes, I would say the surge orders just simply were better than I might have expected going into the month. Now, I will caution, I think I did suggest at the time of the May sales release that we would see some more in June, they would taper off. They didn't taper off as much as we thought. But I did indicate that I didn't think that surge orders would be meaningful as you roll into the third quarter, I still believe that. I think that we're largely sort of taking care of the pipeline of the initial surge. The question at this point is whether or not there's going to be a second pipeline filling event, right? And you are seeing a lot of COVID infections moving up. We have a lot of new customers that we absolutely expect to turn -- get away from being sort of a one-time supplier surge product and turning it into long-term regular customers. But at the same time, the marketplace right now is much better supplied with these products than it was three months ago when these surge pipeline built up. So, I believe that in the third quarter, I think safety will grow despite the market still being a little bit under water. And I think that some of what you're seeing in the market will be helpful. But I think you're looking at growth that's more like 10% to 15%, not 116%. And that's how I'd characterize the environment today. Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer The only thing I'd add to it is, I know there is still a lot of noise going on. Every day, you see something new going on in a particular geographic area. I think we've done a nice job. Our government team particularly has done a really nice job of helping the public be aware of, \""We are a reliable source of supply.\"" And more stuff came out of the woodwork in June than I would have expected. And just last week, I was talking to one of our regional Vice President and he was talking about an Onsite we just signed. And it was completely related to somebody that wasn't a business partner of ours before, but they were sourcing product before they learned about what we do and how we go to market and we signed an Onsite with them. And so, I think part of what's helping us right now is word-of-mouth in the end market. We're still getting calls. Yesterday, I got -- I was sitting in the Board meeting and we see the text from one of our EVP of Sales, and there is some stuff come out the woodwork again. Now, please don't read into that. Florness just said it's going to take off again in Q3. But it's -- there's still stuff that comes out of the woodwork and I think part of it is the marketplace and non-traditional marketplace for us, as seeing us as a very valuable supply chain partner. Because one of the things that has come out of this is and you see news -- unfortunate news stories about it. There is a lot of garbage in the marketplace as far as product. We were founded by a mechanical engineer. We started with fasteners. There's nothing that requires better QC than fasteners, because it's holding stuff together. When we sell -- when we source something, we're in the plant. We're testing the product in a way that maybe isn't existing in all sources of supply. And so, people trust us and that's really important in this environment. Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer Another way to think of the change perhaps is, if I look at where the safety mix is, through the first seven days of the business, let's bear in mind there is only seven days. But safety is about 24% of revenues through the first seven days of July. Compare that to the second quarter, where it was 34% of revenues. And so, you've probably seen that July is not going to be where June was in those numbers unless something changes as it relates to the current COVID infections, and that's something that we have yet to be seen. But I think it's just as meaningful to suggest or to point out that at this time, last year, safety was 17%, 18%, 19%, right? And then so that's kind of the dynamic that you're seeing and that's why we suggest that you're not going to see surge volumes in the third quarter in July, like you've seen -- like you saw in the second quarter, but we'll see how the market evolves. Ryan Merkel -- William Blair -- Analyst Okay. Yes, helpful color. I'm having a pretty tough time forecasting 3Q, I think, like everyone else, but that's helpful. So, you started to answer, Dan, my second question a little bit there, but just stepping back high level in a post-COVID world, does your value prop to the customer increase in your view? And then related, any change in the way that you go to market or is access to facilities not going to change that much in your view? Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer I think the value prop has expanded particularly for folks outside our historical customer base. I mean, they didn't know us as well. And we've been serving the manufacturing and construction sectors for years. We're still kind of a new player in some of the other spaces. So, I think our value proposition, the awareness to it has improved. I think one of the outcomes of this, I think we've proven to ourselves that we can do some things that maybe we didn't even realize we could do, because while we have a substantial safety business -- I don't want to make light of it -- half of our safety business was because of our vending business. And so, we've grown great resources in that industry, in that marketplace. But I don't think we even realized how strong they were, and this gave us a chance to flex that muscle a little bit and demonstrate it. And so, you know, what it means going forward? That one, I'm really not sure of. We had to cancel our customer show in April, as you're aware. And that's a big event for us because people get a chance to get exposed a little deeper into the organization. And you meet with suppliers, you learn about what we do, how we go to market. It's a very transparent event from the standpoint of gaining comfort. Because a supplier when they really turn their business over to us, that's a huge trusting. And they learn that this is a group of folks that I can rely on. And not having that, that's a tough one. But we have, going into the fall, a bunch of virtual events that we're developing and we'll be doing in there. We really, I think, have a good plan there. We're going to figure out a way to promote vending, to promote Onsites, promote the Fastenal business model in the marketplace. And I think maybe we'll figure out a way to do it better, but time will tell. Ryan Merkel -- William Blair -- Analyst Perfect. Thank you. Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer Okay. Thanks, Ryan. Operator Thank you. [Operator Instruction] Our next question is coming from Nigel Coe of Wolfe Research. Please go ahead. Nigel Coe -- Wolfe Research -- Analyst Thanks. Good morning, guys. Maybe I'll pick up from, I think Ryan sort of touched on the topic that I was going to dig into as well. In the sort of the traditional retail world, we've seen a pretty marked shift between physical versus e-commerce. And it doesn't feel like you've seen that. I'm just wondering in a post-COVID world, do you expect e-commerce to accelerate at the expense of physical store sales? Not necessarily Onsite, just your physical stores? Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer If you think about how we've kind of presented the story, and I talked about this a bit at the Annual Meeting. And as we really -- when you boil down business that's going into our end market, we're a B2B model. When you look at that business, the bulk of the dollars, our planned spend, a smaller piece of the dollars are transactional spend. And what we've really built with our -- you know, started with fasteners, especially the OEM fasteners, and the MRO as it relates to bin stocks, and now got much deeper with our vending, is we're really a great supplier for planned spend. And because we have the infrastructure for planned spend, we're really good at transactional too. So, one of the reasons our e-commerce numbers are different than our peers is, most of the products our customers buy from us, they don't order. It's there when they need it. It might be in a vending machine, it might be in a bin, it might be on the production floor. We know their needs. And so, it's kind of like that ad that you used to always see of the person reaching in and grabbing that orange juice, and there's a hand reaching through from the vine -- it's not an orchard, whatever you call where oranges are grown. And -- but the point is, if you're really good at supply chain partnership, you aren't ordering product, and that changes our dynamic. Now, we see on that piece of business that is transactional, be a great partner, and that's where we think things like our vending come into play. So, one thing we really haven't talked about is, during the last few months, we've rolled out about 400 vending machines to the front of branch locations. So, when a customer calls up to order something or better yet orders it online, we put it in the locker because the vending is the natural social distance tool, bin stocks is a natural social distance tool. So, we think we're actually poised to be more successful at creating a reliable supply chain and yet instilling social distance because it's inherently more efficient. And so, I think it serves us well and improves -- to Ryan's last question -- the value proposition. Because especially, since we did the transaction with Apex back in March, we now can do things with vending that we couldn't have done three and four and five months ago. And now, we own the technology. So, we can take it anywhere that are -- the marketplace wants us to take it. Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer And I would probably add. I mean, our fundamental value proposition is one of total cost of ownership savings. And as Dan alluded to, what we try to do for our customers, remove them from the process of doing something which is non-core to them, which is sourcing product. And the e-commerce path has a lot of value in the channel, but it still is going to heavily involve the customer in the process of procuring product. And as long as customers continue to see value in the case of an Onsite and our assuming the inventory and our assuming the credit duties or in vending, seeing value in the data that comes out of that. The availability on the -- at the point of use on the plant, that's -- those just aren't things that can be replicated in an e-commerce environment. So, in our view, to see a major change like you're suggesting, would have to see a major change in what customer's value, which is to say they're willing to accept more expense in their sourcing operations than they have to if they use our approach to the marketplace. And we just don't think that's going to happen. Nigel Coe -- Wolfe Research -- Analyst That's great color. Thanks for that guys. And then I want to understand what you mean by the safety. Safety is much better supplied in in the market, specifically within some of the non-traditional customer base. And is that because the traditional distributors into those verticals have kind of caught up and they've got inventory, or the customers have a lot of inventory themselves? I mean, what do you actually mean by that comment? Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer It's probably some combination of all of it. I think three months ago, when this crisis hit, remember China was actually down and coming back up, and so you weren't fully producing product at the kind of scale that you needed to deal with the issue of COVID as it hit Europe and the U.S. And so, I think three months ago you had supply restrictions. I think those supply restrictions have largely cleaned up. I think three months ago, the supply chain was in shock and it took a while for the supply chain to figure out where to go to get product. I think that the supply chain has figured that out. And I do suspect that there are customers out there that over purchase product because of the uncertainty of the situation and it's probably in the chain. I think the last piece is probably as important an element of all of them. I mean, how many people on this call went out and bought six-month worth of toilet paper in March? This was ridiculous what you'd see going out in carts, at establishments, as relates to just basic household supplies. And when you have that kind of a surge in demand, I mean, one thing that we did and I think it's resonated well with our customer base -- especially including our new customer base -- is we put in place a very commonsensical allocation process. And we've really tried to share and shed the light of day of that process with our customers. And I think that even changes the ordering pattern of the customers, because all of a sudden, they get what we're doing. They understand it and now they're buying to demand. They're not buying out of panic. And that's what -- I keep harping on this point and I'm sorry if I'm beating you to death, that's what a supply chain partner does. If you shed light to here is how the system works and here's how and why we can support your needs and we can be reliable. And that's probably changing part of it too, because there's less panic buying going on there. I mean, we brought it very early on, this organization was able to bring organization to chaos. And I think today the market has less chaos and it is fairly well supplied with key products like 3-plys and things of that nature. And by the way, in that particular line, that's also having an impact on sort of the pricing in the marketplace as well. Nigel Coe -- Wolfe Research -- Analyst Very clear. Thanks, guys. Operator Thank you. Our next question comes from Chris Dankert of Longbow Research. Please go ahead. Chris Dankert -- Longbow Research -- Analyst Hey, Dan, Holden, do we have time for one more or do you want to wrap it up? Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer Yes, we can. Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer One more. I'll let Holden answer, because I talk too long. Chris Dankert -- Longbow Research -- Analyst Yes. Thanks, guys. Thanks for squeezing me in here. I guess, just kind of circling back here. How many of these non-traditional customers have indicated there is the opportunity for a larger relationship? Is some of this just, \""Hey, let's support the governments and hospitals and healthcare workers in this time of need.\"" I mean, that's going to be just a short-term sugar rush or can some of these relationships extend into 2021 beyond and kind of grow from there? Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer I think our safety teams have talked about probably, fully a quarter of the relationships that we created, more entered into in sort of a one-time surge capacity, can be forged into longer-term relationships. Now, when I say a quarter, look, some of those relationships are always going to be transactional, right? Either because they were using us because their traditional supplier wasn't available, and they'd go back to that relationship or what have you. But there is an expectation out of the safety teams that fully a quarter of those relationships from the second quarter could be extended into long-term relationships as opposed to short-term transactional ones. And obviously those are going to be the ones that are the largest opportunities from our perspective, so. Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer One thing I'll add to that. Sorry, I couldn't shut up. I think awareness is part of the game. For a lot of these customers, they probably weren't -- they didn't think of us as a supply chain partner in their space, in their industry. They thought of us, \""Oh, those are the guys who sell nuts and bolts. Or they're more of a manufacturing and, you know, an industrial construction supplier, and they don't really sell what we source.\"" So, I think awareness is an important element here. I believe also, what you run into with a lot of those marketplaces, they buy through consortiums. And if you're not necessarily a player in that space, you're not on their radar. And I wouldn't be surprised, and this is forward looking now. So, I should have an attorney here to qualify everything I'm going to say. I wouldn't be surprised to see some customers say, \""Hey -- to their consortium -- we want Fastenal in this group, so that we can source from them and it's easier because we went through too many hurdles to buy from them in March or April and we need to make this easier. I think you will see some of that and I think it has some staying power, but I think it's all about becoming aware to what we can bring to their table. Because at the end of the day, it's not about what Fastenal does, it's about the value we can bring to the customer and awareness is a key part. Chris Dankert -- Longbow Research -- Analyst Yes. I'm glad to hear that there is certainly some real tangible opportunity there. And then Holden, you touched on this, I'd like to circle back real quick. I guess, Fastenal deals in a fairly high amount of branch-specific stock in most quarters. But obviously, we're seeing a lot more kind of a response to the pandemic. Now that the supplier relationships are established, I guess, how could that impact the mix going forward? Is it reasonable to think that getting these rebate relationships in place can kind of help offset some of that gross margin pressure on the back half of the year? Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Well, I'm not sure that there is -- rebates, they are typically negotiated on a periodic basis. I'm not sure that that's going to have any impact on the back half of the year. Just trying a little bit with sort of where you're going with the question. But yes, I mean if you could -- let me know exactly what you're looking for? Chris Dankert -- Longbow Research -- Analyst No, I was thinking -- if you're dealing with just new suppliers that you have no history with, you're going to get a tougher cost basis than if you're establishing new relationships and you start to work out better pricing. That was the thrust of my question. Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Got it. Right. Okay, on the supply side, my apologies. So, one of the reasons -- our safety margin in the second quarter was probably 250 to 350 basis points lower than it needs to be and, frankly, lower than it was in Q1 and last year. And that is significantly because of some of the things that you're talking about. Now, going forward, we've certainly introduced ourselves to new suppliers and they to us, and we'll no doubt get those suppliers. And if there are suppliers that are worth carrying forward going forward, then I'm sure we'll do that. And we'll do that in a more traditional relationship. Maybe there'll be rebates in there or maybe there'll be a different agreement on pricing. As two parties begin to trust each other, I think that it becomes easier to optimize that relationship and that could happen. But worst-case scenario, again as the marketplace normalizes, we will go back to our normal dynamics with our normal suppliers, with our normal means of transporting product about. And I would expect that we will get that 250 to 350 basis points back. Now, will that happen in 3Q? Probably not, because as I talked about, we do have some product and inventory that where some of the price cost dynamics are a little bit challenging and I think we have to work through that over the course of the year. And again, there is probably going to be some additional COVID type business that happens, based on the infection rates. And so, I think we get the 250 to 350 back in the third quarter? Probably not. But I think we'll make substantial progress and I think we'll normalize things as the year progresses in that particular product line. Chris Dankert -- Longbow Research -- Analyst Got it. Thanks for the color, guys. Take care. [Speech Overlap] Go ahead. Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer I was just going to say it's two minutes to the hour. Again, thank you everybody for participating in the call today. My thanks to the Blue Team at Fastenal for what you did in the last three, four months of setting your personal fear aside at times and pursuing the goal of -- we have a strong conservative balance sheet, we can make use of it in this environment to create a fast -- to create speed and resilient supply chain. And everybody needs a purpose and a reason to get to morning. I think we found a great purpose for the last four months, and thank you. Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Thank you. Operator [Operator Closing Remarks] Duration: 59 minutes Call participants: Ellen Stolts -- Financial Reporting & Regulatory Compliance Manager Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Josh Pokrzywinski -- Morgan Stanley -- Analyst David Manthey -- Baird -- Analyst Hamzah Mazari -- Jefferies -- Analyst Ryan Merkel -- William Blair -- Analyst Nigel Coe -- Wolfe Research -- Analyst Chris Dankert -- Longbow Research -- Analyst More FAST analysis All earnings call transcripts {%sfr%} 10 stocks we like better than Fastenal When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Fastenal wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of June 2, 2020 This article is a transcript of this conference call produced for The Motley Fool. While we strive for our Foolish Best, there may be errors, omissions, or inaccuracies in this transcript. As with all our articles, The Motley Fool does not assume any responsibility for your use of this content, and we strongly encourage you to do your own research, including listening to the call yourself and reading the company's SEC filings. Please see our Terms and Conditions for additional details, including our Obligatory Capitalized Disclaimers of Liability. Motley Fool Transcribers has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Co. Q2 Income Climbs (RTTNews) - Fastenal Co. (FAST) reported a profit for its second quarter that climbed from last year. The company's profit came in at $238.9 million, or $0.42 per share. This compares with $204.6 million, or $0.36 per share, in last year's second quarter. Analysts had expected the company to earn $0.36 per share, according to figures compiled by Thomson Reuters. Analysts' estimates typically exclude special items. The company's revenue for the quarter rose 10.2% to $1.51 billion from $1.37 billion last year. Fastenal Co. earnings at a glance: -Earnings (Q2): $238.9 Mln. vs. $204.6 Mln. last year. -EPS (Q2): $0.42 vs. $0.36 last year. -Analysts Estimate: $0.36 -Revenue (Q2): $1.51 Bln vs. $1.37 Bln last year. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Q2 20 Earnings Conference Call At 10:00 AM ET (RTTNews) - Fastenal Co. (FAST) will host a conference call at 10:00 AM ET on July 14, 2020, to discuss Q2 20 earnings results. To access the live webcast, log on to https://investor.fastenal.com/events.cfm The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Earnings Show an Industrial Economy \u2018Treading Water\u2019 Investors can see how much things have improved from pandemic-induced lows in March and April and how far things have to go to get back to pre-Covid levels.""]"
FAST,2020-07-15,40.8849,41.4939,39.9649,41.2599,
FAST,2020-07-16,41.2411,41.3773,40.499,40.7723,
FAST,2020-07-17,40.8849,41.7929,40.799,41.4267,"Fastenal a Top Socially Responsible Dividend Stock With 2.3% Yield (FAST) Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) has been named a Top Socially Responsible Dividend Stock by Dividend Channel, signifying a stock with above-average ''DividendRank'' statistics including a strong 2.3% yield, as well as being recognized by prominent asset managers as being a socially responsible investment, through analysis of social and environmental criteria. Environmental criteria include considerations like the environmental impact of the company's products and services, as well as the company's efficiency in terms of its use of energy and resources. Social criteria include elements such as human rights, child labor, corporate diversity, and the company's impact on society — for instance, taken into consideration would be business activities tied to weapons, gambling, tobacco, and alcohol. According to the ETF Finder at ETF Channel, Fastenal Co. is a member of the iShares USA ESG Select ETF (SUSA), making up 0.17% of the underlying holdings of the fund, which owns $3,352,559 worth of FAST shares. The annualized dividend paid by Fastenal Co. is $1/share, currently paid in quarterly installments, and its most recent dividend ex-date was on 07/27/2020. Below is a long-term dividend history chart for FAST, which the DividendRank report stressed as being of key importance. Indeed, studying a company's past dividend history can be of good help in judging whether the most recent dividend is likely to continue. FAST operates in the Home Improvement Stores sector, among companies like Home Depot Inc (HD), and Lowe's Companies Inc (LOW). Top 25 Socially Responsible Dividend Stocks — Income To Feel Good About » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2020-07-20,41.3625,42.2016,41.2411,42.0278,
FAST,2020-07-21,42.2816,42.8333,42.2342,42.6843,"[""Charting a bull-flag breakout, S&P 500 extends rally as volatility recedes Focus: Europe\u2019s slow-motion breakout attempt, Retail sector presses major resistance, IEV, XRT, SONO, FAST, FVRR Technically speaking, the U.S. benchmarks\u2019 bigger-picture backdrop remains bullish, and continues to strengthen, amid recently receding volatility. Against this backdrop, the S&P 500 has staged a bull-flag breakout \u2014 clearing major resistance (3,233) \u2014 while the Nasdaq Composite has registered its latest record close."", ""Charting a bull-flag breakout, S&P 500 extends rally as volatility recedes Focus: Europe\u2019s slow-motion breakout attempt, Retail sector presses major resistance, IEV, XRT, SONO, FAST, FVRR Technically speaking, the U.S. benchmarks\u2019 bigger-picture backdrop remains bullish, and continues to strengthen, amid recently receding volatility, writes Michael Ashbaugh.""]"
FAST,2020-07-22,42.7869,43.1057,42.5618,42.9646,
FAST,2020-07-23,43.0692,43.621,42.8303,42.9004,"Ex-Div Reminder for Fastenal Looking at the universe of stocks we cover at Dividend Channel, on 7/27/20, Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) will trade ex-dividend, for its quarterly dividend of $0.25, payable on 8/25/20. As a percentage of FAST's recent stock price of $45.76, this dividend works out to approximately 0.55%, so look for shares of Fastenal Co. to trade 0.55% lower — all else being equal — when FAST shares open for trading on 7/27/20. In general, dividends are not always predictable; but looking at the history above can help in judging whether the most recent dividend from FAST is likely to continue, and whether the current estimated yield of 2.19% on annualized basis is a reasonable expectation of annual yield going forward. The chart below shows the one year performance of FAST shares, versus its 200 day moving average: Looking at the chart above, FAST's low point in its 52 week range is $26.715 per share, with $46.13 as the 52 week high point — that compares with a last trade of $45.88. In Thursday trading, Fastenal Co. shares are currently down about 0.2% on the day. Click here to learn which 25 S.A.F.E. dividend stocks should be on your radar screen » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2020-07-24,42.8619,43.2667,42.552,42.8718,
FAST,2020-07-27,42.9557,43.767,42.9557,43.5588,"Only 4% of Companies Reveal the Racial Makeup of Their Employee Base. Investors Are Pushing to Change That. Calvert and New York City are pressing companies to disclose data including which jobs people hold, the missing piece in achieving diversity."
FAST,2020-07-28,43.2676,43.3613,42.7287,42.7573,
FAST,2020-07-29,43.0109,44.1342,42.8333,43.8697,
FAST,2020-07-30,43.2676,44.309,43.0879,44.2102,
FAST,2020-07-31,44.3514,44.3593,43.4877,44.3326,
FAST,2020-08-03,44.6426,45.1953,44.53,44.7275,
FAST,2020-08-04,44.4629,44.8509,44.3988,44.7946,
FAST,2020-08-05,44.8045,45.4332,44.7561,45.2881,
FAST,2020-08-06,44.4777,45.2545,44.3998,45.1805,
FAST,2020-08-07,45.1341,45.7175,44.9061,45.6612,
FAST,2020-08-10,45.6326,45.7925,44.9841,45.1717,
FAST,2020-08-11,45.4056,45.5852,44.535,44.6623,
FAST,2020-08-12,44.8409,45.6908,44.7759,45.37,
FAST,2020-08-13,45.2832,45.5951,45.0661,45.2457,
FAST,2020-08-14,45.0117,45.5516,44.9021,45.2259,
FAST,2020-08-17,45.2832,45.6859,45.1953,45.4628,
FAST,2020-08-18,45.5467,45.754,45.2832,45.3029,
FAST,2020-08-19,45.4529,45.75,45.1341,45.2545,
FAST,2020-08-20,45.0473,45.5122,44.9021,45.4243,
FAST,2020-08-21,45.4431,45.7738,45.1637,45.7461,
FAST,2020-08-24,45.9158,46.0768,44.4629,45.1243,
FAST,2020-08-25,45.3523,45.4332,44.8597,45.1341,
FAST,2020-08-26,45.1143,45.526,44.8351,45.3227,
FAST,2020-08-27,45.5754,45.906,45.2693,45.5665,
FAST,2020-08-28,45.7362,46.0669,45.5467,46.0284,
FAST,2020-08-31,45.8784,46.2554,45.8112,46.0482,
FAST,2020-09-01,46.0482,46.6789,45.6612,46.6413,
FAST,2020-09-02,46.7163,46.9898,46.4351,46.8101,
FAST,2020-09-03,46.1222,46.2929,43.8332,44.3139,"[""BUZZ-U.S. STOCKS ON THE MOVE-Conn's Inc, Smartsheet Inc, Designer Brands, Duluth Holdings Inc Eikon search string for individual stock moves: STXBZ The Day Ahead newsletter: http://tmsnrt.rs/2ggOmBi The Morning News Call newsletter: http://tmsnrt.rs/2fwPLTh Wall Street's main indexes tumbled on Thursday, heading for their worst day since June as investors dumped high-flying technology-focused stocks, while economic data highlighted concerns about a long and difficult recovery. .N At 13:30 p.m. ET, the Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI was down 2.60% at 28,342.64. The S&P 500 .SPX was down 3.34% at 3,461.18 and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC was down 4.66% at 11,495.102. The top three S&P 500 .PG.INX percentage gainers: ** Carnival Corp , up 6.2% ** Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd , up 5.7% ** Invesco Ltd , up 4.7% The top three S&P 500 .PL.INX percentage losers: ** Nvidia Corp , down 9% ** Qorvo Inc , down 8.7% ** Advanced Micro Devices Inc , down 8.3% The top three NYSE .PG.N percentage gainers: ** Kensington Capital Acquisition Corp , up 69.6% ** Garret Motion Inc , up 30.7% ** FTS International Inc , up 25.5% The top three NYSE .PL.N percentage losers: ** Zuora Inc ZUO.N, down 32.2% ** PagerDuty Inc , down 27.8% ** Ciena Corp , down 24.6% The top three Nasdaq .PG.O percentage gainers: ** Applied Genetic Technologies Corp , up 19.3% ** Ebang International Holdings Inc , up 19.4% ** Tracon Pharmaceuticals Inc , up 20.1% The top three Nasdaq .PL.O percentage losers: ** Akebia Therapeutics Inc , down 73.1% ** Patriot National Bancorp Inc , down 17.4% ** Recro Pharma Inc , down 16.2% ** Newmont Corp NEM.N: down 3.4% ** AngloGold Ashanti Ltd AU.N: down 2% BUZZ-U.S.-listed gold miners decline as the dollar climbs ** Tesla Inc TSLA.O: down 7.9% BUZZ-Set for third straight session of losses ** Fulgent Genetics Inc FLGT.O: up 15.1% BUZZ-Rises on adding influenza results to COVID-19 test ** Whiting Petroleum Corp WLL.N: up 12.6% BUZZ-Well-placed for M&A on return from bankruptcy, says KeyBanc ** Akebia Therapeutics Inc AKBA.O: down 73.1% BUZZ-Akebia plunges as lead anemia drug misses safety goal in late-stage trial ** PagerDuty Inc PD.N: down 26.2% ** Zuora Inc ZUO.N: down 32.2% BUZZ-Cloud firms PagerDuty, Zuora tumble as outlooks disappoint ** Novavax Inc NVAX.O: up 3.6% BUZZ-Rises as New England Journal of Medicine publishes early-stage COVID-19 vaccine data ** Five Below Inc FIVE.O: up 6.5% BUZZ-Strong results, recovery trigger slew of PT raises ** Kensington Capital Acquisition Corp KCAC.N: up 69.5% BUZZ-Surges on SPAC deal to take Bill Gates-backed QuantamScape public ** Campbell Soup Co CPB.N: down 8.3% BUZZ-Sees weak sales in 2H as restaurants reopen ** ADMA Biologics Inc ADMA.O: down 0.3% BUZZ-Up on launching test to detect COVID-19 antibodies ** Barnes & Noble Education BNED.N: down 5.8% BUZZ-Falls as campus store closures hit results ** Carnival Corp CCL.N: up 6.2% BUZZ-Jumps on plans to restart two cruise lines ** Apple Inc AAPL.O: down 6.3% BUZZ-Stock takes some sheen off, down 3% ** Ciena Corp CIEN.N: down 24.2% BUZZ-Plunges after co warns of COVID-19 hit to revenue ** Fastenal Co FAST.O: down 5.6% BUZZ-Falls as Wells Fargo moves to sidelines on valuation ** Amarin Corporation Plc AMRN.O: down 7.4% BUZZ-Falls as court upholds ruling to allow generic cos to sell heart drug ** CNS Pharmaceuticals Inc CNSP.O: up 6.6% BUZZ-Rises on achieving milestones for lead tumor treatment ** Designer Brands DBI.N: down 16.6% BUZZ-Slumps on worse-than-expected Q2 results ** Freeport-McMoRan FCX.N: down 5.0% ** Southern Copper Corp SCCO.N: down 4.3% BUZZ-Copper miners track fall in metal's prices on profit taking, mine output ** Smartsheet Inc SMAR.N: down 16.1% BUZZ-Falls as Q2 net loss widens ** Conn's Inc CONN.O: down 16.0% BUZZ-Drops on Q2 revenue miss, same store sales decline ** Duluth Holdings Inc DLTH.O: up 8.7% BUZZ-Rises as apparel retailer sees sales rebound ** Patterson Companies PDCO.O: down 8.2% BUZZ-Falls as cost savings benefits to moderate ** Slack Technologies Inc WORK.N: down 7.6% ** Peloton Interactive Inc PTON.O: down 8.2% CORRECTED-BUZZ-Stay-at-home stocks drop as tech rally stumbles The 11 major S&P 500 sectors: Communication Services .SPLRCL down 3.37% Consumer Discretionary .SPLRCD down 3.57% Consumer Staples .SPLRCS down 2.03% Energy .SPNY down 0.12% Financial .SPSY down 1.19% Health .SPXHC down 2.74% Industrial .SPLRCI down 2.61% Information Technology .SPLRCT down 5.34% Materials .SPLRCM down 3.21% Real Estate .SPLRCR down 1.99% Utilities .SPLRCU down 1.42% (Compiled by Shivani Kumaresan in Bengaluru) ((Shivani.Kumaresan@thomsonreuters.com ; +1 646 223 8780)) The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""BUZZ-U.S. STOCKS ON THE MOVE-Apple Inc, Carnival Corp, Ciena Corp, Barnes & Noble Education Eikon search string for individual stock moves: STXBZ The Day Ahead newsletter: http://tmsnrt.rs/2ggOmBi The Morning News Call newsletter: http://tmsnrt.rs/2fwPLTh Wall Street posted sharp declines on Thursday, with the tech-heavy Nasdaq sliding more than 5% as investors dumped high-flying technology-focused stocks, while economic data raised fears about a difficult and long recovery. .N At 11:30 a.m. ET, the Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI was down 2.41% at 28,399.43. The S&P 500 .SPX was down 3.15% at 3,467.99 and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC was down 4.61% at 11,501.185. The top three S&P 500 .PG.INX percentage gainers: ** Carnival Corp , up 4.7% ** Coty Inc , up 4% ** Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd , up 3.8% The top three S&P 500 .PL.INX percentage losers: ** Juniper Networks Inc , down 8.9% ** Nvidia Corp , down 8.6% ** Advanced Micro Devices Inc , down 8.5% The top three NYSE .PG.N percentage gainers: ** Kensington Capital Acquision Corp , up 65.8% ** Garret Motion Inc , up 17.8% ** FTS International Inc , up 17.1% The top three NYSE .PL.N percentage losers: ** Zuora Inc ZUO.N, down 32% ** PagerDuty Inc , down 27.4% ** Ciena Corp , down 26.9% The top three Nasdaq .PG.O percentage gainers: ** Fulgent Genetics Inc , up 17.8% ** Ebang International Holdings Inc , up 14.8% ** Sutro Biopharma Inc , up 14.1% The top three Nasdaq .PL.O percentage losers: ** Akebia Therapeutics Inc , down 72.5% ** Michaels Companies Inc , down 25.2% ** Conn's Inc , down 17.1% ** Newmont Corp NEM.N: down 3.7% ** AngloGold Ashanti Ltd AU.N: down 3.5% BUZZ-U.S.-listed gold miners decline as the dollar climbs ** Tesla Inc TSLA.O: down 7.8% BUZZ-Set for third straight session of losses ** Fulgent Genetics Inc FLGT.O: up 17.8% BUZZ-Rises on adding influenza results to COVID-19 test ** Whiting Petroleum Corp WLL.N: up 8.2% BUZZ-Well-placed for M&A on return from bankruptcy, says KeyBanc ** Akebia Therapeutics Inc AKBA.O: down 72.5% BUZZ-Akebia plunges as lead anemia drug misses safety goal in late-stage trial ** PagerDuty Inc PD.N: down 26.8% ** Zuora Inc ZUO.N: down 32.0% BUZZ-Cloud firms PagerDuty, Zuora tumble as outlooks disappoint ** Novavax Inc NVAX.O: up 3.3% BUZZ-Rises as New England Journal of Medicine publishes early-stage COVID-19 vaccine data ** Five Below Inc FIVE.O: up 5.1% BUZZ-Strong results, recovery trigger slew of PT raises ** Kensington Capital Acquisition Corp KCAC.N: up 65.9% BUZZ-Surges on SPAC deal to take Bill Gates-backed QuantamScape public ** Campbell Soup Co CPB.N: down 5.6% BUZZ-Sees weak sales in 2H as restaurants reopen ** Barnes & Noble Education BNED.N: down 8.0% BUZZ-Falls as campus store closures hit results ** Carnival Corp CCL.N: up 4.6% BUZZ-Jumps on plans to restart two cruise lines ** Apple Inc AAPL.O: down 6.4% BUZZ-Stock takes some sheen off, down 3% ** Ciena Corp CIEN.N: down 27.2% BUZZ-Plunges after co warns of COVID-19 hit to revenue ** Fastenal Co FAST.O: down 5.3% BUZZ-Falls as Wells Fargo moves to sidelines on valuation ** Amarin Corporation Plc AMRN.O: down 4.2% BUZZ-Falls as court upholds ruling to allow generic cos to sell heart drug The 11 major S&P 500 sectors: Communication Services .SPLRCL down 3.44% Consumer Discretionary .SPLRCD down 3.67% Consumer Staples .SPLRCS down 1.26% Energy .SPNY down 0.29% Financial .SPSY down 1.12% Health .SPXHC down 2.07% Industrial .SPLRCI down 2.40% Information Technology .SPLRCT down 5.23% Materials .SPLRCM down 3.17% Real Estate .SPLRCR down 1.86% Utilities .SPLRCU down 0.80% (Compiled by Shivani Kumaresan in Bengaluru) ((Shivani.Kumaresan@thomsonreuters.com ; +1 646 223 8780)) The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""These 74 stocks in the S&P 500 hit all-time records on Wednesday It was a broad rally, one that wasn\u2019t led by the information technology sector It was a broad rally, one that wasn\u2019t led by the information technology sector.""]"
FAST,2020-09-04,44.8143,44.8143,42.8905,43.6081,
FAST,2020-09-08,42.2382,42.6468,41.1287,41.1938,The Nasdaq-100 Index is down 9% this month — Tesla leads this list of big tech stock declines S&P 500 adds to September losses but still has gains for 2020 The S&P 500 adds to September losses but still has gains for 2020.
FAST,2020-09-09,41.7683,43.0169,41.7406,42.627,
FAST,2020-09-10,42.5875,42.7385,41.1938,41.4287,
FAST,2020-09-11,41.5985,41.9005,40.9668,41.4959,
FAST,2020-09-14,41.8828,41.9479,41.5235,41.7771,
FAST,2020-09-15,41.8916,42.3802,41.863,42.1088,
FAST,2020-09-16,42.3802,42.5698,41.6469,41.712,
FAST,2020-09-17,41.1197,41.8828,40.7714,41.712,
FAST,2020-09-18,41.7969,42.3299,40.9125,41.5047,
FAST,2020-09-21,41.0625,41.2215,40.573,41.2037,
FAST,2020-09-22,41.3063,42.316,41.1751,42.2124,
FAST,2020-09-23,42.0042,42.3624,41.5571,41.6469,
FAST,2020-09-24,41.7031,42.5234,41.4959,41.7317,
FAST,2020-09-25,41.4485,42.5698,41.3339,42.2964,
FAST,2020-09-28,42.8254,43.3377,42.6369,43.1353,
FAST,2020-09-29,43.0879,43.4739,42.5668,42.7198,
FAST,2020-09-30,43.2203,43.2203,42.2588,42.4938,
FAST,2020-10-01,42.7573,42.7672,42.0802,42.1838,
FAST,2020-10-02,41.712,42.249,41.5619,41.9766,
FAST,2020-10-05,42.1177,43.3377,42.1177,43.1917,
FAST,2020-10-06,43.0702,43.4828,42.4384,42.5312,
FAST,2020-10-07,42.8254,43.6713,42.7435,43.5499,
FAST,2020-10-08,43.7384,43.9032,43.2775,43.3515,"Fastenal Reaches Analyst Target Price In recent trading, shares of Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) have crossed above the average analyst 12-month target price of $46.14, changing hands for $46.21/share. When a stock reaches the target an analyst has set, the analyst logically has two ways to react: downgrade on valuation, or, re-adjust their target price to a higher level. Analyst reaction may also depend on the fundamental business developments that may be responsible for driving the stock price higher — if things are looking up for the company, perhaps it is time for that target price to be raised. There are 7 different analyst targets contributing to that average for Fastenal Co., but the average is just that — a mathematical average. There are analysts with lower targets than the average, including one looking for a price of $35.00. And then on the other side of the spectrum one analyst has a target as high as $54.00. The standard deviation is $5.899. But the whole reason to look at the average FAST price target in the first place is to tap into a ""wisdom of crowds"" effort, putting together the contributions of all the individual minds who contributed to the ultimate number, as opposed to what just one particular expert believes. And so with FAST crossing above that average target price of $46.14/share, investors in FAST have been given a good signal to spend fresh time assessing the company and deciding for themselves: is $46.14 just one stop on the way to an even higher target, or has the valuation gotten stretched to the point where it is time to think about taking some chips off the table? Below is a table showing the current thinking of the analysts that cover Fastenal Co.: RECENT FAST ANALYST RATINGS BREAKDOWN » Current 1 Month Ago 2 Month Ago 3 Month Ago Strong buy ratings: 2 2 3 3 Buy ratings: 0 0 0 0 Hold ratings: 9 9 8 9 Sell ratings: 0 0 0 0 Strong sell ratings: 1 0 0 0 Average rating: 2.83 2.64 2.45 2.5 The average rating presented in the last row of the above table above is from 1 to 5 where 1 is Strong Buy and 5 is Strong Sell. This article used data provided by Zacks Investment Research via Quandl.com. Get the latest Zacks research report on FAST — FREE. The Top 25 Broker Analyst Picks of the S&P 500 » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2020-10-09,43.5588,44.3741,43.5114,43.9467,
FAST,2020-10-12,44.3988,45.9632,44.3139,44.8973,"Delta, JPMorgan, and Other Stocks to Watch Tuesday JPMorgan Chase and other big banks will report. Plus, small business optimism and consumer price data."
FAST,2020-10-13,42.627,43.4374,41.9854,42.7385,"[""BUZZ-U.S. STOCKS ON THE MOVE-Walt Disney, Royal Caribbean Cruises, Amazon, Micron Eikon search string for individual stock moves: STXBZ The Day Ahead newsletter: http://tmsnrt.rs/2ggOmBi The Morning News Call newsletter: http://tmsnrt.rs/2fwPLTh The S&P 500 and the Dow opened lower as a pause in Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine trials weighed, while the Nasdaq rose ahead of major events scheduled for Apple and Amazon.com. .N At 9:35 a.m. ET, the Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI was down 0.16% at 28,790.77. The S&P 500 .SPX was down 0.13% at 3,529.58 and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC was up 0.03% at 11,879.838. The top three S&P 500 .PG.INX percentage gainers: ** Walt Disney Co , up 4.2% ** Micron Technology Inc , up 3.3% ** EOG Resources Inc , up 2.8% The top three S&P 500 .PL.INX percentage losers: ** Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd , down 9.5% ** Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd , down 6.2% ** Fastenal Co , down 5.1% The top three NYSE .PG.N percentage gainers: ** Pedevco Corp , up 65.9% ** Ethan Allen , up 16.7% ** Sos Limited , up 11.4% The top three NYSE .PL.N percentage losers: ** Emergent BioSolutions Inc , down 12.1% ** Ternium SA , down 10.7% ** Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd , down 9.5% The top three Nasdaq .PG.O percentage gainers: ** Medigus Ltd , up 71.4% ** Ebang International Holdings Inc , up 21.6% ** Altimmune Inc , up 17.9% The top three Nasdaq .PL.O percentage losers: ** Loop Industries , down 33.2% ** Gossamer Bio Inc , down 33% ** Wah Fu Education Group Limited , down 30.4% ** Johnson & Johnson JNJ.N: down 1.8% BUZZ- Falls on halting COVID-19 vaccine trials due to unexplained illness ** Walt Disney DIS.N: up 4.2% BUZZ- Up after reorganization puts streaming back in focus ** BlackRock Inc BLK.N: up 2.4% BUZZ- Rises on strong Q3 profit ** Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp CTSH.O: up 0.4% BUZZ-Cognizant: Susquehanna upgrades to 'positive' on growth trends ** Beyond Meat Inc BYND.O: down 5.3% BUZZ- Falls on report of Bernstein downgrade ** Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd RCL.N: down 9.5% BUZZ- Slides on planned $1 bln capital raise ** Gossamer Bio GOSS.O: down 33.0% BUZZ- Slips after drug fails asthma and rhinosinusitis study ** Micron Technology MU.O: up 3.4% BUZZ- Gains as brokerage upgrades to 'buy', raises PT ** Axovant AXGT.O: up 2.0% BUZZ- Rises after FDA grants rare pediatric disease tag to gene therapy ** AMC Entertainment AMC.N: down 7.8% BUZZ- Falls on flagging depleted cash reserves ** Farmmi Inc FAMI.O: up 2.8% BUZZ- Rises on follow-on order for exports to Canada ** Foot Locker FL.N: up 6.0% BUZZ- BofA sees strong holiday season momentum, upgrades ** Vaxart VXRT.O: up 15.6% BUZZ- Rises as co begins human trial of oral COVID-19 vaccine ** Peck Company PECK.O: up 12.7% BUZZ- Surges on $7.6 mln solar project contracts ** Novavax NVAX.O: up 4% BUZZ- Up on forming team to explore combined influenza/COVID-19 vaccine ** Amazon Inc AMZN.O: up 0.3% BUZZ- Shares rise as 'Prime Day' kicks off ** Loop Industries LOOP.O: down 33.2% BUZZ- Sinks as Hindenburg Research reveals short position ** Dynavax DVAX.O: up 10.8% BUZZ- Rises as COVID-19 vaccine using co's booster gets subsidy in Taiwan ** Delta Air DAL.N: down 2.1% BUZZ- Falls as Q3 revenue slides, co delays target to halt cash burn ** PMV Pharma PMVP.O: up 7.9% BUZZ- Rises as FDA grants fast track tag to cancer drug The 11 major S&P 500 sectors: Communication Services .SPLRCL up 0.55% Consumer Discretionary .SPLRCD up 0.02% Consumer Staples .SPLRCS up 0.03% Energy .SPNY down 0.26% Financial .SPSY down 0.29% Health .SPXHC down 0.37% Industrial .SPLRCI down 0.18% Information Technology .SPLRCT down 0.16% Materials .SPLRCM down 0.46% Real Estate .SPLRCR down 1.01% Utilities .SPLRCU down 0.72% (Compiled by Dania Nadeem in Bengaluru) ((Dania.Nadeem@thomsonreuters.com;)) The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Co. Reveals Gain In Q3 Profit (RTTNews) - Fastenal Co. (FAST) reported a profit for its third quarter that increased from the same period last year. The company's bottom line came in at $221.5 million, or $0.38 per share. This compares with $213.5 million, or $0.37 per share, in last year's third quarter. Analysts had expected the company to earn $0.37 per share, according to figures compiled by Thomson Reuters. Analysts' estimates typically exclude special items. The company's revenue for the quarter rose 2.2% to $1.41 billion from $1.38 billion last year. Fastenal Co. earnings at a glance: -Earnings (Q3): $221.5 Mln. vs. $213.5 Mln. last year. -EPS (Q3): $0.38 vs. $0.37 last year. -Analysts Estimate: $0.37 -Revenue (Q3): $1.41 Bln vs. $1.38 Bln last year. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Is an \u2018Industrial Bellwether.\u2019 Now Its Stock Is Dropping. The industrial distributor disclosed that growth in daily sales for the third quarter slowed sharply from the second quarter. Per-share earnings were a touch better than expected.""]"
FAST,2020-10-14,43.0415,43.3229,42.2302,42.3624,
FAST,2020-10-15,42.0703,42.5648,41.7495,42.0516,"Forget Fastly: This Edge Computing Rival Is the Better Buy Some of the big winners this year have been next-gen internet connectivity services. Due to the pandemic, much of the economy has moved online. Companies that allow businesses to reach consumers in fast, secure ways via digital channels have boomed. Perhaps the biggest poster child for this phenomenon has been Fastly. Fastly is a content delivery network that allows companies to deliver their applications at lightning-quick speeds to end users. Its service is of utmost importance now that internet traffic has gone into overdrive. Fastly has also skyrocketed 530% in 2020, and now trades at a nosebleed valuation of 54 times sales. Not earnings -- sales. The need for fast and secure internet communications is a solid long-term trend, and Fastly appears to have gained traction with its modern platform. Still, the stock is insanely expensive, and I don't think returns will be as good going forward. Fortunately, Fastly isn't the only player in the edge computing and security space. If I had to pick a stock today that plays into these same very real and important growth trends, I'd much rather buy one of Fastly's peers. Image source: Getty Images. Don't overlook Akamai Fastly is the newest content delivery network on the block, but CDNs are actually a well-established industry with a number of players. Akamai Technologies (NASDAQ: AKAM) is the largest-scale player in the space, and it has the scale to deliver big profits today -- a scale that Fastly lacks -- as well as the financial strength to invest in new capabilities for tomorrow. Better yet, despite its solid 32% gain year-to-date, the stock is available for quite a reasonable price, relatively speaking. FSLY Year to Date Total Returns (Daily). Data by YCharts. Keeping a perspective on the numbers Qualitative measures around technology aside, let's take a look at both companies' recent numbers and valuations. The difference is striking: COMPANY 2020 REVENUE GUIDANCE 2020 ADJUSTED OPERATING INCOME GUIDANCE MARKET CAPITALIZATION PRICE-TO-SALES PRICE-TO-EARNINGS PRICE-TO-EARNINGS (FWD) Fastly (NASDAQ: FAST) $295 million ($7 million) $14.5 billion 54.0 N/A 1,110 Akamai (NASDAQ: AKAM) $3,150 million $961 million $18.8 billion 6.1 35.0 20.3 Data source: Fastly and Akamai's second-quarter releases and Yahoo! Finance. Chart by author. Akamai is set to make over three times the profits that Fastly will make in revenue this year. One analyst recently predicted that Fastly's revenue will grow by leaps and bounds, but only reach $544 million in calendar 2022. By then, Akamai will still be earning twice as much as Fastly makes in revenue. Yet Akamai's market capitalization is only about $4 billion more, or 30% higher than Fastly's. It's pretty remarkable that these two companies are valued so closely when Akamai has so much more in the way of revenue and profits. How could this be true? Of course, a truly disruptive solution from Fastly would grow at Akamai's expense. Yet while Fastly is definitely growing faster than Akamai, it's not as if Akamai's business is declining. COMPANY Q2 REVENUE GROWTH Q2 GAAP OPERATING INCOME GROWTH Q2 GAAP GROSS MARGIN GAAP OPERATING MARGIN Fastly (NASDAQ: FAST) 61.7% (23.6%) 60.2% (19.3%) Akamai (NASDAQ: AKAM) 12.7% 40.2% 65.2% 24% Data source: Fastly's and Akamai's second-quarter earnings releases. Chart by author. As you can see above, Fastly is definitely growing at a much higher rate than Akamai; however, it's not as if Akamai is in dire straits. Its revenue still grew at a double-digit rate, and profit growth soared as margins expanded. The above indicates that Akamai's slower growth results from its much bigger size, not just the fact that it's losing customers left and right to Fastly. Thus, the massive valuation difference doesn't seem justified. During the second quarter, Fastly noted it had expanded its global capacity to 100 terabytes per second in 55 markets. Meanwhile, Akamai management said it had delivered over 100 TB/s every day of the second quarter in 135 countries all over the world. While Fastly may have a modern platform, Akamai certainly appears to be holding its own, with all the financial resources necessary to compete going forward. Fastly's growth could also come at a price It should also be noted that Akamai already has capabilities, especially in cybersecurity, that Fastly didn't have until recently. Of course, Fastly is moving fast to gain these capabilities, having just acquired Signal Sciences for $825 million (including stock paid to Signal Sciences employees). The acquisition will consist of $200 million in cash and the rest in Fastly stock. While Fastly is wisely using its high-priced stock to make an acquisition, it also had to use a fair amount of cash. Furthermore, Fastly is buying Signal at a massive premium of around 30 times Signal's $28 million annualized sales run rate. That's actually cheaper than Fastly, but certainly no bargain. Fastly has a long way to go to catch up to Akamai, and doing so will also necessitate the investment of more capital, such as the Signal acquisition. Share dilution is a real expense for shareholders, and Fastly's share count is set to rise in the wake of acquiring Signal. Although the market is currently in love with newer high-growth stocks that could be the next big thing, many high-quality incumbents are actually trading at quite reasonable valuations. Akamai appears to be such an opportunity in the content delivery and edge computing space. It would definitely be my choice here in light of Fastly's bubble-like valuation. 10 stocks we like better than Akamai Technologies When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Akamai Technologies wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of September 24, 2020 Billy Duberstein has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. His clients may own shares of the companies mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2020-10-16,42.325,43.0001,42.1936,42.6556,
FAST,2020-10-19,42.627,42.7573,41.6557,41.8729,"[""The Key Number to Watch in 3M's Earnings Industrial conglomerate 3M (NYSE: MMM) reports earnings on Oct. 27, and it promises to be an eventful affair. On the one hand, its sales guidance looks conservative, and the company may well benefit from an inventory build-up by its customers. On the other, its margin guidance is disappointing, and there's evidence to suggest it could have come under increased pressure in the quarter. Here's what to look out for, and why it matters to the investment case. The investment case and why margin matters Trading at 18.3 times estimated 2020 free cash flow, and with management taking concerted action to restructure the company for growth, 3M is an attractive value stock. Throw in a near-3.5% dividend yield and investors can expect to be rewarded with income while they wait for chief executive officer Mike Roman to engineer a turnaround in the company's prospects. A glut of respirators could lead to sales and margin challenges at 3M. Image source: Getty Images. The key question is whether the company is on the right track or not. Obviously, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has obscured monitoring of 3M's progress on that front in 2020, but investors will get a key read on matters when the company reports its third-quarter earnings. The key number to follow will be its operating margin. As a company that prides itself on investing in order to produce differentiated products -- a business model that implies pricing power -- it's very important that 3M demonstrates that it's capable of expanding its margin. Indeed, expanding margin is something that the company has had a hard time doing in recent years. Data by YCharts 3M margin guidance Unfortunately, it looks like 3M could have come under margin pressure in the quarter. To understand why, it's useful to go back to what chief financial officer (CFO) Monish Patolawala guided toward on the second-quarter earnings call. There are three key points to the guidance given on the call at the end of July: Patolawala said \""We are seeing a broad-based pickup in growth across our businesses and geographies as we start the third quarter.\"" He also noted that 3M's respirators were expected to be in strong demand and would \""contribute approximately 300 to 350 basis points to company-wide Q3 organic growth.\"" Third-quarter adjusted operating income margin would be \""in the range of 20% to 21%.\"" The margin guidance raised some eyebrows, because it looks weak compared to the 25.3% achieved in the same period last year. However, management argued that the margin achieved in the third quarter of 2019 isn't a good comparison because the sale of a building artificially boosted margin. Instead, management argued that investors should focus on the implied sequential improvement from the second quarter of 2020. 3M Q1 2019 Q2 2019 Q3 2019 Q4 2019 Q1 2020 Q2 2020 Q3 2020 ESTIMATE Adjusted operating margin 21.3% 20.8% 25.2% 19% 20.8% 19.6% 20%-21% Data source: 3M presentations. Margin pressure coming? It's not a wholly convincing argument, because sales are expected to increase by low-single digits on a year-over-year basis in the third quarter (and on a mid-teens basis compared to the second quarter of 2020), so investors might have hoped for a bit more than 20%-21% on margin. And there are a couple of other concerns brewing as well. First, 3M's latest sales guidance, given in September, implies reported sales growth of just 0% to 3.6% in September -- the midpoint of which is lower than the 2% achieved in August. Data source: 3M presentations. Second, industrial supply company Fastenal has already reported third-quarter earnings, and its CFO Holden Lewis said \""products like 3-Ply masks and disposable respirators are oversupplied and prices have declined.\"" Given that 3M's Patolawala is expecting significant revenue growth from respirator sales, it's reasonable to conclude from Fastenal's commentary that 3M's weak-looking sales guidance for the third quarter could be due to price declines in respirators. That's something likely to negatively impact margin, as a recovery in healthcare margin is seen as the key to 3M's general margin recovery. What it means to investors Looking ahead, it wouldn't be a surprise to see some margin pressure, and possibly disappointing sales figures from the healthcare segment. On the other hand, there's real evidence of an improvement in the industrial economy, and management may well discuss the likelihood of customers rebuilding inventory -- and that would be good news for sales in the future. All of that leaves the company delicately poised ahead of earnings. An improvement in 3M's industrial-based sales might be balanced with some disappointment in healthcare, with overall margin taking a hit. As such, if there's any earnings/margin disappointment, then long-term investors might consider this an entry point into a very interesting value opportunity. Just be mindful that there's near-term risk in the stock around its respirator sales. 10 stocks we like better than 3M When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and 3M wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of September 24, 2020 Lee Samaha has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends 3M. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Like Dividends? I Bet You'll Love These 3 Stocks There are a lot of reasons to love dividends. Besides providing a source of income, companies that pay -- or better yet, grow -- dividends do so knowing they have confidence that the business will continue to provide sufficient cash flow in the future. Three such companies that also have strong business prospects are industrial supplier Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST), steelmaker Nucor (NYSE: NUE), and infrastructure play Brookfield Infrastructure Partners (NYSE: BIP). Dividends are never guaranteed, but investors in these three companies get income that has been reliable over the long haul. Image source: Getty Images. Dividends are a priority Fastenal has been increasing its total dividend every year for the past 20 years. Along with collecting that income, investors in the industrial products supplier have enjoyed capital appreciation as the business has thrived. While the dividend yield is only about 2%, the reliability of its growth along with the prospects of the business makes Fastenal a must-have for dividend-oriented investors. FAST data by YCharts In its third-quarter earnings released Oct. 13, the company reported sales growth that has continued throughout the coronavirus pandemic. As a supplier to many manufacturers whose operations have been disrupted over the past nine months, that's a meaningful achievement. The company saw a surge in sales of safety products early in the pandemic, offsetting the decline in industrial products, as some manufacturers suspended or slowed operations. While the volume of personal protection equipment, hand sanitizer, and other pandemic-related products remains elevated, traditional product sales to manufacturers remain weak, the company said in its earnings release. Those sales should pick back up as the industrial economy eventually gets back to running at full speed. A Dividend Aristocrat Steelmaker Nucor is among the elite companies known as Dividend Aristocrats, which have increased base dividends for at least 25 consecutive years. Nucor, in fact, has done so for 47 straight years, and there's every reason to believe it will soon become a Dividend King with a 50-year record. Nucor Chief Executive Officer Leon Topalian took the position in January of 2020. He didn't mince words when discussing the company's dividend with CNBC in April, saying, \""I'm not going to be the first CEO in Nucor's history to stop that. That will continue.\"" Nucor may be in a cyclical business, but it generates a significant amount of cash flow. With this money, the company is constantly investing back in the business and returning capital to shareholders with an increasing dividend and occasional share repurchases. NUE Cash from Operations (TTM) data by YCharts While results have been impacted by the pandemic, signs of strength in the automotive and construction industries look to be providing an uptick in business conditions. Nucor throttled back on some capital expenditures out of caution amid the economic uncertainty, but it said in its second-quarter conference call that it will still spend about $1.7 billion on growth projects in 2020. As growth projects slowly come to fruition over the next several years, investors collect a respectable 3.25% yield at current prices. Successful capital allocators The Brookfield name may be familiar to investors as a top global asset manager from the Canadian firm Brookfield Asset Management (NYSE: BAM). Its infrastructure affiliate has more going for it than just a parent company with available capital. Brookfield Infrastructure Partners' investments include global infrastructure networks such as railroads, cell towers, toll roads, and pipelines. The company has returned an annual average of 15% since it was established in 2008. It also has the goal of increasing its distribution to shareholders by between 5% to 9% annually. The company's record of successfully investing in infrastructure assets speaks for itself. Investors get a strong 4.3% dividend yield while letting proven professionals continue to generate capital appreciation. Tailwinds ahead All three of these companies provide dividend seekers with what they should look for. They each pay a good current yield, have a history of growing the payout, and maybe most importantly, the dividend can be relied upon, even through business cycles. There should be growth ahead for each of them as well. A rebounding economy, strengthening manufacturing base, and needed infrastructure investments in the country bode will for the underlying businesses. Together, these are good reasons to love Fastenal, Nucor, and Brookfield Infrastructure Partners. 10 stocks we like better than Nucor When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Nucor wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of September 24, 2020 Howard Smith owns shares of Brookfield Infrastructure Partners, Fastenal, and Nucor. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Brookfield Asset Management. The Motley Fool recommends Brookfield Infrastructure Partners. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2020-10-20,42.326,42.8067,42.2204,42.4484,
FAST,2020-10-21,42.476,42.7573,41.3922,41.4109,"Is It Worth Considering Fastenal Company (NASDAQ:FAST) For Its Upcoming Dividend? Fastenal Company (NASDAQ:FAST) stock is about to trade ex-dividend in 4 days. Ex-dividend means that investors that purchase the stock on or after the 26th of October will not receive this dividend, which will be paid on the 24th of November. Fastenal's next dividend payment will be US$0.25 per share, and in the last 12 months, the company paid a total of US$1.00 per share. Last year's total dividend payments show that Fastenal has a trailing yield of 2.2% on the current share price of $45.04. We love seeing companies pay a dividend, but it's also important to be sure that laying the golden eggs isn't going to kill our golden goose! That's why we should always check whether the dividend payments appear sustainable, and if the company is growing. Dividends are usually paid out of company profits, so if a company pays out more than it earned then its dividend is usually at greater risk of being cut. Fastenal paid out 66% of its earnings to investors last year, a normal payout level for most businesses. That said, even highly profitable companies sometimes might not generate enough cash to pay the dividend, which is why we should always check if the dividend is covered by cash flow. Dividends consumed 66% of the company's free cash flow last year, which is within a normal range for most dividend-paying organisations. It's positive to see that Fastenal's dividend is covered by both profits and cash flow, since this is generally a sign that the dividend is sustainable, and a lower payout ratio usually suggests a greater margin of safety before the dividend gets cut. Click here to see the company's payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends. NasdaqGS:FAST Historic Dividend October 21st 2020 Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing? Companies with consistently growing earnings per share generally make the best dividend stocks, as they usually find it easier to grow dividends per share. If earnings decline and the company is forced to cut its dividend, investors could watch the value of their investment go up in smoke. For this reason, we're glad to see Fastenal's earnings per share have risen 12% per annum over the last five years. Fastenal has an average payout ratio which suggests a balance between growing earnings and rewarding shareholders. This is a reasonable combination that could hint at some further dividend increases in the future. Another key way to measure a company's dividend prospects is by measuring its historical rate of dividend growth. Since the start of our data, 10 years ago, Fastenal has lifted its dividend by approximately 17% a year on average. Both per-share earnings and dividends have both been growing rapidly in recent times, which is great to see. To Sum It Up From a dividend perspective, should investors buy or avoid Fastenal? It's good to see earnings are growing, since all of the best dividend stocks grow their earnings meaningfully over the long run. However, we'd also note that Fastenal is paying out more than half of its earnings and cash flow as profits, which could limit the dividend growth if earnings growth slows. It might be worth researching if the company is reinvesting in growth projects that could grow earnings and dividends in the future, but for now we're not all that optimistic on its dividend prospects. On that note, you'll want to research what risks Fastenal is facing. For example - Fastenal has 1 warning sign we think you should be aware of. We wouldn't recommend just buying the first dividend stock you see, though. Here's a list of interesting dividend stocks with a greater than 2% yield and an upcoming dividend. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2020-10-22,41.5146,41.6607,40.9954,41.5521,
FAST,2020-10-23,41.787,42.5036,41.5007,42.4088,
FAST,2020-10-26,41.6232,42.021,41.4524,41.9834,
FAST,2020-10-27,42.098,42.2382,41.2541,41.3013,"3 Industrial Stocks to Watch as the Market Shifts InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips The industrial sector represents a cornerstone of the economy. Manufacturing is a crucial force behind productivity growth and innovation. Manufactured exports also contribute to the economy. Therefore, we will discuss three industrial stocks that deserve to be on your shopping list. Several sub-sectors make up the industrial sector. Today’s focus is on shares of companies operating in aerospace and defense, building supplies and construction, commercial supplies, electrical equipment and machinery, transportation, logistics, and waste management. Given the advances in technology as well as the threat of globalization and competition, industrial companies need to maintain a constant competitive advantage. According to the National Association of Manufacturers, “Manufacturers in the United States account for 11.39% of the total output in the economy, employing 8.51% of the workforce. Total output from manufacturing was $2,334.60 billion in 2018. In addition, there were an average of 12.8 million manufacturing employees in the United States in 2018, with an average annual compensation of $84,832.13 in 2017.” Recent data from Trending Economics shows, “Industrial production in the United States declined 7.3 percent year-on-year in September of 2020… Manufacturing went down 6 percent and mining 14.8 percent.” 7 Marijuana Stocks for an Election Day Boost There are continuing question marks about the shape of the economic recovery. In such an environment, it becomes even more important to find companies likely to perform well, even in a contracting economy. Against that backdrop, here are three industrial stocks to keep on your radar: Global X U.S. Infrastructure Development ETF (CBOE:PAVE) Industrial Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSEARCA:XLI) Waste Management (NYSE:WM) Industrial stocks: Global X U.S. Infrastructure Development ETF (PAVE) Source: Shutterstock Today’s first choice is an exchange-traded fund (ETF) that provides access to companies that are likely to benefit from increased infrastructure activity in the U.S. The Global X U.S. Infrastructure Development ETF, which has 94 holdings, started trading in 2017. The businesses in PAVE are involved in raw materials, heavy equipment, engineering, as well as construction. The top 10 names make up about a third of net assets of $328 million. Minnesota-based distributor of industrial and construction supplies Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST), Connecticut-headquartered equipment rental group United Rentals (NYSE:URI), and Wisconsin-based provider of industrial automation and information services Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) are currently the top three names in PAVE. Year-to-date (YTD), PAVE is up 2% and hit an all-time high in October. Trailing P/E and P/B ratios are 24.65 and 2.36. We’d consider buying the dips in the fund. Industrial Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLI) Source: Shutterstock Our second discussion also centers around another ETF, the Industrial Select Sector SPDR Fund, which provides exposure to companies representing the industrial sector of the S&P 500 index. The fund started trading in 1998. XLI currently has 73 holdings. The top 10 comprise about 40% of net assets, which stand at $13 billion. Nebraska-based railroad operator Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP), global delivery giant United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS), and technology and manufacturing group Honeywell International (NYSE:HON) head the list of firms. In terms of sector allocation, “Machinery” and “Aerospace & Defense” have the highest weightings (about 20% each), followed by “Industrial Conglomerates,” “Road & Rail,” and “Air Freight & Logistics.” 7 Marijuana Stocks for an Election Day Boost YTD, the fund is down about 1%. Trailing P/E and P/B ratios stand at 23.26 and 4.36, respectively. A potential decline toward the $75-level would make the fund’s risk/return profile more attractive. Waste Management (WM) WM) branded truck in the foreground and building with Waste Management flag in the background."" width=""300"" height=""169"">Source: rblfmr / Shutterstock.com Houston-based Waste Management provides waste and environmental services, including collection, transfer, disposal and recycling in North America. It also owns and operates landfill gas-to-energy facilities. On July 30, the company announced Q2 financial results. Revenue was $3.56 billion, compared to $3.95 billion in 2019. On an adjusted basis, net income was $372 million, or 88 cents per diluted share. A year ago, it had been $470 million, or $1.11 per diluted share. In Q2, total volume declined by 10.3%. Due to the pandemic, management now expects total revenue for 2020 to fall by 4% to 5% YOY. So far in the year, WM stock is up 1.5%. The company will release third quarter 2020 financial results before the market opens on Monday, Nov. 2. The company’s solid balance sheet and strong cash generation, as well as cost-cutting measures, should help support the share price in the coming quarters. The business is a relatively defensive play, even in a contracting economy. Any upcoming stock price weakness around the earnings release date would give long-term investors a better entry point. On the date of publication, Tezcan Gecgil did not have (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article. Tezcan Gecgil has worked in investment management for over two decades in the U.S. and U.K. In addition to formal higher education in the field, she has also completed all 3 levels of the Chartered Market Technician (CMT) examination. Her passion is for options trading based on technical analysis of fundamentally strong companies. She especially enjoys setting up weekly covered calls for income generation. She also publishes educational articles on long-term investing. More From InvestorPlace Why Everyone Is Investing in 5G All WRONG Top Stock Picker Reveals His Next 1,000% Winner Radical New Battery Could Dismantle Oil Markets Revolutionary Tech Behind 5G Rollout Is Being Pioneered By This 1 Company Daily Picks: Stocks to Buy Ahead of the Election The post 3 Industrial Stocks to Watch as the Market Shifts appeared first on InvestorPlace. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2020-10-28,40.5522,41.1119,40.4298,40.6944,
FAST,2020-10-29,40.7131,41.3675,40.344,40.8641,
FAST,2020-10-30,40.6371,41.2195,40.4012,40.9678,
FAST,2020-11-02,41.3873,42.2194,41.3873,42.1927,
FAST,2020-11-03,42.704,44.002,42.704,43.8026,
FAST,2020-11-04,44.2675,45.2516,43.9644,44.1628,
FAST,2020-11-05,44.9308,45.1598,43.8687,43.9161,
FAST,2020-11-06,43.9832,44.6653,43.6338,44.5231,
FAST,2020-11-09,46.1142,46.7795,43.5085,43.5854,
FAST,2020-11-10,43.1679,44.7028,43.0919,44.3148,
FAST,2020-11-11,44.6554,44.8835,43.9931,44.7699,
FAST,2020-11-12,44.5616,44.6554,43.6052,43.9072,
FAST,2020-11-13,44.3435,45.1765,44.229,45.0443,
FAST,2020-11-16,45.2516,46.0688,44.8835,46.0688,
FAST,2020-11-17,45.5467,45.7638,44.9791,45.1647,"FAST Crosses Above Average Analyst Target In recent trading, shares of Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) have crossed above the average analyst 12-month target price of $47.75, changing hands for $48.61/share. When a stock reaches the target an analyst has set, the analyst logically has two ways to react: downgrade on valuation, or, re-adjust their target price to a higher level. Analyst reaction may also depend on the fundamental business developments that may be responsible for driving the stock price higher — if things are looking up for the company, perhaps it is time for that target price to be raised. There are 8 different analyst targets contributing to that average for Fastenal Co., but the average is just that — a mathematical average. There are analysts with lower targets than the average, including one looking for a price of $38.00. And then on the other side of the spectrum one analyst has a target as high as $55.00. The standard deviation is $5.257. But the whole reason to look at the average FAST price target in the first place is to tap into a ""wisdom of crowds"" effort, putting together the contributions of all the individual minds who contributed to the ultimate number, as opposed to what just one particular expert believes. And so with FAST crossing above that average target price of $47.75/share, investors in FAST have been given a good signal to spend fresh time assessing the company and deciding for themselves: is $47.75 just one stop on the way to an even higher target, or has the valuation gotten stretched to the point where it is time to think about taking some chips off the table? Below is a table showing the current thinking of the analysts that cover Fastenal Co.: RECENT FAST ANALYST RATINGS BREAKDOWN » Current 1 Month Ago 2 Month Ago 3 Month Ago Strong buy ratings: 3 2 2 3 Buy ratings: 0 0 0 0 Hold ratings: 9 9 8 8 Sell ratings: 0 0 0 0 Strong sell ratings: 1 1 1 0 Average rating: 2.69 2.83 2.82 2.45 The average rating presented in the last row of the above table above is from 1 to 5 where 1 is Strong Buy and 5 is Strong Sell. This article used data provided by Zacks Investment Research via Quandl.com. Get the latest Zacks research report on FAST — FREE. 10 ETFs With Most Upside To Analyst Targets » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2020-11-18,45.2141,45.6316,44.9495,45.1203,
FAST,2020-11-19,45.0167,45.5655,44.4748,45.4707,
FAST,2020-11-20,45.3295,45.5941,44.7314,44.8252,"Fastenal board approves special one-time dividend of 40 cents a share Fastenal Co. said Friday its board has declared a special one-time dividend of 40 cents a share. The maker of fasteners and tools for industrial use said the dividend will be payable Dec. 22 to shareholders of record as of Dec. 2. Shares were slightly higher premarket, and have gained 30% in the year to date, while the S&P 500 has gained 11%."
FAST,2020-11-23,44.9021,45.4608,44.5991,45.4036,
FAST,2020-11-24,45.6119,46.5713,45.1401,46.3798,
FAST,2020-11-25,46.2288,46.3897,45.3395,45.6701,
FAST,2020-11-27,45.7274,46.2485,45.6119,46.0392,
FAST,2020-11-30,45.9908,46.9405,45.7836,46.8635,"Fastenal Company (FAST) Ex-Dividend Date Scheduled for December 01, 2020 Fastenal Company (FAST) will begin trading ex-dividend on December 01, 2020. A cash dividend payment of $0.4 per share is scheduled to be paid on December 22, 2020. Shareholders who purchased FAST prior to the ex-dividend date are eligible for the cash dividend payment. At the current stock price of $48.58, the dividend yield is 3.29%. The previous trading day's last sale of FAST was $48.58, representing a -2.57% decrease from the 52 week high of $49.86 and a 81.85% increase over the 52 week low of $26.72. FAST is a part of the Consumer Services sector, which includes companies such as Home Depot, Inc. (HD) and Lowe's Companies, Inc. (LOW). FAST's current earnings per share, an indicator of a company's profitability, is $1.46. Zacks Investment Research reports FAST's forecasted earnings growth in 2020 as 6.46%, compared to an industry average of 13%. For more information on the declaration, record and payment dates, visit the FAST Dividend History page. Our Dividend Calendar has the full list of stocks that have an ex-dividend today. Interested in gaining exposure to FAST through an Exchange Traded Fund [ETF]? The following ETF(s) have FAST as a top-10 holding: Global X Funds (PAVE) Principal Quality ETF (PSET). The top-performing ETF of this group is PAVE with an increase of 37.79% over the last 100 days. It also has the highest percent weighting of FAST at 3.66%. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2020-12-01,47.3037,47.3896,46.2623,46.3571,
FAST,2020-12-02,46.1577,46.5042,45.2921,45.4589,
FAST,2020-12-03,45.3562,45.8704,45.1253,45.2575,
FAST,2020-12-04,45.4589,46.3008,45.4105,45.909,
FAST,2020-12-07,45.8606,46.8111,45.5931,46.5091,
FAST,2020-12-08,46.214,47.1507,46.0136,46.9069,
FAST,2020-12-09,46.8447,47.6225,46.8349,47.4182,
FAST,2020-12-10,47.0737,47.3333,46.1754,46.2337,
FAST,2020-12-11,46.1468,47.3698,45.4786,47.0165,"11.6% of FXZ Holdings Seeing Recent Insider Buys A look at the weighted underlying holdings of the First Trust Materials AlphaDEX Fund (FXZ) shows an impressive 11.6% of holdings on a weighted basis have experienced insider buying within the past six months. Olin Corp. (Symbol: OLN), which makes up 5.43% of the First Trust Materials AlphaDEX Fund (FXZ), has seen 3 directors and officers purchase shares in the past six months, according to the recent Form 4 data. The ETF holds a total of $9,601,146 worth of OLN, making it the #2 largest holding. The table below details the recent insider buying activity observed at OLN: OLN — last trade: $23.68 — Recent Insider Buys: PURCHASED INSIDER TITLE SHARES PRICE/SHARE VALUE 08/10/2020 C. Robert Bunch Director 20,000 $10.98 $219,580 08/10/2020 James A. Varilek EVP & COO 5,000 $11.05 $55,274 08/13/2020 Scott Mcdougald Sutton Director 20,000 $11.31 $226,251 08/20/2020 Scott Mcdougald Sutton Director 10,000 $10.00 $100,000 And Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST), the #21 largest holding among components of the First Trust Materials AlphaDEX Fund (FXZ), shows 2 directors and officers as recently filing Form 4's indicating purchases. The ETF holds $3,708,893 worth of FAST, which represents approximately 2.10% of the ETF's total assets at last check. The recent insider buying activity observed at FAST is detailed in the table below: FAST — last trade: $48.39 — Recent Insider Buys: PURCHASED INSIDER TITLE SHARES PRICE/SHARE VALUE 09/10/2020 Michael J. Ancius Director 550 $44.83 $24,656 10/19/2020 Hsenghung Sam Hsu Director 2,000 $44.75 $89,500 10/21/2020 Michael J. Ancius Director 550 $44.30 $24,365 10 ETFs With Stocks That Insiders Are Buying » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2020-12-14,47.1517,47.6373,46.9967,47.0263,
FAST,2020-12-15,47.2168,47.9423,47.0835,47.6086,
FAST,2020-12-16,46.7302,47.428,46.5585,47.2652,"Nasdaq 100 Movers: MRNA, BIDU In early trading on Wednesday, shares of Baidu topped the list of the day's best performing components of the Nasdaq 100 index, trading up 8.3%. Year to date, Baidu registers a 59.0% gain. And the worst performing Nasdaq 100 component thus far on the day is Moderna, trading down 4.9%. Moderna Inc is showing a gain of 615.9% looking at the year to date performance. Two other components making moves today are Fastenal, trading down 1.6%, and NetEase, trading up 3.4% on the day. VIDEO: Nasdaq 100 Movers: MRNA, BIDU The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2020-12-17,47.4369,47.5228,47.1033,47.3599,
FAST,2020-12-18,47.4754,47.5988,46.6443,47.1418,
FAST,2020-12-21,46.6255,47.4952,46.1844,47.3984,"These Were the 3 Best Dividend Stocks of 2020 Income investors are used to a balancing act when shopping for an attractive dividend. Often, stretching for high yields and stable cash flows requires a trade-off in terms of the prospect for market-thumping sales gains. Many of the best growth stocks pay tiny dividends -- if they pay any at all. But there are exceptions to that general rule. With that in mind, let's look at a few standout dividend payers (members of the S&P 500 index with current yields of at least 2%) that trounced the market in 2020 and delivered that rare mix of capital gains and sturdy income. Read on for a quick synopsis of what made United Parcel Service, Fastenal, and Clorox some of the biggest winners this year . STOCK 2020 PERFORMANCE DIVIDEND YIELD UPS (NYSE: UPS) 49% 2.3% Newmont 42% 2.6% BlackRock 40% 2.1% Clorox (NYSE: CLX) 35% 2.2% Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST) 32% 2% Data source: Yahoo! Finance. As of Dec. 18. 1. United Parcel Service UPS might seem like an obvious winner in a year that saw an unprecedented shift toward online shopping and home deliveries for all kinds of products. But the stock trailed the market to start 2020 and remained behind for much of the year on concerns that global commerce would slow under the weight of recessions. It wasn't until the delivery leader's late July earnings report that this dividend stock started trouncing the market. Image source: Getty Images. That announcement showed surging sales volumes in both its business-to-consumer and business-to-business niches. UPS notched higher profit margins for the period, and in subsequent quarters, as its network maintained service levels despite the extra strain from COVID-19. This dividend giant usually announces its annual payout boost in February, and there's every reason to expect a significant increase following what's likely to be a historic holiday season for shipping volumes. Things might stay busy in early 2021 as vaccine distribution becomes a global priority. 2. Fastenal Industrial supply giant Fastenal had a great 2019, but investors are ringing in big gains again this year. The company has enjoyed gushing cash flow even after accounting for the slowed growth in the fiscal third quarter following a surge in demand for things like personal protection equipment and hand sanitizer in the second quarter. Executives said in mid-October that they're encouraged by a steady pickup in underlying business activity through most of the year , which suggests a strong start to 2021 ahead. Fastenal's prospects are highly dependent on the continued global economic recovery. Assuming no surprise slump, it should continue delivering more cash to shareholders through a growing dividend. 3. Clorox Clorox is down from its 2020 highs of over 50% returns, but shareholders are still cleaning up with this dividend stock today. The business showed no signs of slowing growth as organic sales landed at 27% in the most recent quarter compared to 22% for the quarter that ran through late June. Clorox is benefiting from elevated demand for cleaning products both at home and from businesses. But improving economic conditions are also lifting results in areas like pet care, cooking, and grilling. CEO Linda Rendle and her team are projecting organic sales gains of 5% to 9% in fiscal 2021. That result should easily support another big annual income boost from this Dividend Aristocrat in the next year. Success in 2020 suggests each of these stocks has positive momentum that could allow for another year of market-beating performance ahead. But the share-price gains that Clorox, Fastenal, and UPS enjoyed limits investors yield opportunities in buying these stocks. There are bigger dividend yields available. Still, if you're shopping for income stocks that can deliver both income and capital gains, consider adding these 2020 winners to your watch list. 10 stocks we like better than United Parcel Service When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and United Parcel Service wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of November 20, 2020 Demitri Kalogeropoulos has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2020-12-22,47.4853,47.5327,46.9879,47.2652,
FAST,2020-12-23,47.5613,47.5692,46.7203,46.9019,
FAST,2020-12-24,47.1685,47.3135,46.9611,47.3135,
FAST,2020-12-28,47.657,47.8959,47.3422,47.819,"After Hours Most Active for Dec 28, 2020 : RLGY, SSYS, AEO, HBI, AMCX, AAPL, FAST, AKAM, AIV, SUMO, VIPS, T The NASDAQ 100 After Hours Indicator is up 1.48 to 12,840.34. The total After hours volume is currently 53,739,321 shares traded. The following are the most active stocks for the after hours session: Realogy Holdings Corp. (RLGY) is unchanged at $13.58, with 4,913,884 shares traded. RLGY's current last sale is 104.46% of the target price of $13. Stratasys, Ltd. (SSYS) is unchanged at $21.09, with 3,871,479 shares traded. As reported in the last short interest update the days to cover for SSYS is 7.833508; this calculation is based on the average trading volume of the stock. American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (AEO) is unchanged at $20.20, with 3,221,827 shares traded. As reported by Zacks, the current mean recommendation for AEO is in the ""buy range"". Hanesbrands Inc. (HBI) is +0.01 at $14.62, with 2,840,133 shares traded. HBI's current last sale is 94.32% of the target price of $15.5. AMC Networks Inc. (AMCX) is unchanged at $34.20, with 2,269,903 shares traded. As reported in the last short interest update the days to cover for AMCX is 14.069529; this calculation is based on the average trading volume of the stock. Apple Inc. (AAPL) is +0.11 at $136.80, with 2,188,695 shares traded. As reported by Zacks, the current mean recommendation for AAPL is in the ""buy range"". Fastenal Company (FAST) is unchanged at $50.05, with 2,142,841 shares traded. Over the last four weeks they have had 6 up revisions for the earnings forecast, for the fiscal quarter ending Dec 2020. The consensus EPS forecast is $0.33. FAST's current last sale is 103.2% of the target price of $48.5. Akamai Technologies, Inc. (AKAM) is unchanged at $107.28, with 2,098,549 shares traded. As reported in the last short interest update the days to cover for AKAM is 7.994983; this calculation is based on the average trading volume of the stock. Apartment Investment and Management Company (AIV) is -0.05 at $5.03, with 2,057,609 shares traded. AIV's current last sale is 12.11% of the target price of $41.55. Sumo Logic, Inc. (SUMO) is +0.05 at $30.61, with 2,055,180 shares traded. As reported by Zacks, the current mean recommendation for SUMO is in the ""buy range"". Vipshop Holdings Limited (VIPS) is unchanged at $25.79, with 1,978,489 shares traded. As reported by Zacks, the current mean recommendation for VIPS is in the ""buy range"". AT&T Inc. (T) is unchanged at $28.55, with 1,760,004 shares traded. T's current last sale is 86.52% of the target price of $33. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2020-12-29,47.9156,48.2216,47.0935,47.505,
FAST,2020-12-30,47.7606,47.7606,46.5387,46.8823,
FAST,2020-12-31,46.7105,46.9119,46.1754,46.6532,
FAST,2021-01-04,46.8447,47.1605,45.0857,45.528,
FAST,2021-01-05,45.4687,46.2238,45.2289,46.1281,Strong Manufacturing Activity Is Great News for Cyclical Stocks Manufacturing activity finished 2020 on a high note. And more gains look to be on tap for early 2021. That good news for stocks like Caterpillar and Deere.
FAST,2021-01-06,45.8991,47.1882,45.8024,46.9119,"Fastenal Reaches Analyst Target Price In recent trading, shares of Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) have crossed above the average analyst 12-month target price of $47.75, changing hands for $48.28/share. When a stock reaches the target an analyst has set, the analyst logically has two ways to react: downgrade on valuation, or, re-adjust their target price to a higher level. Analyst reaction may also depend on the fundamental business developments that may be responsible for driving the stock price higher — if things are looking up for the company, perhaps it is time for that target price to be raised. There are 8 different analyst targets contributing to that average for Fastenal Co., but the average is just that — a mathematical average. There are analysts with lower targets than the average, including one looking for a price of $38.00. And then on the other side of the spectrum one analyst has a target as high as $55.00. The standard deviation is $5.23. But the whole reason to look at the average FAST price target in the first place is to tap into a ""wisdom of crowds"" effort, putting together the contributions of all the individual minds who contributed to the ultimate number, as opposed to what just one particular expert believes. And so with FAST crossing above that average target price of $47.75/share, investors in FAST have been given a good signal to spend fresh time assessing the company and deciding for themselves: is $47.75 just one stop on the way to an even higher target, or has the valuation gotten stretched to the point where it is time to think about taking some chips off the table? Below is a table showing the current thinking of the analysts that cover Fastenal Co.: RECENT FAST ANALYST RATINGS BREAKDOWN » Current 1 Month Ago 2 Month Ago 3 Month Ago Strong buy ratings: 2 3 3 2 Buy ratings: 0 0 0 0 Hold ratings: 10 9 9 9 Sell ratings: 0 0 0 0 Strong sell ratings: 1 1 1 1 Average rating: 2.85 2.69 2.69 2.83 The average rating presented in the last row of the above table above is from 1 to 5 where 1 is Strong Buy and 5 is Strong Sell. This article used data provided by Zacks Investment Research via Quandl.com. Get the latest Zacks research report on FAST — FREE. The Top 25 Broker Analyst Picks of the S&P 500 » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2021-01-07,47.0639,47.58,46.2041,47.4952,
FAST,2021-01-08,47.3698,48.6411,47.3698,48.4881,
FAST,2021-01-11,48.0676,48.6214,48.0104,48.2315,
FAST,2021-01-12,48.1535,49.5768,48.0676,49.3192,
FAST,2021-01-13,49.2334,49.3192,48.4111,48.4398,
FAST,2021-01-14,48.7083,48.7557,47.7143,48.0766,
FAST,2021-01-15,48.0104,48.345,47.3234,48.2315,
FAST,2021-01-19,48.5365,48.8701,47.6768,48.1733,"[""Pre-Market Earnings Report for January 20, 2021 : PG, UNH, ASML, MS, USB, BK, FAST, CFG, CBSH, BOKF The following companies are expected to report earnings prior to market open on 01/20/2021. Visit our Earnings Calendar for a full list of expected earnings releases. Procter & Gamble Company (PG) is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2020. The cleaning company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 8 analysts that follow the stock is $1.51. This value represents a 6.34% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year PG has beat the expectations every quarter. The highest one was in the 3rd calendar quarter where they beat the consensus by 13.99%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2021 Price to Earnings ratio for PG is 24.11 vs. an industry ratio of 23.60, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (UNH) is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2020. The hmo company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 5 analysts that follow the stock is $2.39. This value represents a 38.72% decrease compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year UNH has beat the expectations every quarter. The highest one was in the 3rd calendar quarter where they beat the consensus by 17.79%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2020 Price to Earnings ratio for UNH is 20.97 vs. an industry ratio of 30.20. ASML Holding N.V. (ASML) is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2020. The capital goods company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 1 analyst that follows the stock is $2.91. This value represents a 2.35% decrease compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year ASML has beat the expectations every quarter. The highest one was in the 3rd calendar quarter where they beat the consensus by 14.73%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2020 Price to Earnings ratio for ASML is 56.48 vs. an industry ratio of 31.40, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Morgan Stanley (MS) is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2020. The investment bankers company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 7 analysts that follow the stock is $1.29. This value represents a 7.50% increase compared to the same quarter last year. MS missed the consensus earnings per share in the 1st calendar quarter of 2020 by -7.48%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2020 Price to Earnings ratio for MS is 12.69 vs. an industry ratio of 25.30. U.S. Bancorp (USB) is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2020. The bank company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 11 analysts that follow the stock is $0.95. This value represents a 12.04% decrease compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year USB has met analyst expectations once and beat the expectations the other three quarters. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2020 Price to Earnings ratio for USB is 15.82 vs. an industry ratio of 15.60, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. The Bank Of New York Mellon Corporation (BK) is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2020. The bank company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 7 analysts that follow the stock is $0.93. This value represents a 7.92% decrease compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year BK has beat the expectations every quarter. The highest one was in the 3rd calendar quarter where they beat the consensus by 2.08%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2020 Price to Earnings ratio for BK is 11.51 vs. an industry ratio of 15.60. Fastenal Company (FAST) is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2020. The building company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 8 analysts that follow the stock is $0.33. This value represents a 6.45% increase compared to the same quarter last year. FAST missed the consensus earnings per share in the 4th calendar quarter of 2019 by -3.12%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2020 Price to Earnings ratio for FAST is 34.34 vs. an industry ratio of 19.30, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Citizens Financial Group, Inc. (CFG) is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2020. The savings & loan company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 10 analysts that follow the stock is $0.91. This value represents a 8.08% decrease compared to the same quarter last year. CFG missed the consensus earnings per share in the 1st calendar quarter of 2020 by -55%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2020 Price to Earnings ratio for CFG is 17.67 vs. an industry ratio of 19.00. Commerce Bancshares, Inc. (CBSH) is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2020. The bank (midwest) company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 7 analysts that follow the stock is $0.95. This value represents a 6.74% increase compared to the same quarter last year. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2020 Price to Earnings ratio for CBSH is 25.36 vs. an industry ratio of 14.20, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. BOK Financial Corporation (BOKF) is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2020. The bank (southwest) company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 5 analysts that follow the stock is $1.99. This value represents a 27.56% increase compared to the same quarter last year. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2020 Price to Earnings ratio for BOKF is 13.21 vs. an industry ratio of 21.70. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Netflix, Goldman Sachs, Intel, Bank of America, and Other Stocks to Watch Fourth-quarter earnings season is ramping up. Plus, Biden inauguration and European Central Bank and Bank of Japan decisions.""]"
FAST,2021-01-20,47.7706,48.2394,45.5931,46.5289,"[""Fastenal Named Top Dividend Stock With Insider Buying and 2.22% Yield (FAST) In this series, we look through the most recent Dividend Channel ''DividendRank'' report, and then we cherry pick only those companies that have experienced insider buying within the past six months. The officers and directors of a company tend to have a unique insider's view of the business, and presumably the only reason an insider would choose to take their hard-earned cash and use it to buy stock in the open market, is that they expect to make money \u2014 maybe they find the stock very undervalued, or maybe they see exciting progress within the company, or maybe both. So when stocks turn up that see insider buying, and are also top ranked, investors are wise to take notice. One such company is Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST), which saw buying by Director Michael J. Ancius. Back on October 21, Ancius invested $24,365.00 into 550 shares of FAST, for a cost per share of $44.30. In trading on Wednesday, shares were changing hands as low as $47.72 per share, which is 7.7% above Ancius's purchase price. It should be noted that Ancius has collected $0.65/share in dividends since the time of their purchase, so they are currently up 9.2% on their purchase from a total return basis. Fastenal Co. shares are currently trading -5.32% on the day. The chart below shows the one year performance of FAST shares, versus its 200 day moving average: Looking at the chart above, FAST's low point in its 52 week range is $26.715 per share, with $51.89 as the 52 week high point \u2014 that compares with a last trade of $47.88. By comparison, below is a table showing the prices at which insider buying was recorded over the last six months: PURCHASED INSIDER TITLE SHARES PRICE/SHARE VALUE 09/10/2020 Michael J. Ancius Director 550 $44.83 $24,656.50 10/19/2020 Hsenghung Sam Hsu Director 2,000 $44.75 $89,500.00 10/21/2020 Michael J. Ancius Director 550 $44.30 $24,365.00 The DividendRank report noted that among the coverage universe, FAST shares displayed both attractive valuation metrics and strong profitability metrics. The report also cited the strong quarterly dividend history at Fastenal Co., and favorable long-term multi-year growth rates in key fundamental data points. The report stated, ''Dividend investors approaching investing from a value standpoint are generally most interested in researching the strongest most profitable companies, that also happen to be trading at an attractive valuation. That's what we aim to find using our proprietary DividendRank formula, which ranks the coverage universe based upon our various criteria for both profitability and valuation, to generate a list of the top most 'interesting' stocks, meant for investors as a source of ideas that merit further research.'' The annualized dividend paid by Fastenal Co. is $1.12/share, currently paid in quarterly installments, and its most recent dividend ex-date was on 02/02/2021. Below is a long-term dividend history chart for FAST, which the report stressed as being of key importance. Indeed, studying a company's past dividend history can be of good help in judging whether the most recent dividend is likely to continue. The Top DividendRank'ed Stocks With Insider Buying \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Nasdaq 100 Movers: ZM, NFLX In early trading on Wednesday, shares of Netflix topped the list of the day's best performing components of the Nasdaq 100 index, trading up 13.2%. Year to date, Netflix registers a 5.0% gain. And the worst performing Nasdaq 100 component thus far on the day is Zoom Video Communications, trading down 3.5%. Zoom Video Communications is showing a gain of 12.7% looking at the year to date performance. Two other components making moves today are Fastenal, trading down 2.3%, and Pinduoduo, trading up 4.4% on the day. VIDEO: Nasdaq 100 Movers: ZM, NFLX The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Q4 20 Earnings Conference Call At 10:00 AM ET (RTTNews) - Fastenal Co. (FAST) will host a conference call at 10:00 AM ET on Jan. 20, 2021, to discuss Q4 20 earnings results. To access the live webcast, log on to https://investor.fastenal.com/events.cfm The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""U.S. stocks finish at fresh highs as Biden begins presidency with vow of unity All three major stock indexes booked significant gains Wednesday, pushing them to fresh closing highs, as Joe Biden began his term as the 46th U.S. president with a call to end 'this uncivil war' and a vow to defeat the pandemic.""]"
FAST,2021-01-21,46.6255,46.9315,45.7086,46.0176,"[""Fastenal's Profits Rise, but Its Core Business Still Hasn't Rebounded Industrial supply giant Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST) released its fourth-quarter and full-year 2020 earnings on Wednesday, and in many ways, the quarter and the year collectively represented a success: Revenue and earnings rose over both time periods despite slackening customer demand for fastening and other manufacturing supplies during the pandemic. But the report also highlighted the questions faced by some industrial companies that have managed to eke out growth over the last 10 months. At what point will creative revenue solutions start to fade, and how long will it take for the manufacturing sector (which has lagged technology, healthcare, and other sectors) to stage an economic recovery? Image source: Getty Images. A profitable but temporary sales structure Fastenal achieved a fourth-quarter revenue increase of 6.4% over the prior-year quarter, to $1.36 billion. Management attributed the improvement to increased demand for janitorial and safety products, specifically personal protective equipment (PPE) and sanitizers. These have seen elevated demand over the past three quarters due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, sales of the company's core \""fastening\"" products (industrial supplies), declined relative to the prior-year quarter. Daily sales of fasteners dipped by 2.3% against the fourth quarter of 2019, and represented 30.8% of total net sales, versus 33.6% of total net sales in Q4 2019. Gross Margin reflected the product shift of the last several months, slipping 135 basis points to 45.6% as the company leaned on revenue from lower-margin PPE equipment and janitorial supplies. Management provided the following commentary on this revenue stream in Fastenal's press release: \""Margin pressure remains on a subset of COVID-affected safety products, such as masks and face shields, where an amply supplied market is producing lower margins on sales from our inventory.\"" In a positive sign for future quarters, gross margin improved by 30 basis points from the sequential third quarter of 2020, due to firm pricing actions taken on some PPE and safety supplies. Net earnings rose 8.6% to $859.1 million, helped by the higher sales level, as well as management's tight rein on overhead expenses. General and administrative expenses as a percentage of the top line declined by 200 basis points year over year, to 25.3% of sales. Waiting for a return to normalcy Overall, Fastenal executed admirably in 2020, actively filling demand for pandemic-related merchandise while holding costs steady, and thus maintaining its profit growth. Shareholders certainly endorsed this strategy, as stock in the tools and supplies distribution powerhouse soared 32% last year. Yet Fastenal finds itself in uncertain territory in 2021. Rightsizing core operations to match sales levels over the last three quarters has meant that the company has curtailed its primary growth engines -- the addition of employee headcount and the addition of in-market locations (i.e., public branch locations and onsite locations within customer premises). During 2020, Fastenal reduced employees placed at in-market locations by 9.3%, to 12,680. Total headcount fell by 6%, to roughly 17,800 employees. The company closed about 5% of its public branch locations, but managed an increase of 13.6% in active onsite locations -- this helped it eke out a 1.2% increase in total in-market locations, to 3,268. Fastenal was also able to push up the number of industrial vending machines installed at customer locations by 6.4% to 95,733, but this was well below prior annual growth rates, which ranged between 11% and 14%. The difficult task ahead for Fastenal will be balancing lower-margin pandemic supply sales with the need to invest again in headcount and location growth -- both of which are correlated with revenue expansion -- even in the face of what may be an uneven recovery in the industrial sector. The company does have some novel and forward-looking initiatives that could help it capitalize on the next pickup in the business cycle. For example, it's accelerating the distribution of its \""FAST bin\"" technology within industrial vending machine installations. FAST bins are Fastenal's newer smart bins, which incorporate radio-frequency identification (RFID), infrared, scale, and other technologies to automate inventory order points and provide operations teams with better supply chain visibility. Nonetheless, like many other peers in the industrial sector, Fastenal won't be able to resume its most profitable growth equation until the global economy changes a few gears and customer demand awakens. And absent this scenario, investors shouldn't expect the same level of unrestrained share price movement the company enjoyed in 2020. 10 stocks we like better than Fastenal When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Fastenal wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of November 20, 2020 Asit Sharma has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Why Fastenal is a Top Socially Responsible Dividend Stock (FAST) Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) has been named a Top Socially Responsible Dividend Stock by Dividend Channel, signifying a stock with above-average ''DividendRank'' statistics including a strong 2.3% yield, as well as being recognized by prominent asset managers as being a socially responsible investment, through analysis of social and environmental criteria. Environmental criteria include considerations like the environmental impact of the company's products and services, as well as the company's efficiency in terms of its use of energy and resources. Social criteria include elements such as human rights, child labor, corporate diversity, and the company's impact on society \u2014 for instance, taken into consideration would be business activities tied to weapons, gambling, tobacco, and alcohol. According to the ETF Finder at ETF Channel, Fastenal Co. is a member of the iShares USA ESG Select ETF (SUSA), making up 0.15% of the underlying holdings of the fund, which owns $4,143,145 worth of FAST shares. The annualized dividend paid by Fastenal Co. is $1.12/share, currently paid in quarterly installments, and its most recent dividend ex-date was on 02/02/2021. Below is a long-term dividend history chart for FAST, which the DividendRank report stressed as being of key importance. Indeed, studying a company's past dividend history can be of good help in judging whether the most recent dividend is likely to continue. FAST operates in the Home Improvement Stores sector, among companies like Home Depot Inc (HD), and Lowe's Companies Inc (LOW). Top 25 Socially Responsible Dividend Stocks \u2014 Income To Feel Good About \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2021-01-22,46.0224,46.1004,45.4303,45.5931,
FAST,2021-01-25,45.4885,46.0956,44.8103,45.985,"[""7 Must Own Stocks for February InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips When you read the headline, my guess is that you thought that I\u2019m simply going to provide you with a list of seven companies that ought to do well in February and beyond. I\u2019ll provide that; however, my list of must own stocks for February is far from typical. But before we dive into the intricacies, I want to point out that the S&P 500 dropped 8.4% in February 2020. That was the index\u2019s second-worst monthly return last year. Only March was worse, down 12.5%. February and March haven\u2019t been great for stocks in recent years, averaging monthly losses of -1.4% and -3.36%, respectively, since the beginning of 2017. This is why I\u2019ve chosen to mix things up a little. 7 Stay-at-Home Stocks Whose Gains Will Outlast Covid-19 For my selections, I\u2019m going to give you seven stocks whose stock symbol begins with the letter F. Each will have a market capitalization of $2 billion or more and be reasonably profitable. Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) Four Corners Property Trust (NYSE:FCPT) FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) Federated Hermes (NYSE:FHI) Fair Isaac (NYSE:FICO) First Industrial Realty (NYSE:FR) Given the trend for February, I\u2019ve got my work cut out for me. Must Own Stocks for February: Fastenal (FAST) FAST) logo displayed on a mobile phone\"" width=\""300\"" height=\""169\""> Source: IgorGolovniov / Shutterstock.com I went back into the vaults to find a story I\u2019d written about Fastenal, the industrial distributor that got its start in fasteners in 1967. It has since expanded to a broader range of industrial and construction supplies. It turns out, as best I can recollect, that I last discussed FAST stock in March 2012, almost nine years ago. I\u2019m sure I\u2019ve recommended it in recent years as part of a list of stock recommendations like this one; I can\u2019t remember when. In my 2012 article, I recommended investors holding its stock sell because it was trading at a nosebleed valuation. \u201cFor investors who currently own the stock and have made a lot of money from it, the decision\u2019s an easy one: Sell now before the whole world realizes that this type of business should never have an enterprise value 25 times EBITDA. For those who haven\u2019t bought just yet, buyer beware,\u201d I wrote on March 5, 2012. I feel pretty good about that call. At the time, it was trading around $26. It didn\u2019t trade above that level consistently until early 2019. Now, almost nine years later, it trades around 23 times EBITDA, well above its five-year average of 16. While not cheap, it\u2019s got a few things going in its favor, including an excellent 24.9% return on invested capital, an operating margin above 20% and free cash flow that\u2019s 101% of its trailing 12-month net income. Oh, and it doesn\u2019t hurt that it\u2019s got some momentum heading into February. Facebook (FB) FB) app on their phone in front of a laptop that also has the Facebook webpage on it\"" width=\""300\"" height=\""169\""> Source: Chinnapong / Shutterstock.com No matter how one feels about social media platforms such as Facebook, there\u2019s no way I could leave it off the list. Not quite a trillion-dollar market cap ($744 billion), it still commands a lot of attention from investors. And so it should. InvestorPlace\u2019s Dana Blankenhorn recently discussed why it\u2019s time to buy Facebook stock. Dana\u2019s a technology guy, so I was curious to read his thoughts on the matter. \u201cFacebook is seen as a social network or a source of news. In fact, it\u2019s a free global phone system, handling any type of communication \u2013 voice, video, text, software. Facebook\u2019s cloud lets anyone be part of the global discussion, and theglobal market\u201d Blankenhorn wrote on Jan. 12. He explains further: \u201cBecause Facebook owns its cloud it pays no rent. Facebook doesn\u2019t pay for the content on its cloud, either. Everything is built on cash flow from advertising. As a result, Facebook had just $10 billion in debt at the end of September, and almost $56 billion of cash and short-term investments.\u201d There aren\u2019t many large companies in this day and age of low-interest rates with a net cash position of $46 billion. Further, its trailing 12-months free cash flow is $19.2 billion. Based on an enterprise value of $736 billion, it\u2019s got a reasonable free cash flow yield of 3.2%. By comparison, Twitter\u2019s (NYSE:TWTR) is 0.6% based on $210 million in free cash flow and an enterprise value of $33.2 billion. 7 SaaS Stocks to Buy For Consistent Returns Into 2021 and Beyond No matter what happens from a regulatory perspective, Facebook is going to be fine. Definitely buy FB on the dips. Four Corners Property Trust (FCPT) Source: Shutterstock I have to admit that of all seven of the businesses on my list, Four Corners is the company I\u2019m least familiar with. The real estate investment trust is one of America\u2019s largest owners of restaurant real estate with 751 properties across 46 states totaling five million square feet of leasable space to 74 restaurant brands. Most notably that list of brands includes Darden Restaurants\u2019 (NYSE:DRI) Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse brands. The Darden Restaurants\u2019 real estate was spun-off from the restaurants in November 2015. They account for 65% of Four Corners\u2019 annual base rent. Other brands renting from the real estate investment trust include Burger King, Chili\u2019s, Buffalo Wild Wings, Bob Evans and many more. As its November 2020 presentation highlights, it had an occupancy rate of 99.6% at the end of September, with those properties holding average lease terms of 10.5 years and only 7% of its base rent expiring before 2027. In October 2020, it announced a joint venture with Lubert-Adler Real Estate Funds to acquire up to $150 million in vacant real estate. It will then put growing restaurant operators into those spaces. This is a time-sensitive opportunity brought about by the novel coronavirus. Since November 2015, it had grown its annual base rent from $94.4 million to $147.8 million on Sept. 30, 2020. More importantly, it has doubled its enterprise value in five years. Yielding 4.6%, it\u2019s a nice stable income investment with good capital appreciation attached to it. FactSet Research Systems (FDS) Source: katjen/Shutterstock.com I don\u2019t know why, but I often get FactSet confused with MSCI (NYSE:MSCI). While they both provide financial data analytics to the global investment community, MSCI is almost three times larger by market cap. FactSet delivered Q1 2021 earnings on Dec. 21 and they surpassed analyst expectations. Its sales were $388.2 million on the top line, slightly higher than the consensus estimate and 5.9% higher than a year earlier. On the bottom line, it has earnings per share of $2.88, 14 cents clear of estimates and 30 cents higher than Q1 2020. FactSet earns most of its revenue from subscriptions. As a result, the Annual Subscription Value, or ASV, and other figures related to ASV are critical to its success. In Q1 2021, its ASV in the Americas increased by 5.6% to $959 million (based on the next 12 months). In Europe, the Middle East and Africa, its ASV increased by 4.7% to $422 million, and its ASV for the Asia Pacific region jumped by 9.5% to $143.9 million. The number of users in the quarter increased by 5,187 to 138,238, while its client count rose by 64 to 5,939. FactSet expects 2021 revenue of at least $1.57 billion and adjusted EPS of $10.75 a share. 10 Stocks to Buy Currently Selling at a Discount to Free Cash Flow FactSet proves there continues to be plenty of money to be made providing data analytics to financial services companies. Federated Hermes (FHI) Source: Wright Studio/Shutterstock.com Federated Hermes is a Pittsburgh-based investment management firm with $615 billion in assets under management as of Sept. 30, 2020. In July 2018, Federated Investors acquired majority control (60%) of London-based environmental, social and governance (ESG) investor Hermes Fund Managers. The businesses operated separately until February 2020, when the two businesses officially combined to become Federated Hermes. \u201cFederated has launched five mutual funds for U.S. investors modeled after Hermes products, has integrated Hermes\u2019 ESG factors into the liquidity fund investment decision process, and is in the process of incorporating the same into Federated equity and fixed-income strategies,\u201d the company stated in its Feb. 3, 2020, press release announcing the merger. \u201cFederated also has launched a Responsible Investing Office and become a client of EOS, a leading stewardship and engagement business that has board- and executive-level engagement as its hallmark.\u201d The company recognizes that ESG investing is the future and has positioned itself to take advantage of this reality. Federated Hermes hasn\u2019t suffered under its transformation. Its latest Q3 2020 quarterly report saw revenues increase 7% over a year earlier and 1% over Q2 2020. On the bottom line, its operating income increased 27% over last year and 17% over the second quarter. Business is so good that it paid a $1 a share special dividend on Nov. 13, 2020, in addition to its 27-cent quarterly payment. According to CFO Thomas Donahue, \u201cThe special dividend reinforces Federated Hermes\u2019 continued commitment to delivering shareholder value \u2026 The November dividend payment marks our fifth special-dividend, totaling $7.53 per share, in the last dozen years.\u201d If you want to feel special, Federated Hermes is the right one. Fair Isaac (FICO) Source: metamorworks/Shutterstock Although Fair Isaac is probably best known for being the company beyond the FICO credit score, hence the stock ticker, it actually is so much more. The company announced its Q4 2020 results on Nov. 10, 2020. They were excellent as usual, with 22.6% sales growth year over year to $374.4 million. On the bottom line, it had non-GAAP net income of $97 million ($3.25 per share), up 59.5% from $60.8 million ($2.01 per share) a year earlier. I\u2019m a hound for free cash flow, so the fact it grew FCF by 45% in fiscal 2020 to $342.9 million is indicative of just how good the past year was for Fair Isaac. As I said, while the company\u2019s Scores business is an important part of its business, accounting for 41% of its overall revenue, it has two other operating segments that also make a big contribution. That\u2019s especially true for its Applications segment, which accounted for 47% of its $1.29 billion in 2020 revenue. These pre-configured decision management applications include marketing, account origination, customer management, fraud and many others. The applications are available as on-premises software or hosted software-as-a-service applications on its FICO Analytic Cloud or through Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) Web Services (AWS). Its smallest segment, Decision Management Software, enables clients to create customized analytic and decision management software tools from scratch. While this segment only had $164 million in sales in 2020, it grew by more than 22% YOY and is an increasingly important part of its business. 7 Undervalued Stocks That Could Perk Up Under Democratic Leadership While not cheap at 11 times sales, Fair Isaac\u2019s long-term performance \u2014 the 10-year annualized total return of 35% \u2014 ought to give you comfort. First Industrial Realty (FR) Source: Shutterstock The second of two REITs on my list, First Industrial Realty does what its name infers: it acquires, owns and manages U.S. industrial real estate. First Industrial\u2019s portfolio consists of 445 industrial buildings providing its 1,042 customers 64.1 million square feet of quality industrial space in 21 major markets across the U.S. The REIT focuses on logistics-oriented properties. Founded in 1993, it went public a year later and has been publicly traded ever since. At the time of its IPO, it owned 226 industrial properties with 17.4 million square feet. It has grown considerably since then. Its stock has had its highs and lows over the years. In 2009, it fell to as low as $2, but is now trading near its all-time high of $50.61 that it reached in November 2006. In its Q3 2020 conference call with analysts, Chief Executive Officer Peter Baccile laid out some of its rental activity heading into 2021. The REIT expected a 14% increase in cash rental rates for the full-year in 2020. With 32% of its 2021 rollovers signed as of Oct. 23, 2020, the cash rental rates were up 12%. Due to Covid-19, it was unable to launch any new development projects. Baccile stated in the conference call that it would begin the first phase of its First Park Miami project in the fourth quarter. By full completion of the 60-acre property, it will be able to deliver 1.2 million square feet of industrial space, with the first phase \u2014 three buildings and 600,000 square feet \u2014 costing $90 million and a cash yield of approximately 5.5%. As e-commerce continues to gain market share, First Industrial ought to benefit from this ongoing trend in retail. On the date of publication, Will Ashworth did not have (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article. Will Ashworth has written about investments full-time since 2008. Publications where he\u2019s appeared include InvestorPlace, The Motley Fool Canada, Investopedia, Kiplinger, and several others in both the U.S. and Canada. He particularly enjoys creating model portfolios that stand the test of time. He lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia. At the time of this writing Will Ashworth did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities. The post 7 Must Own Stocks for February appeared first on InvestorPlace. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""LKQ Is Helping Itself to a Higher Price Shares have been stuck in neutral for years, but 2021 could see things turn around for the auto-parts supplier. The pandemic forced the company to do what it should have done long ago.""]"
FAST,2021-01-26,46.2722,46.3976,45.2487,45.4835,"Tuesday 1/26 Insider Buying Report: FAST, NTIC Bargain hunters are wise to pay careful attention to insider buying, because although there are many various reasons for an insider to sell a stock, presumably the only reason they would use their hard-earned dollars to make a purchase, is that they expect to make money. Today we look at two noteworthy recent insider buys. On Thursday, Fastenal's Director, Michael J. Ancius, made a $29,049 buy of FAST, purchasing 600 shares at a cost of $48.41 a piece. Fastenal Co. is trading down about 0.5% on the day Tuesday. Before this latest buy, Ancius purchased FAST at 4 other times during the past year, for a total cost of $81,275 at an average of $39.74 per share. And on Monday, Director Nancy E. Calderon bought $14,776 worth of Northern Technologies International, buying 1,000 shares at a cost of $14.78 a piece. Before this latest buy, Calderon made one other purchase in the past twelve months, buying $8,600 shares at a cost of $8.60 a piece. Northern Technologies International is trading up about 3.5% on the day Tuesday. VIDEO: Tuesday 1/26 Insider Buying Report: FAST, NTIC The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2021-01-27,44.9821,45.8122,44.38,45.6898,
FAST,2021-01-28,45.6158,46.3374,44.5616,44.5715,
FAST,2021-01-29,44.3415,44.8953,43.4995,43.5578,"Ex-Dividend Reminder: Fastenal, Equitrans Midstream and PNM Resources Looking at the universe of stocks we cover at Dividend Channel, on 2/2/21, Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST), Equitrans Midstream Corp (Symbol: ETRN), and PNM Resources Inc (Symbol: PNM) will all trade ex-dividend for their respective upcoming dividends. Fastenal Co. will pay its quarterly dividend of $0.28 on 3/3/21, Equitrans Midstream Corp will pay its quarterly dividend of $0.15 on 2/12/21, and PNM Resources Inc will pay its quarterly dividend of $0.3275 on 2/16/21. As a percentage of FAST's recent stock price of $46.23, this dividend works out to approximately 0.61%, so look for shares of Fastenal Co. to trade 0.61% lower — all else being equal — when FAST shares open for trading on 2/2/21. Similarly, investors should look for ETRN to open 2.20% lower in price and for PNM to open 0.67% lower, all else being equal. Below are dividend history charts for FAST, ETRN, and PNM, showing historical dividends prior to the most recent ones declared. Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST): Equitrans Midstream Corp (Symbol: ETRN): PNM Resources Inc (Symbol: PNM): In general, dividends are not always predictable, following the ups and downs of company profits over time. Therefore, a good first due diligence step in forming an expectation of annual yield going forward, is looking at the history above, for a sense of stability over time. This can help in judging whether the most recent dividends from these companies are likely to continue. If they do continue, the current estimated yields on annualized basis would be 2.42% for Fastenal Co., 8.82% for Equitrans Midstream Corp, and 2.70% for PNM Resources Inc. In Friday trading, Fastenal Co. shares are currently off about 0.9%, Equitrans Midstream Corp shares are up about 1.7%, and PNM Resources Inc shares are trading flat on the day. Click here to learn which 25 S.A.F.E. dividend stocks should be on your radar screen » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2021-02-01,44.1599,44.6949,43.9596,44.3514,
FAST,2021-02-02,44.7749,45.1005,44.0622,44.6682,
FAST,2021-02-03,44.5528,45.3987,44.3129,45.1775,
FAST,2021-02-04,44.8133,45.3424,44.1006,45.2931,
FAST,2021-02-05,45.5526,45.7738,45.1203,45.4658,
FAST,2021-02-08,45.6681,46.1291,45.4757,45.6286,"Trade Alert: The Independent Director Of Fastenal Company (NASDAQ:FAST), Michael Dolan, Has Just Spent US$118k Buying 25% More Shares Potential Fastenal Company (NASDAQ:FAST) shareholders may wish to note that the Independent Director, Michael Dolan, recently bought US$118k worth of stock, paying US$47.31 for each share. That's a very solid buy in our book, and increased their holding by a noteworthy 25%. Fastenal Insider Transactions Over The Last Year Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider sale was by the insider, Darren Jackson, for US$643k worth of shares, at about US$35.71 per share. That means that even when the share price was below the current price of US$47.47, an insider wanted to cash in some shares. As a general rule we consider it to be discouraging when insiders are selling below the current price, because it suggests they were happy with a lower valuation. Please do note, however, that sellers may have a variety of reasons for selling, so we don't know for sure what they think of the stock price. This single sale was just 38% of Darren Jackson's stake. Happily, we note that in the last year insiders paid US$544k for 12.26k shares. But they sold 45.55k shares for US$1.7m. All up, insiders sold more shares in Fastenal than they bought, over the last year. You can see the insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date! NasdaqGS:FAST Insider Trading Volume February 9th 2021 If you are like me, then you will not want to miss this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying. Insider Ownership of Fastenal Many investors like to check how much of a company is owned by insiders. Usually, the higher the insider ownership, the more likely it is that insiders will be incentivised to build the company for the long term. It appears that Fastenal insiders own 0.3% of the company, worth about US$91m. While this is a strong but not outstanding level of insider ownership, it's enough to indicate some alignment between management and smaller shareholders. So What Does This Data Suggest About Fastenal Insiders? It is good to see recent purchasing. On the other hand the transaction history, over the last year, isn't so positive. We don't take much heart from transactions by Fastenal insiders over the last year. But they own a reasonable amount of the company, and there was some buying recently. Overall they seem reasonably aligned. While we like knowing what's going on with the insider's ownership and transactions, we make sure to also consider what risks are facing a stock before making any investment decision. For example - Fastenal has 1 warning sign we think you should be aware of. But note: Fastenal may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with high ROE and low debt. For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions, but not derivative transactions. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2021-02-09,45.5714,45.5961,44.8035,45.4757,13 Stocks With Rock-Solid Dividends Several large industrial companies managed to raise—or at least maintain—dividends through recent crises.
FAST,2021-02-10,45.8014,45.9938,45.2447,45.8112,"Wednesday 2/10 Insider Buying Report: FAST, PRU Bargain hunters are wise to pay careful attention to insider buying, because although there are many various reasons for an insider to sell a stock, presumably the only reason they would use their hard-earned dollars to make a purchase, is that they expect to make money. Today we look at two noteworthy recent insider buys. At Fastenal, a filing with the SEC revealed that on Friday, Director Michael John Dolan purchased 2,500 shares of FAST, for a cost of $47.31 each, for a total investment of $118,275. Fastenal is trading up about 0.8% on the day Wednesday. And at Prudential Financial, there was insider buying on Tuesday, by Director Wendy Elizabeth Jones who bought 1,000 shares for a cost of $80.98 each, for a total investment of $80,980. This purchase marks the first one filed by Jones in the past year. Prudential Financial is trading up about 1% on the day Wednesday. Jones was up about 1.7% on the purchase at the high point of today's trading session, with PRU trading as high as $82.36 in trading on Wednesday. VIDEO: Wednesday 2/10 Insider Buying Report: FAST, PRU The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2021-02-11,45.9751,46.0916,44.9377,45.2447,
FAST,2021-02-12,45.2447,45.5911,45.1253,45.5526,
FAST,2021-02-16,45.6582,45.7836,44.7601,44.8222,
FAST,2021-02-17,44.6781,45.2151,44.5429,45.1301,
FAST,2021-02-18,44.7847,45.7638,44.6021,45.4559,
FAST,2021-02-19,45.4075,46.0916,45.3029,45.3987,
FAST,2021-02-22,45.2151,45.3227,44.4758,44.5241,
FAST,2021-02-23,44.4955,45.0957,43.9477,44.9861,"Insiders Buy the Holdings of SPHQ ETF A look at the weighted underlying holdings of the Invesco S&P 500— Quality ETF (Symbol: SPHQ) shows an impressive 10.2% of holdings on a weighted basis have experienced insider buying within the past six months. Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST), which makes up 0.37% of the Invesco S&P 500— Quality ETF (Symbol: SPHQ), has seen 5 directors and officers purchase shares in the past six months, according to the recent Form 4 data. The ETF holds a total of $9,138,332 worth of FAST, making it the #63 largest holding. The table below details the recent insider buying activity observed at FAST: FAST — last trade: $46.32 — Recent Insider Buys: PURCHASED INSIDER TITLE SHARES PRICE/SHARE VALUE 09/10/2020 Michael J. Ancius Director 550 $44.83 $24,656 10/19/2020 Hsenghung Sam Hsu Director 2,000 $44.75 $89,500 10/21/2020 Michael J. Ancius Director 550 $44.30 $24,365 01/21/2021 Michael J. Ancius Director 600 $48.41 $29,049 01/25/2021 Michael J. Ancius Director 770 $47.50 $36,575 01/28/2021 Stephen L. Eastman Director 1,000 $48.29 $48,290 02/01/2021 Daniel L. Johnson Director 1,080 $46.50 $50,220 02/05/2021 Michael John Dolan Director 2,500 $47.31 $118,275 02/04/2021 Michael J. Ancius Director 1,500 $46.23 $69,339 And NVR Inc. (Symbol: NVR), the #77 largest holding among components of the Invesco S&P 500— Quality ETF (Symbol: SPHQ), shows 2 directors and officers as recently filing Form 4's indicating purchases. The ETF holds $5,674,694 worth of NVR, which represents approximately 0.23% of the ETF's total assets at last check. The recent insider buying activity observed at NVR is detailed in the table below: NVR — last trade: $4656.03 — Recent Insider Buys: PURCHASED INSIDER TITLE SHARES PRICE/SHARE VALUE 10/23/2020 Alexandra A. Jung Director 30 $4211.37 $126,341 10/28/2020 Matthew B. Kelpy VP, Chief Accounting Officer 17 $3919.98 $66,640 10 ETFs With Stocks That Insiders Are Buying » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2021-02-24,44.6584,45.2683,44.1786,45.0809,
FAST,2021-02-25,44.9861,45.4559,44.3514,44.4856,
FAST,2021-02-26,44.5922,45.1005,44.227,44.5725,
FAST,2021-03-01,44.6396,46.898,44.6396,46.591,
FAST,2021-03-02,46.6059,46.6059,45.4362,45.6385,
FAST,2021-03-03,45.3799,45.8014,44.6386,44.6485,
FAST,2021-03-04,44.3564,44.4185,41.6883,42.4582,
FAST,2021-03-05,42.8037,43.5726,41.9193,43.4295,"How The Pieces Add Up: SUSL Targets $72 Looking at the underlying holdings of the ETFs in our coverage universe at ETF Channel, we have compared the trading price of each holding against the average analyst 12-month forward target price, and computed the weighted average implied analyst target price for the ETF itself. For the iShares ESG MSCI USA Leaders ETF (Symbol: SUSL), we found that the implied analyst target price for the ETF based upon its underlying holdings is $72.19 per unit. With SUSL trading at a recent price near $65.19 per unit, that means that analysts see 10.73% upside for this ETF looking through to the average analyst targets of the underlying holdings. Three of SUSL's underlying holdings with notable upside to their analyst target prices are Arch Capital Group Ltd (Symbol: ACGL), Carlyle Group Inc (Symbol: CG), and Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST). Although ACGL has traded at a recent price of $35.70/share, the average analyst target is 14.15% higher at $40.75/share. Similarly, CG has 12.28% upside from the recent share price of $35.03 if the average analyst target price of $39.33/share is reached, and analysts on average are expecting FAST to reach a target price of $49.50/share, which is 12.07% above the recent price of $44.17. Below is a twelve month price history chart comparing the stock performance of ACGL, CG, and FAST: Below is a summary table of the current analyst target prices discussed above: NAME SYMBOL RECENT PRICE AVG. ANALYST 12-MO. TARGET % UPSIDE TO TARGET iShares ESG MSCI USA Leaders ETF SUSL $65.19 $72.19 10.73% Arch Capital Group Ltd ACGL $35.70 $40.75 14.15% Carlyle Group Inc CG $35.03 $39.33 12.28% Fastenal Co. FAST $44.17 $49.50 12.07% Are analysts justified in these targets, or overly optimistic about where these stocks will be trading 12 months from now? Do the analysts have a valid justification for their targets, or are they behind the curve on recent company and industry developments? A high price target relative to a stock's trading price can reflect optimism about the future, but can also be a precursor to target price downgrades if the targets were a relic of the past. These are questions that require further investor research. 10 ETFs With Most Upside To Analyst Targets » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2021-03-08,43.3219,43.775,42.8619,42.9281,
FAST,2021-03-09,43.621,44.1974,43.4709,43.918,
FAST,2021-03-10,44.0434,44.6732,43.8796,44.3603,
FAST,2021-03-11,44.5044,44.9771,44.2646,44.5725,
FAST,2021-03-12,44.7551,45.3898,44.5241,45.3227,
FAST,2021-03-15,45.7313,46.4657,45.601,46.2643,
FAST,2021-03-16,46.1676,46.6532,45.8606,45.8704,
FAST,2021-03-17,45.9464,46.668,45.7638,46.5328,
FAST,2021-03-18,46.1577,46.4755,45.5625,45.6582,
FAST,2021-03-19,45.678,46.0916,45.1105,45.7836,"Top Buys by Directors: Ancius's $448.4K Bet on FAST The directors of a company tend to have a unique inside view into the business, so when directors make major buys, investors are wise to take notice. Presumably the only reason a director of a company would choose to take their hard-earned cash and use it to buy stock in the open market, is that they expect to make money — maybe they find the stock very undervalued, or maybe they see exciting progress within the company, or maybe both. So in this series we look at the largest insider buys by company directors over the trailing six month period, one of which was a total of $448.4K invested across 5 purchases by Michael J. Ancius, Director at Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST). PURCHASED INSIDER TITLE SHARES PRICE/SHARE VALUE 10/21/2020 Michael J. Ancius Director 550 $44.30 $24,365.00 01/21/2021 Michael J. Ancius Director 600 $48.41 $29,049.00 01/25/2021 Michael J. Ancius Director 770 $47.50 $36,575.00 03/05/2021 Michael J. Ancius Director 4,626 $44.15 $204,245.24 03/05/2021 Michael J. Ancius Director 3,486 $44.22 $154,153.64 Ancius's average cost works out to $44.70/share. Shares of Fastenal Co. were changing hands at $47.52 at last check, trading down about 0.1% on Friday. The chart below shows the one year performance of FAST shares, versus its 200 day moving average: Looking at the chart above, FAST's low point in its 52 week range is $26.715 per share, with $51.89 as the 52 week high point — that compares with a last trade of $47.52. The current annualized dividend paid by Fastenal Co. is $1.12/share, currently paid in quarterly installments, and its most recent dividend ex-date was on 02/02/2021. Below is a long-term dividend history chart for FAST, which can be of good help in judging whether the most recent dividend with approx. 2.4% annualized yield is likely to continue. Click here to find out which other top insider buys by company directors you need to know about » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2021-03-22,45.678,46.2308,45.3987,46.1192,
FAST,2021-03-23,46.0432,46.4943,45.6928,45.8508,
FAST,2021-03-24,45.8498,46.745,45.8498,46.36,
FAST,2021-03-25,46.5328,47.4952,46.1014,47.3126,
FAST,2021-03-26,47.3323,48.6471,47.2928,48.5997,
FAST,2021-03-29,48.6471,49.1199,48.4171,48.7151,"FAST Crosses Above Average Analyst Target In recent trading, shares of Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) have crossed above the average analyst 12-month target price of $49.38, changing hands for $50.56/share. When a stock reaches the target an analyst has set, the analyst logically has two ways to react: downgrade on valuation, or, re-adjust their target price to a higher level. Analyst reaction may also depend on the fundamental business developments that may be responsible for driving the stock price higher — if things are looking up for the company, perhaps it is time for that target price to be raised. There are 8 different analyst targets contributing to that average for Fastenal Co., but the average is just that — a mathematical average. There are analysts with lower targets than the average, including one looking for a price of $40.00. And then on the other side of the spectrum one analyst has a target as high as $60.00. The standard deviation is $5.804. But the whole reason to look at the average FAST price target in the first place is to tap into a ""wisdom of crowds"" effort, putting together the contributions of all the individual minds who contributed to the ultimate number, as opposed to what just one particular expert believes. And so with FAST crossing above that average target price of $49.38/share, investors in FAST have been given a good signal to spend fresh time assessing the company and deciding for themselves: is $49.38 just one stop on the way to an even higher target, or has the valuation gotten stretched to the point where it is time to think about taking some chips off the table? Below is a table showing the current thinking of the analysts that cover Fastenal Co.: RECENT FAST ANALYST RATINGS BREAKDOWN » Current 1 Month Ago 2 Month Ago 3 Month Ago Strong buy ratings: 2 2 2 2 Buy ratings: 0 0 0 0 Hold ratings: 9 9 9 9 Sell ratings: 0 0 0 0 Strong sell ratings: 1 1 1 1 Average rating: 2.83 2.83 2.83 2.83 The average rating presented in the last row of the above table above is from 1 to 5 where 1 is Strong Buy and 5 is Strong Sell. This article used data provided by Zacks Investment Research via Quandl.com. Get the latest Zacks research report on FAST — FREE. 10 ETFs With Most Upside To Analyst Targets » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2021-03-30,48.4171,48.7961,48.0805,48.6569,
FAST,2021-03-31,48.8011,48.9837,48.273,48.3302,
FAST,2021-04-01,48.4171,49.1761,48.3016,49.1287,
FAST,2021-04-05,49.417,49.5404,48.9274,49.4466,
FAST,2021-04-06,49.2442,49.6676,49.1011,49.2837,
FAST,2021-04-07,49.1761,49.2146,47.9404,47.9946,"Insiders Bullish on Certain Holdings of HDV A look at the weighted underlying holdings of the iShares Core High Dividend ETF (HDV) shows an impressive 14.6% of holdings on a weighted basis have experienced insider buying within the past six months. Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST), which makes up 0.44% of the iShares Core High Dividend ETF (HDV), has seen 5 directors and officers purchase shares in the past six months, according to the recent Form 4 data. The ETF holds a total of $28,466,336 worth of FAST, making it the #41 largest holding. The table below details the recent insider buying activity observed at FAST: FAST — last trade: $51.27 — Recent Insider Buys: PURCHASED INSIDER TITLE SHARES PRICE/SHARE VALUE 10/19/2020 Hsenghung Sam Hsu Director 2,000 $44.75 $89,500 10/21/2020 Michael J. Ancius Director 550 $44.30 $24,365 01/21/2021 Michael J. Ancius Director 600 $48.41 $29,049 01/25/2021 Michael J. Ancius Director 770 $47.50 $36,575 01/28/2021 Stephen L. Eastman Director 1,000 $48.29 $48,290 02/01/2021 Daniel L. Johnson Director 1,080 $46.50 $50,220 02/05/2021 Michael John Dolan Director 2,500 $47.31 $118,275 03/05/2021 Stephen L. Eastman Director 1,000 $44.63 $44,630 03/05/2021 Michael J. Ancius Director 4,626 $44.15 $204,245 03/05/2021 Michael J. Ancius Director 3,486 $44.22 $154,154 10 ETFs With Stocks That Insiders Are Buying » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2021-04-08,48.1002,48.4171,47.8978,48.273,
FAST,2021-04-09,48.1772,48.2828,47.3175,48.119,
FAST,2021-04-12,48.0618,48.879,47.9078,48.7447,"Pre-Market Earnings Report for April 13, 2021 : FAST, OGI The following companies are expected to report earnings prior to market open on 04/13/2021. Visit our Earnings Calendar for a full list of expected earnings releases. Fastenal Company (FAST) is reporting for the quarter ending March 31, 2021. The building company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 8 analysts that follow the stock is $0.37. This value represents a 5.71% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year FAST has beat the expectations every quarter. The highest one was in the 4th calendar quarter where they beat the consensus by 3.03%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2021 Price to Earnings ratio for FAST is 32.30 vs. an industry ratio of 21.10, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Organigram Holdings Inc. (OGI) is reporting for the quarter ending February 28, 2021. The medical products company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 4 analysts that follow the stock is $-0.03. This value represents a 50.00% decrease compared to the same quarter last year. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2021 Price to Earnings ratio for OGI is -17.94 vs. an industry ratio of 10.00. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2021-04-13,47.2059,48.0706,46.6858,48.043,"[""Daily Dividend Report: FAST,STAG,AOS,ACI,DX Fastenal reported its board of directors declared a dividend of $0.28 per share to be paid in cash on May 25, 2021 to shareholders of record at the close of business on April 26, 2021. Except for share and per share information, dollar amounts are stated in millions. The Board of Directors of STAG Industrial maintained the monthly common stock dividend at $0.120833 and declared the dividend is payable on May 17 to shareholders of record April 30, 2021. Directors of A. O. Smith today declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of $.26 per share on the company's Common Stock and Class A Common Stock. The dividend is payable on May 17 to shareholders of record April 30, 2021. Albertsons Companies today announced its Board of Directors has declared a cash dividend for the first quarter of 2021 of $0.10 per share of Class A common stock and Class A-1 common stock. The cash dividend is consistent with the Company's dividend policy established in connection with its initial public offering. The cash dividend is payable on May 10, 2021 to stockholders of record as of the close of business on April 26, 2021. Dynex Capital announced today the Company's Board of Directors declared a cash dividend of $0.13 per common share for April 2021. The dividend is payable on May 3, 2021 to shareholders of record on April 22, 2021. VIDEO: Daily Dividend Report: FAST,STAG,AOS,ACI,DX The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Nasdaq 100 Movers: FAST, MRNA In early trading on Tuesday, shares of Moderna topped the list of the day's best performing components of the Nasdaq 100 index, trading up 8.2%. Year to date, Moderna Inc registers a 44.3% gain. And the worst performing Nasdaq 100 component thus far on the day is Fastenal, trading down 3.5%. Fastenal is showing a gain of 0.2% looking at the year to date performance. Two other components making moves today are NXP Semiconductors, trading down 2.6%, and DocuSign, trading up 4.3% on the day. VIDEO: Nasdaq 100 Movers: FAST, MRNA The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Co. Profit Climbs In Q1 (RTTNews) - Fastenal Co. (FAST) announced earnings for its first quarter that advanced from last year. The company's bottom line came in at $210.6 million, or $0.37 per share. This compares with $202.6 million, or $0.35 per share, in last year's first quarter. Analysts had expected the company to earn $0.36 per share, according to figures compiled by Thomson Reuters. Analysts' estimates typically exclude special items. The company's revenue for the quarter rose 3.6% to $1.42 billion from $1.37 billion last year. Fastenal Co. earnings at a glance: -Earnings (Q1): $210.6 Mln. vs. $202.6 Mln. last year. -EPS (Q1): $0.37 vs. $0.35 last year. -Analysts Estimate: $0.36 -Revenue (Q1): $1.42 Bln vs. $1.37 Bln last year. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2021-04-14,48.0538,48.9599,47.7152,48.119,
FAST,2021-04-15,48.3786,48.4842,47.8702,48.4359,
FAST,2021-04-16,48.3263,48.6965,47.9897,48.5809,"Are Strong Financial Prospects The Force That Is Driving The Momentum In Fastenal Company's NASDAQ:FAST) Stock? Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) has had a great run on the share market with its stock up by a significant 5.6% over the last month. Given that the market rewards strong financials in the long-term, we wonder if that is the case in this instance. Specifically, we decided to study Fastenal's ROE in this article. Return on Equity or ROE is a test of how effectively a company is growing its value and managing investors’ money. Put another way, it reveals the company's success at turning shareholder investments into profits. How To Calculate Return On Equity? The formula for return on equity is: Return on Equity = Net Profit (from continuing operations) ÷ Shareholders' Equity So, based on the above formula, the ROE for Fastenal is: 31% = US$867m ÷ US$2.8b (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2021). The 'return' is the profit over the last twelve months. So, this means that for every $1 of its shareholder's investments, the company generates a profit of $0.31. Why Is ROE Important For Earnings Growth? Thus far, we have learned that ROE measures how efficiently a company is generating its profits. Depending on how much of these profits the company reinvests or ""retains"", and how effectively it does so, we are then able to assess a company’s earnings growth potential. Generally speaking, other things being equal, firms with a high return on equity and profit retention, have a higher growth rate than firms that don’t share these attributes. Fastenal's Earnings Growth And 31% ROE First thing first, we like that Fastenal has an impressive ROE. Additionally, the company's ROE is higher compared to the industry average of 9.8% which is quite remarkable. Probably as a result of this, Fastenal was able to see a decent net income growth of 13% over the last five years. As a next step, we compared Fastenal's net income growth with the industry and found that the company has a similar growth figure when compared with the industry average growth rate of 14% in the same period. NasdaqGS:FAST Past Earnings Growth April 16th 2021 The basis for attaching value to a company is, to a great extent, tied to its earnings growth. What investors need to determine next is if the expected earnings growth, or the lack of it, is already built into the share price. This then helps them determine if the stock is placed for a bright or bleak future. If you're wondering about Fastenal's's valuation, check out this gauge of its price-to-earnings ratio, as compared to its industry. Is Fastenal Making Efficient Use Of Its Profits? Fastenal has a significant three-year median payout ratio of 62%, meaning that it is left with only 38% to reinvest into its business. This implies that the company has been able to achieve decent earnings growth despite returning most of its profits to shareholders. Moreover, Fastenal is determined to keep sharing its profits with shareholders which we infer from its long history of paying a dividend for at least ten years. Based on the latest analysts' estimates, we found that the company's future payout ratio over the next three years is expected to hold steady at 65%. Therefore, the company's future ROE is also not expected to change by much with analysts predicting an ROE of 32%. Summary In total, we are pretty happy with Fastenal's performance. In particular, its high ROE is quite noteworthy and also the probable explanation behind its considerable earnings growth. Yet, the company is retaining a small portion of its profits. Which means that the company has been able to grow its earnings in spite of it, so that's not too bad. That being so, a study of the latest analyst forecasts show that the company is expected to see a slowdown in its future earnings growth. Are these analysts expectations based on the broad expectations for the industry, or on the company's fundamentals? Click here to be taken to our analyst's forecasts page for the company. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2021-04-19,48.6471,48.9037,48.0618,48.8297,
FAST,2021-04-20,49.3202,49.3202,48.7734,49.1465,
FAST,2021-04-21,49.3291,50.098,49.2442,50.0428,"Ex-Dividend Reminder: Albertsons Companies, Fastenal and Industrial Logistics Properties Trust Looking at the universe of stocks we cover at Dividend Channel, on 4/23/21, Albertsons Companies Inc (Symbol: ACI), Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST), and Industrial Logistics Properties Trust (Symbol: ILPT) will all trade ex-dividend for their respective upcoming dividends. Albertsons Companies Inc will pay its quarterly dividend of $0.10 on 5/10/21, Fastenal Co. will pay its quarterly dividend of $0.28 on 5/25/21, and Industrial Logistics Properties Trust will pay its quarterly dividend of $0.33 on 5/20/21. As a percentage of ACI's recent stock price of $20.47, this dividend works out to approximately 0.49%, so look for shares of Albertsons Companies Inc to trade 0.49% lower — all else being equal — when ACI shares open for trading on 4/23/21. Similarly, investors should look for FAST to open 0.55% lower in price and for ILPT to open 1.31% lower, all else being equal. Below are dividend history charts for ACI, FAST, and ILPT, showing historical dividends prior to the most recent ones declared. Albertsons Companies Inc (Symbol: ACI): Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST): Industrial Logistics Properties Trust (Symbol: ILPT): In general, dividends are not always predictable, following the ups and downs of company profits over time. Therefore, a good first due diligence step in forming an expectation of annual yield going forward, is looking at the history above, for a sense of stability over time. This can help in judging whether the most recent dividends from these companies are likely to continue. If they do continue, the current estimated yields on annualized basis would be 1.95% for Albertsons Companies Inc, 2.18% for Fastenal Co., and 5.23% for Industrial Logistics Properties Trust. In Wednesday trading, Albertsons Companies Inc shares are currently up about 0.8%, Fastenal Co. shares are up about 0.3%, and Industrial Logistics Properties Trust shares are up about 0.6% on the day. Click here to learn which 25 S.A.F.E. dividend stocks should be on your radar screen » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2021-04-22,49.9845,50.3675,49.6854,49.7427,"Fastenal Company (FAST) Ex-Dividend Date Scheduled for April 23, 2021 Fastenal Company (FAST) will begin trading ex-dividend on April 23, 2021. A cash dividend payment of $0.28 per share is scheduled to be paid on May 25, 2021. Shareholders who purchased FAST prior to the ex-dividend date are eligible for the cash dividend payment. This represents an 12% increase over prior dividend payment. At the current stock price of $52.06, the dividend yield is 2.15%. The previous trading day's last sale of FAST was $52.06, representing a -0.12% decrease from the 52 week high of $52.12 and a 51.36% increase over the 52 week low of $34.40. FAST is a part of the Consumer Services sector, which includes companies such as Home Depot, Inc. (HD) and Lowe's Companies, Inc. (LOW). FAST's current earnings per share, an indicator of a company's profitability, is $1.51. Zacks Investment Research reports FAST's forecasted earnings growth in 2021 as 4.23%, compared to an industry average of 4.4%. For more information on the declaration, record and payment dates, visit the FAST Dividend History page. Our Dividend Calendar has the full list of stocks that have an ex-dividend today. Interested in gaining exposure to FAST through an Exchange Traded Fund [ETF]? The following ETF(s) have FAST as a top-10 holding: Direxion NASDAQ-100 Equal Weighted Index Shares (QQQE). The top-performing ETF of this group is QQQE with an increase of 13.91% over the last 100 days. It also has the highest percent weighting of FAST at 1.06%. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2021-04-23,50.0447,50.7347,49.8118,50.4297,
FAST,2021-04-26,50.4208,50.6133,49.9658,50.179,
FAST,2021-04-27,49.9362,50.2372,49.7476,50.1691,
FAST,2021-04-28,50.0447,50.179,49.648,49.951,
FAST,2021-04-29,50.2372,51.2954,50.0349,51.0969,
FAST,2021-04-30,50.9805,51.5708,50.4395,50.5265,"First Week of November 19th Options Trading For Fastenal (FAST) Investors in Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) saw new options become available this week, for the November 19th expiration. One of the key inputs that goes into the price an option buyer is willing to pay, is the time value, so with 203 days until expiration the newly available contracts represent a potential opportunity for sellers of puts or calls to achieve a higher premium than would be available for the contracts with a closer expiration. At Stock Options Channel, our YieldBoost formula has looked up and down the FAST options chain for the new November 19th contracts and identified one put and one call contract of particular interest. The put contract at the $50.00 strike price has a current bid of $2.00. If an investor was to sell-to-open that put contract, they are committing to purchase the stock at $50.00, but will also collect the premium, putting the cost basis of the shares at $48.00 (before broker commissions). To an investor already interested in purchasing shares of FAST, that could represent an attractive alternative to paying $53.06/share today. Because the $50.00 strike represents an approximate 6% discount to the current trading price of the stock (in other words it is out-of-the-money by that percentage), there is also the possibility that the put contract would expire worthless. The current analytical data (including greeks and implied greeks) suggest the current odds of that happening are 64%. Stock Options Channel will track those odds over time to see how they change, publishing a chart of those numbers on our website under the contract detail page for this contract. Should the contract expire worthless, the premium would represent a 4.00% return on the cash commitment, or 7.19% annualized — at Stock Options Channel we call this the YieldBoost. Below is a chart showing the trailing twelve month trading history for Fastenal Co., and highlighting in green where the $50.00 strike is located relative to that history: Turning to the calls side of the option chain, the call contract at the $55.00 strike price has a current bid of $1.85. If an investor was to purchase shares of FAST stock at the current price level of $53.06/share, and then sell-to-open that call contract as a ""covered call,"" they are committing to sell the stock at $55.00. Considering the call seller will also collect the premium, that would drive a total return (excluding dividends, if any) of 7.14% if the stock gets called away at the November 19th expiration (before broker commissions). Of course, a lot of upside could potentially be left on the table if FAST shares really soar, which is why looking at the trailing twelve month trading history for Fastenal Co., as well as studying the business fundamentals becomes important. Below is a chart showing FAST's trailing twelve month trading history, with the $55.00 strike highlighted in red: Considering the fact that the $55.00 strike represents an approximate 4% premium to the current trading price of the stock (in other words it is out-of-the-money by that percentage), there is also the possibility that the covered call contract would expire worthless, in which case the investor would keep both their shares of stock and the premium collected. The current analytical data (including greeks and implied greeks) suggest the current odds of that happening are 56%. On our website under the contract detail page for this contract, Stock Options Channel will track those odds over time to see how they change and publish a chart of those numbers (the trading history of the option contract will also be charted). Should the covered call contract expire worthless, the premium would represent a 3.49% boost of extra return to the investor, or 6.27% annualized, which we refer to as the YieldBoost. The implied volatility in the put contract example is 30%, while the implied volatility in the call contract example is 28%. Meanwhile, we calculate the actual trailing twelve month volatility (considering the last 252 trading day closing values as well as today's price of $53.06) to be 25%. For more put and call options contract ideas worth looking at, visit StockOptionsChannel.com. Top YieldBoost Calls of the Nasdaq 100 » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2021-05-03,50.7396,51.3624,50.4583,51.2223,
FAST,2021-05-04,51.164,51.783,50.864,51.5016,
FAST,2021-05-05,51.7247,52.4009,51.1739,52.3633,
FAST,2021-05-06,51.4542,51.7642,50.8018,51.1068,
FAST,2021-05-07,51.4642,51.6951,50.9035,51.4642,
FAST,2021-05-10,51.4354,52.4985,51.3002,51.9478,
FAST,2021-05-11,51.705,51.8984,50.9805,51.1167,
FAST,2021-05-12,50.6419,51.2608,50.2185,50.2559,
FAST,2021-05-13,50.5757,51.7346,50.3625,51.4542,
FAST,2021-05-14,51.8224,52.2459,51.396,52.0919,
FAST,2021-05-17,52.2093,52.2093,51.4256,51.8688,
FAST,2021-05-18,51.9764,52.1699,50.6044,50.6419,
FAST,2021-05-19,50.3625,50.5511,49.569,50.1889,
FAST,2021-05-20,50.1197,50.7732,50.0635,50.5857,
FAST,2021-05-21,50.8541,51.2223,50.4021,50.6133,
FAST,2021-05-24,50.8117,51.3002,50.6281,51.0772,
FAST,2021-05-25,51.2223,51.3476,50.787,50.9232,
FAST,2021-05-26,50.9331,51.1542,50.6607,51.1354,
FAST,2021-05-27,51.4928,51.7444,50.9331,50.9805,
FAST,2021-05-28,51.3002,51.5894,51.1838,51.2608,
FAST,2021-06-01,51.555,51.8224,50.6469,50.7781,
FAST,2021-06-02,51.019,51.0288,50.4495,50.6705,
FAST,2021-06-03,50.4721,50.9617,50.1563,50.8353,
FAST,2021-06-04,51.164,51.5994,51.0387,51.2904,
FAST,2021-06-07,51.2904,51.3378,50.5945,51.0101,
FAST,2021-06-08,51.0476,51.3476,50.5117,51.2509,
FAST,2021-06-09,51.5756,51.5756,50.8265,50.8453,
FAST,2021-06-10,51.1266,51.2509,50.6517,50.9133,
FAST,2021-06-11,51.164,51.2904,50.5857,50.7396,
FAST,2021-06-14,50.6331,50.9706,50.3429,50.9617,
FAST,2021-06-15,49.2363,50.2421,49.1919,49.8316,"Nasdaq 100 Movers: FAST, PDD In early trading on Tuesday, shares of Pinduoduo topped the list of the day's best performing components of the Nasdaq 100 index, trading up 2.8%. Year to date, Pinduoduo has lost about 29.6% of its value. And the worst performing Nasdaq 100 component thus far on the day is Fastenal, trading down 3.0%. Fastenal is showing a gain of 4.8% looking at the year to date performance. Two other components making moves today are NetEase, trading down 2.8%, and Micron Technology, trading up 2.6% on the day. VIDEO: Nasdaq 100 Movers: FAST, PDD The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2021-06-16,49.569,50.0349,49.0379,49.2995,
FAST,2021-06-17,49.4348,49.5394,47.8594,48.6125,"Here's Why I Think Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) Is An Interesting Stock Some have more dollars than sense, they say, so even companies that have no revenue, no profit, and a record of falling short, can easily find investors. But as Peter Lynch said in One Up On Wall Street, 'Long shots almost never pay off.' In contrast to all that, I prefer to spend time on companies like Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST), which has not only revenues, but also profits. While that doesn't make the shares worth buying at any price, you can't deny that successful capitalism requires profit, eventually. While a well funded company may sustain losses for years, unless its owners have an endless appetite for subsidizing the customer, it will need to generate a profit eventually, or else breathe its last breath. How Quickly Is Fastenal Increasing Earnings Per Share? If you believe that markets are even vaguely efficient, then over the long term you'd expect a company's share price to follow its earnings per share (EPS). That means EPS growth is considered a real positive by most successful long-term investors. We can see that in the last three years Fastenal grew its EPS by 12% per year. That's a good rate of growth, if it can be sustained. One way to double-check a company's growth is to look at how its revenue, and earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) margins are changing. While we note Fastenal's EBIT margins were flat over the last year, revenue grew by a solid 5.7% to US$5.7b. That's progress. You can take a look at the company's revenue and earnings growth trend, in the chart below. For finer detail, click on the image. NasdaqGS:FAST Earnings and Revenue History June 17th 2021 You don't drive with your eyes on the rear-view mirror, so you might be more interested in this free report showing analyst forecasts for Fastenal's future profits. Are Fastenal Insiders Aligned With All Shareholders? Like standing at the lookout, surveying the horizon at sunrise, insider buying, for some investors, sparks joy. Because oftentimes, the purchase of stock is a sign that the buyer views it as undervalued. However, insiders are sometimes wrong, and we don't know the exact thinking behind their acquisitions. While Fastenal insiders did net -US$52k selling stock over the last year, they invested US$739k, a much higher figure. You could argue that level of buying implies genuine confidence in the business. We also note that it was the Independent Director, Michael Ancius, who made the biggest single acquisition, paying US$204k for shares at about US$46.00 each. The good news, alongside the insider buying, for Fastenal bulls is that insiders (collectively) have a meaningful investment in the stock. Given insiders own a small fortune of shares, currently valued at US$99m, they have plenty of motivation to push the business to succeed. That's certainly enough to make me think that management will be very focussed on long term growth. While insiders are apparently happy to hold and accumulate shares, that is just part of the pretty picture. That's because on our analysis the CEO, Dan Florness, is paid less than the median for similar sized companies. For companies with market capitalizations over US$8.0b, like Fastenal, the median CEO pay is around US$11m. The CEO of Fastenal only received US$2.5m in total compensation for the year ending . That's clearly well below average, so at a glance, that arrangement seems generous to shareholders, and points to a modest remuneration culture. CEO remuneration levels are not the most important metric for investors, but when the pay is modest, that does support enhanced alignment between the CEO and the ordinary shareholders. It can also be a sign of a culture of integrity, in a broader sense. Is Fastenal Worth Keeping An Eye On? As I already mentioned, Fastenal is a growing business, which is what I like to see. On top of that, we've seen insiders buying shares even though they already own plenty. To me, that all makes it well worth a spot on your watchlist, as well as continuing research. We should say that we've discovered 1 warning sign for Fastenal that you should be aware of before investing here. The good news is that Fastenal is not the only growth stock with insider buying. Here's a list of them... with insider buying in the last three months! Please note the insider transactions discussed in this article refer to reportable transactions in the relevant jurisdiction. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2021-06-18,47.9452,49.2808,47.7242,49.0083,
FAST,2021-06-21,49.3182,50.1592,49.106,49.7328,
FAST,2021-06-22,49.8216,50.1247,49.5394,49.8216,
FAST,2021-06-23,49.8019,50.4672,49.3755,49.8612,
FAST,2021-06-24,50.1395,50.1494,49.7042,49.946,
FAST,2021-06-25,50.0635,50.2273,49.7723,50.0349,
FAST,2021-06-28,50.2372,50.3527,49.6904,49.9164,
FAST,2021-06-29,50.1494,50.3132,49.7624,50.0349,
FAST,2021-06-30,50.1296,50.3625,49.9855,50.2559,
FAST,2021-07-01,50.5067,50.6517,50.1444,50.3132,
FAST,2021-07-02,50.3725,51.0387,50.3625,50.8353,
FAST,2021-07-06,50.787,50.8453,49.8019,50.7001,
FAST,2021-07-07,50.7593,52.0337,50.6705,51.8984,"Did You Participate In Any Of Fastenal's (NASDAQ:FAST) Fantastic 179% Return ? The most you can lose on any stock (assuming you don't use leverage) is 100% of your money. But on the bright side, you can make far more than 100% on a really good stock. For instance, the price of Fastenal Company (NASDAQ:FAST) stock is up an impressive 142% over the last five years. There is no denying that markets are sometimes efficient, but prices do not always reflect underlying business performance. By comparing earnings per share (EPS) and share price changes over time, we can get a feel for how investor attitudes to a company have morphed over time. Over half a decade, Fastenal managed to grow its earnings per share at 11% a year. This EPS growth is lower than the 19% average annual increase in the share price. This suggests that market participants hold the company in higher regard, these days. And that's hardly shocking given the track record of growth. The image below shows how EPS has tracked over time (if you click on the image you can see greater detail). NasdaqGS:FAST Earnings Per Share Growth July 7th 2021 We like that insiders have been buying shares in the last twelve months. Having said that, most people consider earnings and revenue growth trends to be a more meaningful guide to the business. It might be well worthwhile taking a look at our free report on Fastenal's earnings, revenue and cash flow. What About Dividends? It is important to consider the total shareholder return, as well as the share price return, for any given stock. The TSR incorporates the value of any spin-offs or discounted capital raisings, along with any dividends, based on the assumption that the dividends are reinvested. It's fair to say that the TSR gives a more complete picture for stocks that pay a dividend. In the case of Fastenal, it has a TSR of 179% for the last 5 years. That exceeds its share price return that we previously mentioned. And there's no prize for guessing that the dividend payments largely explain the divergence! A Different Perspective Fastenal shareholders gained a total return of 26% during the year. But that return falls short of the market. On the bright side, that's still a gain, and it's actually better than the average return of 23% over half a decade It is possible that returns will improve along with the business fundamentals. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand Fastenal better, we need to consider many other factors. Take risks, for example - Fastenal has 1 warning sign we think you should be aware of. Fastenal is not the only stock insiders are buying. So take a peek at this free list of growing companies with insider buying. Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on US exchanges. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2021-07-08,51.4642,51.8224,50.9617,51.2223,"This ETF Holds Stocks Insiders Want to Own A look at the weighted underlying holdings of the iShares Core High Dividend ETF (HDV) shows an impressive 10.9% of holdings on a weighted basis have experienced insider buying within the past six months. Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST), which makes up 0.41% of the iShares Core High Dividend ETF (HDV), has seen 4 directors and officers purchase shares in the past six months, according to the recent Form 4 data. The ETF holds a total of $28,835,558 worth of FAST, making it the #43 largest holding. The table below details the recent insider buying activity observed at FAST: FAST — last trade: $53.70 — Recent Insider Buys: PURCHASED INSIDER TITLE SHARES PRICE/SHARE VALUE 01/21/2021 Michael J. Ancius Director 600 $48.41 $29,049 01/25/2021 Michael J. Ancius Director 770 $47.50 $36,575 01/28/2021 Stephen L. Eastman Director 1,000 $48.29 $48,290 02/01/2021 Daniel L. Johnson Director 1,080 $46.50 $50,220 02/05/2021 Michael John Dolan Director 2,500 $47.31 $118,275 03/05/2021 Stephen L. Eastman Director 1,000 $44.63 $44,630 03/05/2021 Michael J. Ancius Director 4,626 $44.15 $204,245 03/05/2021 Michael J. Ancius Director 3,486 $44.22 $154,154 10 ETFs With Stocks That Insiders Are Buying » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2021-07-09,51.3772,52.1117,51.3378,52.0337,
FAST,2021-07-12,52.924,52.924,51.8886,52.2093,
FAST,2021-07-13,51.1542,51.928,50.8067,51.3772,"[""Daily Dividend Report: CAG,FAST,BAX,AON,DUK Conagra Brands' Board of Directors approved an increase of the annual dividend from $1.10 per share to $1.25 per share. The Company's new quarterly dividend payment of $0.3125 per share of Conagra common stock will be paid on September 2, 2021 to stockholders of record as of the close of business on August 3, 2021. Fastenal reported its board of directors declared a dividend of $0.28 per share to be paid in cash on August 24, 2021 to shareholders of record at the close of business on July 27, 2021. Except for share and per share information, dollar amounts are stated in millions. Fastenal began paying annual dividends in 1991, semi-annual dividends in 2003, and then expanded to quarterly dividends in 2011. Baxter International, a leading global medical products company, today announced that its Board of Directors has declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.28 per share of common stock. The dividend is payable on October 1, 2021, to shareholders of record as of September 3, 2021. The indicated annual dividend rate is $1.12 per share of common stock. Aon, a leading global professional services firm providing a broad range of risk, retirement and health solutions, announced today that the Board of Directors has declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.51 per share on outstanding Class A Ordinary Shares. The dividend is payable August 13, 2021 to shareholders of record on August 2, 2021. Duke Energy today declared a quarterly cash dividend on its common stock of $0.985, an increase of $0.02 per share. This dividend is payable on Sept. 16, 2021 to shareholders of record at the close of business Aug. 13, 2021. VIDEO: Daily Dividend Report: CAG,FAST,BAX,AON,DUK The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Nasdaq 100 Movers: FAST, JD In early trading on Tuesday, shares of JD.com, topped the list of the day's best performing components of the Nasdaq 100 index, trading up 3.3%. Year to date, JD.com, has lost about 14.0% of its value. And the worst performing Nasdaq 100 component thus far on the day is Fastenal, trading down 1.5%. Fastenal is showing a gain of 9.0% looking at the year to date performance. Two other components making moves today are Marriott International, trading down 1.4%, and NetEase, trading up 2.4% on the day. VIDEO: Nasdaq 100 Movers: FAST, JD The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2021-07-14,51.4642,51.5894,50.6133,51.4444,
FAST,2021-07-15,51.241,51.9379,51.1354,51.7346,
FAST,2021-07-16,51.8027,52.1117,51.4592,51.7928,
FAST,2021-07-19,51.5608,51.928,51.2371,51.705,
FAST,2021-07-20,51.9083,52.5183,51.5608,52.3347,
FAST,2021-07-21,52.5271,52.8756,52.1117,52.4195,
FAST,2021-07-22,52.4689,52.5667,52.0425,52.1017,"[""Fastenal Named Top Dividend Stock With Insider Buying and 2.06% Yield (FAST) In this series, we look through the most recent Dividend Channel ''DividendRank'' report, and then we cherry pick only those companies that have experienced insider buying within the past six months. The officers and directors of a company tend to have a unique insider's view of the business, and presumably the only reason an insider would choose to take their hard-earned cash and use it to buy stock in the open market, is that they expect to make money \u2014 maybe they find the stock very undervalued, or maybe they see exciting progress within the company, or maybe both. So when stocks turn up that see insider buying, and are also top ranked, investors are wise to take notice. One such company is Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST), which saw buying by Director Michael J. Ancius. Back on March 5, Ancius invested $204,245.24 into 4,626 shares of FAST, for a cost per share of $44.15. In trading on Thursday, shares were changing hands as low as $53.85 per share, which is 22.0% above Ancius's purchase price. It should be noted that Ancius has collected $0.28/share in dividends since the time of their purchase, so they are currently up 22.6% on their purchase from a total return basis. Fastenal Co. shares are currently trading -0.63% on the day. The chart below shows the one year performance of FAST shares, versus its 200 day moving average: Looking at the chart above, FAST's low point in its 52 week range is $42.57 per share, with $54.76 as the 52 week high point \u2014 that compares with a last trade of $53.91. By comparison, below is a table showing the prices at which insider buying was recorded over the last six months: PURCHASED INSIDER TITLE SHARES PRICE/SHARE VALUE 01/21/2021 Michael J. Ancius Director 600 $48.41 $29,049.00 01/25/2021 Michael J. Ancius Director 770 $47.50 $36,575.00 01/28/2021 Stephen L. Eastman Director 1,000 $48.29 $48,289.97 02/01/2021 Daniel L. Johnson Director 1,080 $46.50 $50,219.78 02/05/2021 Michael John Dolan Director 2,500 $47.31 $118,275.00 03/05/2021 Stephen L. Eastman Director 1,000 $44.63 $44,629.63 03/05/2021 Michael J. Ancius Director 4,626 $44.15 $204,245.24 03/05/2021 Michael J. Ancius Director 3,486 $44.22 $154,153.64 The DividendRank report noted that among the coverage universe, FAST shares displayed both attractive valuation metrics and strong profitability metrics. The report also cited the strong quarterly dividend history at Fastenal Co., and favorable long-term multi-year growth rates in key fundamental data points. The report stated, ''Dividend investors approaching investing from a value standpoint are generally most interested in researching the strongest most profitable companies, that also happen to be trading at an attractive valuation. That's what we aim to find using our proprietary DividendRank formula, which ranks the coverage universe based upon our various criteria for both profitability and valuation, to generate a list of the top most 'interesting' stocks, meant for investors as a source of ideas that merit further research.'' The annualized dividend paid by Fastenal Co. is $1.12/share, currently paid in quarterly installments, and its most recent dividend ex-date was on 07/26/2021. Below is a long-term dividend history chart for FAST, which the report stressed as being of key importance. Indeed, studying a company's past dividend history can be of good help in judging whether the most recent dividend is likely to continue. The Top DividendRank'ed Stocks With Insider Buying \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Ex-Dividend Reminder: Fastenal, Weis Markets and Cooper Companies Looking at the universe of stocks we cover at Dividend Channel, on 7/26/21, Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST), Weis Markets, Inc. (Symbol: WMK), and Cooper Companies, Inc. (Symbol: COO) will all trade ex-dividend for their respective upcoming dividends. Fastenal Co. will pay its quarterly dividend of $0.28 on 8/24/21, Weis Markets, Inc. will pay its quarterly dividend of $0.31 on 8/9/21, and Cooper Companies, Inc. will pay its semi-annual dividend of $0.03 on 8/11/21. As a percentage of FAST's recent stock price of $53.92, this dividend works out to approximately 0.52%, so look for shares of Fastenal Co. to trade 0.52% lower \u2014 all else being equal \u2014 when FAST shares open for trading on 7/26/21. Similarly, investors should look for WMK to open 0.58% lower in price and for COO to open 0.01% lower, all else being equal. Below are dividend history charts for FAST, WMK, and COO, showing historical dividends prior to the most recent ones declared. Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST): Weis Markets, Inc. (Symbol: WMK): Cooper Companies, Inc. (Symbol: COO): In general, dividends are not always predictable, following the ups and downs of company profits over time. Therefore, a good first due diligence step in forming an expectation of annual yield going forward, is looking at the history above, for a sense of stability over time. This can help in judging whether the most recent dividends from these companies are likely to continue. If they do continue, the current estimated yields on annualized basis would be 2.08% for Fastenal Co., 2.33% for Weis Markets, Inc., and 0.01% for Cooper Companies, Inc. . In Thursday trading, Fastenal Co. shares are currently off about 0.6%, Weis Markets, Inc. shares are down about 1.3%, and Cooper Companies, Inc. shares are off about 0.1% on the day. Click here to learn which 25 S.A.F.E. dividend stocks should be on your radar screen \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal a Top Socially Responsible Dividend Stock With 2.1% Yield (FAST) Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) has been named a Top Socially Responsible Dividend Stock by Dividend Channel, signifying a stock with above-average ''DividendRank'' statistics including a strong 2.1% yield, as well as being recognized by prominent asset managers as being a socially responsible investment, through analysis of social and environmental criteria. Environmental criteria include considerations like the environmental impact of the company's products and services, as well as the company's efficiency in terms of its use of energy and resources. Social criteria include elements such as human rights, child labor, corporate diversity, and the company's impact on society \u2014 for instance, taken into consideration would be business activities tied to weapons, gambling, tobacco, and alcohol. According to the ETF Finder at ETF Channel, Fastenal Co. is a member of the iShares USA ESG Select ETF (SUSA), making up 0.16% of the underlying holdings of the fund, which owns $5,149,178 worth of FAST shares. The annualized dividend paid by Fastenal Co. is $1.12/share, currently paid in quarterly installments, and its most recent dividend ex-date was on 07/26/2021. Below is a long-term dividend history chart for FAST, which the DividendRank report stressed as being of key importance. Indeed, studying a company's past dividend history can be of good help in judging whether the most recent dividend is likely to continue. FAST operates in the Home Improvement Stores sector, among companies like Home Depot Inc (HD), and Lowe's Companies Inc (LOW). Top 25 Socially Responsible Dividend Stocks \u2014 Income To Feel Good About \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2021-07-23,52.3347,52.9003,52.2163,52.8065,"Fastenal Company (FAST) Ex-Dividend Date Scheduled for July 26, 2021 Fastenal Company (FAST) will begin trading ex-dividend on July 26, 2021. A cash dividend payment of $0.28 per share is scheduled to be paid on August 24, 2021. Shareholders who purchased FAST prior to the ex-dividend date are eligible for the cash dividend payment. This marks the 3rd quarter that FAST has paid the same dividend. At the current stock price of $53.91, the dividend yield is 2.08%. The previous trading day's last sale of FAST was $53.91, representing a -1.55% decrease from the 52 week high of $54.76 and a 26.64% increase over the 52 week low of $42.57. FAST's current earnings per share, an indicator of a company's profitability, is $1.51. Zacks Investment Research reports FAST's forecasted earnings growth in 2021 as 4.16%, compared to an industry average of 25%. For more information on the declaration, record and payment dates, visit the FAST Dividend History page. Our Dividend Calendar has the full list of stocks that have an ex-dividend today. Interested in gaining exposure to FAST through an Exchange Traded Fund [ETF]? The following ETF(s) have FAST as a top-10 holding: Global X Funds (FAST) Global X S&P 500 Quality Dividend ETF (FAST) Direxion NASDAQ-100 Equal Weighted Index Shares (FAST). The top-performing ETF of this group is PAVE with an increase of 8.56% over the last 100 days. It also has the highest percent weighting of FAST at 2.94%. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2021-07-26,52.8065,52.9328,52.4177,52.7966,
FAST,2021-07-27,52.691,52.9724,52.3219,52.8361,
FAST,2021-07-28,52.768,52.7779,52.1175,52.4769,
FAST,2021-07-29,52.6515,53.4816,52.5459,53.2842,"Is It Time To Consider Buying Fastenal Company (NASDAQ:FAST)? Fastenal Company (NASDAQ:FAST) saw its share price hover around a small range of US$50.30 to US$54.64 over the last few weeks. But is this actually reflective of the share value of the large-cap? Or is it currently undervalued, providing us with the opportunity to buy? Let’s take a look at Fastenal’s outlook and value based on the most recent financial data to see if there are any catalysts for a price change. Is Fastenal still cheap? Fastenal is currently expensive based on my price multiple model, where I look at the company's price-to-earnings ratio in comparison to the industry average. I’ve used the price-to-earnings ratio in this instance because there’s not enough visibility to forecast its cash flows. The stock’s ratio of 35.74x is currently well-above the industry average of 24.28x, meaning that it is trading at a more expensive price relative to its peers. But, is there another opportunity to buy low in the future? Given that Fastenal’s share is fairly volatile (i.e. its price movements are magnified relative to the rest of the market) this could mean the price can sink lower, giving us another chance to buy in the future. This is based on its high beta, which is a good indicator for share price volatility. What does the future of Fastenal look like? NasdaqGS:FAST Earnings and Revenue Growth July 29th 2021 Investors looking for growth in their portfolio may want to consider the prospects of a company before buying its shares. Although value investors would argue that it’s the intrinsic value relative to the price that matter the most, a more compelling investment thesis would be high growth potential at a cheap price. Fastenal's earnings over the next few years are expected to increase by 28%, indicating a highly optimistic future ahead. This should lead to more robust cash flows, feeding into a higher share value. What this means for you: Are you a shareholder? It seems like the market has well and truly priced in FAST’s positive outlook, with shares trading above industry price multiples. At this current price, shareholders may be asking a different question – should I sell? If you believe FAST should trade below its current price, selling high and buying it back up again when its price falls towards the industry PE ratio can be profitable. But before you make this decision, take a look at whether its fundamentals have changed. Are you a potential investor? If you’ve been keeping tabs on FAST for some time, now may not be the best time to enter into the stock. The price has surpassed its industry peers, which means it is likely that there is no more upside from mispricing. However, the positive outlook is encouraging for FAST, which means it’s worth diving deeper into other factors in order to take advantage of the next price drop. So while earnings quality is important, it's equally important to consider the risks facing Fastenal at this point in time. Case in point: We've spotted 1 warning sign for Fastenal you should be aware of. If you are no longer interested in Fastenal, you can use our free platform to see our list of over 50 other stocks with a high growth potential. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2021-07-30,53.3612,53.4678,52.9872,53.2052,
FAST,2021-08-02,53.4294,53.7304,52.9625,53.147,
FAST,2021-08-03,53.3514,54.5082,53.3464,54.3335,
FAST,2021-08-04,54.1489,54.3335,53.5843,53.7205,
FAST,2021-08-05,54.0019,54.2595,53.6613,53.8656,
FAST,2021-08-06,53.8656,54.0206,53.4768,53.681,
FAST,2021-08-09,53.6337,53.6524,53.2922,53.3898,
FAST,2021-08-10,53.302,53.7501,53.1668,53.302,"Independent Director Daniel Johnson Just Bought 12% More Shares In Fastenal Company (NASDAQ:FAST) Whilst it may not be a huge deal, we thought it was good to see that the Fastenal Company (NASDAQ:FAST) Independent Director, Daniel Johnson, recently bought US$55k worth of stock, for US$55.48 per share. That purchase might not be huge but it did increase their holding by 12%. The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Fastenal In the last twelve months, the biggest single purchase by an insider was when Independent Director Michael Ancius bought US$204k worth of shares at a price of US$46.00 per share. Even though the purchase was made at a significantly lower price than the recent price (US$54.96), we still think insider buying is a positive. While it does suggest insiders consider the stock undervalued at lower prices, this transaction doesn't tell us much about what they think of current prices. Over the last year, we can see that insiders have bought 17.18k shares worth US$795k. On the other hand they divested 1.07k shares, for US$52k. Overall, Fastenal insiders were net buyers during the last year. You can see the insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction! NasdaqGS:FAST Insider Trading Volume August 10th 2021 There are plenty of other companies that have insiders buying up shares. You probably do not want to miss this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying. Does Fastenal Boast High Insider Ownership? I like to look at how many shares insiders own in a company, to help inform my view of how aligned they are with insiders. A high insider ownership often makes company leadership more mindful of shareholder interests. It's great to see that Fastenal insiders own 0.3% of the company, worth about US$107m. This kind of significant ownership by insiders does generally increase the chance that the company is run in the interest of all shareholders. So What Does This Data Suggest About Fastenal Insiders? The recent insider purchase is heartening. We also take confidence from the longer term picture of insider transactions. When combined with notable insider ownership, these factors suggest Fastenal insiders are well aligned, and quite possibly think the share price is too low. That's what I like to see! While we like knowing what's going on with the insider's ownership and transactions, we make sure to also consider what risks are facing a stock before making any investment decision. While conducting our analysis, we found that Fastenal has 1 warning sign and it would be unwise to ignore this. If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt. For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions, but not derivative transactions. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2021-08-11,53.5843,54.0897,53.4392,54.0799,"Fastenal Co. Shares Approach 52-Week High - Market Mover Fastenal Co. (FAST) shares closed today at 0.8% below its 52 week high of $56.11, giving the company a market cap of $31B. The stock is currently up 14.3% year-to-date, up 18.0% over the past 12 months, and up 197.2% over the past five years. This week, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.5%, and the S&P 500 rose 0.3%. Trading Activity Trading volume this week was 2.9% lower than the 20-day average. Beta, a measure of the stock’s volatility relative to the overall market stands at 1.0. Technical Indicators The Relative Strength Index (RSI) on the stock was between 30 and 70. MACD, a trend-following momentum indicator, indicates an upward trend. The stock closed below its Bollinger band, indicating it may be oversold. Market Comparative Performance The company's share price is the same as the S&P 500 Index , lags it on a 1-year basis, and beats it on a 5-year basis The company's share price is the same as the Dow Jones Industrial Average , lags it on a 1-year basis, and beats it on a 5-year basis The company share price is the same as the performance of its peers in the Industrials industry sector , lags it on a 1-year basis, and beats it on a 5 year basis Per Group Comparative Performance The company's stock price performance year-to-date lags the peer average by -14.5% The company's stock price performance over the past 12 months lags the peer average by -73.8% The company's price-to-earnings ratio, which relates a company's share price to its earnings per share, is -17.3% lower than the average peer. This story was produced by the Kwhen Automated News Generator. For more articles like this, please visit us at finance.kwhen.com. Write to editors@kwhen.com. © 2020 Kwhen Inc. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2021-08-12,54.2447,54.2447,53.6613,53.7403,
FAST,2021-08-13,53.8183,53.8953,53.4866,53.6909,
FAST,2021-08-16,53.7403,54.2051,53.4392,54.0305,"[""If You Like Dividends, You Should Love These 3 Stocks Every investor likes to collect a dividend as added income from a stock they own. Some make investments with dividend income as a priority. But having a high dividend yield shouldn't be the only factor to look at. For any dividend stock that isn't strictly owned for the income, investors should care about the company's history of raising the payout, as well as the long-term overall returns on the invested capital. Success in those two areas has to come from a solid underlying business. The following three companies not only pay dividends, they have also consistently raised them, and each has an overall return much higher than the S&P 500 index over the last five years. Image source: Getty Images. Results you shouldn't ignore Investors currently get a dividend yield of about 2% to over 4% from owning shares in Home Depot (NYSE: HD), industrial supplier Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST), and renewable energy asset owner Atlantica Sustainable Infrastructure (NASDAQ: AY). COMPANY RECENT DIVIDEND YIELD Home Depot 1.90% Fastenal 1.97% Atlantica Sustainable Infrastructure 4.35% S&P 500 Index 1.30% Source: Yahoo! Finance. And a dividend yield exceeding that of the S&P 500 isn't the whole story. Two other important factors for dividend stocks are whether investors can expect that payout to grow in the future, and how the underlying stock performs. There's no advantage in collecting an above-average dividend while invested capital deteriorates from a declining stock price. But these three companies excel on both those counts. Total Return Level data by YCharts. Total returns, including dividends, have outpaced the S&P 500 handily over the past five years. And the companies have all generously increased their dividend rates along the way. That is thanks to the strength of the businesses themselves. Setting itself up Home Depot was undoubtedly one of the pandemic big winners in the business sense. But much of that success came from the company's strategy prior to the boost in home improvement spending during the pandemic. In 2017, the company announced its One Home Depot strategy. In a description of the program, the company says, \""we have committed approximately $11 billion over a multi-year period to investments across our stores, associates, digital experience and supply chain.\"" That work put Home Depot in a position to benefit from the sharp growth in digital shopping during 2020, when revenue jumped about 20% over 2019. So far in 2021, sales growth has accelerated. In this year's first-quarter period ended May 2, sales soared 33% over the prior-year period. In a sign of confidence in the future, Home Depot announced a 10% dividend increase in May 2021, when it declared its 137th consecutive quarterly dividend. The company also authorized a new $20 billion share repurchase program. In another sign that management remains proactive, the company quickly recognized the potential negative impacts from ongoing global supply chain issues and shipping delays. Home Depot actually contracted its own container ship to protect its interests. President and chief operating officer Ted Decker said that was a first for the company. In an interview reported by CNBC, he said, \""We have a ship that's solely going to be ours and it's just going to go back and forth with 100% dedicated to Home Depot.\"" Image source: Getty Images. Tailwinds that bode well Fastenal and Atlantica have their own tailwinds right now. Fastenal provides industrial and construction businesses with needed supplies including fasteners, tools, and other items. The company has been focusing on growing sales through vending devices and onsite location initiatives to strengthen ties to customers. While the pandemic disrupted many customer operations, Fastenal's business remained steady as its sales of safety and cleaning equipment soared. Sales grew by 6% and net earnings by 8.6% for the full year 2020 over 2019. Its customers' needs shifted once again moving into 2021. In its second-quarter earnings report, the company said its \""reduced sales of [pandemic] surge-related product, but improved manufacturing and construction demand were mostly offsetting.\"" Fastenal's business will be cyclical along with the industrial economy, but its commitment to dividends doesn't waver. It began paying dividends in 1991 and even paid shareholders a special dividend of $0.40 per share in 2020's fourth quarter. Atlantica is in a position to gain from the broader movement of increasing renewable energy generation. The company owns renewable energy generation capacity, as well as other natural gas and electric transmission assets. About 75% of Atlantica's revenue came from its renewables sector in 2020, and that will continue to drive growth. Its cash available for distribution (CAFD) grew 12.9% in the first half of 2021. That solidly supports the company's expectation to grow CAFD by between 5% and 8% annually through 2024. Underlying business strength, along with a history of solid returns and increasing dividends, make Home Depot, Fastenal, and Atlantica Sustainable Infrastructure great stocks for dividend lovers to own. 10 stocks we like better than Home Depot When our award-winning analyst team has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.* They just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Home Depot wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of August 9, 2021 Howard Smith owns shares of Atlantica Sustainable Infrastructure plc, Fastenal, and Home Depot. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Home Depot. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""12.2% of SDY Holdings Seeing Recent Insider Buys A look at the weighted underlying holdings of the SPDR\u2014 S&P\u2014 Dividend ETF (SDY) shows an impressive 12.2% of holdings on a weighted basis have experienced insider buying within the past six months. Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST), which makes up 0.87% of the SPDR\u2014 S&P\u2014 Dividend ETF (SDY), has seen 3 directors and officers purchase shares in the past six months, according to the recent Form 4 data. The ETF holds a total of $173,227,148 worth of FAST, making it the #53 largest holding. The table below details the recent insider buying activity observed at FAST: FAST \u2014 last trade: $55.27 \u2014 Recent Insider Buys: PURCHASED INSIDER TITLE SHARES PRICE/SHARE VALUE 03/05/2021 Stephen L. Eastman Director 1,000 $44.63 $44,630 03/05/2021 Michael J. Ancius Director 4,626 $44.15 $204,245 03/05/2021 Michael J. Ancius Director 3,486 $44.22 $154,154 08/04/2021 Daniel L. Johnson Director 1,000 $55.48 $55,475 10 ETFs With Stocks That Insiders Are Buying \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2021-08-17,53.8557,54.0206,52.925,53.302,
FAST,2021-08-18,53.0503,53.3998,52.6121,52.6614,
FAST,2021-08-19,52.3989,53.6958,52.312,53.4866,
FAST,2021-08-20,53.3514,54.4589,53.3514,53.8854,
FAST,2021-08-23,53.8854,54.5645,53.8084,53.9633,
FAST,2021-08-24,53.9446,53.9831,53.4194,53.5261,
FAST,2021-08-25,53.6909,54.0551,53.5064,53.9249,
FAST,2021-08-26,53.8854,54.1193,53.225,53.9831,
FAST,2021-08-27,54.1865,54.5743,53.9732,54.0799,
FAST,2021-08-30,54.0699,54.7786,53.9979,54.5279,
FAST,2021-08-31,54.5941,54.6829,54.0947,54.2545,
FAST,2021-09-01,54.2743,54.2911,53.5064,53.8755,"Investor Optimism Abounds Fastenal Company (NASDAQ:FAST) But Growth Is Lacking With a price-to-earnings (or ""P/E"") ratio of 37x Fastenal Company (NASDAQ:FAST) may be sending very bearish signals at the moment, given that almost half of all companies in the United States have P/E ratios under 17x and even P/E's lower than 10x are not unusual. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the highly elevated P/E. Fastenal could be doing better as it's been growing earnings less than most other companies lately. It might be that many expect the uninspiring earnings performance to recover significantly, which has kept the P/E from collapsing. If not, then existing shareholders may be very nervous about the viability of the share price. NasdaqGS:FAST Price Based on Past Earnings September 1st 2021 If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free report on Fastenal. How Is Fastenal's Growth Trending? Fastenal's P/E ratio would be typical for a company that's expected to deliver very strong growth, and importantly, perform much better than the market. Retrospectively, the last year delivered a decent 4.0% gain to the company's bottom line. EPS has also lifted 28% in aggregate from three years ago, partly thanks to the last 12 months of growth. Accordingly, shareholders would have probably been satisfied with the medium-term rates of earnings growth. Turning to the outlook, the next three years should generate growth of 8.6% each year as estimated by the analysts watching the company. That's shaping up to be materially lower than the 12% per year growth forecast for the broader market. In light of this, it's alarming that Fastenal's P/E sits above the majority of other companies. It seems most investors are hoping for a turnaround in the company's business prospects, but the analyst cohort is not so confident this will happen. There's a good chance these shareholders are setting themselves up for future disappointment if the P/E falls to levels more in line with the growth outlook. The Final Word It's argued the price-to-earnings ratio is an inferior measure of value within certain industries, but it can be a powerful business sentiment indicator. We've established that Fastenal currently trades on a much higher than expected P/E since its forecast growth is lower than the wider market. Right now we are increasingly uncomfortable with the high P/E as the predicted future earnings aren't likely to support such positive sentiment for long. Unless these conditions improve markedly, it's very challenging to accept these prices as being reasonable. And what about other risks? Every company has them, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for Fastenal you should know about. Of course, you might also be able to find a better stock than Fastenal. So you may wish to see this free collection of other companies that sit on P/E's below 20x and have grown earnings strongly. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2021-09-02,54.1391,54.6632,54.1193,54.6039,"After Hours Most Active for Sep 2, 2021 : PFGC, PBCT, THS, CIDM, NUAN, WFC, INTC, FAST, AAPL, KKR, VIPS, BSX The NASDAQ 100 After Hours Indicator is down -4.3 to 15,599.95. The total After hours volume is currently 55,939,566 shares traded. The following are the most active stocks for the after hours session: Performance Food Group Company (PFGC) is unchanged at $48.98, with 8,468,024 shares traded. Over the last four weeks they have had 3 up revisions for the earnings forecast, for the fiscal quarter ending Jun 2022. The consensus EPS forecast is $0.76. As reported by Zacks, the current mean recommendation for PFGC is in the ""buy range"". People's United Financial, Inc. (PBCT) is unchanged at $16.42, with 5,855,614 shares traded. PBCT's current last sale is 102.63% of the target price of $16. Treehouse Foods, Inc. (THS) is unchanged at $38.62, with 5,218,802 shares traded. THS's current last sale is 96.55% of the target price of $40. Cinedigm Corp (CIDM) is +0.18 at $2.18, with 3,349,186 shares traded. As reported by Zacks, the current mean recommendation for CIDM is in the ""strong buy range"". Nuance Communications, Inc. (NUAN) is unchanged at $55.18, with 2,167,332 shares traded. As reported in the last short interest update the days to cover for NUAN is 15.106051; this calculation is based on the average trading volume of the stock. Wells Fargo & Company (WFC) is +0.07 at $44.64, with 2,109,632 shares traded. As reported by Zacks, the current mean recommendation for WFC is in the ""buy range"". Intel Corporation (INTC) is +0.04 at $53.77, with 1,761,697 shares traded. INTC's current last sale is 89.62% of the target price of $60. Fastenal Company (FAST) is -0.75 at $55.46, with 1,748,453 shares traded. As reported in the last short interest update the days to cover for FAST is 7.519478; this calculation is based on the average trading volume of the stock. Apple Inc. (AAPL) is +0.05 at $153.70, with 1,432,214 shares traded. As reported by Zacks, the current mean recommendation for AAPL is in the ""buy range"". KKR & Co. Inc. (KKR) is unchanged at $64.45, with 1,207,533 shares traded. As reported by Zacks, the current mean recommendation for KKR is in the ""buy range"". Vipshop Holdings Limited (VIPS) is unchanged at $15.68, with 1,143,140 shares traded. As reported by Zacks, the current mean recommendation for VIPS is in the ""buy range"". Boston Scientific Corporation (BSX) is +0.09 at $45.15, with 1,085,156 shares traded. As reported by Zacks, the current mean recommendation for BSX is in the ""buy range"". The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2021-09-03,54.4786,54.6187,54.0403,54.2941,
FAST,2021-09-07,54.2051,54.2644,52.3899,52.4669,
FAST,2021-09-08,51.9823,52.6121,51.8639,52.3417,
FAST,2021-09-09,52.5361,52.5459,51.623,51.8836,
FAST,2021-09-10,52.0297,52.3989,51.9922,52.0485,
FAST,2021-09-13,52.4571,52.5459,51.467,51.855,
FAST,2021-09-14,52.1471,52.2775,51.2726,51.5244,
FAST,2021-09-15,51.554,52.6219,51.397,52.2231,
FAST,2021-09-16,52.1274,52.3713,51.9428,51.9823,
FAST,2021-09-17,51.5144,51.5836,51.2529,51.4474,"Interesting FAST Put And Call Options For May 2022 Investors in Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) saw new options become available this week, for the May 2022 expiration. One of the key data points that goes into the price an option buyer is willing to pay, is the time value, so with 245 days until expiration the newly available contracts represent a possible opportunity for sellers of puts or calls to achieve a higher premium than would be available for the contracts with a closer expiration. At Stock Options Channel, our YieldBoost formula has looked up and down the FAST options chain for the new May 2022 contracts and identified one put and one call contract of particular interest. The put contract at the $50.00 strike price has a current bid of $3.00. If an investor was to sell-to-open that put contract, they are committing to purchase the stock at $50.00, but will also collect the premium, putting the cost basis of the shares at $47.00 (before broker commissions). To an investor already interested in purchasing shares of FAST, that could represent an attractive alternative to paying $52.97/share today. Because the $50.00 strike represents an approximate 6% discount to the current trading price of the stock (in other words it is out-of-the-money by that percentage), there is also the possibility that the put contract would expire worthless. The current analytical data (including greeks and implied greeks) suggest the current odds of that happening are 64%. Stock Options Channel will track those odds over time to see how they change, publishing a chart of those numbers on our website under the contract detail page for this contract. Should the contract expire worthless, the premium would represent a 6.00% return on the cash commitment, or 8.94% annualized — at Stock Options Channel we call this the YieldBoost. Below is a chart showing the trailing twelve month trading history for Fastenal Co., and highlighting in green where the $50.00 strike is located relative to that history: Turning to the calls side of the option chain, the call contract at the $55.00 strike price has a current bid of $2.75. If an investor was to purchase shares of FAST stock at the current price level of $52.97/share, and then sell-to-open that call contract as a ""covered call,"" they are committing to sell the stock at $55.00. Considering the call seller will also collect the premium, that would drive a total return (excluding dividends, if any) of 9.02% if the stock gets called away at the May 2022 expiration (before broker commissions). Of course, a lot of upside could potentially be left on the table if FAST shares really soar, which is why looking at the trailing twelve month trading history for Fastenal Co., as well as studying the business fundamentals becomes important. Below is a chart showing FAST's trailing twelve month trading history, with the $55.00 strike highlighted in red: Considering the fact that the $55.00 strike represents an approximate 4% premium to the current trading price of the stock (in other words it is out-of-the-money by that percentage), there is also the possibility that the covered call contract would expire worthless, in which case the investor would keep both their shares of stock and the premium collected. The current analytical data (including greeks and implied greeks) suggest the current odds of that happening are 57%. On our website under the contract detail page for this contract, Stock Options Channel will track those odds over time to see how they change and publish a chart of those numbers (the trading history of the option contract will also be charted). Should the covered call contract expire worthless, the premium would represent a 5.19% boost of extra return to the investor, or 7.73% annualized, which we refer to as the YieldBoost. The implied volatility in the put contract example is 28%, while the implied volatility in the call contract example is 22%. Meanwhile, we calculate the actual trailing twelve month volatility (considering the last 252 trading day closing values as well as today's price of $52.97) to be 22%. For more put and call options contract ideas worth looking at, visit StockOptionsChannel.com. Top YieldBoost Calls of the Nasdaq 100 » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2021-09-20,50.7485,51.544,50.6507,51.3891,
FAST,2021-09-21,51.6132,51.699,50.7673,51.165,
FAST,2021-09-22,51.6132,51.9577,51.3595,51.7089,
FAST,2021-09-23,51.7385,52.5933,51.5836,52.3317,"FAST Crosses Above Average Analyst Target In recent trading, shares of Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) have crossed above the average analyst 12-month target price of $52.71, changing hands for $53.23/share. When a stock reaches the target an analyst has set, the analyst logically has two ways to react: downgrade on valuation, or, re-adjust their target price to a higher level. Analyst reaction may also depend on the fundamental business developments that may be responsible for driving the stock price higher — if things are looking up for the company, perhaps it is time for that target price to be raised. There are 7 different analyst targets within the Zacks coverage universe contributing to that average for Fastenal Co., but the average is just that — a mathematical average. There are analysts with lower targets than the average, including one looking for a price of $44.00. And then on the other side of the spectrum one analyst has a target as high as $65.00. The standard deviation is $6.524. But the whole reason to look at the average FAST price target in the first place is to tap into a ""wisdom of crowds"" effort, putting together the contributions of all the individual minds who contributed to the ultimate number, as opposed to what just one particular expert believes. And so with FAST crossing above that average target price of $52.71/share, investors in FAST have been given a good signal to spend fresh time assessing the company and deciding for themselves: is $52.71 just one stop on the way to an even higher target, or has the valuation gotten stretched to the point where it is time to think about taking some chips off the table? Below is a table showing the current thinking of the analysts that cover Fastenal Co.: RECENT FAST ANALYST RATINGS BREAKDOWN » Current 1 Month Ago 2 Month Ago 3 Month Ago Strong buy ratings: 2 2 2 2 Buy ratings: 0 0 0 0 Hold ratings: 7 8 7 8 Sell ratings: 0 0 0 0 Strong sell ratings: 2 2 2 2 Average rating: 2.94 2.94 2.94 2.94 The average rating presented in the last row of the above table above is from 1 to 5 where 1 is Strong Buy and 5 is Strong Sell. This article used data provided by Zacks Investment Research via Quandl.com. Get the latest Zacks research report on FAST — FREE. 10 ETFs With Most Upside To Analyst Targets » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2021-09-24,52.1274,52.7207,52.0208,52.5558,"Is Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) Using Too Much Debt? Legendary fund manager Li Lu (who Charlie Munger backed) once said, 'The biggest investment risk is not the volatility of prices, but whether you will suffer a permanent loss of capital.' So it might be obvious that you need to consider debt, when you think about how risky any given stock is, because too much debt can sink a company. Importantly, Fastenal Company (NASDAQ:FAST) does carry debt. But is this debt a concern to shareholders? When Is Debt Dangerous? Generally speaking, debt only becomes a real problem when a company can't easily pay it off, either by raising capital or with its own cash flow. If things get really bad, the lenders can take control of the business. However, a more frequent (but still costly) occurrence is where a company must issue shares at bargain-basement prices, permanently diluting shareholders, just to shore up its balance sheet. Having said that, the most common situation is where a company manages its debt reasonably well - and to its own advantage. When we examine debt levels, we first consider both cash and debt levels, together. How Much Debt Does Fastenal Carry? As you can see below, Fastenal had US$405.0m of debt, at June 2021, which is about the same as the year before. You can click the chart for greater detail. However, because it has a cash reserve of US$321.8m, its net debt is less, at about US$83.2m. NasdaqGS:FAST Debt to Equity History September 24th 2021 How Healthy Is Fastenal's Balance Sheet? We can see from the most recent balance sheet that Fastenal had liabilities of US$650.2m falling due within a year, and liabilities of US$635.6m due beyond that. On the other hand, it had cash of US$321.8m and US$908.9m worth of receivables due within a year. So its liabilities outweigh the sum of its cash and (near-term) receivables by US$55.1m. This state of affairs indicates that Fastenal's balance sheet looks quite solid, as its total liabilities are just about equal to its liquid assets. So while it's hard to imagine that the US$30.6b company is struggling for cash, we still think it's worth monitoring its balance sheet. But either way, Fastenal has virtually no net debt, so it's fair to say it does not have a heavy debt load! We use two main ratios to inform us about debt levels relative to earnings. The first is net debt divided by earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA), while the second is how many times its earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) covers its interest expense (or its interest cover, for short). Thus we consider debt relative to earnings both with and without depreciation and amortization expenses. With debt at a measly 0.063 times EBITDA and EBIT covering interest a whopping 119 times, it's clear that Fastenal is not a desperate borrower. Indeed relative to its earnings its debt load seems light as a feather. The good news is that Fastenal has increased its EBIT by 3.9% over twelve months, which should ease any concerns about debt repayment. When analysing debt levels, the balance sheet is the obvious place to start. But it is future earnings, more than anything, that will determine Fastenal's ability to maintain a healthy balance sheet going forward. So if you want to see what the professionals think, you might find this free report on analyst profit forecasts to be interesting. Finally, a business needs free cash flow to pay off debt; accounting profits just don't cut it. So it's worth checking how much of that EBIT is backed by free cash flow. Over the most recent three years, Fastenal recorded free cash flow worth 66% of its EBIT, which is around normal, given free cash flow excludes interest and tax. This cold hard cash means it can reduce its debt when it wants to. Our View The good news is that Fastenal's demonstrated ability to cover its interest expense with its EBIT delights us like a fluffy puppy does a toddler. And that's just the beginning of the good news since its net debt to EBITDA is also very heartening. Looking at the bigger picture, we think Fastenal's use of debt seems quite reasonable and we're not concerned about it. After all, sensible leverage can boost returns on equity. When analysing debt levels, the balance sheet is the obvious place to start. However, not all investment risk resides within the balance sheet - far from it. These risks can be hard to spot. Every company has them, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for Fastenal you should know about. Of course, if you're the type of investor who prefers buying stocks without the burden of debt, then don't hesitate to discover our exclusive list of net cash growth stocks, today. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2021-09-27,52.3811,52.6219,51.8461,52.4373,
FAST,2021-09-28,52.3417,52.4275,51.0683,51.165,
FAST,2021-09-29,51.3112,51.623,51.0782,51.3112,
FAST,2021-09-30,51.5934,51.7286,50.1059,50.1355,
FAST,2021-10-01,50.3201,50.7633,49.5256,50.2047,
FAST,2021-10-04,50.0684,50.4277,49.6706,49.8355,
FAST,2021-10-05,49.8355,50.4563,49.5334,50.2244,
FAST,2021-10-06,50.0102,50.5639,49.2521,50.5047,
FAST,2021-10-07,50.9133,51.8935,50.7771,51.2144,
FAST,2021-10-08,50.0299,51.4996,49.951,51.2144,
FAST,2021-10-11,51.0979,51.7879,50.6893,50.7387,"[""Pre-Market Earnings Report for October 12, 2021 : FAST, AZZ The following companies are expected to report earnings prior to market open on 10/12/2021. Visit our Earnings Calendar for a full list of expected earnings releases. Fastenal Company (FAST)is reporting for the quarter ending September 30, 2021. The building company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 5 analysts that follow the stock is $0.41. This value represents a 7.89% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year FAST has met analyst expectations once and beat the expectations the other three quarters. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2021 Price to Earnings ratio for FAST is 33.79 vs. an industry ratio of 17.30, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. AZZ Inc. (AZZ)is reporting for the quarter ending August 31, 2021. The machinery company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 1 analyst that follows the stock is $0.65. This value represents a 32.65% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year AZZ has met analyst expectations once and beat the expectations the other three quarters. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2022 Price to Earnings ratio for AZZ is 18.07 vs. an industry ratio of 15.40, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""3 Stocks to Avoid This Week I've been picking stocks to avoid every week, and I fared pretty well last time. My three stocks to avoid last week were on the move -- up 3%, down 16%, and flat -- averaging out to a 3.3% decrease. The S&P 500 rose 0.8% for the week, a relative victory for me and my bearish calls. I have come out ahead in 12 of the past 16 weeks. Let's see if I can keep going. This week I see Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST), Renren (NYSE: RENN), and Robinhood Markets (NASDAQ: HOOD) as vulnerable investments in the near term. Here's why I think these are three stocks to avoid this week. Image source: Getty Images. Fastenal We're heading into earnings season, and one of the more problematic reports this week could be from Fastenal. The maker of products for the construction and industrial markets -- from fasteners to janitorial supplies -- will discuss its latest quarter on Tuesday morning. Wells Fargo analyst Michael McGinn downgraded the stock late last week, taking his rating from a neutral \""equal weight\"" to a bearish \""underweight.\"" It's not a good sign when a Wall Street pro decides to downgrade a stock just two trading days before it reports fresh financials. He's also lowering his price target from $50 to $45, both price points below where the stock is trading at right now. McGinn sees a lot things potentially working against Fastenal. Risks include wage inflation for warehouse employees, freight rate increases, and a business that relies heavily on China-sourced fasteners. It's also worth noting that while Fastenal has posted better-than-expected earnings in each of the past four quarters, it's been by a mere penny per share each time. I'm not suggesting Fastenal is orchestrating these bottom-line beats. My problem is that these beats have been by no better than 3% over the past year. Renren The top gainer last week among Nasdaq-listed companies was Renren, soaring 75%. China's Renren has evolved over the years. It unloaded its online gaming arm in 2016 and its original social media network in 2018. The transformation finds it now operating a used auto platform and a couple of SaaS business in the U.S. and China. We're far removed from Renren's glory days. Its revenue last year clocked in 73% lower than it did in 2018. However, the big rally finds Renren trading at more than 30 times trailing revenue. Last week was a strong one for rebounding Chinese growth stocks, but Renren's upticks seem overdone. Robinhood Markets I own shares of Robinhood Markets, but that didn't stop me from singling it out last week. The online trading platform was the one trading flat last week, down a mere 0.3% in a generally upbeat week for stocks. It's back on my list of stocks to avoid. Robinhood continues to lean on payment for order flow to help bankroll its \""free\"" commissions, and that practice is coming under regulatory fire these days. There is headline risk here, even as Robinhood grows its share of the crypto and options trading markets. If you're looking for safe stocks, you aren't likely to find them in Fastenal, Renren, and Robinhood Markets this week. 10 stocks we like better than Fastenal When our award-winning analyst team has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.* They just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Fastenal wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of September 17, 2021 Rick Munarriz owns shares of Robinhood Markets, Inc. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2021-10-12,51.6516,52.9911,50.8936,52.2923,"[""Should You Buy the Big Banks Ahead of Earnings? InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips We\u2019re fast approaching one of my favorite times of the year \u2014 the third-quarter earnings announcement season. Source: Shutterstock The reason why I get so excited during earnings season is because this is when the cr\u00e8me de la cr\u00e8me of stocks get their chance to rise to the top. Every company must open its books and show Wall Street how they performed in the quarter and share their longer-term outlook. Companies that reveal strong results and positive earnings and guidance are typically rewarded by investors, while those that post weak results and guidance are punished. In my forty-plus years of investing, I have found earnings have worked 70% of the time. Now, for the third quarter, FactSet expects the S&P 500 to average 27.6% earnings growth and 14.9% revenue growth. Yes, that is down from the 91% average earnings growth achieved in the second quarter, but the reality is economic growth is slowing, and year-over-year comparisons are now less favorable. I should add that fourth-quarter estimates remain solid, with FactSet anticipating 21.5% average earnings growth and 11.4% average revenue growth. Personally, I anticipate my fundamentally superior Growth Investor stocks will post strong sales and earnings results. My Growth Investor stocks are characterized by 46.9% average annual sales growth and 57.2% average annual earnings growth. The analyst community has also revised their consensus earnings estimates 14.9% higher in the past three months. So, I\u2019m looking forward to wave-after-wave of positive earnings surprises in the coming weeks to dropkick and drive my Growth Investor stocks higher. In fact, we got a taste of what strong earnings can do with Fastenal Company (NASDAQ:FAST), one of my Growth Investor Elite Dividend Payers, this morning. The company achieved earnings of $243.5 million, or 42 cents per share, on $1.55 billion in sales, which compares to earnings of $221.5 million, or 38 cents per share, and sales of $1.41 billion in the third quarter of 2020. The consensus estimate called for earnings of 42 cents per share on $1.54 billion in sales. Thanks to continuing demand for manufacturing and construction equipment, Fastenal Company achieved sales of $4.45 billion and earnings of $693.8 million, or $1.20 per share in the first nine months of the year. In comparison, the company reported sales of $4.29 billion and earnings of $663 million, or $1.15 per share, in the first nine months of 2020. The stock rallied more than 2% in early trading on the heels of its strong results. Now, the big banks, including JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM), Citigroup (NYSE:C), Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) and Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE:WFC), will release their earnings results this week, \u201cofficially\u201d kicking off the earnings season. FactSet expects the banks in the S&P 500 to tally about $31 billion in aggregate profits, up roughly 20% from a year ago but down 20% from the second quarter. Analysts also expect profits to stay flat in the fourth quarter. Earnings estimates for the financials have risen because of more favorable economic conditions and higher Treasury yields, which benefit banks\u2019 bottom lines related to their core lending businesses. Also helping boost analysts\u2019 predictions is the expectation that the big banks will release more in loan loss provisions they\u2019d set aside to prepare for loan losses in the aftermath of the pandemic, though at a lower rate than during the first quarter of the year. That, in turn, will help boost the banks\u2019 bottom lines. On the other hand, loan growth for the big banks has been slow, climbing just 1% since the end of June. JPMorgan Chase & Co. First to report will be JPMorgan Chase & Co. on Wednesday morning. Analysts anticipate earnings of $3.00 per share on sales of $29.7 billion. Over the past 90 days, eight analysts revised their estimates upward, while two revised lower. The stock is up over 31% year-to-date, and is up nearly 6% the past month. Wells Fargo & Co. Analysts expect Wells Fargo & Co. on Thursday morning to announce earnings of 94 cents per share on revenue of $18.3 billion. Over the past 90 days, eight analysts have revised their forecasts for the bank upward, while six have revised downward. The company\u2019s stock has gained over 56% so far this year and is up over 6% in the past month. Bank of America Analysts expect Bank of America, which reports on Thursday morning, to announce earnings of 70 cents per share on $21.6 billion in revenue. Over the last 90 days, three analysts have revised their earnings estimates for the company upward, while nine have revised downward. Bank of America shares have soared over 44% year-to-date, and are up nearly 9% in the past month. Citigroup Also reporting on Thursday, Citigroup is expected to see earnings of $1.79 per share on sales of $17 billion. Six Wall Street analysts have upped the estimates over the past 90 days, while six have downgraded the company. Citigroup shares are 16% higher year-to-date and have risen 3% in the past month. Currently, these banks earn a B-rating in Portfolio Grader, making them \u201cBuys\u201d ahead of their earnings results. However, I don\u2019t think they represent good high-growth buys and wouldn\u2019t recommend them right now. This is for two reasons\u2026 First, I\u2019m an ex-banking analyst who worked for a division of the government that is now part of the Federal Reserve. During my time there, I saw how they essentially \u201ccook their books\u201d and that scarred me for life. Second, rising Treasury yields can eventually derail interest rate sensitive value stocks. Instead, I like to focus on high-growth, high-quality stocks that have historically prospered in a rising interest rate environment, and financials simply don\u2019t fit that bill. So, while the steepening yield curve and strong housing markets bode well for bank profitability in the near term, they may get into trouble if inflation runs too hot. The bottom line: If you want to have a successful high-growth portfolio, these bank stocks should not be on your buy list. Sincerely, Louis Navellier P.S. Right now, successful Americans like us have a bullseye on our back. We\u2019re facing a direct threat to our safety and prosperity. The values we hold dear, like individual freedom, hard work and fiscal responsibility have been tossed aside. The U.S. national debt is growing at an unprecedented rate. And more spending is coming. The cost of essential goods and services seems to get more expensive by the day. Critical materials are on backorder for months. Grocery store shelves are half-empty. If you have any money in savings, in the stock market, in a 401k or even cash stuffed under the mattress, this should make the hair on your neck stand up. To help understand the monumental problem we\u2019re facing and why both our way of life and financial security are under attack, I put together a special presentation. So, if you want to protect yourself and grow your wealth, I encourage you to watch this briefing now. The Editor hereby discloses that as of the date of this email, the Editor, directly or indirectly, owns the following securities that are the subject of the commentary, analysis, opinions, advice, or recommendations in, or which are otherwise mentioned in, the essay set forth below: JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM), Bank of America (BAC), Fastenal Company (FAST) Louis Navellier, who has been called \u201cone of the most important money managers of our time,\u201d has broken the silence in this shocking \u201ctell all\u201d video\u2026 exposing one of the most shocking events in our country\u2019s history\u2026 and the one move every American needs to make today. The post Should You Buy the Big Banks Ahead of Earnings? appeared first on InvestorPlace. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Co (FAST) Q3 2021 Earnings Call Transcript Image source: The Motley Fool. Fastenal Co (NASDAQ: FAST) Q3 2021 Earnings Call Oct 12, 2021, 10:00 a.m. ET Contents: Prepared Remarks Questions and Answers Call Participants Prepared Remarks: Operator Greetings ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the Fastenal 2021 Third Quarter Earnings Results Conference Call. At this time, all participants are in a listen-only mode. A question-and-answer session will follow the formal presentation. [Operator Instructions] As a reminder, this conference is being recorded. It is now my pleasure to introduce your host, Taylor Ranta. Thank you. Please go ahead. 10 stocks we like better than Fastenal When our award-winning analyst team has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.* They just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Fastenal wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of September 17, 2021 Taylor Ranta Oborski -- Financial Reporting and Regulatory Compliance Accountant Welcome to the Fastenal Company 2020 third quarterearnings conference call This call will be hosted Dan Florness, our President and Chief Executive Officer and Holden Lewis, our Chief Financial Officer. The call will last for up to one hour and we'll start with a general overview of our quarterly results and operations with the remainder of the time being open for questions and answers. Today's conference call is a proprietary Fastenal presentation and is being recorded by Fastenal. No recording, reproduction, transmission or distribution of today's call is permitted without Fastenal's consent. This call is being audio simulcast on the Internet via the Fastenal Investor Relations homepage investor.fastenal.com. A replay of the webcast will be available on the website until December 1, 2021 at midnight Central Time. As a reminder, today's conference call may include statements regarding the company's future plans and prospects. These statements are based on our current expectations and we undertake no duty to update them. It is important to note that the company's actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Factors that could cause actual results to differ from anticipated results are contained in the company's latest earnings release and periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and we encourage you to review those factors carefully. I would now like to turn the call over to Mr. Dan Florness. Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer Thank you and good morning, everybody and thank you for joining us for our Q3 2021earnings call And I'm going to start on Page 3 of Holden's flipbook and and run through some thoughts on the quarter and similar to prior quarters, Holden will share his thoughts on the latter half of the flipbook and then we'll do some Q&A at the tail end of this call. So for the quarter, we grew our sales 10%. We ended the quarter with the business a bit stronger, up 11%. And of equal or perhaps more importance when I think of our sequential patterns and we highlight that and Holden will touch on that, but we highlighted that in our September Information web release, we're in a good spot as far as where we were in January and where we are in September and how that positions us for going into 2022 from the standpoint of the strength of the business, the gains in the business etc. If I set aside the noise of comparisons for a second and comparisons to 2020 and I take a longer peer back and Holden on Page 5 of the flipbook, similar to we did last quarter, is we did a comparison to 2019. And we did that because it allows us to just not have to explain all the conditionality of the comparisons and look at and say here's what's the business looked like before the pandemic started and here's what our business looks like today. And everybody on this call knows what happened in the last 24 months as it relates to Fastenal's business. The success we enjoyed, the help to society we were able to provide last year in the products that we were bringing to bear and the impact we saw in our safety business in 2020. So let's just ignore all that noise for a second and what stands out to me is we continue to invest in the growth drivers of the business, we continue to invest in the people side of the business, we can continue to execute and grow our market share and what you see is in organization that is about 13% bigger than we were two years ago. As we've talked in the past, and I'm looking at Page 5 in the flipbook right now. As we've talked in the past, our growth drivers carry a different gross profit profile and you'd see with the rounding and Holden's schedule there, our gross margin is about 90 basis points lower than it was two years ago. What we've talked about is, what we've liked about these growth drivers, if they differentiate us in the marketplace and they tap into the strengths of Fastenal and we're able to bring scale to these elements and manage our operating expenses more effectively and you can see that not only did we improve our operating expenses as a percent of sales in the last two years, we completely offset the impact of the gross margin change. In fact that's little bit of rounding, it's closer to 100 basis points and as a result, our operating income as a percentage of sales is 10 basis points higher today than it was two years ago. And so I believe in that two-year timeframe, we've done a great service to our employees, we've done a great service to our customers, I believe we've done a great service to society in general and what we were able to accomplish in 2020 and 2021 and I believe we served our shareholders well in the process. If you think about the operating and administrative expenses and what's really happened, we picked up about 30 basis points on the people side of the business, we picked up about 70 basis points in that two-year period on the non-people side of the business. If I look at the people component, so our expense on the people side is up about $28 million in that two-year period, 14% of that number is the addition of people and/or changing roles and/or inflation in rates that raised the base element of our pay above 14%. The incentive component and this is looking at that -- not 14% -- 14% of the increase came from that, 61% of the increase -- in that $28 million over the last two years, 61% is related to incentive compensation. So when we find success as an organization, we share that deeply into the organization and like we saw last year our incentive comp pulled back, it reloaded itself this year. On a two-year basis, 60% of our increase in human costs is incentive comp, another 14% is healthcare, one thing that's rippling really significantly through our P&L right now, not just on a one-year basis, which is like 45% increase, but on a two-year basis, 14% of our cost increase is healthcare and I don't know where that's going to go in all honesty. Another 1% of our increase came from profit sharing and 90% of our increases are bucketed into those four categories in the last two-year period. The other 10%, the biggest individual component of that is social taxes and then other noise in the numbers. If I look at the increases, our remaining expenses and operating expenses increased about $4.5 million on a two-year basis, 25% of that increase relates to FMI, vending and bins, 25% of that increase relates to distribution center increases. Now part of that is cost per facilities, part of that is cost that we're doing to manage through the chaos that is supply chain in today's world, 50% of that increase is IT equipment. As you know, last year, we deployed 8,000 plus mobile devices throughout our network to create productivity gains, to create social distancing, to create a better means to serve our customers and illuminate for them what we do. That 50% of our increase there is what's funding a big piece of our labor efficiencies in the last two years. The final, the other [Indecipherable] over the last two years, fuel prices are a little bit higher. Fortunately, everything else in our P&L offset the impact of fuel. And so, I hope you find that helpful of taking the noise out of the one-year comparison and looking at holistically and said what happened in the last two years. Fastenal has invested in its ability to serve, managed its cost effectively, it shared the fruits of our labor with our team and I think we served customers and society and our shareholders well in that process. Flipping back to Page 3, get back off my [Indecipherable] FASTBin, we have talked about that next stage as we broaden our FMI. Fastenal managed inventory footprint. And vending has been around for 13, 14 years. Putting technology in the bins is relatively new. A year ago, we had 705 machine equivalent units deployed across our network, it's still pretty small piece of the business. That number has grown almost four fold to 2600 in the third quarter of 2021, it's now about 1% of our sales going through that footprints. Again, it's small, but the power to become more efficient and provide a differentiated value in the marketplace is strong. I talked a few minutes ago about the mobility technology we deployed. A year ago that mobility technology helped us manage 6% of our revenue, today it's 11%. And again ways to better illuminate and create efficiencies for our team and frankly keep our team safer because these devices create social distance when you're in, whether we're in a pandemic or an endemic right now, I'm not smart enough to know, but these things help in our business. As you read about in the paper and as I've seen in some of the write-ups and I've seen from some of our peers and some of our other industries, the product and shipping cost inflation is not just high, it's brutally high. The chaos and the impact, not just from a financial perspective, but from a toll that takes on our human capital is immense. The thing that stands out for me is the entrepreneurial culture within Fastenal, our ability to solve problems for others, means you can also solve problems for yourself. The disruptions we're seeing, our teams in the local market are able to figure out solutions to take care of their customer. Just like we did in 2020, we're doing it again in 2021, but it does take a toll to the organization. As we go through all this and have a lot of discussions with customers about disruption, about cost changes, price changes, as you can imagine, takes a lot of energy away from some of our growth drivers and it lengthened some of the sales cycles and you're seeing that show up a bit in our Onsite, in our FMI program. So Onsite-wise, we signed 75 devices during the -- 75 on-sites during the quarter. Perfect world, I'd like that number to be a 100 and. And -- but it really is about how much participation are we getting across the network and how many customers are saying, yes, move in with me. We'd like Fastenal to help us on premises. That's a tougher sale in this environment. However, our total Onsites grew 10.5% over -- the number of Onsites grew 10.5% and the sales through those Onsites grew more than 20% in the last 12 months. So they've proven what they can do for our customer, what they can do for our revenue growth. We just like to get a few more signings. As I touched on the Fastenal managed inventory. I think Holden does an excellent job and I know we haven't filed our 10-Q yet, but in our last quarter 10-Q and the 10-Q that we'll be filing in the upcoming days, does a very good job explaining our digital footprint. And looking at the FMI component of that, as well as the e-commerce component of that, we're pushing the hardest on the FMI because we think a great supply chain partner doesn't simplify the ordering process. They simplify the supply chain process and why are you physically ordering repetitive items. And we believe that's a unique place for us to be. Similar to what we saw on Onsites, our Fastenal managed inventory from a device standpoint is up 10% year-over-year. So we continue to see great traction. But I would like the signings to be a little bit higher. E-commerce, it's about 14% of our sales now, it grew 43%. There's still a lot of one-off stuff and we're seeing that we're providing a better tool in the marketplace to help grow that piece of our business. You combine FMI and e-commerce, our digital footprint is now 44% of sales -- 45% of sales, excuse me and that's where we ended the quarter in September. And that number nine months ago was in the 30s, so really pleased with that. Before I transition over to Holden, I thought I'd touch a little bit on our in-market locations. Page 13 in his flipbook, he does -- he has a great table in there that shows our in-market location statistics. I thought I'd share some perspectives on this and in the six years that I've been in this role, in the several years before that, we were doing a pivot and that pivot was really about the intensity of our branch-based locations, intensity of our network. We were starting to morph that into a few more Onsites and we took that into a really high gear in 2016. But if I look at what's happened in the last eight years, we've removed 938 locations from the Fastenal network and that's basically adding up all those converted branch numbers over that timeframe and in three of those years: 2016, 2018 and 2021, we have removed more than 150 branch locations, part of that is us looking at our network and saying for what we are in the marketplace, what makes the most sense, but it's also a reflection of the Onsite as we're moving more and more business out of the branch network and moving into the customer, you rationalize your network. Most organizations would look at this and say 938 on a base of 2,687, eight years ago, let's take a big restructuring charge, let's do it all at once, let's throw everything plus the kitchen sink into it and have cover. That's not how we operate. Our district managers, our district leaders have figured out over that eight-year period, how to be creative and making the economics of that work. In some cases, they might go to a customer and resell part of a building to them, but they figured out how to manage that process and constructively rationalize our footprint over an eight-year period where our footprint now, when you add in openings, we're 31% lower than we were eight years ago. But there wasn't a big disruptive impact. We just did it as a normal course of business. That's something, I think is the hallmark of the Fastenal organization. In prior quarters. I've shared some COVID stats with the Group. We had a tough quarter in the third quarter. We had -- in the fourth quarter of 2020, we had five weeks where we had more than 50 cases in that discrete week in the fourth quarter of 2020, two of those weeks were over 100. In the third quarter of 2021, we had seven weeks where we had more than 50 cases, one of those over 100. I'm proud of the fact that our teams look for ways to take care of our employee base, look for ways to protect each other and manage through that process because it's been incredibly disruptive in the third quarter. Staffing locations when you have people out with COVID, when your average location has five to 10 employees, is incredibly challenging. We managed through it. The other thing -- during the third quarter, we did a survey -- we did a pulse survey of our employees and some things that jumped out in that survey, our employees felt -- we always get a very high participation in these surveys, our employees felt in that survey, their manager, the team around them truly cared about each other and we were protecting each other and as the leader of Fastenal, I'm incredibly proud of Blue Team for doing that. There was a negative in there. There was one that felt, wish there was little more communication internally and that's the message to me. We need to always be good about communicating, what we're seeing in the marketplace. And the other thing that jumped out is my -- I know, what's expected of me at work and my manager cares about my well being and about my development as a person. So a lot of positive things, the team is tired from going through this period, but a lot of positive things we're seeing. With that, I'll turn it over to Holden. Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Great. Thanks, Dan. Turning over to Slide 6. As indicated, our sales were up 10% in the third quarter of 2021, which includes up 11.1% in September. The period still has some difficult COVID-related comparisons with government customers down 40.4% and safety and janitorial products being down 2.9% and 15.4% respectively in the third quarter of 2021. As a result, we believe the total growth for the quarter understates the strength we are experiencing in our traditional manufacturing and construction customers as the chart on the page illustrates. On the products side, this is also well demonstrated by our 20.2% growth in fasteners with sales of our other products segment excluding janitorial was also up 16.8%. In safety, sales of vended safety products, which removes from both periods direct shift, typically COVID related product was up 28.5%. National account sales were up 16.8% and while our smaller accounts were only up 2.2%, if we adjust for the government, our remaining customers would have been up 11.7%. So bottom line, we continue to experience broad strength in our traditional markets consistent with macro data points, such as PMI and industrial production. Pricing contributed 230 to 260 basis points to growth in the third quarter of 2021, up from 80 to 110 basis points in the second quarter. This reflects actions taken year-to-date to mitigate the increases we are seeing in product, particularly steel and transportation, particularly overseas shipping. Inflation continue to rise over the course of the third quarter of 2021, particularly for overseas containers and shipping services. While we have a range of efforts underway to mitigate the impacts of inflation on our customers' costs, further price actions may also be necessary in the fourth quarter of 2021. Aside from inflation and as Dan discussed, our marketplace continues to experience tight supply chains and labor shortages. These disruptions impacted customer production more in the third quarter of 2021 than the previous quarter and then increase in COVID infections exacerbated these challenges. These trends seem likely to persist in the near term. To address these, we will continue to lean on technology and branch initiatives to improve productivity and an organizational culture that empowers local leaders to sustain high service levels. And while the supply chain remains elongated, we do expect an inflow of imported product in the fourth quarter of 2021 and the first quarter of 2022 that should sustain our high product availability and reduce the impact of fill-in buys. Now to Slide 7. Operating margin in the third quarter of 2021 was 20.5%, flat versus the third quarter of -- sorry, the third quarter of 2020. Gross margin was 46.3% in the third quarter 2021, up 100 basis points versus the third quarter of 2020. This relates to two items. First, we experienced good leverage of overhead and organizational expenses due to strong product demand and growth. Second, we had better product margin, primarily in safety products. Lower margin COVID affected PPE was a smaller proportion of total safety sales versus last year and the margin on those COVID affected products increased. Product and customer mix did not impact gross margins in the third quarter of 2021 versus the prior year in contrast to the favorable impact experienced in the second quarter of 2021. Relatively strong fastener growth allowed positive product mix to offset the negative impact of strong Onsite growth on customer mix, but the gap was narrower sequentially, a trend that is likely to persist. While the impact of pricing in the third quarter of 2021 exceeded our original expectations, inflation and shipping costs similarly exceeded our expectations. As a result, price costs continue to be largely neutral on our gross margins in the third quarter of 2021. The increase in gross margin was offset by operating expenses, growing faster than sales. Part of this is due to the comparison as third quarter 2020 operating expense leverage still reflected COVID-related low labor intensity sales versus current sales being generated in a more traditional high touch manner, just as relevant, however, is the role of cost resets. In the first year of a manufacturing recovery, it is typical for various operating expenses to have an outsized recovery. We're experiencing that in 2021, including in the third quarter, but also believe that the breadth of resets are unusually wide. For instance, we are seeing a 40% increases in incentive pay, but we're also seeing a 50% increase in fuel costs, a 165% increase in travel expenses and a 45% increase in healthcare costs. The nature of past downturns and recoveries would not have necessarily lead to so dramatic arise, particularly in the latter two items. As of last quarter, deleveraging operating expenses in the third quarter of 2021 is a function of anniversarying the first periods of pandemic related cost savings measures, combined with a strongly recovering marketplace. Similar dynamics are likely to play out in the fourth quarter of 2021, although not likely on the same order of magnitude and we anticipate being able to leverage in 2022 for a comparable level of growth. Putting it all together, we reported third quarter 2021 EPS of $0.42, up from $0.38 in the third quarter of 2020. Turning to Slide 8. Operating cash flow was $168 million in the third quarter of 2021 down 32% annually and 68.8% of net income. We paid roughly $30 million in payroll taxes, which were deferred from 2020 as part of pandemic related legislation. The bigger impact on our conversion, however, was an increase in working capital. Year-over-year accounts receivable was up 13.8%. This reflects strong customer demand and a shift away from PPE surge buyers last year into our traditional customers this year that slightly blended up days outstanding. Inventory was up 4.4%. We did see meaningful reduction in our 3-ply mask inventory in the third quarter of 2021 and anticipate clearing out this inventory in the fourth quarter. Adjusting for this, inventory would have been up 6.2%. We continue to clean out slow moving hub and branch inventory, close branches and shift our stocking focus in the field. We believe these represent improvements in our working capital that will be sustained. That is being offset by product installation and to a lesser degree product flowing into our network. We have a significant amount of imported products in transit and we expect to see product availability in our hubs improve over the next couple of quarters. In the current environment, this is how we are utilizing our balance sheet to support customer service and growth. Net capital spending in the third quarter of 2021 was $47 million up from $34 million [Phonetic] in the third quarter of 2020, reflecting spending on a non-hub construction project in Winona. We have lowered our 2021 net capital spending range to $155 to $175 million, down from $170 million to $200 million. Supply chain difficulties are limiting our purchases of vehicles and brand supplies and other products. From a liquidity standpoint, we finished the third quarter of 2021 with debt at 11% of total capital and net debt at 3.4% of total capital. Net debt is up from 2.5% in the year ago period and 5.1% versus the fourth quarter of 2020. Essentially all of our revolver remains available for use. That's all from our formal presentation. So with that, operator, we will take questions. Questions and Answers: Operator [Operator Instructions] Our first question is coming from Jacob Levinson of Melius Research. Please go ahead. Jacob Levinson -- Melius Research LLC -- Analyst Good morning, everybody. Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer Good morning. Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Good morning. In fact, some of us were positively surprised by the growth rates, particularly as you closed that quarter, didn't seem at least that you had a lot of maybe product availability issues, but maybe that's -- maybe I'm reading into that wrong. So, were there any particular areas that you guys were really struggling at to procure product? I'm just thinking about your Fastenal supply chain and stuff being stuck off the coast of California. So maybe some commentary you can provide there. If you look at. So, we have a variety of supply chain partners, some of which are domestic supply chain partners and they might be selling us in many cases branded products and that might be domestically manufactured or North American manufactured or globally manufactured item. And then you have the items that are more commodity in makeup and fasteners is a high player in that that intend to be produced offshore and that's been the case for 60, 70 years. And as you can appreciate, we upped our safety stock and the depth of inventory we have on domestically sourced product. And if I think of our supply chain, if I think of our distribution centers in our service level that we measure with fulfillment to our branch network, we're at a very good spot there. It's product that we bring in from overseas, that is manufactured overseas. And one thing that helps us in the process and we've gotten some grief from over the years from the analyst community and justifiably so, we carry a lot of inventory and we have inventory spread across 3400 locations, branch Onsites and distribution centers. And so that gives us some resiliency that a lot of our peers don't have, but now it's crushingly bad right now on product coming in, that has to go through a port and we're not immune to that. We just have maybe a little more resourcefulness locally because some business models are sole leverage to scale that when things get tough, they kind of fall apart. Our models leverage to scale, but when things get tough, our local folks step up and fill in the gaps, but it's brutally hard work and today as point, I'd probably -- this is anecdotal just feedback from the regional Vice Presidents that I get each month and each quarter, but to Dan's point about our ability to identify and locate products locally when we're not able to get it imported, fasteners are a big portion of that, but we -- there certainly have been challenges in locating that domestic product, but the anecdotal feedback from the field is that we've done a better job of that than most and we've been able to sustain service levels and so you're absolutely right about difficulties on that imported product getting into our traditional supply chain, but we are finding answers to that outside of our traditional supply chain, which is allowing us to retain high service levels to the customers. Jacob Levinson -- Melius Research LLC -- Analyst Okay, that's helpful. And just as a quick follow-up, I have to imagine your smaller competitors are probably struggling right now, maybe not able to maintain that same service level and you've got a clean balance sheet. So, is there -- maybe you can comment on the pipeline, is there an opportunity to maybe pickup some of your smaller competitors that are struggling? Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer I think just a couple of fronts there, my perception would be there's struggling that's going on the marketplace if you don't have as deep and as robust of a supply chain and it's many different places that tap into alternatives as we do. Even with our trucking network, we're able to move some stuff around that our competitors can't do because our product is incredibly expensive to move and it's expensive for us too, but it's less expensive because we're more efficient at it, I think the biggest risk for some of the smaller and the folks who don't have as deep a supply chain is actually only now popping its head up because my perception is some of that fill-in buying activity of stuff that's imported by others that proves to be fill-in buys that product is becoming more scarce in the marketplace, which I believe puts us in an even better position to be serving our customer and not going through a herculean efforts to make it happen. And when we look at opportunities of that pipeline if you will, we're doing a lot more of evaluating strategic opportunities rather than simply picking off perhaps struggling competitors as a means of consolidation, that's not the primary focus when we do look into acquisition, ours is primary strategic. So again, at this point, we think a better use of our balance sheet is investing in the working capital that we need to sustain the type of service levels, which will in turn put pressure on those smaller customers and allow us to gain the market share without having to pay a premium for it. Jacob Levinson -- Melius Research LLC -- Analyst Thank you, guys. I'll pass it on. Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer Thank you. Operator Thank you. Our next question is coming from David Manthey of Baird. Please go ahead. David Manthey -- Baird -- Analyst Well, thank you. Hi guys, good morning. Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer Good morning. Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Good morning. David Manthey -- Baird -- Analyst Yes. So, first question on operating expenses. Now we -- when we look sequentially in most years, there's either the same number of selling days or sometimes there's a minus 1 from third quarter to fourth quarter. This year, if my math is right, you're losing two selling days and offsetting that I know you have costs up on some of these resets and inflation and things, but given that day situation, is there any thoughts you can give us relative to the roughly $400 million SG&A you reported in the third quarter? How we should be thinking about the fourth quarter SG&A? Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer You're right about the days count and so on a sequential basis, yes, we would lose a couple of selling days and that's a leverage that you do give up on top of the seasonality. Right? Fourth quarter is just typically not quite as active a period as occurs in the third quarter, but that happens every year. I think if you look at history, history would suggest that the -- you would expect some -- flat to down 3% give or take. And that really depends heavily on compensation costs. Right? Whether you're flat or down 3 is really driven by compensation costs, which makes sense because it's 70% of our operating expense line. I will note I think that whereas we have a difficult comparison from a day's standpoint, we do have a little bit of an easy comparison from a wages standpoint. We had some wages that has -- that were deferred into Q4 last year and we will not necessarily replicate that this year. That creates a little bit of an easier comparison and I do think that we'll have somewhat lower growth on days and lower gross margin, etc. And if you bank all that in, honestly, I think somewhere within that normal range still makes sense to me, David. David Manthey -- Baird -- Analyst Okay, that's helpful, Holden. Thanks. And then just quickly on Slide 7, you said you expect some more effectively leverage at a similar growth in 2022. Was the similar growth part of that statement? Any kind of outlook or is that just a placeholder for the leverage comment? Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer It was no sort of outlook. It was just simply saying -- I guess a better way to put it would be all other things being equal, but it wasn't a prediction. As you know, our -- my crystal ball consists primarily of the PMI and that doesn't extend much past the beginning of Q1 as you know, so that wasn't a prediction. David Manthey -- Baird -- Analyst Yes, had to ask. Thanks a lot, Holden, appreciate it. Operator Thank you. Our next question is coming from Chris Dankert of Loop Capital. Please go ahead. Christopher Dankert -- Loop Capital -- Analyst Hey, morning everyone, thanks for I taking the question guys. I guess, first off, maybe just any update here as third quarter now on kind of the 2020 we added a lot of new customers, you commented on retention in the past, but just any update on kind of what that retention looks like kind of today? Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Yes, in the quarter, we still had -- so the definition, by the way of that retention is customers that had not previously purchased from us prior to Q2 last year when the pandemic began to settle in for the first time, right, so just to understand the definition. We still recognized a little more than $50 million in revenue from those customers in the third quarter, down a little bit from where we were in the Q2 period, but it still represents a significant investment and opportunity within the healthcare space that's derived from the environment that we've been experiencing in the last 18 months. Christopher Dankert -- Loop Capital -- Analyst Got it. Okay, that's helpful. I guess my apologies if I missed it in the prepared materials, but very dynamic pricing environment obviously. Any comment on kind of what you're expecting the top line impact to be into the fourth quarter here, I mean, subject to change sort of just kind of a snapshot of what you're seeing today would be great. Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer Yes. I always feel I need to also plan, it's a very dynamic cost environment. But I would say that our exit rate was perhaps a little stronger than our entrance rate for the Q3. And so I do believe that you probably have some continued edging up from the range that we experienced in Q3 and Q4. So It wouldn't surprise me if that number is a little higher. But we also keep a pretty good tab on when we expect to see container costs and things like that begin to flow through the model and I think you're going to see that edge up in Q4 as well. So you could see incremental pricing, I mean Q4 relative to Q3. But I think you're going to see incremental costs. I think we're sort of currently expecting that for all intents and purposes that that price costs will remain neutral. Christopher Dankert -- Loop Capital -- Analyst Got it. Thanks so much for the help. And again congrats to the team on being able to maintain that price cost neutrality so far. So thanks again and best of look. Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Thank you. Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer Before we take the next question. I'll just throw a little added commentary on the question about the customers that we didn't have before that are buying from us now and Holden touched on the actual statistics. I'll tell you, I'll touch on the anecdotal piece. So if I go back in time three years, four years ago and I'd be out traveling. Probably, the only place I would hear about things that we were doing that were noteworthy as it related to either government and government or healthcare I'd be traveling down in Florida and Bob Hopper would be telling me about a K-12 school district that he -- that we were doing business with or that had expanded may perhaps had visited a site and we had a lot of -- we have a lot of of Onsites in K-12 school districts in the southeast, particularly in Florida early on. And then Bob would tell to everybody about it and pretty soon everybody else who kind of dabbling in it and finding success there and then we moved into expansion in some of the higher ed and sign some Onsites. One thing that stands out for me when I think of the last nine months is I periodically hear and it's not just coming from Bob anymore, but I periodically hear about a healthcare facility that we just signed up as an Onsite. So far most of those that I've heard about have been tethered to a university, but seeing traction there. Now the numbers are incredibly small. They're going to be wrong in the scheme of things, but that's not something I heard about 15 and 20 months ago that I am hearing about as we go through each quarter of 2021 and I see that as a positive because it widens the basket of potential customers out there. The other thing that stands out, Holden and I have ongoing conversations with our team about metropolitan areas and what's our plan, for last Friday, we went through Minneapolis and St. Paul area, what's our plan for this market. Every one of those discussions now include a discussion about some traction we're getting on the government and educational front and healthcare fronts as it relates to business activity and Onsite. And again, you would have had to draw it out of people in the past, now it's offered up as as a growth opportunity in individual markets. With that, we'll take the next question. Operator Thank you. Our next question is coming from Ryan Merkel of William Blair. Please go ahead. Ryan Merkel -- William Blair and Company -- Analyst Hey guys, nice job on gross margins this quarter. So, my first question is, is there anything to call out on gross margins as we think about the fourth quarter? Should we expect normal seasonal declines? Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer So, yes, I think if you look historically, again you would typically expect to see, call it 20 to 40 basis points of of decline from Q3 to Q4. The -- I feel pretty good about that to be honest. There could be a touch of upward bias to that 20 to 40 basis point range, but if I think about price costs being relatively stable versus where we are, etc., yes, I just think that the history here probably is fairly instructive. And again, there might be a slight upward bias to that 20, 40 basis points history, but probably how I'd characterize my expectations for the quarter. Ryan Merkel -- William Blair and Company -- Analyst Okay. That's helpful. And then I wanted to ask about FTEs, I noticed it's flat year-over-year in September, it's down from January. Is this intentional or is this due to labor shortages? And then are you seeing applications pick up now in some of the states for the benefits have ended? Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer It is not intentional. I frankly would rather be on this call saying what we missed by a penny because we added more people, it was easier to add people. And -- but my sense is it's improved some and the most acute part for us, we build pipelines, we build sales pipelines, we build pipelines of talent and our best pipeline for talent for over the last 50 years has been get somebody with a year of two years left of college or they're going to -- whether that's a four-year state college over a two-year technical college, ask them to come work for us. Tell them, hey, we'll get you some experience, you'll get some cash coming in, which is always helpful to a student and we're looking at 15 to 20 hours a week. But what we're really doing is dating. What the thought process be when you graduate, we think you will like us and we think we'll like you and we'll get married and then you will join your Blue Team and grow your career. That's a tough recruiting model in the last year and a half because if college is closed and kids go home, well, we need them. Our model is to hire them when they're at school and not when they are three hours away at a home. So I just devastated that. Kids are back in school now. Now we're only a month -- basically a month and maybe five weeks into school. We haven't seen an uptick that I can translate with my finger on, most of it's anecdotal. I believe that piece of hiring will get better and I don't know if I believe that because I'm being a glass half full optimist. And I'm just wrong or I believe it because I think a lot people are hungry to get back to some sense of normalcy. And part of it is, hey, I need part time job in college, but it's not planned. Ryan Merkel -- William Blair and Company -- Analyst Got it. All right. Thanks, Dan. I'll pass it on. Operator Thank you. Our next question is coming from Michael McGinn of Wells Fargo. Please go ahead. Michael McGinn -- Wells Fargo Securities -- Analyst Thanks. I was hoping to hone in on the fasteners and port lead times you alluded to in the release. Is there a way to disaggregate what the total lead time is from mill to port and then how those fasteners turn relative to your remaining product set when they do get into domestic stock? And maybe if it makes sense to compare how that is in a normalized environment versus the congestion we're seeing now? Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer Holden. I don't know if you have that slide deck that we were just looking at [Indecipherable]. As you can appreciate, sometimes at quarter-end or during the quarter, you're looking at so many different things that I don't want to give you inaccurate information. What I can tell you is the buffer we're building into our supply chain for import is dramatic and it's measured in weeks not in days and those weeks are I could almost say it in months rather than weeks, but it's -- I'm trying to start, so Holden can look it up, but I don't think I'm going to get that luxury. But suffice it to say, it's week and yesterday with our Board I shared an insight I posed to them and that is you as an organization and one of the Board's obligations to the shareholders is to manage risk and one of the things I said to the Board, from a risk standpoint, that we have to be acutely aware of and I don't know if that acutely aware of is six months from now or six years from now, but I honestly don't know how this is going to work its way out because a lot of capacity was taken out from the steamship lines last year and part of the issue is the capacity just isn't there. So is this something that's part of our new normal that we're going to have this kind of consternation we need to build in extra 30 or 45 days of time into supply chain, the risk is win that flips and again, I don't know if it's six months from now or six years from now when that flips. We have to be acutely aware it's happening when it's happening because right now we sell $13 million worth of inventory a day. If all of a sudden stuff comes in three weeks faster, four weeks faster, you get well 13 times 20 business days in a month is $260 million. So you could add $100 million, $200 million, $250 million of inventory really fast if you're not dialed in and managing and -- but it's measured in weeks and I apologize we don't have it at our fingertips, but 30 to 45 day window wouldn't surprise me, but I just don't have the accurate number in my fingertips. Michael McGinn -- Wells Fargo Securities -- Analyst Dan, not a problem. I guess switching gears to the Onsite, I believe the normalized target remains 375 to 400. Can you discuss the revenue per site normalization or baseline you see as this initiative continues to mature? And with the backdrop being you started Onsite, I think the average was $150,000 and now it's $100,000 million per site. Does this normalization create a wider net for you to drive more signings in 2022? Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer The -- so in terms of the revenue per site, you're right. I mean when we started this, we had a smaller cohort of Onsites that did between $1.8 million and $2 million in revenue per site. And today, frankly, that's probably more in the $1.4 million, $1.45 million annualized level and that's an improvement over last year. And frankly, it's actually an improvement over 2019 as well. So, we have begun to see that improvement occur. It's one of those things I think is relevant to talk about because we talk about the signings being somewhat weaker, but that team in the Onsite group, we've seen the average size go up. We've actually seen the margin on that group go up and we've seen the inventory on hand to actually decline in terms of the days on hand number. So we've talked a lot about as you sort of get out of this hyper growth process into sort of a more of a fast growth process that comes to the certain level of productivity, efficiency, we have seen that over the last 12 months. And so when we get back to being able to sign 375 to 400 when the market normalizes, I think we are doing so off of a larger and more productive base and I think that's an exciting development. Does that answer the question or I'd a missed a of it. Michael McGinn -- Wells Fargo Securities -- Analyst No. That answers the question. Appreciate it. Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer Okay. So I'm going to pull back to the last question. I've pulled up my notes here from some stuff from few days ago. In September, so total transit time for deliveries in August hit a Fastenal record 58 days and September was trending higher at the time they provided this update and this was a couple of weeks ago. If I look at that back in the first quarter of 2020, which is the earliest bars on my chart here that number was in the 30s as far as days and this includes both the transit time to the port and then the average time discharged from port to destination. So it's not just what it takes to cross the ocean and get to the port and are you sitting there for 10 days or nine days out in the ocean Rockport of Southern Cal or whatever it might be. But then getting it through the terminal and transfer it in. Probably the thing that jumps out the most for me is in the -- typically, when we're negotiating rates that's a rate that goes from the port in the original country to our destination, which is our distribution center and the steamship lines handle that entire journey, 35% of our containers coming in, in the third quarter, we actually couldn't get them to the destination because they weren't available because there's such a shortage of containers, 35% had to be manually unloaded at the port, loaded on a semi and driven to our distribution center. And everything you read about is what's happening with the container costs coming from overseas that doesn't include that layer of expense because putting it out a semi and driving it across North America is a lot more expensive than the container going on a train and going across North America. And that, actually, I mean we see a fourfold increase in container costs year-over-year. If you added that piece in, the increase is more like six-fold. But -- and that's on 35% of our containers coming in. The only silver lining in that is that 35% was 45% in August and it was 28% in September. So I don't know if it's coming down and it's going to continue that trend because one month is in the trend, it's a data point, but that's been a brutal piece of the inflation as well. I see we're at five minutes before the hour. I trust we've answered most of the questions satisfactorily. And if you have any follow-up, Holden and I are around for the balance of the day. I would put one quick call out to the Fastenal team, EHS today recognized Fastenal along with nine other organizations as America's -- as one of America's safest companies and I want to say to our EHS teams -- our safety teams that develop our plan and our employees that honor and respect that plan. Thanks for keeping each other safe in 2020. Thanks for what you did for society and congratulations on the recognition. Take care everybody. Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Thank you. Operator [Operator Closing Remarks] Duration: 53 minutes Call participants: Taylor Ranta Oborski -- Financial Reporting and Regulatory Compliance Accountant Daniel L. Florness -- President and Chief Executive Officer Holden Lewis -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Jacob Levinson -- Melius Research LLC -- Analyst David Manthey -- Baird -- Analyst Christopher Dankert -- Loop Capital -- Analyst Ryan Merkel -- William Blair and Company -- Analyst Michael McGinn -- Wells Fargo Securities -- Analyst More FAST analysis All earnings call transcripts This article is a transcript of this conference call produced for The Motley Fool. While we strive for our Foolish Best, there may be errors, omissions, or inaccuracies in this transcript. As with all our articles, The Motley Fool does not assume any responsibility for your use of this content, and we strongly encourage you to do your own research, including listening to the call yourself and reading the company's SEC filings. Please see our Terms and Conditions for additional details, including our Obligatory Capitalized Disclaimers of Liability. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Daily Dividend Report: EPD,FAST,AON,AOS,EPR Enterprise Products Partners announced today that the board of directors of its general partner declared the quarterly cash distribution paid to limited partners holding Enterprise common units with respect to the third quarter of 2021 of $0.45 per unit, or $1.80 per unit on an annualized basis. The quarterly distribution will be paid Friday, November 12, 2021, to unitholders of record as of the close of business Friday, October 29, 2021. This distribution represents a 1.1 percent increase over the distribution declared with respect to the third quarter of 2020. Fastenal reported its board of directors declared a dividend of $0.28 per share to be paid in cash on November 23, 2021 to shareholders of record at the close of business on October 26, 2021. Except for share and per share information, dollar amounts are stated in millions. Fastenal began paying annual dividends in 1991, semi-annual dividends in 2003, and then expanded to quarterly dividends in 2011. Aon, a leading global professional services firm, today announced that the Board of Directors has declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.51 per share on outstanding Class A Ordinary Shares. The dividend is payable November 15, 2021 to shareholders of record on November 1, 2021. Directors of A. O. Smith today approved an eight percent increase in the company's quarterly cash dividend rate to $0.28 per share. The dividend increase affects the company's Common Stock and Class A Common Stock. The dividend is payable on November 15 to shareholders of record October 29. EPR Properties today announced that its Board of Trustees has declared its monthly cash dividend to common shareholders. The dividend of $0.25 per common share is payable November 15, 2021 to shareholders of record on October 29, 2021. This dividend represents an annualized dividend of $3.00 per common share. VIDEO: Daily Dividend Report: EPD,FAST,AON,AOS,EPR The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Stock Market News For Today October 12, 2021 Stock Market Futures Moving Sideways After Monday\u2019s Losing Session Stock market futures are struggling for direction in early morning trading on Tuesday. This is the case even as estimates point towards another upbeat earnings season ahead. Notably, fears over inflation and struggling supply chains could be why stock market investors appear to be playing on the safe side now. Should these issues persist, some would argue that it could influence the rate of the economic recovery in the U.S. To shed some light on all of this, JPMorgan (NYSE: JPM) CEO Jamie Dimon recently addressed the topic of supply chains. Dimon said, \u201cThis will not be an issue next year at all. This is the worst part of it. I think great market systems will adjust for it like companies have.\u201d He also noted that consumer spending power remains strong. Dimon explained it as such, \u201cThey can\u2019t buy cars, they\u2019re buying home improvement; they can\u2019t travel internationally, they travel domestically. The spending level is very high.\u201d Given this bullish outlook from the CEO of the largest bank in the U.S., some investors may now see opportunity in the stock market. As of 6:53 a.m. ET, the Dow is declining by 0.01%, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq futures are rising by 0.06% and 0.26% respectively. U.S FDA To Talk Booster Shots For Moderna And Johnson & Johnson This week, the fight against the coronavirus pandemic could advance further. Namely, this would be the case as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory discusses booster shots starting Thursday. In particular, the coronavirus vaccine companies in focus here would be Moderna (NASDAQ: MRNA) and Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ). This would be less than a month since the FDA greenlit Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) and BioNTech\u2019s (NASDAQ: BNTX) vaccine for high-risk individuals. With the case for booster shots building amidst waning vaccine efficacy, this would put the industry in focus now. For some perspective, over 7 million Americans have already received a booster dose in the U.S., according to the CDC. However, the current rollout would leave out millions of individuals who received other vaccines such as Moderna\u2019s and J&J\u2019s. Not to mention, the rollout of booster shots continues to build momentum across the globe as well. If anything, this would not only help slow the spread of the pandemic but also see increased demand for vaccine companies\u2019 offerings. Because of all this, vaccine stocks could be worth keeping an eye on in the stock market now. Read More 4 Artificial Intelligence Stocks To Watch Right Now Best Lithium Battery Stocks To Buy Now? 4 To Know Bitcoin Surges To Extend Its Two-Week Rally Past The $57,000 Mark On SEC Regulatory Hype Bitcoin (BTC) is making headlines yet again in the stock market this week. For the most part, this would be due to the digital currency\u2019s current winning streak. After topping the $57,000 point, the leading cryptocurrency continued surging throughout Monday. This would be due to numerous factors in play now. For starters, the biggest piece of news generating hype for the sector now would be talks of a Bitcoin Futures ETF. According to Bloomberg Intelligence, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission could possibly approve such a venture this month. Given the attraction of the reportedly $6 trillion ETF industry, this could serve to benefit cryptocurrencies. In essence, such a fund would not hold actual Bitcoin. Rather, it will hold contracts that represent the digital currency. This news alongside the approval of the Volt Crypto ETF by the SEC could serve to extend Bitcoin\u2019s current rally. In detail, the newly approved fund trades under the ticker BTCR on the New York Stock Exchange. As it stands, about 80% of the fund\u2019s assets will be put towards crypto stocks such as MicroStrategy (NASDAQ: MSTR) and Marathon (NASDAQ: MARA). Meanwhile, 20% will reportedly be invested in \u201cmore traditional stocks\u201d, potentially offsetting the risks surrounding the fund\u2019s crypto-focused portfolio. All in all, as Bitcoin among other cryptocurrencies continue to gain this week, crypto stocks could gain traction as well. Oil Prices Climb For Fourth Consecutive Day To Continue Red Hot Streak Amidst Energy Shortages Elsewhere, oil prices continue to climb as well. So much so that crude oil prices jumped to over $82 per barrel at its intraday high. As a result, the WTI crude futures hit its highest level since 2014. This is mostly due to rising global demand as energy supplies run short across the globe. Overall, James Whistler, global head of energy derivatives at SSY, Singapore, believes crude oil is being \u201cswept up\u201d as the broader energy sector rallies. According to Whistler, \u201chigh gas and coal prices are raising the prospect of more switching to oil for power generation.\u201d By and large, such a shift from natural gas to oil for energy would see a significant boost in global demand for crude oil. Now, analysts currently estimate that this could see the need for an additional 250,000 to 750,000 barrels per day. Furthermore, while the sector\u2019s current momentum is admirable, analysts see further growth moving forward. Craig Erlam, senior market analyst at OANDA said, \u201cThere is still plenty of momentum behind the oil rally and the fundamentals remain extremely favorable.\u201d He also added, \u201cWill it be a surprise to see oil back in the triple digits later this year? Probably not.\u201d Accordingly, things could heat up among oil stocks and the broader sector in thestock market todayas well. [Read More] 4 Robotics Stocks To Watch Amid Rising Shifts To Automation Earnings On Tap Today With the current focus on earnings season, investors would be keeping their eyes peeled for notable names reporting quarterly figures. For those keen on pre-market earnings calls, we have the likes of Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST) and AZZ (NYSE: AZZ). Alternatively, after the closing bell, Pinnacle Financial Partners (NASDAQ: PNFP) and Smart Global Holdings (NASDAQ: SGH) among others are on tap. Whether it is inflation, supply chain pressures, rising oil and Bitcoin prices, or pandemic-related updates, one thing is certain. There is plenty ofstock market newsto keep you busy today. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Co. Q3 earnings increase in line with estimate (RTTNews) - Fastenal Co. (FAST) revealed earnings for its third quarter that climbed from last year. The company's profit totaled $243.5 million, or $0.42 per share. This compares with $221.5 million, or $0.38 per share, in last year's third quarter. Analysts had expected the company to earn $0.42 per share, according to figures compiled by Thomson Reuters. Analysts' estimates typically exclude special items. The company's revenue for the quarter rose 9.9% to $1.55 billion from $1.41 billion last year. Fastenal Co. earnings at a glance: -Earnings (Q3): $243.5 Mln. vs. $221.5 Mln. last year. -EPS (Q3): $0.42 vs. $0.38 last year. -Analysts Estimate: $0.42 -Revenue (Q3): $1.55 Bln vs. $1.41 Bln last year. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Q3 21 Earnings Conference Call At 10:00 AM ET (RTTNews) - Fastenal Co. (FAST) will host a conference call at 10:00 AM ET on Oct. 12, 2021, to discuss Q3 21 earnings results. To access the live webcast, log on to https://investor.fastenal.com/events-and-presentations/default.aspx The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2021-10-13,52.6614,52.8559,51.9626,52.1175,
FAST,2021-10-14,52.7532,54.1095,52.1867,54.0305,"Is Fastenal Company's (NASDAQ:FAST) Stock's Recent Performance A Reflection Of Its Financial Health? Most readers would already know that Fastenal's (NASDAQ:FAST) stock increased by 3.2% over the past week. Given its impressive performance, we decided to study the company's key financial indicators as a company's long-term fundamentals usually dictate market outcomes. In this article, we decided to focus on Fastenal's ROE. ROE or return on equity is a useful tool to assess how effectively a company can generate returns on the investment it received from its shareholders. In short, ROE shows the profit each dollar generates with respect to its shareholder investments. How To Calculate Return On Equity? The formula for return on equity is: Return on Equity = Net Profit (from continuing operations) ÷ Shareholders' Equity So, based on the above formula, the ROE for Fastenal is: 30% = US$890m ÷ US$3.0b (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2021). The 'return' is the profit over the last twelve months. One way to conceptualize this is that for each $1 of shareholders' capital it has, the company made $0.30 in profit. What Is The Relationship Between ROE And Earnings Growth? Thus far, we have learned that ROE measures how efficiently a company is generating its profits. Based on how much of its profits the company chooses to reinvest or ""retain"", we are then able to evaluate a company's future ability to generate profits. Assuming everything else remains unchanged, the higher the ROE and profit retention, the higher the growth rate of a company compared to companies that don't necessarily bear these characteristics. A Side By Side comparison of Fastenal's Earnings Growth And 30% ROE To begin with, Fastenal has a pretty high ROE which is interesting. Second, a comparison with the average ROE reported by the industry of 16% also doesn't go unnoticed by us. This likely paved the way for the modest 12% net income growth seen by Fastenal over the past five years. growth We then performed a comparison between Fastenal's net income growth with the industry, which revealed that the company's growth is similar to the average industry growth of 13% in the same period. NasdaqGS:FAST Past Earnings Growth October 14th 2021 The basis for attaching value to a company is, to a great extent, tied to its earnings growth. The investor should try to establish if the expected growth or decline in earnings, whichever the case may be, is priced in. Doing so will help them establish if the stock's future looks promising or ominous. One good indicator of expected earnings growth is the P/E ratio which determines the price the market is willing to pay for a stock based on its earnings prospects. So, you may want to check if Fastenal is trading on a high P/E or a low P/E, relative to its industry. Is Fastenal Efficiently Re-investing Its Profits? Fastenal has a significant three-year median payout ratio of 65%, meaning that it is left with only 35% to reinvest into its business. This implies that the company has been able to achieve decent earnings growth despite returning most of its profits to shareholders. Besides, Fastenal has been paying dividends for at least ten years or more. This shows that the company is committed to sharing profits with its shareholders. Based on the latest analysts' estimates, we found that the company's future payout ratio over the next three years is expected to hold steady at 73%. Accordingly, forecasts suggest that Fastenal's future ROE will be 31% which is again, similar to the current ROE. Summary Overall, we are quite pleased with Fastenal's performance. We are particularly impressed by the considerable earnings growth posted by the company, which was likely backed by its high ROE. While the company is paying out most of its earnings as dividends, it has been able to grow its earnings in spite of it, so that's probably a good sign. That being so, a study of the latest analyst forecasts show that the company is expected to see a slowdown in its future earnings growth. To know more about the company's future earnings growth forecasts take a look at this free report on analyst forecasts for the company to find out more. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2021-10-15,54.3237,54.5368,53.9732,54.1489,
FAST,2021-10-18,53.8854,54.1647,53.6188,54.0699,"This Is an Earnings Call That Smart Investors Never Miss Airbnb (NASDAQ: ABNB) and Nike (NYSE: NKE) both got upgrades from Wall Street analysts, but one seems a bit ""fuzzier"" than the other. Analyst Asit Sharma takes a closer look at the upgrades and analyzes the latest results from Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST). To catch full episodes of all The Motley Fool's free podcasts, check out our podcast center. To get started investing, check out our quick-start guide to investing in stocks. A full transcript follows the video. 10 stocks we like better than Nike When our award-winning analyst team has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.* They just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Nike wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of September 17, 2021 This video was recorded on Oct. 12, 2021. Chris Hill: It's Tuesday, Oct. 12th. Welcome to MarketFoolery. I'm Chris Hill. With me today, our man in North Carolina, Asit Sharma. Thanks for being here. Asit Sharma: Thanks for having me as always, Chris. Hill: We've got some upgrades to discuss in the travel industry and global apparel retail. But we're going to start with the latest from Fastenal. Third-quarter profits from the industrial products maker came in higher than expected, shares of Fastenal up a bit and close to a new all-time high. This is not a household name, but holy cow, are they in the business of household products. You just go to the Fastenal website and it's hardware, lighting, sealers, electrical equipment, batteries, fasteners. This is a good report for them. Sharma: It's a great report, Chris. It's a company that I bet lurks in the subconsciousness of many people. If you've ever driven down the highway and just been half paying attention and seeing a Fastenal truck plow past you. It's a name that we're sort of familiar with, but like you say, it's not household. But a good company, nonetheless, for people who like industrial stocks and don't want something too flashy, but companies that have these very solid models that just need optimization over time, they sit in a great place in our economy. Fastenal, as the name implies, actually also sells fastening products, fasteners. You can think of it as a glue company in our economy. For that reason, I also like it as a bellwether of what's happening out in the larger world. This quarter, net sales were up 10%, gross profit a bit slight increase versus the prior year. They gained about 1 percentage point of gross margin to 46.3%, which is a lot in this business. That's fairly impressive. A nice bump in net earnings up to about 243 million. That's another 10% year-over-year increase. What I like about Fastenal a lot is that they have more technology being infused into their selling process than most of us realize. If you've ever looked at this company, you probably know that they have onsite solution for manufacturers where they basically have their own sales personnel and inventory there. They help manage the inventory. But the business which I think is the bigger growth driver for them long term is this vending business. They have vending machines they put in manufacturing facilities. They have bins that are increasingly automated that track inventory themselves and have a digital component to them. This is a long-term investment Fastenal's been making. It's paying off over time in faster sales growth, slightly better margins. Chris, I just breeze through the report this morning. Now a full 45% of their business can be considered digital. When you take the direct to their industrial customer sales plus these high-tech bins that know when to request inventory, that track barcodes and SKUs, etc. This is a more techie business than it would seem on the surface. Hill: It's interesting because Fastenal is not a huge company. It's about a $30 billion company. Yet I remember talking to Bryan Hinmon a few years ago. Bryan is the chief investment officer at Motley Fool Asset Management Funds. He called it a top-five conference call for him. When he's trying to get a sense every quarter of what's going on in the U.S. economy, one of the conference calls that he always listens to is Fastenal, because it gives you insight into the industrial side of the economy. Sharma: Let's put that into perspective for today. The CEO today was talking about shipping costs in general. I totally agree with Bryan, it's really instructive call, Daniel Florness rarely holds back. He mentioned today that in shipping, it wasn't just difficultly, it was pain. All of these manufacturers, industrial concerns, and retailers, as we know, big retailers are enduring a lot of inflationary pain on shipping costs. They tell it like it is. They're very specific about how the underpinnings of the larger economy are affecting Fastenal's business. Because of that truth telling, I would call it, it is a great call. Sure, is it a top five call for those who want to know what's really happening out there in the U.S. economy? Yes, I would totally agree with that. Hill: Shares of Airbnb up 4% today after getting an analyst upgrade from Cowen. The thing that interests me is the part of the report that says, Wall Street is underestimating the potential for Airbnb bookings growth in 2022. I'm always interested whenever an analyst stands up and basically says, ''The rest of you are wrong on this one.'' Sharma: It is. It takes some encourage when you're in a business that is so focused on what's happening next quarter, to be able to do something that we would call Foolish with a capital F and say, well, what about four quarters from now or eight quarters from now? I think the analysis is spot on. There are two big drivers in Airbnb's business that should be paid attention to by investors. One is that their bookings are starting to reflect migration away from big cities. They're still seeing great bookings in major metropolitan areas, but increasingly they see bookings rising in second-tier cities. These are smaller metropolitan statistical areas in the United States, or just smaller cities close to European capitals, is another great example, or travel destinations in Latin America. They're all kinds of examples of this type of city. They are seeing sustained interest in that. That signal says, the world may be changing a little bit after COVID. The other big measure to take a look at is the length of stay. This was something that the company called out in its most recent quarterly report. They're seeing the days associated with each booking continuing to expand. In some cities, this is expanding at rates that exceed pre-COVID levels. There may be a change underway in the way that we are all going to work and travel. I say may here and I hesitate a bit because so much of this is also governed by tax regulations in each country. If you work in the United States, depending on where your employer is based, it may not be that easy to work in your dream destination for a couple of months. You may have a tax implication, and owe, too, states' income taxes, or your employer may not allow you to work in Rome for six months. While different localities start to work out their tax regulations to attract in high-spending remote workers will see some of that change. But it is something that I think this analyst has put his or her finger on that these bookings are pointing to maybe a more sustained piece of market share that Airbnb will enjoy for quite some time to come. I'm not surprised the stock is up today. Hill: In the longer stay that you mentioned, that jives with something Matt Argersinger said when I was talking with him recently. Because he's got a place that he rents out. I just have to believe that if you've got a property and you are listing on Airbnb, it's just going to be better for a number of reasons to have people with longer stays. It just requires fewer bookings overall, presumably your costs are a little bit lower because if you've got a cleaning crew that's coming in or something like that, that's happening on fewer occasions. It's like you never want to put too much emphasis as an investor into a single analyst report, no matter who it's coming from and what their track record is. But this report about Airbnb, I think does a good job of essentially strengthening the baseline case for the business. We've seen this in other industries where a report will come out and the headline is all about growth strategy, sales, or whatever. This to me is more along the lines of the underpinnings of Airbnb's business are stronger than some people think and more sustainable than some people think. Sharma: I agree. It's a thesis that's trying to stress test the case for market share that many Airbnb bulls have been making for a long time. Which is to say that this market is so vast, it's in the trillions of dollars, the total addressable market for extended stays when they compete with the hotel industry, they compete with the apartment rental industry. This is a great market here if Airbnb can keep extending its brand within that, then eventually they'll scale into pretty decent profitability. This strengthens that case, and we should say at the same time doing this business case isn't without risk. One of the more recent things against Airbnb is how opaque the total cost of the service is if you are on the platform because often and this has happened to me, Chris, you will be ready to rent that place and then you see the cleaning fee come in, which totally changes the picture because that's a variable expense. We've discussed that before. There are some risks in this, but for those who are interested and have already been thinking along the same line, this is is a focus point for the next quarterly reports to watch these metrics. Hill: I think they've gotten more transparent with the costs, but it's something they could improve even further. Before we get to our final story, I just want to remind folks our email address is marketfoolery@fool.com. If you've been listening to this podcast for less than a year, then you're probably unfamiliar with something we refer to as Apropos of Nothing. Which is that once a year or so, we have an episode of this podcast that isn't about investing at all. It's just shooting the breeze in, and that's where listeners like you come in because we've gotten some great suggestions on potential topics for these Apropos of Nothing episodes. One that we did last year was what would you put on your Mount Rushmore of soups? That actually ended up being a pretty heated debate. If you can only pick four soups to put on Mount Rushmore. We do have an apropos of nothing episode planned. It's scheduled to come before the end of the month. If you have potential topics, you want to suggest to us, drop us an email marketfoolery@fool.com. Shares of Nike are up a bit today after a Goldman Sachs report that said nice things about the overall health of the athletic apparel industry and the growth plans that Nike has in place. This one seems a little bit fuzzier than the report on Airbnb. I mean, obviously, it's positive on Nike, but I don't know. I'm curious what you thought of it because it didn't grab me in the same way that the Airbnb one did. Sharma: I think fuzzy is a great way to describe this. I mean, the thesis here is that Nike still has a strong brand. They've made strides with their direct-to-consumer business. They've been able to bounce back numerous times in the past from the types of challenges that they're facing this year. They've got supply chain issues, cost inflation, which everybody and his or her brother's facing. But yes, it is a fuzzier thesis. I mean, one way that we can get to terms with this way of looking at a company, which again, this is a very Foolish capital F way to look at a very strong multinational conglomerate is to think about that brand. I'll refer us all back to a survey that came out last week. This is the 42nd edition of Piper Sandler semi-annual survey, where they survey teens this year or latest survey had 10,000 teens participate across 44 states. Nike earned the top spots in the footwear and apparel categories. They had 27% share of the votes when it came to apparel and a bigger footprint at 57% when it came to footwear. Now, in that same survey, Converse came in at 7%, which has been a Nike brand for quite a while. This is a way for us to quantify the idea that one should invest in Nike because of its brand strength and because it has a really efficient operating model which takes a lot of free cash flow and invests it in demand expense. That is, how do we drive up demand? We do it through sponsorships, we do it through technical innovation. Also, say that Nike has done a pretty decent job of not trying to fight the trends in the industry. They've been a very willing participant in the movement toward technology, embedded clothing, and this whole athleisure market. I think in terms of understanding where they should keep investing to grow, Nike does a very good job, but this is not a straightforward thesis. There is no big change here. No sea change that says Nike can continue to push all-time highs. It's more about, hey, these guys execute at a level which is pretty impressive. We see this continuing, despite the near-term challenges that have knocked the stock down a bit over the past few months. Hill: On Motley Fool Money last week, I posed the question, which group of shareholders is really hoping for good news this earnings season? Ron Gross said it was Nike. Look, this is a long-term market-beating stock. But over the past year, it is absolutely trailing the market. When you talk about the near-term pressures, like yeah, it's not to say it's not a great business and a great brand. But if you're a shareholder, you're right to be hoping that Ron Gross is right, that they need some good news. Sharma: Yes. I've really think if you take a look at that Nike chart and just widening out a bit. So much of this may seem temporary in retrospect. To me, they're still chasing those all-time highs even though over the last few months they've been battered by the same issues that I mentioned with supply chains, inflation, just getting product into stores. However, I think that those, again, are temporary. Ron is so right to point out that if you're a Nike shareholder, you just want to hear that things are back on track and that you can feel very comfortable with Nike, such a sleepy stock, but a high achiever, the volatility hasn't been very welcome this year. I can totally get behind his argument there. Hill: Thank you for reminding me that Nike owns Converse because I always forget that. I'm old enough to remember a time when Converse was a very dominant athletic shoe brand. Nice reminder that just because you're on top of the world as a business for a while doesn't mean you're going to stay there. Sharma: For sure. I'm literally wearing a pair of Chuck Taylors as we speak. With you there, all love to Converse and Nike for that. For that matter, I often have been guilty of second-guessing this company over the years. Sometimes you have to express your appreciation. So might as well do it while we're still here in the next minute or so, Nike has done an admirable job over the decades, just pushing out great earnings value-creation and withstanding a lot of change in the industry. This is something I think going forward. Again, if you're a shareholder, you can sleep well at night knowing that the management team is always a little bit ahead of the trend. They've invested appropriately by the time that trend really starts to take off. They were a pioneer in the sports endorsement game, still do very well at that. Have also mastered the art of taking a single sub-brand like the Jordan brand and just making it an everlasting property. Hats off to Nike in that regard, too, again, like Airbnb, not a risk-free thesis. But this is definitely among blue-chip companies, one that you can sense will keep executing for a while to come. Hill: Asit Sharma, great talking, thanks for being here. Sharma: Thank you so much, Chris. A lot of fun. Hill: As always, people on the program may have interest in the stocks they talked aboutandn The Motley Fool may have formal recommendations for or against. Don't buy or sell stocks based solely on what you hear. That's going to do it for this edition of MarketFoolery. The show's mixed by Dan Boyd. I'm Chris Hill. Thanks for listening. See you tomorrow. Asit Sharma has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Chris Hill owns shares of Airbnb, Inc. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Airbnb, Inc. and Nike. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2021-10-19,54.449,54.9484,54.2545,54.6533,"Momentum From Recent Rally To Drive Fastenal Stock Higher? Fastenal Company stock (NASDAQ: FAST) has gained almost 6% in the past week and currently trades at $55 per share. Additionally, Fastenal, a supply chain solutions provider, has seen its stock gain more than 10% over the last six months, rising from $50. The company’s recent Q3 2021 earnings reported this week saw revenue rise from $1.41 billion in Q3 ’20 to $1.55 billion in Q3 ’21. Further, expenses rose at a slower rate, and with a roughly unchanged effective tax rate, EPS rose from $0.39 in Q3 ’20 to $0.42 in Q3 ’21. Now, after the recent rally, will FAST stock continue its upward trajectory over the coming weeks, or is a correction in the stock more likely? According to the Trefis Machine Learning Engine, which identifies trends in the company’s stock price using ten years of historical data, returns for FAST stock average 2.6% (implying an increase in stock price from $55.62 to $57.00) in the next one-month (twenty-one trading days) period after experiencing a 5.5% rise over the previous week (five trading days). But how would these numbers change if you are interested in holding Fastenal stock for a shorter or a longer time period? You can test the answer and many other combinations on the Trefis Machine Learning Engine to test Fastenal stock price forecast after a rise or fall. You can test the chance of recovery over different time intervals of a quarter, month, or even just 1 day. For additional details about Fastenal historical returns, and return comparison to peers see Fastenal (FAST) Stock Return. MACHINE LEARNING ENGINE – try it yourself: If Fastenal stock moved by -5% over five trading days, THEN over the next twenty-one trading days Fastenal stock moves an average of 3.7%, with a decent 64.6% probability of a positive return over this period. Also, given a -5% movement for the stock over five trading days, it has historically witnessed an excess return of 2.2% compared to the S&P500 over the next 21 trading days, with an average 58.3% probability of a positive excess return. Some Fun Scenarios, FAQs & Making Sense of Fastenal Stock Movements: Question 1: Is the price forecast for Fastenal stock higher after a drop? Answer: Consider two situations, Case 1: Fastenal stock drops by 5% or more in a week Case 2: Fastenal stock rises by 5% or more in a week Is the average return for Fastenal stock higher over the subsequent month after Case 1 or Case 2? Fastenal stock fares better after Case 1, with an expected return of 3.1% over the next month (21 trading days) under Case 1 (where the stock has just suffered a 5% loss over the previous week), versus, an expected return of 2.8% for Case 2. This implies a price forecast of $57.34 in Case 1 and a figure of $57.16 in Case 2 using Fastenal market price of $55.62 on 10/14/2021. In comparison, the S&P 500 has an expected return of 3.1% over the next 21 trading days under Case 1, and an average return of just 0.5% for Case 2 as detailed in our dashboard that details the expected return for the S&P 500 after a fall or rise. Try the Trefis machine learning engine above to see for yourself how Fastenal stock is likely to behave after any specific gain or loss over a period. Question 2: Does patience pay? Answer: If you buy and hold Fastenal stock, the expectation is over time the near-term fluctuations will cancel out, and the long-term positive trend will favor you – at least if the company is otherwise strong. Overall, according to data and Trefis machine learning engine’s calculations, patience absolutely pays for most stocks! For Fastenal stock, the returns over the next N days after a -5% change over the last five trading days is detailed in the table below, along with the returns for the S&P500: You can try the engine to see what this table looks like for Fastenal after a larger loss over the last week, month, or quarter. Question 3: What about the stock price forecast after a rise if you wait for a while? Answer: The expected return after a rise is understandably lower than after a drop as detailed in the previous question. Interestingly, though, if a stock has gained over the last few days, you would do better to avoid short-term bets for most stocks. It’s pretty powerful to test the trend for yourself for Fastenal stock by changing the inputs in the charts above. What if you’re looking for a more balanced portfolio instead? Here’s a high-quality portfolio that’s beaten the market consistently since 2016. Invest with Trefis Market-Beating Portfolios See all Trefis Price Estimates The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2021-10-20,54.6632,54.9731,54.2239,54.4095,"Fastenal Company (NASDAQ:FAST) Pays A US$0.28 Dividend In Just Four Days Regular readers will know that we love our dividends at Simply Wall St, which is why it's exciting to see Fastenal Company (NASDAQ:FAST) is about to trade ex-dividend in the next 4 days. The ex-dividend date occurs one day before the record date which is the day on which shareholders need to be on the company's books in order to receive a dividend. The ex-dividend date is important because any transaction on a stock needs to have been settled before the record date in order to be eligible for a dividend. Therefore, if you purchase Fastenal's shares on or after the 25th of October, you won't be eligible to receive the dividend, when it is paid on the 23rd of November. The company's next dividend payment will be US$0.28 per share, on the back of last year when the company paid a total of US$1.12 to shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, Fastenal has a trailing yield of 2.0% on the current stock price of $56.26. Dividends are a major contributor to investment returns for long term holders, but only if the dividend continues to be paid. We need to see whether the dividend is covered by earnings and if it's growing. If a company pays out more in dividends than it earned, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. Fastenal paid out more than half (70%) of its earnings last year, which is a regular payout ratio for most companies. A useful secondary check can be to evaluate whether Fastenal generated enough free cash flow to afford its dividend. Over the last year, it paid out more than three-quarters (81%) of its free cash flow generated, which is fairly high and may be starting to limit reinvestment in the business. It's encouraging to see that the dividend is covered by both profit and cash flow. This generally suggests the dividend is sustainable, as long as earnings don't drop precipitously. Click here to see the company's payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends. NasdaqGS:FAST Historic Dividend October 20th 2021 Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing? Businesses with strong growth prospects usually make the best dividend payers, because it's easier to grow dividends when earnings per share are improving. If earnings fall far enough, the company could be forced to cut its dividend. For this reason, we're glad to see Fastenal's earnings per share have risen 12% per annum over the last five years. It paid out more than three-quarters of its earnings in the last year, even though earnings per share are growing rapidly. We're surprised that management has not elected to reinvest more in the business to accelerate growth further. Many investors will assess a company's dividend performance by evaluating how much the dividend payments have changed over time. Since the start of our data, 10 years ago, Fastenal has lifted its dividend by approximately 8.4% a year on average. It's encouraging to see the company lifting dividends while earnings are growing, suggesting at least some corporate interest in rewarding shareholders. The Bottom Line Should investors buy Fastenal for the upcoming dividend? Higher earnings per share generally lead to higher dividends from dividend-paying stocks over the long run. However, we'd also note that Fastenal is paying out more than half of its earnings and cash flow as profits, which could limit the dividend growth if earnings growth slows. All things considered, we are not particularly enthused about Fastenal from a dividend perspective. So while Fastenal looks good from a dividend perspective, it's always worthwhile being up to date with the risks involved in this stock. In terms of investment risks, we've identified 1 warning sign with Fastenal and understanding them should be part of your investment process. A common investment mistake is buying the first interesting stock you see. Here you can find a list of promising dividend stocks with a greater than 2% yield and an upcoming dividend. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2021-10-21,54.3997,54.5368,54.0305,54.4983,"Ex-Dividend Reminder: Fastenal, Royal Bank of Canada and Apogee Enterprises Looking at the universe of stocks we cover at Dividend Channel, on 10/25/21, Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST), Royal Bank of Canada (Montreal, Quebec) (Symbol: RY), and Apogee Enterprises Inc (Symbol: APOG) will all trade ex-dividend for their respective upcoming dividends. Fastenal Co. will pay its quarterly dividend of $0.28 on 11/23/21, Royal Bank of Canada (Montreal, Quebec) will pay its quarterly dividend of $1.08 on 11/24/21, and Apogee Enterprises Inc will pay its quarterly dividend of $0.20 on 11/10/21. As a percentage of FAST's recent stock price of $55.92, this dividend works out to approximately 0.50%, so look for shares of Fastenal Co. to trade 0.50% lower — all else being equal — when FAST shares open for trading on 10/25/21. Similarly, investors should look for RY to open 1.01% lower in price and for APOG to open 0.51% lower, all else being equal. Below are dividend history charts for FAST, RY, and APOG, showing historical dividends prior to the most recent ones declared. Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST): Royal Bank of Canada (Montreal, Quebec) (Symbol: RY): Apogee Enterprises Inc (Symbol: APOG): In general, dividends are not always predictable, following the ups and downs of company profits over time. Therefore, a good first due diligence step in forming an expectation of annual yield going forward, is looking at the history above, for a sense of stability over time. This can help in judging whether the most recent dividends from these companies are likely to continue. If they do continue, the current estimated yields on annualized basis would be 2.00% for Fastenal Co., 4.03% for Royal Bank of Canada (Montreal, Quebec), and 2.03% for Apogee Enterprises Inc. In Thursday trading, Fastenal Co. shares are currently off about 0.2%, Royal Bank of Canada (Montreal, Quebec) shares are up about 0.1%, and Apogee Enterprises Inc shares are up about 0.1% on the day. Click here to learn which 25 S.A.F.E. dividend stocks should be on your radar screen » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2021-10-22,54.6829,54.983,54.4193,54.449,"[""Fastenal Named Top Dividend Stock With Insider Buying and 2.00% Yield (FAST) In this series, we look through the most recent Dividend Channel ''DividendRank'' report, and then we cherry pick only those companies that have experienced insider buying within the past six months. The officers and directors of a company tend to have a unique insider's view of the business, and presumably the only reason an insider would choose to take their hard-earned cash and use it to buy stock in the open market, is that they expect to make money \u2014 maybe they find the stock very undervalued, or maybe they see exciting progress within the company, or maybe both. So when stocks turn up that see insider buying, and are also top ranked, investors are wise to take notice. One such company is Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST), which saw buying by Director Sarah N. Nielsen. Back on October 15, Nielsen invested $55,760.00 into 1,000 shares of FAST, for a cost per share of $55.76. In trading on Friday, shares were changing hands as low as $56.28 per share, which is 0.9% above Nielsen's purchase price. Fastenal Co. shares are currently trading +0.68% on the day. The chart below shows the one year performance of FAST shares, versus its 200 day moving average: Looking at the chart above, FAST's low point in its 52 week range is $42.57 per share, with $56.59 as the 52 week high point \u2014 that compares with a last trade of $56.47. By comparison, below is a table showing the prices at which insider buying was recorded over the last six months: PURCHASED INSIDER TITLE SHARES PRICE/SHARE VALUE 08/04/2021 Daniel L. Johnson Director 1,000 $55.48 $55,475.00 09/08/2021 Michael J. Ancius Director 265 $54.09 $14,333.85 09/13/2021 Hsenghung Sam Hsu Director 1,000 $53.20 $53,200.00 10/15/2021 Sarah N. Nielsen Director 1,000 $55.76 $55,760.00 The DividendRank report noted that among the coverage universe, FAST shares displayed both attractive valuation metrics and strong profitability metrics. The report also cited the strong quarterly dividend history at Fastenal Co., and favorable long-term multi-year growth rates in key fundamental data points. The report stated, ''Dividend investors approaching investing from a value standpoint are generally most interested in researching the strongest most profitable companies, that also happen to be trading at an attractive valuation. That's what we aim to find using our proprietary DividendRank formula, which ranks the coverage universe based upon our various criteria for both profitability and valuation, to generate a list of the top most 'interesting' stocks, meant for investors as a source of ideas that merit further research.'' The annualized dividend paid by Fastenal Co. is $1.12/share, currently paid in quarterly installments, and its most recent dividend ex-date was on 10/25/2021. Below is a long-term dividend history chart for FAST, which the report stressed as being of key importance. Indeed, studying a company's past dividend history can be of good help in judging whether the most recent dividend is likely to continue. The Top DividendRank'ed Stocks With Insider Buying \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Company (FAST) Ex-Dividend Date Scheduled for October 25, 2021 Fastenal Company (FAST) will begin trading ex-dividend on October 25, 2021. A cash dividend payment of $0.28 per share is scheduled to be paid on November 23, 2021. Shareholders who purchased FAST prior to the ex-dividend date are eligible for the cash dividend payment. This marks the 4th quarter that FAST has paid the same dividend. At the current stock price of $56.1, the dividend yield is 2%. The previous trading day's last sale of FAST was $56.1, representing a -0.87% decrease from the 52 week high of $56.59 and a 31.78% increase over the 52 week low of $42.57. FAST's current earnings per share, an indicator of a company's profitability, is $1.55. Zacks Investment Research reports FAST's forecasted earnings growth in 2021 as 5.2%, compared to an industry average of 28.6%. For more information on the declaration, record and payment dates, visit the fast Dividend History page. Our Dividend Calendar has the full list of stocks that have an ex-dividend today. Interested in gaining exposure to FAST through an Exchange Traded Fund [ETF]? The following ETF(s) have FAST as a top-10 holding: iShares U.S. Basic Materials ETF (IYM) Global X Funds Global X U.S. Infrastructure Development ETF (PAVE) Direxion NASDAQ-100 Equal Weighted Index Shares (QQQE) QRAFT AI-Enhanced U.S. Large Cap Momentum ETF (AMOM). The top-performing ETF of this group is QQQE with an increase of 9.58% over the last 100 days. IYM has the highest percent weighting of FAST at 4.41%. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2021-10-25,54.674,55.288,54.3523,54.8201,
FAST,2021-10-26,54.9968,55.1222,54.5556,54.7036,
FAST,2021-10-27,54.7905,54.9168,54.1075,54.2535,
FAST,2021-10-28,54.4687,54.908,54.3423,54.8497,
FAST,2021-10-29,54.8892,55.8793,54.7708,55.7282,"Insiders Seeing Green With FAST At New 52-Week High In trading on Friday, shares of Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) touched a new 52-week high of $56.78/share. That's a 33.38% rise, or $14.21 per share from the 52-week low of $42.57 set back on 10/29/2020. That means at today's intraday high, any investor who purchased FAST stock any time over the past 52 weeks has an unrealized gain, including company insiders. Over the past six months, insiders have been scooping up shares, and those bets are now paying off handsomely. As summarized by the table below, FAST has seen 4 different instances of insiders buying over the trailing six month period. PURCHASED INSIDER TITLE SHARES PRICE/SHARE VALUE 08/04/2021 Daniel L. Johnson Director 1,000 $55.48 $55,475.00 09/08/2021 Michael J. Ancius Director 265 $54.09 $14,333.85 09/13/2021 Hsenghung Sam Hsu Director 1,000 $53.20 $53,200.00 10/15/2021 Sarah N. Nielsen Director 1,000 $55.76 $55,760.00 The chart below shows where FAST has traded over the past year, with the 50-day and 200-day moving averages included. In afternoon trading on Friday, FAST shares are changing hands at $56.77/share, slightly below the new 52-week high. Ten Bargains You Can Buy Cheaper Than The Insiders Did » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2021-11-01,55.8348,55.972,55.2494,55.435,
FAST,2021-11-02,55.669,56.2355,55.1616,56.0599,
FAST,2021-11-03,56.1427,56.4014,55.5328,55.9137,
FAST,2021-11-04,56.0203,57.2996,55.8644,57.1436,
FAST,2021-11-05,57.495,58.1495,56.733,56.8514,
FAST,2021-11-08,57.3292,57.4457,56.5475,56.8514,
FAST,2021-11-09,56.9976,57.4852,56.8614,57.4269,
FAST,2021-11-10,57.4171,57.8859,57.1782,57.4654,
FAST,2021-11-11,57.2315,58.1199,57.0173,57.8957,
FAST,2021-11-12,58.1682,59.0862,58.0813,58.8138,
FAST,2021-11-15,58.8818,59.2431,58.6962,59.2036,
FAST,2021-11-16,59.3793,60.2924,59.3793,59.8965,
FAST,2021-11-17,59.8285,60.0535,59.5649,59.7801,
FAST,2021-11-18,59.8333,60.1315,59.5353,59.6527,
FAST,2021-11-19,59.7801,60.2065,59.4277,59.5847,
FAST,2021-11-22,59.8965,60.2874,59.556,59.5945,
FAST,2021-11-23,59.6133,59.7553,59.0476,59.4869,
FAST,2021-11-24,59.2717,59.5649,58.8818,59.4474,
FAST,2021-11-26,58.8424,59.2569,58.413,58.6864,
FAST,2021-11-29,59.175,59.7505,58.7348,59.4968,"Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) Knows How To Allocate Capital Did you know there are some financial metrics that can provide clues of a potential multi-bagger? In a perfect world, we'd like to see a company investing more capital into its business and ideally the returns earned from that capital are also increasing. Ultimately, this demonstrates that it's a business that is reinvesting profits at increasing rates of return. That's why when we briefly looked at Fastenal's (NASDAQ:FAST) ROCE trend, we were very happy with what we saw. Understanding Return On Capital Employed (ROCE) For those who don't know, ROCE is a measure of a company's yearly pre-tax profit (its return), relative to the capital employed in the business. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for Fastenal: Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities) 0.33 = US$1.2b ÷ (US$4.2b - US$663m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2021). Thus, Fastenal has an ROCE of 33%. That's a fantastic return and not only that, it outpaces the average of 12% earned by companies in a similar industry. NasdaqGS:FAST Return on Capital Employed November 29th 2021 Above you can see how the current ROCE for Fastenal compares to its prior returns on capital, but there's only so much you can tell from the past. If you're interested, you can view the analysts predictions in our free report on analyst forecasts for the company. How Are Returns Trending? We'd be pretty happy with returns on capital like Fastenal. The company has employed 48% more capital in the last five years, and the returns on that capital have remained stable at 33%. Returns like this are the envy of most businesses and given it has repeatedly reinvested at these rates, that's even better. If these trends can continue, it wouldn't surprise us if the company became a multi-bagger. The Key Takeaway In the end, the company has proven it can reinvest it's capital at high rates of returns, which you'll remember is a trait of a multi-bagger. And the stock has done incredibly well with a 188% return over the last five years, so long term investors are no doubt ecstatic with that result. So even though the stock might be more ""expensive"" than it was before, we think the strong fundamentals warrant this stock for further research. On a final note, we've found 1 warning sign for Fastenal that we think you should be aware of. Fastenal is not the only stock earning high returns. If you'd like to see more, check out our free list of companies earning high returns on equity with solid fundamentals. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2021-11-30,59.2915,59.4573,57.7102,57.7685,
FAST,2021-12-01,58.4031,59.2036,57.036,57.0844,"11.2% of FXZ Holdings Seeing Recent Insider Buys A look at the weighted underlying holdings of the First Trust Materials AlphaDEX Fund (Symbol: FXZ) shows an impressive 11.2% of holdings on a weighted basis have experienced insider buying within the past six months. Cleveland-Cliffs Inc (Symbol: CLF), which makes up 2.80% of the First Trust Materials AlphaDEX Fund (Symbol: FXZ), has seen 2 directors and officers purchase shares in the past six months, according to the recent Form 4 data. The ETF holds a total of $14,454,048 worth of CLF, making it the #17 largest holding. The table below details the recent insider buying activity observed at CLF: CLF — last trade: $20.35 — Recent Insider Buys: PURCHASED INSIDER TITLE SHARES PRICE/SHARE VALUE 11/19/2021 Keith Koci EVP & President, CC Services 10,000 $21.83 $218,270 11/30/2021 Celso L. Goncalves Jr. EVP, CFO 5,000 $20.13 $100,628 And Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST), the #30 largest holding among components of the First Trust Materials AlphaDEX Fund (Symbol: FXZ), shows 4 directors and officers as recently filing Form 4's indicating purchases. The ETF holds $4,704,292 worth of FAST, which represents approximately 0.91% of the ETF's total assets at last check. The recent insider buying activity observed at FAST is detailed in the table below: FAST — last trade: $59.17 — Recent Insider Buys: PURCHASED INSIDER TITLE SHARES PRICE/SHARE VALUE 08/04/2021 Daniel L. Johnson Director 1,000 $55.48 $55,475 09/08/2021 Michael J. Ancius Director 265 $54.09 $14,334 09/13/2021 Hsenghung Sam Hsu Director 1,000 $53.20 $53,200 10/15/2021 Sarah N. Nielsen Director 1,000 $55.76 $55,760 10 ETFs With Stocks That Insiders Are Buying » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2021-12-02,57.4457,58.5058,57.1239,58.2472,
FAST,2021-12-03,58.6084,58.9796,58.0123,58.7052,
FAST,2021-12-06,59.3507,60.6684,59.096,60.5312,
FAST,2021-12-07,61.1758,62.1816,61.078,61.7127,
FAST,2021-12-08,61.7127,61.918,60.7414,61.3811,
FAST,2021-12-09,61.234,61.9565,61.0297,61.3219,
FAST,2021-12-10,61.6495,62.6603,61.4295,62.5814,
FAST,2021-12-13,62.5231,62.9327,62.0661,62.5714,
FAST,2021-12-14,62.2398,62.3376,60.8046,61.5371,
FAST,2021-12-15,61.7522,62.3089,61.3317,62.1421,
FAST,2021-12-16,62.377,62.4846,61.6663,61.9565,
FAST,2021-12-17,61.8687,62.1135,60.2479,60.5806,
FAST,2021-12-20,59.9557,60.17,59.028,59.8679,
FAST,2021-12-21,60.2094,60.3259,59.5649,60.1315,
FAST,2021-12-22,60.1117,60.6486,60.0041,60.5707,
FAST,2021-12-23,60.6872,61.4008,60.6872,61.1077,
FAST,2021-12-27,61.3219,62.1234,61.2054,62.074,
FAST,2021-12-28,62.0542,62.4748,61.996,62.3672,
FAST,2021-12-29,62.3276,63.0601,62.299,62.8942,
FAST,2021-12-30,63.2121,63.2121,62.2102,62.299,
FAST,2021-12-31,62.1618,62.7866,61.996,62.5428,
FAST,2022-01-03,62.3572,62.5814,60.0722,60.5114,
FAST,2022-01-04,60.4246,61.4491,60.3752,60.854,
FAST,2022-01-05,60.8925,61.5271,59.9647,60.0821,
FAST,2022-01-06,60.0821,60.8876,59.9844,60.4246,"Insiders Buy the Holdings of FXZ ETF A look at the weighted underlying holdings of the First Trust Materials AlphaDEX Fund (Symbol: FXZ) shows an impressive 11.4% of holdings on a weighted basis have experienced insider buying within the past six months. Cleveland-Cliffs Inc (Symbol: CLF), which makes up 3.02% of the First Trust Materials AlphaDEX Fund (Symbol: FXZ), has seen 5 directors and officers purchase shares in the past six months, according to the recent Form 4 data. The ETF holds a total of $15,932,839 worth of CLF, making it the #17 largest holding. The table below details the recent insider buying activity observed at CLF: CLF — last trade: $23.79 — Recent Insider Buys: PURCHASED INSIDER TITLE SHARES PRICE/SHARE VALUE 11/19/2021 Keith Koci EVP & President, CC Services 10,000 $21.83 $218,270 11/30/2021 Celso L. Goncalves Jr. EVP, CFO 5,000 $20.13 $100,628 12/01/2021 Lourenco Goncalves Chairman, President & CEO 50,000 $19.77 $988,250 12/10/2021 Ralph S. Michael III Director 10,000 $20.11 $201,060 11/29/2021 Celso L. Goncalves Jr. EVP, CFO 5,000 $21.18 $105,895 12/13/2021 Robert P. Fisher Jr. Director 5,000 $19.92 $99,598 And Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST), the #30 largest holding among components of the First Trust Materials AlphaDEX Fund (Symbol: FXZ), shows 4 directors and officers as recently filing Form 4's indicating purchases. The ETF holds $4,645,282 worth of FAST, which represents approximately 0.88% of the ETF's total assets at last check. The recent insider buying activity observed at FAST is detailed in the table below: FAST — last trade: $61.54 — Recent Insider Buys: PURCHASED INSIDER TITLE SHARES PRICE/SHARE VALUE 08/04/2021 Daniel L. Johnson Director 1,000 $55.48 $55,475 09/08/2021 Michael J. Ancius Director 265 $54.09 $14,334 09/13/2021 Hsenghung Sam Hsu Director 1,000 $53.20 $53,200 10/15/2021 Sarah N. Nielsen Director 1,000 $55.76 $55,760 10 ETFs With Stocks That Insiders Are Buying » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2022-01-07,60.1502,60.2094,59.1602,59.1938,
FAST,2022-01-10,58.6084,58.872,58.1879,58.7446,
FAST,2022-01-11,58.6666,58.8818,57.573,58.8621,
FAST,2022-01-12,59.1158,59.7702,58.7348,58.95,"Fastenal (FAST) Earnings Expected to Grow: What to Know Ahead of Next Week's Release Wall Street expects a year-over-year increase in earnings on higher revenues when Fastenal (FAST) reports results for the quarter ended December 2021. While this widely-known consensus outlook is important in gauging the company's earnings picture, a powerful factor that could impact its near-term stock price is how the actual results compare to these estimates. The earnings report, which is expected to be released on January 19, 2022, might help the stock move higher if these key numbers are better than expectations. On the other hand, if they miss, the stock may move lower. While management's discussion of business conditions on theearnings callwill mostly determine the sustainability of the immediate price change and future earnings expectations, it's worth having a handicapping insight into the odds of a positive EPS surprise. Zacks Consensus Estimate This maker of industrial and construction fasteners is expected to post quarterly earnings of $0.36 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of +5.9%. Revenues are expected to be $1.49 billion, up 9.7% from the year-ago quarter. Estimate Revisions Trend The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has remained unchanged over the last 30 days. This is essentially a reflection of how the covering analysts have collectively reassessed their initial estimates over this period. Investors should keep in mind that the direction of estimate revisions by each of the covering analysts may not always get reflected in the aggregate change. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Earnings Whisper Estimate revisions ahead of a company's earnings release offer clues to the business conditions for the period whose results are coming out. This insight is at the core of our proprietary surprise prediction model -- the Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction). The Zacks Earnings ESP compares the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter; the Most Accurate Estimate is a more recent version of the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate. The idea here is that analysts revising their estimates right before an earnings release have the latest information, which could potentially be more accurate than what they and others contributing to the consensus had predicted earlier. Thus, a positive or negative Earnings ESP reading theoretically indicates the likely deviation of the actual earnings from the consensus estimate. However, the model's predictive power is significant for positive ESP readings only. A positive Earnings ESP is a strong predictor of an earnings beat, particularly when combined with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold). Our research shows that stocks with this combination produce a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time, and a solid Zacks Rank actually increases the predictive power of Earnings ESP. Please note that a negative Earnings ESP reading is not indicative of an earnings miss. Our research shows that it is difficult to predict an earnings beat with any degree of confidence for stocks with negative Earnings ESP readings and/or Zacks Rank of 4 (Sell) or 5 (Strong Sell). How Have the Numbers Shaped Up for Fastenal? For Fastenal, the Most Accurate Estimate is the same as the Zacks Consensus Estimate, suggesting that there are no recent analyst views which differ from what have been considered to derive the consensus estimate. This has resulted in an Earnings ESP of 0%. On the other hand, the stock currently carries a Zacks Rank of #2. So, this combination makes it difficult to conclusively predict that Fastenal will beat the consensus EPS estimate. Does Earnings Surprise History Hold Any Clue? Analysts often consider to what extent a company has been able to match consensus estimates in the past while calculating their estimates for its future earnings. So, it's worth taking a look at the surprise history for gauging its influence on the upcoming number. For the last reported quarter, it was expected that Fastenal would post earnings of $0.41 per share when it actually produced earnings of $0.42, delivering a surprise of +2.44%. Over the last four quarters, the company has beaten consensus EPS estimates three times. Bottom Line An earnings beat or miss may not be the sole basis for a stock moving higher or lower. Many stocks end up losing ground despite an earnings beat due to other factors that disappoint investors. Similarly, unforeseen catalysts help a number of stocks gain despite an earnings miss. That said, betting on stocks that are expected to beat earnings expectations does increase the odds of success. This is why it's worth checking a company's Earnings ESP and Zacks Rank ahead of its quarterly release. Make sure to utilize our Earnings ESP Filter to uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they've reported. Fastenal doesn't appear a compelling earnings-beat candidate. However, investors should pay attention to other factors too for betting on this stock or staying away from it ahead of its earnings release. Breakout Biotech Stocks with Triple-Digit Profit Potential The biotech sector is projected to surge beyond $2.4 trillion by 2028 as scientists develop treatments for thousands of diseases. They’re also finding ways to edit the human genome to literally erase our vulnerability to these diseases. Zacks has just released Century of Biology: 7 Biotech Stocks to Buy Right Now to help investors profit from 7 stocks poised for outperformance. Recommendations from previous editions of this report have produced gains of +205%, +258% and +477%. The stocks in this report could perform even better. See these 7 breakthrough stocks now >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2022-01-13,59.1158,60.1315,59.1158,59.3112,
FAST,2022-01-14,59.6517,59.6517,57.6075,57.7981,"Why Builders FirstSource (BLDR) is a Must Buy Right Now Solid momentum in the housing market has been a silver lining for building product suppliers. The migration of consumers to larger suburban and second homes is resulting in substantial square footage growth, thereby driving accelerated home products demand. Also, consumers are gradually shaking off worries about inflation and the rising cases of new variant Omicron. This is evident from the latest consumer confidence data. Consumer confidence improved in December, following a very modest gain in November. Importantly, as highlighted by Lynn Franco, senior director of economic indicators at the Conference Board, “expectations about short-term growth prospects improved, setting the stage for continued growth in early 2022. The proportion of consumers planning to purchase homes, automobiles, major appliances, and vacations over the next six months all increased.” Hence, among the bellwethers, Builders FirstSource Inc. BLDR has been gaining from the industry tailwinds. Also, the company’s focus on strategic acquisitions and divestitures, cost synergies as well as digital solutions bodes well. Shares of this leading supplier of building materials, manufactured components and construction services have rallied 97.1% over the past year, outperforming the Zacks Building Products – Retail industry’s 39.4% growth. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Full-year 2022 earnings estimates for this Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) company have moved 1.9% upward to $6.86 per share over the past seven days. This positive trend signifies bullish analysts’ sentiments, indicating robust fundamentals and the expectation of outperformance in the near term. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. What Makes the Stock an Attractive Pick? Inorganic Drive Systematic acquisition is an important growth strategy for Builders FirstSource in order to supplement organic growth and expand extensively across vast geographic boundaries. The company’s first selective targets are those entities manufacturing prefabricated components such as factory-built roof and floor trusses, wall panels, stairs, and engineered wood as well as other value-added products such as vinyl windows and millwork. Secondly, the company intends to enter some of the homebuilding markets wherein it does not currently operate. On Sep 1, 2021, the company acquired certain assets and operations of CTF Holdings Limited Partnership. Prior to the acquisition, CTF was the largest independent truss manufacturer in California, supplying framing contractors and builders in both single and multifamily markets. On Aug 17, 2021, the company acquired certain assets and operations of WTS Paradigm, LLC (“Paradigm”), a software solutions and services provider for the building products industry. This buyout expands the company’s digital capabilities and aligns with its broader vision to provide digital solutions improving efficiency in the homebuilding process. Focus on Digital Solutions Builders FirstSource remains focused on investing in innovations and enhancing digital solutions for customers. On Sep 9, 2021, the company acquired the Apollo software assets from a construction technology startup, Katerra. The platform provides design collaboration and workflow, construction budgeting and scheduling as well as field task assignment with mobile functionality. Much optimism can be noted in this regard, as the company intends to boost long-term value through digital transformation. Also, during second-quarter 2021, the company adopted new logistics technologies, mainly delivery and dispatch management system. Its digital strategy includes three major areas — to focus on internal processes and productivity by investing in technology to drive operational efficiency as well as excellence, to help streamline interactions with vendors and customers, and to focus on external innovation and investment to offer value-added digital products and services that support customers' success and growth. Focus on Cost Synergies The company’s elevated scale and a very comfortable balance sheet position enable it to project an annual run-rate synergy of $140 million to $160 million by the end of 2022, indicating an overachievement in just two years compared with the original three-year commitment between $130 million and $150 million. The company continued its focus on achieving higher operating leverage on the back of higher sales and robust expense controls by offsetting higher variable costs. Builders FirstSource is focused on cost-saving initiatives and implementing various plans for the same. Owing to this, the company is expected to provide greater resources to invest in growth, innovation and non-stop value creation for all its shareholders. Other Top-Ranked Stocks From the Broader Retail-Wholesale Sector GMS Inc. GMS presently has a Zacks Rank #1. The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 24.9%, on average. Shares of GMS have gained 73.9% over the past year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for GMS’ sales and earnings per share for the current financial year suggests an improvement of 36.6% and 100.6%, respectively, from the year-ago period. Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. BECN presently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 566.8%, on average. Shares of BECN have gained 30.7% over the past year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for BECN’s sales and earnings per share for the current financial year suggests an improvement of 6.7% and 9.4%, respectively, from the year-ago period. Fastenal Company FAST presently has a Zacks Rank #2. The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 2%, on average. Shares of FAST have gained 20.3% over the past year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for FAST’s sales and earnings for the current financial year suggests an improvement of 8.8% and 9.6%, respectively, from the year-ago period. Infrastructure Stock Boom to Sweep America A massive push to rebuild the crumbling U.S. infrastructure will soon be underway. It’s bipartisan, urgent, and inevitable. Trillions will be spent. Fortunes will be made. The only question is “Will you get into the right stocks early when their growth potential is greatest?” Zacks has released a Special Report to help you do just that, and today it’s free. Discover 7 special companies that look to gain the most from construction and repair to roads, bridges, and buildings, plus cargo hauling and energy transformation on an almost unimaginable scale. Download FREE: How to Profit from Trillions on Spending for Infrastructure >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. (BECN): Free Stock Analysis Report Builders FirstSource, Inc. (BLDR): Free Stock Analysis Report GMS Inc. (GMS): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2022-01-18,57.0479,57.3884,56.4014,57.0074,"[""Pre-Market Earnings Report for January 19, 2022 : UNH, BAC, PG, ASML, MS, PLD, USB, STT, FAST, CFG, CMA, CBSH The following companies are expected to report earnings prior to market open on 01/19/2022. Visit our Earnings Calendar for a full list of expected earnings releases. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (UNH)is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2021. The hmo company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 10 analysts that follow the stock is $4.30. This value represents a 70.63% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year UNH has beat the expectations every quarter. The highest one was in the 3rd calendar quarter where they beat the consensus by 2.49%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2021 Price to Earnings ratio for UNH is 24.89 vs. an industry ratio of 26.00. Bank of America Corporation (BAC)is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2021. The bank company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 11 analysts that follow the stock is $0.76. This value represents a 28.81% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year BAC has beat the expectations every quarter. The highest one was in the 3rd calendar quarter where they beat the consensus by 19.72%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2021 Price to Earnings ratio for BAC is 13.73 vs. an industry ratio of 13.20, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Procter & Gamble Company (PG)is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2021. The cleaning company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 7 analysts that follow the stock is $1.65. This value represents a 0.61% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year PG has beat the expectations every quarter. The highest one was in the 3rd calendar quarter where they beat the consensus by 1.26%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2022 Price to Earnings ratio for PG is 27.04 vs. an industry ratio of 25.80, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. ASML Holding N.V. (ASML)is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2021. The capital goods company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 3 analysts that follow the stock is $4.31. This value represents a 11.95% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year ASML has beat the expectations every quarter. The highest one was in the 3rd calendar quarter where they beat the consensus by 7.04%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2021 Price to Earnings ratio for ASML is 47.36 vs. an industry ratio of 28.10, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Morgan Stanley (MS)is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2021. The investment bankers company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 7 analysts that follow the stock is $2.00. This value represents a 4.17% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year MS has beat the expectations every quarter. The highest one was in the 3rd calendar quarter where they beat the consensus by 20%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2021 Price to Earnings ratio for MS is 12.44 vs. an industry ratio of 11.60, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Prologis, Inc. (PLD)is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2021. The reit company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 8 analysts that follow the stock is $1.10. This value represents a 15.79% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year PLD has beat the expectations every quarter. The highest one was in the 3rd calendar quarter where they beat the consensus by 0.97%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2021 Price to Earnings ratio for PLD is 37.07 vs. an industry ratio of 15.80, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. U.S. Bancorp (USB)is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2021. The bank company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 9 analysts that follow the stock is $1.11. This value represents a 16.84% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year USB has met analyst expectations once and beat the expectations the other three quarters. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2021 Price to Earnings ratio for USB is 12.33 vs. an industry ratio of 13.20. State Street Corporation (STT)is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2021. The bank company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 6 analysts that follow the stock is $1.91. This value represents a 13.02% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year STT has beat the expectations every quarter. The highest one was in the 3rd calendar quarter where they beat the consensus by 4.17%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2021 Price to Earnings ratio for STT is 14.10 vs. an industry ratio of 13.20, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Fastenal Company (FAST)is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2021. The building company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 5 analysts that follow the stock is $0.37. This value represents a 8.82% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year FAST has met analyst expectations once and beat the expectations the other three quarters. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2021 Price to Earnings ratio for FAST is 37.47 vs. an industry ratio of 17.80, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Citizens Financial Group, Inc. (CFG)is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2021. The savings & loan company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 7 analysts that follow the stock is $1.16. This value represents a 11.54% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year CFG has beat the expectations every quarter. The highest one was in the 3rd calendar quarter where they beat the consensus by 2.52%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2021 Price to Earnings ratio for CFG is 10.77 vs. an industry ratio of 14.60. Comerica Incorporated (CMA)is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2021. The bank company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 10 analysts that follow the stock is $1.61. This value represents a 8.05% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year CMA has beat the expectations every quarter. The highest one was in the 3rd calendar quarter where they beat the consensus by 13.1%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2021 Price to Earnings ratio for CMA is 12.23 vs. an industry ratio of 13.20. Commerce Bancshares, Inc. (CBSH)is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2021. The bank (midwest) company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 6 analysts that follow the stock is $0.94. This value represents a 11.32% decrease compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year CBSH has beat the expectations every quarter. The highest one was in the 3rd calendar quarter where they beat the consensus by 5.26%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2021 Price to Earnings ratio for CBSH is 17.17 vs. an industry ratio of 11.80, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""5 Must-See Large Cap Earnings Charts This is a shortened trading week due to the Martin Luther King Day holiday but that doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s not filled with plenty to keep traders busy. Fourth quarter earnings season heats up with about 100 companies expected to report. Among them will be many of the regional banks, but there will also be other large cap companies reporting that investors should be watching. We\u2019ll hear from a diverse group of large cap companies including manufacturers, industrials and transports. These were some of the big winners over the last 2 years but, as a result, they\u2019re no longer cheap. Will valuation be a factor even for non-technology big cap companies in 2022? 5 Must-See Large Cap Earnings Chart 1. Fastenal FAST Fastenal distributes industrial and construction supplies. It\u2019s often a barometer for the manufacturing and construction industries. Fastenal has beat 7 quarters in a row, so it has a great pandemic earnings surprise track record. Fastenal shares continue to grind higher and added 17.3% over the last year as it hit new 5-year highs. But shares have fallen 7% in the last month, on overall stock market weakness. Will another beat send the shares higher? 2. United Airlines UAL United Airlines has been a wild stock since the pandemic started as travel has had fits and starts. United Airlines has beat 2 quarters in a row so it has put together a mini-streak. It\u2019s been a frustrating year for investors as shares are up just 9.8% during that time. Over the last month, as fears about Omicron have eased, the shares have rebounded 12.6%. United Airlines isn\u2019t a cheap stock on a P/E basis. It\u2019s trading at 26x. But with the recovery back on, is it time to get into United Airlines to start 2022? 3. Union Pacific UNP Union Pacific operates a railroad on the West Coast and along the Mexico border. Union Pacific has beat 3 out of the last 4 quarters and has a pretty solid earnings surprise track record. Shares are up 13.7% over the last year, as logistics have been hot, and in the last month, have fallen, but only 0.3%. It\u2019s still trading near its 5-year highs. Union Pacific isn\u2019t cheap either, with a forward P/E of 22. Is Union Pacific too hot to handle in 2022? 4. Intuitive Surgical ISRG Intuitive Surgical makes the Da Vinci surgical system. It has a great earnings surprise track record, having put together 10 earnings beats in a row. That\u2019s impressive given the pandemic. Intuitive Surgical recently gave preliminary Q4 procedure results, which were up 19% year-over-year. However, the delta and omicron variant outbreaks did impact the quarter. Intuitive Surgical has been one of the most popular large cap growth stocks of the last 5 years. Shares are up 344% during that time. But over the last month, shares have fallen 7.2% on growth stock weakness. It still trades with a forward P/E of 56. Is valuation an issue with Intuitive Surgical in 2022\u2019s rising rate environment? 5. PPG Industries PPG PPG Industries is in paints and coatings. It has beat 5 out of the last 6 quarters. Shares rallied hard off the coronavirus lows in 2020 but over the last year, PPG Industries only gained 11.5%. Over the last month, the shares have fallen, but only 0.5%. Shares are not cheap, as PPG Industries trades with a forward P/E of 20.2. What will be the catalyst to push PPG Industries to new highs in 2022? Just Released: Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2022 In addition to the investment ideas discussed above, would you like to know about our 10 top picks for the entirety of 2022? From inception in 2012 through 2021, the Zacks Top 10 Stocks portfolios gained an impressive +1,001.2% versus the S&P 500\u2019s +348.7%. Now our Director of Research has combed through 4,000 companies covered by the Zacks Rank and has handpicked the best 10 tickers to buy and hold. Don\u2019t miss your chance to get in\u2026because the sooner you do, the more upside you stand to grab. See Stocks Now >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report United Airlines Holdings Inc (UAL): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Union Pacific Corporation (UNP): Free Stock Analysis Report Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (ISRG): Free Stock Analysis Report PPG Industries, Inc. (PPG): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2022-01-19,59.2135,59.7021,56.4803,56.6462,"[""Daily Dividend Report: AOS,AEP,DFS,FAST,OGS Directors of A. O. Smith today declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of $.28 per share on the company's Common Stock and Class A Common Stock. The dividend is payable on February 15 to shareholders of record January 31, 2022. The Board of Directors of American Electric Power today declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of 78 cents a share on the company's common stock. The dividend is payable March 10, 2022, to shareholders of record as of Feb. 10, 2022, and is the company's 447th consecutive quarterly common stock cash dividend. AEP has paid a cash dividend on its common stock every quarter since July 1910. The Board of Directors of Discover Financial Services declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.50 per share of common stock payable on March 3, 2022, to holders of record at the close of business on February 17, 2022. Fastenal reported its board of directors declared a dividend of $0.31 per share to be paid in cash on March 2, 2022 to shareholders of record at the close of business on February 2, 2022. The board of directors of ONE Gas, today increased the dividend for the first quarter 2022 by 4 cents per share to 62 cents per share, resulting in an annualized dividend of $2.48 per share. The dividend is payable March 11, 2022, to shareholders of record at the close of business Feb. 25, 2022. VIDEO: Daily Dividend Report: AOS,AEP,DFS,FAST,OGS The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Will Pro Business Drive Home Depot's (HD) Growth in 2022? The Professional (\u201cPro\u201d) customers have been the key to The Home Depot Inc\u2019s HD growth over the past several years. The company\u2019s Pro segment\u2019s sales have been outpacing DIY sales for the past several quarters. Its efforts to fortify the offerings for Pro customers have contributed significantly to this growth. Continued strength in the segment is likely to go a long way in driving the stock\u2019s growth in 2022. Additionally, the company remains poised for growth in 2022, driven by the momentum in the home improvement industry, which has been benefiting from sustained demand for home-improvement projects and a robust housing market. Home Depot is also benefiting from its digital momentum and ongoing investments. It remains on track with the execution of the \u201cOne Home Depot\u201d investment plan, which bodes well. Driven by the factors, the Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) company\u2019s shares have rallied 33.8% in the past year compared with the industry\u2019s growth of 33.3%. The stock comfortably outpaced the S&P 500\u2019s growth of 21.6% and the Retail-Wholesale sector\u2019s decline of 16.3% in the same period. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Pro Business Remains Strong Home Depot\u2019s Pro segment has been a key growth driver, with the Pro segment witnessing robust sales growth for the past several quarters. Growth in the Pro segment reflects significant demand for larger projects in the home improvement industry. In the quarter, HD witnessed strength in several Pro-heavy categories like drywall, pipe and fittings, and several mill-work categories. The company expects continued sales growth from Pros as project demand remains strong and their backlogs are growing. Home Depot remains on track with its strategic investments to build a Pro ecosystem, including professional-grade products, exclusive brands, enhanced delivery, credit, digital capabilities, field sales support and HD rental. The company expects its differentiated Pro ecosystem to help in deeper engagement with Pro customers in the long term. Recently, Home Depot augmented the commercial credit offerings for Pro customers and their businesses through the launch of The Pro Xtra Credit Card. The new card features a revised Commercial Revolving Charge and updates to its Commercial Account Card. The credit options will be powered by Citi Retail Services, one of North America's largest and most experienced retail credit solution providers. With the expanded commercial credit program, the company expects to assist its Pro customers in saving both time and money. The Pro Xtra Credit Card will have the option to be linked to the Pro Xtra loyalty program so that registered customers can earn Pro Xtra Perks four times faster on card purchases. The company\u2019s Pro Xtra loyalty program provides member-only benefits, including volume pricing, exclusive product offers, paint rewards, and perks. The company will reward Pro Xtra members with a $100 credit on registering for the Pro Xtra Credit Card. Other Growth Drivers Home Depot is on track with the execution of the \u201cOne Home Depot\u201d investment plan, which focuses on expanding supply-chain facilities, technology investments and enhancement to the digital experience. The company continues to leverage the momentum in strategic investments to enhance the interconnected experience to support its goals of driving growth faster than the market in any environment, strengthening its position as a low-cost provider in home improvement and delivering exceptional shareholder value. The interconnected retail strategy and underlying technology infrastructure have aided in consistently driving web traffic for the past few quarters. Sales, leveraging the digital platforms, rose 8% in the fiscal third quarter. On a two-year stack basis, sales from digital platforms increased nearly 95%. Around 55% of the online orders were delivered from a store. Another key component of delivering an interconnected experience is enhanced delivery and fulfillment options. Over the years, the company has created the fastest and most efficient delivery network in home improvement through options like buy online pick up in store with convenient pickup lockers, buy online deliver from store with express car and van delivery, and curbside pickup. Other Stocks to Bet On We have highlighted some other top-ranked stocks from the broader Retail-Wholesale space, namely Builders FirstSource BLDR, GMS Inc. GMS and Fastenal FAST. Builders FirstSource currently sports a Zacks Rank #1. The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 71.5%, on average. Shares of BLDR have surged 83.1% in the past year. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Builders FirstSource's current financial-year sales suggests growth of 129.1% and that for earnings per share reflects growth of 207.6% from the year-ago period's reported figure. GMS, a Zacks Rank #1 stock, has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 24.9%, on average. The GMS stock has gained 60.5% in a year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for GMS\u2019 current financial-year sales and earnings per share suggests growth of 36.7% and 100.6%, respectively, from the year-ago period's reported numbers. Fastenal currently flaunts a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 2%, on average. Shares of the company have gained 19.9% in the past year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Fastenal\u2019s current financial-year sales and earnings per share suggests growth of 5.8% and 5.4%, respectively, from the year-ago period. FAST has an expected long-term earnings growth rate of 9%. 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days Just released: Experts distill 7 elite stocks from the current list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buys. They deem these tickers \""Most Likely for Early Price Pops.\"" Since 1988, the full list has beaten the market more than 2X over with an average gain of +25.3% per year. So be sure to give these hand-picked 7 your immediate attention. See them now >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report The Home Depot, Inc. (HD): Free Stock Analysis Report Builders FirstSource, Inc. (BLDR): Free Stock Analysis Report GMS Inc. (GMS): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Q4 21 Earnings Conference Call At 10:00 AM ET (RTTNews) - Fastenal Co. (FAST) will host a conference call at 10:00 AM ET on Jan. 19, 2022, to discuss Q4 21 earnings results. To access the live webcast, log on to https://investor.fastenal.com/events-and-presentations/default.aspx The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal (FAST) Q4 Earnings and Revenues Surpass Estimates Fastenal (FAST) came out with quarterly earnings of $0.40 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.37 per share. This compares to earnings of $0.34 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items. This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of 8.11%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this maker of industrial and construction fasteners would post earnings of $0.41 per share when it actually produced earnings of $0.42, delivering a surprise of 2.44%. Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates three times. Fastenal, which belongs to the Zacks Building Products - Retail industry, posted revenues of $1.53 billion for the quarter ended December 2021, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 1.66%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $1.36 billion. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates three times over the last four quarters. The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call. Fastenal shares have lost about 8.9% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's decline of -4%. What's Next for Fastenal? While Fastenal has underperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock? There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately. Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions. Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for Fastenal: favorable. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to outperform the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. It will be interesting to see how estimates for the coming quarters and current fiscal year change in the days ahead. The current consensus EPS estimate is $0.42 on $1.61 billion in revenues for the coming quarter and $1.74 on $6.56 billion in revenues for the current fiscal year. Investors should be mindful of the fact that the outlook for the industry can have a material impact on the performance of the stock as well. In terms of the Zacks Industry Rank, Building Products - Retail is currently in the top 9% of the 250 plus Zacks industries. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1. Beacon Roofing Supply (BECN), another stock in the same industry, has yet to report results for the quarter ended December 2021. This roofing materials distributor is expected to post quarterly earnings of $1.17 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of +27.2%. The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has remained unchanged over the last 30 days. Beacon Roofing Supply's revenues are expected to be $1.56 billion, down 1.3% from the year-ago quarter. 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days Just released: Experts distill 7 elite stocks from the current list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buys. They deem these tickers \""Most Likely for Early Price Pops.\"" Since 1988, the full list has beaten the market more than 2X over with an average gain of +25.3% per year. So be sure to give these hand-picked 7 your immediate attention. See them now >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. (BECN): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Rises In Pre-market On Better-than-expected Quarterly Results (RTTNews) - Shares of Fastenal Company (FAST), a wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies, were up more than 3% in the pre-market on Wednesday after reporting better-than-expected fourth-quarter results. Net earnings in the fourth quarter increased to $231.2 million or $0.40 per share from $196.1 million or $0.34 per share in the same quarter a year ago. On average, 12 analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expected the company to report earnings of $0.38 per share. Net sales for the quarter jumped 12.8% year-over-year to $1.532 billion. The consensus estimate was for $1.51 billion. Fastenal stock closed Tuesday's trading at $58.39, down 1.37%. It is currently at $59.35, up 1.64%. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Co. Q4 Income Advances, Beats estimates (RTTNews) - Fastenal Co. (FAST) announced a profit for its fourth quarter that increased from last year and beat the Street estimates. The company's earnings came in at $231.2 million, or $0.40 per share. This compares with $196.1 million, or $0.34 per share, in last year's fourth quarter. Analysts on average had expected the company to earn $0.38 per share, according to figures compiled by Thomson Reuters. Analysts' estimates typically exclude special items. The company's revenue for the quarter rose 12.5% to $1.53 billion from $1.36 billion last year. Fastenal Co. earnings at a glance (GAAP) : -Earnings (Q4): $231.2 Mln. vs. $196.1 Mln. last year. -EPS (Q4): $0.40 vs. $0.34 last year. -Analyst Estimate: $0.38 -Revenue (Q4): $1.53 Bln vs. $1.36 Bln last year. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2022-01-20,57.3095,57.3095,54.7412,54.8398,"Fastenal is Oversold The DividendRank formula at Dividend Channel ranks a coverage universe of thousands of dividend stocks, according to a proprietary formula designed to identify those stocks that combine two important characteristics — strong fundamentals and a valuation that looks inexpensive. Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) presently has an above average rank, in the top 50% of the coverage universe, which suggests it is among the top most ""interesting"" ideas that merit further research by investors. But making Fastenal Co. an even more interesting and timely stock to look at, is the fact that in trading on Thursday, shares of FAST entered into oversold territory, changing hands as low as $56.46 per share. We define oversold territory using the Relative Strength Index, or RSI, which is a technical analysis indicator used to measure momentum on a scale of zero to 100. A stock is considered to be oversold if the RSI reading falls below 30. In the case of Fastenal Co., the RSI reading has hit 29.5 — by comparison, the universe of dividend stocks covered by Dividend Channel currently has an average RSI of 47.0. A falling stock price — all else being equal — creates a better opportunity for dividend investors to capture a higher yield. Indeed, FAST's recent annualized dividend of 1.24/share (currently paid in quarterly installments) works out to an annual yield of 2.14% based upon the recent $58.02 share price. A bullish investor could look at FAST's 29.5 RSI reading today as a sign that the recent heavy selling is in the process of exhausting itself, and begin to look for entry point opportunities on the buy side. Among the fundamental datapoints dividend investors should investigate to decide if they are bullish on FAST is its dividend history. In general, dividends are not always predictable; but, looking at the history chart below can help in judging whether the most recent dividend is likely to continue. Click here to find out what 9 other oversold dividend stocks you need to know about » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2022-01-21,54.9564,55.9137,54.751,55.1814,"Interesting FAST Put And Call Options For March 18th Investors in Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) saw new options become available this week, for the March 18th expiration. At Stock Options Channel, our YieldBoost formula has looked up and down the FAST options chain for the new March 18th contracts and identified one put and one call contract of particular interest. The put contract at the $52.50 strike price has a current bid of 95 cents. If an investor was to sell-to-open that put contract, they are committing to purchase the stock at $52.50, but will also collect the premium, putting the cost basis of the shares at $51.55 (before broker commissions). To an investor already interested in purchasing shares of FAST, that could represent an attractive alternative to paying $56.66/share today. Because the $52.50 strike represents an approximate 7% discount to the current trading price of the stock (in other words it is out-of-the-money by that percentage), there is also the possibility that the put contract would expire worthless. The current analytical data (including greeks and implied greeks) suggest the current odds of that happening are 83%. Stock Options Channel will track those odds over time to see how they change, publishing a chart of those numbers on our website under the contract detail page for this contract. Should the contract expire worthless, the premium would represent a 1.81% return on the cash commitment, or 11.80% annualized — at Stock Options Channel we call this the YieldBoost. Below is a chart showing the trailing twelve month trading history for Fastenal Co., and highlighting in green where the $52.50 strike is located relative to that history: Turning to the calls side of the option chain, the call contract at the $57.50 strike price has a current bid of $1.75. If an investor was to purchase shares of FAST stock at the current price level of $56.66/share, and then sell-to-open that call contract as a ""covered call,"" they are committing to sell the stock at $57.50. Considering the call seller will also collect the premium, that would drive a total return (excluding dividends, if any) of 4.57% if the stock gets called away at the March 18th expiration (before broker commissions). Of course, a lot of upside could potentially be left on the table if FAST shares really soar, which is why looking at the trailing twelve month trading history for Fastenal Co., as well as studying the business fundamentals becomes important. Below is a chart showing FAST's trailing twelve month trading history, with the $57.50 strike highlighted in red: Considering the fact that the $57.50 strike represents an approximate 1% premium to the current trading price of the stock (in other words it is out-of-the-money by that percentage), there is also the possibility that the covered call contract would expire worthless, in which case the investor would keep both their shares of stock and the premium collected. The current analytical data (including greeks and implied greeks) suggest the current odds of that happening are 57%. On our website under the contract detail page for this contract, Stock Options Channel will track those odds over time to see how they change and publish a chart of those numbers (the trading history of the option contract will also be charted). Should the covered call contract expire worthless, the premium would represent a 3.09% boost of extra return to the investor, or 20.15% annualized, which we refer to as the YieldBoost. The implied volatility in the put contract example is 32%, while the implied volatility in the call contract example is 25%. Meanwhile, we calculate the actual trailing twelve month volatility (considering the last 253 trading day closing values as well as today's price of $56.66) to be 20%. For more put and call options contract ideas worth looking at, visit StockOptionsChannel.com. Top YieldBoost Calls of the Nasdaq 100 » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2022-01-24,55.0254,56.1477,54.5082,56.1092,"Fastenal's (NASDAQ:FAST) Dividend Will Be Increased To US$0.31 Fastenal Company (NASDAQ:FAST) will increase its dividend on the 2nd of March to US$0.31. Based on the announced payment, the dividend yield for the company will be 2.0%, which is fairly typical for the industry. Fastenal's Earnings Easily Cover the Distributions We like to see a healthy dividend yield, but that is only helpful to us if the payment can continue. The last payment was quite easily covered by earnings, but it made up 116% of cash flows. The company might be more focused on returning cash to shareholders, but paying out this much of its cash flow could expose the dividend to being cut in the future. Looking forward, earnings per share is forecast to rise by 11.0% over the next year. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, we think the payout ratio could be 72% by next year, which is in a pretty sustainable range. NasdaqGS:FAST Historic Dividend January 24th 2022 Fastenal Has A Solid Track Record Even over a long history of paying dividends, the company's distributions have been remarkably stable. Since 2012, the dividend has gone from US$0.26 to US$1.24. This implies that the company grew its distributions at a yearly rate of about 17% over that duration. Rapidly growing dividends for a long time is a very valuable feature for an income stock. The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow The company's investors will be pleased to have been receiving dividend income for some time. Fastenal has impressed us by growing EPS at 13% per year over the past five years. While on an earnings basis, this company looks appealing as an income stock, the cash payout ratio still makes us cautious. Our Thoughts On Fastenal's Dividend Overall, we always like to see the dividend being raised, but we don't think Fastenal will make a great income stock. While Fastenal is earning enough to cover the payments, the cash flows are lacking. We don't think Fastenal is a great stock to add to your portfolio if income is your focus. It's important to note that companies having a consistent dividend policy will generate greater investor confidence than those having an erratic one. Still, investors need to consider a host of other factors, apart from dividend payments, when analysing a company. Companies that are growing earnings tend to be the best dividend stocks over the long term. See what the 13 analysts we track are forecasting for Fastenal for free with public analyst estimates for the company. We have also put together a list of global stocks with a solid dividend. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2022-01-25,55.2594,55.3867,53.7166,54.3611,"Fastenal (FAST) Shares Cross Below 200 DMA In trading on Tuesday, shares of Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) crossed below their 200 day moving average of $55.57, changing hands as low as $55.02 per share. Fastenal Co. shares are currently trading down about 3.8% on the day. The chart below shows the one year performance of FAST shares, versus its 200 day moving average: Looking at the chart above, FAST's low point in its 52 week range is $43.37 per share, with $64.7465 as the 52 week high point — that compares with a last trade of $55.30. The FAST DMA information above was sourced from TechnicalAnalysisChannel.com Click here to find out which 9 other dividend stocks recently crossed below their 200 day moving average » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2022-01-26,54.5753,55.3374,53.3554,54.0097,
FAST,2022-01-27,54.3997,54.83,53.15,53.531,
FAST,2022-01-28,53.5014,54.5368,52.7591,54.5082,"Ex-Dividend Reminder: Fastenal, Columbia Banking System and Entegris Looking at the universe of stocks we cover at Dividend Channel, on 2/1/22, Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST), Columbia Banking System Inc (Symbol: COLB), and Entegris Inc (Symbol: ENTG) will all trade ex-dividend for their respective upcoming dividends. Fastenal Co. will pay its quarterly dividend of $0.31 on 3/2/22, Columbia Banking System Inc will pay its quarterly dividend of $0.30 on 2/16/22, and Entegris Inc will pay its quarterly dividend of $0.10 on 2/23/22. As a percentage of FAST's recent stock price of $54.31, this dividend works out to approximately 0.57%, so look for shares of Fastenal Co. to trade 0.57% lower — all else being equal — when FAST shares open for trading on 2/1/22. Similarly, investors should look for COLB to open 0.87% lower in price and for ENTG to open 0.09% lower, all else being equal. Below are dividend history charts for FAST, COLB, and ENTG, showing historical dividends prior to the most recent ones declared. Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST): Columbia Banking System Inc (Symbol: COLB): Entegris Inc (Symbol: ENTG): In general, dividends are not always predictable, following the ups and downs of company profits over time. Therefore, a good first due diligence step in forming an expectation of annual yield going forward, is looking at the history above, for a sense of stability over time. This can help in judging whether the most recent dividends from these companies are likely to continue. If they do continue, the current estimated yields on annualized basis would be 2.28% for Fastenal Co., 3.49% for Columbia Banking System Inc, and 0.37% for Entegris Inc. In Friday trading, Fastenal Co. shares are currently off about 0.9%, Columbia Banking System Inc shares are off about 0.1%, and Entegris Inc shares are off about 1% on the day. Click here to learn which 25 S.A.F.E. dividend stocks should be on your radar screen » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2022-01-31,54.3523,55.5426,54.0483,55.3374,
FAST,2022-02-01,55.5338,55.7598,54.5763,55.4745,
FAST,2022-02-02,55.4745,56.3047,55.2494,56.2109,
FAST,2022-02-03,56.0243,56.5938,55.131,55.3472,
FAST,2022-02-04,54.906,55.2494,53.8548,53.9831,"Beacon's (BECN) Transition Period Earnings & Sales Beat Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. BECN gained 1.5% in the after-hours trading session on Feb 3, after it reported solid results for the transition period (Oct 1 to Dec 31, 2021). The top and bottom lines surpassed their respective Zacks Consensus Estimate and improved significantly on a year-over-year basis. The solid results were mainly backed by strong net sales, gross margin expansion and operational improvement. Julian Francis, Beacon’s president and CEO, said, “2021 was nothing short of transformational. I’m extremely proud of the Beacon team’s ability to successfully execute in a supply-challenged environment to finish the year in record fashion. We eclipsed a meaningful profitability threshold, delivering double-digit Adjusted EBITDA margin for the first time in our history.” The company recently closed two acquisitions, Midway Wholesale and Crabtree Siding, expanding its presence in key markets. In addition, it divested the solar products business to focus more on delivering high-caliber service to core exterior customers. Julian continued, “The strategic achievements that we have accomplished in 2020 and 2021 give us great confidence in our future, and we look forward to sharing our longer-term strategic plan called Ambition 2025 with the investment community later this month.” Starting from Jan 1, 2022, BECN’s fiscal years will end on Dec 31, 2022. The company expects the reporting calendar change to be extremely beneficial through the promotion of both internal efficiencies and better external comparability. Quarter in Detail Beacon’s adjusted earnings of $1.28 per share topped the consensus mark of $1.19 by 7.6% and grew 39.1% from the year-ago period on higher revenues, margin expansion and aggressive cost-cutting actions. Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. Quote Net sales of $1.75 billion topped the consensus mark of $1.56 billion by 12%. Also, the metric gained 11.3% from $1.58 billion a year ago. Sales increased across all three product categories, largely driven by a weighted average selling price increase of approximately 15-16%. Yet, average sales volume decreased approximately 4-5% due to supply chain challenges during the year. Nonetheless, this marked record fourth-quarter net sales. Sales of residential roofing products (accounting for 52.7% of net sales), non-residential roofing products (25.5%), and complementary products (21.8%) increased 8.9%, 12.8%, and 15.7%, respectively. Operating Highlights Gross margin of 26.3% improved 90 basis points (bps) year over year, courtesy of successful implementation of price increase, partially offset by an unfavorable sales mix. Adjusted operating expenses, as a percentage of net sales, remained in line with the prior-year figure of 17.5%. Adjusted EBITDA margin expanded 80 bps year over year. Cash Position At December 2021-end, Beacon had cash and cash equivalents of $225.8 million, significantly down from $461.4 million at December 2020-end. Long-term debt, net was $1.61 billion, lower than the 2020-end figure of $2.49 billion. Cash provided by operating activities was $49.6 million for the three months ended Dec 31, 2021 against cash used in operations of $39.1 million in the comparable year-ago period. Calendar Year 2021 Highlights Net sales were up 12.2% year over year to $6.82 billion. Residential roofing product sales grew 11.3%, non-residential roofing product sales rose 8.5% and complementary product sales increased 19.4% from the prior year. The company reported an adjusted net income of $394.4 million, up from $198.6 million in the year-ago period. Gross margin and adjusted EBITDA for the period advanced 230 bps and 250 bps, respectively, from a year ago. Zacks Rank & Peer Release Beacon Roofing currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Fastenal Company FAST — which currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 — ended 2021 on a solid note. Fastenal’s earnings and revenues not only beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate but also improved on a year-over-year basis, given strong demand for manufacturing and construction equipment and supplies along with higher pricing. Other Top-Ranked Stocks in Broader Retail Sector Other top-ranked stocks from the Zacks Retail-Wholesale sector include Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc. ARCO and Genesco Inc. GCO. Arcos Dorados sports a Zacks Rank #2. It has long-term earnings growth of 42.9%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for ARCO’s 2022 sales and earnings per share (EPS) suggests growth of 10.4% and 255.6%, respectively, from the year-ago levels. Genesco sports a Zacks Rank #1. The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 2,739.6%, on average. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for GCO’s fiscal 2022 sales and EPS indicates a rise of 35.3% and 672.9%, respectively, from the year-ago levels. Infrastructure Stock Boom to Sweep America A massive push to rebuild the crumbling U.S. infrastructure will soon be underway. It’s bipartisan, urgent, and inevitable. Trillions will be spent. Fortunes will be made. The only question is “Will you get into the right stocks early when their growth potential is greatest?” Zacks has released a Special Report to help you do just that, and today it’s free. Discover 7 special companies that look to gain the most from construction and repair to roads, bridges, and buildings, plus cargo hauling and energy transformation on an almost unimaginable scale. Download FREE: How to Profit from Trillions on Spending for Infrastructure >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. (BECN): Free Stock Analysis Report Genesco Inc. (GCO): Free Stock Analysis Report Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc. (ARCO): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2022-02-07,53.5567,54.0611,52.2547,52.4611,"Why Shares in Fastenal Fell 11.5% in January What happened Shares in industrial and construction wholesale distributor Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST) fell 11.5% in January, according to data provided by S&P Global Market Intelligence. It's not been a good year for the stock. Indeed, it's down 14% on the year at the time of writing. The reason for the fall probably comes down to the same negative sentiment that caused the broader market sell-off in January. Investors are worried about a plethora of things right now. If it isn't rising supply chain costs eating into margins, it's increasing raw material costs. If it isn't the resurgence of the coronavirus over the winter, it's the prospect of rising interest rates slowing the economy. Image source: Getty Images. Those concerns have come together to cause investors to sell the stock in 2022. Given that Fastenal is a distributor of fastener, safety, and other products to the manufacturing and nonresidential construction industries, it's always going to be seen as a bellwether of the industrial sector in the U.S. That's a good thing when the growth outlook is improving, but not so great when investors are worried about the economy. Thus, it's no surprise to see the stock sell off when investors are fretting. So what That said, there wasn't much in the company's fourth-quarter earnings (released Jan. 19) or its recent January sales update to worry investors unduly. Costs are inevitably rising, but according to CFO Holden Lewis on theearnings call ""Higher pricing continue to largely match higher costs, yielding a neutral price cost in the fourth quarter of 2021."" In other words, Fastenal is managing to pass through cost increases to customers. Moreover, sales growth remains strong, and Fastenal continues to expand profit margins. For example, year-over-year average daily sales growth was 14.6% in the fourth quarter and the company ended the quarter strongly with average daily sales growth of 16.5% in December. In addition, average daily sales growth was 14.9% in January. Turning to margins, the company's strategy of growing the business by closing branches and shifting toward on-site locations continues to pay off with operating margin expansion. At the end of 2019, the company had 2,114 branches with 1,114 active on-site locations. However, at the end of 2020, the branch count dropped to 1,793, with active on-site locations now up to 1,416. Meanwhile, operating margin expanded to 19.6% in the fourth quarter of 2021 compared with 19.5% in the same period of 2020 and 18.7% in the same period of 2019. Now what Investors will be hoping Fastenal carries on being able to pass through costs and generate profit margin expansion on solid sales growth. Trading on 31 times its estimated 2022 earnings, the stock isn't exactly cheap, but the company's growth strategy is working, and the long-term future looks bright. 10 stocks we like better than Fastenal When our award-winning analyst team has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.* They just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Fastenal wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of January 10, 2022 Lee Samaha has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2022-02-08,52.4611,52.9032,52.1077,52.6377,
FAST,2022-02-09,53.227,53.7541,53.1184,53.5112,
FAST,2022-02-10,52.6081,52.918,51.6171,51.8915,
FAST,2022-02-11,52.1767,52.2647,50.5719,50.9982,"Fastenal Company's stock is down 6.3%, but insiders still have about US$39k in profit after buying earlier this year Insiders who purchased Fastenal Company (NASDAQ:FAST) shares in the past 12 months are unlikely to be deeply impacted by the stock's 6.3% decline over the past week. Even after accounting for the recent loss, the US$471k worth of stock purchased by them is now worth US$510k or in other words, their investment continues to give good returns. Although we don't think shareholders should simply follow insider transactions, we do think it is perfectly logical to keep tabs on what insiders are doing. Fastenal Insider Transactions Over The Last Year The Independent Director Michael Ancius made the biggest insider purchase in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for US$206k worth of shares at a price of US$46.00 each. Although we like to see insider buying, we note that this large purchase was at significantly below the recent price of US$52.85. Because it occurred at a lower valuation, it doesn't tell us much about whether insiders might find today's price attractive. Happily, we note that in the last year insiders paid US$471k for 9.65k shares. On the other hand they divested 458.00 shares, for US$27k. Overall, Fastenal insiders were net buyers during the last year. You can see the insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below! NasdaqGS:FAST Insider Trading Volume February 11th 2022 Fastenal is not the only stock that insiders are buying. For those who like to find winning investments this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket. Insiders at Fastenal Have Bought Stock Recently We saw some Fastenal insider buying shares in the last three months. Independent Director Michael Ancius shelled out US$42k for shares in that time. It's good to see the insider buying, as well as the lack of recent sellers. But the amount invested in the last three months isn't enough for us too put much weight on it, as a single factor. Does Fastenal Boast High Insider Ownership? Many investors like to check how much of a company is owned by insiders. A high insider ownership often makes company leadership more mindful of shareholder interests. Fastenal insiders own 0.3% of the company, currently worth about US$106m based on the recent share price. I like to see this level of insider ownership, because it increases the chances that management are thinking about the best interests of shareholders. So What Does This Data Suggest About Fastenal Insiders? Our data shows a little insider buying, but no selling, in the last three months. The net investment is not enough to encourage us much. However, our analysis of transactions over the last year is heartening. With high insider ownership and encouraging transactions, it seems like Fastenal insiders think the business has merit. If you are like me, you may want to think about whether this company will grow or shrink. Luckily, you can check this free report showing analyst forecasts for its future. Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies. For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions, but not derivative transactions. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2022-02-14,51.2242,51.2242,50.4977,50.9686,
FAST,2022-02-15,51.2934,51.7938,50.9933,51.2144,"Insiders Buy the Holdings of FXZ ETF A look at the weighted underlying holdings of the First Trust Materials AlphaDEX Fund (Symbol: FXZ) shows an impressive 11.0% of holdings on a weighted basis have experienced insider buying within the past six months. Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST), which makes up 1.50% of the First Trust Materials AlphaDEX Fund (Symbol: FXZ), has seen 2 directors and officers purchase shares in the past six months, according to the recent Form 4 data. The ETF holds a total of $7,928,536 worth of FAST, making it the #28 largest holding. The table below details the recent insider buying activity observed at FAST: FAST — last trade: $51.92 — Recent Insider Buys: PURCHASED INSIDER TITLE SHARES PRICE/SHARE VALUE 09/13/2021 Hsenghung Sam Hsu Director 1,000 $53.20 $53,200 10/15/2021 Sarah N. Nielsen Director 1,000 $55.76 $55,760 10 ETFs With Stocks That Insiders Are Buying » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2022-02-16,51.1552,51.5875,50.5275,51.3812,
FAST,2022-02-17,51.2342,51.3121,50.2816,50.3409,"Fastenal Enters Oversold Territory The DividendRank formula at Dividend Channel ranks a coverage universe of thousands of dividend stocks, according to a proprietary formula designed to identify those stocks that combine two important characteristics — strong fundamentals and a valuation that looks inexpensive. Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) presently has an above average rank, in the top 50% of the coverage universe, which suggests it is among the top most ""interesting"" ideas that merit further research by investors. But making Fastenal Co. an even more interesting and timely stock to look at, is the fact that in trading on Thursday, shares of FAST entered into oversold territory, changing hands as low as $51.655 per share. We define oversold territory using the Relative Strength Index, or RSI, which is a technical analysis indicator used to measure momentum on a scale of zero to 100. A stock is considered to be oversold if the RSI reading falls below 30. In the case of Fastenal Co., the RSI reading has hit 28.6 — by comparison, the universe of dividend stocks covered by Dividend Channel currently has an average RSI of 47.0. A falling stock price — all else being equal — creates a better opportunity for dividend investors to capture a higher yield. Indeed, FAST's recent annualized dividend of 1.24/share (currently paid in quarterly installments) works out to an annual yield of 2.37% based upon the recent $52.34 share price. A bullish investor could look at FAST's 28.6 RSI reading today as a sign that the recent heavy selling is in the process of exhausting itself, and begin to look for entry point opportunities on the buy side. Among the fundamental datapoints dividend investors should investigate to decide if they are bullish on FAST is its dividend history. In general, dividends are not always predictable; but, looking at the history chart below can help in judging whether the most recent dividend is likely to continue. Click here to find out what 9 other oversold dividend stocks you need to know about » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2022-02-18,50.3013,50.6942,50.0171,50.2619,"[""Fastenal (FAST) Down 8.7% Since Last Earnings Report: Can It Rebound? A month has gone by since the last earnings report for Fastenal (FAST). Shares have lost about 8.7% in that time frame, underperforming the S&P 500. Will the recent negative trend continue leading up to its next earnings release, or is Fastenal due for a breakout? Before we dive into how investors and analysts have reacted as of late, let's take a quick look at the most recent earnings report in order to get a better handle on the important drivers. Fastenal Q4 Earnings & Revenues Beat Fastenal Company ended 2021 on a solid note. The company\u2019s earnings and revenues not only beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate but also improved on a year-over-year basis, given strong demand for manufacturing and construction equipment and supplies along with higher pricing. Earnings & Sales in Detail The company reported earnings of 40 cents per share, which topped the consensus mark of 37 cents by 8.1% and grew 17.6% from the year-ago period. Net sales totaled $1,531.8 million, beating the consensus mark of $1,507 million by 1.6% and increasing 12.8% from the year-ago figure of $1,358 million. It reported daily sales of $24.7 million, reflecting an increase of 14.6% year over year. On a monthly basis, daily sales improved 16.5%, 13.2% and 14.1% in December, November and October, respectively, year over year. Daily sales of Fastener products (mainly used for industrial production and accounting for approximately 33.5% of fourth-quarter sales) rose 24.2% year over year, backed by higher manufacturing and construction demand as well as increased pricing. Sales of safety products (accounting for 21.4% of fourth-quarter sales) grew 3.5% on a daily basis. The upside was mainly driven by solid growth and higher pricing for traditional manufacturing and construction clients. Sales of the remaining products (accounting for 45.1% of fourth-quarter sales) grew 12.8% year over year. Vending Trends & Other Growth Drivers Fastenal signed 274 new Onsite locations during 2021. As of Dec 31, 2021, the company had 1,416 active sites, up 11.9% from the year-ago period. Daily sales through Onsite locations (excluding sales transferred from branches to new Onsites) increased more than 20% from a year ago. The company continues to expect 375-400 annual Onsite signings in 2022. Daily sales through weighted FMI devices grew 47.7% for the fourth quarter and represented 35.1% of net sales. Daily sales to national account customers (representing 57.8% of total quarterly revenues) increased 19.9% on a year-over-year basis for fourth-quarter 2021. Daily sales to non-national account customers (which include government customers and represent 42.2% of total quarterly revenues) rose 7.6% from the prior-year quarter. Margins Gross margin of 46.5% for the quarter improved 90 basis points or bps from the prior-year period. The improvement was driven by higher product margin related to safety products and overhead absorption/organizational cost leverage. Also, operating margin improved 10 bps to 19.6% from the year-ago figure of 19.5%. 2021 Highlights Net sales came in at $6,010.9 million, up 6.4% from the 2020 level. Earnings of $1.60 per share advanced 7.4% from 2020. Gross margin of 46.2% expanded 70 bps year over year. Financials Cash and cash equivalents were $236.2 million as of Dec 31, 2021, slightly down from $245.7 million on Dec 31, 2020. Long-term debt at quarter-end was $330 million, down from $365 million at 2020-end. For 2021, cash provided by operating activities totaled $770.1 million compared with $1,101.8 million in the year-ago period. How Have Estimates Been Moving Since Then? It turns out, estimates revision have trended upward during the past month. VGM Scores At this time, Fastenal has an average Growth Score of C, however its Momentum Score is doing a bit better with a B. However, the stock was allocated a grade of D on the value side, putting it in the bottom 40% for this investment strategy. Overall, the stock has an aggregate VGM Score of D. If you aren't focused on one strategy, this score is the one you should be interested in. Outlook Estimates have been broadly trending upward for the stock, and the magnitude of these revisions looks promising. It comes with little surprise Fastenal has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). We expect an above average return from the stock in the next few months. Infrastructure Stock Boom to Sweep America A massive push to rebuild the crumbling U.S. infrastructure will soon be underway. It\u2019s bipartisan, urgent, and inevitable. Trillions will be spent. Fortunes will be made. The only question is \u201cWill you get into the right stocks early when their growth potential is greatest?\u201d Zacks has released a Special Report to help you do just that, and today it\u2019s free. Discover 5 special companies that look to gain the most from construction and repair to roads, bridges, and buildings, plus cargo hauling and energy transformation on an almost unimaginable scale. Download FREE: How to Profit from Trillions on Spending for Infrastructure >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""First Week of April 14th Options Trading For Fastenal (FAST) Investors in Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) saw new options become available this week, for the April 14th expiration. At Stock Options Channel, our YieldBoost formula has looked up and down the FAST options chain for the new April 14th contracts and identified one put and one call contract of particular interest. The put contract at the $47.50 strike price has a current bid of $1.00. If an investor was to sell-to-open that put contract, they are committing to purchase the stock at $47.50, but will also collect the premium, putting the cost basis of the shares at $46.50 (before broker commissions). To an investor already interested in purchasing shares of FAST, that could represent an attractive alternative to paying $51.48/share today. Because the $47.50 strike represents an approximate 8% discount to the current trading price of the stock (in other words it is out-of-the-money by that percentage), there is also the possibility that the put contract would expire worthless. The current analytical data (including greeks and implied greeks) suggest the current odds of that happening are 84%. Stock Options Channel will track those odds over time to see how they change, publishing a chart of those numbers on our website under the contract detail page for this contract. Should the contract expire worthless, the premium would represent a 2.11% return on the cash commitment, or 13.98% annualized \u2014 at Stock Options Channel we call this the YieldBoost. Below is a chart showing the trailing twelve month trading history for Fastenal Co., and highlighting in green where the $47.50 strike is located relative to that history: Turning to the calls side of the option chain, the call contract at the $52.50 strike price has a current bid of $1.90. If an investor was to purchase shares of FAST stock at the current price level of $51.48/share, and then sell-to-open that call contract as a \""covered call,\"" they are committing to sell the stock at $52.50. Considering the call seller will also collect the premium, that would drive a total return (excluding dividends, if any) of 5.67% if the stock gets called away at the April 14th expiration (before broker commissions). Of course, a lot of upside could potentially be left on the table if FAST shares really soar, which is why looking at the trailing twelve month trading history for Fastenal Co., as well as studying the business fundamentals becomes important. Below is a chart showing FAST's trailing twelve month trading history, with the $52.50 strike highlighted in red: Considering the fact that the $52.50 strike represents an approximate 2% premium to the current trading price of the stock (in other words it is out-of-the-money by that percentage), there is also the possibility that the covered call contract would expire worthless, in which case the investor would keep both their shares of stock and the premium collected. The current analytical data (including greeks and implied greeks) suggest the current odds of that happening are 59%. On our website under the contract detail page for this contract, Stock Options Channel will track those odds over time to see how they change and publish a chart of those numbers (the trading history of the option contract will also be charted). Should the covered call contract expire worthless, the premium would represent a 3.69% boost of extra return to the investor, or 24.51% annualized, which we refer to as the YieldBoost. The implied volatility in the put contract example is 35%, while the implied volatility in the call contract example is 31%. Meanwhile, we calculate the actual trailing twelve month volatility (considering the last 254 trading day closing values as well as today's price of $51.48) to be 21%. For more put and call options contract ideas worth looking at, visit StockOptionsChannel.com. Top YieldBoost Calls of the Nasdaq 100 \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2022-02-22,50.4583,50.6449,49.4772,50.1148,"Home Depot (HD) Rises on Q4 Earnings & Sales Beat, Upbeat View The Home Depot, Inc. HD has posted fourth-quarter fiscal 2021 results, wherein earnings and sales beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate and improved year over year. The company gained from the continued strong demand for home-improvement projects, robust housing market trends, and ongoing investments. It reported robust average ticket growth amid the inflationary cost environment, boosting the top line. Shares of the leading home improvement retailer rose 1.4% in the pre-market session, following the strong results. The Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stock has rallied 29.8% in the past year compared with the industry's growth of 26.2%. Home Depot's earnings of $3.21 per share improved 21.1% from $2.65 registered in the year-ago quarter. The bottom line beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.20. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Net sales advanced 10.7% to $35,719 million from $32,261 million in the year-ago quarter and beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $34,614 million. Sales benefited from the continued robust demand for home-improvement projects. The company’s overall comps grew 8.1%, with a 7.6% improvement in the United States. In the reported quarter, comps were aided by a 12.4% rise in average ticket, driven by high-value purchases by home builders. This was partly offset by a 3.4% decline in customer transactions. Sales per square foot improved 8.3% in the reported quarter. In dollar terms, the gross profit increased 9.5% to $11,862 million from $10,831 million in the year-ago quarter, primarily driven by robust sales growth. This was partly offset by an 11.3% increase in cost of goods sold. Meanwhile, the gross profit margin contracted 40 basis points (bps) to 33.2% from 33.6% in the year-ago quarter. The operating income increased 18.2% to $4,825 million, while the operating margin expanded 80 bps to 13.5%. The operating margin benefited from top-line growth, offset by gross margin contraction, as well as higher SG&A and other operating expenses. The Home Depot, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise The Home Depot, Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | The Home Depot, Inc. Quote Balance Sheet and Cash Flow Home Depot ended fiscal 2021 with cash and cash equivalents of $2,343 million, long-term debt (excluding current maturities) of $36,604 million, and shareholders' deficit of $1,696 million. In fiscal 2021, the company generated $16,571 million of net cash from operations. In fiscal 2021, it paid out cash dividends of $6,985 million and repurchased shares worth $14,809 million. The board of directors increased the quarterly dividend by 15% to $1.90 per share. This equates to an annualized dividend rate of $7.60 per share. The raised dividend is payable Mar 24, 2022, to shareholders of record as of Mar 10. This marks the company’s 140th successive dividend hike. Fiscal 2022 View Home Depot expects the demand trends to be robust in fiscal 2022, assuming the dollar demand rate experienced in the last two quarters to continue throughout the fiscal. The company factors in its historical seasonality to calculate the sales view for fiscal 2022. HD anticipates sales and comps growth to be slightly positive in fiscal 2022. The operating margin is estimated to be flat with the fiscal 2021 levels. Net interest expenses are expected to be $1.5 billion. It expects an effective tax rate of 24.6%. Consequently, the company estimates earnings per share growth in low single-digits for fiscal 2022. 3 Stocks to Consider We have highlighted three better-ranked stocks in the Retail - Wholesale sector, namely Builders FirstSource BLDR, Lowe's Companies LOW and Fastenal FAST. Builders FirstSource is the largest supplier of building materials, manufactured components and construction services to professional homebuilders, sub-contractors, remodelers and consumers. It currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). Shares of BLDR have jumped 71.9% in the past year. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Builders FirstSource's current financial-year sales and earnings per share suggests growth of 129.1% and 207.6%, respectively, from the year-ago period's reported figures. BLDR has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 71.5%, on average. Lowe's, the main competitor of Home Depot, currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 14.3%, on average. Shares of LOW have rallied 32.1% in the past year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Lowe's current financial-year sales and earnings per share suggests growth of 6.7% and 35%, respectively, from the year-ago period. LOW has an expected EPS growth rate of 13.8% for three-five years. Fastenal, a national wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies, currently has a Zacks Rank #2. The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 3.3%, on average. Shares of FAST have risen 9.4% in the past year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Fastenal's current financial-year sales and earnings per share suggests growth of 12.6% and 11.9%, respectively, from the year-ago period. FAST has an expected EPS growth rate of 9% for three-five years. Just Released: Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2022 In addition to the investment ideas discussed above, would you like to know about our 10 top buy-and-hold tickers for the entirety of 2022? Last year's 2021 Zacks Top 10 Stocks portfolio returned gains as high as +147.7%. Now a brand-new portfolio has been handpicked from over 4,000 companies covered by the Zacks Rank. Don’t miss your chance to get in on these long-term buys Access Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2022 today >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Lowe's Companies, Inc. (LOW): Free Stock Analysis Report The Home Depot, Inc. (HD): Free Stock Analysis Report Builders FirstSource, Inc. (BLDR): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2022-02-23,50.2135,50.3211,48.6421,48.7113,"Dillard's (DDS) Q4 Earnings & Sales Beat on Robust Demand Dillard's Inc. DDS reported impressive fourth-quarter fiscal 2021 results, wherein the bottom and top lines surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate and advanced year over year. This marked the fourth straight quarter of the top and bottom-line beat. Results gained from the continued momentum in consumer demand and better inventory management. Dillard's adjusted earnings of $15.68 per share have significantly surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $8.75. The bottom line surged more than four-fold from the year-ago quarter's figure of $3.43 per share. The uptick can be attributed to robust sales, improved margins and lower operating expenses as a percentage of sales. Total revenues of $2,153.4 million increased 33.4% from the prior-year quarter and beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2,016 million. Total retail sales (excluding CDI Contractors, LLC) advanced 36.6% year over year to $2,078 million. Comparable store sales increased 37% year over year and 12% from the fourth quarter of fiscal 2019. The company witnessed robust sales in the cosmetics and juniors' and children's apparel, which outperformed the other categories, compared with the fourth quarter of fiscal 2019. Dillard's, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Dillard's, Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Dillard's, Inc. Quote The retail gross margin expanded 950 basis points (bps) to 41.4% from the year-ago quarter and improved 1,116 bps from 30.2% in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2019. The increase can be attributed to improved consumer demand and better inventory management, which led to lower markdowns in the fiscal fourth quarter. On a consolidated basis, the gross margin of 40.8% reflects a 970-bps improvement from 31.1% in the prior-year quarter. Dillard's consolidated SG&A expenses (as a percentage of sales) contracted 50 bps to 20.9% from the prior-year quarter's 21.4%. In dollar terms, SG&A expenses (operating expenses) grew 31.3% to $440.9 million. The retail operating expense rate declined 320 bps to 21.1% on a two-year basis. The decline from the fiscal 2019 period was driven by lower payroll and payroll-related expenses as the company operates with reduced operating hours and fewer associates. In dollar terms, retail operating expenses fell 3.9% to $439 million. Shares of the Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company have skyrocketed 193.2% in the past year compared with the industry's growth of 43.4%. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Financial Details & Liquidity Dillard's ended fiscal 2021 with cash and cash equivalents of $716.8 million, long-term debt and finance leases of $321.3 million, and total shareholders' equity of $1,451.2 million. The company generated $1,280 million of cash from operating activities in fiscal 2021. In fiscal 2021, Dillard’s returned $866 million to shareholders through dividends and share buyback. In fourth-quarter fiscal 2021, it repurchased 0.6 million shares for $150.8 million under its May 2021 share repurchase program, bringing the total buybacks for fiscal 2021 to 3.2 million shares for $561.1 million. As of Jan 29, 2022, Dillard's had $112 million authorization left under its May 2021 plan. Store Update In mid-March 2022, Dillard's plans to open a 160,000-square-feet store at University Place in Orem, UT, which will replace the 200,000-square-feet Provo Towne Centre store in the same market. In the fall of 2022, it plans to replace the Westgate Mall store in Amarillo, TX, which is located in a leased building. This store will be replaced with a newly remodeled owned facility. It currently operates 250 full-line Dillard’s stores and 30 clearance stores in 29 states and on dillards.com. Stocks to Consider We have highlighted three better-ranked stocks in the Retail - Wholesale sector, namely Build-A-Bear Workshop BBW, Fastenal FAST and Tractor Supply Co. TSCO. Build-A-Bear, a multi-channel retailer of plush animals and related products, currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). Shares of BBW have rallied 178.8% in the past year. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Build-A-Bear's current financial-year sales and earnings per share suggests growth of 61.2% and 326.2%, respectively, from the year-ago period's reported figures. BBW has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 261.4%, on average. Fastenal, a national wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies, currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 3.3%, on average. Shares of FAST have risen 9.3% in the past year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Fastenal's current financial-year sales and earnings per share suggests growth of 12.6% and 11.9%, respectively, from the year-ago period. FAST has an expected EPS growth rate of 9% for three-five years. Tractor Supply, the largest retail farm and ranch store chain in the United States, currently has a Zacks Rank #2. The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 22%, on average. Shares of TSCO have rallied 24.5% in the past year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Tractor Supply’s current financial-year sales and earnings per share suggests growth of 8.2% and 6.3%, respectively, from the year-ago period. TSCO has an expected EPS growth rate of 9.8% for three-five years. Just Released: Zacks' 7 Best Stocks for Today Experts extracted 7 stocks from the list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buys that has beaten the market more than 2X over with a stunning average gain of +25.4% per year. These 7 were selected because of their superior potential for immediate breakout. See these time-sensitive tickers now >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Dillard's, Inc. (DDS): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Tractor Supply Company (TSCO): Free Stock Analysis Report BuildABear Workshop, Inc. (BBW): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2022-02-24,48.1614,49.6046,47.9452,49.5354,"Companhia Brasileira (CBD) Q4 Earnings & Revenues Grow Y/Y Companhia Brasileira de Distribuicao CBD or Grupo Pao de Acucar delivered fourth-quarter 2021 results. During the quarter, the company witnessed a withdrawal from the hypermarket activity, alongside seeing its repositioning as a premium, proximity and digital food retailer. Companhia Brasileira’s consolidated net income amounted to R$777 million ($139.2 million), which increased significantly from R$374 million ($67 million) in the year-ago period. The upside was backed by solid increases in revenues. Gross revenues in the quarter amounted to R$16,381 million ($2,934.4 million). Gross revenues rose 6.2% year over year in local currency. CBD saw strength in GPA Brazil as well as Grupo Exito. E-commerce sales surged 46.2% in the quarter, with online penetration coming at 8.4% in Grupo Brazil. This Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) company has been benefiting from its delivery models, including same-day delivery — Express and Click & Collect, Traditional or next-day delivery, and Last Mile or next-hour delivery — James Delivery and Open Platform. Moreover, the company’s loyalty program and app development efforts have been yielding results. On the digital front, the company remains focused on expanding via its platform as well as building on its alliances. Gross profit remained flat year over year in local currency at R$3,726 million ($667.55 million) and the gross margin contracted 170 basis points (bps) to 25%. Adjusted EBITDA decreased 9.8% to R$1,186 million ($212.5 million), with adjusted EBITDA margin decreasing 140 bps to 8%. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Segment Details GPA Brazil’s gross revenues dipped 3.9% in local currency to R$7,936 million ($1,421.6 million). Sales, excluding hiper and drugstores, amounted to R$4.7 billion ($0.8 billion). Same-store sales grew 2.3% despite a tough macroeconomic landscape and tough comparisons with the year-ago period. Online sales ascended 46.2% due to the omnichannel strength and expansion of alliances with last mile delivery providers. The segment’s gross margin contracted 380 bps to 23.3%. SG&A expenses rose 50 bps (as a percentage of sales) to 18.4%. Adjusted EBITDA margin fell 360 bps to 5.4%. The company had acquired 96.57% of Grupo Exito’s capital stock on Nov 27, 2019. Gross revenues in the unit increased 17.8% to R$8,419 million ($1,508.2 million). Same-store sales surged 15.3%. The segment benefited from a focus on innovation, omnichannel strength and higher gains from supplementary businesses. The gross margin expanded 30 bps to 26.5%. SG&A expenses, as a percentage of sales, rose 10 bps to 16.1%. Adjusted EBITDA margin stayed unchanged at 10.6%. Other Details Companhia Brasileira ended the quarter with cash and marketable securities of R$8,274 million ($1,484.6 million) and total shareholders’ equity of R$16,381 million ($2,939.2 million). Shares of the company have declined 21.6% in the past six months compared with the industry’s decline of 7.7%. 3 More Retail Stocks for You Here are three other top-ranked stocks, including Builders FirstSource, Inc. BLDR, Fastenal Company FAST and Dollar Tree DLTR. Builders FirstSource, the manufacturer and supplier of building materials, manufactured components and construction services, sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) at present. Its shares have risen 30.3% in the past six months. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Builders FirstSource’s 2022 sales suggests a drop of 8.2% from the year-ago period’s reading. BLDR has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 71.5%, on average. Fastenal, a national wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies, currently has a Zacks Rank of 2. It has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 3.3%, on average. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Fastenal’s current financial-year sales suggests growth of 12.6% from the year-ago period’s tally. FAST has an expected earnings per share (EPS) growth rate of 9% for three to five years. Dollar Tree, the operator of discount variety retail stores, holds a Zacks Rank #2 at present. Dollar Tree has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 8.8%, on average. DLTR has an expected EPS growth rate of 12.2% for three to five years. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Dollar Tree’s current financial-year sales suggests growth of 3.4% from the year-ago period’s reported figure. Zacks Names ""Single Best Pick to Double"" From thousands of stocks, 5 Zacks experts each have chosen their favorite to skyrocket +100% or more in months to come. From those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all. It’s a little-known chemical company that’s up 65% over last year, yet still dirt cheap. With unrelenting demand, soaring 2022 earnings estimates, and $1.5 billion for repurchasing shares, retail investors could jump in at any time. This company could rival or surpass other recent Zacks’ Stocks Set to Double like Boston Beer Company which shot up +143.0% in little more than 9 months and NVIDIA which boomed +175.9% in one year. Free: See Our Top Stock and 4 Runners Up >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Dollar Tree, Inc. (DLTR): Free Stock Analysis Report Builders FirstSource, Inc. (BLDR): Free Stock Analysis Report Companhia Brasileira de Distribuicao (CBD): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2022-02-25,49.5058,50.3902,49.2808,50.3409,
FAST,2022-02-28,50.0655,50.6547,49.8306,50.5175,
FAST,2022-03-01,50.5275,51.092,50.179,50.6153,"[""Builders FirstSource (BLDR) Up on Q4 Earnings & Revenue Beat Builders FirstSource BLDR ended 2021 on a solid note. The company reported solid results for fourth-quarter 2021, wherein earnings and net sales surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate as well as increased significantly year over year. The results were driven by an increase in net sales and gross margin amid continuous raw material supply woes. The stock gained 3.47% on Mar 1, following the release of its fourth-quarter results. Dave Flitman, CEO of Builders FirstSource, said, \u201cWe achieved another quarter of double-digit core organic growth to conclude an outstanding year of above market performance and record results in 2021. On a pro forma basis in 2021, we delivered core organic growth of 21% and produced record sales of nearly $20 billion to deliver over $3 billion of Adjusted EBITDA and a record adjusted EBITDA margin of 15.4%. Our business is strong and we grew sales by more than 25% and adjusted EBITDA by more than 60%.\u201d For 2022, the company remains optimistic about its financial performance as it expects strong demand in single-family housing and across the portfolio of value-added products and solutions. Note: Investors should note that the year-over-year comparison given below is based on a Combined Non-GAAP Pro Forma basis, unless notified. Builders FirstSource, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Builders FirstSource, Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Builders FirstSource, Inc. Quote Earnings & Revenue Discussion The manufacturer and supplier of building materials reported adjusted earnings of $2.78 per share, which handily topped the consensus mark of $1.89 by 47.1%. For the quarter, net sales of $4.6 billion surpassed the consensus mark of $4.3 billion by 6.5%. The top line grew 23.7% on a year-over-year basis. Core organic sales grew 11.7% from the prior-year quarter. Commodity price inflation contributed 5.3% to net sales. Acquisitions (baring BMC merger) added 6.7% to net sales growth. The upside was led by solid demand for its products amid supply woes. Core organic customer growth in Single Family increased 14.4%, while that of R&R/Other and Multi Family improved 1.2% and 6.7%, respectively. Sales According to Product Category (assuming BMC in Q4 2021 and not in Q4 2020) Value-Added Product Sales: For the reported quarter, sales of value-added products (comprising 45% of the quarterly net sales) were $2.08 billion, up 128.3% from the prior year. Specialized Product & Other: Gypsum, Roofing & Insulation products sales (comprising 18.8% of the quarterly net sales) increased 53.3% from the year-ago quarter to $870.9 million. Lumber & Lumber Sheet Goods: For the quarter, segment sales (comprising 36.2% of the quarterly net sales) increased 60% year over year to $1.68 billion. Operating Highlights Gross profit for the quarter increased 52.5% year over year to $1.5 billion. Gross margin of 32.1% grew 610 basis points (bps) year over year owing to disciplined pricing in a volatile, supply-constrained marketplace and effective and timely sourcing. As a percentage of net sales, total SG&A costs grew 60 bps to 18.6% owing to the expense associated with the BMC merger and other buyouts including amortization expense of acquired intangibles and one-time charges. Adjusted EBITDA increased 110% on a year-over-year basis to $793.4 million, primarily driven by solid demand across key customer end markets, commodity inflation and pricing. Adjusted EBITDA margin expanded 700 bps year over year to 17.1%. Full-Year 2021 Highlights Adjusted earnings came in at $10.32 per share for 2021 versus $2.79 in 2020. Net sales were $19.9 billion in 2021, up 55.8% from the 2020 pro-forma level. Adjusted EBITDA grew 185.5% year over year to $3.1 billion, given higher demand across single-family home growth, commodity inflation, pricing and cost leverage. Adjusted EBITDA margin expanded 700 bps to 15.4%. Other Financial Details As of Dec 31, 2021, Builders FirstSource had cash and cash equivalents of $42.6 million compared with $423.8 million at 2020-end. Borrowing availability under the revolving credit facility was $0.7 billion at 2021-end. Long-term debt \u2014 net of current portion \u2014 was $2.93 billion, up from $1.6 billion at 2020-end. Buyouts On Dec 31, 2021, BECN wrapped up the acquisition of National Lumber, the largest independent building materials supplier in New England. On Dec 7, 2021, Builders FirstSource acquired a manufacturer of roof and floor trusses in Western Michigan \u2014 Truss Technologies \u2014 for approximately $30 million. Zacks Rank Builders FirstSource currently carries a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today\u2019s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Peer Releases Fastenal Company FAST \u2014 which currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 \u2014 ended 2021 on a solid note. Fastenal\u2019s earnings and revenues not only beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate but also improved on a year-over-year basis, given strong demand for manufacturing and construction equipment and supplies along with higher pricing. Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. BECN reported solid results for calendar fourth-quarter 2021 or the transition period (Oct 1 to Dec 31, 2021). The top and bottom lines surpassed their respective Zacks Consensus Estimate and improved significantly on a year-over-year basis. The solid results were mainly backed by strong net sales, gross margin expansion and operational improvement. BECN \u2014 a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stock \u2014 registered record calendar fourth-quarter net sales, with strong pricing execution throughout 2021 and revenue growth across all three lines of businesses. It is to be noted that starting Jan 1, 2022, BECN\u2019s fiscal years will end on Dec 31. Lowe\u2019s Companies, Inc. LOW, a Zacks Rank #2 stock, reported splendid fourth-quarter fiscal 2021 results, as both the top and the bottom lines grew year over year and surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate. LOW delivered the 11th straight earnings beat and the eighth consecutive sales surprise. Lowe\u2019s delivered a robust performance in 2021, which benefited from the solid execution of the Total Home strategy. The strategy helped LOW gain a market share across Pro and DIY customers last year. Focus on driving productivity and efficient pricing drove operating margin growth of 170 bps in 2021. Zacks Names \""Single Best Pick to Double\"" From thousands of stocks, 5 Zacks experts each have chosen their favorite to skyrocket +100% or more in months to come. From those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all. It\u2019s a little-known chemical company that\u2019s up 65% over last year, yet still dirt cheap. With unrelenting demand, soaring 2022 earnings estimates, and $1.5 billion for repurchasing shares, retail investors could jump in at any time. This company could rival or surpass other recent Zacks\u2019 Stocks Set to Double like Boston Beer Company which shot up +143.0% in little more than 9 months and NVIDIA which boomed +175.9% in one year. Free: See Our Top Stock and 4 Runners Up >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Lowe's Companies, Inc. (LOW): Free Stock Analysis Report Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. (BECN): Free Stock Analysis Report Builders FirstSource, Inc. (BLDR): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Tecnoglass (TGLS) to Report Q4 Earnings: What's in Store? Tecnoglass, Inc. TGLS is scheduled to report fourth-quarter 2021 results on Mar 3, before the opening bell. In the last reported quarter, the company\u2019s earnings and revenues beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 32.4% and 10.9%, respectively. On a year-over-year basis, earnings and revenues of this manufacturer of architectural glass, windows, and associated aluminum products increased 60.7% and 26.2%, respectively. Tecnoglass\u2019 earnings topped the consensus mark in all the last four quarters, with the average being 34.5%. Trend in Estimate Revision The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fourth-quarter earnings has been unchanged at 38 cents per share over the past 30 days. The estimated figure suggests a 72.7% increase from 22 cents per share reported in the year-ago period. The consensus mark for revenues is pegged at $128.9 million, which calls for 26% growth from the prior-year reported figure. Tecnoglass Inc. Price and EPS Surprise Tecnoglass Inc. price-eps-surprise | Tecnoglass Inc. Quote Factors to Note Tecnoglass\u2019 fourth-quarter results are expected to gain from single-family residential activities and a wide array of commercial projects. Precisely, revenues from the United States, accounting for 94.5% of total revenues, has been benefiting from robust demand for the company\u2019s products and services in the United States, given solid momentum in the U.S. single-family residential business, market share gains as well as attractive commercial and multifamily projects. Yet, Latin America revenues (a majority of which is represented by long-term contracts priced in Colombian Pesos but indexed to the U.S. Dollar) have been witnessing the adverse impact of changes in foreign currency exchange rates on Colombia and total revenues. Prestige and Elite product lines are likely to have been key growth drivers for the single-family business. The company\u2019s Multimax product line is also expected to have contributed to fourth-quarter sales. Tecnoglass has been making efforts to expand the single-family business via dealership expansion and geographic diversification, particularly in the high-growth Southeast U.S. region, the Gulf Coast and Texas. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the U.S. segment revenues is pegged at $120 million, implying 36.4% growth from a year ago. The consensus estimate for Columbia revenues is currently pegged at $5 million. This suggests a decline from $9.4 million a year ago. The consensus estimate for Other revenues is currently pegged at $3 million. This suggests a decline from $5.2 million a year ago. Meanwhile, Tecnoglass has been reeling under industry-wide supply headwinds. The company has also been facing elevated costs as a result of automation efforts to meet product demand. A rise in variable costs related to marine and ground transportation and commissions is also expected to have been a concern. What the Zacks Model Predicts Our proven model does not conclusively predict an earnings beat for Tecnoglass this season. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat. But that\u2019s not the case here. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they\u2019re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter. Tecnoglass currently has a Zacks Rank #3 and an Earnings ESP of 0.00%. You can see the complete list of today\u2019s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Peer Releases Builders FirstSource, Inc. BLDR, a Zacks Rank #1 stock, reported solid results for fourth-quarter 2021, wherein earnings and net sales surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate as well as increased significantly year over year. The results were driven by an increase in net sales and gross margin amid continuous raw material supply woes. For 2022, BLDR remains optimistic about its financial performance as it expects strong demand in single-family housing and across the portfolio of value-added products and solutions. Fastenal Company FAST \u2014 which currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 \u2014 ended 2021 on a solid note. Fastenal\u2019s earnings and revenues not only beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate but also improved on a year-over-year basis, given strong demand for manufacturing and construction equipment and supplies along with higher pricing. Lowe\u2019s Companies, Inc. LOW, a Zacks Rank #2 stock, delivered splendid fourth-quarter fiscal 2021 results, as both the top and the bottom lines grew year over year and surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate. LOW delivered the 11th straight earnings beat and the eighth consecutive sales surprise. Lowe\u2019s delivered a robust performance in 2021, which benefited from the solid execution of the Total Home strategy. The strategy helped LOW gain a market share across Pro and DIY customers last year. Focus on driving productivity and efficient pricing drove operating margin growth of 170 basis points in 2021. Stay on top of upcoming earnings announcements with the Zacks Earnings Calendar. Zacks Names \""Single Best Pick to Double\"" From thousands of stocks, 5 Zacks experts each have chosen their favorite to skyrocket +100% or more in months to come. From those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all. It\u2019s a little-known chemical company that\u2019s up 65% over last year, yet still dirt cheap. With unrelenting demand, soaring 2022 earnings estimates, and $1.5 billion for repurchasing shares, retail investors could jump in at any time. This company could rival or surpass other recent Zacks\u2019 Stocks Set to Double like Boston Beer Company which shot up +143.0% in little more than 9 months and NVIDIA which boomed +175.9% in one year. Free: See Our Top Stock and 4 Runners Up >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Lowe's Companies, Inc. (LOW): Free Stock Analysis Report Builders FirstSource, Inc. (BLDR): Free Stock Analysis Report Tecnoglass Inc. (TGLS): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2022-03-02,50.94,51.9409,50.7821,51.6072,"After Hours Most Active for Mar 2, 2022 : SNOW, UBER, COTY, TLT, QQQ, PFE, AAPL, RTX, AMD, KO, FAST, CG The NASDAQ 100 After Hours Indicator is down -61.52 to 14,182.17. The total After hours volume is currently 52,266,007 shares traded. The following are the most active stocks for the after hours session: Snowflake Inc. (SNOW) is -79.08 at $185.61, with 3,303,493 shares traded. As reported by Zacks, the current mean recommendation for SNOW is in the ""buy range"". Uber Technologies, Inc. (UBER) is -0.14 at $33.90, with 2,798,557 shares traded. Over the last four weeks they have had 3 up revisions for the earnings forecast, for the fiscal quarter ending Dec 2022. The consensus EPS forecast is $-0.06. As reported by Zacks, the current mean recommendation for UBER is in the ""buy range"". Coty Inc. (COTY) is unchanged at $9.17, with 2,566,912 shares traded. Over the last four weeks they have had 5 up revisions for the earnings forecast, for the fiscal quarter ending Dec 2022. The consensus EPS forecast is $0.19. COTY's current last sale is 76.42% of the target price of $12. iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF (TLT) is +0.74 at $137.21, with 2,153,388 shares traded. This represents a 3.02% increase from its 52 Week Low. Invesco QQQ Trust, Series 1 (QQQ) is -0.87 at $346.35, with 1,909,397 shares traded. This represents a 16.44% increase from its 52 Week Low. Pfizer, Inc. (PFE) is -0.0003 at $47.70, with 1,429,826 shares traded. As reported by Zacks, the current mean recommendation for PFE is in the ""buy range"". Apple Inc. (AAPL) is -0.44 at $166.12, with 1,401,379 shares traded. As reported by Zacks, the current mean recommendation for AAPL is in the ""buy range"". Raytheon Technologies Corporation (RTX) is +0.01 at $100.75, with 1,336,659 shares traded. As reported by Zacks, the current mean recommendation for RTX is in the ""buy range"". Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD) is -0.68 at $117.60, with 1,329,713 shares traded. Over the last four weeks they have had 9 up revisions for the earnings forecast, for the fiscal quarter ending Mar 2022. The consensus EPS forecast is $0.84. As reported by Zacks, the current mean recommendation for AMD is in the ""buy range"". Coca-Cola Company (The) (KO) is -0.12 at $62.31, with 1,271,671 shares traded. Over the last four weeks they have had 3 up revisions for the earnings forecast, for the fiscal quarter ending Dec 2022. The consensus EPS forecast is $0.51. As reported by Zacks, the current mean recommendation for KO is in the ""buy range"". Fastenal Company (FAST) is unchanged at $52.57, with 1,084,734 shares traded. FAST's current last sale is 99.19% of the target price of $53. The Carlyle Group Inc. (CG) is unchanged at $47.42, with 871,765 shares traded. Over the last four weeks they have had 4 up revisions for the earnings forecast, for the fiscal quarter ending Mar 2022. The consensus EPS forecast is $1.14. As reported by Zacks, the current mean recommendation for CG is in the ""buy range"". The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2022-03-03,52.0781,52.4019,51.8382,52.1767,
FAST,2022-03-04,52.0198,53.2172,51.7839,52.9812,"GMS Q3 Earnings & Revenues Surpass Estimates, Improve Y/Y GMS Inc. GMS reported impressive third-quarter fiscal 2022 results, wherein earnings and revenues not only beat the respective Zacks Consensus Estimate but also improved on a year-over-year basis. President and CEO of GMS, John C. Turner, Jr, said, “Leveraging our significant scale advantages to deliver outstanding customer service in a solid residential market, coupled with an inflationary pricing environment and successful platform expansion activities, helped us more than triple our net income and double our Adjusted EBITDA as compared to the prior year quarter.” Quarter in Detail GMS reported adjusted earnings of $1.74 per share, which outpaced the consensus mark of $1.71 by 1.8%. The figure improved a whopping 190% from the year-ago quarter’s 60 cents. Meanwhile, net sales of $1,153.6 million surpassed the consensus mark of $1,122 million by 2.8% and increased 53.6% year over year. The upside was primarily driven by robust residential end markets, inflationary pricing, strong demand for the company’s complementary products and the acquisitions of D.L. Building Materials, Westside Building Material and AMES. Organic net sales expanded 41.5% from the prior-year quarter. GMS Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise GMS Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | GMS Inc. Quote Segment Discussion Wallboard sales increased 33.4% from a year ago to $415.1 million. This upside was driven by contributions from acquisitions and strong residential volume growth. Sales were up 28.1% year over year organically. Ceilings sales increased 34.9% year over year to $139.9 million for the quarter, primarily owing to increased volumes and benefits from acquisitions. Organically, this segment’s sales rose 26.8% from the year-ago quarter. Steel framing sales of $282.8 million soared 172% from the prior year. This improvement was driven by the rise in volume and benefits from acquisitions. Organically, the segment’s sales rose 151% from the year-ago figure. Furthermore, Complementary product sales grew 35.9% from the prior-year period to $315.8 million, courtesy of contributions from acquisitions, continued strength in Canadian business and strong pricing in certain product categories. Organically, sales improved 17.1% from the year-ago period. Operating Highlights Gross margin contracted 50 basis points (bps) to 31.9% for the quarter, primarily owing to price-cost dynamics related to the timing of the implementation of price actions. Adjusted selling, general and administrative expenses — as a percentage of net sales — improved 380 bps to 20.4% for the quarter. This was mainly owing to the significant rise of product prices that offset the spike in operating costs. Adjusted EBITDA margin of 11.7% improved 340 bps from a year ago. Financials At the fiscal third quarter-end, the company had cash on hand of $87 million, down from $167 million at fiscal 2021-end. Long-term debt (less current portion) amounted to $1,281.7 million at the fiscal first quarter-end, up from $932.4 million at the fiscal 2021-end. The company currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Peer Releases Fastenal Company FAST — which currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 — ended 2021 on a solid note. Fastenal’s earnings and revenues not only beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate but also improved on a year-over-year basis, given the strong demand for manufacturing and construction equipment and supplies along with higher pricing. Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. BECN reported solid results for the calendar fourth-quarter 2021 or the transition period (Oct 1 to Dec 31, 2021). The top and bottom lines surpassed the respective Zacks Consensus Estimate and increased significantly on a year-over-year basis. The solid results were mainly backed by strong net sales, gross margin expansion and operational improvement. BECN — a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stock — registered record calendar fourth-quarter net sales, with strong pricing execution throughout 2021 and revenue growth across all three lines of businesses. It is to be noted that starting Jan 1, 2022, BECN’s fiscal year will end on Dec 31. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. LOW, a Zacks Rank #2 stock, reported splendid fourth-quarter fiscal 2021 results, as both the top and bottom lines grew year over year and surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate. LOW delivered the 11th straight earnings beat and the eighth consecutive sales surprise. Lowe’s delivered a robust performance in 2021, which benefited from the solid execution of the Total Home strategy. The strategy helped LOW gain market share across Pro and DIY customers last year. Focus on driving productivity, and efficient pricing favored operating margin growth of 170 bps in 2021. Infrastructure Stock Boom to Sweep America A massive push to rebuild the crumbling U.S. infrastructure will soon be underway. It’s bipartisan, urgent, and inevitable. Trillions will be spent. Fortunes will be made. The only question is “Will you get into the right stocks early when their growth potential is greatest?” Zacks has released a Special Report to help you do just that, and today it’s free. Discover 5 special companies that look to gain the most from construction and repair to roads, bridges, and buildings, plus cargo hauling and energy transformation on an almost unimaginable scale. Download FREE: How to Profit from Trillions on Spending for Infrastructure >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Lowe's Companies, Inc. (LOW): Free Stock Analysis Report Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. (BECN): Free Stock Analysis Report GMS Inc. (GMS): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2022-03-07,53.0306,54.8073,52.6871,53.1096,"[""How the Construction Sector is Poised This Spring Season? Its been more than a year, the overall construction market, including the residential and non-residential market, has been experiencing supply-chain woes. Also, rising inflation, especially in material, labor and transportation, is a concern. The February reading of builders\u2019 sentiment for newly-built single-family homes moved one point lower to 82, per the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index. Spending on construction projects raised in January 2022, signalling positivity surrounding the industry. The January reading for the said metric improved 1.3% from December 2021 and 8.2% from a year ago. Adding to the positive, the recent unemployment data, released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, edged down to 3.8% in February, led by gains in leisure and hospitality, professional and business services, health care and construction. The overall economy is recovering from COVID-19 and its variants\u2019 impact. GDP for fourth-quarter 2021 increased at an annual rate of 7%, according to the \""second\"" estimate released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis compared with a 2.3% rise in the third quarter. Although the above-mentioned headwinds are ailing the housing and related industry over a year, improvement in the economy is likely to benefit homebuilders and other industrialists. The Fed\u2019s intention to raise interest rates in 2022 to improve economic conditions post-pandemic is boosting housing sales as buyers are earger to invest in homes before the rate hike. Apart from residential construction, non-residential construction is witnessing improvement, backed by the government's endeavor to boost investment in infrastructure construction, especially transportation (roads, ports, and bridges), water and sewerage and telecommunications. Also, the companies are well-positioned to gain from the renewable energy drive of the pro-environmental Biden administration. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Shares of Lennar Corporation LEN, NVR, Inc. NVR, PulteGroup, Inc. PHM, Owens Corning OC, Acuity Brands, Inc. AYI and Dycom Industries, Inc. DY have outperformed the Zacks Construction sector in the past year. All these companies are poised to maintain the bull run through 2022, given solid housing and economic backdrop. Our Choices Defying the major statistics downtrend witnessed in the housing industry, major industry bigwigs and homebuyers are optimistic and the improving economy will definitely add to the positives. We have zeroed our findings with the help of the Zacks Stock Screener and selected the most appropriate stocks that are poised for the spring season. Notably, all these stocks carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and impressive VGM Score. You can see the complete list of today\u2019s Zacks #1 (Strong Buy) Rank stocks here. Our VGM Score is a complementary set of indicators used to better focus on the stocks that are the best fit for investors\u2019 personal trading styles. Stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 or #2, which also has a Score of an A or a B, have the highest probability of success. Lennar: This well-known homebuilder is benefiting from effective cost control and focus on making its homebuilding platform more efficient, leading to higher operating leverage. Lennar\u2019s earnings for fiscal 2022 are expected to rise 10.9% year over year to $15.82 per share. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal 2022 earnings has improved from $15.60 per share in the past 60 days. LEN's shares have moved up 1.1% in a year. NVR: This leading homebuilder banks on a disciplined business model and focuses on maximizing liquidity as well as minimizing risks. NVR\u2019s shares have gained 4.7% in the past year. Earnings estimates for the current year have witnessed an upward revision in the past 30 days, indicating 39.8% year-over-year growth. PulteGroup: This Atlanta-based homebuilder has been benefiting from a prudent land investment strategy, focus on entry-level buyers and returning more free cash flow to shareholders. PulteGroup\u2019s annual land acquisition strategies have been resulting in improved volumes, revenues and profitability for quite some time now. The company has been reaping benefits from the successful execution of strategic initiatives to boost profitability, with a focus on entry-level homes. PulteGroup stock has gained 4.1% in the past year. That said, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its 2022 earnings has been upwardly revised in the past 30 days to $10.12 per share. Earnings for 2022 are expected to increase 38.6%. Owens Corning: Headquartered in Toledo, OH, Owens Corning is benefiting from market-leading businesses, innovative products and process technologies as well as capabilities. A positive momentum in residential end markets, particularly in the United States, improved manufacturing leverage and strong cost controls will likely help the company deliver solid results. Owens Corning has gained 6.2% in the past year. OC has seen an upward estimate revision for 2022 earnings in the past seven days to $10.61 per share. The company\u2019s earnings for 2022 are expected to increase 14.2%. Acuity Brands: This Atlanta-based company benefits from a diversified portfolio of innovative lighting control solutions and energy-efficient luminaries. Also, its strategic initiatives to reorganize the business, geographic expansion and cost-saving moves bode well. Despite the global supply chain issues, higher sales along with price increases and product and productivity improvement are driving the business. Acuity Brands has gained 40.4% in a year. Its earnings estimates for fiscal 2022 have moved upward in the past 60 days. Earnings for fiscal 2022 are expected to grow 14.9%. Dycom: This specialty contracting firm has been aiding from extensive deployment of 1-gigabit wireline networks by major customers. Also, continuous contract flow from major customers will boost the company\u2019s growth momentum. Dycom has gained 5.8% over the past year. DY has seen an upward estimate revision for fiscal 2023 earnings over the past seven days to $3.06 per share. The company\u2019s earnings for fiscal 2023 are expected to increase 101.3%. Investors may also add Fastenal Company FAST, which belongs to the Zacks Building Products - Retail industry, to their portfolio as it is directly related to the Construction sector and drives revenues on major housing activity. Fastenal has been gaining from an increase in the mix of fastener sales. Industrial vending is one of the primary growth drivers for Fastenal. The company also implemented prudent cost control measures to curtail the pressure stemming from rising operating expenses. Fastenal is also working toward expanding its e-commerce presence. Shares of FAST have gained 20.8% in the past year compared with the industry\u2019s 25.3% rally. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Fastenal\u2019s earnings for the current year suggests an improvement of 11.9% from the year-ago period. It has seen an upward estimate revision for 2022 earnings in the past 60 days to $1.79 per share. Just Released: Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2022 In addition to the investment ideas discussed above, would you like to know about our 10 top buy-and-hold tickers for the entirety of 2022? Last year's 2021 Zacks Top 10 Stocks portfolio returned gains as high as +147.7%. Now a brand-new portfolio has been handpicked from over 4,000 companies covered by the Zacks Rank. Don\u2019t miss your chance to get in on these long-term buys Access Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2022 today >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report PulteGroup, Inc. (PHM): Free Stock Analysis Report Lennar Corporation (LEN): Free Stock Analysis Report NVR, Inc. (NVR): Free Stock Analysis Report Dycom Industries, Inc. (DY): Free Stock Analysis Report Owens Corning Inc (OC): Free Stock Analysis Report Acuity Brands Inc (AYI): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""5 Stocks to Buy in a Prospering Retail Building Products Industry The Zacks Building Products \u2013 Retail industry has been gaining from consumers\u2019 continued inclination toward home renovation and maintenance activities, leading to strong demand trends. The rapid urbanization and favorable trends in the housing market are added advantages. The companies in the industry are expected to gain from investments in omni-channel capabilities for meeting demand, execution of strategies and acquisitions. Continued innovation and e-commerce expansion, and strong demand are likely to benefit industry participants like Lowe\u2019s Companies Inc. LOW, Fastenal Company FAST, Builders FirstSource, Inc. BLDR, GMS Inc. GMS and Tecnoglass TGLS. About the Industry The Zacks Building Products \u2013 Retail industry mainly comprises U.S. home improvement retailers, manufacturers of industrial and construction materials, and distributors of wallboard and ceilings systems. Some industry participants offer products and services for home decoration, repair and remodeling, and in-home delivery and installation services. A few industry players provide construction products, ranging from cement or concrete foundation materials to roofing boards and shingles. The companies also sell lumber, insulation materials, drywall, plumbing fixtures, hard-surface flooring, lawn and garden decor products. Some players also deal in threaded fastener products, and manufactured and natural stone tiles. In addition to general consumers, the industry players cater to professional builders, sub-contractors, remodelers and retailers. 4 Trends Shaping the Future of Building Products Industry Favorable Housing Market Conditions: The Retail Building Products industry\u2019s prospects are closely tied to the conditions prevailing in the U.S. housing market. Low mortgage rates and high demand for residential property have been aiding the market. The housing market witnessed robust trends in 2021, with low-interest rates, strongest yearly growth in single-family home prices and rentals, the lowest foreclosure rates, and increased home sales. The continued rise in consumers\u2019 homebuying activities, leading to high demand for homes, is expected to bode well for players in the retail building products space. Adherence to Home Refurbishing Activities: Consumers have continued to invest in making homes an enjoyable and comfortable space. Despite the easing of the pandemic-led restrictions and rising outdoor movement, Americans continue to incline toward home renovation and maintenance projects. Industry experts opine that consumers\u2019 discretionary spending on homes will continue, as interests in keeping houses well-maintained are here to stay. Revamping interiors to facilitate work-from-home and entertainment needs continues to remain a major trend. Do-it-yourself (DIY) projects for decorating and maintaining furniture and fixtures are being widely undertaken. There is a higher demand for gardening tools, as well as products related to at-home activities such as paint and tool kits. This, along with rapid urbanization, should keep aiding the top-line performance of the industry participants. Digitization in Focus: Retail Building Products industry participants have been witnessing a surge in online business transactions, thanks to consumers\u2019 growing digital dependency. Companies have, therefore, been bolstering their digital presence by expanding the availability of online assortments and bolstering omni-channel capabilities. Such prudent measures have been aiding the companies to meet the accelerated demand. Companies are also ramping up their delivery operations in order to provide safe and swift services, especially to Professional (Pro) customers. The digital transaction boom should continue to drive the top line of key industry players. Rising Costs: Some home improvement retailers have been incurring additional costs to provide enhanced payments and other benefits to employees amid the pandemic. Moreover, a few players have been witnessing inflationary pressure across product categories, as well as higher transportation costs. Such increased costs are likely to put pressure on margins. Nevertheless, companies are adopting prudent savings measures to cushion the impacts of such costs. Zacks Industry Rank Indicates Solid Prospects The Building Products \u2013 Retail industry is housed within the broader Zacks Retail-Wholesale sector. The industry currently carries a Zacks Industry Rank #22, which places it in the top 9% of more than 250 Zacks industries. The group\u2019s Zacks Industry Rank, which is basically the average of the Zacks Rank of all the member stocks, indicates bright near-term prospects. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperforms the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1. The industry\u2019s position in the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries is a result of a positive earnings outlook for the constituent companies in aggregate. Looking at the aggregate earnings estimate revisions, it appears that analysts are gradually gaining confidence in this group\u2019s earnings growth potential. In the past year, the industry\u2019s earnings estimates for the current fiscal year have increased 22.8%. Given the industry\u2019s encouraging prospects, we present a few stocks that you may want to consider buying for your portfolio. But before that, it is worth taking a look at the industry\u2019s stock-market performance and current valuation. Industry Vs. Broader Market The Zacks Building Products \u2013 Retail industry has outperformed the broader Zacks Retail-Wholesale sector and the Zacks S&P 500 over the past year. The industry has gained 25.3% over this period against the broader sector\u2019s decline of 19.4%. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 has registered growth of 13.5% in the past year. One-Year Price Performance Industry's Current Valuation On the basis of forward 12-month price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio, which is the commonly used multiple for valuing Retail-Wholesale stocks, the industry is currently trading at 17.77X compared with the S&P 500\u2019s 19.17X. Further, the sector\u2019s forward-12-month P/E stands at 22.64X. Over the last five years, the industry traded as high as 23.21X and as low as 16.03X, with the median at 19.49X, as the chart below shows. Price-to-Earnings Ratio (Past 5 Years) 5 Building Products Stocks to Buy Builders FirstSource: The Dallas, TX-based company manufactures and supplies building materials. The company has been benefiting from its focus on cost synergies, strategic acquisition, and robust demand arising from solid housing, and repair and remodeling activities. Robust demand for single-family housing, R&R and other activities have been tailwinds for the company\u2019s products and services. Builders FirstSource continues to focus on investing in innovations and enhancing digital solutions for its customers. Acquisitions are important for Builders FirstSource\u2019s growth strategy to supplement its organic growth and expand extensively across vast geographic boundaries. The Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) company has been active on the acquisition front, which is supporting the top line. It is also focusing on cost-management practices. The stock has surged 67.2% in a year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for BLDR\u2019s current fiscal-year sales indicates growth of 2.4%. The consensus estimate for the current fiscal-year earnings has moved up 29.9% in the past seven days to $8.91 per share. You can see the complete list of today\u2019s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Price and Consensus: BLDR Tecnoglass: The Colombia-based company is a leading manufacturer of architectural glass, windows, and associated aluminum products serving the global residential and commercial end markets. Tecnoglass has been gaining from its ability to capitalize on strong residential demand, investments in automation and capacity enhancements and focus on execution. It has been delivering strong results for its single-family residential business, which has a shorter cash cycle. Tecnoglass is poised to benefit from its business momentum, particularly strong single-family residential revenues. The Zacks Rank #1 company remains committed to leveraging its vertically integrated structure and innovative product development to boost shareholder value. The stock has rallied 124.9% in a year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for TGLS\u2019 current fiscal-year sales and earnings indicates growth of 18.9% and 14.4%, respectively. The consensus estimate for the current fiscal-year earnings has improved 9.9% in the past seven days. Price and Consensus: TGLS Fastenal Company: The Winona, MN-based wholesale distributor of industrial and construction products has been benefiting from strong demand for manufacturing and construction equipment, as well as supplies, and an uptick in sales of certain COVID-related products. The company's focus on virtual platforms to boost customers\u2019 engagement also bodes well. Fastenal\u2019s cost-control efforts, aggressive investment to increase Onsite locations, vending machine count and e-commerce business are expected to boost sales. Industrial vending is one of the primary growth drivers for Fastenal and has the potential to significantly increase sales and profits. The Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) company is striving to boost its onsite locations portfolio, in which a mini-Fastenal shop is located in a customer\u2019s facility. The FAST stock has risen 20.8% in a year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current fiscal-year sales and earnings indicate growth of 12.6% and 11.9%, respectively. The consensus estimate for the current fiscal-year earnings has been unchanged in the past 30 days. Price and Consensus: FAST Lowe\u2019s Companies: The Mooresville, NC-based leading home improvements retailer has been gaining from strong growth in its Pro business. The company also remains well-positioned to capitalize on the demand for the home improvement market, backed by investments in the technology and merchandise category. Strong execution of strategies, including the Total Home strategy, is likely to drive the company\u2019s results in the near and long term. The Total Home strategy has been resonating well with Pro and DIY customers for a while. Lowe\u2019s has been progressing well with advancements in the digital channel. The company is investing toward enhancing omni-channel retailing capabilities. Management is also committed to enhancing the Pro offerings, expanding the company\u2019s market share and driving the operating margin. Shares of the Zacks Rank #2 company have rallied 37.5% in a year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current fiscal-year sales and earnings indicates growth of 1.9% and 11.1%, respectively. The consensus estimate for the current fiscal-year earnings has improved 0.4% in the past seven days. Price and Consensus: LOW GMS: The Tucker, GA-based leading North American specialty building product distributor has been gaining from the robust customer service in a solid residential market, coupled with an inflationary pricing environment and successful platform expansion activities. Inflationary pricing, healthy residential end markets, strong performance from complementary products and the recent acquisitions have been sales drivers for GMS. The Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) company has risen 19% in a year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for GMS\u2019 current fiscal-year sales and earnings indicates growth of 36.6% and 101.7%, respectively. The consensus estimate for the current fiscal-year earnings has moved up 0.6% in the past seven days. Price and Consensus: GMS Just Released: Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2022 In addition to the investment ideas discussed above, would you like to know about our 10 top buy-and-hold tickers for the entirety of 2022? Last year's 2021 Zacks Top 10 Stocks portfolio returned gains as high as +147.7%. Now a brand-new portfolio has been handpicked from over 4,000 companies covered by the Zacks Rank. Don\u2019t miss your chance to get in on these long-term buys Access Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2022 today >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Lowe's Companies, Inc. (LOW): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Builders FirstSource, Inc. (BLDR): Free Stock Analysis Report Tecnoglass Inc. (TGLS): Free Stock Analysis Report GMS Inc. (GMS): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2022-03-08,53.2368,54.5033,53.1283,53.1678,"Zacks Industry Outlook Highlights Lowe's, Fastenal Company, Builders FirstSource, GMS and Tecnoglass For Immediate Release Chicago, IL – March 8, 2022 – Today, Zacks Equity Research discusses Lowe’s Companies Inc. LOW, Fastenal Company FAST, Builders FirstSource, Inc. BLDR, GMS Inc. GMS and Tecnoglass TGLS. Industry: Building Products Link: https://www.zacks.com/commentary/1878276/5-stocks-to-buy-in-a-prospering-retail-building-products-industry The Zacks Building Products – Retail industry has been gaining from consumers’ continued inclination toward home renovation and maintenance activities, leading to strong demand trends. The rapid urbanization and favorable trends in the housing market are added advantages. The companies in the industry are expected to gain from investments in omni-channel capabilities for meeting demand, execution of strategies and acquisitions. Continued innovation and e-commerce expansion, and strong demand are likely to benefit industry participants like Lowe’s Companies Inc., Fastenal Company, Builders FirstSource, Inc., GMS Inc. and Tecnoglass. About the Industry The Zacks Building Products – Retail industry mainly comprises U.S. home improvement retailers, manufacturers of industrial and construction materials, and distributors of wallboard and ceilings systems. Some industry participants offer products and services for home decoration, repair and remodeling, and in-home delivery and installation services. A few industry players provide construction products, ranging from cement or concrete foundation materials to roofing boards and shingles. The companies also sell lumber, insulation materials, drywall, plumbing fixtures, hard-surface flooring, lawn and garden decor products. Some players also deal in threaded fastener products, and manufactured and natural stone tiles. In addition to general consumers, the industry players cater to professional builders, sub-contractors, remodelers and retailers. 4 Trends Shaping the Future of Building Products Industry Favorable Housing Market Conditions: The Retail Building Products industry’s prospects are closely tied to the conditions prevailing in the U.S. housing market. Low mortgage rates and high demand for residential property have been aiding the market. The housing market witnessed robust trends in 2021, with low-interest rates, strongest yearly growth in single-family home prices and rentals, the lowest foreclosure rates, and increased home sales. The continued rise in consumers’ homebuying activities, leading to high demand for homes, is expected to bode well for players in the retail building products space. Adherence to Home Refurbishing Activities: Consumers have continued to invest in making homes an enjoyable and comfortable space. Despite the easing of the pandemic-led restrictions and rising outdoor movement, Americans continue to incline toward home renovation and maintenance projects. Industry experts opine that consumers’ discretionary spending on homes will continue, as interests in keeping houses well-maintained are here to stay. Revamping interiors to facilitate work-from-home and entertainment needs continues to remain a major trend. Do-it-yourself (DIY) projects for decorating and maintaining furniture and fixtures are being widely undertaken. There is a higher demand for gardening tools, as well as products related to at-home activities such as paint and tool kits. This, along with rapid urbanization, should keep aiding the top-line performance of the industry participants. Digitization in Focus: Retail Building Products industry participants have been witnessing a surge in online business transactions, thanks to consumers’ growing digital dependency. Companies have, therefore, been bolstering their digital presence by expanding the availability of online assortments and bolstering omni-channel capabilities. Such prudent measures have been aiding the companies to meet the accelerated demand. Companies are also ramping up their delivery operations in order to provide safe and swift services, especially to Professional (Pro) customers. The digital transaction boom should continue to drive the top line of key industry players. Rising Costs: Some home improvement retailers have been incurring additional costs to provide enhanced payments and other benefits to employees amid the pandemic. Moreover, a few players have been witnessing inflationary pressure across product categories, as well as higher transportation costs. Such increased costs are likely to put pressure on margins. Nevertheless, companies are adopting prudent savings measures to cushion the impacts of such costs. Zacks Industry Rank Indicates Solid Prospects The Building Products – Retail industry is housed within the broader Zacks Retail-Wholesale sector. The industry currently carries a Zacks Industry Rank #22, which places it in the top 9% of more than 250 Zacks industries. The group’s Zacks Industry Rank, which is basically the average of the Zacks Rank of all the member stocks, indicates bright near-term prospects. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperforms the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1. The industry’s position in the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries is a result of a positive earnings outlook for the constituent companies in aggregate. Looking at the aggregate earnings estimate revisions, it appears that analysts are gradually gaining confidence in this group’s earnings growth potential. In the past year, the industry’s earnings estimates for the current fiscal year have increased 22.8%. Given the industry’s encouraging prospects, we present a few stocks that you may want to consider buying for your portfolio. But before that, it is worth taking a look at the industry’s stock-market performance and current valuation. Industry vs. Broader Market The Zacks Building Products – Retail industry has outperformed the broader Zacks Retail-Wholesale sector and the Zacks S&P 500 over the past year. The industry has gained 25.3% over this period against the broader sector’s decline of 19.4%. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 has registered growth of 13.5% in the past year. Industry's Current Valuation On the basis of forward 12-month price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio, which is the commonly used multiple for valuing Retail-Wholesale stocks, the industry is currently trading at 17.77X compared with the S&P 500’s 19.17X. Further, the sector’s forward-12-month P/E stands at 22.64X. Over the last five years, the industry traded as high as 23.21X and as low as 16.03X, with the median at 19.49X. 5 Building Products Stocks to Buy Builders FirstSource: The Dallas, TX-based company manufactures and supplies building materials. The company has been benefiting from its focus on cost synergies, strategic acquisition, and robust demand arising from solid housing, and repair and remodeling activities. Robust demand for single-family housing, R&R and other activities have been tailwinds for the company’s products and services. Builders FirstSource continues to focus on investing in innovations and enhancing digital solutions for its customers. Acquisitions are important for Builders FirstSource’s growth strategy to supplement its organic growth and expand extensively across vast geographic boundaries. The Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) company has been active on the acquisition front, which is supporting the top line. It is also focusing on cost-management practices. The stock has surged 67.2% in a year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for BLDR’s current fiscal-year sales indicates growth of 2.4%. The consensus estimate for the current fiscal-year earnings has moved up 29.9% in the past seven days to $8.91 per share. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Tecnoglass: The Colombia-based company is a leading manufacturer of architectural glass, windows, and associated aluminum products serving the global residential and commercial end markets. Tecnoglass has been gaining from its ability to capitalize on strong residential demand, investments in automation and capacity enhancements and focus on execution. It has been delivering strong results for its single-family residential business, which has a shorter cash cycle. Tecnoglass is poised to benefit from its business momentum, particularly strong single-family residential revenues. The Zacks Rank #1 company remains committed to leveraging its vertically integrated structure and innovative product development to boost shareholder value. The stock has rallied 124.9% in a year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for TGLS’ current fiscal-year sales and earnings indicates growth of 18.9% and 14.4%, respectively. The consensus estimate for the current fiscal-year earnings has improved 9.9% in the past seven days. Fastenal Company: The Winona, MN-based wholesale distributor of industrial and construction products has been benefiting from strong demand for manufacturing and construction equipment, as well as supplies, and an uptick in sales of certain COVID-related products. The company's focus on virtual platforms to boost customers’ engagement also bodes well. Fastenal’s cost-control efforts, aggressive investment to increase Onsite locations, vending machine count and e-commerce business are expected to boost sales. Industrial vending is one of the primary growth drivers for Fastenal and has the potential to significantly increase sales and profits. The Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) company is striving to boost its onsite locations portfolio, in which a mini-Fastenal shop is located in a customer’s facility. The FAST stock has risen 20.8% in a year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current fiscal-year sales and earnings indicate growth of 12.6% and 11.9%, respectively. The consensus estimate for the current fiscal-year earnings has been unchanged in the past 30 days. Lowe’s Companies: The Mooresville, NC-based leading home improvements retailer has been gaining from strong growth in its Pro business. The company also remains well-positioned to capitalize on the demand for the home improvement market, backed by investments in the technology and merchandise category. Strong execution of strategies, including the Total Home strategy, is likely to drive the company’s results in the near and long term. The Total Home strategy has been resonating well with Pro and DIY customers for a while. Lowe’s has been progressing well with advancements in the digital channel. The company is investing toward enhancing omni-channel retailing capabilities. Management is also committed to enhancing the Pro offerings, expanding the company’s market share and driving the operating margin. Shares of the Zacks Rank #2 company have rallied 37.5% in a year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current fiscal-year sales and earnings indicates growth of 1.9% and 11.1%, respectively. The consensus estimate for the current fiscal-year earnings has improved 0.4% in the past seven days. GMS: The Tucker, GA-based leading North American specialty building product distributor has been gaining from the robust customer service in a solid residential market, coupled with an inflationary pricing environment and successful platform expansion activities. Inflationary pricing, healthy residential end markets, strong performance from complementary products and the recent acquisitions have been sales drivers for GMS. The Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) company has risen 19% in a year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for GMS’ current fiscal-year sales and earnings indicates growth of 36.6% and 101.7%, respectively. The consensus estimate for the current fiscal-year earnings has moved up 0.6% in the past seven days. Just Released: Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2022 In addition to the investment ideas discussed above, would you like to know about our 10 top buy-and-hold tickers for the entirety of 2022? Last year's 2021Zacks Top 10 Stocks portfolio returned gains as high as +147.7%. Now a brand-new portfolio has been handpicked from over 4,000 companies covered by the Zacks Rank. Don’t miss your chance to get in on these long-term buys Access Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2022 today >> Join us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ZacksInvestmentResearch/ Zacks Investment Research is under common control with affiliated entities (including a broker-dealer and an investment adviser), which may engage in transactions involving the foregoing securities for the clients of such affiliates. Media Contact Zacks Investment Research 800-767-3771 ext. 9339 support@zacks.com https://www.zacks.com Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release. Zacks Names ""Single Best Pick to Double"" From thousands of stocks, 5 Zacks experts each have chosen their favorite to skyrocket +100% or more in months to come. From those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all. It’s a little-known chemical company that’s up 65% over last year, yet still dirt cheap. With unrelenting demand, soaring 2022 earnings estimates, and $1.5 billion for repurchasing shares, retail investors could jump in at any time. This company could rival or surpass other recent Zacks’ Stocks Set to Double like Boston Beer Company which shot up +143.0% in little more than 9 months and NVIDIA which boomed +175.9% in one year. Free: See Our Top Stock and 4 Runners Up >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Lowe's Companies, Inc. (LOW): Free Stock Analysis Report Builders FirstSource, Inc. (BLDR): Free Stock Analysis Report Tecnoglass Inc. (TGLS): Free Stock Analysis Report GMS Inc. (GMS): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2022-03-09,54.0413,54.066,52.7661,53.7571,
FAST,2022-03-10,52.995,53.5409,52.618,53.4718,"Beacon (BECN) Opens OTC Hub & Greenfield Branch, Expands Reach Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. BECN has opened an OTC hub in Pico Rivera, CA and a greenfield branch in Little Chute, WI, in line with its Ambition 2025 investments strategy. The recent move will expand services to customers in the high-volume Los Angeles market and the growing Green Bay-Appleton, WI corridor. Shares of Beacon — the largest distributor of residential and non-residential roofing materials in the United States and Canada — gained 4.21% on Mar 09. Strategic Efforts: a Boon Beacon has undertaken several strategic initiatives to drive its long-term ambition of growing and enhancing customer experience, expanding the top line and margin as well as boosting value for customers, suppliers, employees, and shareholders. In February 2022, the company unveiled the Ambition 2025 targets, which emphasize its winning culture, operational excellence, above-market growth trajectory and accelerated stockholder value creation. It projects net sales of $9 billion at a CAGR of 8%, adjusted EBITDA of $1 billion at a CAGR of 10%, significant cash flow generation, net leverage of 2.5 times targeted 2025 adjusted EBITDA (resulting in $2.8 billion of investment capacity), and strategic deployment of capital on mergers & acquisitions, growth investments and share repurchases to produce superior returns. In addition, the company’s board changed its fiscal year-end from Sep 30 to Dec 31 (effective Jan 1, 2022) for the year ending Dec 31, 2022. It feels that the change will be extremely beneficial since it will promote internal efficiencies and better external comparability. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Shares of Beacon have gained 1.8% so far this year against the industry’s 19.8% fall. Earnings estimates for 2022 stand at $5.33 per share, indicating 10.4% year-over-year growth. A solid residential backdrop, exceptional operating cost management and cash flow, focus on the e-commerce platform, new OTC (On-Time and Complete) Delivery Network, and a newly-designed website will drive growth. Zacks Rank Beacon currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Some Better-Ranked Stocks From the Broader Retail-Wholesale Sector Builders FirstSource, Inc. BLDR presently has a Zacks Rank #1. The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 71.5%, on average. Shares of BLDR have gained 115.2% over the past year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Builders FirstSource’s earnings for 2022 has moved up 4.1% in the past seven days, reflecting analysts’ optimism. GMS Inc. GMS presently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 24.9%, on average. Shares of GMS have gained 105.2% over the past year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for GMS’ earnings for fiscal 2022 has moved up 1.5% in the past seven days, reflecting analysts’ optimism. Fastenal Company FAST presently has a Zacks Rank #2. The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 2%, on average. Shares of FAST have gained 34.4% over the past year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for FAST’s earnings for 2022 has moved up 3.5% in the past 60 days, reflecting analysts’ optimism. Just Released: Zacks' 7 Best Stocks for Today Experts extracted 7 stocks from the list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buys that has beaten the market more than 2X over with a stunning average gain of +25.4% per year. These 7 were selected because of their superior potential for immediate breakout. See these time-sensitive tickers now >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. (BECN): Free Stock Analysis Report Builders FirstSource, Inc. (BLDR): Free Stock Analysis Report GMS Inc. (GMS): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2022-03-11,53.8449,54.2871,52.923,52.9812,
FAST,2022-03-14,53.6781,54.0709,53.1096,53.4916,"[""Factors Likely to Impact Dollar General (DG) in Q4 Earnings Dollar General Corporation DG is likely to register an increase in the top line when it reports fourth-quarter fiscal 2021 results on Mar 17, before the opening bell. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues is pegged at $8,696 million, indicating an increase of 3.3% from the prior-year quarter\u2019s level. The bottom line of this discount retailer is expected to decrease from the year-ago quarter\u2019s reported figure. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings per share in the fiscal fourth quarter has been stable at $2.56 over the past 30 days, suggesting a decline of 2.3% from the year-ago period\u2019s reported number. DG has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 8.8%, on average. In the last reported quarter, this Goodlettsville, TN-based player outperformed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by a margin of 3%. Key Factors to Note Dollar General\u2019s everyday low-price model is likely to have drawn customers, who have been seeking both value and convenience amid the pandemic. DG\u2019s efficient pricing strategy, private label offerings and effective inventory management bode well. To boost traffic, Dollar General continues focusing on both consumables and non-consumables categories. DG has been offering \u201cbetter-for-you\u201d products at affordable prices for a while. It is steadily expanding cooler facilities to enhance the sale of perishable items as well. Initiatives, such as DG Pickup and DG GO! mobile checkout, which aim at providing convenient and contactless shopping experience, are also noteworthy. Dollar General has partnered with DoorDash, the last-mile logistics platform, to offer same-day delivery of household essential. Cumulatively, these are likely to have favorably impacted the top-line performance. However, margins remain an area to watch out. Any deleverage in distribution and transportation costs, higher payroll expenses and a rise in expenses associated with maintaining safety at work cannot be ruled out. On its lastearnings call management had cautioned about the persisting gross margin pressure in the final quarter due to a higher LIFO provision as a result of escalated cost of goods, a less favorable sales mix than the prior-year quarter\u2019s level and an increase in the markdown rates as Dollar General continues to cycle the abnormally low levels in fiscal 2020. Dollar General Corporation Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Dollar General Corporation price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Dollar General Corporation Quote What the Zacks Model Unveils Our proven model does not conclusively predict a beat for Dollar General this earnings season. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat, which is not the case here as elaborated below. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they\u2019re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter. You can see the complete list of today\u2019s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Dollar General has an Earnings ESP of +0.68% but a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) 3 Stocks With a Favorable Combination Here are three companies that you may want to consider as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements to beat on earnings this time around. Fastenal Company FAST currently has an Earnings ESP of +0.46% and a Zacks Rank #2. FAST is expected to register bottom-line growth when it reports first-quarter 2022 results. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly earnings of 44 cents a share suggests growth of 18.9% from the year-ago quarter\u2019s reported figure. Fastenal\u2019s top line is expected to rise from the year-ago quarter\u2019s actuals. The consensus mark for revenues is pegged at $1.67 billion, indicating an improvement of 17.9% from the figure reported in the year-ago period. FAST has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 3.3%, on average. Boot Barn Holdings BOOT currently has an Earnings ESP of +0.25% and a Zacks Rank of 3. BOOT is likely to register a bottom-line increase when it reports fourth-quarter fiscal 2022 numbers. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly earnings per share of $1.30 suggests an increase of 73.3% from the year-ago period\u2019s reported number. Boot Barn Holdings\u2019 top line is expected to increase from the prior-year quarter\u2019s reading. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly revenues is pegged at $345.2 million, suggesting an increase of 33.3% from the prior-year quarter\u2019s finals. BOOT has a long-term earnings growth rate of 20%. Costco COST currently has an Earnings ESP of +0.35% and a Zacks Rank #3. COST is expected to register bottom-line growth when it reports third-quarter fiscal 2022 results. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly earnings of $2.97 per share suggests an improvement of 8% from the year-ago quarter\u2019s reported figure. Costco\u2019s top line is also expected to rise from the year-earlier quarter\u2019s reported figure. The consensus mark for revenues stands at $49.61 billion, indicating an increase of 9.6% from the figure reported in the year-ago quarter. COST has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 13.3%, on average. Just Released: Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2022 In addition to the investment ideas discussed above, would you like to know about our 10 top buy-and-hold tickers for the entirety of 2022? Last year's 2021 Zacks Top 10 Stocks portfolio returned gains as high as +147.7%. Now a brand-new portfolio has been handpicked from over 4,000 companies covered by the Zacks Rank. Don\u2019t miss your chance to get in on these long-term buys Access Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2022 today >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Dollar General Corporation (DG): Free Stock Analysis Report Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST): Free Stock Analysis Report Boot Barn Holdings, Inc. (BOOT): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Guess? (GES) Queued for Q4 Earnings: What's in the Offing? Guess?, Inc. GES is likely to witness a year-over-year increase in the top line when it reports fourth-quarter fiscal 2022 earnings on Mar 16. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues is pegged at $809 million, suggesting a rise of 24.8% from the prior-year quarter\u2019s reported figure. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings has remained stable over the past 30 days at $1.16 per share, indicating a decline of 1.7% from the figure reported in the prior-year period. Guess?, which designs, markets, distributes and licenses lifestyle collections of apparel and accessories, has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 97%, on average. GES delivered an earnings surprise of 34.8% in the last reported quarter. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal 2022 revenues stands at $2.6 billion, suggesting a 38.6% jump from the figure reported in the prior-year period. The consensus mark for the bottom line is pegged at $2.97 for fiscal 2022, indicating a stark improvement from a loss of 7 cents reported in the same period last year. Guess, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Guess, Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Guess, Inc. Quote Key Factors to Consider Guess? has been benefiting from its focus on six key strategies. These include organization and culture, functional capacities, brand relevance with three main consumer groups (heritage, Millennials and Generation Z customers), customer focus, product brilliance and international footprint. Further, the company\u2019s solid digital business has been a driver. Guess? has been committed to customer-centric initiatives, which include omnichannel capabilities as well as advanced data analytics and customer segmentation. On its lastearnings call management stated that it expects to see a continued improvement in its global e-commerce business through the fourth quarter of fiscal 2022. That said, GES has been bearing the brunt of pandemic-related disruptions, such as challenges related to lower store traffic and capacity restrictions. For the fourth quarter of fiscal 2022, Guess? expects revenues to have declined in mid-single digits from the fourth quarter of fiscal 2020. The guidance indicates an impact from permanent store closures and an unfavorable shift of European wholesale shipments from the fourth quarter of fiscal 2022 to the first quarter of 2023. These are likely to have been partially offset by the momentum in the company\u2019s global e-commerce business. Management\u2019s fiscal 2022 top-line view suggests a decline in the low single digits from fiscal 2020\u2019s level, considering no more pandemic-related closures. What the Zacks Model Unveils Our proven model doesn\u2019t conclusively predict an earnings beat for Guess? this time. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat, which is not the case here. Guess? currently has a Zacks Rank #3 and an Earnings ESP of 0.00%. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell, before they\u2019re reported, with our Earnings ESP Filter. Stocks With the Favorable Combination Here are some companies that you may want to consider as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat in the to-be-reported quarter. Designer Brands Inc. DBI has an Earnings ESP of +12.28% and a Zacks Rank #2. It is anticipated to register a top and bottom-line increase when it reports fourth-quarter fiscal 2021 results. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Designer Brands\u2019 revenues is pegged at $842.9 million, indicating a rise of 38.3% from the figure reported in the prior-year quarter. You can see the complete list of today\u2019s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Designer Brands\u2019 quarterly earnings is pegged at 14 cents per share, suggesting an improvement of 126.4% from the year-ago quarter\u2019s reported figure. DBI delivered an earnings beat of nearly 116%, on average, in the trailing four quarters. Fastenal Company FAST has an Earnings ESP of +0.46% and a Zacks Rank #2. The company is expected to register top and bottom-line growth when it reports first-quarter 2022 results. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly earnings per share (EPS) of 44 cents suggests growth of 18.9% from the year-ago quarter\u2019s reported figure. The consensus mark for Fastenal\u2019s revenues is pegged at $1.67 billion, indicating an increase of 17.9% from the year-ago quarter. FAST has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 3.3%, on average. Dave & Buster's PLAY has an Earnings ESP of +5.93% and a Zacks Rank #3. The company is expected to register top and bottom-line growth when it reports fourth-quarter fiscal 2021 results. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Dave & Buster's quarterly EPS of 59 cents suggests significant growth from the year-ago quarter\u2019s reported figure of a loss of $1.19. The consensus mark for revenues is pegged at $367.1 million, indicating a massive increase of 214.2% from the year-ago quarter. PLAY has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 218.3%, on average. Stay on top of upcoming earnings announcements with the Zacks Earnings Calendar. Just Released: Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2022 In addition to the investment ideas discussed above, would you like to know about our 10 top buy-and-hold tickers for the entirety of 2022? Last year's 2021 Zacks Top 10 Stocks portfolio returned gains as high as +147.7%. Now a brand-new portfolio has been handpicked from over 4,000 companies covered by the Zacks Rank. Don\u2019t miss your chance to get in on these long-term buys Access Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2022 today >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Guess, Inc. (GES): Free Stock Analysis Report Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. (PLAY): Free Stock Analysis Report Designer Brands Inc. (DBI): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2022-03-15,53.7373,54.8862,53.6682,54.7678,
FAST,2022-03-16,54.8369,55.6364,53.7472,54.9445,"[""Fastenal (FAST) Just Reclaimed the 50-Day Moving Average From a technical perspective, Fastenal (FAST) is looking like an interesting pick, as it just reached a key level of support. FAST recently overtook the 50-day moving average, and this suggests a short-term bullish trend. The 50-day simple moving average is one of three major moving averages used by traders and analysts to determine support or resistance levels for a wide range of securities. But the 50-day is considered to be more important because it's the first marker of an up or down trend. Over the past four weeks, FAST has gained 6.9%. The company is currently ranked a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), another strong indication the stock could move even higher. The bullish case solidifies once investors consider FAST's positive earnings estimate revisions. No estimate has gone lower in the past two months for the current fiscal year, compared to 8 higher, while the consensus estimate has increased too. With a winning combination of earnings estimate revisions and hitting a key technical level, investors should keep their eye on FAST for more gains in the near future. 5 Stocks Set to Double Each was handpicked by a Zacks expert as the #1 favorite stock to gain +100% or more in 2021. Previous recommendations have soared +143.0%, +175.9%, +498.3% and +673.0%. Most of the stocks in this report are flying under Wall Street radar, which provides a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor. Today, See These 5 Potential Home Runs >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Reaches Analyst Target Price In recent trading, shares of Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) have crossed above the average analyst 12-month target price of $55.71, changing hands for $55.79/share. When a stock reaches the target an analyst has set, the analyst logically has two ways to react: downgrade on valuation, or, re-adjust their target price to a higher level. Analyst reaction may also depend on the fundamental business developments that may be responsible for driving the stock price higher \u2014 if things are looking up for the company, perhaps it is time for that target price to be raised. There are 7 different analyst targets within the Zacks coverage universe contributing to that average for Fastenal Co., but the average is just that \u2014 a mathematical average. There are analysts with lower targets than the average, including one looking for a price of $50.00. And then on the other side of the spectrum one analyst has a target as high as $65.00. The standard deviation is $5.056. But the whole reason to look at the average FAST price target in the first place is to tap into a \""wisdom of crowds\"" effort, putting together the contributions of all the individual minds who contributed to the ultimate number, as opposed to what just one particular expert believes. And so with FAST crossing above that average target price of $55.71/share, investors in FAST have been given a good signal to spend fresh time assessing the company and deciding for themselves: is $55.71 just one stop on the way to an even higher target, or has the valuation gotten stretched to the point where it is time to think about taking some chips off the table? Below is a table showing the current thinking of the analysts that cover Fastenal Co.: RECENT FAST ANALYST RATINGS BREAKDOWN \u00bb Current 1 Month Ago 2 Month Ago 3 Month Ago Strong buy ratings: 1 1 2 2 Buy ratings: 0 0 0 0 Hold ratings: 7 6 6 6 Sell ratings: 0 0 0 0 Strong sell ratings: 2 3 3 3 Average rating: 3.13 3.33 3.12 3.12 The average rating presented in the last row of the above table above is from 1 to 5 where 1 is Strong Buy and 5 is Strong Sell. This article used data provided by Zacks Investment Research via Quandl.com. Get the latest Zacks research report on FAST \u2014 FREE. The Top 25 Broker Analyst Picks of the S&P 500 \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2022-03-17,55.0234,56.1033,54.7046,56.0935,"Fastenal (FAST) Crossed Above the 200-Day Moving Average: What That Means for Investors After reaching an important support level, Fastenal (FAST) could be a good stock pick from a technical perspective. FAST surpassed resistance at the 200-day moving average, suggesting a long-term bullish trend. The 200-day simple moving average is a useful tool for traders and analysts, establishing market trends for stocks, commodities, indexes, and other financial instruments over the long term. The marker moves higher or lower along with longer-term price moves, and serves as a support or resistance level. Over the past four weeks, FAST has gained 6.9%. The company is currently ranked a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), another strong indication the stock could move even higher. Once investors consider FAST's positive earnings estimate revisions, the bullish case only solidifies. No estimate has gone lower in the past two months for the current fiscal year, compared to 8 higher, and the consensus estimate has increased as well. Investors may want to watch FAST for more gains in the near future given the company's key technical level and positive earnings estimate revisions. 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days Just released: Experts distill 7 elite stocks from the current list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buys. They deem these tickers ""Most Likely for Early Price Pops."" Since 1988, the full list has beaten the market more than 2X over with an average gain of +25.4% per year. So be sure to give these hand-picked 7 your immediate attention. See them now >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2022-03-18,56.0145,56.9768,55.3274,56.81,
FAST,2022-03-21,56.81,57.2226,56.1033,56.7024,"[""Factors Likely to Impact Ollie's Bargain (OLLI) Q4 Earnings Ollie's Bargain Outlet Holdings, Inc. OLLI is likely to register a marginal decline in the top line when it reports fourth-quarter fiscal 2021 numbers on Mar 23, after the market closes. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues is pegged at $513.1 million, indicating a decline of 0.5% from the prior-year quarter. The bottom line of this extreme value retailer of brand name merchandise is anticipated to decline year over year. We note that the Zacks Consensus Estimate for fourth-quarter earnings per share has been stable at 68 cents over the past 30 days. The figure suggests a decline from earnings of 97 cents reported in the year-ago period. The company has a trailing four-quarter negative earnings surprise of 0.3%, on average. In the last reported quarter, this Harrisburg, PA-based company\u2019s bottom line missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 27.7%. Key Factors to Note On its lastearnings call management highlighted that Ollie's Bargain\u2019s fourth-quarter comparable store sales comparisons would be challenging due to impressive performance last year as the top line gained from stimulus measures. It projected fourth-quarter comparable store sales to be flat to down 2% compared with fourth-quarter fiscal 2019. Again, the company anticipates persistent headwinds in gross margin owing to ongoing supply chain challenges, including increased import and trucking costs as well as continued higher labor costs. SG&A expenses have also been increasing for quite some time now. In the last reported quarter, SG&A expenses increased due to higher selling expenses associated with 41 net additional stores and escalating wage rates in select markets. Nonetheless, the company\u2019s operating model of \u201cbuying cheap and selling cheap\u201d, cost-containment efforts, focus on store productivity and expansion of customer reward program \u2014 Ollie's Army might have provided some cushion. It has been making an effort to create an alignment between value-driven merchandise and customer demand. Ollie's Bargain Outlet Holdings, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Ollie's Bargain Outlet Holdings, Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Ollie's Bargain Outlet Holdings, Inc. Quote What the Zacks Model Unveils Our proven model does not conclusively predict an earnings beat for Ollie's Bargain this time around. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat. But that\u2019s not the case here. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they\u2019re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter. You can see the complete list of today\u2019s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Ollie's Bargain has a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) and an Earnings ESP of 0.00%. 3 Stocks With Favorable Combination Here are three companies you may want to consider as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat: Fastenal Company FAST currently has an Earnings ESP of +0.46% and a Zacks Rank #2. FAST is expected to register bottom-line growth when it reports first-quarter 2022 results. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly earnings of 44 cents a share suggests growth of 18.9% from the year-ago quarter\u2019s reported figure. Fastenal\u2019s top line is expected to rise from the year-ago quarter\u2019s actuals. The consensus mark for revenues is pegged at $1.67 billion, indicating an improvement of 17.9% from the figure reported in the year-ago period. FAST has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 3.3%, on average. Boot Barn Holdings BOOT currently has an Earnings ESP of +0.25% and a Zacks Rank of 3. BOOT is likely to register a bottom-line increase when it reports fourth-quarter fiscal 2022 numbers. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly earnings per share of $1.30 suggests an increase of 73.3% from the year-ago period\u2019s reported number. Boot Barn Holdings\u2019 top line is expected to increase from the prior-year quarter\u2019s reading. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly revenues is pegged at $345.2 million, suggesting an increase of 33.3% from the prior-year quarter\u2019s finals. BOOT has a long-term earnings growth rate of 20%. Costco COST currently has an Earnings ESP of +0.35% and a Zacks Rank #2. COST is expected to register bottom-line growth when it reports third-quarter fiscal 2022 results. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly earnings of $2.97 per share suggests an improvement of 8% from the year-ago quarter\u2019s reported figure. Costco\u2019s top line is expected to rise from the year-earlier quarter\u2019s reported figure. The consensus mark for revenues stands at $49.61 billion, indicating an increase of 9.6% from the figure reported in the year-ago quarter. COST has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 13.3%, on average. Stay on top of upcoming earnings announcements with the Zacks Earnings Calendar. Breakout Biotech Stocks with Triple-Digit Profit Potential The biotech sector is projected to surge beyond $2.4 trillion by 2028 as scientists develop treatments for thousands of diseases. They\u2019re also finding ways to edit the human genome to literally erase our vulnerability to these diseases. Zacks has just released Century of Biology: 7 Biotech Stocks to Buy Right Now to help investors profit from 7 stocks poised for outperformance. Recommendations from previous editions of this report have produced gains of +205%, +258% and +477%. The stocks in this report could perform even better. See these 7 breakthrough stocks now >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST): Free Stock Analysis Report Boot Barn Holdings, Inc. (BOOT): Free Stock Analysis Report Ollie's Bargain Outlet Holdings, Inc. (OLLI): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""TD SYNNEX (SNX) to Report Q1 Earnings: What's in the Offing? TD SYNNEX SNX is scheduled to release first-quarter fiscal 2022 results on Mar 24. TD SYNNEX was formerly known as SYNNEX Corporation but the company changed its name after the acquisition of Tech Data Corporation on Sep 1, 2021. For the fiscal first quarter, the company expects revenues between $14.75 billion and $15.75 billion. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly revenues is pegged at $15.28 billion, indicating a whopping 209.3% increase from the prior-year period. Moreover, SNX projects fiscal first-quarter non-GAAP earnings between $2.55 and $2.85 per share. The consensus mark of $2.74 for quarterly earnings suggests a year-over-year increase of approximately 45% from the year-ago quarter\u2019s $1.89 per share. The company\u2019s earnings surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 8.3%. TD SYNNEX Corp. Price and EPS Surprise TD SYNNEX Corp. price-eps-surprise | TD SYNNEX Corp. Quote Factors to Note Ahead of Q1 Earnings TD SYNNEX\u2019s fiscal first-quarter performance is likely to have benefited from the steady IT spending environment due to rapid digital transformation. The year-over-year expected increase in the top line suggests revenues from the newly merged Tech Data Corporation business. Increased demand for hardware and tools, which support remote working, is anticipated to have boosted TD SYNNEX\u2019s revenues during the quarter under review. The pandemic-induced work-and-learn-from-home wave has been driving sales of peripherals, software, communication, networking and consumer electronics products. This impressive demand trend is likely to have been conducive to SNX\u2019s top line during the fiscal first quarter. Additionally, the lockdown has bolstered the usage of online and e-commerce services globally. Also, the work-and-learn-from-home necessity has been stoking demand for cloud storage. Therefore, data center operators are enhancing their capacities to accommodate the demand spike for cloud services, which is likely to have aided TD SYNNEX\u2019s data center servers and storage solution businesses during the fiscal first quarter. However, the positive impact of the aforementioned factors might have been partially offset by prevailing supply-chain disruptions caused by the pandemic. Foreign-exchange headwinds are expected to have been an added concern. What Our Model Says Our proven model does not conclusively predict an earnings beat for TD SYNNEX this season. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the chances of an earnings beat. However, that\u2019s not the case here. TD SYNNEX has an Earnings ESP of 0.00% and carries a Zacks Rank of 3 at present. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell, before they\u2019re reported, with our Earnings ESP Filter. Stocks With the Favorable Combination Per our model, Dave & Buster's Entertainment PLAY, Washington Federal WAFD and Fastenal FAST have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat in their upcoming releases. Dave & Buster's Entertainment is expected to report fourth-quarter fiscal 2022 results on Mar 30. The company sports a Zacks Rank #1 and has an Earnings ESP of +5.93% at present. Dave & Buster's Entertainment\u2019s earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 218.3%. You can see the complete list of today\u2019s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly earnings is pegged at 59 cents per share, suggesting a strong improvement from the year-ago quarter\u2019s loss of $1.19. PLAY\u2019s quarterly revenues are estimated to increase 214.2% year over year to $367.1 million. Washington Federal carries a Zacks Rank #2 and has an Earnings ESP of +0.72%. The company is expected to report second-quarter 2022 results on Apr 12. Washington Federal\u2019s earnings surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 12.2%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for WAFD\u2019s second-quarter earnings is pegged at 70 cents per share, indicating year-over-year growth of 25%. The consensus mark for revenues stands at $148.8 million, suggesting a year-over-year increase of 7.4%. Fastenal currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 and has an Earnings ESP of +0.46%. The company is slated to report its first-quarter 2022 results on Apr 13. Fastenal\u2019s earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate thrice in the preceding four quarters while matching the same on one occasion, the average surprise being 3.3%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Fastenal\u2019s first-quarter earnings stands at 44 cents per share, implying a year-over-year increase of 18.9%. FAST is estimated to report revenues of $1.67 billion, which suggests growth of 17.9% from the year-ago quarter. Stay on top of upcoming earnings announcements with the Zacks Earnings Calendar. Breakout Biotech Stocks with Triple-Digit Profit Potential The biotech sector is projected to surge beyond $2.4 trillion by 2028 as scientists develop treatments for thousands of diseases. They\u2019re also finding ways to edit the human genome to literally erase our vulnerability to these diseases. Zacks has just released Century of Biology: 7 Biotech Stocks to Buy Right Now to help investors profit from 7 stocks poised for outperformance. Recommendations from previous editions of this report have produced gains of +205%, +258% and +477%. The stocks in this report could perform even better. See these 7 breakthrough stocks now >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report TD SYNNEX Corp. (SNX): Free Stock Analysis Report Washington Federal, Inc. (WAFD): Free Stock Analysis Report Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. (PLAY): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2022-03-22,56.9374,56.9374,56.1723,56.6926,"Poshmark (POSH) Reports Q4 Loss, Tops Revenue Estimates Poshmark (POSH) came out with a quarterly loss of $0.19 per share versus the Zacks Consensus Estimate of a loss of $0.18. This compares to earnings of $0.05 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items. This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of -5.56%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this online marketplace for second-hand goods would post a loss of $0.10 per share when it actually produced a loss of $0.09, delivering a surprise of 10%. Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates three times. Poshmark, which belongs to the Zacks Internet - Commerce industry, posted revenues of $84.2 million for the quarter ended December 2021, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 4.56%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $69.32 million. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates three times over the last four quarters. The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call. Poshmark shares have lost about 26.4% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's decline of -6.4%. What's Next for Poshmark? While Poshmark has underperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock? There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately. Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions. Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for Poshmark: mixed. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to perform in line with the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. It will be interesting to see how estimates for the coming quarters and current fiscal year change in the days ahead. The current consensus EPS estimate is -$0.12 on $92.28 million in revenues for the coming quarter and -$0.51 on $381.49 million in revenues for the current fiscal year. Investors should be mindful of the fact that the outlook for the industry can have a material impact on the performance of the stock as well. In terms of the Zacks Industry Rank, Internet - Commerce is currently in the bottom 6% of the 250 plus Zacks industries. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1. Another stock from the broader Zacks Retail-Wholesale sector, Fastenal (FAST), has yet to report results for the quarter ended March 2022. The results are expected to be released on April 13. This maker of industrial and construction fasteners is expected to post quarterly earnings of $0.44 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of +18.9%. The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has been revised 0.5% higher over the last 30 days to the current level. Fastenal's revenues are expected to be $1.67 billion, up 17.9% from the year-ago quarter. More Stock News: This Is Bigger than the iPhone! It could become the mother of all technological revolutions. Apple sold a mere 1 billion iPhones in 10 years but a new breakthrough is expected to generate more than 77 billion devices by 2025, creating a $1.3 trillion market. Zacks has just released a Special Report that spotlights this fast-emerging phenomenon and 4 tickers for taking advantage of it. If you don't buy now, you may kick yourself in 2022. Click here for the 4 trades >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Poshmark, Inc. (POSH): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2022-03-23,56.5642,56.663,55.7499,56.0243,
FAST,2022-03-24,56.2997,56.5741,55.9957,56.2997,"[""Is a Beat Likely for Science Applications (SAIC) in Q4 Earnings? Science Applications International Corp. SAIC is scheduled to report fourth-quarter fiscal 2022 results on Mar 28. For the fiscal fourth quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues is pegged at $1.77 billion, indicating an improvement of 3.3% from the year-ago quarter. The consensus mark for earnings stands at $1.18 per share, suggesting a decline of 29.3% from the prior-year reported number. The company\u2019s earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 27.2%. Science Applications International Corporation Price and EPS Surprise Science Applications International Corporation price-eps-surprise | Science Applications International Corporation Quote Factors to Note Ahead of Q4 Earnings Science Applications\u2019 fourth-quarter fiscal 2022 results are likely to reflect key contract wins, driven by a strong product portfolio. Higher demand for its technology solutions due to the ongoing digital transformation wave across the defense, space, intelligence and civilian markets is likely to have aided SAIC\u2019s fourth-quarter performance. The company\u2019s capability to sustain its existing contracts along with the newly awarded ones across the customer portfolio might have acted as a tailwind. These include the U.S. Navy\u2019s $1.1 billion contract, among other defense deals. The acquisition of Halfaker and Associates may have resulted in incremental revenues in the quarter under review. The acquisition of Unisys Federal is expected to have continued aiding revenue growth in this quarter as well. Strong demand for the company\u2019s IT modernization services, which include advanced analytics, software and app modernization and cloud migration, may have favored the performance in the quarter to be reported. However, the pandemic continued to disrupt the company\u2019s supply-chain portfolio. This might have weighed on the top line in the quarter under review. Earnings Whispers Our proven model predicts an earnings beat for Science Applications this time. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the chances of an earnings beat, which is the case here. Earnings ESP: Earnings ESP, which represents the difference between the Most Accurate Estimate (49 cents per share) and the Zacks Consensus Estimate (48 cents per share), is +0.97% for SAIC. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they are reported with our Earnings ESP Filter. Zacks Rank: Science Applications carries a Zacks Rank #2. Other Stocks with the Favorable Combination Per our model, Dave & Buster's Entertainment PLAY, Fastenal FAST and Washington Federal WAFD also have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat in their upcoming releases. Dave & Buster's Entertainment is set to report fourth-quarter fiscal 2022 results on Mar 28. The company sports a Zacks Rank #1 and has an Earnings ESP of +5.93% at present. Dave & Buster's Entertainment\u2019s earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 218.3%. You can see the complete list of today\u2019s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly earnings is pegged at 59 cents per share, suggesting a strong improvement from the year-ago quarter\u2019s loss of $1.19. PLAY\u2019s quarterly revenues are estimated to increase 214.2% year over year to $367.1 million. Fastenal currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 and has an Earnings ESP of +0.46%. The company is slated to report its first-quarter 2022 results on Apr 13. Fastenal\u2019s earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate thrice in the preceding four quarters while matching the same on one occasion, the average surprise being 3.3%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Fastenal\u2019s first-quarter earnings stands at 44 cents per share, implying a year-over-year increase of 18.9%. FAST is estimated to report revenues of $1.67 billion, which suggests growth of 17.9% from the year-ago quarter. Washington Federal carries a Zacks Rank #3 and has an Earnings ESP of +0.72%. The company is expected to report second-quarter fiscal 2022 results on Apr 12. Washington Federal\u2019s earnings surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 12.2%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for WAFD\u2019s second-quarter earnings is pegged at 70 cents per share, indicating year-over-year growth of 25%. The consensus mark for revenues stands at $148.8 million, suggesting a year-over-year increase of 7.4%. Stay on top of upcoming earnings announcements with the Zacks Earnings Calendar. Just Released: Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2022 In addition to the investment ideas discussed above, would you like to know about our 10 top buy-and-hold tickers for the entirety of 2022? Last year's 2021 Zacks Top 10 Stocks portfolio returned gains as high as +147.7%. Now a brand-new portfolio has been handpicked from over 4,000 companies covered by the Zacks Rank. Don\u2019t miss your chance to get in on these long-term buys Access Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2022 today >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Washington Federal, Inc. (WAFD): Free Stock Analysis Report Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC): Free Stock Analysis Report Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. (PLAY): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Micron (MU) Set to Report Q2 Earnings: What's in the Offing? Micron Technology MU is slated to report second-quarter fiscal 2022 results on Mar 29. The company projects fiscal second-quarter adjusted earnings of $1.95 (+/- 10 cents) per share. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its quarterly earnings stands at $1.95 per share and has remained unchanged over the past 60 days. The consensus mark indicates a 98.9% surge from the year-ago quarter. Meanwhile, Micron estimates revenues of $7.5 billion (+/- $200 million). The consensus mark for revenues is pegged at $7.51 billion, suggesting a 20.4% increase from the year-earlier period. The company\u2019s earnings surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 5%. Let\u2019s see how things have shaped up before this announcement. Micron Technology, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise Micron Technology, Inc. price-eps-surprise | Micron Technology, Inc. Quote Factors at Play Micron\u2019s second-quarter results are likely to benefit from solid memory chip demand across all its end markets. The pandemic-led work-and-learn-from-home trend has fueled significant demand for personal computers (PCs) and notebooks. The remote-working and online-learning trend amid the COVID-19 crisis has also stoked demand for cloud storage. Furthermore, lockdowns and social distancing measures have fueled the usage of online and e-commerce services globally, compelling data center operators to enhance their capacities to accommodate the demand spike for cloud services. All these factors are likely to have aided MU\u2019s top line during the quarter under review. A solid uptick in the dynamic random access memory bit shipments for the cloud, graphics, PC and notebook, 5G and automotive markets is anticipated to have acted as an upside during the to-be-reported quarter. On its first-quarter fiscal 2022earnings conference call Micron stated that demand from PC customers is stable and demand across other end markets remains strong. However, industry-wide component supply constraints are expected to have hurt Micron\u2019s top and bottom lines in the second quarter. Furthermore, MU is witnessing supply constraints for certain integrated circuit components, which are expected to have negatively impacted the bit shipments in the quarter under review. The memory chip maker\u2019s heavy dependence on China is a headwind due to the ongoing tit-for-tat trade spat between the United States and China. The restrictions on exports to Huawei might have hurt the top line of the memory chip maker. Additionally, a higher mix of lower-margin NAND, coupled with low memory prices and a minimal decline in manufacturing costs, is expected to have strained margins. Moreover, operating expenses are expected to have flared up during the fiscal second quarter due to the resumption of the previously delayed fiscal 2021 salary hikes. This might have hurt Micron\u2019s margins and profitability during the quarter under review. What Our Model Says Our proven model does not conclusively predict an earnings beat for Micron this season. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the chances of an earnings beat. However, that\u2019s not the case here. Micron currently carries a Zacks Rank of 3 and has an Earnings ESP of 0.00%. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they\u2019re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter. Stocks With the Favorable Combination Per our model, Dave & Buster's Entertainment PLAY, Fastenal FAST and Washington Federal WAFD have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat in their upcoming releases. Dave & Buster's Entertainment is set to report fourth-quarter fiscal 2022 results on Mar 28. The company sports a Zacks Rank #1 and has an Earnings ESP of +5.93% at present. Dave & Buster's Entertainment\u2019s earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 218.3%. You can see the complete list of today\u2019s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly earnings is pegged at 59 cents per share, suggesting a strong improvement from the year-ago quarter\u2019s loss of $1.19. PLAY\u2019s quarterly revenues are estimated to increase 214.2% year over year to $367.1 million. Fastenal currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 and has an Earnings ESP of +0.46%. The company is slated to report its first-quarter 2022 results on Apr 13. Fastenal\u2019s earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate thrice in the preceding four quarters while matching the same on one occasion, the average surprise being 3.3%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Fastenal\u2019s first-quarter earnings stands at 44 cents per share, implying a year-over-year increase of 18.9%. FAST is estimated to report revenues of $1.67 billion, which suggests growth of 17.9% from the year-ago quarter. Washington Federal carries a Zacks Rank #3 and has an Earnings ESP of +0.72%. The company is expected to report second-quarter fiscal 2022 results on Apr 12. Washington Federal\u2019s earnings surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 12.2%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for WAFD\u2019s second-quarter earnings is pegged at 70 cents per share, indicating year-over-year growth of 25%. The consensus mark for revenues stands at $148.8 million, suggesting a year-over-year increase of 7.4%. Stay on top of upcoming earnings announcements with the Zacks Earnings Calendar. Just Released: Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2022 In addition to the investment ideas discussed above, would you like to know about our 10 top buy-and-hold tickers for the entirety of 2022? Last year's 2021 Zacks Top 10 Stocks portfolio returned gains as high as +147.7%. Now a brand-new portfolio has been handpicked from over 4,000 companies covered by the Zacks Rank. Don\u2019t miss your chance to get in on these long-term buys Access Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2022 today >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Micron Technology, Inc. (MU): Free Stock Analysis Report Washington Federal, Inc. (WAFD): Free Stock Analysis Report Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. (PLAY): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2022-03-25,56.5741,56.6728,56.0045,56.5257,
FAST,2022-03-28,56.3777,57.3993,56.2751,57.3894,
FAST,2022-03-29,57.4388,58.0073,57.193,57.8997,
FAST,2022-03-30,57.9195,58.7002,57.8603,58.6164,"Builders FirstSource (BLDR) Up 55% in a Year: Factors to Note Builders FirstSource, Inc. BLDR has been rallying over the past year, thanks to solid home buying and repair & remodeling activities. Shares of this manufacturer and supplier of building materials have gained 55% over a year versus the Zacks Building Products – Retail industry’s 6% growth and the Zacks Retail-Wholesale sector's 14.5% fall. BLDR is also benefiting from its industry-leading platform, national network, operating model and robust demand environment, defying the ongoing supply-chain woes. Impressive, the company has outpaced other industry players like Fastenal Company FAST, GMS Inc. GMS and Lowe's Companies, Inc. LOW — each carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) — in the same time frame. The price performance was backed by a solid earnings surprise history, having surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in the trailing 14 quarters. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Earnings estimates for 2022 have moved 29.9% higher over the past 30 days, depicting analysts’ optimism over BLDR’s prospects. Let’s delve deeper into the factors supporting this Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) company’s growth trajectory. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Robust Q4 Results: Builders FirstSource recently reported impressive fourth-quarter 2021 results, wherein adjusted earnings increased 157.4% year over year to $2.78 per share. Net sales of $4.6 billion also grew 23.7% on a year-over-year basis. For 2021, adjusted earnings came in at $10.32 per share versus $2.79 in 2020. Net sales were $19.9 billion for 2021, up 55.8% from the 2020 pro-forma level. Adjusted EBITDA grew 185.5% year over year to $3.1 billion, given higher demand across single-family home growth, commodity inflation, pricing and cost leverage. Adjusted EBITDA margin expanded 700 basis points to 15.4%. For 2022, the company expects strong demand in single-family housing and across the portfolio of value-added products and solutions. Buyout Synergies: Builders FirstSource remains focused on systematic acquisitions to supplement organic growth and expand extensively across vast geographic boundaries. The company’s first selective targets are those entities manufacturing prefabricated components such as factory-built roof and floor trusses, wall panels, stairs, and engineered wood as well as other value-added products such as vinyl windows and millwork. Secondly, Builders FirstSource intends to enter some of the homebuilding markets wherein it does not currently operate. On Jan 5, 2022, Builders FirstSource acquired National Lumber, the largest independent building materials supplier in New England. In 2021, the company announced various acquisitions, including Apollo software, California TrusFrame, LLC, WTS Paradigm, LLC, Alliance Lumber and John’s Lumber. Since 1998, BLDR has successfully integrated approximately 50 acquisitions (as of 2021-end), including BMC and ProBuild transactions, both of which transformed the company as well as the industry. Robust Housing Demand: Being a leading supplier and manufacturer of building materials, BLDR is observing higher demand arising from the solid momentum of the housing industry. With the opening of the economy, demand for housing and building material products has been improving, given the increasing trend of consumers to invest more in homes amid the pandemic. Robust demand for single-family housing and repair & remodeling activities remain tailwinds for BLDR’s products and services. Focus on Innovations & Digital Solutions: Builders FirstSource remains focused on investing in innovations and enhancing digital solutions for customers. The company’s deal to acquire WTS Paradigm is a testimony to this fact. BLDR is increasing investment to support technology and automation that will deliver operational excellence and increased volume of sales. The standardization and automation processes along with technology-based workflows will help minimize costs, streamline business operations, and enhance working capital efficiency. The company’s digital strategy includes three major areas: firstly to focus on internal processes and productivity by investing in technology to drive operational efficiency and excellence, next to help streamline interactions with vendors and customers and lastly to focus on external innovation and investment to offer value-added digital products and services that support customers' success and growth. Cost-Saving Moves: In 2021, the company garnered $108 million in cost savings, backed by its merger with BMC Stock Holdings on Jan 1, 2021. Elevated scale and a very comfortable balance sheet position enabled it to achieve a synergy run rate of $160 million by 2021-end, indicating an overachievement in just two years. The company continued focusing on achieving higher operating leverage on the back of increased sales and robust expense controls by offsetting higher variable costs. Superior Return on Equity (ROE): BLDR’s trailing 12-month ROE is indicative of growth potential. ROE in the trailing 12 months is 39.1%, much higher than the industry’s 31.4%, reflecting the company’s efficient usage of shareholders’ funds. A Brief Overview of the Above-Mentioned Stocks Fastenal’s expected earnings growth rate for 2022 is 11.9%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2022 earnings has improved 0.6% over the past 60 days. The company surpassed earnings estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, with an average of 3.3%. FAST shares have gained 16.5% in the past year. GMS’ expected earnings growth rate for fiscal 2022 is 103.7%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal 2022 earnings has improved 1.5% over the past 30 days. The company surpassed earnings estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, with an average of 19.7%. GMS shares have improved 29.7% in the past year. Lowe's expected earnings growth rate for fiscal 2022 is 11.1%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal 2022 earnings has improved 0.4% over the past 30 days. The company surpassed earnings estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, with an average of 12.9%. LOW shares have increased 15.6% in the past year. Just Released: Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2022 In addition to the investment ideas discussed above, would you like to know about our 10 top picks for the entirety of 2022? From inception in 2012 through 2021, the Zacks Top 10 Stocks portfolios gained an impressive +1,001.2% versus the S&P 500’s +348.7%. Now our Director of Research has combed through 4,000 companies covered by the Zacks Rank and has handpicked the best 10 tickers to buy and hold. Don’t miss your chance to get in…because the sooner you do, the more upside you stand to grab. See Stocks Now >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Lowe's Companies, Inc. (LOW): Free Stock Analysis Report Builders FirstSource, Inc. (BLDR): Free Stock Analysis Report GMS Inc. (GMS): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2022-03-31,58.7042,59.6221,58.3123,58.3123,
FAST,2022-04-01,58.3123,58.6164,57.6638,58.5768,
FAST,2022-04-04,58.5768,59.2441,58.5768,59.0486,"What's in the Offing for Conagra Brands (CAG) in Q3 Earnings? Conagra Brands, Inc. CAG is likely to witness a year-over-year increase in the top line when it reports third-quarter fiscal 2022 earnings on Apr 7. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues is pegged at $2,836 million, suggesting a rise of 2.3% from the prior-year quarter’s reported figure. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings has risen by a penny over the past seven days to 57 cents per share. However, this indicates a decline of 3.4% from the figure reported in the prior-year period. Conagra Brands, a consumer packaged goods food company, has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 0.5%, on average. CAG delivered a negative earnings surprise of 5.9% in the last reported quarter. Conagra Brands Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Conagra Brands price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Conagra Brands Quote Key Factors to Consider Conagra has been encountering cost of goods sold inflation for a while now. Despite raising its fiscal 2022 organic net sales guidance, management kept its bottom line intact due to the expected cost of goods sold inflation. In the second quarter of fiscal 2022, the adjusted gross margin contracted 483 basis points to 25.1% due to greater-than-anticipated cost of goods sold inflation, elevated transitionary supply-chain expenses and increased investments related to prioritizing servicing orders for maximizing food supply for consumers. On its lastearnings call management lowered its adjusted operating margin view due to increased cost of goods sold inflation and the timing of extra pricing activities. Though it is taking necessary pricing and saving actions, the effect of these initiatives is likely to aid margins in the second half of fiscal 2022. Gross inflation is likely to be 14% in fiscal 2022 compared with nearly 11% expected before. Third-quarter margins are likely to have been nearly in line with the second quarter, which raises concerns. Apart from this, the potential impact of divestitures is also likely to have an adverse effect on sales. In the second quarter, Conagra’s net sales growth was partly affected by the divestiture of the H.K. Anderson business, the Peter Pan peanut butter business and the Egg Beaters business. The divestitures are collectively referred to as Sold Businesses. In the second quarter, divestitures adversely impacted net sales by 0.7%. That said, pricing is likely to have offered a partial respite as mentioned above. CAG is also seeing recovery in its Foodservice business as restaurant traffic is picking up, with pandemic-led curbs lifted and a rising outdoor movement. With a continued rise in outdoor dining trends, the company’s Foodservice business looks well-placed. Conagra’s e-commerce investments have also been yielding favorable results. These aspects, together with a focus on innovation, bode well for the third quarter. What the Zacks Model Unveils Our proven model doesn’t conclusively predict an earnings beat for Conagra Brands this time. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat, which is not the case here. Conagra Brands currently has a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) and an Earnings ESP of -0.29%. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter. Stocks With the Favorable Combination Here are some companies that you may want to consider as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat in the to-be-reported quarter. Fastenal Company FAST has an Earnings ESP of +0.46% and a Zacks Rank #2. The company is expected to register top and bottom-line growth when it reports first-quarter 2022 results. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly earnings per share of 44 cents suggests growth of 18.9% from the year-ago quarter’s reported figure. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. The consensus mark for Fastenal’s revenues is pegged at $1.67 billion, indicating an increase of 17.9% from the year-ago quarter. FAST has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 3.3%, on average. Helen of Troy HELE has an Earnings ESP of +2.49% and a Zacks Rank #3. It is anticipated to register a bottom-line increase when it reports fourth-quarter fiscal 2022 results. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Helen of Troy’s revenues is pegged at $472 million, indicating a decline of 7.3% from the figure reported in the prior-year quarter. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Helen of Troy’s quarterly earnings is pegged at $2.01 per share, suggesting growth of around 28% from the year-ago quarter’s reported figure. HELE delivered an earnings beat of 18.1%, on average, in the trailing four quarters. TreeHouse Foods (THS) has an Earnings ESP of +3.20% and a Zacks Rank #3. The company is expected to register top-line growth when it reports fourth-quarter 2021 results. The consensus mark for revenues is pegged at $1,085 million, indicating an increase of 2.6% from the year-ago quarter. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for TreeHouse Foods’ bottom line stands at a loss of 55 cents per share, which suggests a significant decline from the year-ago quarter’s reported figure of earnings of 36 cents. THS has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 11.9%, on average. Stay on top of upcoming earnings announcements with the Zacks Earnings Calendar. Just Released: Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2022 In addition to the investment ideas discussed above, would you like to know about our 10 top buy-and-hold tickers for the entirety of 2022? Last year's 2021 Zacks Top 10 Stocks portfolio returned gains as high as +147.7%. Now a brand-new portfolio has been handpicked from over 4,000 companies covered by the Zacks Rank. Don’t miss your chance to get in on these long-term buys Access Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2022 today >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Conagra Brands (CAG): Free Stock Analysis Report TreeHouse Foods, Inc. (THS): Free Stock Analysis Report Helen of Troy Limited (HELE): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2022-04-05,59.0486,59.6073,57.8405,58.2333,
FAST,2022-04-06,58.1554,58.7338,57.7724,58.636,
FAST,2022-04-07,58.4594,58.6262,57.3006,57.6342,
FAST,2022-04-08,57.6155,57.7131,56.1181,56.6333,"Is a Surprise Coming for Fastenal (FAST) This Earnings Season? Investors are always looking for stocks that are poised to beat at earnings season and Fastenal Company FAST may be one such company. The firm has earnings coming up pretty soon, and events are shaping up quite nicely for their report. That is because Fastenal is seeing favorable earnings estimate revision activity as of late, which is generally a precursor to an earnings beat. After all, analysts raising estimates right before earnings — with the most up-to-date information possible — is a pretty good indicator of some favorable trends underneath the surface for FAST in this report. In fact, the Most Accurate Estimate for the current quarter is currently at 46 cents per share for FAST, compared to a broader Zacks Consensus Estimate of 44 cents per share. This suggests that analysts have very recently bumped up their estimates for FAST, giving the stock a Zacks Earnings ESP of +2.94% heading into earnings season. Fastenal Company Price and EPS Surprise Fastenal Company price-eps-surprise | Fastenal Company Quote Why is this Important? A positive reading for the Zacks Earnings ESP has proven to be very powerful in producing both positive surprises, and outperforming the market. Our recent 10-year backtest shows that stocks that have a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) or better show a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time, and have returned over 28% on average in annual returns (see more Top Earnings ESP stocks here). Given that FAST has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and an ESP in positive territory, investors might want to consider this stock ahead of earnings. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Clearly, recent earnings estimate revisions suggest that good things are ahead for Fastenal, and that a beat might be in the cards for the upcoming report. Infrastructure Stock Boom to Sweep America A massive push to rebuild the crumbling U.S. infrastructure will soon be underway. It’s bipartisan, urgent, and inevitable. Trillions will be spent. Fortunes will be made. The only question is “Will you get into the right stocks early when their growth potential is greatest?” Zacks has released a Special Report to help you do just that, and today it’s free. Discover 5 special companies that look to gain the most from construction and repair to roads, bridges, and buildings, plus cargo hauling and energy transformation on an almost unimaginable scale. Download FREE: How to Profit from Trillions on Spending for Infrastructure >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2022-04-11,56.584,57.3944,56.5544,56.9078,"[""Factors Influencing Bed Bath & Beyond (BBBY) in Q4 Earnings Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. BBBY is slated to release fourth-quarter fiscal 2021 results on Apr 13. The leading specialty retailer is expected to deliver sales and earnings declines in the to-be-reported quarter. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the company's fiscal fourth-quarter earnings is pegged at 3 cents per share, suggesting a 92.5% decline from the year-ago quarter's reported figure. The consensus mark has moved down by a penny in the past seven days. The consensus mark for fiscal fourth-quarter sales stands at $2.09 billion, suggesting a 20.3% decline from the prior-year reported number. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the company's fiscal 2021 bottom line is pegged at a loss of 13 cents, indicating 87.1% growth from the year-ago quarter's reported figure. Meanwhile, the consensus mark for revenues stands at $7.9 billion, suggesting a decrease of 14.4% from the prior-year quarter's reported figure. Also, the company has a trailing four-quarter negative earnings surprise of 27.3%, on average. Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. Price and EPS Surprise Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. price-eps-surprise | Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. Quote Key Points to Note Bed Bath & Beyond has been witnessing a lack of availability of products and supply-chain headwinds. Rising freight costs remain a concern. As a result, the company has been unable to meet demand. This, along with non-core banner divestitures and sluggishness in Bed Bath & Beyond banner sales, is expected to have weighed on the quarterly performance. On the last reported quarter'searnings call management anticipated fiscal fourth-quarter sales to be $2.1 billion and comps to decline in the high-single digits. The adjusted gross margin was envisioned to be 32.5-33%, reflecting the adverse impacts of global supply-chain challenges. Adjusted earnings were predicted to be between breakeven and 15 cents for the quarter under discussion. The company slashed its fiscal 2021 view. It envisioned net sales of $7.9 billion for fiscal 2021, down from the previously mentioned $8.1-$8.3 billion. Adjusted EBITDA was projected to be $290-$310 million, down from the previously mentioned $425-$465 million. Bed Bath & Beyond expected adjusted loss of 15 cents to breakeven earnings, down from the earlier stated earnings of 7-10 cents for fiscal 2021. The company has been progressing well with the transformation plan, including store fleet optimization efforts and store remodeling programs. Bed Bath & Beyond has been on track with its planned rollout of Owned Brands as part of its three-year transformation plan. Gains from the efforts are expected to have provided some cushion to the company's performance in the to-be-reported quarter. Its digital momentum bodes well. Management continues to bank on the robust digital channel and is making efforts to offer an enhanced customer experience. In doing so, it has entered the next phase of its supply-chain modernization via the partnership with Ryder and expanded its same-day delivery facility through a partnership with Roadie. Earlier, it partnered with DoorDash to expand its same-day delivery services across the United States and Canada. The company is on track with enabling cross-banner browsing across Bed Bath & Beyond, buybuy BABY, and Harmon brands. It also launched its own digital marketplace in partnership with Kroger to strengthen its position in the home and baby categories. Zacks Model Our proven model does not conclusively predict an earnings beat for Bed Bath & Beyond this time around. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the chances of an earnings beat. However, this is not the case here. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they're reported with our Earnings ESP Filter. Bed Bath & Beyond currently has a Zacks Rank #3 and an Earnings ESP of -24.24%. Stocks Poised to Beat Earnings Estimates Here are some companies you may want to consider, as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat: Auto Nation AN has an Earnings ESP of +0.58% and a Zacks Rank of 1. The company is expected to register top and bottom-line growth when it reports first-quarter 2022 numbers. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for AN's quarterly revenues is pegged at $6.6billion, which suggests growth of 12.3% from the prior-year quarter's reported figure. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Auton Nation's quarterly earnings has moved up 1.3% in the past 30 days to $5.39 per share, suggesting 93.2% growth from the year-ago reported number. AN has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 39.3%, on average. Tractor Supply Company TSCO currently has an Earnings ESP of +3.60% and a Zacks Rank #2. TSCO is likely to register top-line growth when it reports first-quarter 2022 numbers. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its quarterly revenues is pegged at $2.9 billion, which suggests growth of 3.8% from the figure reported in the prior-year quarter. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Tractor Supply's quarterly earnings has remained stable in the past 30 days at $1.39 per share, suggesting a decline of 10.3% from the year-ago quarter's reported number. TSCO has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 22%, on average. Fastenal FAST currently has an Earnings ESP of +2.94% and a Zacks Rank #3. FAST is anticipated to register top and bottom-line growth when it reports first-quarter 2022 results. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarterly revenues is pegged at $1.68 billion, indicating an improvement of 18.4% from the prior-year quarter. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Fastenal's bottom line has remained stable in the past 30 days at44 cents per share. The consensus estimate suggests growth of 18.9% from the year-ago quarter's reported figure. FAST has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 3.3%, on average. 5 Stocks Set to Double Each was handpicked by a Zacks expert as the #1 favorite stock to gain +100% or more in 2021. Previous recommendations have soared +143.0%, +175.9%, +498.3% and +673.0%. Most of the stocks in this report are flying under Wall Street radar, which provides a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor. Today, See These 5 Potential Home Runs >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Tractor Supply Company (TSCO): Free Stock Analysis Report AutoNation, Inc. (AN): Free Stock Analysis Report Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. (BBBY): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal (FAST) to Post Q1 Earnings: What Awaits the Stock? Fastenal Company FAST is scheduled to report first-quarter 2022 results on Apr 13, before the opening bell. In the last reported quarter, earnings and revenues topped the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 8.1% and 1.7% as well as increased 17.6% and 12.8% from the year-ago figures, respectively. Fastenal\u2019s earnings topped the consensus mark in all the last four quarters, with the average being 3.3%. Trend in Estimate Revision For the quarter to be reported, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings per share has been unchanged at 44 cents over the past 60 days. The estimated figure indicates 18.9% growth from the year-ago level. The consensus mark for revenues is pegged at $1.68 billion, suggesting an 18.4% increase from the year-ago reported figure of $1.42 billion. Fastenal Company Price and EPS Surprise Fastenal Company price-eps-surprise | Fastenal Company Quote Key Factors to Note Sales: This national wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies is likely to have witnessed higher comps on a year-over-year basis in the first quarter, given increased manufacturing and non-residential construction demand. If we go by the latest monthly sales report, February average daily sales or ADS grew 21.3% to $26.5 million from 14.9% growth registered in January 2022 and 1.5% in the year-ago period. The company has been navigating well through issues like price inflation, supply chain challenges and shortage of labor. It has been gaining from all product categories, end markets and customers. In terms of end markets/products/customers in February and January, manufacturing sales improved 25.8% and 20.8% from the respective year-ago months. Non-residential construction grew 19.5% and 12.9% for February and January 2022, respectively. Fastener sales were up 28% in February (versus a 20.9% increase in January). Safety sales increased 18.8% in February versus 12.9% growth in January. In terms of customer channel, national accounts were up 26% year over year in February (versus up 19% in January), while non-national accounts grew 16% (versus up 10% in January 2022). The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the company\u2019s overall daily sales is pegged at $26.7 million, which indicates an increase from $24.7 million sequentially and $22.5 million a year ago. Margins: Inflationary pressures have been a cause of concern. The company highlighted the fact that it has been experiencing significant material cost inflation, particularly for steel, fuel and transportation. The company has been experiencing the adverse effects of tightening global and domestic supply chains. Yet, Fastenal has been successfully raising prices to offset inflationary pressures. The company has been undertaking additional steps to counter cost pressure and incremental tariffs, which are expected to reflect on the bottom line. What the Zacks Model Unveils Our proven model predicts an earnings beat for Fastenal this time around. That is because a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) for this to happen. That is absolutely the case here, as you will see below. Earnings ESP: The company has an Earnings ESP of +2.94%. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they\u2019re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter. Zacks Rank: Currently, Fastenal carries a Zacks Rank #3. You can see the complete list of today\u2019s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Other Stocks With Favorable Combination Here are some other companies, which according to our model have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat in their respective quarters to be reported. Owens Corning OC has an Earnings ESP of +0.54% and a Zacks Rank #2. OC\u2019s earnings topped the consensus mark in all the last four quarters, with the average being 15.5%. Earnings for the to-be-reported quarter are expected to grow 40.5% year over year. Summit Materials, Inc. SUM has an Earnings ESP of +5.26% and a Zacks Rank #2. SUM\u2019s earnings topped the consensus mark thrice but missed the same on the other occasion, with the average surprise being 7.5%. Earnings for the to-be-reported quarter are expected to decline 15.2% year over year. KBR, Inc. KBR has an Earnings ESP of +7.64% and a Zacks Rank #3. KBR\u2019s earnings topped the consensus mark in all the last four quarters, with the average being 10.4%. Earnings for the to-be-reported quarter are expected to grow 20.8% year over year. Stay on top of upcoming earnings announcements with the Zacks Earnings Calendar. 5 Stocks Set to Double Each was handpicked by a Zacks expert as the #1 favorite stock to gain +100% or more in 2021. Previous recommendations have soared +143.0%, +175.9%, +498.3% and +673.0%. Most of the stocks in this report are flying under Wall Street radar, which provides a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor. Today, See These 5 Potential Home Runs >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report KBR, Inc. (KBR): Free Stock Analysis Report Owens Corning Inc (OC): Free Stock Analysis Report Summit Materials, Inc. (SUM): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2022-04-12,57.0262,57.9145,56.5248,56.6333,"[""Pre-Market Earnings Report for April 13, 2022 : JPM, BLK, FAST, FRC, DAL, INFY, SJR, BBBY The following companies are expected to report earnings prior to market open on 04/13/2022. Visit our Earnings Calendar for a full list of expected earnings releases. J P Morgan Chase & Co (JPM)is reporting for the quarter ending March 31, 2022. The bank company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 10 analysts that follow the stock is $2.73. This value represents a 39.33% decrease compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year JPM has beat the expectations every quarter. The highest one was in the 4th calendar quarter where they beat the consensus by 11.74%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2022 Price to Earnings ratio for JPM is 12.03 vs. an industry ratio of 11.70, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. BlackRock, Inc. (BLK)is reporting for the quarter ending March 31, 2022. The finance/investment management company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 4 analysts that follow the stock is $8.92. This value represents a 14.80% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year BLK has beat the expectations every quarter. The highest one was in the 4th calendar quarter where they beat the consensus by 1.86%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2022 Price to Earnings ratio for BLK is 17.74 vs. an industry ratio of 15.30, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Fastenal Company (FAST)is reporting for the quarter ending March 31, 2022. The building company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 5 analysts that follow the stock is $0.44. This value represents a 18.92% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year FAST has met analyst expectations once and beat the expectations the other three quarters. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2022 Price to Earnings ratio for FAST is 32.21 vs. an industry ratio of 14.60, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. FIRST REPUBLIC BANK (FRC)is reporting for the quarter ending March 31, 2022. The bank (west) company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 8 analysts that follow the stock is $1.90. This value represents a 6.15% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year FRC has beat the expectations every quarter. The highest one was in the 4th calendar quarter where they beat the consensus by 5.76%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2022 Price to Earnings ratio for FRC is 19.02 vs. an industry ratio of 12.20, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Delta Air Lines, Inc. (DAL)is reporting for the quarter ending March 31, 2022. The airline company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 10 analysts that follow the stock is $-1.33. This value represents a 62.54% increase compared to the same quarter last year. DAL missed the consensus earnings per share in the 1st calendar quarter of 2021 by -15.26%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2022 Price to Earnings ratio for DAL is 25.14 vs. an industry ratio of 11.70, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Infosys Limited (INFY)is reporting for the quarter ending March 31, 2022. The information technology services company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 5 analysts that follow the stock is $0.19. This value represents a 18.75% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year INFY has met analyst expectations three times and beat the expectations the other quarter. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2022 Price to Earnings ratio for INFY is 32.46 vs. an industry ratio of 24.30, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Shaw Communications Inc. (SJR)is reporting for the quarter ending February 28, 2022. The cable tv company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 2 analysts that follow the stock is $0.32. This value represents a 5.88% decrease compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year SJR has beat the expectations every quarter. The highest one was in the 4th calendar quarter where they beat the consensus by 3.33%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2022 Price to Earnings ratio for SJR is 24.44 vs. an industry ratio of 28.20. Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. (BBBY)is reporting for the quarter ending February 28, 2022. The retail company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 10 analysts that follow the stock is $0.03. This value represents a 92.50% decrease compared to the same quarter last year. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2022 Price to Earnings ratio for BBBY is -148.23 vs. an industry ratio of 4.30. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Factors Likely to Decide Rite Aid's (RAD) Fate in Q4 Earnings Rite Aid Corporation RAD is scheduled to report fourth-quarter fiscal 2022 results on Apr 14, before the opening bell. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its fiscal fourth-quarter revenues is pegged at $6 billion, suggesting a 0.5% increase from the prior-year quarter\u2019s reported figure of $5.9 billion. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the fiscal fourth-quarter bottom line is pegged at a loss of 57 cents, suggesting growth of 27% from a loss of 78 cents in the year-ago quarter. The consensus mark has been unchanged in the past 30 days. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the company\u2019s fiscal 2022 bottom line is pegged at a loss of 27 cents, indicating an 80% decline from the year-ago quarter\u2019s reported figure. Meanwhile, the consensus mark for revenues stands at $24.5 billion, suggesting growth of 1.7% from the prior-year reported figure. In the last reported quarter, the drugstore retailer\u2019s earnings beat estimates by 183.3%. The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 64.9%, on average. Key Factors to Note Rite Aid has been gaining from continued strength in its delivery services. Some notable efforts include free-of-charge home delivery service with an eligible prescription, pick-up services, drive-through for prescriptions and over-the-counter products, Buy Online Pickup In Store initiative, and curbside pick-up options. The company expanded the Instacart delivery service and partnered with Amazon, Postmates and Instacart for home delivery, which have been contributing to digital sales growth. RAD partnered with DoorDash and Shipt to offer same-day delivery of non-prescription health, convenience and wellness essentials. Rite Aid collaborated with ScriptDrop to expedite the prescription delivery process. The impacts of such endeavors are likely to get reflected in the fiscal fourth-quarter results. It remains on track with its efforts to strengthen its presence in mid-market PBM by innovation across its retail and mail-order pharmacy channels, enhanced in-store experience, curated digital offerings, improved merchandise, and rebranded image with a new logo. Rite Aid\u2019s newly launched Stores of the Future and the acquisition of Bartell might have helped expand the customer base. Its RxEvolution strategy bodes well. These are likely to have contributed to sales growth in the to-be-reported quarter. The company has been witnessing elevated expenses stemming from higher payroll costs, elevated bonus expenses for store field and corporate associates, a rise in compensation and the inclusion of the Bartell-related expenses. This is likely to have persisted in the quarter under review. On its lastearnings call management slashed its fiscal 2022 view. Management anticipated sales of $24.4-$24.7 million, down from the earlier mentioned $25.1-$25.5 billion. The Pharmacy services segment\u2019s sales were forecast to be $7.1-$7.2 billion, down from the previously mentioned $7.7-$7.8 million. Although adjusted net loss was envisioned to be 49-4 cents as compared with the previously mentioned loss of 90-53 cents, its mid-point of a loss of 26.5 cents compares unfavorably with fiscal 2021 reported figure of a loss of 15 cents. What the Zacks Model Unveils Our proven model does not conclusively predict an earnings beat for Rite Aid this time around. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat. But that\u2019s not the case here. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they\u2019re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter. Rite Aid has a Zacks Rank #3 and an Earnings ESP of 0.00%. Stocks Poised to Beat Earnings Estimates Here are some companies you may want to consider, as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat: Auto Nation AN has an Earnings ESP of +0.58% and a Zacks Rank of 1. The company is expected to register top and bottom-line growth when it reports first-quarter 2022 numbers. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for AN\u2019s quarterly revenues is pegged at $6.6 billion, which suggests growth of 12.3% from the prior year reported figure. You can see the complete list of today\u2019s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Auton Nation\u2019s quarterly earnings has moved up 1.3% in the past 30 days to $5.39 per share, suggesting 93.2% growth from the year-ago reported number. AN has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 39.3%, on average. Tractor Supply Company TSCO currently has an Earnings ESP of +3.60% and a Zacks Rank #2. TSCO is likely to register top-line growth when it reports first-quarter 2022 numbers. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its quarterly revenues is pegged at $2.9 billion, which suggests growth of 3.8% from the prior-year quarter. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Tractor Supply\u2019s quarterly earnings has remained stable in the past 30 days at $1.39 per share, suggesting a decline of 10.3% from the year-ago quarter\u2019s reported number. TSCO has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 22%, on average. Fastenal FAST currently has an Earnings ESP of +2.94% and a Zacks Rank #3. FAST is anticipated to register top and bottom-line growth when it reports first-quarter 2022 results. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarterly revenues is pegged at $1.68 billion, indicating an improvement of 18.4% from the prior-year quarter. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Fastenal\u2019s bottom line has remained stable in the past 30 days at 44 cents per share. The consensus estimate suggests growth of 18.9% from the year-ago quarter\u2019s reported figure. FAST has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 3.3%, on average. 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days Just released: Experts distill 7 elite stocks from the current list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buys. They deem these tickers \""Most Likely for Early Price Pops.\"" Since 1988, the full list has beaten the market more than 2X over with an average gain of +25.4% per year. So be sure to give these hand-picked 7 your immediate attention. See them now >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Rite Aid Corporation (RAD): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Tractor Supply Company (TSCO): Free Stock Analysis Report AutoNation, Inc. (AN): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2022-04-13,55.6709,58.6558,55.2396,57.8997,"[""Fastenal (FAST) Shares Rise on Q1 Earnings & Revenues Beat Fastenal Company FAST started 2022 on a solid note. The company\u2019s earnings and revenues not only beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate but also improved on a year-over-year basis, given strong demand for manufacturing and construction equipment and supplies along with higher pricing. Fastenal\u2019s shares jumped more than 3.2% in the pre-market trading session on Apr 13, after it reported the results. Earnings & Sales in Detail The company reported earnings of 47 cents per share, which topped the consensus mark of 44 cents by 6.8% and grew 27.8% from the year-ago period. Net sales totaled $1,704.1 million, beating the consensus mark of $1,682 million by 1.3% and increasing 20.3% from the year-ago figure of $1,417 million. It reported daily sales of $26.6 million, reflecting an increase of 18.4% year over year for the quarter. The upside was mainly due to higher unit sales of most products to traditional manufacturing and construction customers, stemming from an improvement in business activity. On a monthly basis, daily sales improved 19.1%, 21.3% and 14.9% in March, February and January, respectively, year over year. Daily sales of Fastener products (mainly used for industrial production and accounting for approximately 34.3% of first-quarter sales) rose 24.6% year over year, backed by higher manufacturing and construction demand as well as increased pricing. Sales of safety products (accounting for 21% of first-quarter sales) grew 15.3% on a daily basis. The upside was mainly driven by solid growth and higher pricing for traditional manufacturing and construction clients. Sales of the remaining products (accounting for 44.7% of fourth-quarter sales) grew 14.8% year over year. Vending Trends & Other Growth Drivers Fastenal signed 106 new Onsite locations during the quarter. As of Mar 31, 2022, the company had 1,440 active sites, up 12.1% from the year-ago period. Daily sales through Onsite locations (excluding sales transferred from branches to new Onsites) increased more than 20% from a year ago. FAST continues to expect 375-400 annual Onsite signings in 2022. Daily sales through weighted FMI devices grew 46% for the first quarter and represented 35.4% of net sales. Daily sales to national account customers (representing 57.1% of total quarterly revenues) increased 22.8% on a year-over-year basis for first-quarter 2022. Daily sales to non-national account customers (which include government customers and represent 42.9% of total quarterly revenues) rose 13% from the prior-year quarter. Fastenal Company Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Fastenal Company price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Fastenal Company Quote Margins Gross margin of 46.6% for the quarter improved 120 basis points or bps from the prior-year period. The improvement was driven by a higher product margin related to safety products and the absence of a write-down. Also, operating margin improved 120 bps to 21% from the year-ago figure of 19.8%. Financials Cash and cash equivalents were $234.2 million as of Mar 31, 2021, slightly down from $236.2 million on Dec 31, 2021. Long-term debt at quarter-end was $330 million, same as 2021-end. For the first three months of 2022, cash provided by operating activities totaled $230 million compared with $274.8 million in the year-ago period. Zacks Rank Fastenal currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today\u2019s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Some Better-Ranked Stocks in Broader Sector Some better-ranked stocks from the Zacks Retail-Wholesale sector include Builders FirstSource, Inc. BLDR, BBQ Holdings, Inc. BBQ, and Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. PLAY. Builders FirstSource currently sports a Zacks Rank #1. Shares of BLDR have gained 6.2% in the past six months. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for BLDR\u2019s 2022 earnings per share (EPS) has moved north to $9.29 from $8.91 over the past 30 days. BBQ Holdings presently sports a Zacks Rank #1. BBQ Holdings projects long-term earnings growth of 14%. Shares of the company have gained 41.5% in the past year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for BBQ Holdings\u2019 2022 sales and EPS suggests growth of 40.9% and 66.2%, respectively, from the year-ago levels. Dave & Buster's sports a Zacks Rank #1 at present. The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 212%, on average. Shares of PLAY have declined 4.8% in the past year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Dave & Buster's sales and EPS for the current year suggests growth of 24.4% and 49.3%, respectively, from the year-ago levels. Zacks Names \""Single Best Pick to Double\"" From thousands of stocks, 5 Zacks experts each have chosen their favorite to skyrocket +100% or more in months to come. From those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all. It\u2019s a little-known chemical company that\u2019s up 65% over last year, yet still dirt cheap. With unrelenting demand, soaring 2022 earnings estimates, and $1.5 billion for repurchasing shares, retail investors could jump in at any time. This company could rival or surpass other recent Zacks\u2019 Stocks Set to Double like Boston Beer Company which shot up +143.0% in little more than 9 months and NVIDIA which boomed +175.9% in one year. Free: See Our Top Stock and 4 Runners Up >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Builders FirstSource, Inc. (BLDR): Free Stock Analysis Report Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. (PLAY): Free Stock Analysis Report BBQ Holdings, Inc. (BBQ): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Daily Dividend Report: QCOM,CAT,O,CTAS,FAST Qualcomm today announced a quarterly cash dividend of $0.75 per common share, payable on June 23, 2022, to stockholders of record at the close of business on June 2, 2022. The Board of Directors of Caterpillar voted today to maintain the quarterly dividend of one dollar and eleven cents per share of common stock, payable May 20, 2022, to shareholders of record at the close of business on April 25, 2022. Caterpillar has paid a cash dividend every year since the company was formed and has paid a quarterly dividend since 1933. Caterpillar has paid higher annual dividends to shareholders for 28 consecutive years and is recognized as a member of the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrat Index. Realty Income, The Monthly Dividend Company, today announced that its Board of Directors has declared the 622nd consecutive common stock monthly dividend. The dividend amount of $0.247 per share, representing an annualized amount of $2.964 per share, is payable on May 13, 2022 to shareholders of record as of May 2, 2022. The ex-dividend date for May's dividend is April 29, 2022. Cintas announced that the Company's Board of Directors approved a quarterly cash dividend of $0.95 per share of common stock payable on June 15, 2022 to shareholders of record at the close of business on May 16, 2022. Cintas has a strong record of returning capital to its shareholders and has consistently raised its dividend each year since Cintas' initial public offering 38 years ago in 1983. Fastenal reported its board of directors declared a dividend of $0.31 per share to be paid in cash on May 25, 2022 to shareholders of record at the close of business on April 27, 2022. Except for share and per share information, dollar amounts are stated in millions. VIDEO: Daily Dividend Report: QCOM,CAT,O,CTAS,FAST The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Co. Q1 Income Rises, Beats estimates (RTTNews) - Fastenal Co. (FAST) revealed earnings for its first quarter that increased from the same period last year and beat the Street estimates. The company's earnings came in at $269.6 million, or $0.47 per share. This compares with $210.6 million, or $0.37 per share, in last year's first quarter. Analysts on average had expected the company to earn $0.45 per share, according to figures compiled by Thomson Reuters. Analysts' estimates typically exclude special items. The company's revenue for the quarter rose 19.7% to $1.70 billion from $1.42 billion last year. Fastenal Co. earnings at a glance (GAAP) : -Earnings (Q1): $269.6 Mln. vs. $210.6 Mln. last year. -EPS (Q1): $0.47 vs. $0.37 last year. -Analyst Estimate: $0.45 -Revenue (Q1): $1.70 Bln vs. $1.42 Bln last year. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Stock Market Today: Start of Earnings Season Gets Stocks off the Ground U.S. equities managed to snap their slide Wednesday as the first-quarter earnings season got off to a decent start. Delta Air Lines (DAL, +6.2%) was one of the sharpest gainers in the S&P 500 after the airline posted both strong Q1 results and delivered a cheerful Q2 forecast. DAL's $9.35 billion in revenue topped expectations for $8.92 billion, while its net loss of $1.23 per share was under the $1.27 analysts were looking for. On top of that, Delta says second-quarter revenues will recover to just 3% to 7% below the pre-pandemic levels of Q2 2019 thanks to expectations of a robust travel season. SEE MORE 2022's Best Mutual Funds in 401(k) Retirement Plans CEO Ed Bastian told CNBC today that Americans are \""done investing in their homes and their garden and want to go see someone else's garden for a change.\"" The positive reaction to Delta Air Lines' earnings report gave a lift to fellow airline stocks. American Airlines Group (AAL) spiked 10.6%, while Southwest Airlines (LUV, +7.5%) and United Airlines (UAL, +5.6%) also finished the day solidly higher. Fastenal (FAST, +2.2%) shares improved as well after reporting a profit of 47 cents per share on sales of $1.7 billion, both of which beat the Street's views. Meanwhile, BlackRock (BLK, -0.2%), was roughly breakeven after it announced Q1 revenues of $4.7 billion that slightly missed the mark, but also better-than-expected adjusted earnings of $9.52 per share thanks to lower expenses. Sign up for Kiplinger's FREE Investing Weekly e-letter for stock, ETF and mutual fund recommendations, and other investing advice. Struggling a bit more was JPMorgan Chase (JPM, -3.2%), which struck a sour note despite topping expectations. Profits of $2.76 per share on $31.59 billion in revenues were better than respective estimates of $2.69 per share and $30.86 billion, but also represented 42% and 5% year-over-year declines, respectively. Among the items weighing on JPM was a $524 million charge tied to market turbulence amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine. \""The financial sector in general is under pressure over the past few weeks, and banks are almost at the bottom of the list,\"" says Julius de Kempenaer, senior technical analyst at charting platform StockCharts.com. \""One would think that the recent rise in interest rates would, to a degree, help banks, but the weak earnings report from JPM this morning suggests otherwise. Apparently the impact of rising inflation and geopolitical influences is more than offsetting the benefits from rising rates.\"" SEE MORE 7 REITs Flaunting Fast-Growing Dividends Advances in the consumer discretionary (+2.5%) and communication services (+1.5%) sectors put the Nasdaq Composite (+2.0% to 13,643) ahead of the other major indices. The S&P 500 closed 1.1% higher to 4,446, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 1.0% to 34,564. The earnings calendar will continue Thursday, but Steve Sears, president of asset management firm Options Solutions, says that's not the only thing worth watching. \""April options expire on Thursday since the markets are closed on Friday,\"" he says. \""Options expirations have historically been mostly immaterial to the stock market, but don't tell that to investors. The growth in options trading during the COVID-19 pandemic has made options expirations as closely watched as the release of economic and inflation data.\"" YCharts Other news in thestock market today The small-cap Russell 2000 jumped back above 2,000, gaining 1.9% to 2,025. U.S. crude oil futures jumped 3.6% to finish at $104.25 per barrel. Gold futures rose for a fifth straight day, gaining 0.4% to settle at $1,984.70 an ounce. Bitcoin stormed back from a recent slump, advancing 4.5% to $41,075.10. (Bitcoin trades 24 hours a day; prices reported here are as of 4 p.m. Charles Schwab (SCHW) rose 4.7% after Morgan Stanley analyst Mike Cyprys elevated the financial stock to a \""top pick\"" position. Shares are at a compelling entry point right now and SCHW should \""see upward estimate revisions and greater investor appeal\"" as it benefits from the Federal Reserve's rate-hiking cycle and rising yields. Not only is SCHW a top pick at Morgan Stanley, but it's also one of Kiplinger's best stocks to buy for 2022. Walmart (WMT, +2.6%) said it has hired John Rainey to replace outgoing Chief Financial Officer Brett Biggs. Rainey, who currently serves as chief financial officer at PayPal (PYPL, -2.9%), will take over the reins on June 6. What's the Top Dow Stock Right Now? Where should investors be positioned as the Q1 earnings season gets underway? SEE MORE Hedge Funds' 25 Top Blue-Chip Stocks to Buy Now Chris Haverland, global equity strategist for the Wells Fargo Investment Institute, notes that \""earnings growth is expected to be concentrated in several cyclical sectors. The energy, industrials and materials sectors should lead the way, with energy earnings expected to grow by an eye-popping 255%.\"" However, it's possible that much of that backward-looking growth is priced into the sector right now \u2013 \""forward guidance will be key as many companies continue to deal with rising input costs, a tight labor market, and continued global supply-chain constraints,\"" Haverland adds. More broadly speaking, however, Haverland is \""most favorable\"" on higher-quality U.S. large-cap equities at the moment. Those wanting to follow that guidance would be hard-pressed to find much higher-quality companies than the blue chips of the Dow Jones Industrial Average \u2013 though even within the ranks of these 30 large- and mega-cap stocks, some investments look vastly superior compared to others. Today, we've taken a fresh look at all 30 Dow Jones Industrial Average components, ranked based on the consensus analyst opinions of the dozens of pros covering each name. SEE MORE The 22 Best ETFs to Buy for a Prosperous 2022 The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Q1 22 Earnings Conference Call At 10:00 AM ET (RTTNews) - Fastenal Co. (FAST) will host a conference call at 10:00 AM ET on April 13, 2022, to discuss Q1 22 earnings results. To access the live webcast, log on to https://investor.fastenal.com/events-and-presentations/default.aspx The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2022-04-14,57.9195,57.9737,54.7876,54.984,"[""Fastenal Secures Its Supply Chain in 2022 Shares of the Fastenal Company (NASDAQ: FAST) loosened up and went for a jog on Wednesday, rising more than 2% in morning trading after the company reported gangbusters earnings for its fiscal first-quarter 2022. As well they might. Fastenal didn't just \""beat earnings\"" for the quarter (although it did that, too). Fastenal produced monster growth by just about any metric you choose for the quarter -- revenues, profit margins, or earnings growth. About the only place where an investor could have a quibble with Fastenal's results, in fact, was on the company's cash flow statement where Fastenal suffered an -- at first -- disheartening slump in cash generation. But as it turns out...that was all according to plan. Image source: Getty Images. Fastenal by the numbers Fastenal, as its name suggests, is a manufacturer of fasteners -- screws and pins, rivets and studs, nuts, bolts, and washers. As an industrial company, its fortunes are tied to the health of the manufacturing and construction sectors. The good news for Fastenal, and therefore for other manufacturers, is that industrial business seems to be humming along right now. For fiscal Q1, Fastenal reported 20% growth in revenues, exceeding analyst expectations with quarterly sales of $1.7 billion. Gross profit margins at the company inched up a healthy 120 basis points year over year, to 46.6%, as did operating profit margins at 21% even. On the bottom line, Fastenal reported $0.47 per share in diluted net income ($0.02 better than what analysts had expected to see; $0.10 per share better than a year ago) and therefore a growth rate of 27%. The big picture Management credited \""improved unit sales across most products to our traditional manufacturing and construction customers\"" for its stellar sales and earnings growth, and commented that business activity seems to be improving, with \""strong, economically driven growth in underlying demand for manufacturing and construction equipment and supplies.\"" That being said, there are a couple of things bugging Fastenal right now. Neither will surprise you if you've been paying attention to the business headlines this past year. The first issue is inflation. Fastenal noted that roughly six full percentage points of its Q1 sales growth came from Fastenal just raising prices on its products to cover higher input costs and the higher cost of fuel for transportation. Another worry is the supply chain -- and inventories. In Q1, Fastenal reported a 16% decline in operating cash flow as the company spent heavily on working capital, including inventory build (which is valued in dollars and therefore incorporates inflation into its rising value). Fastenal explained that this was done not because products aren't selling -- the contrary is more accurate -- but simply \""to support our customer's growth.\"" Indeed, Fastenal is doing a great job of keeping inventory growth more or less balanced with sales growth. If sales were up 20% in Q1, inventories grew a bit less than 23%. Management noted specifically that while inflation was one component in inventories rising (again, in terms of dollar value), it is also building inventories in order to ensure \""a resilient and robust supply chain as our manufacturing and construction customers expand production,\"" and to anticipate and head off potential supply chain disruptions. Valuing Fastenal In short, there's very little to complain about in Fastenal's earnings report so far as the business goes. But what about the stock? Should you -- not to put too fine a point on it -- buy Fastenal stock today? Not necessarily. Fastenal seems to be a high-quality business and certainly looks well run, but with its stock up 15% over the past year (twice the growth of the S&P 500), Fastenal is also looking like one very pricey stock. Valued on its $984 million in trailing-12-month earnings, Fastenal trades for a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of nearly 34 times, which is about 33% more than the average S&P stock. Furthermore, valued on its now-depressed free cash flow (FCF) -- $566 million over the past 12 months, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence -- the stock is trading for an even richer 59 times trailing FCF. As good a business as this is, Fastenal as a stock simply looks too expensive to buy right now. If it were my money on the line, I think I'd wait and hope for a market pullback to provide a better buying opportunity. 10 stocks we like better than Fastenal When our award-winning analyst team has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.* They just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Fastenal wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of April 7, 2022 Rich Smith has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal (FAST) Recently Broke Out Above the 20-Day Moving Average From a technical perspective, Fastenal (FAST) is looking like an interesting pick, as it just reached a key level of support. FAST recently overtook the 20-day moving average, and this suggests a short-term bullish trend. A well-liked tool among traders, the 20-day simple moving average offers a look back at a stock's price over a 20-day period. This is very beneficial to short-term traders, as it smooths out short-term price trends and gives more trend reversal signals than longer-term moving averages. Similar to other SMAs, if a stock's price moves above the 20-day, the trend is considered positive, while price falling below the moving average can signal a downward trend. Over the past four weeks, FAST has gained 5.4%. The company is currently ranked a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), another strong indication the stock could move even higher. Once investors consider FAST's positive earnings estimate revisions, the bullish case only solidifies. No earnings estimate has been lowered in the past two months, compared to 4 raised estimates, for the current fiscal year, and the consensus estimate has increased as well. Given this move in earnings estimate revisions and the positive technical factor, investors may want to keep their eye on FAST for more gains in the near future. Just Released: Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2022 In addition to the investment ideas discussed above, would you like to know about our 10 top picks for the entirety of 2022? From inception in 2012 through 2021, the Zacks Top 10 Stocks portfolios gained an impressive +1,001.2% versus the S&P 500\u2019s +348.7%. Now our Director of Research has combed through 4,000 companies covered by the Zacks Rank and has handpicked the best 10 tickers to buy and hold. Don\u2019t miss your chance to get in\u2026because the sooner you do, the more upside you stand to grab. See Stocks Now >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Company News for Apr 14, 2022 JPMorgan Chase & Co.\u2019s JPM shares lost 3.2% after reporting first-quarter 2022 adjusted earnings of $2.63 per share, lagging the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.73 per share. Shares of NVIDIA Corporation NVDA gained 3.3% following reports that the outlook for gaming and datacenters would be robust in the coming months. Shares of BlackRock, Inc. BLK lost 0.2% after reporting first-quarter 2022 revenues of $4729 million, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $4699 million. Fastenal Company\u2019s FAST shares rose 2.2% after reporting first-quarter 2022 revenues of $1704 million, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1682 million. Just Released: Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2022 In addition to the investment ideas discussed above, would you like to know about our 10 top picks for the entirety of 2022? From inception in 2012 through 2021, the Zacks Top 10 Stocks portfolios gained an impressive +1,001.2% versus the S&P 500\u2019s +348.7%. Now our Director of Research has combed through 4,000 companies covered by the Zacks Rank and has handpicked the best 10 tickers to buy and hold. Don\u2019t miss your chance to get in\u2026because the sooner you do, the more upside you stand to grab. See Stocks Now >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM): Free Stock Analysis Report BlackRock, Inc. (BLK): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Top Stock Market News For Today April 14, 2022 Stock Market Futures Seek Direction Ahead Of Big Bank Quarterly Updates U.S. stock futures are idling in early morning trading today. In the larger scheme of things, this could be due to investors awaiting further data on the economy. While this week\u2019s consumer price index and producer price index readings are in, there is one more set of data to consider. Notably, this is in the form of earnings from some of the biggest U.S. banks. Before today\u2019s opening bell, Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS), Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS), Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC), and Citigroup (NYSE: C) are on tap. Following a sharp year-over-year decline in profit from JPMorgan (NYSE: JPM) yesterday, investors are likely weary now. Weighing in on all this is Quincy Krosby, a chief equity strategist at LPL Financial (NASDAQ: LPLA). According to Krosby, \u201cWe want to get a picture of how do they see the Fed\u2019s plan\u2026 quantitative tightening, the liquidity drain, coupled with higher rates, affecting their clients and their business units.\u201d She also adds that \u201cHigher rates are good for banks, until, the belief is, the higher rates are going to hurt the economy.\u201d With all this in mind, it is safe to say that investors have a lot to consider in the stock market today. As of 4:32 a.m. ET, the Dow and S&P 500 are trading lower by 0.06% and 0.08% respectively. Meanwhile, Nasdaq futures is edging 0.07% higher. Taiwan Semiconductor In Focus After Posting Solid Figures In First-Quarter Financial Update Among the head turners in thestock market todayis the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (NYSE: TSM). For the most part, this would be the result of TSM reporting its latest quarterly figures earlier today. Jumping right to it, the company is looking at earnings of $1.40 per share alongside revenue of about $17.57 billion. For reference, this is versus Wall Street estimates of $1.31 and $16.26 billion. As such, with the company beating analyst forecasts across the board, TSM stock would be in focus today. By and large, TSM is also looking at a record quarterly revenue now. This comes as the demand for its integral semiconductor chips continues to skyrocket worldwide. Accordingly, the ongoing global shortages are likely to boost prices for its chips across the board. In particular, the demand for computers, smartphones, and vehicles are among the key sectors to consider on this front. Thanks to persisting global demand, TSM\u2019s revenue is now up by a sizable 36% year-over-year. Also, it is worth mentioning that all this is amidst worsening pandemic conditions in China. The likes of which are adding to already long wait times for chip deliveries now. Despite all of this, firms like Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) and Samsung (OTCMKTS: SSNLF) are still catering to tech-hungry consumers. Ultimately, all this would serve to support the bull thesis on semiconductor titans such as TSM. After considering all this, investors looking to jump on TSM stock after its year-to-date losses could see an opportunity now. Source: TradingView [Read More] 5 Top Cybersecurity Stocks To Watch Today Costco Announces Quarterly Dividend Increase To $0.90 Per Share Elsewhere, Costco (NASDAQ: COST) is raising its quarterly dividend by a fair amount. Namely, as of yesterday, the big-box retailer is declaring a $0.90 per share quarterly payout. This represents a sizable 13.9% increase from the prior dividend of $0.79. For one thing, this could further attract investors looking to make more defensive plays in thestock market today With this move in mind, it seems that Costco is well aware of current market conditions and is making the most of it. Even as inflation continues to surge and global economies falter, demand for its offerings will likely persist. As such, to better appeal to investors during a potential time of crisis, Costco is further bolstering its dividend. At the same time, the company is also holding strong on the operational front as well. This is evident from its latest monthly sales report from last week. According to Costco, it raked in total net sales of $21.61 billion throughout March. Year-over-year, this adds up to a notable 18.7% increase. More importantly, the company also saw its comparable sales jump by 17.2% over the same period. This marks its third straight month with double-digit net and comparable sales gains. Overall, as Costco seemingly goes from strength to strength, I could see COST stock gaining attention today. Source: TradingView [Read More] Top Stocks To Buy Now? 3 Fintech Stocks For Your List Fastenal Beats Estimates Across Top And Bottom Line In Latest Quarterly Earnings Release Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST), a titan in the industrial supplies space is also turning heads in the stock market this week. Correspondingly, this follows the announcement of its first fiscal quarter earnings yesterday. In brief, Fastenal is looking at a total revenue of $1.7 billion alongside earnings of $0.47 per share. To put things into perspective, this tops consensus projections of $1.69 billion and $0.45 respectively. Going into the specifics, the company also highlights a solid 20% year-over-year increase in its net sales. According to Fastenal, \u201cThis increase is due to improved unit sales across most products to our traditional manufacturing and construction customers, resulting from continued improvement in business activity. Our net daily sales growth also benefited by roughly 100 basis points from the absence of last year\u2019s adverse weather. The first quarter of 2022 continued to experience strong, economically-driven growth in underlying demand for manufacturing and construction equipment and supplies, which drove higher unit sales that contributed to the increase in net sales in the period.\u201d All in all, the current attention around FAST stock now is understandable. Source: TradingView [Read More] Best Stocks To Invest In Right Now? 3 Consumer Staples Stocks To Know Travel Stocks Pop After Delta Air Lines Provides Upbeat Outlook On Returning Travel Momentum In other news, the travel industry appears to be experiencing a recovery rally now. Evidently, some of the top travel stocks around are seeing substantial gains following yesterday\u2019s trading session. To begin with, the industry likely has Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) to thank for these gains. After reporting its latest quarterly financials, the airline operator\u2019s outlook for the current quarter points towards a recovery in travel demand. So much so that it expects to swing towards a net profit in the June 2022 quarter with revenues exceeding pre-pandemic levels. As a result of all this, a wide variety of travel stocks appears to be following suit. Primarily, airline operators like American Airlines (NASDAQ: AAL), Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV), and United Airlines (NASDAQ: UAL) saw gains of over 10%, 7%, and 5% respectively yesterday. Moreover, vacation planning companies like Expedia Group (NASDAQ: EXPE) and Airbnb (NASDAQ: ABNB) also saw similar upswings as well. While all this is great, travel firms continue to work together, anticipating the return of travelers as well. As of earlier this week, American Airlines and Expedia are now working together. In essence, the current partnership provides Expedia users with more customization options when booking American Airlines flights. Because of all this, travel stocks could be worth keeping an eye on in the stock market moving forward. If you enjoyed this article and you\u2019re interested in learning how to trade so you can have the best chance to profit consistently then you need to checkout this YouTube channel. CLICK HERE RIGHT NOW!! The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2022-04-18,54.8665,55.0728,53.6445,53.9436,
FAST,2022-04-19,54.0413,55.7795,53.9337,55.6611,"First Week of FAST June 17th Options Trading Investors in Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) saw new options begin trading this week, for the June 17th expiration. At Stock Options Channel, our YieldBoost formula has looked up and down the FAST options chain for the new June 17th contracts and identified one put and one call contract of particular interest. The put contract at the $52.50 strike price has a current bid of $1.10. If an investor was to sell-to-open that put contract, they are committing to purchase the stock at $52.50, but will also collect the premium, putting the cost basis of the shares at $51.40 (before broker commissions). To an investor already interested in purchasing shares of FAST, that could represent an attractive alternative to paying $55.52/share today. Because the $52.50 strike represents an approximate 5% discount to the current trading price of the stock (in other words it is out-of-the-money by that percentage), there is also the possibility that the put contract would expire worthless. The current analytical data (including greeks and implied greeks) suggest the current odds of that happening are 75%. Stock Options Channel will track those odds over time to see how they change, publishing a chart of those numbers on our website under the contract detail page for this contract. Should the contract expire worthless, the premium would represent a 2.10% return on the cash commitment, or 12.96% annualized — at Stock Options Channel we call this the YieldBoost. Below is a chart showing the trailing twelve month trading history for Fastenal Co., and highlighting in green where the $52.50 strike is located relative to that history: Turning to the calls side of the option chain, the call contract at the $57.50 strike price has a current bid of $1.10. If an investor was to purchase shares of FAST stock at the current price level of $55.52/share, and then sell-to-open that call contract as a ""covered call,"" they are committing to sell the stock at $57.50. Considering the call seller will also collect the premium, that would drive a total return (excluding dividends, if any) of 5.55% if the stock gets called away at the June 17th expiration (before broker commissions). Of course, a lot of upside could potentially be left on the table if FAST shares really soar, which is why looking at the trailing twelve month trading history for Fastenal Co., as well as studying the business fundamentals becomes important. Below is a chart showing FAST's trailing twelve month trading history, with the $57.50 strike highlighted in red: Considering the fact that the $57.50 strike represents an approximate 4% premium to the current trading price of the stock (in other words it is out-of-the-money by that percentage), there is also the possibility that the covered call contract would expire worthless, in which case the investor would keep both their shares of stock and the premium collected. The current analytical data (including greeks and implied greeks) suggest the current odds of that happening are 66%. On our website under the contract detail page for this contract, Stock Options Channel will track those odds over time to see how they change and publish a chart of those numbers (the trading history of the option contract will also be charted). Should the covered call contract expire worthless, the premium would represent a 1.98% boost of extra return to the investor, or 12.26% annualized, which we refer to as the YieldBoost. The implied volatility in the put contract example is 28%, while the implied volatility in the call contract example is 23%. Meanwhile, we calculate the actual trailing twelve month volatility (considering the last 253 trading day closing values as well as today's price of $55.52) to be 20%. For more put and call options contract ideas worth looking at, visit StockOptionsChannel.com. Top YieldBoost Calls of the Nasdaq 100 » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2022-04-20,55.9957,56.731,55.6512,55.9759,
FAST,2022-04-21,56.3678,57.0064,56.2405,56.6531,
FAST,2022-04-22,56.4369,56.8792,55.6808,55.9069,"[""Ex-Dividend Reminder: Cal-Maine Foods, Clorox and Fastenal Looking at the universe of stocks we cover at Dividend Channel, on 4/26/22, Cal-Maine Foods Inc (Symbol: CALM), Clorox Co (Symbol: CLX), and Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) will all trade ex-dividend for their respective upcoming dividends. Cal-Maine Foods Inc will pay its quarterly dividend of $0.125 on 5/12/22, Clorox Co will pay its quarterly dividend of $1.16 on 5/13/22, and Fastenal Co. will pay its quarterly dividend of $0.31 on 5/25/22. As a percentage of CALM's recent stock price of $56.49, this dividend works out to approximately 0.22%, so look for shares of Cal-Maine Foods Inc to trade 0.22% lower \u2014 all else being equal \u2014 when CALM shares open for trading on 4/26/22. Similarly, investors should look for CLX to open 0.77% lower in price and for FAST to open 0.54% lower, all else being equal. Below are dividend history charts for CALM, CLX, and FAST, showing historical dividends prior to the most recent ones declared. Cal-Maine Foods Inc (Symbol: CALM): Clorox Co (Symbol: CLX): Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST): In general, dividends are not always predictable, following the ups and downs of company profits over time. Therefore, a good first due diligence step in forming an expectation of annual yield going forward, is looking at the history above, for a sense of stability over time. This can help in judging whether the most recent dividends from these companies are likely to continue. If they do continue, the current estimated yields on annualized basis would be 0.89% for Cal-Maine Foods Inc, 3.07% for Clorox Co, and 2.16% for Fastenal Co.. Free Report: Top 7%+ Dividends (paid monthly) In Friday trading, Cal-Maine Foods Inc shares are currently up about 0.2%, Clorox Co shares are up about 1.9%, and Fastenal Co. shares are off about 0.5% on the day. Click here to learn which 25 S.A.F.E. dividend stocks should be on your radar screen \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Reaches Analyst Target Price In recent trading, shares of Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) have crossed above the average analyst 12-month target price of $57.33, changing hands for $57.71/share. When a stock reaches the target an analyst has set, the analyst logically has two ways to react: downgrade on valuation, or, re-adjust their target price to a higher level. Analyst reaction may also depend on the fundamental business developments that may be responsible for driving the stock price higher \u2014 if things are looking up for the company, perhaps it is time for that target price to be raised. There are 6 different analyst targets within the Zacks coverage universe contributing to that average for Fastenal Co., but the average is just that \u2014 a mathematical average. There are analysts with lower targets than the average, including one looking for a price of $51.00. And then on the other side of the spectrum one analyst has a target as high as $65.00. The standard deviation is $5.501. But the whole reason to look at the average FAST price target in the first place is to tap into a \""wisdom of crowds\"" effort, putting together the contributions of all the individual minds who contributed to the ultimate number, as opposed to what just one particular expert believes. And so with FAST crossing above that average target price of $57.33/share, investors in FAST have been given a good signal to spend fresh time assessing the company and deciding for themselves: is $57.33 just one stop on the way to an even higher target, or has the valuation gotten stretched to the point where it is time to think about taking some chips off the table? Below is a table showing the current thinking of the analysts that cover Fastenal Co.: RECENT FAST ANALYST RATINGS BREAKDOWN \u00bb Current 1 Month Ago 2 Month Ago 3 Month Ago Strong buy ratings: 1 1 1 2 Buy ratings: 0 0 0 0 Hold ratings: 7 7 6 6 Sell ratings: 0 0 0 0 Strong sell ratings: 2 2 3 3 Average rating: 3.13 3.13 3.33 3.12 The average rating presented in the last row of the above table above is from 1 to 5 where 1 is Strong Buy and 5 is Strong Sell. This article used data provided by Zacks Investment Research via Quandl.com. Get the latest Zacks research report on FAST \u2014 FREE. The Top 25 Broker Analyst Picks of the S&P 500 \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2022-04-25,55.9167,56.2997,54.7293,55.9069,
FAST,2022-04-26,55.5713,55.9859,55.1962,55.2258,
FAST,2022-04-27,55.3245,56.0451,54.9692,55.0185,
FAST,2022-04-28,55.3541,56.9482,54.8734,56.6965,
FAST,2022-04-29,56.2425,56.7656,54.4361,54.5941,
FAST,2022-05-02,54.8507,55.2356,53.2714,54.2881,
FAST,2022-05-03,54.4954,54.9988,53.7896,54.1005,"Lowe's (LOW) Appears Good on Digital Strength & Pro Business Lowe's Companies, Inc. LOW seems well poised for growth, thanks to its constant investments in the technology and merchandise category as well as sturdy Pro and digital businesses. LOW’s Total Home strategy, which includes complete solutions for various types of home improvement needs, appears encouraging as well. Let’s delve deeper. Strategic Details Lowe's solid digital base has been aiding its performance for a while now. Management has been making investments in omni-channel capabilities for a while, including expanding online assortment, boosting user experience and improving fulfillment. LOW continues expanding its Lowes.com assortment to meet customers' design and lifestyle. LOW is focused on enhancing its omni-channel retailing capabilities in store operations, website and supply chain, with an aim to resonate well with customers’ demand to shop however, whenever and wherever they like. Lowe's focus on perpetual productivity improvement or the PPI initiative has also been yielding results so far as LOW leverages store payroll by using technology to lower tasking hours, improve customer service and drive sales productivity. During the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021, sales at Lowes.com increased 11.5% on a two-year basis. This represents an 11% sales penetration and two-year comps of 147%. Now talking about Lowe’s pro business, it has been a significant driver. LOW has been augmenting its pro-focused brands to fuel sales from pro customers. Earlier, Lowe’s had refurbished its pro-service business website, LowesForPros.com, to aggressively cater to the needs of Pro-customers. Moreover, prudent partnerships are helping LOW provide pro customers with a broad range of assortments that suit their specific home improvement and maintenance needs. In fact, a continued focus on the Pro category is a very significant component of the Total Home strategy. Management is quite focused on enhancing the Pro offering across Lowe’s stores and online with improved service levels, deeper inventory quantities, intuitive store layout and more Pro national brands. During the fiscal fourth quarter, pro sales jumped 23% year over year and 54% on a two-year basis. To retain momentum in the Pro category, management is on track to launch the Pro loyalty program, MVPs Pro Rewards and Partnership Program. The Pro segment is expected to continue its momentum ahead with improved in-stock inventory levels, enhanced service offerings and the new Pro loyalty program. Lowe’s, which shares space with Home Depot HD, Builders FirstSource BLDR and Fastenal FAST, is also benefiting from its Total Home strategy. The strategy is an extension of LOW’s retail-fundamentals approach, and aims at strengthening its customer engagement, market share and focus on Pro customers. Moreover, the initiative encompasses improvement in online business, revamp of installation services as well as enhancement of localization efforts. Wrapping up, Lowe’s is likely to continue performing well based on all the aforesaid strategies. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Lowe's Companies, Inc. (LOW): Free Stock Analysis Report The Home Depot, Inc. (HD): Free Stock Analysis Report Builders FirstSource, Inc. (BLDR): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2022-05-04,54.0512,56.6027,53.7748,56.509,"Fastenal (FAST) Shares Cross Above 200 DMA In trading on Wednesday, shares of Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) crossed above their 200 day moving average of $56.67, changing hands as high as $57.34 per share. Fastenal Co. shares are currently trading up about 4.5% on the day. The chart below shows the one year performance of FAST shares, versus its 200 day moving average: Looking at the chart above, FAST's low point in its 52 week range is $48.84 per share, with $64.7465 as the 52 week high point — that compares with a last trade of $57.25. The FAST DMA information above was sourced from TechnicalAnalysisChannel.com Click here to find out which 9 other dividend stocks recently crossed above their 200 day moving average » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2022-05-05,55.9661,56.1241,52.995,53.4787,
FAST,2022-05-06,53.2122,53.2912,51.9093,52.4719,"Beacon Roofing's (BECN) Q1 Earnings & Revenues Top Estimates Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. BECN reported results for the first quarter of 2022. Earnings and revenues handily surpassed their respective Zacks Consensus Estimate and improved significantly on a year-over-year basis. The solid results were mainly backed by strong net sales, gross margin expansion and operational improvement. Meanwhile, the company increased its expectation for 2022 adjusted EBITDA in the range of $800-850 million. Julian Francis, Beacon’s president and CEO, said, “Strong demand for our products, disciplined execution and productivity gains led to impressive top-line and bottom-line performance. This quarter also marked the beginning of our journey to achieve our Ambition 2025 financial targets detailed at our investor day in February.” Earnings & Revenue Discussion This distributor of residential and non-residential roofing materials reported adjusted earnings of 89 cents per share, which handily topped the consensus mark of 49 by 81.6%. For the quarter, net sales of $1.69 billion surpassed the consensus mark of $1.43 billion by 18%. The top line grew 28% on a year-over-year basis as sales increased across all three lines of business, given the higher pricing. Higher demand from non-residential roofing products also contributed to the growth. Sales According to Line of Business Residential Roofing Product: For the reported quarter, sales of this product (comprising 50% of the quarterly net sales) were $846 million, up 21.8% from the prior year. Non-Residential Roofing Product: Sales (comprising 21% of the quarterly net sales) increased 47.9% from the year-ago quarter to $488 million. Complementary Product: For the quarter, sales of this product (comprising 29% of the quarterly net sales) increased 20.3% year over year to $353 billion. Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. Quote Operating Highlights Gross margin of 26.1% grew 80 basis points (bps) year over year, owing to disciplined pricing in a volatile, supply-constrained marketplace and effective and timely sourcing. As a percentage of net sales, operating expenses dropped 190 bps to 19.2%, driven by the positive impact from net sales growth as well as productivity gains. Adjusted EBITDA increased 87.5% on a year-over-year basis to $139.5 million, as productivity gains generated favorable operating cost leverage. Adjusted EBITDA margin expanded 270 bps year over year to 8.3%. Other Financial Details As of Mar 31, 2022, Builders FirstSource had cash and cash equivalents of $52.4 million compared with $225.8 million at 2021-end. Long-term debt — net of current portion — was $1.611 billion, slightly down from $1.612 billion at 2021-end. Notably, BECN has opened two greenfield locations & a Beacon OTC Network hub, and expanded footprint in key markets with successful acquisitions. Q2 Guidance The company expects second-quarter net sales to grow in the low 20% on a year-over-year basis. Gross margins for the quarter are expected between 27-27.5%. Zacks Rank & Peer Release Beacon Roofing currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Peer Releases Fastenal Company FAST started 2022 on a solid note. The company’s first-quarter 2022 earnings and revenues not only beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate but also improved on a year-over-year basis. Fastenal’s quarterly results benefited from strong demand for manufacturing and construction equipment and supplies along with higher pricing. Quanta Services Inc. PWR reported impressive results for first-quarter 2022. Adjusted earnings and revenues surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate and increased impressively on a year-over-year basis. Quanta’s adjusted earnings increased 65.1% from the year-ago period. The upside was backed by revenue growth across the segments, record total backlog, and a solid and safe project execution. KBR, Inc. KBR reported mixed results for first-quarter 2022, with earnings topping the Zacks Consensus Estimate and revenues missing the same. On a year-over-year basis, the metrics increased strongly. KBR benefited from solid Government Solutions growth and strong execution across the business. Zacks Names ""Single Best Pick to Double"" From thousands of stocks, 5 Zacks experts each have chosen their favorite to skyrocket +100% or more in months to come. From those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all. It’s a little-known chemical company that’s up 65% over last year, yet still dirt cheap. With unrelenting demand, soaring 2022 earnings estimates, and $1.5 billion for repurchasing shares, retail investors could jump in at any time. This company could rival or surpass other recent Zacks’ Stocks Set to Double like Boston Beer Company which shot up +143.0% in little more than 9 months and NVIDIA which boomed +175.9% in one year. Free: See Our Top Stock and 4 Runners Up >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Quanta Services, Inc. (PWR): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report KBR, Inc. (KBR): Free Stock Analysis Report Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. (BECN): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2022-05-09,51.9883,53.1728,51.6526,52.4127,
FAST,2022-05-10,53.5824,53.5824,50.9815,51.2282,"Builders FirstSource (BLDR) Rises on Q1 Earnings & Revenue Beat Builders FirstSource’s BLDR shares gained 6.3% after the company released its first-quarter 2022 results, wherein it reported solid core organic sales growth of 15%. The company’s earnings and net sales surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate as well as increased significantly year over year. The results were driven by an increase in net sales and gross margin amid continuous raw material supply woes. Dave Flitman, CEO of Builders FirstSource, said, “We started the year out strong achieving another quarter of record net sales, gross margin and Adjusted EBITDA, while also producing strong core organic sales growth of 15%. In addition, we continue to make progress investing prudently in our operations and delivering outstanding service to our customers as we work to overcome the supply chain constraints that persist throughout our industry. Our efforts to broaden our value-added products, which saw core organic sales up 31%, alongside our strategic investments in digital, are helping our customers get their jobs done quickly, on time and cost-effectively.” Flitman added, “For 2022, we have increased our expectations for growth and significant free cash flow generation. We remain committed to deploying capital to high return internal investments, accretive bolt-on M&A and share repurchases.” Earnings & Revenue Discussion The manufacturer and supplier of building materials reported adjusted earnings of $3.90 per share, which handily topped the consensus mark of $2.15 by 81.4%. For the quarter, net sales of $5.68 billion surpassed the consensus mark of $4.75 billion by 19.6%. The top line grew 36.1% on a year-over-year basis. Core organic sales grew 15% from the prior-year quarter. Commodity price inflation contributed 12.8% to net sales. Acquisitions added 8.3% to net sales growth. The upside was led by a solid demand for its products amid supply woes. Notably, core organic sales in value-added products increased 30.8% compared with the prior-year period. Core organic customer growth in Single Family increased 16.6%, while that of R&R/Other and Multi Family improved 9.5% and 10.2%, respectively. Builders FirstSource, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Builders FirstSource, Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Builders FirstSource, Inc. Quote Sales According to Product Category Value-Added Product Sales: For the reported quarter, sales of value-added products (comprising 41.7% of the quarterly net sales) were $2.37 billion, up 48.2% from the prior year. Specialized Product & Other: Gypsum, Roofing & Insulation products sales (comprising 17.4% of the quarterly net sales) increased 22.6% from the year-ago quarter to $989.5 million. Lumber & Lumber Sheet Goods: For the quarter, segment sales (comprising 40.9% of the quarterly net sales) increased 31.4% year over year to $2.33 billion. Operating Highlights Gross profit for the quarter increased 71.3% year over year to $1.8 billion. Gross margin of 32.3% expanded 670 basis points (bps) year over year owing to disciplined pricing in a volatile, supply-constrained marketplace and effective and timely sourcing. As a percentage of net sales, total SG&A expenses declined 270 bps to 17%. Adjusted EBITDA increased 119.8% on a year-over-year basis to $1 billion, primarily driven by solid demand across key customer end markets, commodity inflation and pricing. Adjusted EBITDA margin expanded 670 bps year over year to 17.6%. Other Financial Details As of Mar 31, 2022, Builders FirstSource had cash and cash equivalents of $281.8 million compared with $42.6 million at 2021-end. Long-term debt — net of current portion — was $3.39 billion, up from $2.93 billion at 2021-end. The company had liquidity of $1.2 billion at March 2022 end, consisting of approximately $0.9 billion in net borrowing availability under the revolving credit facility and cash on hand. During the first quarter, BLDR repurchased 3.6 million shares of its stock for $286 million. Buyouts On Apr 1, 2022, BLDR wrapped up the acquisition of both the Texas Panel Truss and East Panel Truss businesses for an aggregate of $150 million. Additionally, Builders FirstSource acquired Valley Truss Co., Inc. — a provider of building components to the single and multi-family markets in Boise, ID — for $30.5 million. Guidance The company expects free cash flow in the range of $2 billion to $2.4 billion for 2022. Interest expense is expected in the range of $175 million to $185 million. BLDR projects an effective tax rate between 23% and 25%, total capital expenditures between $375 million and $400 million, depreciation and amortization expenses between $440 million and $460 million for 2022. Acquisitions will likely contribute to net sales growth between 5% and 6%. Zacks Rank BLDR currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. A Few Recent Releases Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. BECN reported results for the first quarter of 2022. Earnings and revenues handily surpassed their respective Zacks Consensus Estimate and improved significantly on a year-over-year basis. BECN’s solid results were mainly backed by strong net sales, gross margin expansion and operational improvement. Fastenal Company FAST started 2022 on a solid note. The company’s first-quarter 2022 earnings and revenues not only beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate but also improved on a year-over-year basis. Fastenal’s quarterly results benefited from strong demand for manufacturing and construction equipment and supplies along with higher pricing. Quanta Services Inc. PWR reported impressive results for first-quarter 2022. Adjusted earnings and revenues surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate and increased impressively on a year-over-year basis. Quanta’s adjusted earnings increased 65.1% from the year-ago period. The upside was backed by revenue growth across the segments, record total backlog, and a solid and safe project execution. Bitcoin, Like the Internet Itself, Could Change Everything Blockchain and cryptocurrency has sparked one of the most exciting discussion topics of a generation. Some call it the “Internet of Money” and predict it could change the way money works forever. If true, it could do to banks what Netflix did to Blockbuster and Amazon did to Sears. Experts agree we’re still in the early stages of this technology, and as it grows, it will create several investing opportunities. Zacks’ has just revealed 3 companies that can help investors capitalize on the explosive profit potential of Bitcoin and the other cryptocurrencies with significantly less volatility than buying them directly. See 3 crypto-related stocks now >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Quanta Services, Inc. (PWR): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. (BECN): Free Stock Analysis Report Builders FirstSource, Inc. (BLDR): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2022-05-11,50.9469,51.4256,49.797,49.9253,
FAST,2022-05-12,49.797,51.554,49.6982,51.554,
FAST,2022-05-13,51.7612,52.4127,51.554,52.008,
FAST,2022-05-16,51.8599,52.2647,51.1492,52.0277,"Is Ross Stores (ROST) Poised for an Earnings Beat in Q1? Ross Stores, Inc. ROST is scheduled to release first-quarter fiscal 2022 results on May 19. The off-price retailer of apparel and home accessories is likely to have witnessed revenue growth in the to-be-reported quarter. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal first-quarter revenues is pegged at $4.54 billion, indicating growth of 0.5% from the figure reported in the year-ago quarter. For fiscal first-quarter earnings, the consensus mark of 99 cents per share suggests a decline of 26.1% from the year-ago quarter's reported number. The consensus mark has been unchanged in the past 30 days. In the last reported quarter, Ross Stores delivered an earnings surprise of 7.2%. It has delivered an earnings beat of 33.3%, on average, in the trailing four quarters. Ross Stores, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise Ross Stores, Inc. price-eps-surprise | Ross Stores, Inc. Quote Key Factors to Note Ross Stores has been witnessing robust customer demand, aiding the top line. Sales in the fiscal first quarter are likely to have benefited from broad-based growth across merchandise categories and regions, as well as robust comparable store sales. Sales are also expected to have gained from robust trends at the dd's DISCOUNTS business. On its last reported quarter’searnings call Ross Stores stated that the ongoing strength in consumer demand would likely continue despite the uncertainty regarding supply-chain woes. The company expected to gain market share due to the increased retail closures and bankruptcies in recent months. Ross Stores has been consistent with the execution of its store expansion plans, which is likely to have aided the top line. The company's store-expansion efforts are focused on continually increasing penetration in the existing, as well as new markets. The first-quarter fiscal 2022 performance is anticipated to have gained from the company’s return to normal store opening targets. Gains from new stores are expected to get reflected in the company's sales for the fiscal first quarter. However, Ross Stores has been witnessing the effects of the worsening of the industry-wide supply-chain congestion, which has been leading to higher freight costs and distribution expenses. This is likely to have partly impacted the company’s cost of goods sold rate in the fiscal first quarter. Higher domestic freight expenses and distribution costs mainly on the ongoing supply-chain headwinds and higher wages are likely to have weighed on earnings in the to-be-reported quarter. On the last reported quarter'searnings call Ross Stores anticipated continued impacts from the industry-wide supply-chain dynamics and other risks from inflation, as well as costs within its business to hurt the fiscal first-quarter performance. Ross Stores anticipates comps to be down 2-4% for first-quarter fiscal 2022 compared with 13% growth reported in first-quarter fiscal 2021. Sales are expected between a decline of 2% and growth of 1% from the prior-year period’s reported figure. ROST expects earnings per share of 93-99 cents per share compared with earnings of $1.34 reported in first-quarter fiscal 2021. The company expects an operating margin of 10.2-10.6% for the fiscal first quarter, down from 14.2% reported in the prior-year quarter. The operating margin is expected to be affected by a negative comp forecast, and elevated freight and wage expenses. The company anticipates interest expenses of $19 million for first-quarter fiscal 2022. Zacks Model Our proven model conclusively predicts an earnings beat for Ross Stores this time around. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they're reported with our Earnings ESP Filter. Ross Stores has a Zacks Rank #2 and an Earnings ESP of +1.24%. Other Stocks With Favorable Combination Here are some other companies you may want to consider, as our model shows that these also have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat: Costco Wholesale COST currently has an Earnings ESP of +1.90% and a Zacks Rank of 2. The company is likely to register an increase in the top line when it reports third-quarter fiscal 2022 numbers. The consensus mark for COST’s quarterly earnings has moved up 0.7% in the past 30 days to $3.04 per share. The consensus estimate suggests 10.6% growth from the year-ago quarter’s reported number. Costco's top line is expected to rise year over year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly revenues is pegged at $51.8 billion, which suggests a rise of 14.3% from the figure reported in the prior-year quarter. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Fastenal FAST currently has an Earnings ESP of +2.15% and a Zacks Rank of 2. The company is likely to register an increase in the top and bottom lines when it reports first-quarter fiscal 2022 results. The consensus mark for FAST’s quarterly revenues is pegged at $1.78 billion, which suggests a rise of 18.3% from the figure reported in the prior-year quarter. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings has been unchanged at 50 cents per share in the past 30 days. The consensus estimate indicates 19.1% growth from 42 cents reported in the year-ago quarter. Designer Brands DBI currently has an Earnings ESP of +4.35% and a Zacks Rank of 3. The company is likely to register top and bottom-line growth when it reports first-quarter fiscal 2022 earnings. The consensus mark for DBI’s quarterly revenues is pegged at $806.7 million, which suggests 14.7% growth from the figure reported in the prior-year quarter. The consensus mark for quarterly earnings has moved up by a penny in the past 30 days to 23 cents per share. The consensus estimate for DBI suggests growth of 91.7% from the year-ago quarter. Stay on top of upcoming earnings announcements with the Zacks Earnings Calendar. Investor Alert: Legal Marijuana Looking for big gains? Now is the time to get in on a young industry primed to skyrocket from $13.5 billion in 2021 to an expected $70.6 billion by 2028. After a clean sweep of 6 election referendums in 5 states, pot is now legal in 36 states plus D.C. Federal legalization is expected soon and that could kick start an even greater bonanza for investors. Zacks Investment Research has recently closed pot stocks that have shot up as high as +147.0%. You’re invited to immediately check out Zacks’ Marijuana Moneymakers: An Investor’s Guide. It features a timely Watch List of pot stocks and ETFs with exceptional growth potential. Today, Download Marijuana Moneymakers FREE >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST): Free Stock Analysis Report Ross Stores, Inc. (ROST): Free Stock Analysis Report Designer Brands Inc. (DBI): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2022-05-17,52.7187,52.847,52.0573,52.5607,"Home Depot (HD) Rises on Q1 Earnings & Sales Beat, Upbeat View The Home Depot, Inc. HD has posted first-quarter fiscal 2022 results, wherein earnings and sales beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate and improved year over year. The company gained from the continued strong demand for home-improvement projects, robust housing market trends and ongoing investments. It has reported robust average ticket growth amid the inflationary cost environment, boosting the top line. Shares of the leading home improvement retailer rose 3.7% in the pre-market session, following the strong results and raised fiscal 2022 view. The Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stock has lost 6.6% in the past year compared with the industry's decline of 3.3%. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Home Depot's earnings of $4.09 per share improved 6% from $3.86 registered in the year-ago quarter. The bottom line beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.66. Net sales advanced 3.8% to $38,908 million from $37,500 million in the year-ago quarter and significantly beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $34,492 million. This marked the company’s highest first-quarter sales in its history. Sales benefited from the continued robust demand for home-improvement projects. The company’s overall comparable sales (comps) grew 2.2%, with a 1.7% improvement in the United States. In the reported quarter, comps were aided by an 11.4% rise in average ticket, driven by high-value purchases by home builders. This was partly offset by an 8.2% decline in customer transactions. Sales per square foot improved 2.7% in the reported quarter. The Home Depot, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise The Home Depot, Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | The Home Depot, Inc. Quote In dollar terms, the gross profit increased 3.2% to $13,145 million from $12,742 million in the year-ago quarter, primarily driven by robust sales growth. This was partly offset by a 4.1% increase in the cost of goods sold. Meanwhile, the gross profit margin contracted 20 basis points (bps) to 33.8% from 34% in the year-ago quarter. The operating income increased 2.6% to $5,929 million, while the operating margin contracted 20 bps to 15.2%. The operating margin benefited from top-line growth, offset by a gross margin contraction, as well as higher SG&A and other operating expenses. Balance Sheet and Cash Flow Home Depot ended first-quarter fiscal 2022 with cash and cash equivalents of $2,844 million, long-term debt (excluding current maturities) of $39,158 million, and shareholders' deficit of $1,709 million. In first-quarter fiscal 2022, the company generated $3,789 million of net cash from operations. In first-quarter fiscal 2022, it paid out cash dividends of $1,962 million and repurchased shares worth $2,308 million. Fiscal 2022 View Following a strong start to the year, Home Depot raised its guidance for fiscal 2022. HD anticipates sales and comps growth of 3% in fiscal 2022 compared with slightly positive growth mentioned earlier. The operating margin is estimated to be 15.4%. Earlier, the company expected the operating margin to be flat with the fiscal 2021 reported level. Net interest expenses are expected to be $1.6 billion compared with the $1.5 billion stated earlier. It continues to expect an effective tax rate of 24.6%. The company estimates earnings per share growth in the mid-single digits for fiscal 2022 versus low-single-digit growth stated earlier. 3 Stocks to Consider We have highlighted three better-ranked stocks in the Retail - Wholesale sector, namely Tecnoglass TGLS, Boot Barn Holdings, Inc. BOOT and Fastenal FAST. Tecnoglass engages in manufacturing and selling architectural glass and windows and aluminum products for the residential and commercial construction industries. It currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). Shares of TGLS have jumped 15.9% in the past year. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Tecnoglass’ current financial-year sales and earnings per share suggests growth of 21.3% and 28.7%, respectively, from the year-ago period's reported figures. TGLS has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 28.3%, on average. Boot Barn, a lifestyle retail chain devoted to western and work-related footwear, apparel and accessories, currently flaunts a Zacks Rank #1. The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 25.2%, on average. Shares of BOOT have rallied 24.7% in the past year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Boot Barn’s current financial-year sales and earnings per share suggests growth of 17% and 4.4%, respectively, from the year-ago period’s reported figures. BOOT has an expected EPS growth rate of 20% for three-five years. Fastenal, a national wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies, currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 5%, on average. Shares of FAST have risen 0.6% in the past year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Fastenal's current financial-year sales and earnings per share suggests growth of 15.4% and 16.3%, respectively, from the year-ago period. FAST has an expected EPS growth rate of 9% for three-five years. Just Released: Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2022 In addition to the investment ideas discussed above, would you like to know about our 10 top picks for the entirety of 2022? From inception in 2012 through 2021, the Zacks Top 10 Stocks portfolios gained an impressive +1,001.2% versus the S&P 500’s +348.7%. Now our Director of Research has combed through 4,000 companies covered by the Zacks Rank and has handpicked the best 10 tickers to buy and hold. Don’t miss your chance to get in…because the sooner you do, the more upside you stand to grab. See Stocks Now >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report The Home Depot, Inc. (HD): Free Stock Analysis Report Boot Barn Holdings, Inc. (BOOT): Free Stock Analysis Report Tecnoglass Inc. (TGLS): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2022-05-18,52.008,52.0968,50.3497,50.6359,"[""Lowe's (LOW) Q1 Earnings Beat Estimates, Sales Decline Y/Y Lowe\u2019s Companies, Inc. LOW delivered mixed first-quarter fiscal 2022 results, with the top line lagging the Zacks Consensus Estimate and the bottom line beating the same. Also, earnings improved on a year-over-year basis on strong margins. LOW delivered its 12th straight earnings beat in the quarter while broke its eighth consecutive sales surprise. LOW has been witnessing improving sales trends in May so far. Shares of the home-improvement retailer gained 1.2% in the pre-market trading session on May 18. This presently Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) player\u2019s shares have gained 6.5% in the past six months compared with the industry\u2019s growth of 2.9%. Quarter in Detail Earnings per share (EPS) of $3.51 surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.24 and rose 9.3% from the adjusted EPS of $3.21 recorded in the first quarter of fiscal 2021. Lowe's Companies, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise Lowe's Companies, Inc. price-eps-surprise | Lowe's Companies, Inc. Quote Net sales of $23,659 million were down 3.1% year over year and came below the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $23,731 million. Comparable sales dipped 4% in the quarter under review. Comparable sales for the U.S. home-improvement business decreased 3.8% in the reported quarter. Pro customer sales jumped 20%. LOW\u2019s outdoor seasonal categories were hurt by unseasonably cold temperatures in April. Quarterly sales were disproportionately affected by the cooler spring temperatures as 75% of its customer base is DIY. Gross profit dipped 0.9% year over year to $8,050 million, while gross margin expanded 74 basis points (bps) to 34.03%. Operating income amounted to $3,302 million, up 1.8% year over year. Operating margin expanded 67 bps to 13.96%, on gains from the Total Home strategy and the execution of the Perpetual Productivity Improvement initiative. Other Financial Aspects & Developments LOW ended the quarter with cash and cash equivalents of $3,414 million, long-term debt (excluding current maturities) of $28,776 million and a shareholders\u2019 deficit of $6,877 million. Lowe\u2019s generated cash flow from operations of $2,977 million for the three months ended Apr 29, 2022. Capital expenditures amounted to $343 million. For fiscal 2022, LOW expects capital expenditures of nearly $2 billion. In the reported quarter, Lowe\u2019s bought back around 19 million shares for $4.1 billion and paid out dividends of $537 million. LOW expects to repurchase nearly $12 billion shares in fiscal 2022. As of Apr 29, 2022, Lowe\u2019s operated 1,971 home-improvement and hardware stores across the United States and Canada. LOW serviced nearly 230 dealer-owned stores. Outlook Management reiterated guidance for fiscal 2022. LOW expects revenues of $97-99 billion (including the 53rd week). The 53rd week is likely to increase sales by $1-$1.5 billion. In fiscal 2021, Lowe\u2019s revenues amounted to $96.3 billion. Comparable sales in fiscal 2022 are envisioned in the range of a decline of 1% to a rise of 1%. Lowe\u2019s continues to expect the gross margin rate to improve slightly year over year. The operating margin is expected to be 12.8-13%. 3 Top Retail Stocks for You We highlighted three better-ranked stocks in the Retail - Wholesale sector, namely Tecnoglass TGLS, Boot Barn Holdings BOOT and Fastenal FAST. Tecnoglass engages in manufacturing and selling architectural glass and windows, and aluminum products for the residential and commercial construction industries. It currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). Shares of TGLS have jumped 12.9% in the past year. You can see the complete list of today\u2019s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Tecnoglass\u2019 current financial-year sales and earnings per share suggests growth of 21.3% and 28.7%, respectively, from the corresponding year-ago reported figures. TGLS has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 28.3%, on average. Boot Barn, a lifestyle retail chain devoted to western and work-related footwear, apparel and accessories, currently flaunts a Zacks Rank of 1. BOOT has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 25.2%, on average. Shares of BOOT have rallied 19.8% in the past year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Boot Barn\u2019s current financial-year sales and earnings per share suggests growth of 17% and 4.4%, respectively, from the corresponding year-ago reported figures. BOOT has an expected EPS growth rate of 20% for three-five years. Fastenal, a national wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies, currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). FAST has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 5%, on average. Shares of FAST have inched up 0.6% in the past year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Fastenal's current financial-year sales and earnings per share suggests growth of 15.4% and 16.3%, respectively, from the corresponding year-ago reported numbers. FAST has an expected EPS growth rate of 9% for three-five years. Zacks Names \""Single Best Pick to Double\"" From thousands of stocks, 5 Zacks experts each have chosen their favorite to skyrocket +100% or more in months to come. From those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all. It\u2019s a little-known chemical company that\u2019s up 65% over last year, yet still dirt cheap. With unrelenting demand, soaring 2022 earnings estimates, and $1.5 billion for repurchasing shares, retail investors could jump in at any time. This company could rival or surpass other recent Zacks\u2019 Stocks Set to Double like Boston Beer Company which shot up +143.0% in little more than 9 months and NVIDIA which boomed +175.9% in one year. Free: See Our Top Stock and 4 Runners Up >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Lowe's Companies, Inc. (LOW): Free Stock Analysis Report Boot Barn Holdings, Inc. (BOOT): Free Stock Analysis Report Tecnoglass Inc. (TGLS): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Here's Why Nordstrom (JWN) is Poised for Q1 Earnings Beat Nordstrom, Inc. JWN is scheduled to release first-quarter fiscal 2022 numbers on May 24, after the closing bell. The fashion specialty retailer is expected to have witnessed revenue and earnings growth in the to-be-reported quarter. Although the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the fiscal first-quarter bottom line is pegged at a loss of 9 cents per share, it suggests a substantial improvement of 85.9% from the year-ago quarter's reported figure of a loss of 64 cents. Also, the consensus mark has narrowed by a penny in the past 30 days. The consensus mark for revenues is pegged at $3.33 billion, indicating a rise of 10.6% from the figure reported in the year-ago quarter. In the last reported quarter, the company witnessed an earnings surprise of 18.3%. Also, it delivered an earnings surprise of 13.9%, on average, in the trailing four quarters. Nordstrom, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise Nordstrom, Inc. price-eps-surprise | Nordstrom, Inc. Quote Key Factors to Note Nordstrom has been gaining from the solid demand for apparel and footwear, robust digital growth, and compelling ffmerchandise. Strength in home, active, designer, beauty and kids categories also bodes well. The company has been on track to enhance the performance of Nordstrom Rack and improve inventory. It has been focused on technology advancement by boosting e-commerce and digital networks, improving its supply-chain channels, and marketing efforts. The digital business has been witnessing gains from improved digital traffic across both Nordstrom and Nordstrom Rack, as well as increased utilization of Buy Online, Pick Up In-Store service. Its mobile app has also been performing well. Alongside these, the integration of Rack.com onto Nordstrom.com should have contributed to the company's top line in the quarter under review. The company's fiscal first-quarter performance is expected to have benefited from its market strategy, which helps engage with customers through better service and greater access to products, irrespective of the shopping mode. As part of the strategy, Nordstrom expanded services, including order pickup and ship-to-store, to all Nordstrom Rack stores. JWN has also been focused on the closer-to-you strategy, aiming to link stores and services to expedite deliveries, expand online offerings and add cheaper merchandise to its Rack off-price stores to improve customers' shopping experiences. A rise in new customers, enhanced personalization and expanded product offering are likely to have aided the fiscal first-quarter performance. However, the company's sales and earnings performances have been short of the pre-pandemic levels. JWN has been reeling under higher COVID-related labor and freight costs. The lack of product availability, order cancellations, shipment delays, higher fulfillment and labor costs have been concerning. What Does the Zacks Model Say? Our proven model conclusively predicts an earnings beat for Nordstrom this time around. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the chances of an earnings beat. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they're reported with our Earnings ESP Filter. Nordstrom has an Earnings ESP of +54.29% and a Zacks Rank #2. Other Stocks With Favorable Combination Here are some more companies you may want to consider, as our model shows that these too have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this season: Costco Wholesale Corporation COST currently has an Earnings ESP of +1.90% and a Zacks Rank of 2. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its third-quarter fiscal 2022 earnings moved up 0.7% in the last 30 days to $3.04 per share, indicating a 10.6% increase from the year-ago quarter's reported number. You can see the complete list of today\u2019s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. However, Costco\u2019s top line is expected to have risen year over year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for COST\u2019s quarterly revenues is pegged at $51.76 billion, suggesting growth of 14.3% from that reported in the prior-year quarter. COST has delivered an earnings beat of 13.3%, on average, in the trailing four quarters. Fastenal FAST currently has an Earnings ESP of +2.82% and a Zacks Rank of 2. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its second-quarter 2022 earnings has been unchanged at 50 cents per share in the past 30 days, implying 19.1% growth from the year-ago quarter\u2019s reported number. However, Fastenal\u2019s top line is expected to rise year over year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly revenues is pegged at $1.78 billion, which suggests a rise of 18.3% from the figure reported in the prior-year quarter. FAST has delivered an earnings beat of 5%, on average, in the trailing four quarters. Casey\u2019s General Stores CASY currently has an Earnings ESP of +3.73% and a Zacks Rank of 3. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its fourth-quarter fiscal 2022 earnings has moved north by 2.8% to $1.48 per share in the past 30 days, indicating a 32.1% rise from the year-ago quarter\u2019s reported number. Casey\u2019s top line is expected to rise year over year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly revenues is pegged at $3.34 billion, which suggests a rise of 40.4% from the figure reported in the prior-year quarter. CASY has delivered an earnings beat of 21.6%, on average, in the trailing four quarters. Stay on top of upcoming earnings announcements with the Zacks Earnings Calendar. 5 Stocks Set to Double Each was handpicked by a Zacks expert as the #1 favorite stock to gain +100% or more in 2021. Previous recommendations have soared +143.0%, +175.9%, +498.3% and +673.0%. Most of the stocks in this report are flying under Wall Street radar, which provides a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor. Today, See These 5 Potential Home Runs >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Nordstrom, Inc. (JWN): Free Stock Analysis Report Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST): Free Stock Analysis Report Casey's General Stores, Inc. (CASY): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2022-05-19,50.5175,51.3862,49.7378,50.6755,"Here's Why Abercrombie (ANF) is Poised for Earnings Beat in Q1 Abercrombie & Fitch Co. ANF is scheduled to report first-quarter fiscal 2022 results on May 24, before the opening bell. The leading apparel retailer is expected to register top-line growth when it reports first-quarter fiscal 2022 numbers. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal first-quarter revenues is pegged at $801.6 million, suggesting 2.6% growth from that reported in the year-ago quarter. For fiscal first-quarter earnings, the consensus mark is pegged at 7 cents per share, implying a decline of 89.6% from the year-ago quarter's reported figure. The consensus estimate has moved up by a penny in the past 30 days. In the last reported quarter, the company reported a negative earnings surprise of 10.9%. However, ANF’s earnings surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 103.5%, on average, in the trailing four quarters. Abercrombie & Fitch Company Price and EPS Surprise Abercrombie & Fitch Company price-eps-surprise | Abercrombie & Fitch Company Quote Factors to Note Abercrombie has been gaining from a solid online show, lower promotions and tight expense management. Its store-optimization efforts also bode well. Regarding its cost-minimization measures, ANF’s first-quarter fiscal 2022 results are expected to reflect gains from prudent expense-management strategies. This, along with higher AUR across brands and channels, stemming from reduced promotions, markdowns and clearance activity, has been aiding margins. On its last reported quarter’searnings call management expected fiscal first-quarter operating margin to be above the pre-pandemic levels. The company has been on track with investments in brand marketing, digital experience, and growing Gilly Hicks and Social Tourist brands. Also, its expanded digital and omni-channel capabilities, customer additions and robust digital-marketing efforts bode well. ANF has been investing in bolstering omni-channel capabilities, including curbside and ship-from-store services. It has also been striving to optimize capacity at its distribution centers to meet increased digital demand. Abercrombie has been working toward rationalizing its store base by reducing dependence on underperforming tourist-driven locations. As part of its store-optimization plans, the company has been aiming to reposition larger-format flagship locations to smaller omni-channel enabled stores. Owing to this, the fiscal first-quarter top line is expected to have benefitted from an improvement in the store performance. However, inventory delays due to supply-chain headwinds have been affecting Hollister and Gilly Hicks. Investments in marketing, increased digital fulfillment expenses and higher incentive-based compensation remain concerning. On its last reported quarter’searnings call management anticipated fiscal first-quarter operating expenses, excluding other operating income, to increase 6% year over year. Also, higher freight expenses, stemming from supply-chain disruptions, are likely to have acted as deterrents. This, along with raw material inflation, is likely to have hurt the company’s bottom line in the quarter under review. In its last earnings report, Abercrombie expected fiscal first-quarter gross margin to decline 400 bps year over year. The guidance considers the adverse impacts of $65 million of freight costs. What the Zacks Model Unveils Our proven model conclusively predicts an earnings beat for Abercrombie this time around. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they're reported with our Earnings ESP Filter. Abercrombie has a Zacks Rank #2 and an Earnings ESP of +11.63%. Other Stocks With Favorable Combination Here are some more companies you may want to consider, as our model shows that these too have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this season: Costco Wholesale Corporation COST currently has an Earnings ESP of +1.90% and a Zacks Rank of 2. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly earnings moved up by 0.7% in the last 30 days to $3.04 per share, indicating a 10.6% increase from the year-ago quarter's reported number. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. However, Costco’s top line is expected to have risen year over year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for COST’s quarterly revenues is pegged at $51.76 billion, suggesting growth of 14.3% from the figure reported in the prior-year quarter. COST has delivered an earnings beat of 13.3%, on average, in the trailing four quarters. Fastenal FAST currently has an Earnings ESP of +2.82% and a Zacks Rank of 2. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly earnings has been unchanged at 50 cents per share in the past 30 days, implying 19.1% growth from the year-ago quarter’s reported number. However, Fastenal’s top line is expected to rise year over year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly revenues is pegged at $1.78 billion, which suggests a rise of 18.3% from the figure reported in the prior-year quarter. FAST has delivered an earnings beat of 5%, on average, in the trailing four quarters. Casey’s General Stores CASY currently has an Earnings ESP of +3.73% and a Zacks Rank of 3. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly earnings has moved north by 2.8% to $1.48 per share in the past 30 days, indicating a 32.1% rise from the year-ago quarter’s reported number. Casey’s top line is expected to rise year over year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly revenues is pegged at $3.34 billion, which suggests a rise of 40.4% from the figure reported in the prior-year quarter. CASY has delivered an earnings beat of 21.6%, on average, in the trailing four quarters. Stay on top of upcoming earnings announcements with the Zacks Earnings Calendar. 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days Just released: Experts distill 7 elite stocks from the current list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buys. They deem these tickers ""Most Likely for Early Price Pops."" Since 1988, the full list has beaten the market more than 2X over with an average gain of +25.4% per year. So be sure to give these hand-picked 7 your immediate attention. See them now >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Abercrombie & Fitch Company (ANF): Free Stock Analysis Report Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST): Free Stock Analysis Report Casey's General Stores, Inc. (CASY): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2022-05-20,51.0357,51.2084,49.876,50.7841,
FAST,2022-05-23,51.3566,51.623,50.7545,51.2578,"[""Foot Locker's (FL) Q1 Earnings Beat Mark, Revenues Rise Y/Y Foot Locker, Inc. FL posted mixed first-quarter fiscal 2022 results, wherein the top line missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate while the bottom line surpassed the same. FL delivered the eighth straight earnings beat in the reported quarter. Also, the top line grew on a year-over-year basis. Foot Locker\u2019s FLX membership program and omni-channel capabilities appear encouraging. We note that FL is on track to accomplish $1-billion sales by 2024 or see a 20% CAGR from the anticipated $650 million sales this year. Higher same-store sales and new units with the potential to more than double the present base of around 100 stores will drive sales. Over the past six months, shares of Foot Locker have declined 22% compared with the industry\u2019s 15.9% decrease. Q1 Metrics The athletic shoes and apparel retailer posted adjusted earnings of $1.60 per share, which surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.47. The bottom line decreased 18.4% from adjusted earnings of $1.96 per share recorded in the prior-year quarter. Total sales of $2,175 million inched up 1% year over year but came below the consensus estimate of $2,203 million. Excluding the foreign-currency fluctuation impact, total sales grew 3%. Digital penetration was 18.3% compared with 24.8% in fiscal 2021. Comparable-store sales (comps) slipped 1.9% in the quarter, with apparel majorly outpacing footwear. Comps in Foot Locker\u2019s stores grew 7.9%, with store traffic up about 25%, while conversion was down 10% from the prior-year figure. An Insight Into Margins Foot Locker's gross-margin rate in the reported quarter dropped 80 basis points (bps) from the prior-year quarter\u2019s tally. Elevated supply-chain costs and slightly increased markdowns compared to the historically-low levels caused a margin decline. The SG&A rate was 21.3%, deleveraging nearly 140 bps due to increased labor and technology spend. Store Update During the fiscal first quarter, Foot Locker opened 24 stores, and remodeled or relocated 23 outlets. FL closed 67 stores during the aforementioned period. As of Apr 30, 2022, Foot Locker operated 2,815 stores across 28 countries in North America, Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. Also, FL had 148 franchised stores operating in the Middle East and Asia. For fiscal 2022, management expects to open roughly 100 stores, including 40 community and power outlets, 27 WSS stores and nine atmos stores, while shutting down nearly 190 stores. Other Financial Details Foot Locker ended the fiscal first quarter with cash and cash equivalents of $551 million. Long-term debt and obligations under finance leases amounted to $450 million and shareholders\u2019 equity summed $3,215 million. As of Apr 30, 2022, merchandise inventories were $1,401 million, up 37.2% from the year-earlier quarter\u2019s end-level. During the first quarter of fiscal 2022, Foot Locker repurchased 2.7 million shares for $89 million and paid out quarterly dividends of $38 million. Outlook For fiscal 2022, management expects the upper end of sales to decline 4-6% and the higher end of comps to decrease 8-10%. Gross margin is anticipated in the range of 30.6-30.8% and the SG&A rate is forecast to be 20.7-20.9%. Management expects supply-chain costs to remain a drag on the margins. Foot Locker envisions adjusted earnings per share of $4.25-$4.60 for the full fiscal. Management predicts capEx at $275 million for fiscal 2022 due to store openings as well as technology and omnichannel investments. Top 3 Retail Stocks for You We highlighted three better-ranked stocks, namely Tecnoglass TGLS, Boot Barn Holdings BOOT and Fastenal FAST. Tecnoglass engages in manufacturing, and selling architectural glass and windows plus aluminum products for the residential and commercial construction industries. TGLS currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). Shares of TGLS have jumped 12.9% in the past year. You can see the complete list of today\u2019s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Tecnoglass\u2019 current financial-year sales and earnings per share suggests growth of 21.3% and 28.7%, respectively, from the corresponding year-ago period's reported figures. TGLS has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 28.3%, on average. Boot Barn, a lifestyle retail chain devoted to western and work-related footwear, apparel and accessories, currently flaunts a Zacks Rank #1. BOOT has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 25.2%, on average. The stock has rallied 19.8% in the past year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Boot Barn\u2019s current financial-year sales and earnings per share suggests growth of 17% and 4.4%, respectively, from the corresponding year-ago period\u2019s reported figures. BOOT has an expected EPS growth rate of 20% for three-five years. Fastenal, a national wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies, currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). FAST has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 5%, on average. The stock has risen 0.6% in the past year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Fastenal's current financial-year sales and earnings per share suggests growth of 15.4% and 16.3%, respectively, from the corresponding year-ago tallies. FAST has an expected EPS growth rate of 9% for three-five years. 5 Stocks Set to Double Each was handpicked by a Zacks expert as the #1 favorite stock to gain +100% or more in 2021. Previous recommendations have soared +143.0%, +175.9%, +498.3% and +673.0%. Most of the stocks in this report are flying under Wall Street radar, which provides a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor. Today, See These 5 Potential Home Runs >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Foot Locker, Inc. (FL): Free Stock Analysis Report Boot Barn Holdings, Inc. (BOOT): Free Stock Analysis Report Tecnoglass Inc. (TGLS): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Here's Why American Eagle (AEO) is Poised for Q1 Earnings Beat American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. AEO is expected to register robust top-line growth when it reports first-quarter fiscal 2022 results on May 26. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal first-quarter revenues is pegged at $1.14 billion, which indicates growth of 9.9% from the year-ago reported figure. However, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal first-quarter earnings is pegged at 24 cents per share, suggesting a 50% decline from the year-ago quarter's reported number. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the to-be-reported quarter's earnings has moved down by a penny in the past seven days. Also, it has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 10.6%, on average. Key Factors to Note American Eagle has been gaining from robust demand, higher full-priced sales and reduced promotions. With customers returning to stores, mainline and factory outlets have been witnessing improvements, driven by a demand recovery. This is likely to have boosted the store performance in the fiscal first quarter. Continued strength in the Aerie brand, along with a solid online show, bodes well. It has been on track to expand its omnichannel capabilities, including a new mobile point-of-sale solution, along with an instant credit feature for returns and the expansion of its Afterpay capabilities in its mobile app. AEO also relaunched its loyalty program. Earlier, it expanded same-day delivery services and customer self-checkout to more regions. Gains from the acquisition of Quiet Logistics have been aiding delivery. Such well-chalked efforts are likely to have contributed to the company\u2019s top line in the quarter under review. Also, it is on track with the Real Power, Real Growth value-creation plan. The company\u2019s first-quarter fiscal 2022 performance is expected to have benefited from the significant progress on its Real Power Real Growth value creation plan. The plan has been driving profitability through real estate and inventory-optimization efforts, omni-channel and customer focus, and investments to improve the supply chain. The company\u2019s efforts under the plan have been aiding the recovery of the American Eagle brand. However, AEO has been reeling under higher freight costs and industry-wide supply-chain disruptions. This has been hurting margins and the bottom line. On its last reported quarter\u2019searnings call management expected earnings to decline in the first half of fiscal 2022 due to continued freight pressures. Also, a rise in store wages and variable selling expenses remain concerning. American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. price-eps-surprise | American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. Quote What the Zacks Model Unveils Our proven model conclusively predicts an earnings beat for American Eagle this time around. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they're reported with our Earnings ESP Filter. American Eagle has a Zacks Rank #3 and an Earnings ESP of +3.55%. Other Stocks With Favorable Combination Here are some more companies you may want to consider, as our model shows that these too have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this season: Costco Wholesale Corporation COST currently has an Earnings ESP of +1.90% and a Zacks Rank of 2. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly earnings moved up 0.7% in the last 30 days to $3.04 per share, indicating a 10.6% increase from the year-ago quarter's reported number. You can see the complete list of today\u2019s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. However, Costco\u2019s top line is expected to have risen year over year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for COST\u2019s quarterly revenues is pegged at $51.76 billion, suggesting growth of 14.3% from the figure reported in the prior-year quarter. COST has delivered an earnings beat of 13.3%, on average, in the trailing four quarters. Fastenal FAST currently has an Earnings ESP of +2.82% and a Zacks Rank of 2. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly earnings has been unchanged at 50 cents per share in the past 30 days, implying 19.1% growth from the year-ago quarter\u2019s reported number. However, Fastenal\u2019s top line is expected to rise year over year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly revenues is pegged at $1.78 billion, which suggests a rise of 18.3% from the figure reported in the prior-year quarter. FAST has delivered an earnings beat of 5%, on average, in the trailing four quarters. Casey\u2019s General Stores CASY currently has an Earnings ESP of +3.73% and a Zacks Rank of 3. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly earnings has moved north by 2.8% to $1.48 per share in the past 30 days, indicating a 32.1% rise from the year-ago quarter\u2019s reported number. Casey\u2019s top line is expected to rise year over year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly revenues is pegged at $3.34 billion, which suggests a rise of 40.4% from the figure reported in the prior-year quarter. CASY has delivered an earnings beat of 21.6%, on average, in the trailing four quarters. Stay on top of upcoming earnings announcements with the Zacks Earnings Calendar. 5 Stocks Set to Double Each was handpicked by a Zacks expert as the #1 favorite stock to gain +100% or more in 2021. Previous recommendations have soared +143.0%, +175.9%, +498.3% and +673.0%. Most of the stocks in this report are flying under Wall Street radar, which provides a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor. Today, See These 5 Potential Home Runs >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (AEO): Free Stock Analysis Report Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST): Free Stock Analysis Report Casey's General Stores, Inc. (CASY): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2022-05-24,50.863,51.4454,50.3902,51.317,
FAST,2022-05-25,51.1492,51.3717,50.2609,51.0111,"Urban Outfitters (URBN) Q1 Earnings Miss, Sales Improve Y/Y Urban Outfitters, Inc. URBN reported first-quarter fiscal 2023 results, wherein the top and the bottom line missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Also, earnings declined from the last fiscal year’s quarterly level. Inflationary pressures from inbound freight costs and raw materials hurt the overall profits in the reported quarter. Also, the ongoing supply-chain headwinds were deterrents. Shares of URBN have decreased 22.6% in the past six months compared with the industry’s 15.1% decline. Deeper Insight This lifestyle-specialty retailer delivered earnings per share of 33 cents, lagging the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 42 cents. The bottom line decreased 63.6% from 54 cents recorded in the comparable quarter of the year-ago fiscal year. Urban Outfitters, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Urban Outfitters, Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Urban Outfitters, Inc. Quote Net sales for the three months ended Apr 30, fiscal 2022, rose 13.4% from the same-period level of fiscal 2022 to $1,051.9 million. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly sales is pegged at $1,072 million. Brand wise, net sales were up 2.3% from the comparable period’s level in fiscal 2020 to $357.7 million at Urban Outfitters, 18.7% to $419.7 million at Anthropologie Group and 15.5% to $245.8 million at Free People. Nuuly, the subscription-based rental service for women’s clothes, contributed $22.8 million to net sales, reflecting an increase from $7.8 million recorded in the earlier fiscal year’s comparable period. Menus & Venues’ net sales amounted to $5.9 million, up from $3.6 million recorded in the prior fiscal year’s corresponding period. Segmentwise, net sales at the Retail unit increased 12.3% to $963.4 million, while the metric at the Wholesale unit grew 5.8% to $65.7 million. Sales at the Retail segment were boosted by solid sales at URBN’s stores than the digital channel. Wholesale segment’s sales were driven by full-price channel sales at Free People, more than offset by a slight decrease at Urban Outfitters. We note that the comparable Retail segment’s net sales grew 11% from the same-period level of fiscal 2022. By brand, the Retail segment’s net sales jumped 15% at the Free People Group, 18% at the Anthropologie Group and 1% at Urban Outfitters. An Insight Into Margins In the quarter under review, gross profit climbed 7.5% from the same-quarter level of fiscal 2022 to $323.3 million. However, adjusted gross margin contracted 169 basis points (bps) to 30.7%, mainly due to reduced initial merchandise markups, stemming from increased inbound transportation expenses and raw material costs. Selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses shot up 23.8% from the first-quarter fiscal 2022 level to $277.1 million. As a percentage of net sales, SG&A deleveraged 184 bps to 22%, mainly related to the higher penetration of retail store sales. This currently Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) player recorded an operating income of $46.2 million, down 37.1% from the first-quarter fiscal 2022 level. As a rate of sales, the operating margin decreased 350 bps to 4.4% from the level registered in the quarter ended Apr 30 in fiscal 2022. Store Update In the first quarter of fiscal 2023, URBN inaugurated five retail outlets, such as two Urban Outfitters, 9 two Free People (including one FP Movement store), and one Menus & Venues restaurant. URBN shuttered three retail locations, including one each of Urban Outfitters, and eight Anthropologie Group and Free People stores. In the aforementioned period, three franchisee-owned stores were opened, comprising two Urban Outfitters outlet and one Anthropologie Group store. As of Apr 30, 2022, URBN operated 262 Urban Outfitters shops in the United States, Canada and Europe; 237 Anthropologie Group stores in the United States, Canada and Europe; 174 Free People stores in the United States, Canada and Europe; 11 Menus & Venues restaurants; four Urban Outfitters franchisee-owned stores and two Anthropologie Group franchisee-owned stores. In fiscal 2023, management plans to open about 38 stores and close 16 outlets. The store number consists of 12 new FP Movement stores. Other Financial Details Urban Outfitters ended the quarter with cash and cash equivalents of $71.6 million and a total shareholders’ equity of $1,695.9 million. As of Apr 30, 2022, total inventory increased 31.9% from the first-quarter fiscal 2022 level to $630 million. URBN used net cash of $79.6 million from operating activities during the fiscal first quarter. For fiscal 2023, management projects capital expenditures of nearly $225 million. Urban Outfitters repurchased and subsequently retired 2.4 million shares for nearly $62 million during the reported quarter. As of Apr 30, 2022, URBN had 21.5 million shares remaining under its share repurchase programs. Outlook Management believes that sales will grow for the fiscal second quarter from the last fiscal year’s quarterly tally. Also, the Retail segment comp sales will increase in the low single-digit range and the Wholesale segment sales in the mid-single digits. As a result, total sales will rise in the low single-digit range. Management noted that supply-chain challenges are flaring up freight costs. Thus, initial product margins will be adversely impacted. Elevated markdown rates and reduced initial product margins will result in a nearly 500-bps decline in gross margins for the fiscal second quarter. Based on the current sales performance, management expects SG&A expenses to grow in low double-digits for the fiscal second quarter. 3 Top Retail Stocks for You We highlighted three better-ranked stocks in the Retail - Wholesale sector, namely Tecnoglass TGLS, Boot Barn Holdings BOOT and Fastenal FAST. Tecnoglass manufactures and sells architectural glass and windows, and aluminum products for the residential and commercial construction industries. TGLS currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). Shares of TGLS have jumped 12.9% in the past year. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Tecnoglass’ current financial-year sales and earnings per share suggests growth of 21.3% and 28.7%, respectively, from the corresponding year-ago period's reported figures. TGLS has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 28.3%, on average. Boot Barn, a lifestyle retail chain devoted to western and work-related footwear, apparel and accessories, currently flaunts a Zacks Rank of 1. BOOT has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 25.2%, on average. Shares of BOOT have rallied 19.8% in the past year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Boot Barn’s current financial-year sales and earnings per share suggests growth of 17% and 4.4%, respectively, from the corresponding year-ago reported figures. BOOT has an expected EPS growth rate of 20% for three-five years. Fastenal, a national wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies, currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). FAST has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 5%, on average. Shares of FAST have risen 0.6% in the past year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Fastenal's current financial-year sales and earnings per share suggests growth of 15.4% and 16.3%, respectively, from the corresponding year-ago reported numbers. FAST has an expected EPS growth rate of 9% for three-five years. Zacks’ Top Picks to Cash in on Artificial Intelligence This world-changing technology is projected to generate $100s of billions by 2025. From self-driving cars to consumer data analysis, people are relying on machines more than we ever have before. Now is the time to capitalize on the 4th Industrial Revolution. Zacks’ urgent special report reveals 6 AI picks investors need to know about today. See 6 Artificial Intelligence Stocks With Extreme Upside Potential>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Urban Outfitters, Inc. (URBN): Free Stock Analysis Report Boot Barn Holdings, Inc. (BOOT): Free Stock Analysis Report Tecnoglass Inc. (TGLS): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2022-05-26,51.1788,52.1906,51.1788,51.8402,"[""Buckle's (BKE) Q1 Earnings Beat Estimates, Sales Rise Y/Y The Buckle, Inc. BKE delivered mixed results in first-quarter fiscal 2022 wherein the top line missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate but the bottom line surpassed the same. Also, sales improved year over year on increased online sales and comparable store net sales. This Kearney, NE-based player delivered earnings of $1.12 a share, which surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.10. The bottom line fell 3.4% from the last fiscal year quarter\u2019s tally. Buckle generated net sales of $309.1 million that rose 3.3% from the year-ago figure but missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $339 million. Comparable store net sales for the 13-week period ended Apr 30, 2022, grew 3.7% year over year. Additionally, online sales inched up 1.1% to $54.3 million in the reported quarter. Buckle, Inc. The Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Buckle, Inc. The price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Buckle, Inc. The Quote Let\u2019s Delve Deeper Gross profit increased to $152.2 million from $147.6 million in the year-earlier quarter. Also, gross margin dipped 10 basis points from the year-ago quarter\u2019s tally to 49.2%. Further, selling expenses rose to $67.2 million from $60 million recorded in the year-earlier quarter. Also, general and administrative expenses increased to $11.9 million from $11.8 million reported in the same quarter of fiscal 2021. BKE reported an operating income of $73.1 million, down from the operating income of $75.8 million recorded in the year-ago quarter. Buckle ended the quarter with cash and cash equivalents of $250.1 million and a total stockholders\u2019 equity of $353.6 million. Further, inventory increased 36.2% to $121.2 million. BKE presently operated 440 retail outlets across 42 states. This includes opening a new store this week in Spanish Fork, UT. At the end of the fiscal first quarter, Buckle operated 439 stores across 42 states compared with 442 stores in 42 states at the end of the earlier fiscal year\u2019s comparable quarter. Shares of this currently Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) player have gained 2.3% in the past six months against the industry\u2019s 14.5% decline. 3 Top Retail Stocks for You We highlighted three better-ranked stocks in the Retail - Wholesale sector, namely Tecnoglass TGLS, Boot Barn Holdings BOOT and Fastenal FAST. Tecnoglass engages in manufacturing and selling architectural glass and windows, and aluminum products for the residential and commercial construction industries. TGLS currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today\u2019s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Tecnoglass\u2019 current financial-year sales and earnings per share suggests growth of 21.3% and 28.7%, respectively, from the corresponding year-ago period's reported figures. TGLS has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 28.3%, on average. Boot Barn, a lifestyle retail chain devoted to western and work-related footwear, apparel and accessories, currently flaunts a Zacks Rank of 1. BOOT has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 25.2%, on average. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Boot Barn\u2019s current financial-year sales and earnings per share suggests growth of 17% and 4.4%, respectively, from the corresponding year-ago period\u2019s reported figures. BOOT has an expected EPS growth rate of 20% for three-five years. Fastenal, a national wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies, currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). FAST has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 5%, on average. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Fastenal's current financial-year sales and earnings per share suggests growth of 15.4% and 16.3%, respectively, from the corresponding year-ago period\u2019s actuals. FAST has an expected EPS growth rate of 9% for three-five years. Just Released: Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2022 In addition to the investment ideas discussed above, would you like to know about our 10 top buy-and-hold tickers for the entirety of 2022? Last year's 2021 Zacks Top 10 Stocks portfolio returned gains as high as +147.7%. Now a brand-new portfolio has been handpicked from over 4,000 companies covered by the Zacks Rank. Don\u2019t miss your chance to get in on these long-term buys Access Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2022 today >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Boot Barn Holdings, Inc. (BOOT): Free Stock Analysis Report Buckle, Inc. The (BKE): Free Stock Analysis Report Tecnoglass Inc. (TGLS): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Dollar Tree (DLTR) Up on Q1 Earnings & Sales Beat, Upbeat View Dollar Tree, Inc. DLTR reported solid first-quarter fiscal 2022 results, wherein sales and earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate and improved year over year. The results benefited from the completion of the $1.25 multi-price point initiative at the Dollar Tree stores. Results also gained from robust margins despite the continued increase in freight costs and SG&A expenses. Shares of DLTR rallied 16% in the pre-market trading session on May 26, driven by the better-than-expected top and bottom lines in the first quarter of fiscal 2022 and an upbeat fiscal 2022 view. Shares of this Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) company have lost 6% in the past three months compared with the industry's decline of 14.9%. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Quarter in Detail Dollar Tree\u2019s earnings improved 48.1% year over year to $2.37 per share and beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.99. This marked record first-quarter earnings for the company. The bottom-line growth can be attributed to the completion of the conversion of the Dollar Tree banner\u2019s $1.25 price point initiative, which aided both the top line and margins. Consolidated net sales advanced 6.5% year over year to $6,900.1 million and surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $6,742 million. Enterprise same-store sales (comps) improved 4.4% year over year. For the Dollar Tree banner, comps were up 11.2%, while comps for the Family Dollar banner dipped 2.8%. The decline in Family Dollar comps resulted from the absence of significant government stimulus in the prior-year quarter. Family Dollar comps were also affected by the temporary closure of nearly 400 stores due to a product recall, which hurt comps by 200 basis points (bps). Gross profit increased 19.2% year over year to $2,340.5 million, while the gross margin expanded 360 bps to 33.9%. Gains from improved initial mark-on, favorable product mix at Dollar Tree banner, and distribution and occupancy cost leverage mainly boosted gross margin. This was partly negated by higher freight expenses, unfavorable product mix at Family Dollar, markdowns and shrink. The gross margin expanded 690 bps to 40.6% at the Dollar Tree banner and contracted 100 bps to 25.8% at the Family Dollar segment. Dollar Tree, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Dollar Tree, Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Dollar Tree, Inc. Quote Selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses, as a percentage of sales, increased 100 bps to 23.3% due to elevated store payroll, the West Memphis distribution center-related issue, and the reconstitution of the board of directors. While the operating income rose 40.7% to $731.5 million, the operating margin expanded 260 bps to 10.6%, driven by robust gross margin and sales growth. Segment-wise, the operating margin expanded 810 bps to 20.2% for Dollar Tree and contracted 380 bps to 2.9% for the Family Dollar segment. Balance Sheet Dollar Tree ended the quarter with cash and cash equivalents of $1,218.5 million. Net merchandise inventories increased 33.2% year over year to $4,801.1 million. It had net long-term debt (excluding current maturities) of $3,418.1 million and shareholders\u2019 equity of $8,241.5 million as of Apr 30, 2022. As of Apr 30, 2022, Dollar Tree had $2.5 billion remaining under its existing authorization. Store Update In first-quarter fiscal 2022, Dollar Tree opened 112 stores, expanded or relocated 33 outlets, and shuttered 30 stores. The company completed the renovation of 118 Family Dollar stores to the H2 or Combo Store formats. Additionally, it expanded the multi-price plus offerings to another 790 Dollar Tree stores in the quarter. As of Apr 30, 2022, the company operated 16,162 stores in 48 states and five Canada provinces. Guidance Following the robust first-quarter fiscal 2022 performance, Dollar Tree raised its guidance for fiscal 2022. The company now expects consolidated net sales of $27.76-$28.14 billion, compared with $27.22-$27.85 billion mentioned earlier. The company anticipates enterprise comps growth of mid-single-digit for fiscal 2022, including a high single-digit increase in the Dollar Tree segment and almost flat comps in the Family Dollar segment. Management envisions earnings of $7.80-$8.20 per share, compared with the prior view of $7.60-$8.00 per share. It expects selling square footage to increase 3.9%. The earnings view now includes additional costs of 43 cents per share. These costs include asset impairment and product recall costs of 13 cents per share incurred in the fiscal first quarter, related to its West Memphis distribution center. It also includes an estimated 22 cents per share for lost sales, freight merchandise disposal, payroll and legal costs in response to the West Memphis distribution center matter, which is likely to be incurred in second-quarter fiscal 2022. Also, the company expects to record 8 cents per share in stock compensation expense for fiscal 2022, related to an option grant. For second-quarter fiscal 2022, Dollar Tree expects consolidated net sales of $6.65-$6.78 billion, with enterprise same-store sales growth in the low-to-mid single digits. It anticipates earnings of $1.45-$1.55 per share, including an estimated 24 cents per share impact from the West Memphis distribution center matter and stock compensation expense. Stocks to Consider We highlight three better-ranked stocks in the Retail - Wholesale sector, namely Boot Barn BOOT, Designer Brands DBI and Fastenal FAST. Boot Barn, a lifestyle retailer of western and work-related footwear, apparel and accessories, currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). BOOT has an expected EPS growth rate of 20% for three-five years. Shares of BOOT have declined 15.1% in the past three months. You can see the complete list of today\u2019s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Boot Barn\u2019s current-year sales and earnings per share (EPS) suggests growth of 17% and 4.4%, respectively, from the year-ago period\u2019s reported figures. BOOT has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 25.2%, on average. Designer Brands, which designs, manufactures, and retails footwear and accessories in North America, has a Zacks Rank of 2 at present. DBI has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 112.8%, on average. The stock has rallied 14% in the past three months. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Designer Brands\u2019 current-year sales and EPS suggests growth of 6.5% and 8.8%, respectively, from the year-ago period\u2019s reported numbers. Fastenal, a national wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies, presently carries a Zacks Rank #2. FAST has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 5%, on average. Shares of the company have gained 0.4% in the past three months. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Fastenal\u2019s current-year sales and EPS suggests growth of 15.4% and 17.5 respectively, from the year-ago period\u2019s reported numbers. FAST has an expected EPS growth rate of 9% for three-five years. Just Released: Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2022 In addition to the investment ideas discussed above, would you like to know about our 10 top buy-and-hold tickers for the entirety of 2022? Last year's 2021 Zacks Top 10 Stocks portfolio returned gains as high as +147.7%. Now a brand-new portfolio has been handpicked from over 4,000 companies covered by the Zacks Rank. Don\u2019t miss your chance to get in on these long-term buys Access Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2022 today >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Dollar Tree, Inc. (DLTR): Free Stock Analysis Report Boot Barn Holdings, Inc. (BOOT): Free Stock Analysis Report Designer Brands Inc. (DBI): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2022-05-27,52.3535,53.4294,52.2489,53.4194,"[""Burlington Stores' (BURL) Q1 Earnings Miss, Revenues Fall Y/Y Burlington Stores, Inc. BURL reported lower-than-expected results for first-quarter fiscal 2022. Both the top and the bottom line compared unfavorably with the respective prior fiscal year\u2019s quarterly tallies. Margins were also soft in the reported quarter. Quarterly performance was mainly hurt by lower inventory levels and weak sales, including comp trends in May similar to April. Also, inflationary pressures with higher supply-chain costs and elevated freight expenses weighed on BURL\u2019s results in the quarter. Over the past six months, the stock has decreased 25.8%, wider than the industry's 19.2% decline. Insight Into the Headlines Burlington Stores delivered adjusted earnings of 54 cents per share, lagging the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 64 cents. Also, the bottom line fell from $2.59 a share recorded in the year-ago period. Total revenues of $1,929.7 million tumbled 12% from the last fiscal year\u2019s reported figure. Net sales decreased 12.1% from the first-quarter fiscal 2021 number to $1,925.6 million while Other revenues increased 53.8% to $4 million. The Zacks Consensus Estimate stood higher at $2,013 million for the reported quarter. Comps dropped 18% from the fourth-quarter fiscal 2019 reading. Lower in-store inventory levels caused the decline. Margins Gross margin was 41% in the reported quarter, down 230 basis points (bps) from the first-quarter fiscal 2021 actuals. Merchandise margins declined 80 bps and freight expenses rose 150 bps. Adjusted SG&A as a rate of sales was 26.7%, increasing 300 bps from the first-quarter fiscal 2022 actuals. Product sourcing costs included in SG&A came in at $157 million, up from $141 million seen in the first quarter of fiscal 2022. Product sourcing costs represent the processing goods expenses via supply chain and buying costs. Higher supply-chain costs mainly caused the deleverage. Adjusted EBITDA decreased 57.3% from the first-quarter fiscal 2021 tally to $125 million. As a rate of sales, the metric decreased 690 bps. Adjusted EBIT was $59.1 million, down 75.2% from the first-quarter fiscal 2021 reading. Adjusted EBIT margin fell 780 bps from the first-quarter fiscal 2021 finals. Other Financial Aspects This presently Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) Burlington Stores ended the reported quarter with cash and cash equivalents of $627.1 million, long-term debt of $1,474.9 million and a stockholders\u2019 equity of $716.2 million. BURL exited the fiscal first quarter with $1,225 million of liquidity, including $627 million of unrestricted cash and $598 million available under its ABL facility. Burlington Stores ended the quarter with $1,489 million of outstanding total debt, comprising $949 million under its Term Loan Facility, $508 million of Convertible Notes and no borrowings under its ABL Facility. Merchandise inventories were $1257.1 million, up 64% from the first-quarter fiscal 2021 tally. Comparable store inventories inched up 2% from the level recorded in the same quarter of fiscal 2021. Reserve inventory accounted for 50% of the total inventory at the end of the reported quarter. Burlington Stores bought back 512,905 shares for $99 million under its share repurchase plan in the fiscal first quarter. As of Apr 30, 2022, BURL had $551 million remaining under the share repurchase authorizations. During the reported quarter, BURL inaugurated 26 net new stores, taking the total store base to 866. This comprised 33 store openings and seven relocations or closures. For fiscal 2022, management intends to open 120 stores, adding 90 net new stores. It aims to relocate or close 30 stores in the aforementioned period. For fiscal 2022, management projects capital expenditures, net of landlord allowances, of about $730 million. Outlook Management issued guidance for the second quarter and fiscal 2022. Comps are likely to fall in the band of 6-9% in fiscal 2022 versus a 15% rise in fiscal 2021. For fiscal 2022, adjusted EBIT margin is expected to decrease 130-200 bps from the fiscal tally while adjusted earnings per share are envisioned in the bracket of $6.00-$7.00 compared to the adjusted earnings per share of $8.41 recorded last fiscal year. For the back half of the full fiscal, management forecasts comp store sales to come in the band of a negative 2% to 3%, with an expectation that comp sales in the fiscal fourth quarter will be stronger than the fiscal third-quarter level. For the fiscal second quarter, comps are expected to decrease 13-15%. Adjusted EBIT margin is likely to contract 610-670 bps form the last fiscal year\u2019s quarterly reading while adjusted earnings per share are forecast in the range of 18-31 cents, indicating a decline from $1.50 on a GAAP basis and $1.94 on a non-GAAP basis recorded last fiscal year. Margin decline is mainly driven by elevated freight costs, supply-chain expenses and a deleveraged SG&A due to the comp store sales decrease. 3 Hot Stocks to Consider We highlighted three better-ranked stocks in the Retail - Wholesale sector, namely Tecnoglass TGLS, Boot Barn Holdings BOOT and Fastenal FAST. Tecnoglass engages in manufacturing and selling architectural glass and windows, and aluminum products for the residential and commercial construction industries. TGLS currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today\u2019s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Tecnoglass\u2019 current financial-year sales and earnings per share suggests growth of 21.3% and 28.7%, respectively, from the corresponding year-ago period's reported figures. TGLS has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 28.3%, on average. Boot Barn, a lifestyle retail chain devoted to western and work-related footwear, apparel and accessories, currently flaunts a Zacks Rank of 1. BOOT has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 25.2%, on average. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Boot Barn\u2019s current financial-year sales and earnings per share suggests growth of 17% and 4.4%, respectively, from the corresponding year-ago period\u2019s reported figures. BOOT has an expected EPS growth rate of 20% for three-five years. Fastenal, a national wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies, currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). FAST has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 5%, on average. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Fastenal's current financial-year sales and earnings per share suggests growth of 15.4% and 16.3%, respectively, from the corresponding year-ago period\u2019s actuals. FAST has an expected EPS growth rate of 9% for three-five years. Zacks Names \""Single Best Pick to Double\"" From thousands of stocks, 5 Zacks experts each have chosen their favorite to skyrocket +100% or more in months to come. From those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all. It\u2019s a little-known chemical company that\u2019s up 65% over last year, yet still dirt cheap. With unrelenting demand, soaring 2022 earnings estimates, and $1.5 billion for repurchasing shares, retail investors could jump in at any time. This company could rival or surpass other recent Zacks\u2019 Stocks Set to Double like Boston Beer Company which shot up +143.0% in little more than 9 months and NVIDIA which boomed +175.9% in one year. Free: See Our Top Stock and 4 Runners Up >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Boot Barn Holdings, Inc. (BOOT): Free Stock Analysis Report Burlington Stores, Inc. (BURL): Free Stock Analysis Report Tecnoglass Inc. (TGLS): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal (FAST) Looks Well Poised: Time to Invest in Stock Fastenal Company FAST has been gaining from strong demand for manufacturing and construction equipment and supplies and persistent focus on virtual platforms. Increased pricing is also helping the company. Shares of this maker of industrial and construction fasteners have outperformed the industry over the past three months. The 2022 earnings estimates for this Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) company have moved upward to $1.88 per share from $1.86 over the past 30 days. The estimated figure indicates 17.5% year-over-year growth. This positive trend signifies bullish analysts\u2019 sentiments, indicating robust fundamentals and the expectation of outperformance in the near term. You can see the complete list of today\u2019s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. What Makes the Stock an Attractive Pick? Higher Manufacturing & Construction Demand: The company has been gaining from solid demand for traditional manufacturing and construction clients. During first-quarter 2022, daily sales of Fastener products (accounting for approximately 34.3% of first-quarter sales) rose 24.6% year over year, backed by higher manufacturing and construction demand as well as increased pricing. Higher Pricing & Cost Control: Although Fastenal and other industry players have been witnessing supply-chain disruptions and significant inflation in material and transportation, the company\u2019s cost-control efforts and higher pricing have been driving profits. Pricing contributed 580 to 610 basis points to growth in the first quarter of 2022, reflecting actions taken to offset inflation. Meanwhile, Fastenal is actively seeking to control costs to offset cost inflation, especially product and transportation costs. The strategies for the same include automating warehouses, increasing delivery efficiency through its trucking network, and selling more private-level products with higher margins. This will aid the company to improve efficiency level, thereby increasing returns. Focus on E-commerce: Fastenal has been focusing more on virtual platforms to boost customers\u2019 engagement. The company\u2019s e-commerce business includes sales made through an electronic data interface with customers. During first-quarter 2022, daily sales through e-commerce increased 55.6% year over year. Digital footprint represented 47% of sales for first-quarter 2022. The metric was 39.1% a year ago and 34.9% two years ago. Fastenal\u2019s goal is to hit 55% of sales at some point later in 2022. It is to be noted that the company started calculating its Digital Footprint in first-quarter 2021 that includes sales through FASTVend, FASTBin and FASTStock as well as e-commerce. Revenues attributable to eCommerce represented 16.1% of total first-quarter 2022 revenues. Rewarding Shareholders: Fastenal has been driving investor value by providing regular dividends. The company began paying annual dividends in 1991 and semi-annual dividends in 2003. It then expanded to quarterly dividends in 2011. It paid nearly $178.4 million worth of dividends in first-quarter 2022 compared with $160.8 million a year ago. The company continues raising quarterly dividends on a regular basis. 3 Other Retail-Wholesale Stocks Hogging the Limelight Some other top-ranked stocks, which warrant a look in the Zacks Retail-Wholesale sector are MarineMax, Inc. HZO, BBQ Holdings, Inc. BBQ and Cracker Barrel Old Country Store CBRL. MarineMax sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 32.8%, on average. Shares of the company have declined 19.1% in the past year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for MarineMax\u2019s 2022 sales and EPS suggests growth of 16% and 21.5%, respectively, from the year-ago period\u2019s levels. BBQ Holdings carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). BBQ Holdings has a long-term earnings growth of 14%. Shares of the company have decreased 11.7% in the past year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for BBQ Holdings\u2019 2022 sales and EPS suggests growth of 46.1% and 67.6%, respectively, from the year-ago period\u2019s levels. Cracker Barrel carries a Zacks Rank #2. Cracker Barrel has a long-term earnings growth of 9.4%. Shares of the company have declined 34.8% in the past year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Cracker Barrel\u2019s 2022 sales and EPS suggests growth of 17.3% and 33.5%, respectively, from the year-ago period\u2019s levels. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. (CBRL): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report MarineMax, Inc. (HZO): Free Stock Analysis Report BBQ Holdings, Inc. (BBQ): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""American Eagle (AEO) Slumps on Dismal Q1 Earnings, Soft View American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. AEO reported dismal first-quarter fiscal 2022 results, wherein the top and bottom lines missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate and declined year over year. The company\u2019s results were impacted by lower-than-expected demand in the fiscal first quarter, which hurt the operating income. Results were also impacted by a spectacular spring season comparison last year that was aided by stimulus payments and pent-up customer demand. Additionally, the company witnessed pressure from unseasonably cold weather throughout the quarter due to the late arrival of spring. However, the company continued to gain from the execution of the \u201cReal Power. Real Growth.\u201d plan. American Eagle\u2019s shares declined 11.6% in the after-market session on May 26, thanks to the dismal first-quarter fiscal 2022 results. Shares of the Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company have fallen 33.5% in the past three months compared with the industry\u2019s decline of 28.5%. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Q1 Details American Eagle reported earnings of 16 cents per share, which significantly missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 24 cents. The bottom line declined 66.7% from adjusted earnings of 48 cents reported in first-quarter fiscal 2021. The company\u2019s results were impacted by lower-than-expected demand in the fiscal first quarter, which hurt the operating income. Adverse year-over-year comparisons, driven by last year\u2019s stimulus payments and pent-up customer demand, also impacted the results. High inflation rates, increased gas prices and stronger-than-expected demand for other discretionary categories hurt the performance in the fiscal first quarter. Total net revenues of $1,055 million increased 2% year over year but lagged the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1,137 million. Revenue growth was aided by a 3-percentage-point contribution from supply-chain acquisitions. Brand-wise, revenues declined 6% to $686 million for AE, while it advanced 8% to $322 million for Aerie. American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. Quote The company\u2019s digital revenues were down 6% year over year, while the same advanced 48% from the pre-pandemic levels (first-quarter fiscal 2019). Store revenues improved 2% year over year, driven by continued channel migration back to stores. Store sales were up 1% from the pre-pandemic levels. The gross profit dropped 11% year over year to $388 million, while the gross margin contracted 540 basis points (bps) to 36.8%. This mainly resulted from a 340-bps impact of freight costs and a 120-bps impact of the recent supply-chain business acquisition. The company is on track to integrate and ramp up the supply-chain platform. The gross margin was also impacted by increased rent and delivery expenses, slightly offset by lower incentive compensation accruals. Selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses rose 13% year over year to $298.8 million. As a percentage of sales, S&A expenses increased 270 bps to 28.3% due to a rise in store wages and hours, as well as increased corporate compensation, professional services and advertising expenses. This was partly negated by lower incentive compensation accruals. Operating income in the fiscal first quarter was $41.9 million, down 68.6% from $133.4 million in the year-ago quarter. Operating income included a $35-million headwind from higher freight costs and a $12-million loss from the supply-chain acquisition. The operating margin contracted 890 bps year over year to 4%. Operating income for the Aerie brand was $43.1 million, down 38.4% year over year. The AE brand\u2019s operating income declined 31.3% year over year to $103.9 million. Other Financial Details American Eagle ended first-quarter fiscal 2022 with cash and cash equivalents of $228.8 million. Total shareholders\u2019 equity as of Apr 30, 2022, was $1,383 million. The company had total liquidity, including available credit, of $581 million at the quarter-end. The company\u2019s capital expenditure was $58 million in the reported quarter. It expects a capital expenditure of $275 million for fiscal 2022. Store Update In first-quarter fiscal 2022, the company opened 7 AE and 12 Aerie stores, while it closed 9 AE and 2 Aerie stores. The store opening for the Aerie brand included both stand-alone and Aerie OFFLINE aide-by-side formats. For AE, the company is on track with its target of rightsizing the brand store footprint. At the end of the fiscal first quarter, American Eagle operated 1,141 stores, comprising 878 AE, 254 Aerie, five Todd Synder and four unsubscribed stores. Additionally, it operated 258 international license outlets. Guidance Driven by the shifts in the macro-environment, American Eagle lowered its outlook for fiscal 2022. The company now anticipates operating profit above $314 million achieved in fiscal 2019. Earlier, it had predicted an operating income of $550-$600 million for fiscal 2022. The company expects revenue growth in the low-single digits from the fiscal 2021 reported figure. The company also expects the second half of fiscal 2022 to be better than the first half. It expects gains in the second half to be driven by better-aligned customer demand, more balanced inventory levels and a leaner expense base. This is likely to aid margins and profitability in the second half relative to the first half. That said, the company anticipates sales growth in second-quarter fiscal 2022 to be at similar levels as the first quarter. The gross margin rate is expected to be 33%, reflecting higher markdowns to clear the spring inventory, increased freight costs and impacts from the supply-chain acquisitions. Stocks to Consider We have highlighted three better-ranked stocks in the Retail - Wholesale sector, namely Boot Barn BOOT, Designer Brands DBI and Fastenal FAST. Boot Barn, a lifestyle retailer of western and work-related footwear, apparel and accessories, currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). BOOT has an expected EPS growth rate of 20% for three-five years. Shares of BOOT have declined 10.1% in the past three months. You can see the complete list of today\u2019s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Boot Barn\u2019s current-year sales and earnings per share (EPS) suggests growth of 17% and 4.4%, respectively, from the year-ago period\u2019s reported figures. BOOT has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 25.2%, on average. Designer Brands, which designs, manufactures, and retails footwear and accessories in North America, has a Zacks Rank of 2 (Buy) at present. DBI has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 112.8%, on average. The stock has rallied 19.9% in the past three months. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Designer Brands\u2019 current-year sales and EPS suggests growth of 6.5% and 8.8%, respectively, from the year-ago period\u2019s reported numbers. Fastenal, a national wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies, presently carries a Zacks Rank #2. FAST has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 5%, on average. Shares of the company have gained 2% in the past three months. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Fastenal\u2019s current-year sales and EPS suggests growth of 15.4% and 17.5%, respectively, from the year-ago period\u2019s reported numbers. FAST has an expected EPS growth rate of 9% for three-five years. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (AEO): Free Stock Analysis Report Boot Barn Holdings, Inc. (BOOT): Free Stock Analysis Report Designer Brands Inc. (DBI): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2022-05-31,52.926,53.1431,52.1165,52.8667,
FAST,2022-06-01,53.2418,53.607,52.4325,53.2122,
FAST,2022-06-02,53.6268,54.4805,52.9654,54.4263,
FAST,2022-06-03,54.0383,54.1301,53.4688,53.7353,"[""Zumiez (ZUMZ) Reports Loss & Lower Revenues Y/Y in Q1 Zumiez Inc. ZUMZ reported loss per share for first-quarter fiscal 2022. Also, both metrics compared unfavorably with the respective year-earlier reported figures. Results were hurt by numerous headwinds, including global supply-chain issues, inflation, higher logistics costs and a tight labor market. Over the past six months, shares of this currently Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) player have decreased 25.6% compared with the industry\u2019s 31% decline. Results in Detail Zumiez posted a quarterly loss of 2 cents per share. The Zacks Consensus Estimate was of earnings of 7 cents. The bottom line also came against earnings of $1.03 per share reported in the year-earlier quarter. Zumiez Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Zumiez Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Zumiez Inc. Quote Although total net sales of $220.7 million came above the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $218 million, the same fell 20.9% from the year-ago period\u2019s reading. This year-over-year decline was driven by gains from the U.S. stimulus realized in early 2021 and slight inflationary pressures. These were somewhat offset by higher sales across each of the international geographies. From a regional perspective, North America net sales were $186.3 million, down 25.1% year over year. Other international sales, comprising Europe and Australia, were $34.4 million, up 13% year over year. Excluding the impacts of foreign currency translations, North America net sales fell 25% and other international net sales rose 21.8% from the respective fiscal 2021 readings. Gross profit decreased 29.8% year over year to $72.4 million. Gross margin decreased 420 basis points (bps) to 32.8%. The year-over-year fall in gross margin was mainly due to lower sales along with elevated expenses, including increased logistics and labor costs. SG&A expenses jumped 4.4% year over year to $71.9 million during the quarter under review. As a percentage of sales, SG&A expenses increased 790 bps year over year to 24.7%. Zumiez reported an operating profit of $0.5 million, down from $34.3 million recorded in the year-earlier quarter. Operating margin was 0.2%, significantly down from 12.3% witnessed in the year-ago period. Financial & Other Updates As of Apr 30, 2022, ZUMZ had cash and current marketable securities of $173 million compared with $400.4 million as of May 1, 2021. The decline was due to capital expenditures and share repurchases, partly offset by cash provided through operations. Total shareholders\u2019 equity at the end of the quarter stood at $376.9 million. Zumiez had no debt at the end of the fiscal first quarter and maintained fully unused credit facilities. ZUMZ ended the fiscal year with $141.9 million inventory, up 4% year over year. Zumiez repurchased 1.9 million shares for $83.3 million during the first quarter of 2022. ZUMZ has no open repurchase authorizations at present. As of May 28, 2022, Zumiez operated 741 stores, including 601 in the United States, 52 in Canada, 69 in Europe and 19 in Australia. Other Updates Net sales for the four-week period ended May 28, 2022, tumbled 20.9% year over year but dipped 3.3% from the level during the four-week period ended Jun 1, 2019. From a regional perspective, net sales for the North America business fell 23.5% year over year in the aforementioned period, while the metric at the Other international business dipped 0.3% from last year\u2019s level and increased 55.4% from the same-period level in 2019. All categories were down in total sales from the year-ago period\u2019s level. Men's remained the most negative category, followed by hard goods, accessories, women's and footwear. Outlook For the fiscal second quarter, net sales are projected in the band of $232-$239 million. Consolidated operating margins are likely to come between 5% and 6.5% with earnings per share of 45-55 cents. For fiscal 2022, total sales will decline in the high-single digits from the fiscal 2021 reading. Earnings per share are likely to come between $3.55 and $3.80, indicating a decline from $4.85 delivered in fiscal 2021. Capital expenditures are anticipated to be between $30 million and $32 million for fiscal 2022. In fiscal 2022, management intends opening about 34 stores, including nearly 15 stores in North America, 14 stores in Europe and 5 stores in Australia. Stocks to Consider We highlighted three better-ranked stocks in the Retail - Wholesale sector, namely Tecnoglass TGLS, Boot Barn Holdings BOOT and Fastenal FAST. Tecnoglass engages in manufacturing and selling architectural glass and windows and aluminum products for the residential and commercial construction industries. It currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). Shares of TGLS have jumped 12.9% in the past year. You can see the complete list of today\u2019s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Tecnoglass\u2019 current financial-year sales and earnings per share suggests growth of 21.3% and 28.7%, respectively, from the year-ago period's reported figures. TGLS has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 28.3%, on average. Boot Barn, a lifestyle retail chain devoted to western and work-related footwear, apparel and accessories, currently flaunts a Zacks Rank #1. The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 25.2%, on average. Shares of BOOT have rallied 19.8% in the past year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Boot Barn\u2019s current financial-year sales and earnings per share suggests growth of 17% and 4.4%, respectively, from the year-ago period\u2019s reported figures. BOOT has an expected EPS growth rate of 20% for three-five years. Fastenal, a national wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies, currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 5%, on average. Shares of FAST have risen 0.6% in the past year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Fastenal's current financial-year sales and earnings per share suggests growth of 15.4% and 16.3%, respectively, from the year-ago period. FAST has an expected EPS growth rate of 9% for three-five years. Zacks Names \""Single Best Pick to Double\"" From thousands of stocks, 5 Zacks experts each have chosen their favorite to skyrocket +100% or more in months to come. From those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all. It\u2019s a little-known chemical company that\u2019s up 65% over last year, yet still dirt cheap. With unrelenting demand, soaring 2022 earnings estimates, and $1.5 billion for repurchasing shares, retail investors could jump in at any time. This company could rival or surpass other recent Zacks\u2019 Stocks Set to Double like Boston Beer Company which shot up +143.0% in little more than 9 months and NVIDIA which boomed +175.9% in one year. Free: See Our Top Stock and 4 Runners Up >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Zumiez Inc. (ZUMZ): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Boot Barn Holdings, Inc. (BOOT): Free Stock Analysis Report Tecnoglass Inc. (TGLS): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""SpartanNash's (SPTN) Earnings Beat in Q1, Sales Rise Y/Y SpartanNash Company SPTN posted a solid earnings performance in the first quarter of 2022 wherein the bottom line beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate and grew year over year. This presently Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company posted adjusted earnings from continuing operations of 83 cents a share, outshining the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 65 cents. Also, the bottom line increased 40.7% from 59 cents a share earned in the same quarter a year ago. Consolidated net sales of $2,763.7 million rose 4% year over year on higher sales across all the segments. Comparable store sales rose to 7.2%, reflecting the momentum in its Retail segment. Gross profit grew 7.8% year over year to $450.6 million. Also, gross margin expanded 60 basis points (bps) to 16.3% on improved margin rates across the Food Distribution and Military segments. This was somewhat offset by elevated LIFO expenses. SpartanNash Company Price and EPS Surprise SpartanNash Company price-eps-surprise | SpartanNash Company Quote Moreover, adjusted operating earnings came in at $43.3 million, which climbed 33% from $32.5 million reported in the year-ago quarter. Furthermore, adjusted EBITDA grew 18.2% to $76.6 million. Segmental Analysis Net sales at Food Distribution rose 49.6% to $1,370.9 million, mainly owing to the inflationary impacts on pricing. We note that the segment accounted for 49.6% of the company\u2019s consolidated sales in the first quarter of 2022. Retail\u2019s net sales increased 28.3% to $781.3 million in the reported quarter, mainly due to the inflationary pricing. Retail comparable store sales were 7.2%. The retail segment represented 28.3% of total sales in the period. Finally, net sales at Military, which constituted 22.1% of the overall quarterly sales, were up 4.7% to $611.5 million. This was mainly due to the inflationary pricing, partly offset by reduced case volumes. Other Financials SpartanNash ended the quarter with cash and cash equivalents of $16.3 million, net long-term debt of $433.8 million and a total shareholders\u2019 equity of $795.3 million. Cash generated from operating activities was $10 million during the 16 weeks ended Apr 23, 2022. SPTN had free cash flow of a negative $20 million in the aforementioned period. Moreover, capital expenditures and IT capital totaled $30.3 million in the same period. For 2022, management still projects capital expenditures and IT capital in the band of $100-$110 million. In the first quarter, management declared cash dividends of $7.7 million, equal to 21 cents a share. It did not buy back shares during the quarter and has roughly $80 million left under its share repurchase programs. During the first quarter, SpartanNash declared $7.7 million of cash dividends, equal to 21 cents per share. SPTN did not repurchase shares during the quarter and currently has approximately $80 million remaining under its share buyback programs. Guidance Following robust quarterly results, management raised guidance for 2022. Net sales are guided in the range of $9-$9.3 billion, higher than the earlier guidance of $8.9-$9.1 billion. SpartanNash envisioned adjusted EBITDA in the band of $224-$239 million compared with the previous view of $214-$229 million. Adjusted earnings per share are projected in the bracket of $2.17-$2.32, up from $2.10-$2.25 estimated earlier. Long-Term Goals Management issued financial targets, which are likely to be accomplished by 2025. It projects net sales of more than $10 billion, indicating growth of at least 12% from the fiscal 2021 figure. Adjusted EBITDA is anticipated to be more than $300 million, suggesting an increase of at least 40% compared with the fiscal 2021 number. SPTN expected adjusted EBITDA margin to be 3% of net sales, showing a rise of 25% from the fiscal 2021 reading. Price Performance This grocery retailer\u2019s stock movement shows that its shares have decreased 15.6% in the past six months compared with the industry\u2019s 5.1% decline. Stocks to Consider We highlighted three better-ranked stocks in the Retail - Wholesale sector, namely Tecnoglass TGLS, Boot Barn Holdings BOOT and Fastenal FAST. Tecnoglass engages in manufacturing and selling architectural glass and windows and aluminum products for the residential and commercial construction industries. It currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). Shares of TGLS have jumped 12.9% in the past year. You can see the complete list of today\u2019s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Tecnoglass\u2019 current financial-year sales and earnings per share suggests growth of 21.3% and 28.7%, respectively, from the year-ago period's reported figures. TGLS has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 28.3%, on average. Boot Barn, a lifestyle retail chain devoted to western and work-related footwear, apparel and accessories, currently flaunts a Zacks Rank #1. The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 25.2%, on average. Shares of BOOT have rallied 19.8% in the past year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Boot Barn\u2019s current financial-year sales and earnings per share suggests growth of 17% and 4.4%, respectively, from the year-ago period\u2019s reported figures. BOOT has an expected EPS growth rate of 20% for three-five years. Fastenal, a national wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies, currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 5%, on average. Shares of FAST have risen 0.6% in the past year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Fastenal's current financial-year sales and earnings per share suggests growth of 15.4% and 16.3%, respectively, from the year-ago period. FAST has an expected EPS growth rate of 9% for three-five years. Zacks Names \""Single Best Pick to Double\"" From thousands of stocks, 5 Zacks experts each have chosen their favorite to skyrocket +100% or more in months to come. From those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all. It\u2019s a little-known chemical company that\u2019s up 65% over last year, yet still dirt cheap. With unrelenting demand, soaring 2022 earnings estimates, and $1.5 billion for repurchasing shares, retail investors could jump in at any time. This company could rival or surpass other recent Zacks\u2019 Stocks Set to Double like Boston Beer Company which shot up +143.0% in little more than 9 months and NVIDIA which boomed +175.9% in one year. Free: See Our Top Stock and 4 Runners Up >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Boot Barn Holdings, Inc. (BOOT): Free Stock Analysis Report SpartanNash Company (SPTN): Free Stock Analysis Report Tecnoglass Inc. (TGLS): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Beacon (BECN) Buys Complete Supply, Expands Chicago Presence Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. BECN continues its acquisition spree with its latest buyout of Complete Supply, Inc. However, the financial terms of the transaction have not yet been disclosed. Shares of Beacon \u2014 the largest distributor of residential and non-residential roofing materials in the United States and Canada \u2014 rose 2.5% since the release of the news on Jun 1, 2022. Buyout Benefits Complete Supply has been serving customers in the greater Chicago market for their residential and complementary product requirements. Complete Supply is a distributor of residential roofing and exterior building supplies to contractors and homebuilders in Willowbrook, IL and this buyout has expanded Beacon\u2019s footprint in Chicago. Pertaining to this latest buyout, Jake Gosa, Beacon\u2019s President, North Division, said, \u201cExpanding our depth of service in the Chicago market will bring Complete Supply customers the opportunity to benefit from our digital solutions, TRI-BUILT product line and the Beacon OTC network. With this acquisition, we continue to expand our footprint and drive toward achieving our Ambition 2025 growth targets.\"" Strategic Efforts: a Boon Beacon has undertaken several strategic initiatives to drive its long-term ambition of growing and enhancing customer experience, expanding the top line and margin as well as boosting value for customers, suppliers, employees, and shareholders. On Apr 29, 2022, BECN acquired a distributor of complementary residential exterior building supplies, Wichita Falls Builders Wholesale, Inc., for an undisclosed amount. Builders Wholesale has a three-decade history and strong reputation for serving customers in greater Wichita Falls, TX. On Dec 31, 2021, Beacon announced the acquisition of a wholesale distributor of residential exterior building materials \u2014 Crabtree Siding and Supply. This takeover has further strengthened Beacon\u2019s presence in Tennessee. The company has been focusing on its Ambition 2025 targets which emphasize operational excellence, above market growth trajectory and accelerated stockholder value creation. Ambition 2025 financial targets assume that sales will reach $9 billion (8% CAGR) and $1 billion of EBITDA (10% CAGR), which would translate to 11% EBITDA margins (up 100 basis points from 2021). Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Shares of Beacon have risen 9.9% this year against the industry\u2019s 26.8% decline. Earnings estimates for this year have increased 21.1% over the past 30 days to $6.48 per share. This depicts analysts\u2019 optimism over the company\u2019s growth potential. Solid strategic efforts, exceptional operating cost management and cash flow, focus on the e-commerce platform, new OTC (On-Time and Complete) Delivery Network, and a newly-designed website will drive growth. Zacks Rank Beacon currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today\u2019s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Other Top-Ranked Stocks From the Broader Retail-Wholesale Sector Other top-ranked stocks in the Zacks Retail-Wholesale sector are MarineMax, Inc. HZO, BBQ Holdings, Inc. BBQ and Fastenal FAST. MarineMax sports a Zacks Rank #1. The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 32.8%, on average. Shares of the company have declined 13.1% in the past year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for MarineMax\u2019s 2022 sales and EPS suggests growth of 16% and 21.5%, respectively, from the year-ago period\u2019s levels. BBQ Holdings carries a Zacks Rank #2. BBQ Holdings has a long-term earnings growth of 14%. Shares of the company have decreased 2.9% in the past year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for BBQ Holdings\u2019 2022 sales and EPS suggests growth of 46.1% and 67.6%, respectively, from the year-ago period\u2019s levels. Fastenal carries a Zacks Rank #2. FAST has a long-term earnings growth of 9%. Shares of the company have increased 3.9% in the past year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for FAST\u2019s 2022 sales and EPS suggests growth of 15.4% and 17.5%, respectively, from the year-ago period\u2019s levels. Zacks Names \""Single Best Pick to Double\"" From thousands of stocks, 5 Zacks experts each have chosen their favorite to skyrocket +100% or more in months to come. From those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all. It\u2019s a little-known chemical company that\u2019s up 65% over last year, yet still dirt cheap. With unrelenting demand, soaring 2022 earnings estimates, and $1.5 billion for repurchasing shares, retail investors could jump in at any time. This company could rival or surpass other recent Zacks\u2019 Stocks Set to Double like Boston Beer Company which shot up +143.0% in little more than 9 months and NVIDIA which boomed +175.9% in one year. Free: See Our Top Stock and 4 Runners Up >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. (BECN): Free Stock Analysis Report MarineMax, Inc. (HZO): Free Stock Analysis Report BBQ Holdings, Inc. (BBQ): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2022-06-06,53.8933,54.3671,53.607,54.0216,"[""Five Below (FIVE) Lined Up for Q1 Earnings: Factors to Note Five Below, Inc. FIVE is likely to register an increase in the top line when it reports first-quarter fiscal 2022 results on Jun 8, after the closing bell. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues is pegged at $653.4 million, suggesting an improvement of 9.3% from the prior-year reported figure. Meanwhile, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for first-quarter earnings per share has decreased by a penny to 58 cents over the past seven days. The figure indicates a decline of 34.1% from the prior-year quarter. This extreme-value retailer for tweens, teens and beyond has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 21.4%, on average. In the last reported quarter, the company\u2019s bottom line surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by a margin of 0.4%. Factors to Note Five Below\u2019s first-quarter performance is likely to have benefited from its focus on providing trend-right products, strengthening digital capabilities and growing its brick-and-mortar footprint. We believe increased penetration of Five Beyond and e-commerce business, new customer acquisition, sales lifts from remodels and conversions, and selective merchandise price increases might have contributed to the top line. On its lastearnings call management guided first-quarter net sales in the range of $644 million to $658 million, up from $597.8 million reported in the year-ago period. However, Five Below did caution about tough year-over-year comparison due to lapping record government stimulus year ago and the uncertainty surrounding soaring inflation. As a result, the company had projected first-quarter comparable sales to be flat to down 2%. The company is navigating through a tight supply chain environment across the retail landscape, resulting in higher inbound freight costs. These are likely to have put pressure on margins and, in turn, the bottom line. Five Below had guided 400 basis points of contraction in operating margin for the first quarter. It had projected earnings between 54 cents and 62 a share for the quarter under discussion, which is down from 88 cents reported in the year-ago period. Five Below, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Five Below, Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Five Below, Inc. Quote What the Zacks Model Unveils Our proven model does not conclusively predict an earnings beat for Five Below this time around. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat. But that\u2019s not the case here. You can see the complete list of today\u2019s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Five Below has an Earnings ESP of -5.82% and a Zacks Rank #3. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they\u2019re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter. Stocks With Favorable Combination Here are three companies you may want to consider as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat: Kroger KR currently has an Earnings ESP of +1.65% and a Zacks Rank #2. The company is expected to register bottom-line growth when it reports first-quarter fiscal 2022 results. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly earnings per share of $1.27 suggests growth of 6.7% from the year-ago quarter\u2019s reported figure. Kroger\u2019s top line is anticipated to rise year over year. The consensus mark for revenues is pegged at $43.57 billion, indicating an increase of 5.5% from the year-ago quarter. KR has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 22.1%, on average. Fastenal Company FAST currently has an Earnings ESP of +2.82% and a Zacks Rank #2. The company is likely to register an increase in the bottom line when it reports second-quarter fiscal 2022 numbers. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly earnings per share of 50 cents suggests an increase of 19.1% from the year-ago reported number. Fastenal Company\u2019s top line is expected to increase year over year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly revenues is pegged at $1.78 billion, which indicates an improvement of 18.3% from the prior-year quarter. FAST has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 5%, on average. Chipotle Mexican Grill CMG currently has an Earnings ESP of +2.26% and a Zacks Rank #3. The company is likely to register an increase in the bottom line when it reports second-quarter 2022 numbers. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly earnings per share of $9.06 suggests an increase of 21.5% from the year-ago reported number. Chipotle Mexican Grill\u2019s top line is expected to increase year over year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly revenues is pegged at $2.24 billion, which indicates growth of 18.6% from the prior-year quarter. CMG has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 9.3%, on average. Stay on top of upcoming earnings announcements with the Zacks Earnings Calendar Free: Top Stocks for the $30 Trillion Metaverse Boom The metaverse is a quantum leap for the internet as we currently know it - and it will make some investors rich. Just like the internet, the metaverse is expected to transform how we live, work and play. Zacks has put together a new special report to help readers like you target big profits. The Metaverse - What is it? And How to Profit with These 5 Pioneering Stocks reveals specific stocks set to skyrocket as this emerging technology develops and expands. Download Zacks\u2019 Metaverse Report now >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (CMG): Free Stock Analysis Report The Kroger Co. (KR): Free Stock Analysis Report Five Below, Inc. (FIVE): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Here's How Casey's (CASY) is Placed Just Ahead of Q4 Earnings Casey's General Stores, Inc. CASY is likely to register an increase in the top line when it reports fourth-quarter fiscal 2022 numbers on Jun 7, after the closing bell. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues is pegged at $3,439 million, indicating an improvement of 44.6% from the prior-year reported figure. The bottom line of this operator of convenience stores is expected to increase year over year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fourth-quarter earnings per share has increased 6.9% to $1.54 over the past 30 days. The figure suggests growth from earnings of $1.12 in the year-ago period. This Ankeny, IA-based company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 21.6%, on average. In the last reported quarter, the company\u2019s bottom line surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by a margin of 17.9%. Key Factors to Note Casey's price and product optimization strategies, increased penetration of private brands, and digital engagements comprising mobile app and online ordering capabilities are commendable. The curbside pickup option and Casey\u2019s reward program have been benefiting the overall performance. It has partnered with DoorDash and Uber Eats for delivery services. Also, the company\u2019s self-distribution model and acquisition activities, the recent being Pilot Corporation, bode well. Evidently, these factors are likely to have favorably impacted the company\u2019s to-be-reported quarter\u2019s top line. Casey\u2019s Grocery & General Merchandise category might have contributed to the company\u2019s fourth-quarter top-line performance. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for sales for the category is pegged at $745 million, which suggests an increase of 14.6% from the prior-year reported figure. The consensus mark indicates a jump of 3.3% in same-store sales. Again, the company\u2019s Prepared Food & Dispensed Beverage category may have positively impacted total revenues. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for sales for the category stands at $301 million, which indicates a jump of 14.2% from the prior-year reported figure. Also, the consensus mark suggests growth of 6.6% in same-store sales. With the resumption of economic activities, things have started to improve. Remarkably, the Zacks Consensus Estimate suggests an increase of 19.4% in total gallons sold during the quarter under discussion. As a result, sales at the Fuel category might have risen year over year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for sales for the Fuel category is pegged at $2,378 million, which suggests a year-over-year increase of 64.6%. In spite of the aforementioned tailwinds, concerns related to higher operating expenses cannot be ignored. Casey's witnessed an increase of 18.5% in operating expenses in the last reported quarter. The metric increased on account of operating more stores compared with the same period last year, a jump in same-store employee expenses, a rise in same-store credit card fees due to higher retail fuel prices and increased sales volume, and incentive compensation. Casey's General Stores, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Casey's General Stores, Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Casey's General Stores, Inc. Quote What Does the Zacks Model Unveil? Our proven model predicts an earnings beat for Casey's this time around. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the chances of an earnings beat. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they\u2019re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter. You can see the complete list of today\u2019s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Casey's has a Zacks Rank #3 and an Earnings ESP of +0.38%. 3 More Stocks With Favorable Combination Here are three other companies you may want to consider as our model shows that these too have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat: Kroger KR currently has an Earnings ESP of +1.65% and a Zacks Rank #2. The company is expected to register bottom-line growth when it reports first-quarter fiscal 2022 results. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly earnings per share of $1.27 suggests growth of 6.7% from the year-ago quarter\u2019s reported figure. Kroger\u2019s top line is anticipated to rise year over year. The consensus mark for revenues is pegged at $43.57 billion, indicating an increase of 5.5% from the year-ago quarter. KR has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 22.1%, on average. Fastenal Company FAST currently has an Earnings ESP of +2.82% and a Zacks Rank #2. The company is likely to register an increase in the bottom line when it reports second-quarter fiscal 2022 numbers. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly earnings per share of 50 cents suggests an increase of 19.1% from the year-ago reported number. Fastenal Company\u2019s top line is expected to increase year over year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly revenues is pegged at $1.78 billion, which indicates an improvement of 18.3% from the prior-year quarter. FAST has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 5%, on average. Chipotle Mexican Grill CMG currently has an Earnings ESP of +2.26% and a Zacks Rank #3. The company is likely to register an increase in the bottom line when it reports second-quarter 2022 numbers. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly earnings per share of $9.06 suggests an increase of 21.5% from the year-ago reported number. Chipotle Mexican Grill\u2019s top line is expected to increase year over year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly revenues is pegged at $2.24 billion, which indicates growth of 18.6% from the prior-year quarter. CMG has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 9.3%, on average. Stay on top of upcoming earnings announcements with the Zacks Earnings Calendar Free: Top Stocks for the $30 Trillion Metaverse Boom The metaverse is a quantum leap for the internet as we currently know it - and it will make some investors rich. Just like the internet, the metaverse is expected to transform how we live, work and play. Zacks has put together a new special report to help readers like you target big profits. The Metaverse - What is it? And How to Profit with These 5 Pioneering Stocks reveals specific stocks set to skyrocket as this emerging technology develops and expands. Download Zacks\u2019 Metaverse Report now >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (CMG): Free Stock Analysis Report The Kroger Co. (KR): Free Stock Analysis Report Casey's General Stores, Inc. (CASY): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2022-06-07,53.7205,54.4361,53.0098,54.2487,
FAST,2022-06-08,54.0315,54.1005,53.0642,53.1135,
FAST,2022-06-09,52.8371,53.4886,52.1265,52.1561,"Fastenal's (FAST) Average Daily Sales Increase 17.6% in May Fastenal Company FAST recently released its May sales report, wherein average daily sales (“ADS”) grew 17.6% to $28.1 million, slightly moderating sequentially. In April 2022, daily sales registered 20.3% growth, whereas the same had declined 3.2% in May 2021. Daily sales, on a constant currency basis, were up 18.3% last month compared with 20.5% in April 2022. Issues like price inflation, supply-chain challenges and shortage of labor are negatively impacting its growth rate. Nonetheless, Fastenal continues to navigate these challenges thanks to healthy end-market demand. End-Market Perspective, Product Lines & Customers From an end-market perspective, manufacturing sales improved 22.4% for the month compared with 18.9% growth a year ago. Non-residential construction grew 10.7% compared with a 4.4% rise reported in May 2021. The average daily sales growth rate in non-residential and manufacturing end markets slipped sequentially in May 2022. Fastenal derives sales from Fasteners, Safety and other product lines. Fasteners (representing about one-third of total sales) witnessed 20% growth in sales last month compared with 28.2% increase registered in the year-ago period. On a monthly basis, Fasteners’ sales were up 25.2% in March, 25.5% in April and 20% in May this year. Safety products improved 15.6% in May against the 44.1% decline in the year-ago period. Safety categories improved 16.7% in April 2022. In terms of customer/channel, National account daily sales growth advanced 22% last month from a year ago, given that 87% of the top 100 accounts and 71.9% of public branches are expanding. Also, non-national accounts were up 12% year over year for the month. In the year-ago period, daily sales in non-national accounts were down 2% year over year. Regionally, daily sales growth in the United States and Canada/Mexico were 19.1% and 14.7%, respectively, last month. Daily sales in rest of the world, however, declined 5.8%. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Shares of the company have outperformed the industry so far this year. Although daily sales have moderated sequentially on account of a potentially slower macro environment, we believe this Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) company is well positioned to navigate through these challenges given end-market demand, cost-control efforts, and aggressive investment to increase on-site locations, vending machines and e-commerce business. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. 3 Other Retail-Wholesale Stocks Hogging the Limelight Some other top-ranked stocks, which warrant a look in the Zacks Retail-Wholesale sector are Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. BECN, Tecnoglass Inc. TGLS and BBQ Holdings, Inc. BBQ. Beacon Roofing Supply carries a Zacks Rank #2. Shares of the company have risen 10.6% year to date. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for BECN’s 2022 sales and EPS suggests growth of 23.5% and 34.2%, respectively, from the year-ago period’s levels. Tecnoglass carries a Zacks Rank #2. Shares of the company have lost 19% year to date. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for TGLS’ 2022 sales and EPS suggests growth of 21.3% and 28.7%, respectively, from the year-ago period’s levels. BBQ Holdings also carries a Zacks Rank #2. Shares of the company have decreased 21.9% year to date. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for BBQ Holdings’ 2022 sales and EPS suggests growth of 46.1% and 67.6%, respectively, from the year-ago period’s levels. Profiting from the Metaverse, The 3rd Internet Boom (Free Report): Get Zacks' special report revealing top profit plays for the internet's next evolution. Early investors still have time to get in near the ""ground floor"" of this $30 trillion opportunity. You'll discover 5 surprising stocks to help you cash in. Download the report FREE today >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. (BECN): Free Stock Analysis Report Tecnoglass Inc. (TGLS): Free Stock Analysis Report BBQ Holdings, Inc. (BBQ): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2022-06-10,51.317,51.8402,50.7741,51.3072,
FAST,2022-06-13,50.3596,50.4485,49.264,49.4318,
FAST,2022-06-14,49.5897,49.7772,47.9512,48.4941,
FAST,2022-06-15,48.9885,49.5108,47.8969,48.9679,"SpartanNash's (SPTN) Shop-N-Save Food Purchase to Boost Sales SpartanNash Company SPTN has been making smart moves to enhance customers’ experience. In a latest move, SPTN informed that it acquired Shop-N-Save Food Centers (SNS), which is a three-store grocery chain in the Northwestern Michigan. The Benzonia, Fremont and Ludington, Mich. grocery stores are now converted to SPTN's popular Family Fare brand. Customers can get fresh produce, a deli, bakery, floral department, pharmacy, meat, seafood counter and a lot more at SNS, including SPTN's Our Family products. They will also be offered SpartanNash’s loyalty program yes Rewards, providing guests with digital coupons, featured clubs and special perks so that they can save on groceries and household products. Established in 1962, SpartanNash acquired the Family Fare stores and currently operates 86 Family Fare stores across the Midwest. We note that SNS was a food distribution customer of SPTN for about 25 years. SNS is quite a popular family-owned and operated business, and is expected to provide a lot of new offerings to the shoppers. This also brings an employment opportunity for all the SPTN’s associates. Hence, the acquisition of the aforesaid stores will widen SpartanNash’s customer reach and boost its sales. What’s More? On Jun 3, 2022, SpartanNash posted a solid earnings performance for the first quarter of 2022 wherein the bottom line beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate and grew year over year. SPTN posted adjusted earnings from continuing operations of 83 cents a share, outshining the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 65 cents. Also, the bottom line increased 40.7% from 59 cents a share earned in the same quarter a year ago. Further, consolidated net sales of $2,763.7 million rose 4% year over year on higher sales across all the segments. Comparable store sales rose to 7.2%, reflecting the momentum in its Retail segment. Following robust quarterly results, management raised guidance for 2022. Net sales are guided in the range of $9-$9.3 billion, higher than the earlier projection of $8.9-$9.1 billion. Adjusted earnings per share are projected in the bracket of $2.17-$2.32, up from $2.10-$2.25 estimated earlier. In addition, management issued long-term financial targets, which are likely to be accomplished by 2025. It projects net sales of more than $10 billion, indicating growth of at least 12% from the fiscal 2021 figure. Adjusted EBITDA is anticipated to be more than $300 million, suggesting an increase of at least 40% from the fiscal 2021 number. SPTN expected adjusted EBITDA margin to be 3% of net sales, showing a rise of 25% from the fiscal 2021 reading. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research This currently Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stock has gained 2.6% in the past three months against the industry’s 17.7% decline. Stocks to Consider We highlighted three better-ranked stocks in the Retail - Wholesale sector, namely Boot Barn Holdings BOOT, Costco COST and Fastenal FAST. Boot Barn, a lifestyle retail chain devoted to western and work-related footwear, apparel and accessories, currently flaunts a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). BOOT has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 25.2%, on average. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Boot Barn’s current financial-year sales and earnings per share suggests growth of 17% and 4.4%, respectively, from the year-ago period’s reported figures. BOOT has an expected EPS growth rate of 20% for three-five years. Costco, the leading warehouse club operator, currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). COST has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 28.3%, on average. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Costco’s current financial-year sales and earnings per share suggests growth of 14.5% and 16.9%, respectively, from the corresponding year-ago period's reported figures. Fastenal, a national wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies, currently has a Zacks Rank of 2. FAST has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 5%, on average. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Fastenal's current financial-year sales and earnings per share suggests growth of 15.6% and 17.5%, respectively, from the corresponding year-ago period’s tallies. FAST has an expected EPS growth rate of 9% for three-five years. Zacks' Top Picks to Cash in on Electric Vehicles Big money has already been made in the Electric Vehicle (EV) industry. But, the EV revolution has not hit full throttle yet. There is a lot of money to be made as the next push for future technologies ramps up. Zacks’ Special Report reveals 5 picks investors See 5 EV Stocks With Extreme Upside Potential >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST): Free Stock Analysis Report Boot Barn Holdings, Inc. (BOOT): Free Stock Analysis Report SpartanNash Company (SPTN): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2022-06-16,48.1782,48.6915,47.7143,48.0992,
FAST,2022-06-17,47.9117,48.5533,47.4774,47.8524,"[""First Week of FAST February 2023 Options Trading Investors in Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) saw new options begin trading this week, for the February 2023 expiration. One of the key data points that goes into the price an option buyer is willing to pay, is the time value, so with 245 days until expiration the newly trading contracts represent a potential opportunity for sellers of puts or calls to achieve a higher premium than would be available for the contracts with a closer expiration. At Stock Options Channel, our YieldBoost formula has looked up and down the FAST options chain for the new February 2023 contracts and identified one put and one call contract of particular interest. The put contract at the $47.50 strike price has a current bid of $3.80. If an investor was to sell-to-open that put contract, they are committing to purchase the stock at $47.50, but will also collect the premium, putting the cost basis of the shares at $43.70 (before broker commissions). To an investor already interested in purchasing shares of FAST, that could represent an attractive alternative to paying $48.73/share today. Because the $47.50 strike represents an approximate 3% discount to the current trading price of the stock (in other words it is out-of-the-money by that percentage), there is also the possibility that the put contract would expire worthless. The current analytical data (including greeks and implied greeks) suggest the current odds of that happening are 61%. Stock Options Channel will track those odds over time to see how they change, publishing a chart of those numbers on our website under the contract detail page for this contract. Should the contract expire worthless, the premium would represent a 8.00% return on the cash commitment, or 11.92% annualized \u2014 at Stock Options Channel we call this the YieldBoost. Below is a chart showing the trailing twelve month trading history for Fastenal Co., and highlighting in green where the $47.50 strike is located relative to that history: Turning to the calls side of the option chain, the call contract at the $50.00 strike price has a current bid of $3.70. If an investor was to purchase shares of FAST stock at the current price level of $48.73/share, and then sell-to-open that call contract as a \""covered call,\"" they are committing to sell the stock at $50.00. Considering the call seller will also collect the premium, that would drive a total return (excluding dividends, if any) of 10.20% if the stock gets called away at the February 2023 expiration (before broker commissions). Of course, a lot of upside could potentially be left on the table if FAST shares really soar, which is why looking at the trailing twelve month trading history for Fastenal Co., as well as studying the business fundamentals becomes important. Below is a chart showing FAST's trailing twelve month trading history, with the $50.00 strike highlighted in red: Considering the fact that the $50.00 strike represents an approximate 3% premium to the current trading price of the stock (in other words it is out-of-the-money by that percentage), there is also the possibility that the covered call contract would expire worthless, in which case the investor would keep both their shares of stock and the premium collected. The current analytical data (including greeks and implied greeks) suggest the current odds of that happening are 51%. On our website under the contract detail page for this contract, Stock Options Channel will track those odds over time to see how they change and publish a chart of those numbers (the trading history of the option contract will also be charted). Should the covered call contract expire worthless, the premium would represent a 7.59% boost of extra return to the investor, or 11.31% annualized, which we refer to as the YieldBoost. The implied volatility in the put contract example is 35%, while the implied volatility in the call contract example is 27%. Meanwhile, we calculate the actual trailing twelve month volatility (considering the last 253 trading day closing values as well as today's price of $48.73) to be 23%. For more put and call options contract ideas worth looking at, visit StockOptionsChannel.com. Top YieldBoost Calls of the Nasdaq 100 \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Sprouts Farmers (SFM) Boosts Customer Experience Via EBT SNAP Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. SFM is undertaking several initiatives focused on product innovation, customer experience and technology. In a latest move, SFM has announced that it has started accepting Electronic Benefits Transfer Supplemental Nutrition and Assistance Program (EBT SNAP) for same-day delivery and curbside pickup for orders through the Instacart website and mobile app. This facility is available at nearly 380 stores across the country. EBT SNAP acceptance on Instacart is powered by Carrot Payments, which is part of the Instacart Platform. To avail same-day grocery delivery or pickup online, consumers have to create a profile via Instacart\u2019s website or mobile app, and can then enter their EBT food card information as part of the payment in their profile. They will also need a secondary form of payment for non-food items like taxes, tips and fees per the federal SNAP guidelines. EBT SNAP will be available on www.sprouts.com later in 2022. Sprouts Farmers, in collaboration with Instacart, will serve the mission of providing fresh food to the guests. Via this latest launch, customers can avail fresh, natural and organic food online conveniently. SFM is steadily expanding its presence in the organic space, given the huge demand in this segment. The company has been providing hassle-free shopping through Sprouts.com website and its mobile app. What Else? Sprouts Farmers has been undertaking initiatives to boost customer experience. SFM has rolled out grocery pickup service at all of its stores. The home delivery business is also available at its stores. The company is trying all means to provide ready-to-eat, ready-to-heat, and ready-to-cook items to customers. Apart from these, the company is trying to expand private-label offerings in departments under the Sprouts Market Corner Deli, The Butcher Shop at Sprouts and Sprouts Fish Market brands. Product innovation continues to drive sales in private label items. Additionally, Sprouts Farmers is focused on creating a robust omni-channel experience for customers. During first-quarter 2022, e-commerce accounted for 11.5% of total sales. Management remains excited about the opening of the company\u2019s fresh distribution center in Aurora, CO. Through this, the company is currently supplying all stores in the Colorado, Utah and New Mexico region. This, coupled with the Florida distribution center, is helping SFM build a faster supply chain and effectively cater to consumers. It is also on track to develop a new format store, which has a smaller footprint with higher selling space per square foot, and costs 20% less to build. Management continues with its investment to improve operational efficiencies. In this regard, we note that the fresh item management technology has been successful. The company has been implementing the system in all of its departments to lower operational complexity, optimize production, improve in-stock position, lower down shrink and drive incremental sales. Over the past three months, shares of this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company have gained 9% against the industry\u2019s 4.2% decline. Solid Picks in Retail Some stocks in the broader Retail sector that investors can consider are Boot Barn Holdings BOOT, Capri Holdings CPRI and Fastenal FAST. Boot Barn Holdings, a lifestyle retailer of western and work-related footwear, apparel and accessories, presently has a Zacks Rank of 1 (Strong Buy). BOOT has an expected EPS growth rate of 20% for three-five years. You can see the complete list of today\u2019s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Boot Barn Holdings\u2019 current financial-year sales and EPS suggests growth of 17% and 4.4%, respectively, from the year-ago corresponding figures. BOOT has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 25.2%, on average. Capri Holdings, which offers accessories and footwear, carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) at present. CPRI has an expected EPS growth rate of 11.3% for three-five years. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Capri Holdings\u2019 current financial-year sales and EPS suggests growth of 5.3% and 10%, respectively, from the year-ago corresponding figures. CPRI has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 49.3%, on average. Fastenal, a national wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies, currently has a Zacks Rank #2. The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 5%, on average. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Fastenal's current financial-year sales and earnings per share suggests growth of 15.4% and 16.3%, respectively, from the year-ago period. FAST has an expected EPS growth rate of 9% for three-five years. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Boot Barn Holdings, Inc. (BOOT): Free Stock Analysis Report Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (SFM): Free Stock Analysis Report Capri Holdings Limited (CPRI): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Lowe's (LOW) Digital & Pro Businesses Appear Encouraging Lowe's Companies, Inc. LOW appears good on the back of constant investments in the technology and merchandise category as well as sturdy Pro and digital businesses. LOW\u2019s Total Home strategy, which includes complete solutions for various home improvement needs, also bodes well. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Lowe\u2019s sales and earnings per share (EPS) is currently pegged at $97.9 billion and $13.49, respectively. These estimates suggest growth of 1.7% and 12%, respectively, from the year-ago period\u2019s corresponding figures. This raises analysts\u2019 optimism about the stock. A VGM Score of A coupled with a projected long-term earnings growth rate of 12.6% for this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) further speaks volumes. This renowned home-improvement retailer\u2019s stock has gained 0.9% in the past three months, outperforming the industry\u2019s 9.8% decline. Detailing Strategies Strong digital base has been aiding Lowe\u2019s performance for a while. Management continues making investments in omni-channel capabilities to drive growth. These areas include expanding online assortment, boosting user experience and improving fulfillment. First, the company is expanding its Lowes.com assortment to meet customers' design and lifestyle needs. Management is focused on enhancing the omni-channel retailing capabilities in store operations, website and supply chain, with an aim to resonate well with the customers\u2019 demand to shop. During the first quarter of fiscal 2022, sales at Lowes.com increased above 36% on a two-year basis. This represents about 10% sales penetration. Management is on track with advancing its same-day and next-day fulfillment capabilities. It constantly pilots various gig network solutions, such as partnering with Instacart across many markets with the same-day DIY home delivery. Management had launched Lowe's One Roof Media Network and looks forward to boosting digital advertising. Pro customers have been a significant driver in Lowe's business growth. Moreover, in a bid to continue augmenting sales from pro customers, the company has been augmenting pro-focused brands. Earlier, Lowe\u2019s had refurbished its pro-service business website, LowesForPros.com, to give special attention to the needs of its Pro-customers. In fact, continued focus on the Pro category is a very significant component of the Total Home strategy. During the fiscal first quarter, pro sales jumped 20% year over year and 64% on a two-year basis. Management is quite focused on enhancing the Pro offering across the company\u2019s stores and online with improved service levels, more expansive inventory quantities, intuitive store layout and more Pro national brands. The Pro segment is expected to continue its momentum with improved in-stock inventory levels, enhanced service offerings and the new Pro loyalty program. Management is focused on expanding service levels in-store and online to cater to the needs of Pro customers. All in all, given the above-discussed factors, Lowe\u2019s is well poised for growth in the future. Solid Picks in Retail Some other stocks in the broader Retail sector that investors can consider are Boot Barn Holdings BOOT, Capri Holdings CPRI and Fastenal FAST. Boot Barn Holdings, a lifestyle retailer of western and work-related footwear, apparel and accessories, presently has a Zacks Rank of 1 (Strong Buy). BOOT has an expected EPS growth rate of 20% for three-five years. You can see the complete list of today\u2019s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Boot Barn Holdings\u2019 current financial-year sales and EPS suggests growth of 17% and 4.4%, respectively, from the year-ago corresponding figures. BOOT has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 25.2%, on average. Capri Holdings, which offers accessories and footwear, carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) at present. CPRI has an expected EPS growth rate of 11.3% for three-five years. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Capri Holdings\u2019 current financial year sales and EPS suggests growth of 5.3% and 10%, respectively, from the year-ago corresponding figures. CPRI has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 49.3%, on average. Fastenal, a national wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies, currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 5%, on average. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Fastenal's current financial-year sales and earnings per share suggests growth of 15.4% and 16.3%, respectively, from the year-ago period. FAST has an expected EPS growth rate of 9% for three-five years. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Lowe's Companies, Inc. (LOW): Free Stock Analysis Report Boot Barn Holdings, Inc. (BOOT): Free Stock Analysis Report Capri Holdings Limited (CPRI): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2022-06-21,48.3953,49.3133,48.1782,49.0962,
FAST,2022-06-22,48.5335,49.6884,48.5138,49.1949,"7 Retirement Stocks to Buy in Unexpected Sectors InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips When you think “retirement stocks,” certain types of stocks may come to mind. For instance, shares in consumer staples companies. Or, shares in healthcare companies, utilities companies, or any other industry/sector that’s typically inflation and recession-resistant. These sorts of stocks are well-regarded for their dependable earnings and history of dividend payments. Not to mention, dividend growth, as seen with the dividend aristocrats. That term refers to stocks that have raised their dividend payouts at least 25 years in a row. But when it comes to investing in high-quality stocks fit for a retirement portfolio, your options aren’t limited to these names alone. There are scores of other stocks in this category, all of which are in sectors typically not associated with top dividend stocks. 7 Bargain Income Stocks to Buy and Hold Forever For example, these seven retirement stocks, all of which earn an “A” rating in my Dividend Grader. Despite being in more cyclical sectors, company-specific strengths outweigh the uncertainties inherent with their respective industries. CSVI Computer Services $36.85 DRI Darden Restaurants $115.27 FAST Fastenal Company $50.19 GLP Global Partners LP $22.93 GPC Genuine Parts Company $131.54 HPQ HP $33.89 LCII LCI Industries $107.4 Retirement Stocks: Computer Services (CSVI) Source: Peshkova / Shutterstock Based in Paducah, Kentucky, Computer Services (OTCMKTS:CSVI) has been in business since 1965. It has also grown its regular dividend a stunning 49 years in a row. Given that it trades on over-the-counter (OTC), it may not be a familiar name. But this company, which provides IT services to financial institutions, is a high-quality retirement stock hiding in plain sight. Knocked lower year-to-date by the broad market sell-off, now’s a great time to initiate a position. Why? With a track record of steady revenue and earnings growth, it’ll likely continue to perform well operationally. This will likely enable CSVI stock, once the market volatility clears up, to make a recovery. Couple that with its dividend (forward yield of 2.84%). On top of this, it’s reasonably priced (trailing earnings multiple of 18x). Looking for portfolio holdings that provide the opportunity for income and capital growth? Consider CSVI a buy. This stock earns an “A” rating in my Dividend Grader. Darden Restaurants (DRI) Source: Shutterstock A restaurant operator best known for its Olive Garden and Longhorn Steakhouse chains, inflation and recession worries have knocked Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI) down around 23.2% year to date. Yet while the restaurant business is cyclical, you may want to make it a holding. Even this late in the business cycle. The market may be overestimating the impact of a recession. While it owns upscale brands like Capital Grille and Eddie V’s, affordable chains like Olive Garden are its core business. Also, due to the pandemic, Darden streamlined its business model. This too could also signal solid results, if a recession ends up happening. With a $1.10 quarterly dividend, DRI stock has a forward yield of 3.87%. It could grow this dividend further, as it stands to see continued long-term earnings growth. After uncertainties have knocked it down, now’s the time to buy DRI stock. 7 Retirement Stocks to Buy for a Bear Market This stock earns an “A” rating in my Dividend Grader. Retirement Stocks: Fastenal Company (FAST) Source: IgorGolovniov / Shutterstock.com Fastenal Company (NASDAQ:FAST) is a wholesale distributor of industrial supplies. For example, fasteners, as its corporate name suggests. A prosaic business for sure, but one that performed strongly for many years. That’s clear from its long track record of dividend growth. It has grown its dividend (2.49% forward yield) 24 years in a row. It’s raised its dividend by an average of 13.74% annually for the past five years. Trading for 26.25x forward earnings, FAST stock may seem pricey compared to many of the stocks listed above and below. Why? Slowing earnings growth. It’s expected to grow earnings by around 19% this year, but in the coming years, growth will fall to the high single-digits. Still, its valuation is sustainable, when you consider its operational track record. Not to mention, the high potential for it to continue raising its rate of payout. This stock earns an “A” rating in my Dividend Grader. Global Partners LP (GLP) Source: Shutterstock Looking for a retirement stock with a very high yield? You may want to consider Global Partners LP (NYSE:GLP). A master limited partnership (MLP), Global Partners is a wholesaler/retailer of gasoline. Granted, soaring energy prices haven’t had the impact on GLP stock as they’ve had on other energy plays. The big run-up in fuel prices may result in a big jump in its earnings, but that’s not expected to be the case in 2023. Analysts forecast an earnings drop next year, from $3.45 to $2.70 per share. Still, Global Partners’ current valuation (6x) more than accounts for this. Furthermore, even if earnings drop next year, it’ll continue to have coverage for its $2.38 per share annual payout. At current prices, this gives the stock an 10.29% forward yield. GLP may make a great choice for investors focused on portfolio income. 7 Long-Term Stocks That Never Go Out of Style This stock earns an “A” rating in my Dividend Grader. Genuine Parts Company (GPC) Source: Sopotnicki / Shutterstock.com Like one of the other unexpected retirement stocks listed above, Computer Services, Genuine Parts Company (NYSE:GPC) is another with dividend aristocrat status. The auto parts wholesaler has raised its dividend 65 years in a row. The current annual payout for GPC stock is $3.58 per share. That gives it a forward yield of 2.74%. As has been the case with auto parts retailers, auto market trends have been on its side in the past year. The chip shortage, which has sent new and used vehicle prices skyrocketing, has resulted in American motorists holding onto their vehicles longer than ever. As this trend continues, the company should continue to see elevated revenue and earnings growth. In turn, enabling it to maintain its long streak of dividend growth. Trading at a more-than-fair valuation (16.2x forward earnings), it’s another great retirement stock to consider. This stock earns an “A” rating in my Dividend Grader. HP Inc. (HPQ) Source: Shutterstock Personal computer (PC) maker HP Inc. (NYSE:HPQ) may not sound like a promising opportunity. After all, it’s in a very mature segment of the tech industry. Yet in recent years, strong demand for PCs by consumers and businesses have shown that it’s premature to declare it a “dinosaur.” After a pandemic era boost in PC demand, growth is set to slow down. Even so, don’t assume it’s middling returns ahead for HPQ stock. A lot of pessimism is. priced in. That’s clear from its low 7.75x earnings multiple. Just achieving modest earnings growth could be enough to send it higher. HP is also a great dividend stock, with a 5.83% forward yield. With a payout ratio of just 16.26%, the company has room to carry on with double-digit annual dividend growth. Over the past five years, it’s raised its dividend annually by 12.57%. 7 Tempting Tech Stocks to Pull the Trigger on Now This stock earns an “A” rating in my Dividend Grader. Retirement Stocks: LCI Industries (LCII) Source: Sundry Photography / Shutterstock.com LCI Industries (NYSE:LCII) makes recreational vehicle (RV) components. The RV boom has of course been a boom for it, but it’s easy to see why investors have bid it lower, in anticipation of more challenging times ahead. High inflation, soaring interest rates, and high gas prices could bring the RV boom to a halt. With this, why buy LCII stock, much less, make it a long-term holding for a retirement portfolio? The market’s de-rating of it in recent months likely accounts for a possible decline in revenue/earnings over the next two years. While you wait for the industry to recover, LCII pays a 3.96% dividend. It has raised its dividend six years in a row, with average annual dividend growth over the past five years coming in at 12.3%. Dropping 34% since January, now may be the time to go contrarian. This stock earns an “A” rating in my Dividend Grader. On the date of publication, Louis Navellier a had long position in DRI. Louis Navellier did not have (either directly or indirectly) any other positions in the securities mentioned in this article. The InvestorPlace Research Staff member primarily responsible for this article did not hold (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article. The post 7 Retirement Stocks to Buy in Unexpected Sectors appeared first on InvestorPlace. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2022-06-23,49.5502,49.9549,49.1258,49.7871,
FAST,2022-06-24,50.2411,51.2381,49.9352,51.2282,
FAST,2022-06-27,51.0012,51.2973,50.5077,50.7051,
FAST,2022-06-28,50.7445,50.9815,48.4201,48.5335,
FAST,2022-06-29,48.8001,49.2344,48.2572,49.0666,
FAST,2022-06-30,48.7309,49.8266,48.3065,49.2738,
FAST,2022-07-01,49.106,49.5897,48.3559,49.0962,
FAST,2022-07-05,48.6717,49.0271,47.8328,49.0271,
FAST,2022-07-06,49.2245,50.2905,49.1949,49.7674,"[""Fastenal (FAST) Reports Next Week: Wall Street Expects Earnings Growth The market expects Fastenal (FAST) to deliver a year-over-year increase in earnings on higher revenues when it reports results for the quarter ended June 2022. This widely-known consensus outlook is important in assessing the company's earnings picture, but a powerful factor that might influence its near-term stock price is how the actual results compare to these estimates. The stock might move higher if these key numbers top expectations in the upcoming earnings report, which is expected to be released on July 13. On the other hand, if they miss, the stock may move lower. While management's discussion of business conditions on theearnings callwill mostly determine the sustainability of the immediate price change and future earnings expectations, it's worth having a handicapping insight into the odds of a positive EPS surprise. Zacks Consensus Estimate This maker of industrial and construction fasteners is expected to post quarterly earnings of $0.50 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of +19.1%. Revenues are expected to be $1.79 billion, up 18.6% from the year-ago quarter. Estimate Revisions Trend The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has been revised 0.84% higher over the last 30 days to the current level. This is essentially a reflection of how the covering analysts have collectively reassessed their initial estimates over this period. Investors should keep in mind that the direction of estimate revisions by each of the covering analysts may not always get reflected in the aggregate change. Earnings Whisper Estimate revisions ahead of a company's earnings release offer clues to the business conditions for the period whose results are coming out. Our proprietary surprise prediction model -- the Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction) -- has this insight at its core. The Zacks Earnings ESP compares the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter; the Most Accurate Estimate is a more recent version of the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate. The idea here is that analysts revising their estimates right before an earnings release have the latest information, which could potentially be more accurate than what they and others contributing to the consensus had predicted earlier. Thus, a positive or negative Earnings ESP reading theoretically indicates the likely deviation of the actual earnings from the consensus estimate. However, the model's predictive power is significant for positive ESP readings only. A positive Earnings ESP is a strong predictor of an earnings beat, particularly when combined with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold). Our research shows that stocks with this combination produce a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time, and a solid Zacks Rank actually increases the predictive power of Earnings ESP. Please note that a negative Earnings ESP reading is not indicative of an earnings miss. Our research shows that it is difficult to predict an earnings beat with any degree of confidence for stocks with negative Earnings ESP readings and/or Zacks Rank of 4 (Sell) or 5 (Strong Sell). How Have the Numbers Shaped Up for Fastenal? For Fastenal, the Most Accurate Estimate is the same as the Zacks Consensus Estimate, suggesting that there are no recent analyst views which differ from what have been considered to derive the consensus estimate. This has resulted in an Earnings ESP of 0%. On the other hand, the stock currently carries a Zacks Rank of #3. So, this combination makes it difficult to conclusively predict that Fastenal will beat the consensus EPS estimate. Does Earnings Surprise History Hold Any Clue? While calculating estimates for a company's future earnings, analysts often consider to what extent it has been able to match past consensus estimates. So, it's worth taking a look at the surprise history for gauging its influence on the upcoming number. For the last reported quarter, it was expected that Fastenal would post earnings of $0.44 per share when it actually produced earnings of $0.47, delivering a surprise of +6.82%. Over the last four quarters, the company has beaten consensus EPS estimates four times. Bottom Line An earnings beat or miss may not be the sole basis for a stock moving higher or lower. Many stocks end up losing ground despite an earnings beat due to other factors that disappoint investors. Similarly, unforeseen catalysts help a number of stocks gain despite an earnings miss. That said, betting on stocks that are expected to beat earnings expectations does increase the odds of success. This is why it's worth checking a company's Earnings ESP and Zacks Rank ahead of its quarterly release. Make sure to utilize our Earnings ESP Filter to uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they've reported. Fastenal doesn't appear a compelling earnings-beat candidate. However, investors should pay attention to other factors too for betting on this stock or staying away from it ahead of its earnings release. Stay on top of upcoming earnings announcements with the Zacks Earnings Calendar. Zacks Names \""Single Best Pick to Double\"" From thousands of stocks, 5 Zacks experts each have chosen their favorite to skyrocket +100% or more in months to come. From those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all. It\u2019s a little-known chemical company that\u2019s up 65% over last year, yet still dirt cheap. With unrelenting demand, soaring 2022 earnings estimates, and $1.5 billion for repurchasing shares, retail investors could jump in at any time. This company could rival or surpass other recent Zacks\u2019 Stocks Set to Double like Boston Beer Company which shot up +143.0% in little more than 9 months and NVIDIA which boomed +175.9% in one year. Free: See Our Top Stock and 4 Runners Up >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Here's Why Fastenal (FAST) is a Strong Growth Stock Taking full advantage of the stock market and investing with confidence are common goals for new and old investors, and Zacks Premium offers many different ways to do both. The popular research service can help you become a smarter, more self-assured investor, giving you access to daily updates of the Zacks Rank and Zacks Industry Rank, the Zacks #1 Rank List, Equity Research reports, and Premium stock screens. Zacks Premium includes access to the Zacks Style Scores as well. What are the Zacks Style Scores? The Zacks Style Scores is a unique set of guidelines that rates stocks based on three popular investing types, and were developed as complementary indicators for the Zacks Rank. This combination helps investors choose securities with the highest chances of beating the market over the next 30 days. Each stock is given an alphabetic rating of A, B, C, D or F based on their value, growth, and momentum qualities. With this system, an A is better than a B, a B is better than a C, and so on, meaning the better the score, the better chance the stock will outperform. The Style Scores are broken down into four categories: Value Score Value investors love finding good stocks at good prices, especially before the broader market catches on to a stock's true value. Utilizing ratios like P/E, PEG, Price/Sales, Price/Cash Flow, and many other multiples, the Value Style Score identifies the most attractive and most discounted stocks. Growth Score Growth investors, on the other hand, are more concerned with a company's financial strength and health, and its future outlook. The Growth Style Score examines things like projected and historic earnings, sales, and cash flow to find stocks that will experience sustainable growth over time. Momentum Score Momentum traders and investors live by the saying \""the trend is your friend.\"" This investing style is all about taking advantage of upward or downward trends in a stock's price or earnings outlook. Employing factors like one-week price change and the monthly percentage change in earnings estimates, the Momentum Style Score can indicate favorable times to build a position in high-momentum stocks. VGM Score If you like to use all three kinds of investing, then the VGM Score is for you. It's a combination of all Style Scores, and is an important indicator to use with the Zacks Rank. The VGM Score rates each stock on their shared weighted styles, narrowing down the companies with the most attractive value, best growth forecast, and most promising momentum. How Style Scores Work with the Zacks Rank The Zacks Rank is a proprietary stock-rating model that harnesses the power of earnings estimate revisions, or changes to a company's earnings expectations, to help investors build a successful portfolio. It's highly successful, with #1 (Strong Buy) stocks producing an unmatched +25.41% average annual return since 1988. That's more than double the S&P 500. But because of the large number of stocks we rate, there are over 200 companies with a Strong Buy rank, plus another 600 with a #2 (Buy) rank, on any given day. With more than 800 top-rated stocks to choose from, it can certainly feel overwhelming to pick the ones that are right for you and your investing journey. That's where the Style Scores come in. You want to make sure you're buying stocks with the highest likelihood of success, and to do that, you'll need to pick stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 or #2 that also have Style Scores of A or B. If you like a stock that only as a #3 (Hold) rank, it should also have Scores of A or B to guarantee as much upside potential as possible. The direction of a stock's earnings estimate revisions should always be a key factor when choosing which stocks to buy, since the Scores were created to work together with the Zacks Rank. A stock with a #4 (Sell) or #5 (Strong Sell) rating, for instance, even one with Scores of A and B, will still have a declining earnings forecast, and a greater chance its share price will fall too. Thus, the more stocks you own with a #1 or #2 Rank and Scores of A or B, the better. Stock to Watch: Fastenal (FAST) Based in Winona, MN, Fastenal Company is a national wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies. The company distributes its products through more than 3,200 company-owned stores mostly located in North America. FAST is a #3 (Hold) on the Zacks Rank, with a VGM Score of B. Additionally, the company could be a top pick for growth investors. FAST has a Growth Style Score of B, forecasting year-over-year earnings growth of 17.5% for the current fiscal year. One analysts revised their earnings estimate higher in the last 60 days for fiscal 2022, while the Zacks Consensus Estimate has increased $0 to $1.88 per share. FAST also boasts an average earnings surprise of 5%. With a solid Zacks Rank and top-tier Growth and VGM Style Scores, FAST should be on investors' short list. Zacks Names \""Single Best Pick to Double\"" From thousands of stocks, 5 Zacks experts each have chosen their favorite to skyrocket +100% or more in months to come. From those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all. It\u2019s a little-known chemical company that\u2019s up 65% over last year, yet still dirt cheap. With unrelenting demand, soaring 2022 earnings estimates, and $1.5 billion for repurchasing shares, retail investors could jump in at any time. This company could rival or surpass other recent Zacks\u2019 Stocks Set to Double like Boston Beer Company which shot up +143.0% in little more than 9 months and NVIDIA which boomed +175.9% in one year. Free: See Our Top Stock and 4 Runners Up >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2022-07-07,49.797,50.2905,49.6884,50.1326,"Fastenal (FAST) to Post Q2 Earnings: What's in the Cards? Fastenal Company FAST is scheduled to report second-quarter 2022 results on Jul 13, before the opening bell. In the last reported quarter, earnings and revenues topped the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 6.8% and 1.3%, respectively. Earnings and revenues also increased 27.8% and 20.3% from the year-ago figures, respectively. Fastenal’s earnings topped the consensus mark in all the last four quarters, with the average being 5%. Trend in Estimate Revision For the quarter to be reported, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings per share has remained unchanged at 50 cents over the past 60 days. The estimated figure indicates 19.1% growth from the year-ago level. The consensus mark for revenues is pegged at $1.79 billion, suggesting an 18.6% increase from the year-ago reported figure of $1.51 billion. Fastenal Company Price and EPS Surprise Fastenal Company price-eps-surprise | Fastenal Company Quote Key Factors to Note Sales: Higher manufacturing and non-residential construction demand is expected to have generated higher sales on a year-over-year basis for this national wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies. If we go by the latest monthly sales report, May’s average daily sales (“ADS”) grew 17.6% to $28.1 million, slightly moderating sequentially. In April 2022, daily sales registered 20.3% growth, whereas the same had declined 3.2% in May 2021. The company has been navigating well through issues like price inflation, supply chain challenges and shortage of labor. It has been gaining from all product categories, end markets and customers. In terms of end markets/products/customers in May and April, manufacturing sales improved 22.4% and 25.7% from the respective year-ago months. Non-residential construction grew 10.7% and 13.4% for May and April 2022, respectively. Fastener sales were up 20% in May (compared with a 25.5% increase in April). Safety sales increased 15.6% in May compared with 16.7% growth in April. In terms of customer channel, national accounts were up 22% year over year in May (compared with up 26% in April), while non-national accounts grew 12% (compared with up 14% in April 2022). The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the company’s overall daily sales is pegged at $28.2 million, which indicates an increase from $26.6 million reported in the prior quarter and $23.6 million a year ago. Margins: Inflationary pressure has been a cause of concern. The company highlighted the fact that it has been experiencing significant material cost inflation, particularly for steel, fuel and transportation. The company has been experiencing the adverse effects of tightening global and domestic supply chains. However, Fastenal has been successfully raising prices to offset inflationary pressure. The company has been undertaking additional steps to counter cost pressure and incremental tariffs, which are expected to reflect on the bottom line. What the Zacks Model Unveils Our proven model does not conclusively predict an earnings beat for FAST this time around. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), #2 (Buy) or #3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat. This is not the case here, as you will see below. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Earnings ESP: The company has an Earnings ESP of 0.00%. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter. Zacks Rank: Currently, Fastenal carries a Zacks Rank #3. Stocks With the Favorable Combination Here are some companies which, according to our model, have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat in their respective quarters to be reported. Weyerhaeuser Company WY has an Earnings ESP of +0.69% and a Zacks Rank #3. WY’s earnings topped the consensus mark thrice but missed the same on one occasion, with the average surprise being 5.9%. Earnings for the to-be-reported quarter are expected to decline 20.4% year over year. Boise Cascade Company BCC has an Earnings ESP of +6.44% and a Zacks Rank #3. BCC’s earnings topped the consensus mark in all the last four quarters, with the average being 38.2%. Earnings for the to-be-reported quarter are expected to decline 38.6% year over year. Thor Industries, Inc. THO has an Earnings ESP of +4.46% and a Zacks Rank #3. THO’s earnings topped the consensus mark in all the last four quarters, with the average being 37.4%. Earnings for the to-be-reported quarter are expected to grow 5.8% year over year. Stay on top of upcoming earnings announcements with the Zacks Earnings Calendar. 5 Stocks Set to Double Each was handpicked by a Zacks expert as the #1 favorite stock to gain +100% or more in 2021. Previous recommendations have soared +143.0%, +175.9%, +498.3% and +673.0%. Most of the stocks in this report are flying under Wall Street radar, which provides a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor. Today, See These 5 Potential Home Runs >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Thor Industries, Inc. (THO): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Weyerhaeuser Company (WY): Free Stock Analysis Report Boise Cascade, L.L.C. (BCC): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2022-07-08,50.0734,50.1721,49.2738,49.9845,
FAST,2022-07-11,49.6786,50.3695,49.6786,49.8464,
FAST,2022-07-12,50.0437,50.5126,49.2344,49.343,"Pre-Market Earnings Report for July 13, 2022 : FAST, DAL The following companies are expected to report earnings prior to market open on 07/13/2022. Visit our Earnings Calendar for a full list of expected earnings releases. Fastenal Company (FAST)is reporting for the quarter ending June 30, 2022. The building company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 5 analysts that follow the stock is $0.50. This value represents a 19.05% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year FAST has beat the expectations every quarter. The highest one was in the 1st calendar quarter where they beat the consensus by 6.82%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2022 Price to Earnings ratio for FAST is 26.86 vs. an industry ratio of 12.30, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Delta Air Lines, Inc. (DAL)is reporting for the quarter ending June 30, 2022. The airline company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 10 analysts that follow the stock is $1.71. This value represents a 259.81% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year DAL has beat the expectations every quarter. The highest one was in the 1st calendar quarter where they beat the consensus by 3.91%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2022 Price to Earnings ratio for DAL is 10.46 vs. an industry ratio of -14.70, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2022-07-13,46.9839,47.6156,45.6908,46.1646,"[""Fastenal (FAST) Q2 Earnings Meet, Revenues Lag, Shares Dip Fastenal Company FAST reported second-quarter 2022 results, wherein earnings came in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate but revenues missed the mark. That said, the company\u2019s top and bottom lines improved on a year-over-year basis, given strong demand for manufacturing and construction equipment and supplies, along with higher pricing. Fastenal\u2019s shares fell more than 5% in the pre-market trading session on Jul 13, after it reported the results. Earnings & Sales in Detail The company reported earnings of 50 cents per share, which came in line with the consensus mark but rose 19.7% from the year-ago period. Net sales totaled $1,778.6 million, missing the consensus mark of $1,792 million but increasing 18% from the year-ago figure of $1,507.7 million. The company reported daily sales of $27.8 million, reflecting an increase of 18% year over year, in the reported quarter. The upside was mainly due to higher unit sales across most products to traditional manufacturing and construction customers, stemming from improvement in business activity. On a monthly basis, daily sales improved 16%, 17.6% and 20.3% in June, May and April, respectively, year over year. Daily sales of Fastener products (mainly used for industrial production and accounting for approximately 34.6% of second-quarter sales) rose 21.2% year over year, backed by higher manufacturing and construction demand as well as increased pricing. Sales of safety products (accounting for 20.3% of second-quarter sales) grew 13.8% on a daily basis. The upside was mainly driven by solid growth and higher pricing for traditional manufacturing and construction clients. Sales of the remaining products (accounting for 45.1% of second-quarter sales) grew 17% year over year. Fastenal Company Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Fastenal Company price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Fastenal Company Quote Vending Trends & Other Growth Drivers Fastenal signed 102 new Onsite locations during the quarter. As of Jun 30, 2022, the company had 1,501 active sites, up 13.5% from the year-ago period. Daily sales through Onsite locations (excluding sales transferred from branches to new Onsites) increased more than 20% from a year ago. The company continues to expect 375-400 annual Onsite signings in 2022. Daily sales, through weighted FMI devices, grew 36.8% for the second quarter and represented 35.6% of net sales. Daily sales to national account customers (representing 57.3% of total quarterly revenues) increased 22.9% on a year-over-year basis for second-quarter 2022. Daily sales to non-national account customers (which include government customers and represent 42.7% of total quarterly revenues) rose 12.2% from the prior-year quarter. Margins Gross margin of 46.5% for the reported quarter remained unchanged from the prior-year period. A modest decline in product margin was offset by better leverage of organizational expenses, given solid business activity. Operating margin improved 50 basis points (bps) to 21.6% from 21.1% a year ago. Financials Cash and cash equivalents were $247.9 million as of Jun 30, 2022, up from $236.2 million on Dec 31, 2021. Long-term debt at quarter-end was $310 million, down from $330 million at 2021-end. During the reported quarter, FAST returned $227.8 million to its shareholders in the form of $178.5 million worth of dividends and $49.3 million worth of share repurchases. For the first six months of 2022, cash provided by operating activities totaled $381.2 million compared with $446.3 million in the year-ago period. Zacks Rank Fastenal currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today\u2019s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Better-Ranked Stocks in Broader Sector Better-ranked stocks from the Zacks Retail-Wholesale sector include Builders FirstSource, Inc. BLDR, Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. BECN, and GMS Inc. GMS. Builders FirstSource sports a Zacks Rank #1. Shares of BLDR have risen 13.5% in the past month. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for BLDR\u2019s 2022 earnings per share has moved north to $12.26 from $11.71 over the past 60 days. The estimated figure suggests 18.8% year-over-year growth. Beacon Roofing Supply sports a Zacks Rank #1. Shares of the company have declined 3.3% in the past month. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for BECN\u2019s 2022 sales and earnings per share suggests growth of 23.5% and 36.2%, respectively, from the year-ago period\u2019s levels. GMS carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Shares of the company have risen 2.4% in the past month. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for GMS\u2019 current year sales and EPS suggests growth of 8.7% and 2.8%, respectively, from the year-ago period\u2019s levels. Zacks' Top Picks to Cash in on Electric Vehicles Big money has already been made in the Electric Vehicle (EV) industry. But, the EV revolution has not hit full throttle yet. There is a lot of money to be made as the next push for future technologies ramps up. Zacks\u2019 Special Report reveals 5 picks investors See 5 EV Stocks With Extreme Upside Potential >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. (BECN): Free Stock Analysis Report Builders FirstSource, Inc. (BLDR): Free Stock Analysis Report GMS Inc. (GMS): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""S&P 500 Movers: DAL, TWTR In early trading on Wednesday, shares of Twitter topped the list of the day's best performing components of the S&P 500 index, trading up 6.6%. Year to date, Twitter has lost about 16.0% of its value. And the worst performing S&P 500 component thus far on the day is Delta Air Lines, trading down 7.0%. Delta Air Lines is lower by about 26.0% looking at the year to date performance. Two other components making moves today are Fastenal trading down 4.8%, and Devon Energy, trading up 3.2% on the day. VIDEO: S&P 500 Movers: DAL, TWTR The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Slips As Sales Miss Expectations (RTTNews) - Shares of industrial and construction supplies distributor Fastenal Company (FAST) are falling more than 4% in the morning trade on Wednesday after the company's second-quarter sales missed analysts' view. Net sales for the quarter increased to $1.779 billion from $1.508 billion a year ago, but missed the average estimate of analysts polled by Thomson Reuters of $1.79 billion. Net earnings rose to $287.1 million or $0.50 per share in the second quarter, from $239.7 million or $0.42 per share in the same quarter a year ago. The consensus estimate was for $0.50 per share. FAST, currently at $47.97, has traded in the range of $46.58-$64.75 in the past 52 weeks. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal (FAST) Meets Q2 Earnings Estimates Fastenal (FAST) came out with quarterly earnings of $0.50 per share, in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate. This compares to earnings of $0.42 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items. A quarter ago, it was expected that this maker of industrial and construction fasteners would post earnings of $0.44 per share when it actually produced earnings of $0.47, delivering a surprise of 6.82%. Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates three times. Fastenal, which belongs to the Zacks Building Products - Retail industry, posted revenues of $1.78 billion for the quarter ended June 2022, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 0.77%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $1.51 billion. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates three times over the last four quarters. The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call. Fastenal shares have lost about 22% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's decline of -19.9%. What's Next for Fastenal? While Fastenal has underperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock? There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately. Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions. Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for Fastenal: mixed. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to perform in line with the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. It will be interesting to see how estimates for the coming quarters and current fiscal year change in the days ahead. The current consensus EPS estimate is $0.48 on $1.78 billion in revenues for the coming quarter and $1.88 on $6.95 billion in revenues for the current fiscal year. Investors should be mindful of the fact that the outlook for the industry can have a material impact on the performance of the stock as well. In terms of the Zacks Industry Rank, Building Products - Retail is currently in the top 8% of the 250 plus Zacks industries. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1. Another stock from the same industry, Builders FirstSource (BLDR), has yet to report results for the quarter ended June 2022. The results are expected to be released on August 1. This construction supply company is expected to post quarterly earnings of $2.91 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of +5.4%. The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has been revised 4% lower over the last 30 days to the current level. Builders FirstSource's revenues are expected to be $5.48 billion, down 1.8% from the year-ago quarter. Zacks' Top Picks to Cash in on Electric Vehicles Big money has already been made in the Electric Vehicle (EV) industry. But, the EV revolution has not hit full throttle yet. There is a lot of money to be made as the next push for future technologies ramps up. Zacks\u2019 Special Report reveals 5 picks investors See 5 EV Stocks With Extreme Upside Potential >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Builders FirstSource, Inc. (BLDR): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Co. Q2 income increases in line with estimates (RTTNews) - Fastenal Co. (FAST) released earnings for its second quarter that increased from the same period last year in line with the Street estimates. The company's bottom line totaled $287.1M, or $0.50 per share. This compares with $239.7M, or $0.42 per share, in last year's second quarter. Analysts on average had expected the company to earn $0.50 per share, according to figures compiled by Thomson Reuters. Analysts' estimates typically exclude special items. The company's revenue for the quarter rose 17.9% to $1.78 billion from $1.51 billion last year. Fastenal Co. earnings at a glance (GAAP) : -Earnings (Q2): $287.1M. vs. $239.7M. last year. -EPS (Q2): $0.50 vs. $0.42 last year. -Analyst Estimate: $0.50 -Revenue (Q2): $1.78 Bln vs. $1.51 Bln last year. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Q2 22 Earnings Conference Call At 10:00 AM ET (RTTNews) - Fastenal Co. (FAST) will host a conference call at 10:00 AM ET on July 13, 2022, to discuss Q2 22 earnings results. To access the live webcast, log on to https://investor.fastenal.com/events-and-presentations/default.aspx The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2022-07-14,45.1479,47.0629,45.0887,46.7273,"Company News for Jul 14, 2022 Delta Air Lines Inc.’s DAL shares tanked 4.5% after the company reported second-quarter 2022 adjusted earnings per share of $1.44, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.71. Shares of Fastenal Co. FAST tumbled 6.4% after posting second-quarter 2022 revenues of $1,778.6 million, lagging the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1,792 million. Twitter Inc.’s TWTR shares jumped 7.9% after Hindenburg Research acquired a significant long position in company's stock. Shares of ironSource Ltd. IS soared 47.1% following its agreement to be acquired by Unity Software Inc. U in an all-stock deal valued at $4.4 billion. Zacks Names ""Single Best Pick to Double"" From thousands of stocks, 5 Zacks experts each have chosen their favorite to skyrocket +100% or more in months to come. From those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all. It’s a little-known chemical company that’s up 65% over last year, yet still dirt cheap. With unrelenting demand, soaring 2022 earnings estimates, and $1.5 billion for repurchasing shares, retail investors could jump in at any time. This company could rival or surpass other recent Zacks’ Stocks Set to Double like Boston Beer Company which shot up +143.0% in little more than 9 months and NVIDIA which boomed +175.9% in one year. Free: See Our Top Stock and 4 Runners Up >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Delta Air Lines, Inc. (DAL): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Twitter, Inc. (TWTR): Free Stock Analysis Report ironSource Ltd. (IS): Free Stock Analysis Report Unity Software Inc. (U): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2022-07-15,47.1517,47.6846,46.8753,47.4182,"Validea Warren Buffett Strategy Daily Upgrade Report - 7/15/2022 The following are today's upgrades for Validea's Patient Investor model based on the published strategy of Warren Buffett. This strategy seeks out firms with long-term, predictable profitability and low debt that trade at reasonable valuations. FASTENAL COMPANY (FAST) is a large-cap growth stock in the Constr. & Agric. Machinery industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Warren Buffett changed from 77% to 79% based on the firm’s underlying fundamentals and the stock’s valuation. A score of 80% or above typically indicates that the strategy has some interest in the stock and a score above 90% typically indicates strong interest. Company Description: Fastenal Company is engaged in the wholesale distribution of industrial and construction supplies. The Company is a distributor of threaded fasteners, bolts, nuts, screws, studs, and related washers, as well as miscellaneous supplies and hardware. Its customers are in the manufacturing and non-residential construction markets. The manufacturing market includes sales of products for both original equipment manufacturing (OEM), where its products are consumed in the final products of its customers, and manufacturing, repair, and operations (MRO), where its products are consumed to support the facilities and ongoing operations of its customers. The non-residential construction market includes general, electrical, plumbing, sheet metal and road contractors. Other users of its products include farmers, truckers, railroads, oil exploration companies, oil production and refinement companies, mining companies, federal, state, and local governmental entities, schools, and certain retail trades. The following table summarizes whether the stock meets each of this strategy's tests. Not all criteria in the below table receive equal weighting or are independent, but the table provides a brief overview of the strong and weak points of the security in the context of the strategy's criteria. EARNINGS PREDICTABILITY: PASS DEBT SERVICE: PASS RETURN ON EQUITY: PASS RETURN ON TOTAL CAPITAL: PASS FREE CASH FLOW: FAIL USE OF RETAINED EARNINGS: PASS SHARE REPURCHASE: PASS INITIAL RATE OF RETURN: PASS EXPECTED RETURN: FAIL Detailed Analysis of FASTENAL COMPANY Full Guru Analysis for FAST Full Factor Report for FAST More details on Validea's Warren Buffett strategy Warren Buffett Stock Ideas About Warren Buffett: Warren Buffett is considered by many to be the greatest investor of all time. As the chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, Buffett has consistently outperformed the S&P 500 for decades, and in the process has become one of the world's richest men. (Forbes puts his net worth at $37 billion.) Despite his fortune, Buffett is known for living a modest lifestyle, by billionaire standards. His primary residence remains the gray stucco Nebraska home he purchased for $31,500 nearly 50 years ago, according to Forbes, and his folksy Midwestern manner and penchant for simple pleasures -- a cherry Coke, a good burger, and a good book are all near the top of the list -- have been well-documented. About Validea: Validea is aninvestment researchservice that follows the published strategies of investment legends. Validea offers both stock analysis and model portfolios based on gurus who have outperformed the market over the long-term, including Warren Buffett, Benjamin Graham, Peter Lynch and Martin Zweig. For more information about Validea, click here The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2022-07-18,47.507,48.0992,47.0925,47.2701,"[""Monday 7/18 Insider Buying Report: AIF, FAST As the saying goes, there are many possible reasons for an insider to sell a stock, but only one reason to buy -- they expect to make money. So let's look at two noteworthy recent insider buys. On Wednesday, Apollo Tactical Income Fund's Director, Barry J. Cohen, made a $97,068 purchase of AIF, buying 7,882 shares at a cost of $12.32 a piece. Cohen was up about 0.9% on the buy at the high point of today's trading session, with AIF trading as high as $12.43 at last check today. Apollo Tactical Income Fund is trading trading flat on the day Monday. This purchase marks the first one filed by Cohen in the past year. And at Fastenal, there was insider buying on Thursday, by CAO/CONTROLLER/TREASURER Sheryl Ann Lisowski who purchased 1,058 shares at a cost of $46.63 each, for a total investment of $49,330. This purchase marks the first one filed by Lisowski in the past twelve months. Fastenal Co. is trading up about 1.2% on the day Monday. So far Lisowski is in the green, up about 4.5% on their buy based on today's trading high of $48.73. VIDEO: Monday 7/18 Insider Buying Report: AIF, FAST The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""First Week of FAST September 16th Options Trading Investors in Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) saw new options become available this week, for the September 16th expiration. At Stock Options Channel, our YieldBoost formula has looked up and down the FAST options chain for the new September 16th contracts and identified one put and one call contract of particular interest. The put contract at the $47.50 strike price has a current bid of $1.65. If an investor was to sell-to-open that put contract, they are committing to purchase the stock at $47.50, but will also collect the premium, putting the cost basis of the shares at $45.85 (before broker commissions). To an investor already interested in purchasing shares of FAST, that could represent an attractive alternative to paying $48.39/share today. Because the $47.50 strike represents an approximate 2% discount to the current trading price of the stock (in other words it is out-of-the-money by that percentage), there is also the possibility that the put contract would expire worthless. The current analytical data (including greeks and implied greeks) suggest the current odds of that happening are 58%. Stock Options Channel will track those odds over time to see how they change, publishing a chart of those numbers on our website under the contract detail page for this contract. Should the contract expire worthless, the premium would represent a 3.47% return on the cash commitment, or 21.13% annualized \u2014 at Stock Options Channel we call this the YieldBoost. Below is a chart showing the trailing twelve month trading history for Fastenal Co., and highlighting in green where the $47.50 strike is located relative to that history: Turning to the calls side of the option chain, the call contract at the $50.00 strike price has a current bid of $1.20. If an investor was to purchase shares of FAST stock at the current price level of $48.39/share, and then sell-to-open that call contract as a \""covered call,\"" they are committing to sell the stock at $50.00. Considering the call seller will also collect the premium, that would drive a total return (excluding dividends, if any) of 5.81% if the stock gets called away at the September 16th expiration (before broker commissions). Of course, a lot of upside could potentially be left on the table if FAST shares really soar, which is why looking at the trailing twelve month trading history for Fastenal Co., as well as studying the business fundamentals becomes important. Below is a chart showing FAST's trailing twelve month trading history, with the $50.00 strike highlighted in red: Considering the fact that the $50.00 strike represents an approximate 3% premium to the current trading price of the stock (in other words it is out-of-the-money by that percentage), there is also the possibility that the covered call contract would expire worthless, in which case the investor would keep both their shares of stock and the premium collected. The current analytical data (including greeks and implied greeks) suggest the current odds of that happening are 62%. On our website under the contract detail page for this contract, Stock Options Channel will track those odds over time to see how they change and publish a chart of those numbers (the trading history of the option contract will also be charted). Should the covered call contract expire worthless, the premium would represent a 2.48% boost of extra return to the investor, or 15.09% annualized, which we refer to as the YieldBoost. The implied volatility in the put contract example is 27%, while the implied volatility in the call contract example is 25%. Meanwhile, we calculate the actual trailing twelve month volatility (considering the last 251 trading day closing values as well as today's price of $48.39) to be 25%. For more put and call options contract ideas worth looking at, visit StockOptionsChannel.com. Top YieldBoost Calls of the Nasdaq 100 \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2022-07-19,47.8032,47.9108,47.3787,47.8722,
FAST,2022-07-20,47.9512,47.9858,47.498,47.8624,
FAST,2022-07-21,47.9512,48.1486,47.507,48.1288,
FAST,2022-07-22,48.3065,48.652,47.5366,47.8328,"Ex-Dividend Reminder: Fastenal, Cooper Companies and AptarGroup Looking at the universe of stocks we cover at Dividend Channel, on 7/26/22, Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST), Cooper Companies, Inc. (Symbol: COO), and AptarGroup Inc. (Symbol: ATR) will all trade ex-dividend for their respective upcoming dividends. Fastenal Co. will pay its quarterly dividend of $0.31 on 8/24/22, Cooper Companies, Inc. will pay its semi-annual dividend of $0.03 on 8/11/22, and AptarGroup Inc. will pay its quarterly dividend of $0.38 on 8/17/22. As a percentage of FAST's recent stock price of $49.01, this dividend works out to approximately 0.63%, so look for shares of Fastenal Co. to trade 0.63% lower — all else being equal — when FAST shares open for trading on 7/26/22. Similarly, investors should look for COO to open 0.01% lower in price and for ATR to open 0.37% lower, all else being equal. Below are dividend history charts for FAST, COO, and ATR, showing historical dividends prior to the most recent ones declared. Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST): Cooper Companies, Inc. (Symbol: COO): AptarGroup Inc. (Symbol: ATR): In general, dividends are not always predictable, following the ups and downs of company profits over time. Therefore, a good first due diligence step in forming an expectation of annual yield going forward, is looking at the history above, for a sense of stability over time. This can help in judging whether the most recent dividends from these companies are likely to continue. If they do continue, the current estimated yields on annualized basis would be 2.53% for Fastenal Co., 0.02% for Cooper Companies, Inc., and 1.47% for AptarGroup Inc.. Free Report: Top 7%+ Dividends (paid monthly) In Friday trading, Fastenal Co. shares are currently up about 0.5%, Cooper Companies, Inc. shares are trading flat, and AptarGroup Inc. shares are up about 0.1% on the day. Click here to learn which 25 S.A.F.E. dividend stocks should be on your radar screen » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2022-07-25,47.9808,47.9808,47.2109,47.6748,"Pricing to Aid PulteGroup's (PHM) Homebuilding in Q2 Earnings PulteGroup, Inc.’s PHM Homebuilding segment, accounting for more than 97% of total revenues, is expected to have registered growth, mainly attributable to higher housing prices. Consequently, the segment is likely to contribute to overall revenues when it reports second-quarter 2022 results on Jul 26. PulteGroup has exhibited a solid performance so far this year, with the stock outperforming the Zacks Building Products - Home Builders industry. The company has been riding high on its focus on entry-level buyers and protecting liquidity, prudent management of cash flows as well as the land investment strategy. However, accelerating mortgage rates and continuous supply-chain issues pose a concern. Click here to know how the company’s overall Q2 performance is expected to be. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research A Look at Q2 Segmental Performance PulteGroup’s Homebuilding segment is expected to have registered growth, courtesy of a higher average selling price or ASP. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Homebuilding revenues of $3.96 billion suggests an increase of 21.1% on a year-over-year basis. PulteGroup expects ASP within $525,000-$535,000, indicating an increase from $447,000 registered a year ago. It expects home deliveries within 7,200-7,600, indicating a decline from 7,232 homes delivered a year ago. The consensus mark for ASP is $531,000, which points to a 18.8% year-over-year improvement. For the quarter to be reported, the consensus mark for the number of homes closed is 7,314, which points to a 1.1% year-over-year increase. A prudent land investment strategy and focus on entry-level buyers are expected to have benefited PulteGroup in the second quarter. However, rising mortgage rates might have impacted the demand for homes in the second quarter, which is expected to have reflected in the quarterly sales for homes. Also, the company has been witnessing supply-chain challenges that are resulting in construction-related delays. The labor market tightened with the limited availability of labor, arresting the rapid growth in housing production. These headwinds might have impacted the upcoming results to some extent. Nonetheless, improved operating leverage and higher pricing are expected to have mitigated the risks. As such, given these cost price dynamics, PHM expects homebuilding gross margins to expand between 29.5-30% for second-quarter 2022 from 26.6% reported in the year-ago period. SG&A expenses (as a percentage of home sales revenues) for the quarter are expected in the 9.4-9.6% range. The figure was 9.8% a year ago. Overall Q2 Earnings & Revenues Expectations The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the to-be-reported quarter’s earnings is currently pegged at $2.58 per share, indicating 50% growth from the year-ago figure of $1.72. Also, the consensus mark for revenues is $4.03 billion, suggesting 19.9% year-over-year growth. PulteGroup, a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell) company, surpassed earnings estimates in 20 of the trailing 22 quarters. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. A Few Recent Construction Releases D.R. Horton, Inc.’s DHI third-quarter fiscal 2022 earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate but revenues missed the same. DHI also lowered its revenue guidance for the full year, given expected completion dates of homes under construction and current market conditions. UFP Industries, Inc. UFPI reported stellar second-quarter 2022 results. Both earnings and net sales beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate and increased on a year-over-year basis. UFPI expects that its balanced business model and operational improvements will continue to help it navigate new challenges like rising interest rates and historically high inflation. In the near term, it expects more normalized demand in its largest segment — retail solutions — but year-over-year improvement in the third quarter. Fastenal Company FAST reported second-quarter 2022 results, wherein earnings came in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate but revenues missed the mark. That said, FAST’s top and bottom lines improved on a year-over-year basis, given strong demand for manufacturing and construction equipment and supplies, along with higher pricing. Stay on top of upcoming earnings announcements with the Zacks Earnings Calendar. 5 Stocks Set to Double Each was handpicked by a Zacks expert as the #1 favorite stock to gain +100% or more in 2021. Previous recommendations have soared +143.0%, +175.9%, +498.3% and +673.0%. Most of the stocks in this report are flying under Wall Street radar, which provides a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor. Today, See These 5 Potential Home Runs >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report UFP Industries, Inc. (UFPI): Free Stock Analysis Report PulteGroup, Inc. (PHM): Free Stock Analysis Report D.R. Horton, Inc. (DHI): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2022-07-26,47.5159,47.645,47.1185,47.3967,"PulteGroup (PHM) Q2 Earnings Beat, Revenues Miss, Stock Down PulteGroup Inc. PHM reported mixed results for second-quarter 2022, with earnings surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate but revenues missing the same. Shares of this homebuilder lost 1.3% in the pre-market trading session following the earnings release. The Fed’s move to hike interest rates for combating inflation, along with lower consumer confidence and increasing fears of a recession have been moderating the demand environment. Although the recent 200-basis points (bps) increase in mortgage rates has impacted affordability, PulteGroup continues to believe “the desire for homeownership is high and the long-term outlook for housing remains positive.” Inside the Headlines Earnings per share came in at $2.73, surpassing the consensus mark of $2.58 by 5.8%. Earnings grew 58.7%, from $1.72 per share a year ago. The upside was driven by gains in revenues, improved gross margin and overhead leverage. Total revenues of $3.93 billion, however, missed the consensus mark of $4.03 billion by 2.5%. Revenues increased 16.9% from the year-ago figure of $3.36 billion. PulteGroup, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise PulteGroup, Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | PulteGroup, Inc. Quote Segment Discussion PulteGroup primarily operates through two business segments — Homebuilding and Financial Services. Revenues from the Homebuilding segment were up 17.6% year over year to $3.84 billion. Home sale revenues of $3.81 billion also improved 17.1% year over year, mainly due to the higher average price of homes closed. Land sale revenues also improved 2.2% from a year ago to $33.8 million. The number of homes closed declined 1% from the year-ago level to 7,177 units. Home closings slipped across all operating regions served, barring Florida, Midwest and West. The average selling price of homes delivered was $531,000, up 19% year over year. Importantly, its backlog, which represents orders yet to be closed, was 19,176 units, down 4% year over year. In addition, potential housing revenues from backlog increased 18% from the prior-year quarter to $11.6 billion. However, new home orders dropped 23% year over year to 6,418 units for the quarter, owing to a number of headwinds like rising mortgage rates, lower affordability, lower consumer confidence and slowed demand. This has resulted in an increased number of previous buyers cancelling their contracts. Home orders were down across all operating regions served. The value of new orders also slipped 8.3% from a year ago, to $4.26 billion. Margins Home sales gross margin was up 430 bps year over year to 30.9% for the quarter. Adjusted operating margin grew 500 bps year over year to 21.7%. Adjusted SG&A expenses (as a percentage of home sales revenues) improved to 9.2% from 9.8% a year ago. Revenues from the Financial Services segment declined 9.1% year over year to $82.8 million. Pretax income for the segment decreased to $40 million from $51 million a year ago. Benefits from higher mortgage originations resulting from growth in homebuilding operations were offset by the impacts of a more competitive operating environment. Financials At June 2022 end, cash and cash equivalents (including restricted cash) were $732.1 million, down from $1.83 billion at 2021 end. Debt to total capital of 20.8% at second-quarter end was down from 21.3% at 2021 end. In the second quarter, the company repurchased 7.1 million common shares for $294 million. Zacks Rank PulteGroup currently has a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. A Few Recent Construction Releases D.R. Horton, Inc.’s DHI third-quarter fiscal 2022 earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate but revenues missed the same. DHI also lowered its revenue guidance for the full year, given expected completion dates of homes under construction and current market conditions. UFP Industries, Inc. UFPI reported stellar second-quarter 2022 results. Both earnings and net sales beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate and increased on a year-over-year basis. UFPI expects that its balanced business model and operational improvements will continue to help it navigate new challenges, like rising interest rates and historically high inflation. In the near term, it expects more normalized demand in its largest segment — retail solutions — but year-over-year improvement in the third quarter. Fastenal Company FAST reported second-quarter 2022 results, wherein earnings came in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate but revenues missed the mark. That said, the top and bottom lines of FAST improved on a year-over-year basis, given strong demand for manufacturing and construction equipment and supplies, along with higher pricing. This Little-Known Semiconductor Stock Could Lead to Big Gains for Your Portfolio The significance of semiconductors can't be overstated. Your smartphone couldn't function without it. Your personal computer would crash in minutes. Digital cameras, washing machines, refrigerators, ovens. You wouldn't be able to use any of them without semiconductors. Disruptions in the supply chain have given semiconductors tremendous pricing power. That's why they present such a tremendous opportunity for investors. And today, in a new free report, Zacks' leading stock strategist is revealing the one semiconductor stock that stands to gain the most. It's yours free and with no obligation. >>Give me access to my free special report. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report UFP Industries, Inc. (UFPI): Free Stock Analysis Report PulteGroup, Inc. (PHM): Free Stock Analysis Report D.R. Horton, Inc. (DHI): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2022-07-27,47.6748,48.1318,46.736,47.9629,
FAST,2022-07-28,48.1616,49.8057,48.1318,49.5723,
FAST,2022-07-29,49.761,51.2909,49.6021,51.0227,
FAST,2022-08-01,50.5359,51.3108,50.2875,51.2015,
FAST,2022-08-02,50.9531,51.6187,50.4912,50.7445,"Builders FirstSource (BLDR) Up on Q2 Earnings & Revenue Beat Builders FirstSource’s BLDR shares gained 7.9% on Aug 1 after the company released its second-quarter 2022 results, wherein it reported 12.2% core organic sales growth. The company’s earnings and net sales surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate and increased significantly year over year. The results were driven by an increase in net sales and gross margin as well as contributions from acquisitions amid continuous raw material supply woes. Dave Flitman, President and CEO of Builders FirstSource, said, “I remain optimistic on the prospects for our industry over the long term and confident in our ability to outperform the market as we execute our strategy and further invest in margin accretive, value-added products and transformative digital solutions. We also remain fully committed to leveraging our strong cash flow profile to strategically deploy capital toward a combination of high return internal investments, accretive bolt-on M&A and returns to shareholders.” Peter Jackson, CFO of Builders FirstSource, added, “Looking ahead, we are exceptionally well-positioned to capture organic and inorganic value-enhancing growth opportunities and expand our market-leading positions. For 2022, we remain focused on delivering strong double-digit base business growth and significant free cash flow.” Builders FirstSource, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Builders FirstSource, Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Builders FirstSource, Inc. Quote Earnings & Revenue Discussion The manufacturer and supplier of building materials reported adjusted earnings of $6.26 per share, which handily topped the consensus mark of $3.00. The reported figure also increased by a significant 126.8% from the year-ago quarter. For the quarter, net sales of $6.93 billion surpassed the consensus mark of $5.45 billion. The top line grew 24.2% on a year-over-year basis. Core organic sales grew 12.2% from the prior-year quarter. Commodity price inflation contributed 3.9% to net sales. Acquisitions added 8.1% to net sales growth. The upside was led by solid demand for its products amid supply woes. Notably, core organic sales in value-added products increased 32% compared with the prior-year period. Core organic customer growth in Single Family increased 15.8%, while R&R/Other and Multi Family remained almost flat year over year. Sales According to Product Category Value-Added Product Sales: For the reported quarter, sales of value-added products (comprising 42.2% of the quarterly net sales) were $2.92 billion, up 50.9% from the prior year. Specialized Product & Other: Gypsum, Roofing & Insulation products sales (comprising 16.9% of the quarterly net sales) increased 12.3% from the year-ago quarter to $1.17 billion. Lumber & Lumber Sheet Goods: For the quarter, segment sales (comprising 40.9% of the quarterly net sales) increased 9.1% year over year to $2.83 billion. Operating Highlights Gross profit for the quarter increased 52.4% year over year to $2.4 billion. Gross margin of 34.8% expanded 640 basis points (bps) year over year owing to higher sales in value-added product categories, disciplined pricing in a volatile, supply-constrained marketplace and effective and timely sourcing. As a percentage of net sales, total SG&A expenses improved 110 bps to 15.1%. Adjusted EBITDA increased 80.3% on a year-over-year basis to $1.5 billion, primarily driven by core organic growth, commodity inflation, and acquisitions. Adjusted EBITDA margin expanded 680 bps year over year to 21.8%. Other Financial Details As of Jun 30, 2022, Builders FirstSource had cash and cash equivalents of $166.2 million compared with $42.6 million at 2021-end. Long-term debt — net of current portion — was $3.55 billion, up from $2.93 billion at 2021-end. The company had liquidity of $1 billion at June 2022 end, consisting of approximately $0.8 billion in net borrowing availability under the revolving credit facility and cash on hand. During the quarter, BLDR repurchased 16.9 million shares of its stock for $990.7 million. Buyouts On Apr 1, 2022, BLDR wrapped up the acquisition of both the Texas Panel Truss and East Panel Truss businesses for an aggregate of $150 million. Additionally, Builders FirstSource acquired Valley Truss Co., Inc. — a provider of building components to the single and multi-family markets in Boise, ID — for $30.5 million. On Jul 1, 2022, BLDR acquired a provider of building products in Flagstaff, AZ, HomCo Lumber and Hardware. Guidance For 2022, the company now expects free cash flow between $2.5-$3 billion versus $2-$2.4 billion expected earlier. Interest expense is expected in the range of $175 million to $185 million. BLDR projects an effective tax rate between 23% and 25%, total capital expenditures between $275 million and $325 million, depreciation and amortization expenses between $460 million and $480 million for 2022. Acquisitions will likely contribute to net sales growth between 6% and 7%. Zacks Rank BLDR currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. A Few Recent Releases Fastenal Company FAST reported second-quarter 2022 results, wherein earnings came in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate, but revenues missed the mark. That said, the top and bottom lines of FAST improved on a year-over-year basis, given the strong demand for manufacturing and construction equipment and supplies, along with higher pricing. Martin Marietta Materials, Inc. MLM reported impressive second-quarter 2022 results. Earnings and revenues surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate and increased on a year-over-year basis, backed by improved pricing across businesses and higher demand. Despite increased inflationary pressure from rising input costs and a challenging macroeconomic and geopolitical environment, solid execution of its strategic business plan and resilient aggregates-led business drove the result. EMCOR Group, Inc. EME reported solid results for second-quarter 2022. The top and bottom lines surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate and increased year over year. EME’s management approved a 15.4% hike in its regular quarterly dividend to 15 cents, payable on Oct 31 to stockholders of record as of Oct 18, 2022. Also, it authorized a new share repurchase program to repurchase up to an additional $500 million of its outstanding common stock. Zacks' Top Picks to Cash in on Electric Vehicles Big money has already been made in the Electric Vehicle (EV) industry. But, the EV revolution has not hit full throttle yet. There is a lot of money to be made as the next push for future technologies ramps up. Zacks’ Special Report reveals 5 picks investors See 5 EV Stocks With Extreme Upside Potential >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report EMCOR Group, Inc. (EME): Free Stock Analysis Report Builders FirstSource, Inc. (BLDR): Free Stock Analysis Report Martin Marietta Materials, Inc. (MLM): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2022-08-03,50.7246,51.5989,50.3471,51.4797,
FAST,2022-08-04,51.9168,52.2446,51.728,51.9466,
FAST,2022-08-05,51.5939,52.6519,51.4002,52.6022,"Beacon Roofing (BECN) Q2 Earnings & Sales Beat, Margin Rise Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. BECN reported strong results for second-quarter 2022. Both the earnings and revenues surpassed their respective Zacks Consensus Estimate and increased significantly on a year-over-year basis. The solid results were backed by strong net sales, gross margin expansion and operational improvement. Shares of the company jumped 1.7% on Aug 4. Julian Francis, Beacon’s president and CEO, said, “Our team’s commitment to best-in-class service combined with solid end market demand and margin enhancing initiatives delivered the 10th straight quarter of year-over-year increases in Adjusted EBITDA. In a challenging inflationary environment, we achieved the highest profits and margin in our history. We made strategic investments in key markets, expanding both our branch footprint and our delivery capacity towards achieving our Ambition 2025 growth targets. Earnings & Revenue Discussion This distributor of residential and non-residential roofing materials reported adjusted earnings of $2.41 per share, which topped the consensus mark of $2.36 by 2.1%. Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. Quote For the quarter, net sales of $2.36 billion surpassed the consensus mark of $2.29 billion by 3%. The top line grew 26% on a year-over-year basis as sales increased across all three lines of business, given the higher pricing. Higher demand for residential roofing and complementary products also contributed to growth. During the quarter, weighted-average selling price increased 24-25% and volumes rose nearly 1%. Sales According to Line of Business Residential Roofing Product: For the reported quarter, sales of this product (comprising 50.7% of the quarterly net sales) were $1.2 billion, up 21.9% from the prior year. Non-Residential Roofing Product: Sales (comprising 29% of the quarterly net sales) increased 40.3% from the year-ago quarter to $682.6 million. Complementary Product: For the quarter, sales of this product (comprising 20.3% of the quarterly net sales) increased 18.7% year over year to $479.5 billion. Operating Highlights The gross margin of 27.6% was flat year over year, driven by strong pricing execution that drove price-cost improvement, offset by a higher non-residential product sales mix. As a percentage of net sales, adjusted operating expenses declined 820 bps to 15.7%, owing to the positive impact of net sales growth and productivity gains. Adjusted EBITDA increased 34.1% on a year-over-year basis to $307.7 million, driven by higher net sales and favorable operating leverage. Adjusted EBITDA margin expanded 70 bps year over year to 13%. Other Financial Details As of Jun 30, 2022, Builders FirstSource had cash and cash equivalents of $54.6 million compared with $225.8 million at the 2021-end. Long-term debt, net was $1.61 billion, slightly down from $1.612 billion at 2021-end. Net cash used in operating activities was $187 million versus net cash provided by operating activities of $18.7 million. Guidance For the third quarter, the company expects third-quarter net sales to grow 23-25% on a year-over-year basis, backed by strong Non-discretionary repair & re-roofing demand and positive commercial roofing business. July sales per day were up approximately 30%. Gross margins for the quarter are expected to be nearly 26%. For 2022, the company increased its expectation for adjusted EBITDA to $825–875 million, up from $800-850 million expected earlier. Full-year sales are likely to rise more than 20% year over year. Zacks Rank & Peer Release Beacon Roofing currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Builders FirstSource BLDR released its second-quarter 2022 results, wherein it reported 12.2% core organic sales growth. The company’s earnings and net sales surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate and increased significantly year over year. The results were driven by an increase in net sales and gross margin and contributions from acquisitions amid continuous raw material supply woes. Fastenal Company FAST reported second-quarter 2022 results, wherein earnings came in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate, but revenues missed the mark. That said, the top and the bottom line of FAST increased on a year-over-year basis, given the strong demand for manufacturing and construction equipment and supplies and higher pricing. Domino's Pizza, Inc. DPZ reported second-quarter fiscal 2022 results, with earnings and revenues missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate. DPZ’s bottom line missed the consensus mark in the third consecutive quarter, while the top line lagged for the fourth straight quarter. Zacks Names ""Single Best Pick to Double"" From thousands of stocks, 5 Zacks experts each have chosen their favorite to skyrocket +100% or more in months to come. From those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all. It’s a little-known chemical company that’s up 65% over last year, yet still dirt cheap. With unrelenting demand, soaring 2022 earnings estimates, and $1.5 billion for repurchasing shares, retail investors could jump in at any time. This company could rival or surpass other recent Zacks’ Stocks Set to Double like Boston Beer Company which shot up +143.0% in little more than 9 months and NVIDIA which boomed +175.9% in one year. Free: See Our Top Stock and 4 Runners Up >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Domino's Pizza Inc (DPZ): Free Stock Analysis Report Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. (BECN): Free Stock Analysis Report Builders FirstSource, Inc. (BLDR): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2022-08-08,52.9897,53.5559,52.8258,53.3175,"Beat the Market Like Zacks: Procter & Gamble (PG), Intuit (INTU), Fastenal (FAST) in Focus Two of the three most widely followed indexes closed in the green last week, continuing the recovery, which started last month. The tech-heavy Nasdaq and the S&P 500 advanced 2.2% and 0.4%, respectively, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.1% for the week. Rising inflation, the continued geopolitical crisis and the resultant energy shortage, and COVID-19 flare-ups in China have clouded investor mood for the better part of this year. Fears of an impending recession have also played spoilsport, as has the Taiwan situation. However, a largely upbeat second-quarter earnings season and some positive economic data have helped the S&P 500 bounce back. Investors continue to keep a keen watch on the inflation data slated to release this week and how it influences the monetary policy of the hawkish Fed, hoping there is no further tightening. Regardless of market conditions, we, here at Zacks, provide investors with unbiased guidance on how to beat the market. Zacks Research guided investors last week with its time-tested methodologies as usual. Given the prevailing market uncertainty, you may want to look at our feats to prepare better for your next action. Here are some of our key achievements from last week: HeritageCrystal, Manhattan Associates Soar Following Zacks Rank Upgrade Shares of HeritageCrystal Clean HCCI have gained 5% since it was upgraded to a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) on July 30. The rating upgrade was primarily driven by an upward trend in earnings estimates, one of the most powerful forces impacting stock prices. A company's changing earnings picture is at the core of the Zacks rating. For HCCI, the consensus EPS estimate of $3.33 for the current year has increased 43.1% over the past month. Rising earnings estimates and the consequent Zacks Rank upgrade for HCCI imply an improvement in the company's underlying business. Investors have started showing their appreciation for this improving business trend by pushing the stock higher. Check HeritageCrystal’s historical EPS and Sales here>>> Manhattan Associates, Inc. MANH, another stock upgraded to a Zacks Rank #1 on July 30, has returned 3.1% over the past week. Over the past month, an 11.3% increase in the current-year consensus EPS estimate has driven the rating upgrade. The Zacks Rank stock-rating system, which uses four factors related to earnings estimates to classify stocks into five groups, ranging from Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) to Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell), has an impressive externally-audited track record, with Zacks Rank #1 stocks generating an average annual return of +24.8% since 1988. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stocks here >>> Check Manhattan Associates’ historical EPS and Sales here>>> Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Zacks Recommendation Upgrade Drives Clearfield, AXT Higher Shares of Clearfield, Inc. CLFD and AXT, Inc. AXTI have gained 31.4% and 24.9%, respectively, since their Zacks Recommendation was upgraded to Outperform on August 1. While the Zacks Rank is our short-term rating system that is most effective over the one- to three-month holding horizon, the Zacks Recommendation aims to predict performance over the next 6 to 12 months. However, just like the Zacks Rank, the foundation for the Zacks Recommendation is trends in earnings estimate revisions. The Zacks Recommendation classifies stocks into three groups — Outperform, Neutral and Underperform. While these recommendations are determined quantitatively, our analysts have the flexibility to override them for the 1100+ stocks they closely follow based on their better judgment of factors such as valuation, industry conditions and management effectiveness than the quantitative model. To access our research reports with Zacks Recommendations for the 1100+ stocks we cover, click here>>> Zacks Focus List Model Portfolio Stock Arcosa Surges Shares of Arcosa, Inc. ACA, which belongs to the Zacks Focus List, have shot up 17.5% over the past week. The Zacks Focus List is a model portfolio of 50 hand-picked stocks that possess the right fundamental ingredients to outperform the market over the next 12 months. These 50 stocks are picked from a long list of stocks with the highest Zacks Rank. Arcosa was added to the Focus List on January 6, 2020, at $45.70 per share. The stock has gained 32.3% since then to close the last trading session at $60.44. Since its inception on February 1, 1996, the Focus List portfolio has delivered an annualized return of +12.9%. Unlock all of our powerful research, tools and analysis, including the Focus List, Zacks #1 Rank List, Equity Research Reports, Zacks Earnings ESP Filter, Premium Screener and more, as part of Zacks Premium. Gain full access now >> Zacks ECAP Stock Procter & Gamble Outperforms the Market The Procter & Gamble Company PG, a component of our Earnings Certain Admiral Portfolio (ECAP), surged 4.2% last week. ECAP is a model portfolio of 30 concentrated, ultra-defensive, long-term Buy and Hold stocks. With little to no turnover and annual rebalance periodicity, the ECAP seeks to minimize capital loss by holding shares of companies whose earnings streams exhibit a proven 20+ year track record of surviving recessionary periods with minimal impact on aggregate earnings growth relative to the overall S&P 500. In terms of last week’s returns, Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. ICE and Intuit Inc. INTU followed Procter & Gamble with 3% and 2.8% gains, respectively. The ECAP and many other model portfolios are available as part of Zacks Advisor Tools, a cloud-based solution to access Zacks award-winning stock, mutual fund and ETF research. Click here to schedule a demo. Zacks ECDP Stock Fastenal Witnesses Price Increase Fastenal Company FAST, a part of our Earnings Certain Dividend Portfolio (ECDP), jumped 3.1% last week. The inclination of investors toward quality dividend stocks to secure an income stream amid the heightened market volatility contributed to this performance. Check Fastenal’s dividend history here>>> With an extremely low Beta and a history of minimum earnings variability over the last 20+ years, this 25-stock portfolio helps significantly mitigate risk. The ECDP has consistently outperformed the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF NOBL. Click here to access this portfolio on Zacks Advisor Tools. How to Profit from the Hot Electric Vehicle Industry Global electric car sales in 2021 more than doubled their 2020 numbers. And today, the electric vehicle (EV) technology and very nature of the business is changing quickly. The next push for future technologies is happening now and investors who get in early could see exceptional profits. See Zacks' Top Stocks to Profit from the EV Revolution >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Intercontinental Exchange Inc. (ICE): Free Stock Analysis Report Procter & Gamble Company The (PG): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Intuit Inc. (INTU): Free Stock Analysis Report Manhattan Associates, Inc. (MANH): Free Stock Analysis Report HeritageCrystal Clean, Inc. (HCCI): Free Stock Analysis Report AXT Inc (AXTI): Free Stock Analysis Report Clearfield, Inc. (CLFD): Free Stock Analysis Report ProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF (NOBL): ETF Research Reports Arcosa, Inc. (ACA): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2022-08-09,53.238,53.546,52.7612,52.9499,
FAST,2022-08-10,53.9632,54.6487,53.7149,54.0725,
FAST,2022-08-11,54.1222,54.758,53.9434,54.2017,
FAST,2022-08-12,54.2712,55.4435,54.2315,55.4136,"[""FAST Makes Bullish Cross Above Critical Moving Average In trading on Friday, shares of Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) crossed above their 200 day moving average of $55.59, changing hands as high as $55.81 per share. Fastenal Co. shares are currently trading up about 2.2% on the day. The chart below shows the one year performance of FAST shares, versus its 200 day moving average: Looking at the chart above, FAST's low point in its 52 week range is $45.68 per share, with $64.7465 as the 52 week high point \u2014 that compares with a last trade of $55.78. The FAST DMA information above was sourced from TechnicalAnalysisChannel.com Click here to find out which 9 other dividend stocks recently crossed above their 200 day moving average \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Why Is Fastenal (FAST) Up 15.3% Since Last Earnings Report? It has been about a month since the last earnings report for Fastenal (FAST). Shares have added about 15.3% in that time frame, outperforming the S&P 500. Will the recent positive trend continue leading up to its next earnings release, or is Fastenal due for a pullback? Before we dive into how investors and analysts have reacted as of late, let's take a quick look at the most recent earnings report in order to get a better handle on the important drivers. Fastenal (FAST) Q2 Earnings Meet, Revenues Lag Estimates Fastenal Company reported second-quarter 2022 results, wherein earnings came in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate but revenues missed the mark. That said, the company\u2019s top and bottom lines improved on a year-over-year basis, given strong demand for manufacturing and construction equipment and supplies, along with higher pricing. Earnings & Sales in Detail The company reported earnings of 50 cents per share, which came in line with the consensus mark but rose 19.7% from the year-ago period. Net sales totaled $1,778.6 million, missing the consensus mark of $1,792 million but increasing 18% from the year-ago figure of $1,507.7 million. The company reported daily sales of $27.8 million, reflecting an increase of 18% year over year, in the reported quarter. The upside was mainly due to higher unit sales across most products to traditional manufacturing and construction customers, stemming from improvement in business activity. On a monthly basis, daily sales improved 16%, 17.6% and 20.3% in June, May and April, respectively, year over year. Daily sales of Fastener products (mainly used for industrial production and accounting for approximately 34.6% of second-quarter sales) rose 21.2% year over year, backed by higher manufacturing and construction demand as well as increased pricing. Sales of safety products (accounting for 20.3% of second-quarter sales) grew 13.8% on a daily basis. The upside was mainly driven by solid growth and higher pricing for traditional manufacturing and construction clients. Sales of the remaining products (accounting for 45.1% of second-quarter sales) grew 17% year over year. Vending Trends & Other Growth Drivers Fastenal signed 102 new Onsite locations during the quarter. As of Jun 30, 2022, the company had 1,501 active sites, up 13.5% from the year-ago period. Daily sales through Onsite locations (excluding sales transferred from branches to new Onsites) increased more than 20% from a year ago. The company continues to expect 375-400 annual Onsite signings in 2022. Daily sales, through weighted FMI devices, grew 36.8% for the second quarter and represented 35.6% of net sales. Daily sales to national account customers (representing 57.3% of total quarterly revenues) increased 22.9% on a year-over-year basis for second-quarter 2022. Daily sales to non-national account customers (which include government customers and represent 42.7% of total quarterly revenues) rose 12.2% from the prior-year quarter. Margins Gross margin of 46.5% for the reported quarter remained unchanged from the prior-year period. A modest decline in product margin was offset by better leverage of organizational expenses, given solid business activity. Operating margin improved 50 basis points (bps) to 21.6% from 21.1% a year ago. Financials Cash and cash equivalents were $247.9 million as of Jun 30, 2022, up from $236.2 million on Dec 31, 2021. Long-term debt at quarter-end was $310 million, down from $330 million at 2021-end. During the reported quarter, FAST returned $227.8 million to its shareholders in the form of $178.5 million worth of dividends and $49.3 million worth of share repurchases. For the first six months of 2022, cash provided by operating activities totaled $381.2 million compared with $446.3 million in the year-ago period. How Have Estimates Been Moving Since Then? In the past month, investors have witnessed an upward trend in estimates review. VGM Scores At this time, Fastenal has an average Growth Score of C, a grade with the same score on the momentum front. Charting a somewhat similar path, the stock was allocated a grade of D on the value side, putting it in the bottom 40% for this investment strategy. Overall, the stock has an aggregate VGM Score of D. If you aren't focused on one strategy, this score is the one you should be interested in. Outlook Estimates have been trending upward for the stock, and the magnitude of these revisions has been net zero. Notably, Fastenal has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). We expect an in-line return from the stock in the next few months. Zacks Names \""Single Best Pick to Double\"" From thousands of stocks, 5 Zacks experts each have chosen their favorite to skyrocket +100% or more in months to come. From those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all. It\u2019s a little-known chemical company that\u2019s up 65% over last year, yet still dirt cheap. With unrelenting demand, soaring 2022 earnings estimates, and $1.5 billion for repurchasing shares, retail investors could jump in at any time. This company could rival or surpass other recent Zacks\u2019 Stocks Set to Double like Boston Beer Company which shot up +143.0% in little more than 9 months and NVIDIA which boomed +175.9% in one year. Free: See Our Top Stock and 4 Runners Up >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2022-08-15,55.4136,55.8706,55.1355,55.7415,"Calculating The Intrinsic Value Of Fastenal Company (NASDAQ:FAST) Today we'll do a simple run through of a valuation method used to estimate the attractiveness of Fastenal Company (NASDAQ:FAST) as an investment opportunity by taking the expected future cash flows and discounting them to their present value. The Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model is the tool we will apply to do this. There's really not all that much to it, even though it might appear quite complex. Companies can be valued in a lot of ways, so we would point out that a DCF is not perfect for every situation. Anyone interested in learning a bit more about intrinsic value should have a read of the Simply Wall St analysis model. The Calculation We're using the 2-stage growth model, which simply means we take in account two stages of company's growth. In the initial period the company may have a higher growth rate and the second stage is usually assumed to have a stable growth rate. To begin with, we have to get estimates of the next ten years of cash flows. Where possible we use analyst estimates, but when these aren't available we extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the last estimate or reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years. A DCF is all about the idea that a dollar in the future is less valuable than a dollar today, so we need to discount the sum of these future cash flows to arrive at a present value estimate: 10-year free cash flow (FCF) forecast 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 Levered FCF ($, Millions) US$930.8m US$973.6m US$1.07b US$1.21b US$1.29b US$1.36b US$1.42b US$1.47b US$1.52b US$1.56b Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x7 Analyst x4 Analyst x3 Analyst x2 Est @ 6.83% Est @ 5.37% Est @ 4.34% Est @ 3.62% Est @ 3.12% Est @ 2.76% Present Value ($, Millions) Discounted @ 6.4% US$875 US$860 US$889 US$943 US$947 US$938 US$919 US$895 US$867 US$838 (""Est"" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St) Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = US$9.0b After calculating the present value of future cash flows in the initial 10-year period, we need to calculate the Terminal Value, which accounts for all future cash flows beyond the first stage. The Gordon Growth formula is used to calculate Terminal Value at a future annual growth rate equal to the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield of 1.9%. We discount the terminal cash flows to today's value at a cost of equity of 6.4%. Terminal Value (TV)= FCF2032 × (1 + g) ÷ (r – g) = US$1.6b× (1 + 1.9%) ÷ (6.4%– 1.9%) = US$36b Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= US$36b÷ ( 1 + 6.4%)10= US$19b The total value, or equity value, is then the sum of the present value of the future cash flows, which in this case is US$28b. The last step is to then divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Relative to the current share price of US$55.8, the company appears around fair value at the time of writing. Valuations are imprecise instruments though, rather like a telescope - move a few degrees and end up in a different galaxy. Do keep this in mind. NasdaqGS:FAST Discounted Cash Flow August 15th 2022 Important Assumptions The calculation above is very dependent on two assumptions. The first is the discount rate and the other is the cash flows. Part of investing is coming up with your own evaluation of a company's future performance, so try the calculation yourself and check your own assumptions. The DCF also does not consider the possible cyclicality of an industry, or a company's future capital requirements, so it does not give a full picture of a company's potential performance. Given that we are looking at Fastenal as potential shareholders, the cost of equity is used as the discount rate, rather than the cost of capital (or weighted average cost of capital, WACC) which accounts for debt. In this calculation we've used 6.4%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.056. Beta is a measure of a stock's volatility, compared to the market as a whole. We get our beta from the industry average beta of globally comparable companies, with an imposed limit between 0.8 and 2.0, which is a reasonable range for a stable business. Moving On: Whilst important, the DCF calculation is only one of many factors that you need to assess for a company. It's not possible to obtain a foolproof valuation with a DCF model. Preferably you'd apply different cases and assumptions and see how they would impact the company's valuation. If a company grows at a different rate, or if its cost of equity or risk free rate changes sharply, the output can look very different. For Fastenal, we've compiled three essential elements you should explore: Risks: Every company has them, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for Fastenal you should know about. Management:Have insiders been ramping up their shares to take advantage of the market's sentiment for FAST's future outlook? Check out our management and board analysis with insights on CEO compensation and governance factors. Other High Quality Alternatives: Do you like a good all-rounder? Explore our interactive list of high quality stocks to get an idea of what else is out there you may be missing! PS. The Simply Wall St app conducts a discounted cash flow valuation for every stock on the NASDAQGS every day. If you want to find the calculation for other stocks just search here. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2022-08-16,55.4136,56.2779,55.3342,55.6819,
FAST,2022-08-17,55.364,55.5925,54.9964,55.3342,
FAST,2022-08-18,55.5329,55.6819,55.1653,55.4335,
FAST,2022-08-19,55.0958,55.1454,54.45,54.8474,
FAST,2022-08-22,54.6785,54.7083,53.1983,53.3076,"[""First Week of FAST October 21st Options Trading Investors in Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) saw new options begin trading this week, for the October 21st expiration. At Stock Options Channel, our YieldBoost formula has looked up and down the FAST options chain for the new October 21st contracts and identified one put and one call contract of particular interest. The put contract at the $52.50 strike price has a current bid of $1.45. If an investor was to sell-to-open that put contract, they are committing to purchase the stock at $52.50, but will also collect the premium, putting the cost basis of the shares at $51.05 (before broker commissions). To an investor already interested in purchasing shares of FAST, that could represent an attractive alternative to paying $54.35/share today. Because the $52.50 strike represents an approximate 3% discount to the current trading price of the stock (in other words it is out-of-the-money by that percentage), there is also the possibility that the put contract would expire worthless. The current analytical data (including greeks and implied greeks) suggest the current odds of that happening are 64%. Stock Options Channel will track those odds over time to see how they change, publishing a chart of those numbers on our website under the contract detail page for this contract. Should the contract expire worthless, the premium would represent a 2.76% return on the cash commitment, or 16.80% annualized \u2014 at Stock Options Channel we call this the YieldBoost. Below is a chart showing the trailing twelve month trading history for Fastenal Co., and highlighting in green where the $52.50 strike is located relative to that history: Turning to the calls side of the option chain, the call contract at the $55.00 strike price has a current bid of $2.15. If an investor was to purchase shares of FAST stock at the current price level of $54.35/share, and then sell-to-open that call contract as a \""covered call,\"" they are committing to sell the stock at $55.00. Considering the call seller will also collect the premium, that would drive a total return (excluding dividends, if any) of 5.15% if the stock gets called away at the October 21st expiration (before broker commissions). Of course, a lot of upside could potentially be left on the table if FAST shares really soar, which is why looking at the trailing twelve month trading history for Fastenal Co., as well as studying the business fundamentals becomes important. Below is a chart showing FAST's trailing twelve month trading history, with the $55.00 strike highlighted in red: Considering the fact that the $55.00 strike represents an approximate 1% premium to the current trading price of the stock (in other words it is out-of-the-money by that percentage), there is also the possibility that the covered call contract would expire worthless, in which case the investor would keep both their shares of stock and the premium collected. The current analytical data (including greeks and implied greeks) suggest the current odds of that happening are 54%. On our website under the contract detail page for this contract, Stock Options Channel will track those odds over time to see how they change and publish a chart of those numbers (the trading history of the option contract will also be charted). Should the covered call contract expire worthless, the premium would represent a 3.96% boost of extra return to the investor, or 24.06% annualized, which we refer to as the YieldBoost. The implied volatility in the put contract example is 28%, while the implied volatility in the call contract example is 29%. Meanwhile, we calculate the actual trailing twelve month volatility (considering the last 251 trading day closing values as well as today's price of $54.35) to be 25%. For more put and call options contract ideas worth looking at, visit StockOptionsChannel.com. Top YieldBoost Calls of the Nasdaq 100 \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Ulta Beauty (ULTA) Queues Up for Q2 Earnings: Things to Note Ulta Beauty, Inc. ULTA is likely to register top and bottom-line growth when it reports second-quarter fiscal 2022 earnings on Aug 25. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly revenues is pegged at $1,198 million, suggesting a rise of 11.7% from the prior-year quarter\u2019s reported figure. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly earnings has risen by 1.2% in the past seven days to $4.90 per share, which indicates 7.5% growth from the figure reported in the prior-year quarter. The beauty product company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 49.8%, on average. ULTA delivered an earnings surprise of around 42% in the last reported quarter. Ulta Beauty Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Ulta Beauty Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Ulta Beauty Inc. Quote Factors to Note Ulta Beauty has been benefiting from market share gains in major beauty categories for a while now, with skincare standing out due to consumers\u2019 rising interest in self-care and the company\u2019s focus on newness and innovation. Apart from these, the company has been seeing strength in the fragrance and haircare category, with product newness being a solid driver. Even the makeup category is on track for full recovery. The company\u2019s omnichannel strength has been another driver. Ulta Beauty has been enriching its omnichannel experience through launches like Beauty to Go, options like same-day delivery (in some stores) and unique salon services across stores, among others. The company\u2019s buy online, pick up in store (BOPIS) continued to gain traction in the first quarter. Also, its alliance with Target has been yielding favorably. That said, escalated costs are a concerning factor. The company witnessed elevated supply-chain costs in the first quarter due to higher wage rates, transportation costs and increased fuel rates. It expects elevated supply-chain costs to remain a headwind for the rest of the year. SG&A expenses are likely to deleverage in fiscal 2022, mainly due to expenses ($70-$75 million) associated with the company\u2019s strategic priorities and the increased wage rate. These factors raise worries for the quarter to be reported. However, Ulta Beauty\u2019s focus on its six strategic priorities bodes well. The company\u2019s foremost priority is to strengthen its omnichannel business and explore the potential of both physical and digital facets. Next, the company is undertaking various tools to enhance the experience of guests like offering a virtual try-on tool and in-store education and reimagining fixtures, among others. Thirdly, ULTA concentrates on offering customers a curated and exclusive range of beauty products through innovation. Fourthly, the company is focused on deepening customer engagement by boosting rewards and loyalty programs. Fifthly, management is committed to optimizing its cost structure. Apart from these, the company strives to boost organizational talent and strengthen the culture. What the Zacks Model Unveils Our proven model predicts an earnings beat for Ulta Beauty this time. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat, which is the case here. Ulta Beauty carries a Zacks Rank #2 and has an Earnings ESP of +4.07%. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they\u2019re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter. Other Stocks With the Favorable Combination Here are some other companies you may want to consider as our model shows that these also have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat. Dollar General DG currently has an Earnings ESP of +1.04% and a Zacks Rank #2. DG is expected to register top and bottom-line growth when it reports second-quarter fiscal 2022 numbers. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Dollar General\u2019s quarterly revenues is pegged at $9.4 billion, which suggests growth of 8.6% from the prior-year quarter\u2019s reported figure. You can see the complete list of today\u2019s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Dollar General\u2019s quarterly earnings has moved a penny up in the past 30 days to $2.93 per share, suggesting an improvement of 8.9% from the year-ago quarter\u2019s tally. DG delivered an earnings beat of 2.8%, on average, in the trailing four quarters. Fastenal FAST currently has an Earnings ESP of +0.35% and a Zacks Rank #3. The company is likely to register a bottom-line improvement when it reports third-quarter fiscal 2022 numbers. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly earnings per share of 48 cents suggests an improvement of 14.3% from the figure reported in the year-ago quarter. Fastenal's top line is also expected to have risen year over year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly revenues is pegged at $1.8 billion, which indicates an improvement of 15.1% from the figure reported in the prior-year quarter. FAST has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 4.3%, on average. Dollar Tree DLTR currently has an Earnings ESP of +1.75% and a Zacks Rank of 2. The company is likely to register a rise in the top and bottom lines when it reports second-quarter fiscal 2022 results. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for DLTR\u2019s quarterly revenues is pegged at $6.8 billion, which suggests a jump of almost 7% from the figure reported in the prior-year quarter. The consensus mark for Dollar Tree\u2019s quarterly earnings has remained unchanged at $1.57 per share in the past 30 days. The consensus estimate for DLTR\u2019s quarterly earnings suggests a rise of 27.6% from the year-ago quarter\u2019s reported figure. Dollar Tree delivered an earnings surprise of 13.1%, on average, in the trailing four quarters. Stay on top of upcoming earnings announcements with the Zacks Earnings Calendar. Infrastructure Stock Boom to Sweep America A massive push to rebuild the crumbling U.S. infrastructure will soon be underway. It\u2019s bipartisan, urgent, and inevitable. Trillions will be spent. Fortunes will be made. The only question is \u201cWill you get into the right stocks early when their growth potential is greatest?\u201d Zacks has released a Special Report to help you do just that, and today it\u2019s free. Discover 5 special companies that look to gain the most from construction and repair to roads, bridges, and buildings, plus cargo hauling and energy transformation on an almost unimaginable scale. Download FREE: How To Profit From Trillions On Spending For Infrastructure >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Dollar General Corporation (DG): Free Stock Analysis Report Dollar Tree, Inc. (DLTR): Free Stock Analysis Report Ulta Beauty Inc. (ULTA): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2022-08-23,53.1784,53.4566,52.3986,52.4433,
FAST,2022-08-24,52.7016,52.9301,52.2545,52.6618,
FAST,2022-08-25,53.0542,53.0542,52.4234,52.9698,
FAST,2022-08-26,52.9599,53.1387,50.526,50.6253,
FAST,2022-08-29,50.7147,51.0922,50.1187,50.675,
FAST,2022-08-30,50.7843,50.8439,49.7113,50.1882,
FAST,2022-08-31,50.5061,50.8637,49.8504,49.9994,
FAST,2022-09-01,49.771,50.7147,49.6815,50.6154,
FAST,2022-09-02,50.9929,51.4499,49.7163,50.1385,"[""Fastenal's (NASDAQ:FAST) five-year total shareholder returns outpace the underlying earnings growth The most you can lose on any stock (assuming you don't use leverage) is 100% of your money. But on the bright side, if you buy shares in a high quality company at the right price, you can gain well over 100%. One great example is Fastenal Company (NASDAQ:FAST) which saw its share price drive 143% higher over five years. It's down 4.4% in the last seven days. While this past week has detracted from the company's five-year return, let's look at the recent trends of the underlying business and see if the gains have been in alignment. In his essay The Superinvestors of Graham-and-Doddsville Warren Buffett described how share prices do not always rationally reflect the value of a business. One imperfect but simple way to consider how the market perception of a company has shifted is to compare the change in the earnings per share (EPS) with the share price movement. During five years of share price growth, Fastenal achieved compound earnings per share (EPS) growth of 15% per year. This EPS growth is lower than the 19% average annual increase in the share price. This suggests that market participants hold the company in higher regard, these days. And that's hardly shocking given the track record of growth. You can see below how EPS has changed over time (discover the exact values by clicking on the image). NasdaqGS:FAST Earnings Per Share Growth September 2nd 2022 It's probably worth noting we've seen significant insider buying in the last quarter, which we consider a positive. That said, we think earnings and revenue growth trends are even more important factors to consider. This free interactive report on Fastenal's earnings, revenue and cash flow is a great place to start, if you want to investigate the stock further. What About Dividends? When looking at investment returns, it is important to consider the difference between total shareholder return (TSR) and share price return. The TSR incorporates the value of any spin-offs or discounted capital raisings, along with any dividends, based on the assumption that the dividends are reinvested. So for companies that pay a generous dividend, the TSR is often a lot higher than the share price return. In the case of Fastenal, it has a TSR of 178% for the last 5 years. That exceeds its share price return that we previously mentioned. This is largely a result of its dividend payments! A Different Perspective While it's certainly disappointing to see that Fastenal shares lost 7.3% throughout the year, that wasn't as bad as the market loss of 18%. Longer term investors wouldn't be so upset, since they would have made 23%, each year, over five years. It could be that the business is just facing some short term problems, but shareholders should keep a close eye on the fundamentals. While it is well worth considering the different impacts that market conditions can have on the share price, there are other factors that are even more important. For example, we've discovered 1 warning sign for Fastenal that you should be aware of before investing here. Fastenal is not the only stock insiders are buying. So take a peek at this free list of growing companies with insider buying. Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on US exchanges. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Reaches Analyst Target Price In recent trading, shares of Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) have crossed above the average analyst 12-month target price of $50.62, changing hands for $50.95/share. When a stock reaches the target an analyst has set, the analyst logically has two ways to react: downgrade on valuation, or, re-adjust their target price to a higher level. Analyst reaction may also depend on the fundamental business developments that may be responsible for driving the stock price higher \u2014 if things are looking up for the company, perhaps it is time for that target price to be raised. There are 8 different analyst targets within the Zacks coverage universe contributing to that average for Fastenal Co., but the average is just that \u2014 a mathematical average. There are analysts with lower targets than the average, including one looking for a price of $42.00. And then on the other side of the spectrum one analyst has a target as high as $60.00. The standard deviation is $6.738. But the whole reason to look at the average FAST price target in the first place is to tap into a \""wisdom of crowds\"" effort, putting together the contributions of all the individual minds who contributed to the ultimate number, as opposed to what just one particular expert believes. And so with FAST crossing above that average target price of $50.62/share, investors in FAST have been given a good signal to spend fresh time assessing the company and deciding for themselves: is $50.62 just one stop on the way to an even higher target, or has the valuation gotten stretched to the point where it is time to think about taking some chips off the table? Below is a table showing the current thinking of the analysts that cover Fastenal Co.: RECENT FAST ANALYST RATINGS BREAKDOWN \u00bb Current 1 Month Ago 2 Month Ago 3 Month Ago Strong buy ratings: 2 2 1 1 Buy ratings: 0 0 0 0 Hold ratings: 8 9 7 7 Sell ratings: 0 0 0 0 Strong sell ratings: 2 2 2 2 Average rating: 2.94 2.95 3.13 3.13 The average rating presented in the last row of the above table above is from 1 to 5 where 1 is Strong Buy and 5 is Strong Sell. This article used data provided by Zacks Investment Research via Quandl.com. Get the latest Zacks research report on FAST \u2014 FREE. The Top 25 Broker Analyst Picks of the S&P 500 \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2022-09-06,50.218,50.4068,49.5524,49.9696,
FAST,2022-09-07,50.1783,50.9531,49.8951,50.7644,
FAST,2022-09-08,50.2776,50.7495,49.6617,50.3471,"Fastenal's (FAST) Average Daily Sales Surge 16.1% in August Fastenal Company FAST recently released its August sales report, wherein average daily sales grew 16.1% to $28 million, moderating sequentially. In July 2022, daily sales registered 18.1% growth, whereas the same had witnessed 9% growth in August 2021. Daily sales, on a constant currency basis, were up 16.6% last month compared with 18.7% in July 2022. Daily sales on a seasonal basis were up 1.3% compared with the company’s benchmark (historical five-year average) of 3.1% growth, which is 180 basis points (bps) below the company’s historical seasonal benchmark. Although issues like price inflation, supply-chain challenges and shortage of labor are negatively impacting its growth rate, industrial markets such as capital goods and commodities continue to gain. Shares of Fastenal gained 1.6% during the trading session on Sep 7, 2022. End-Market Perspective, Product Lines & Customers From an end-market perspective, manufacturing sales improved 23.5% for the month, reflecting a rise from 19.7% growth a year ago. Non-residential construction grew 5.8% versus a 10.1% increase reported in August 2021. The average daily sales growth rate in non-residential decelerated sequentially in August, while that of manufacturing end markets improved. Fastenal derives sales from Fasteners, Safety and other product lines. Fasteners witnessed 19.8% growth in sales last month versus 18.9% registered in the year-ago period. The monthly sales data reflects that Fasteners sales trend has remained stable. The figure was up 19.8% in July. Safety products grew 11.7% in August against a 3.8% decline in August 2021. In July 2022, safety categories improved 13.6%. Geographically, sales in the United States grew 16.5% (versus 7.2% a year ago), while Canada/Mexico grew 17.5% (versus 18.7%). Rest of World sales growth declined sequentially from up 9% to up 1.5%. In terms of customer/channel, National account daily sales growth advanced 20% in August from a year ago, given the fact that 81% of the top 100 accounts and 70.4% of public branches are expanding. Yet, non-national accounts were up 10% year over year for the month. In the year-ago period, daily sales growth in non-national accounts was down 1% year over year. Shares of the company have outperformed the industry so far this year. Although daily sales have moderated sequentially because of a potentially slower macro environment, we believe this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company is well-positioned to navigate through these challenges given the end-market demand, cost-control efforts, and aggressive investment to increase on-site locations, vending machines and e-commerce business. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. 3 Better-Ranked Retail-Wholesale Stocks Hogging the Limelight Some better-ranked stocks which warrant a look in the Zacks Retail-Wholesale sector are Tecnoglass Inc. TGLS, Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. CBRL and Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc. ARCO. Tecnoglass currently carries a Zacks Rank #1. Shares of the company have lost 13.7% year to date. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for TGLS’ 2022 sales and EPS suggests growth of 28.2% and 47.7%, respectively, from the year-ago period’s levels. Cracker Barrel presently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Cracker Barrel has a long-term earnings growth of 6.9%. Shares of the company have decreased 16.5% year to date. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Cracker Barrel’s 2022 sales and EPS suggests growth of 16.3% and 15.4%, respectively, from the year-ago period’s levels. Arcos Dorados currently carries a Zacks Rank #2. Arcos Dorados has a long-term earnings growth of 34.4%. Shares of the company have risen 26.5% year to date. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Arcos Dorados’ 2022 sales and EPS suggests growth of 27.1% and 104.2%, respectively, from the year-ago period’s levels. Special Report: The Top 5 IPOs for Your Portfolio Today, you have a chance to get in on the ground floor of one of the best investment opportunities of the year. As the world continues to benefit from an ever-evolving internet, a handful of innovative tech companies are on the brink of reaping immense rewards - and you can put yourself in a position to cash in. One is set to disrupt the online communication industry. Brilliantly designed for creating online communities, this stock is poised to explode when made public. With the strength of our economy and record amounts of cash flooding into IPOs, you don’t want to miss this opportunity. >>See Zacks’ Hottest IPOs Now Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. (CBRL): Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc. (ARCO): Free Stock Analysis Report Tecnoglass Inc. (TGLS): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2022-09-09,50.6352,51.0177,50.5061,50.8637,
FAST,2022-09-12,51.0127,51.1419,50.1087,50.4366,
FAST,2022-09-13,49.5325,49.6716,47.5457,47.7046,"Interesting FAST Put And Call Options For January 2025 Investors in Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) saw new options begin trading this week, for the January 2025 expiration. One of the key inputs that goes into the price an option buyer is willing to pay, is the time value, so with 857 days until expiration the newly trading contracts represent a potential opportunity for sellers of puts or calls to achieve a higher premium than would be available for the contracts with a closer expiration. At Stock Options Channel, our YieldBoost formula has looked up and down the FAST options chain for the new January 2025 contracts and identified one put and one call contract of particular interest. The put contract at the $42.50 strike price has a current bid of $4.10. If an investor was to sell-to-open that put contract, they are committing to purchase the stock at $42.50, but will also collect the premium, putting the cost basis of the shares at $38.40 (before broker commissions). To an investor already interested in purchasing shares of FAST, that could represent an attractive alternative to paying $49.18/share today. Because the $42.50 strike represents an approximate 14% discount to the current trading price of the stock (in other words it is out-of-the-money by that percentage), there is also the possibility that the put contract would expire worthless. The current analytical data (including greeks and implied greeks) suggest the current odds of that happening are 75%. Stock Options Channel will track those odds over time to see how they change, publishing a chart of those numbers on our website under the contract detail page for this contract. Should the contract expire worthless, the premium would represent a 9.65% return on the cash commitment, or 4.11% annualized — at Stock Options Channel we call this the YieldBoost. Below is a chart showing the trailing twelve month trading history for Fastenal Co., and highlighting in green where the $42.50 strike is located relative to that history: Turning to the calls side of the option chain, the call contract at the $55.00 strike price has a current bid of $5.10. If an investor was to purchase shares of FAST stock at the current price level of $49.18/share, and then sell-to-open that call contract as a ""covered call,"" they are committing to sell the stock at $55.00. Considering the call seller will also collect the premium, that would drive a total return (excluding dividends, if any) of 22.20% if the stock gets called away at the January 2025 expiration (before broker commissions). Of course, a lot of upside could potentially be left on the table if FAST shares really soar, which is why looking at the trailing twelve month trading history for Fastenal Co., as well as studying the business fundamentals becomes important. Below is a chart showing FAST's trailing twelve month trading history, with the $55.00 strike highlighted in red: Considering the fact that the $55.00 strike represents an approximate 12% premium to the current trading price of the stock (in other words it is out-of-the-money by that percentage), there is also the possibility that the covered call contract would expire worthless, in which case the investor would keep both their shares of stock and the premium collected. The current analytical data (including greeks and implied greeks) suggest the current odds of that happening are 52%. On our website under the contract detail page for this contract, Stock Options Channel will track those odds over time to see how they change and publish a chart of those numbers (the trading history of the option contract will also be charted). Should the covered call contract expire worthless, the premium would represent a 10.37% boost of extra return to the investor, or 4.42% annualized, which we refer to as the YieldBoost. The implied volatility in the put contract example is 38%, while the implied volatility in the call contract example is 29%. Meanwhile, we calculate the actual trailing twelve month volatility (considering the last 252 trading day closing values as well as today's price of $49.18) to be 26%. For more put and call options contract ideas worth looking at, visit StockOptionsChannel.com. Top YieldBoost Calls of the Nasdaq 100 » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2022-09-14,47.7344,47.943,47.1384,47.6053,
FAST,2022-09-15,47.6053,47.8338,46.6988,46.9198,
FAST,2022-09-16,46.4281,47.1582,46.135,47.0489,
FAST,2022-09-19,47.1264,48.251,46.8006,48.1119,"Monday 9/19 Insider Buying Report: GNTY, FAST As the saying goes, there are many possible reasons for an insider to sell a stock, but only one reason to buy -- they expect to make money. So let's look at two noteworthy recent insider buys. On Wednesday, Guaranty Bancshares' Director, Richard W. Baker, made a $259,001 buy of GNTY, purchasing 7,516 shares at a cost of $34.46 a piece. Baker was up about 2.3% on the purchase at the high point of today's trading session, with GNTY trading as high as $35.25 at last check today. Guaranty Bancshares is trading up about 0.4% on the day Monday. Before this latest buy, Baker bought GNTY at 6 other times during the past twelve months, for a total investment of $402,659 at an average of $34.44 per share. And at Fastenal, there was insider buying on Thursday, by CEO AND PRESIDENT Daniel L. Florness who purchased 5,000 shares at a cost of $47.85 each, for a total investment of $239,250. This buy marks the first one filed by Florness in the past twelve months. Fastenal is trading up about 1.8% on the day Monday. VIDEO: Monday 9/19 Insider Buying Report: GNTY, FAST The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2022-09-20,47.7245,47.804,46.4777,47.4563,"We Think Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) Can Manage Its Debt With Ease Warren Buffett famously said, 'Volatility is far from synonymous with risk.' So it seems the smart money knows that debt - which is usually involved in bankruptcies - is a very important factor, when you assess how risky a company is. We note that Fastenal Company (NASDAQ:FAST) does have debt on its balance sheet. But should shareholders be worried about its use of debt? Why Does Debt Bring Risk? Debt is a tool to help businesses grow, but if a business is incapable of paying off its lenders, then it exists at their mercy. Part and parcel of capitalism is the process of 'creative destruction' where failed businesses are mercilessly liquidated by their bankers. However, a more frequent (but still costly) occurrence is where a company must issue shares at bargain-basement prices, permanently diluting shareholders, just to shore up its balance sheet. Having said that, the most common situation is where a company manages its debt reasonably well - and to its own advantage. When we examine debt levels, we first consider both cash and debt levels, together. What Is Fastenal's Net Debt? As you can see below, at the end of June 2022, Fastenal had US$505.0m of debt, up from US$405.0m a year ago. Click the image for more detail. However, it does have US$247.9m in cash offsetting this, leading to net debt of about US$257.1m. NasdaqGS:FAST Debt to Equity History September 20th 2022 How Healthy Is Fastenal's Balance Sheet? Zooming in on the latest balance sheet data, we can see that Fastenal had liabilities of US$849.0m due within 12 months and liabilities of US$564.6m due beyond that. On the other hand, it had cash of US$247.9m and US$1.10b worth of receivables due within a year. So its liabilities outweigh the sum of its cash and (near-term) receivables by US$61.8m. This state of affairs indicates that Fastenal's balance sheet looks quite solid, as its total liabilities are just about equal to its liquid assets. So while it's hard to imagine that the US$27.8b company is struggling for cash, we still think it's worth monitoring its balance sheet. But either way, Fastenal has virtually no net debt, so it's fair to say it does not have a heavy debt load! We use two main ratios to inform us about debt levels relative to earnings. The first is net debt divided by earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA), while the second is how many times its earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) covers its interest expense (or its interest cover, for short). Thus we consider debt relative to earnings both with and without depreciation and amortization expenses. Fastenal has a low net debt to EBITDA ratio of only 0.17. And its EBIT covers its interest expense a whopping 143 times over. So we're pretty relaxed about its super-conservative use of debt. And we also note warmly that Fastenal grew its EBIT by 18% last year, making its debt load easier to handle. There's no doubt that we learn most about debt from the balance sheet. But ultimately the future profitability of the business will decide if Fastenal can strengthen its balance sheet over time. So if you're focused on the future you can check out this free report showing analyst profit forecasts. Finally, a company can only pay off debt with cold hard cash, not accounting profits. So it's worth checking how much of that EBIT is backed by free cash flow. Over the most recent three years, Fastenal recorded free cash flow worth 62% of its EBIT, which is around normal, given free cash flow excludes interest and tax. This free cash flow puts the company in a good position to pay down debt, when appropriate. Our View The good news is that Fastenal's demonstrated ability to cover its interest expense with its EBIT delights us like a fluffy puppy does a toddler. And that's just the beginning of the good news since its net debt to EBITDA is also very heartening. Looking at the bigger picture, we think Fastenal's use of debt seems quite reasonable and we're not concerned about it. While debt does bring risk, when used wisely it can also bring a higher return on equity. The balance sheet is clearly the area to focus on when you are analysing debt. However, not all investment risk resides within the balance sheet - far from it. For example, we've discovered 1 warning sign for Fastenal that you should be aware of before investing here. When all is said and done, sometimes its easier to focus on companies that don't even need debt. Readers can access a list of growth stocks with zero net debt 100% free, right now. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2022-09-21,47.9927,49.0066,47.0788,47.0788,
FAST,2022-09-22,46.9695,47.5854,46.7261,47.2774,
FAST,2022-09-23,47.1284,48.0026,46.8503,47.4066,
FAST,2022-09-26,47.2576,47.6152,46.8006,46.9893,
FAST,2022-09-27,47.198,47.3967,46.135,46.6118,"Fastenal Becomes Oversold (FAST) Legendary investor Warren Buffett advises to be fearful when others are greedy, and be greedy when others are fearful. One way we can try to measure the level of fear in a given stock is through a technical analysis indicator called the Relative Strength Index, or RSI, which measures momentum on a scale of zero to 100. A stock is considered to be oversold if the RSI reading falls below 30. In trading on Tuesday, shares of Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) entered into oversold territory, hitting an RSI reading of 29.1, after changing hands as low as $46.44 per share. By comparison, the current RSI reading of the S&P 500 ETF (SPY) is 25.1. A bullish investor could look at FAST's 29.1 RSI reading today as a sign that the recent heavy selling is in the process of exhausting itself, and begin to look for entry point opportunities on the buy side. The chart below shows the one year performance of FAST shares: Looking at the chart above, FAST's low point in its 52 week range is $45.68 per share, with $64.7465 as the 52 week high point — that compares with a last trade of $46.82. Find out what 9 other oversold stocks you need to know about » The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2022-09-28,47.0489,47.7046,46.5473,47.2774,
FAST,2022-09-29,47.0291,47.039,45.9015,46.2641,
FAST,2022-09-30,46.1151,46.3833,45.5191,45.7376,
FAST,2022-10-03,46.3436,47.4215,46.3039,47.0788,
FAST,2022-10-04,47.7344,48.1914,47.5357,48.0722,
FAST,2022-10-05,47.7145,48.2808,47.4364,47.8139,
FAST,2022-10-06,47.7742,47.9828,46.9297,47.0688,"Fastenal (FAST) Reports Next Week: Wall Street Expects Earnings Growth Wall Street expects a year-over-year increase in earnings on higher revenues when Fastenal (FAST) reports results for the quarter ended September 2022. While this widely-known consensus outlook is important in gauging the company's earnings picture, a powerful factor that could impact its near-term stock price is how the actual results compare to these estimates. The earnings report, which is expected to be released on October 13, 2022, might help the stock move higher if these key numbers are better than expectations. On the other hand, if they miss, the stock may move lower. While the sustainability of the immediate price change and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's discussion of business conditions on theearnings call it's worth handicapping the probability of a positive EPS surprise. Zacks Consensus Estimate This maker of industrial and construction fasteners is expected to post quarterly earnings of $0.48 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of +14.3%. Revenues are expected to be $1.79 billion, up 14.9% from the year-ago quarter. Estimate Revisions Trend The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has been revised 0.4% lower over the last 30 days to the current level. This is essentially a reflection of how the covering analysts have collectively reassessed their initial estimates over this period. Investors should keep in mind that an aggregate change may not always reflect the direction of estimate revisions by each of the covering analysts. Earnings Whisper Estimate revisions ahead of a company's earnings release offer clues to the business conditions for the period whose results are coming out. This insight is at the core of our proprietary surprise prediction model -- the Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction). The Zacks Earnings ESP compares the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter; the Most Accurate Estimate is a more recent version of the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate. The idea here is that analysts revising their estimates right before an earnings release have the latest information, which could potentially be more accurate than what they and others contributing to the consensus had predicted earlier. Thus, a positive or negative Earnings ESP reading theoretically indicates the likely deviation of the actual earnings from the consensus estimate. However, the model's predictive power is significant for positive ESP readings only. A positive Earnings ESP is a strong predictor of an earnings beat, particularly when combined with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold). Our research shows that stocks with this combination produce a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time, and a solid Zacks Rank actually increases the predictive power of Earnings ESP. Please note that a negative Earnings ESP reading is not indicative of an earnings miss. Our research shows that it is difficult to predict an earnings beat with any degree of confidence for stocks with negative Earnings ESP readings and/or Zacks Rank of 4 (Sell) or 5 (Strong Sell). How Have the Numbers Shaped Up for Fastenal? For Fastenal, the Most Accurate Estimate is higher than the Zacks Consensus Estimate, suggesting that analysts have recently become bullish on the company's earnings prospects. This has resulted in an Earnings ESP of +0.35%. On the other hand, the stock currently carries a Zacks Rank of #4. So, this combination makes it difficult to conclusively predict that Fastenal will beat the consensus EPS estimate. Does Earnings Surprise History Hold Any Clue? While calculating estimates for a company's future earnings, analysts often consider to what extent it has been able to match past consensus estimates. So, it's worth taking a look at the surprise history for gauging its influence on the upcoming number. For the last reported quarter, it was expected that Fastenal would post earnings of $0.50 per share when it actually produced earnings of $0.50, delivering no surprise. Over the last four quarters, the company has beaten consensus EPS estimates three times. Bottom Line An earnings beat or miss may not be the sole basis for a stock moving higher or lower. Many stocks end up losing ground despite an earnings beat due to other factors that disappoint investors. Similarly, unforeseen catalysts help a number of stocks gain despite an earnings miss. That said, betting on stocks that are expected to beat earnings expectations does increase the odds of success. This is why it's worth checking a company's Earnings ESP and Zacks Rank ahead of its quarterly release. Make sure to utilize our Earnings ESP Filter to uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they've reported. Fastenal doesn't appear a compelling earnings-beat candidate. However, investors should pay attention to other factors too for betting on this stock or staying away from it ahead of its earnings release. Stay on top of upcoming earnings announcements with the Zacks Earnings Calendar. Zacks Names ""Single Best Pick to Double"" From thousands of stocks, 5 Zacks experts each have chosen their favorite to skyrocket +100% or more in months to come. From those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all. It’s a little-known chemical company that’s up 65% over last year, yet still dirt cheap. With unrelenting demand, soaring 2022 earnings estimates, and $1.5 billion for repurchasing shares, retail investors could jump in at any time. This company could rival or surpass other recent Zacks’ Stocks Set to Double like Boston Beer Company which shot up +143.0% in little more than 9 months and NVIDIA which boomed +175.9% in one year. Free: See Our Top Stock And 4 Runners Up Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2022-10-07,46.4628,46.4628,45.3055,45.5489,
FAST,2022-10-10,45.986,46.4479,45.6482,45.8668,"Insiders Have Bought These 3 Stocks in 2022 Insider purchases are frequently closely followed by investors. After all, it's easy to see why these transactions are so significant; it's always reassuring when a well-known name invests more. Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act defines an insider as an officer, director, 10% stockholder, or anyone who has information because of their relationship with the company. Insiders are subject to a slew of rules, as one would expect. Insiders can’t trade based on material nonpublic information, they must pre-clear all trades, and all transactions of the company’s stock must occur during the Window Period; the Window Period opens on the second trading day following the company’s quarterly or annual earnings release and closes 20 days later. Further, insiders are prohibited from selling short and trading, writing, or purchasing “put” or “call” options on the company’s stock whether or not such options are traded on an exchange. Finally, insiders must disclose purchases, sales, and holdings of their company's securities by filing SEC Forms 3, 4, and 5. Insiders have purchased Adobe ADBE, Fastenal FAST, and Rocket Companies RKT shares in 2022. Below is a chart illustrating the share performance of all three companies in 2022, with the S&P 500 blended in as a benchmark. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Let’s take a deeper dive into each one. Fastenal Fastenal is a national wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies. The company distributes its products through more than 3,200 company-owned stores. Daniel Florness, CEO and President of Fastenal, purchased 5000 FAST shares in September for an overall cost of approximately $240,000. The company carries a solid growth profile; earnings are forecasted to climb 16.3% in FY22 and a further 3% in FY23. FAST’s top line is also in exceptional health, with revenue estimates calling for 15% and 3.8% growth in FY22 and FY23, respectively. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Owning FAST shares comes with several perks, and dividends are one of those; FAST’s 2.7% annual dividend yield is notably higher than its Zacks Retail and Wholesale sector average of 1.1%. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Adobe Adobe is one of the biggest software companies in the world, generating the bulk of its revenue via licensing fees from its customers. David Ricks, an Adobe Director, purchased 1200 ADBE shares in September for approximately $336,000. Daniel Durn, EVP, and CFO, also joined in on the fun, buying 3250 ADBE shares for an overall cost of roughly $936,000. ADBE shares are still rather expensive, trading at a 25.9X forward earnings multiple. However, the current value is nearly half its five-year median of 45.3X. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Rocket Companies Rocket Companies is a holding company consisting of personal finance and consumer service brands, including Rocket Mortgage, Rocket Homes, and Rocket Loans, to name a few. Jay Farner, CEO, has bought aggressively throughout 2022, now owning a massive total of roughly 4.6 million RKT shares. RKT has struggled to exceed quarterly estimates, falling short of the Zacks Consensus EPS Estimate in three consecutive quarters. Top line results have been notably stronger, with the company penciling in five revenue beats over its last eight quarters. Below is a chart illustrating the company’s revenue on a quarterly basis. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Bottom Line Insider buys are widely followed by investors and for valid reasons. If an insider buys, it could only mean one thing – they expect shares to move upwards. While price action in 2022 has been primarily disheartening, insiders of all three companies – Fastenal FAST, Adobe ADBE, and Rocket Companies RKT – have been on the offensive, buying shares at a discount. Still, investors need to know that insiders have a much longer holding horizon than most. 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days Just released: Experts distill 7 elite stocks from the current list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buys. They deem these tickers ""Most Likely for Early Price Pops."" Since 1988, the full list has beaten the market more than 2X over with an average gain of +24.8% per year. So be sure to give these hand-picked 7 your immediate attention. See them now >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Adobe Inc. (ADBE): Free Stock Analysis Report Rocket Companies, Inc. (RKT): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2022-10-11,45.8866,46.6118,45.5886,46.0754,
FAST,2022-10-12,46.2244,46.6615,45.3204,45.37,"[""Pre-Market Earnings Report for October 13, 2022 : BLK, PGR, TSM, WBA, FAST, DAL, DPZ, INFY, CMC The following companies are expected to report earnings prior to market open on 10/13/2022. Visit our Earnings Calendar for a full list of expected earnings releases. BlackRock, Inc. (BLK)is reporting for the quarter ending September 30, 2022. The finance/investment management company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 5 analysts that follow the stock is $7.73. This value represents a 29.41% decrease compared to the same quarter last year. BLK missed the consensus earnings per share in the 2nd calendar quarter of 2022 by -7.3%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2022 Price to Earnings ratio for BLK is 16.24 vs. an industry ratio of 9.10, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Progressive Corporation (PGR)is reporting for the quarter ending September 30, 2022. The insurance (property & casualty) company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 8 analysts that follow the stock is $1.24. This value represents a 785.71% increase compared to the same quarter last year. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2022 Price to Earnings ratio for PGR is 26.84 vs. an industry ratio of 17.20, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd. (TSM)is reporting for the quarter ending September 30, 2022. The semi fab foundry company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 3 analysts that follow the stock is $1.69. This value represents a 56.48% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year TSM has beat the expectations every quarter. The highest one was in the 2nd calendar quarter where they beat the consensus by 3.33%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2022 Price to Earnings ratio for TSM is 10.20 vs. an industry ratio of 10.20, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (WBA)is reporting for the quarter ending August 31, 2022. The drug store company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 9 analysts that follow the stock is $0.78. This value represents a 33.33% decrease compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year WBA has beat the expectations every quarter. The highest one was in the 2nd calendar quarter where they beat the consensus by 1.05%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2022 Price to Earnings ratio for WBA is 6.50 vs. an industry ratio of 5.20, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Fastenal Company (FAST)is reporting for the quarter ending September 30, 2022. The building company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 6 analysts that follow the stock is $0.48. This value represents a 14.29% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year FAST has met analyst expectations once and beat the expectations the other three quarters. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2022 Price to Earnings ratio for FAST is 24.94 vs. an industry ratio of 11.90, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Delta Air Lines, Inc. (DAL)is reporting for the quarter ending September 30, 2022. The airline company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 12 analysts that follow the stock is $1.56. This value represents a 420.00% increase compared to the same quarter last year. DAL missed the consensus earnings per share in the 2nd calendar quarter of 2022 by -15.79%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2022 Price to Earnings ratio for DAL is 10.72 vs. an industry ratio of 4.20, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Domino's Pizza Inc (DPZ)is reporting for the quarter ending September 30, 2022. The restaurant company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 11 analysts that follow the stock is $2.95. This value represents a 8.95% decrease compared to the same quarter last year. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2022 Price to Earnings ratio for DPZ is 24.34 vs. an industry ratio of -3.20, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Infosys Limited (INFY)is reporting for the quarter ending September 30, 2022. The information technology services company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 6 analysts that follow the stock is $0.18. This value represents a 5.88% increase compared to the same quarter last year. The last two quarters INFY had negative earnings surprises; the latest report they missed by -11.11%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2023 Price to Earnings ratio for INFY is 23.79 vs. an industry ratio of 12.00, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Commercial Metals Company (CMC)is reporting for the quarter ending August 31, 2022. The steel company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 2 analysts that follow the stock is $2.23. This value represents a 76.98% increase compared to the same quarter last year. CMC missed the consensus earnings per share in the 3rd calendar quarter of 2021 by -8.7%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2022 Price to Earnings ratio for CMC is 5.03 vs. an industry ratio of 3.00, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""What's in the Cards for Fastenal (FAST) in Q3 Earnings? Fastenal Company FAST is scheduled to report third-quarter 2022 results on Oct 13, before the opening bell. In the last reported quarter, earnings came in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate but revenues missed the same. Earnings and revenues increased 19.7% and 18% from the year-ago figures, respectively. Fastenal\u2019s earnings topped the consensus mark in the last four quarters, with the average being 4%. Trend in Estimate Revision For the quarter to be reported, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings per share has remained unchanged at 48 cents over the past 60 days. The estimated figure indicates 14.3% growth from the year-ago level. The consensus mark for revenues is pegged at $1.79 billion, suggesting a 14.9% increase from the year-ago reported figure of $1.55 billion. Fastenal Company Price and EPS Surprise Fastenal Company price-eps-surprise | Fastenal Company Quote Key Factors to Note Sales: Higher manufacturing and non-residential construction demand are expected to have generated higher sales on a year-over-year basis (although at a moderate level) for this national wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies. If we go by the latest monthly sales report, August\u2019s average daily sales grew 16.1% to $28 million, moderating sequentially. In July 2022, daily sales registered 18.1% growth, whereas the same had witnessed 9% growth in August 2021. The company has been navigating well through issues like price inflation, supply chain challenges and a shortage of labor. It has been gaining from all product categories, end markets and customers. In terms of end markets/products/customers, in August and July, manufacturing sales improved 23.5% and 22.7% from the respective year-ago months. Non-residential construction grew 5.8% and 8.8% for August and July 2022, respectively. Fastener sales were up 19.8% in August (compared with a 19.8% increase in July 2022). Safety sales increased 11.7% in August compared with 13.6% growth in July. In terms of customer channel, national accounts were up 20% year over year in August (compared with a 23% increase in July), while non-national accounts grew 10% (compared with a 12% rise in July 2022). The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the company\u2019s overall daily sales is pegged at $27.9 million, which indicates an increase from $27.8 million reported in the prior quarter and $24.3 million a year ago. Margins: Inflationary pressure has been a cause of concern. The company highlighted that it has been experiencing significant material cost inflation, particularly for steel, fuel and transportation. The company has been experiencing the adverse effects of tightening global and domestic supply chains. However, Fastenal has been successfully raising prices to offset inflationary pressure. The company has been undertaking additional steps to counter cost pressure and incremental tariffs, which are expected to reflect on the bottom line. What the Zacks Model Unveils Our proven model does not conclusively predict an earnings beat for FAST this time around. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), #2 (Buy) or #3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat. This is not the case here, as you will see below. You can see the complete list of today\u2019s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Earnings ESP: The company has an Earnings ESP of 0.00%. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they\u2019re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter. Zacks Rank: Currently, Fastenal carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). Stocks With the Favorable Combination Here are some companies which, according to our model, have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat in their respective quarters to be reported. PulteGroup, Inc. PHM has an Earnings ESP of +1.75% and a Zacks Rank #3. PHM\u2019s earnings topped the consensus mark thrice but missed the same on one occasion, with the average surprise being 5.6%. Earnings for the to-be-reported quarter are expected to increase 51.7% year over year. Boise Cascade Company BCC has an Earnings ESP of +3.29% and a Zacks Rank #1. BCC\u2019s earnings topped the consensus mark in all the last four quarters, with the average being 27.1%. Earnings for the to-be-reported quarter are expected to increase 92.6% year over year. KBR, Inc. KBR has an Earnings ESP of +1.60% and a Zacks Rank #3. KBR\u2019s earnings topped the consensus mark in all the last four quarters, with the average being 11.5%. Earnings for the to-be-reported quarter are expected to decline 1.6% year over year. Stay on top of upcoming earnings announcements with the Zacks Earnings Calendar. 5 Stocks Set to Double Each was handpicked by a Zacks expert as the #1 favorite stock to gain +100% or more in 2021. Previous recommendations have soared +143.0%, +175.9%, +498.3% and +673.0%. Most of the stocks in this report are flying under Wall Street radar, which provides a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor. Today, See These 5 Potential Home Runs >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report PulteGroup, Inc. (PHM): Free Stock Analysis Report KBR, Inc. (KBR): Free Stock Analysis Report Boise Cascade, L.L.C. (BCC): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2022-10-13,43.7706,47.347,43.4428,46.4827,"[""Fastenal (FAST) Shares Rise on Q3 Earnings & Revenue Beat Fastenal Company FAST reported third-quarter 2022 results, wherein earnings and revenues topped the respective Zacks Consensus Estimate. The company\u2019s top and bottom lines also improved on a year-over-year basis, given the strong demand in markets associated with industrial capital goods and commodities. Fastenal\u2019s shares gained 2.2% in the pre-market trading session on Oct 13 after it reported third-quarter 2022 results. Earnings & Sales in Detail The company reported earnings of 50 cents per share, which beat the consensus mark of 48 cents and rose 17.4% from the year-ago period. Net sales totaled $1,802.4 million, beating the consensus mark of $1,785 million and increasing 16% from the year-ago figure of $1,554.2 million. Daily sales grew 16% year over year in the quarter. The company reported daily sales of $27.8 million, reflecting an increase of 18% year over year, in the reported quarter. The upside was mainly due to higher unit sales owing to good demand from industrial capital goods and commodities, which offset softer markets tied to consumer goods and relatively lower growth in construction. The foreign exchange adversely impacted sales by 60 basis points (bps). On a monthly basis, daily sales improved 13.7%, 16.1% and 18.1% in September, August and July, respectively, year over year. Daily sales of Fastener products (mainly used for industrial production and accounting for approximately 34.1% of third-quarter sales) rose 18.2% year over year. Sales of safety products (accounting for 20.5% of third-quarter sales) grew 12.4% on a daily basis. Sales of the remaining products (accounting for 45.4% of third-quarter sales) grew 15.4% year over year. On the end-market basis, daily sales of Manufacturing (accounting for approximately 72.9% of third-quarter sales) rose 22.6% year over year. Sales of Non-residential construction (accounting for 10.2% of third-quarter sales) grew 5.2% on a daily basis. Sales of Other (accounting for 16.9% of third-quarter sales) declined 1.4% year over year. Fastenal Company Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Fastenal Company price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Fastenal Company Quote Vending Trends & Other Growth Drivers Fastenal signed 86 new Onsite locations during the quarter. As of Sep 30, 2022, the company had 1,567 active sites, up 14.6% from the year-ago period. Daily sales through Onsite locations (excluding sales transferred from branches to new Onsites) increased more than 20% from a year ago. The company continues to expect 375-400 annual Onsite signings in 2022. Daily sales through weighted FMI devices grew 29.8% for the third quarter and represented 36.9% of net sales. Daily sales to national account customers (representing 58% of total quarterly revenues) increased 20.8% on a year-over-year basis for third-quarter 2022. Daily sales to non-national account customers (which include government customers and represent 42% of total quarterly revenues) rose 9.9% from the prior-year quarter. Margins A gross margin of 45.9% for the reported quarter was down from 46.3% a year ago. This was due to product and customer mix, unfavorable price/cost, and FAST had a $3.4 write-down in the value of certain gloves in inventory. The operating margin improved 50 bps to 21% from 20.5% a year ago. Financials Cash and cash equivalents were $231.5 million as of Sep 30, 2022, down from $236.2 million on Dec 31, 2021. The long-term debt at the quarter-end was $404.7 million, up from $330 million at 2021-end. During the reported quarter, FAST returned $272.8 million to its shareholders in the form of $177.5 million worth of dividends and $95.3 million worth of share repurchases. For the first nine months of 2022, cash provided by operating activities totaled $639.1 million, up from $613.7 million in the year-ago period. Zacks Rank Fastenal currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today\u2019s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Stocks in Broader Sector Some better-ranked stocks from the Zacks Retail-Wholesale sector include Builders FirstSource, Inc. BLDR, Yum China Holdings, Inc. YUMC and Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. SFM. Builders FirstSource presently sports a Zacks Rank #1. Shares of BLDR have risen 10.6% in the past year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for BLDR\u2019s 2022 earnings per share (EPS) has moved north to $15.86 from $15.22 over the past 60 days. The estimated figure suggests 53.7% year-over-year growth. Yum China carries a Zacks Rank #2. Yum China has a long-term earnings growth of 10%. Shares of the company have declined 24.8% in the past year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Yum China's 2023 sales and EPS suggests growth of 19.9% and 85.5%, respectively, from the year-ago period\u2019s levels. Sprouts Farmers Market currently carries a Zacks Rank #2. The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 15.6%, on average. Shares of the company have increased 22.4% in the past year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Sprouts Farmers Market\u2019s 2023 sales and EPS suggests growth of 5.9% and 7.9%, respectively, from the year-ago period\u2019s levels. Zacks Names \""Single Best Pick to Double\"" From thousands of stocks, 5 Zacks experts each have chosen their favorite to skyrocket +100% or more in months to come. From those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all. It\u2019s a little-known chemical company that\u2019s up 65% over last year, yet still dirt cheap. With unrelenting demand, soaring 2022 earnings estimates, and $1.5 billion for repurchasing shares, retail investors could jump in at any time. This company could rival or surpass other recent Zacks\u2019 Stocks Set to Double like Boston Beer Company which shot up +143.0% in little more than 9 months and NVIDIA which boomed +175.9% in one year. Free: See Our Top Stock And 4 Runners Up Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Builders FirstSource, Inc. (BLDR): Free Stock Analysis Report Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (SFM): Free Stock Analysis Report Yum China (YUMC): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal (FAST) Surpasses Q3 Earnings and Revenue Estimates Fastenal (FAST) came out with quarterly earnings of $0.50 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.48 per share. This compares to earnings of $0.42 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items. This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of 4.17%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this maker of industrial and construction fasteners would post earnings of $0.50 per share when it actually produced earnings of $0.50, delivering no surprise. Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates three times. Fastenal, which belongs to the Zacks Building Products - Retail industry, posted revenues of $1.8 billion for the quarter ended September 2022, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 0.96%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $1.55 billion. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates three times over the last four quarters. The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call. Fastenal shares have lost about 28.7% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's decline of -25%. What's Next for Fastenal? While Fastenal has underperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock? There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately. Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions. Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for Fastenal: mixed. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to perform in line with the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. It will be interesting to see how estimates for the coming quarters and current fiscal year change in the days ahead. The current consensus EPS estimate is $0.42 on $1.65 billion in revenues for the coming quarter and $1.86 on $6.92 billion in revenues for the current fiscal year. Investors should be mindful of the fact that the outlook for the industry can have a material impact on the performance of the stock as well. In terms of the Zacks Industry Rank, Building Products - Retail is currently in the top 29% of the 250 plus Zacks industries. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1. Builders FirstSource (BLDR), another stock in the same industry, has yet to report results for the quarter ended September 2022. This construction supply company is expected to post quarterly earnings of $3.59 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of +5.9%. The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has been revised 3.7% lower over the last 30 days to the current level. Builders FirstSource's revenues are expected to be $5.27 billion, down 4.3% from the year-ago quarter. Zacks Names \""Single Best Pick to Double\"" From thousands of stocks, 5 Zacks experts each have chosen their favorite to skyrocket +100% or more in months to come. From those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all. It\u2019s a little-known chemical company that\u2019s up 65% over last year, yet still dirt cheap. With unrelenting demand, soaring 2022 earnings estimates, and $1.5 billion for repurchasing shares, retail investors could jump in at any time. This company could rival or surpass other recent Zacks\u2019 Stocks Set to Double like Boston Beer Company which shot up +143.0% in little more than 9 months and NVIDIA which boomed +175.9% in one year. Free: See Our Top Stock And 4 Runners Up Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Builders FirstSource, Inc. (BLDR): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Q3 22 Earnings Conference Call At 10:00 AM ET (RTTNews) - Fastenal Co. (FAST) will host a conference call at 10:00 AM ET on Oct. 13, 2022, to discuss Q3 22 earnings results. To access the live webcast, log on to https://investor.fastenal.com/events-and-presentations/default.aspx The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2022-10-14,46.4827,46.6416,43.4527,43.5819,"Cybersecurity Threats: What's Old Is New Again W hen people think about cybersecurity, they think about, to use a technical term, “super high-tech stuff,” including powerful computers, complex programming code and all kinds of gadgets that would make James Bond’s Quartermaster (“Q”) jealous. While all these things may be true, let’s step back a little and break things down to their basic elements. Cybersecurity is all about maintaining the integrity of underlying data, the process of securely sending and receiving a message, protecting the messenger and the message itself. This is something that has been happening since before the pyramids were built in ancient Egypt. Fundamentally, it’s the same thing. Is there trust that the originator of the message hasn’t been compromised through bribery or other coercion? Is the messenger trustworthy? Has the messenger been coopted in some way to divulge the contents of the message to unknow parties, or been tricked into delivering a different message? Similarly, is the receiver of the message the right recipient? All these ancient, analog situations have their modern-day digital equivalents. In this article, we will look at some of these types of attacks, defenses to those attacks and some of the companies that help facilitate those defenses. Protecting The Message Source Back in the days of file cabinets, this wasn’t as much of an issue but in the digital age, the sheer amount of data housed in company and government databases and the relative ease with which it can be transferred once accessed is astounding. This is where you see most of the offensive and defensive activity in the cybersecurity industry. State sponsored groups like Russia backed “Cozy Bear” or “Fancy Bear,” North Korea sponsored “Lazarus Group,” China assisted “Double Dragon,” or Iran’s collective known as “Helix Kitten” have been behind an increasing number of attacks. Not to be outdone, there is a group known as the “Equation Group” that has been tied to the U.S.’s National Security Agency (NSA) and has been billed as one of the most sophisticated cyber-attack groups in the world by Kaspersky Labs. Private groups like Lapsu$ and Killnet are in it strictly for the money, usually via ransomware attacks and leave the ideology for others. On the other side of this equation are companies like South Korean based Ahnlab Inc (local ticker 053800), Israel based Check Point Software (CHKP), and U.S. based Crowdstrike (CRWD). These companies provide a full suite of products and services to clients that range from basic email attachment screening to network traffic monitoring to deploying so called Red and Blue (and Purple, Yellow, and White) teams to do real-time, real-world network penetration testing. Red Teams are White Hat (friendly) groups set up to break into systems anyway they can. This may include social engineering though a phishing campaign or even calling employees directly to glean whatever information they can to help them figure out passwords or other ways to access systems. Blue teams run defense against Red Teams. Purple teams serve as high level review of Red and Blue team activities. Yellow teams are composed of any number of programmers, application designers or software engineers that can really get into the nuts and bolts of why vulnerabilities exist and how best to eliminate them. White Teams work to oversee penetration testing efforts, set and manage the scope of the exercises. You may have heard about Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks. The analog version of these types of attack is best described as setting up a flash mob to put so many uninterested customers in a brick-and-mortar store that the store ceases to be able to function. How this happens in the digital world is hackers spend time developing a network of machines they have under their control through tricking users into downloading viruses while they grab things like “Free Emoji Packs” and other seemingly innocuous items online. Hackers then use those controlled (“PWND”) machines to generate requests to a victim’s website at such a pace that the website simply can’t handle the number of requests and stops working. For a commercial website, this type of attack can be devastating. Companies like Splunk Inc (SPLK) have made a name for themselves in the cybersecurity space by getting really good at handling extremely large amounts of data. Remember when we used to talk about “Big Data” and how difficult it was to manage? Splunk was there from the beginning and built their company on their ability to not just manage data but collect and process it as well. In offering protection against DDoS attacks, Splunk works to capture and examine website traffic to determine what is real and what is generated by zombie machines or bots. To be clear, this happens in real-time, not after the fact. Protecting the Message Route Again, back in the analog days of old, the path a messenger took could determine not just how quickly the message got delivered but also how much danger the messenger might find themselves in as they travelled through certain areas. The decentralized nature of the internet means that communications between computers route themselves through the easiest (fastest) route possible. Web users can open up a DOS prompt and run what is known as a traceroute to find out how many nodes, or “hops” your request was being routed through. Back before companies like Fastly (FAST) and Akamai Technologies (AKAM) began to keep geographically local copies of websites, there would be a larger number of hops before the website target was found. The randomness of that message path opens possibilities of what is known as a Man-In-The-Middle (MITM) attack where messages are observed or hijacked on their way to their final destination. Let’s talk about that final destination. When you type a website address into your browser, your computer takes what you recognize and translates it into something that it recognizes, which is the IP address of that site. This works the same way that you can tell an online map service to find Times Square, it will look up the following coordinates (40°45'27.83"" N -73°59'8.55"" W) and match them with a human readable table to show you “Times Square” instead of GPS coordinates. This lookup table is known as Domain Name Services (DNS) and serves to act as the official guide for anyone trying to navigate to a website using the Universal Resource Locator (URL), or web address. If hackers were to gain control of a DNS or be able to route users to their own DNS they could direct users to fake websites posing as legitimate as they could map a URL like www.bankofamerica.com to their own version of that site, sit back and gather account credentials at will. Companies like Versign (VRSN) and Cloudflare (NET) work to maintain accurate DNS and keep their respective mapping lists safe from interference. One other aspect of what Cloudflare does crosses over from cybersecurity into the next area we will cover, data privacy and digital identity. Protecting the Messenger/Message Destination Once more, back in the analog days of old, protecting the identity of the messenger was sometimes critical to getting the message delivered as well as the message itself. There are any number of DNS mappings that are in use. Every Internet Service Provider (ISP) maintains their own. In doing so, they not only can expedite those requests, but they also have the record of when and where their customers go online. Cloudflare offers a free anonymous DNS service that can be used by anyone who wants to keep their browsing habits to themselves. Setting up the service can be done either through your favorite browser, or if you are comfortable with the technology, at your home router so everything automatically gets routed away from your ISP. If you are tired of seeing ads for lawn chairs three months after you do one innocuous search, then Cloudflare’s solution might be worth looking into. These days, the messenger also acts as the destination as it is through users’ computers, cellphones and laptops that they make requests to websites. In that regard, companies like Norton Lifelock (NLOK) work to protect both customers’ devices as well as their personal information. Microsoft (MSFT) is another company that also provides a robust suite of protections with its Microsoft Defender platform that is an integrated part of the Windows operating system. One simple thing users can do is create strong passwords. Private company Hive Systems has done some great research on password effectiveness where they have figured out that while using numbers, upper and lower case letter and symbols is helpful in creating better passwords, adding more characters does more for the strength of your password than anything else. For example, an 8-character password with all those character types would take about 39 minutes to crack. Up that to 11 characters and you’re looking at 34 years. 14 characters? How about 16 million years? Above 14 characters will get you into billions and even trillions of years to break, depending on how far you want to go. Wrapping It Up As we said in the beginning, cybersecurity can be a very complicated thing to try and understand. One way to overcome that complexity, as with just about any technology, is to remember that fundamentally, the new tech is just doing what the old tech always did, just a little differently. If you can understand the basic fundamentals of what’s going on, it will be easier to figure it all out. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2022-10-17,44.4362,45.8966,44.3766,45.7972,
FAST,2022-10-18,46.6615,47.4761,46.5224,47.1682,"[""Tuesday 10/18 Insider Buying Report: FAST, BANF Bargain hunters are wise to pay careful attention to insider buying, because although there are many various reasons for an insider to sell a stock, presumably the only reason they would use their hard-earned cash to make a purchase, is that they expect to make money. Today we look at two noteworthy recent insider buys. At Fastenal, a filing with the SEC revealed that on Friday, Stephen L. Eastman purchased 1,000 shares of FAST, at a cost of $43.88 each, for a total investment of $43,885. Eastman was up about 8.9% on the buy at the high point of today's trading session, with FAST trading as high as $47.79 in trading on Tuesday. Fastenal is trading up about 2.9% on the day Tuesday. This purchase marks the first one filed by Eastman in the past twelve months. And on Tuesday, Executive Vice President Darryl Schmidt purchased $36,400 worth of BancFirst, purchasing 397 shares at a cost of $91.67 each. This purchase marks the first one filed by Schmidt in the past year. BancFirst is trading up about 2% on the day Tuesday. So far Schmidt is in the green, up about 4.6% on their purchase based on today's trading high of $95.92. VIDEO: Tuesday 10/18 Insider Buying Report: FAST, BANF The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Why MongoDB, Okta, and Fastly Rose More Than the Markets Today What happened Shares of enterprise software companies MongoDB (NASDAQ: MDB), Okta (NASDAQ: OKTA), and Fastly (NASDAQ: FAST) rose more than the market today, starting the day up in the high single digits before retreating to lower gains of 2.6%, 3.5%, and 4.1%, respectively, as of 1:25 p.m. ET. There wasn't much in the way of new news today from any of these companies, but the overall enterprise software sector appears to be gaining favor after nearly a year of brutal declines. Some investors may also be anticipating a recession next year and therefore the end of interest rate increases in the months ahead. Some may believe a slower economy could actually benefit mission-critical enterprise software stocks, which have recurring revenue and long-term growth prospects. In addition, MongoDB received an upgrade from an analyst today, perhaps adding to its bounce. So what Analyst Alex Haissl at Redburn, who had been a pessimist on MongoDB with a \""sell\"" rating, upgraded MongoDB today to a less-antagonistic \""neutral\"" rating. This is likely due to MongoDB's significant fall in price this year as interest rates have risen rapidly, harming the valuation of high-growth stocks. Of note, Haissl still has fundamental concerns, like the persistent lack of profitability and the uncertainty around what ultimate margins will be. MongoDB is a disruptor in the database market, for sure, but in the tech world, things can change very fast, and incumbents can fight back. Yet with MongoDB's valuation now below the 2020 lows at 11.7 times sales, down from over 45 times sales in 2021, Haissl doesn't see as much downside ahead. MDB PS Ratio data by YCharts. Okta, which makes identity-as-a-service software, and Fastly, which makes content management delivery software, have also seen huge declines over the past year. Like MongoDB, each digital-focused company thrived during the pandemic as workers and consumers depended more heavily on fast, secure remote connections. However, as growth has slowed on the other side of economic reopening, and as interest rates have risen, both stocks have plummeted, down 82% and 80%, respectively, over the past year. After such large declines, it appears investors now believe some of these bombed-out growth stocks have fallen far enough. Long-term bond yields as defined by the 10-year Treasury bond yield, while not declining, seem to be stabilizing around 4%. As long as long-term bond yields don't continue increasing, unprofitable growth stocks could find their footing here. Now what Is this recent multi-day rally in growth tech stocks the end of the bear market or just another rally that will fizzle out? It's really impossible to say, as there is so much uncertainty out there around the path of interest rates, geopolitics, and company-specific factors in the fast-changing technology landscape. After all, just because a stock is down 80% doesn't mean it can't go down 90%, in which case those who bought after an 80% decline would still see a 50% haircut. On the other hand, the long-term trends toward cloud-based infrastructure and the use of massive amounts of data to inform enterprise decision-making should remain powerful secular forces. While there has been some giveback as the economy has emerged from the pandemic, digitization of the economy should be here to stay. Therefore, investors may want to start making a list of their favorite tech stocks to buy after the massive sell-off. While many tech stocks never made it back to their prior highs after the dot-com bust, others such as Amazon.com went on to become 100-baggers. While it may or may not be the case for these three stocks, the current tech bust could yield some similar opportunities. 10 stocks we like better than MongoDB When our award-winning analyst team has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.* They just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and MongoDB wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of September 30, 2022 John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Billy Duberstein has positions in Amazon. His clients may own shares of the companies mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Amazon, MongoDB, and Okta. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2022-10-19,46.8999,47.0092,45.2161,45.7774,
FAST,2022-10-20,45.9264,45.9562,44.6051,45.0522,
FAST,2022-10-21,45.0223,45.8668,44.8038,45.7873,"[""First Week of December 16th Options Trading For Fastenal Co. (FAST) Investors in Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) saw new options begin trading this week, for the December 16th expiration. At Stock Options Channel, our YieldBoost formula has looked up and down the FAST options chain for the new December 16th contracts and identified one put and one call contract of particular interest. The put contract at the $45.00 strike price has a current bid of $1.95. If an investor was to sell-to-open that put contract, they are committing to purchase the stock at $45.00, but will also collect the premium, putting the cost basis of the shares at $43.05 (before broker commissions). To an investor already interested in purchasing shares of FAST, that could represent an attractive alternative to paying $45.43/share today. Because the $45.00 strike represents an approximate 1% discount to the current trading price of the stock (in other words it is out-of-the-money by that percentage), there is also the possibility that the put contract would expire worthless. The current analytical data (including greeks and implied greeks) suggest the current odds of that happening are 54%. Stock Options Channel will track those odds over time to see how they change, publishing a chart of those numbers on our website under the contract detail page for this contract. Should the contract expire worthless, the premium would represent a 4.33% return on the cash commitment, or 28.22% annualized \u2014 at Stock Options Channel we call this the YieldBoost. Below is a chart showing the trailing twelve month trading history for Fastenal Co., and highlighting in green where the $45.00 strike is located relative to that history: Turning to the calls side of the option chain, the call contract at the $47.50 strike price has a current bid of $1.20. If an investor was to purchase shares of FAST stock at the current price level of $45.43/share, and then sell-to-open that call contract as a \""covered call,\"" they are committing to sell the stock at $47.50. Considering the call seller will also collect the premium, that would drive a total return (excluding dividends, if any) of 7.20% if the stock gets called away at the December 16th expiration (before broker commissions). Of course, a lot of upside could potentially be left on the table if FAST shares really soar, which is why looking at the trailing twelve month trading history for Fastenal Co., as well as studying the business fundamentals becomes important. Below is a chart showing FAST's trailing twelve month trading history, with the $47.50 strike highlighted in red: Considering the fact that the $47.50 strike represents an approximate 5% premium to the current trading price of the stock (in other words it is out-of-the-money by that percentage), there is also the possibility that the covered call contract would expire worthless, in which case the investor would keep both their shares of stock and the premium collected. The current analytical data (including greeks and implied greeks) suggest the current odds of that happening are 65%. On our website under the contract detail page for this contract, Stock Options Channel will track those odds over time to see how they change and publish a chart of those numbers (the trading history of the option contract will also be charted). Should the covered call contract expire worthless, the premium would represent a 2.64% boost of extra return to the investor, or 17.20% annualized, which we refer to as the YieldBoost. The implied volatility in the put contract example is 35%, while the implied volatility in the call contract example is 32%. Meanwhile, we calculate the actual trailing twelve month volatility (considering the last 252 trading day closing values as well as today's price of $45.43) to be 28%. For more put and call options contract ideas worth looking at, visit StockOptionsChannel.com. Top YieldBoost Calls of the Nasdaq 100 \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Watsco (WSO) Shares Dip 3.2% on Q3 Earnings Miss, Sales Top Watsco, Inc.\u2019s WSO shares slipped 3.2% on Oct 20, after it reported third-quarter 2022 results, wherein the company\u2019s earnings missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate but sales beat the same. Nonetheless, the company achieved higher sales and profitability reflecting normalized residential HVAC equipment volumes, effective price realization, a continued shift toward higher-efficiency HVAC equipment and expansion in sales of other higher-margin HVAC products. Looking ahead, Watsco\u2019s chairman and CEO, Albert H. Nahmad, said, \u201cWe remain optimistic given our healthy balance sheet and Watsco\u2019s ability to make additional investments to grow our network and expand our leadership position. To that end, the new regulatory framework and tax incentives affecting our industry provide long-term growth benefits for contractors and energy savings for homeowners.\u201d Watsco, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Watsco, Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Watsco, Inc. Quote Inside the Numbers Watsco reported quarterly earnings of $4.03 per share, which lagged the consensus mark of $4.39 by 8.2% but increased 11% year over year on solid quarterly sales. Total sales of $2.04 billion topped the consensus mark of $2.03 million by 0.5% and increased 14% from the year-ago quarter\u2019s levels. The upside was primarily driven by strong performance across geographies and product categories backed by solid unit growth, higher selling prices, a richer mix of high-efficiency systems and technology-driven gains in market share. Sales of HVAC equipment (heating, ventilating and air conditioning; comprising 69% of sales) were up 13% year over year. Sales of other HVAC products (27% of sales) also increased 15% from the prior-year quarter\u2019s levels. Sales from commercial refrigeration products (4% of sales) rose 18% year over year. Operating Highlights Gross margin remained flat year over year at 27.1%. SG&A expenses, as a percentage of sales, grew to 15.8% and remained unchanged from the year-ago level. The operating margin also remained flat year over year at 11.6%. Financial Operations As of Sep 30, 2022, cash and cash equivalents were $130.2 million compared with $118.3 million at 2021-end. Cash provided by operations came in at $358.9 million for the first nine months of 2022 compared with $319.7 million a year ago. Zacks Rank Currently, Watsco carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today\u2019s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Some Recent Construction Releases Acuity Brands, Inc. AYI reported solid fourth-quarter fiscal 2022 results. The top and bottom lines surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate and increased on a year-over-year basis. AYI\u2019s solid performance was backed by strong demand across the end markets, along with price increases and product and productivity improvement. RPM International Inc. RPM reported impressive results in first-quarter fiscal 2023 (ended Aug 31, 2022), with earnings and sales surpassing their respective Zacks Consensus Estimate and increasing on a year-over-year basis. RPM\u2019s quarterly performance was driven by the continued implementation of MAP operational improvement initiatives, double-digit sales growth across the segments, strong pricing offset, supply-chain woes, cost inflation, macroeconomic challenges and foreign exchange headwinds. Fastenal Company FAST reported third-quarter 2022 results, wherein earnings and revenues topped the respective Zacks Consensus Estimate. FAST\u2019s top and bottom lines improved on a year-over-year basis, given the strong demand in markets associated with industrial capital goods and commodities. Zacks Names \""Single Best Pick to Double\"" From thousands of stocks, 5 Zacks experts each have chosen their favorite to skyrocket +100% or more in months to come. From those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all. It\u2019s a little-known chemical company that\u2019s up 65% over last year, yet still dirt cheap. With unrelenting demand, soaring 2022 earnings estimates, and $1.5 billion for repurchasing shares, retail investors could jump in at any time. This company could rival or surpass other recent Zacks\u2019 Stocks Set to Double like Boston Beer Company which shot up +143.0% in little more than 9 months and NVIDIA which boomed +175.9% in one year. Free: See Our Top Stock and 4 Runners Up >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Watsco, Inc. (WSO): Free Stock Analysis Report RPM International Inc. (RPM): Free Stock Analysis Report Acuity Brands Inc (AYI): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2022-10-24,46.2145,46.7311,45.9313,46.4827,"[""Ex-Dividend Reminder: Coca-Cola Consolidated, Fastenal and PNM Resources Looking at the universe of stocks we cover at Dividend Channel, on 10/26/22, Coca-Cola Consolidated Inc (Symbol: COKE), Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST), and PNM Resources Inc (Symbol: PNM) will all trade ex-dividend for their respective upcoming dividends. Coca-Cola Consolidated Inc will pay its quarterly dividend of $0.25 on 11/10/22, Fastenal Co. will pay its quarterly dividend of $0.31 on 11/23/22, and PNM Resources Inc will pay its quarterly dividend of $0.3475 on 11/10/22. As a percentage of COKE's recent stock price of $448.49, this dividend works out to approximately 0.06%, so look for shares of Coca-Cola Consolidated Inc to trade 0.06% lower \u2014 all else being equal \u2014 when COKE shares open for trading on 10/26/22. Similarly, investors should look for FAST to open 0.67% lower in price and for PNM to open 0.75% lower, all else being equal. Below are dividend history charts for COKE, FAST, and PNM, showing historical dividends prior to the most recent ones declared. Coca-Cola Consolidated Inc (Symbol: COKE): Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST): PNM Resources Inc (Symbol: PNM): In general, dividends are not always predictable, following the ups and downs of company profits over time. Therefore, a good first due diligence step in forming an expectation of annual yield going forward, is looking at the history above, for a sense of stability over time. This can help in judging whether the most recent dividends from these companies are likely to continue. If they do continue, the current estimated yields on annualized basis would be 0.22% for Coca-Cola Consolidated Inc, 2.67% for Fastenal Co., and 3.01% for PNM Resources Inc. In Monday trading, Coca-Cola Consolidated Inc shares are currently up about 0.9%, Fastenal Co. shares are up about 0.7%, and PNM Resources Inc shares are up about 0.3% on the day. Click here to learn which 25 S.A.F.E. dividend stocks should be on your radar screen \u00bb The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Lowe's (LOW) Digital Division and Pro Business Augur Well Lowe's Companies, Inc. LOW is well-positioned to capitalize on demand for the home-improvement market, backed by investments in technology, merchandise category and strength in Pro business. A strong digital base has been boosting Lowe\u2019s performance for quite sometime now. LOW\u2019s Total Home strategy, including complete solutions for various home-improvement needs, also bodes well. Let\u2019s delve deeper. Detailing Strategies Lowe\u2019s has been investing in its omnichannel platform, including expanding online assortment, boosting user experience and improving fulfillment capabilities. Management is focused on enhancing the omnichannel retailing capabilities in-store operations, website and supply chain to resonate well with customers\u2019 demand to shop, however, whenever and wherever they like. In addition, Lowe\u2019s is constantly making smart moves to offer customers a seamless shopping experience and is expanding its market delivery strategy. LOW teamed up with Instacart to make same-day delivery available across its more than 1,700 stores nationwide. Customers can order around 30,000 items for delivery and avail the same as fast as in an hour. This partnership makes Lowe's one of the first retailers on the Instacart App to offer same-day and scheduled delivery for huge items of about 3x3x5 feet and 60 pounds. Consumers can also order small Halloween inflatables, fire pit essentials and small portable grills. They can purchase holiday gifts like smart-home products, hand tools and electronics, and accessories, including pillows, blankets and outdoor string lights from LOW\u2019s local stores. This move is likely to tap higher sales and boost profitability in the festive season. Pro customers continue to be a significant driver for Lowe's business. To keep augmenting sales from pro customers, management is enhancing Pro-focused brands with Pro offerings across LOW\u2019s stores and online through improved service levels, deeper inventory quantities, intuitive store layout and more Pro national brands. The Pro segment is expected to continue its momentum with better in-stock inventory levels, an enriched service suite and a new Pro loyalty program. During the fiscal second quarter, pro sales jumped 13% from the year-ago fiscal quarter\u2019s level and 37% on a previous two-year basis. The Pro business contributed around 25% to sales in the reported fiscal quarter. In a nutshell, Lowe\u2019s, which shares space with Home Depot HD, Builders FirstSource BLDR and Fastenal FAST, is well-poised for growth, given the above-discussed tailwinds. Zacks Names \""Single Best Pick to Double\"" From thousands of stocks, 5 Zacks experts each have chosen their favorite to skyrocket +100% or more in months to come. From those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all. It\u2019s a little-known chemical company that\u2019s up 65% over last year, yet still dirt cheap. With unrelenting demand, soaring 2022 earnings estimates, and $1.5 billion for repurchasing shares, retail investors could jump in at any time. This company could rival or surpass other recent Zacks\u2019 Stocks Set to Double like Boston Beer Company which shot up +143.0% in little more than 9 months and NVIDIA which boomed +175.9% in one year. Free: See Our Top Stock And 4 Runners Up Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Lowe's Companies, Inc. (LOW): Free Stock Analysis Report The Home Depot, Inc. (HD): Free Stock Analysis Report Builders FirstSource, Inc. (BLDR): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Pricing to Aid PulteGroup's (PHM) Homebuilding in Q3 Earnings PulteGroup, Inc.\u2019s PHM Homebuilding segment, accounting for more than 97% of total revenues, is expected to have registered growth, mainly attributable to higher housing prices. Consequently, the segment is likely to contribute to overall revenues when it reports third-quarter 2022 results on Oct 25. PulteGroup has exhibited a solid performance so far this year, with the stock outperforming the Zacks Building Products - Home Builders industry. The company has been riding high on its focus on entry-level buyers and liquidity protection, prudent management of cash flows, and land investment strategy. However, accelerating mortgage rates and continuous supply-chain issues pose a concern. Click here to know how the company\u2019s overall Q3 performance is expected to be. PulteGroup, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise PulteGroup, Inc. price-eps-surprise | PulteGroup, Inc. Quote A Look at Q3 Segmental Performance PulteGroup\u2019s Homebuilding segment is expected to have registered growth, courtesy of a higher average selling price or ASP. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Homebuilding revenues of $4.02 billion suggests an increase of 18.7% on a year-over-year basis. PulteGroup expects ASP within $540,000-$550,000, indicating an increase from $474,000 registered a year ago. It expects home deliveries within 7,000-7,400, indicating growth (considering the mid-point of the guided range) from 7,007 homes delivered a year ago. The consensus mark for ASP is $545,000, which points to a 15% year-over-year improvement. For the quarter to be reported, the consensus mark for the number of homes closed is 7,127, which points to a 1.7% year-over-year increase. A prudent land investment strategy and focus on entry-level buyers are expected to have benefited PulteGroup in the third quarter. However, rising mortgage rates might have impacted the demand for homes in the quarter, which is expected to have reflected in the quarterly sales as well as orders for homes. Also, the company has been witnessing supply-chain challenges that are resulting in construction-related delays. The labor market tightened with the limited availability of labor, arresting the rapid growth in housing production. These headwinds might have impacted the upcoming results to some extent. Nonetheless, improved operating leverage and higher pricing are expected to have mitigated the risks. As such, given these cost price dynamics, PHM expects homebuilding gross margins to expand to 30% for third-quarter 2022 from 26.5% in the year-ago period. SG&A expenses (as a percentage of home sales revenues) for the quarter are expected in the 9.1-9.3% range. The figure was 9.6% a year ago. Overall Q3 Earnings & Revenue Expectations The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the to-be-reported quarter\u2019s earnings is currently pegged at $2.75 per share, indicating 51.1% growth from the year-ago figure of $1.82. Also, the consensus mark for revenues is $4.04 billion, suggesting 16.3% year-over-year growth. PulteGroup, a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company, surpassed earnings estimates in 21 of the trailing 23 quarters. You can see the complete list of today\u2019s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. A Few Recent Construction Releases Acuity Brands, Inc. AYI reported solid fourth-quarter fiscal 2022 results. The top and bottom lines surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate and increased on a year-over-year basis. AYI\u2019s solid performance was backed by strong demand across the end markets, along with price increases and product and productivity improvement. RPM International Inc. RPM reported impressive results in first-quarter fiscal 2023 (ended Aug 31, 2022), with earnings and sales surpassing their respective Zacks Consensus Estimate and increasing on a year-over-year basis. RPM\u2019s quarterly performance was driven by the continued implementation of MAP operational improvement initiatives, double-digit sales growth across the segments, strong pricing offset, supply-chain woes, cost inflation, macroeconomic challenges and foreign exchange headwinds. Fastenal Company FAST reported third-quarter 2022 results, wherein earnings and revenues topped the respective Zacks Consensus Estimate. FAST\u2019s top and bottom lines improved on a year-over-year basis, given the strong demand in markets associated with industrial capital goods and commodities. Stay on top of upcoming earnings announcements with the Zacks Earnings Calendar. Zacks Names \""Single Best Pick to Double\"" From thousands of stocks, 5 Zacks experts each have chosen their favorite to skyrocket +100% or more in months to come. From those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all. It\u2019s a little-known chemical company that\u2019s up 65% over last year, yet still dirt cheap. With unrelenting demand, soaring 2022 earnings estimates, and $1.5 billion for repurchasing shares, retail investors could jump in at any time. This company could rival or surpass other recent Zacks\u2019 Stocks Set to Double like Boston Beer Company which shot up +143.0% in little more than 9 months and NVIDIA which boomed +175.9% in one year. Free: See Our Top Stock and 4 Runners Up >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report PulteGroup, Inc. (PHM): Free Stock Analysis Report RPM International Inc. (RPM): Free Stock Analysis Report Acuity Brands Inc (AYI): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2022-10-25,46.4529,46.9099,46.2045,46.89,
FAST,2022-10-26,47.16,47.3255,46.3609,46.67,
FAST,2022-10-27,46.84,47.6393,46.59,47.05,
FAST,2022-10-28,47.13,48.83,47.13,48.69,
FAST,2022-10-31,48.42,48.91,48.15,48.33,
FAST,2022-11-01,48.77,49.15,48.45,48.83,"Here's Why Fastenal (FAST) is a Strong Growth Stock It doesn't matter your age or experience: taking full advantage of the stock market and investing with confidence are common goals for all investors. Luckily, Zacks Premium offers several different ways to do both. The popular research service can help you become a smarter, more self-assured investor, giving you access to daily updates of the Zacks Rank and Zacks Industry Rank, the Zacks #1 Rank List, Equity Research reports, and Premium stock screens. Zacks Premium includes access to the Zacks Style Scores as well. What are the Zacks Style Scores? The Zacks Style Scores is a unique set of guidelines that rates stocks based on three popular investing types, and were developed as complementary indicators for the Zacks Rank. This combination helps investors choose securities with the highest chances of beating the market over the next 30 days. Each stock is given an alphabetic rating of A, B, C, D or F based on their value, growth, and momentum qualities. With this system, an A is better than a B, a B is better than a C, and so on, meaning the better the score, the better chance the stock will outperform. The Style Scores are broken down into four categories: Value Score Value investors love finding good stocks at good prices, especially before the broader market catches on to a stock's true value. Utilizing ratios like P/E, PEG, Price/Sales, Price/Cash Flow, and many other multiples, the Value Style Score identifies the most attractive and most discounted stocks. Growth Score While good value is important, growth investors are more focused on a company's financial strength and health, and its future outlook. The Growth Style Score takes projected and historic earnings, sales, and cash flow into account to uncover stocks that will see long-term, sustainable growth. Momentum Score Momentum traders and investors live by the saying ""the trend is your friend."" This investing style is all about taking advantage of upward or downward trends in a stock's price or earnings outlook. Employing factors like one-week price change and the monthly percentage change in earnings estimates, the Momentum Style Score can indicate favorable times to build a position in high-momentum stocks. VGM Score If you want a combination of all three Style Scores, then the VGM Score will be your friend. It rates each stock on their combined weighted styles, helping you find the companies with the most attractive value, best growth forecast, and most promising momentum. It's also one of the best indicators to use with the Zacks Rank. How Style Scores Work with the Zacks Rank The Zacks Rank is a proprietary stock-rating model that harnesses the power of earnings estimate revisions, or changes to a company's earnings expectations, to help investors build a successful portfolio. #1 (Strong Buy) stocks have produced an unmatched +25.41% average annual return since 1988, which is more than double the S&P 500's performance over the same time frame. However, the Zacks Rank examines a ton of stocks, and there can be more than 200 companies with a Strong Buy rank, and another 600 with a #2 (Buy) rank, on any given day. With more than 800 top-rated stocks to choose from, it can certainly feel overwhelming to pick the ones that are right for you and your investing journey. That's where the Style Scores come in. To have the best chance of big returns, you'll want to always consider stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 or #2 that also have Style Scores of A or B, which will give you the highest probability of success. If you're looking at stocks with a #3 (Hold) rank, it's important they have Scores of A or B as well to ensure as much upside potential as possible. The direction of a stock's earnings estimate revisions should always be a key factor when choosing which stocks to buy, since the Scores were created to work together with the Zacks Rank. For instance, a stock with a #4 (Sell) or #5 (Strong Sell) rating, even one that boasts Scores of A and B, still has a downward-trending earnings forecast, and a much greater likelihood its share price will decline as well. Thus, the more stocks you own with a #1 or #2 Rank and Scores of A or B, the better. Stock to Watch: Fastenal (FAST) Based in Winona, MN, Fastenal Company is a national wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies. The company distributes its products through more than 3,200 company-owned stores mostly located in North America. FAST is a #3 (Hold) on the Zacks Rank, with a VGM Score of B. Additionally, the company could be a top pick for growth investors. FAST has a Growth Style Score of B, forecasting year-over-year earnings growth of 16.9% for the current fiscal year. Three analysts revised their earnings estimate higher in the last 60 days for fiscal 2022, while the Zacks Consensus Estimate has increased $0 to $1.87 per share. FAST also boasts an average earnings surprise of 4.8%. With a solid Zacks Rank and top-tier Growth and VGM Style Scores, FAST should be on investors' short list. Zacks Names ""Single Best Pick to Double"" From thousands of stocks, 5 Zacks experts each have chosen their favorite to skyrocket +100% or more in months to come. From those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all. It’s a little-known chemical company that’s up 65% over last year, yet still dirt cheap. With unrelenting demand, soaring 2022 earnings estimates, and $1.5 billion for repurchasing shares, retail investors could jump in at any time. This company could rival or surpass other recent Zacks’ Stocks Set to Double like Boston Beer Company which shot up +143.0% in little more than 9 months and NVIDIA which boomed +175.9% in one year. Free: See Our Top Stock and 4 Runners Up >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2022-11-02,48.84,50.11,47.98,48.01,
FAST,2022-11-03,47.48,49.04,47.21,48.22,
FAST,2022-11-04,48.8,49.64,48.46,49.49,"Beacon Roofing (BECN) Q3 Earnings & Sales Beat, Shares Rise Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. BECN reported strong results for third-quarter 2022. Both earnings and revenues surpassed their respective Zacks Consensus Estimate and increased significantly on a year-over-year basis. The solid results were backed by strong net sales and operational improvement. Shares of the company jumped 2.3% in the after-hour trading session on Nov 3, 2022. Julian Francis, Beacon’s president and CEO, said, “We continued to deliver value to our customers, driving record third quarter net income and our 11th straight quarter of year-over-year increases in Adjusted EBITDA. At the same time, we continued making strategic investments toward achieving our Ambition 2025 growth and margin targets.” Earnings & Revenue Discussion This distributor of residential and non-residential roofing materials reported adjusted earnings of $2.25 per share, which topped the consensus mark of $2.10 by 7.1%. For the quarter, net sales of $2.42 billion surpassed the consensus mark of $2.35 billion by 3%. The top line grew 28.8% on a year-over-year basis as sales increased across all three lines of business, given the higher pricing. Higher demand for residential roofing and complementary products also contributed to growth. During the quarter, the weighted-average selling price increased 20-21% and volumes rose 7-8%. Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. Quote Sales According to Line of Business Residential Roofing Product: For the reported quarter, sales of this product (comprising 50% of the quarterly net sales) were $1.2 billion, up 21.5% from the prior year. Non-Residential Roofing Product: Sales (comprising 30% of the quarterly net sales) increased 54.2% from the year-ago quarter to $731 million. Complementary Product: For the quarter, sales of this product (comprising 20% of the quarterly net sales) increased 17% year over year to $476 billion. Operating Highlights The gross margin of 26.1% was down 100 basis points (bps) year over year, as product cost increases more than offset higher average selling prices for products, combined with the higher non-residential product sales mix. As a percentage of net sales, adjusted operating expenses declined to 15.5% from 17.1% a year ago, owing to the positive impact of net sales growth and productivity gains. Adjusted EBITDA increased 36.6% on a year-over-year basis to $284.2 million, driven by higher net sales and favorable operating leverage. Adjusted EBITDA margin expanded 70 bps year over year to 11.8%. Other Financial Details As of Sep 30, 2022, the company had cash and cash equivalents of $84.9 million compared with $225.8 million at the 2021-end. Long-term debt, net was $1.61 billion, slightly down from $1.612 billion at 2021-end. Net cash provided by operating activities was $81.2 million versus $117.1 million a year ago. Zacks Rank & Peer Releases Beacon Roofing currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Fastenal Company FAST reported third-quarter 2022 results, wherein earnings and revenues topped the respective Zacks Consensus Estimate. The company’s top and bottom lines also improved on a year-over-year basis, given the strong demand in markets associated with industrial capital goods and commodities. FAST reported daily sales of $27.8 million, reflecting an increase of 18% year over year, in the reported quarter. The upside was mainly due to higher unit sales owing to good demand from industrial capital goods and commodities, which offset softer markets tied to consumer goods and relatively lower growth in construction. United Rentals, Inc. URI reported third-quarter 2022 results, wherein earnings surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate but revenues missed the same. The company has been gaining from the sustained demand in its end markets and the strength of its core rental business. URI also lifted its full-year guidance for total revenues and adjusted EBITDA, given broad-based end-market activity, contractor backlogs, customer sentiment and solid visibility. Vulcan Materials Company VMC reported third-quarter 2022 results, wherein earnings and revenues beat the respective Zacks Consensus Estimate. The nation’s largest producer of construction aggregates has been witnessing consistent growth in aggregates unit profitability, solid contributions from acquisitions, and a positive pricing environment, despite ongoing volatility in the macro environment and slowdown in single-family residential demand. However, higher diesel fuel costs and inflationary pressures for many other parts and supplies weighed on the bottom line. For 2022, VMC now anticipates adjusted EBITDA in the range of $1.64-$1.68 billion versus $1.60-$1.70 billion expected earlier. Zacks Names ""Single Best Pick to Double"" From thousands of stocks, 5 Zacks experts each have chosen their favorite to skyrocket +100% or more in months to come. From those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all. It’s a little-known chemical company that’s up 65% over last year, yet still dirt cheap. With unrelenting demand, soaring 2022 earnings estimates, and $1.5 billion for repurchasing shares, retail investors could jump in at any time. This company could rival or surpass other recent Zacks’ Stocks Set to Double like Boston Beer Company which shot up +143.0% in little more than 9 months and NVIDIA which boomed +175.9% in one year. Free: See Our Top Stock and 4 Runners Up >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Vulcan Materials Company (VMC): Free Stock Analysis Report Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. (BECN): Free Stock Analysis Report United Rentals, Inc. (URI): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2022-11-07,49.785,49.9,48.757,49.57,"What to Expect for Builders FirstSource's (BLDR) Q3 Earnings? Builders FirstSource, Inc. BLDR is slated to report third-quarter 2022 results on Nov 8, before the opening bell. In the last reported quarter, the company’s adjusted earnings topped the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 108.7% and increased 126.8% year over year. Net sales topped the consensus estimate by 27.2% and increased 24.2% from the year-ago quarter’s levels. The upside was driven by solid demand for its products amid supply woes. Trend in Estimate Revision The Zacks Consensus Estimate for BLDR’s third-quarter earnings is pegged at $3.53 per share, indicating a 4.1% increase from the prior-year reported figure of $3.39. The consensus estimate for net sales is pegged at $5.22 billion, suggesting a 5.3% decline from the year-ago quarter’s reported figure of $5.51 billion. Builders FirstSource, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise Builders FirstSource, Inc. price-eps-surprise | Builders FirstSource, Inc. Quote Factors to Note Builders FirstSource is likely to have witnessed lower revenues in the third quarter, thanks to the softened housing and repair and remodeling market. Also, the company has been witnessing inflation related to raw materials, which is likely to have hurt the results in the third quarter. It has been facing supply-related challenges with respect to some of the products, including OSB, plywood, lumber and particleboard. This is likely to have put pressure on margins to some extent. Nonetheless, its recent buyouts will likely get reflected in the performance for the to-be-reported quarter. An opportunistic approach to acquisitions is an important part of Builders FirstSource’s growth strategy. These acquisitions broadened the company’s product portfolio and expanded its geographic footprint and market share. BLDR has been leveraging growth, with emphasis on cost management, operational excellence and productivity initiatives that may have driven profitability in the quarter to be reported. Builders FirstSource has been focused on investing in innovation and enhancing digital solutions for customers. The standardization and automation processes and technology-based workflows may have helped minimize costs, thereby driving its bottom line, expanding margins and boosting profitability. What the Zacks Model Unveils Our proven model predicts an earnings beat for Builders FirstSource this time around. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter. Currently, it has a Zacks Rank #3 and an Earnings ESP of +3.44%. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Some Recent Releases Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. BECN reported strong results for third-quarter 2022. Both earnings and revenues surpassed their respective Zacks Consensus Estimate and increased significantly on a year-over-year basis. BECN's solid results were backed by strong net sales and operational improvement. Fastenal Company FAST reported third-quarter 2022 results, wherein earnings and revenues topped the respective Zacks Consensus Estimate. The company’s top and bottom lines also improved on a year-over-year basis, given the strong demand in markets associated with industrial capital goods and commodities. FAST reported daily sales of $27.8 million, up 18% year over year in the reported quarter. The upside was mainly due to higher unit sales owing to good demand from industrial capital goods and commodities, which offset softer markets tied to consumer goods and relatively lower growth in construction. Papa John’s International, Inc. PZZA reported third-quarter fiscal 2022 results, with earnings and revenues missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Both top and bottom lines also declined year over year. The company’s results in the quarter were dented by high commodity and labor costs. The company expects near-term headwinds to continue. Infrastructure Stock Boom to Sweep America A massive push to rebuild the crumbling U.S. infrastructure will soon be underway. It’s bipartisan, urgent, and inevitable. Trillions will be spent. Fortunes will be made. The only question is “Will you get into the right stocks early when their growth potential is greatest?” Zacks has released a Special Report to help you do just that, and today it’s free. Discover 5 special companies that look to gain the most from construction and repair to roads, bridges, and buildings, plus cargo hauling and energy transformation on an almost unimaginable scale. Download FREE: How To Profit From Trillions On Spending For Infrastructure >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. (BECN): Free Stock Analysis Report Papa John's International, Inc. (PZZA): Free Stock Analysis Report Builders FirstSource, Inc. (BLDR): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2022-11-08,49.8,50.395,49.13,49.78,"Builders FirstSource (BLDR) Up on Q3 Earnings & Revenue Beat Builders FirstSource’s BLDR shares gained 5.6% on Nov 8 after the company released its third-quarter 2022 results, wherein it reported 6.9% core organic sales growth. The company’s earnings and net sales surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate and increased year over year. The results were driven by an increase in net sales in value-added product categories, gross margin as well as contributions from acquisitions amid continuous raw material supply woes. Dave Flitman, President and CEO of Builders FirstSource, said, “While we have begun to experience increasing macro headwinds, our leading position in the market, focus on innovation and prudent capital allocation have positioned us to succeed in any environment. I am confident that we will continue to deliver on our strategic pillars given the skill and dedication of our team members.” Earnings & Revenue Discussion The manufacturer and supplier of building materials reported adjusted earnings of $5.20 per share, which handily topped the consensus mark of $3.53. The reported figure also increased by 16.8% from the year-ago quarter. For the quarter, net sales of $5.8 billion surpassed the consensus mark of $5.2 billion. The top line grew 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. Core organic sales grew 6.9% from the prior-year quarter. Commodity price deflation impacted 7.5% of net sales. Acquisitions added 5.2% to net sales growth. The upside was led by solid demand for its products amid supply woes. Notably, core organic sales in value-added products increased 19.9% compared with the prior-year period. Core organic customer growth in Single Family increased 1.8%, while R&R/Other and Multi-Family grew 31.1% and 16.2% year over year, respectively. Builders FirstSource, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Builders FirstSource, Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Builders FirstSource, Inc. Quote Sales According to Product Category Value-Added Product Sales: For the reported quarter, sales of value-added products (comprising 48.1% of the quarterly net sales) were $2.77 billion, up 29.4% from the prior year. Specialized Product & Other: Gypsum, Roofing & Insulation products sales (comprising 20.3% of the quarterly net sales) increased 22.2% from the year-ago quarter to $1.17 billion. Lumber & Lumber Sheet Goods: For the quarter, segment sales (comprising 31.5% of the quarterly net sales) decreased 24.5% year over year to $1.82 billion. Operating Highlights Gross profit for the quarter increased 17.6% year over year to $2 billion. Gross margin of 35% expanded 390 basis points (bps) year over year, owing to higher sales in value-added product categories and disciplined pricing in a supply-constrained marketplace. As a percentage of net sales, total SG&A expenses increased 150 bps to 17.4%. Adjusted EBITDA increased 20.1% on a year-over-year basis to $1.17 billion, primarily driven by higher sales, pricing and more mix of sales from value-added product categories. Adjusted EBITDA margin expanded 260 bps year over year to 20.3%. Other Financial Details As of Sep 30, 2022, Builders FirstSource had cash and cash equivalents of $85 million compared with $42.6 million at 2021-end. Long-term debt — net of current portion, discounts and issuance costs — was $3.17 billion, up from $2.93 billion at 2021-end. The company had liquidity of $1.3 billion at September 2022-end, consisting of approximately $1.2 billion in net borrowing availability under the revolving credit facility and cash on hand. During the quarter, BLDR repurchased 11.2 million shares of its stock for $658.2 million. Buyouts On Oct 3, 2022, BLDR acquired Pima Door & Supply and Sunrise Carpentry’s Arizona businesses. On Sep 1, 2022, BLDR took over a multi-brand operator of pro-focused lumberyards and millwork facilities in the Florida Panhandle and Alabama Coast — Fulcrum Building Group. Again, on Sep 1, 2022, the company acquired Trussway, a leading manufacturer of floor and roof trusses. Guidance For 2022, BLDR expects sales to range between $22.5 billion and $23 billion. This represents 13-16% year-over-year growth. Adjusted EBITDA is expected to be between $4.2 billion and $4.4 billion, representing 35-42% year-over-year growth. EBITDA margin will likely range from $18.5% to 19.5%. This is 310-410 bps improvement from the 2021 level. For 2022, the company now expects free cash flow between $3.1 and $3.3 billion versus $2.5-$3 billion expected earlier. Interest expense is expected to be in the range of $190 million to $200 million (versus $175-$185 million expected earlier). BLDR projects an effective tax rate between 23% and 25%, total capital expenditures between $250 million and $300 million, and depreciation and amortization expenses between $480 million and $500 million for 2022. Acquisitions will likely contribute to net sales growth between 7% and 8%. Zacks Rank BLDR currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. A Few Recent Releases Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. BECN reported strong results for third-quarter 2022. Both earnings and revenues surpassed their respective Zacks Consensus Estimate and increased significantly on a year-over-year basis. The solid results were backed by strong net sales and operational improvement. Julian Francis, BECN’s president and CEO, said, “We continued to deliver value to our customers, driving record third quarter net income and our 11th straight quarter of year-over-year increases in Adjusted EBITDA. At the same time, we continued making strategic investments toward achieving our Ambition 2025 growth and margin targets.” Fastenal Company FAST reported third-quarter 2022 results, wherein earnings and revenues topped the respective Zacks Consensus Estimate. The company’s top and bottom lines also improved on a year-over-year basis, given the strong demand in markets associated with industrial capital goods and commodities. FAST reported daily sales of $27.8 million, reflecting an increase of 18% year over year in the reported quarter. The upside was mainly due to higher unit sales owing to good demand from industrial capital goods and commodities, which offset softer markets tied to consumer goods and relatively lower growth in construction. United Rentals, Inc. URI reported third-quarter 2022 results, wherein earnings surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate but revenues missed the same. The company has been gaining from the sustained demand in its end markets and the strength of its core rental business. URI also lifted its full-year guidance for total revenues and adjusted EBITDA, given broad-based end-market activity, contractor backlogs, customer sentiment and solid visibility. Zacks Names ""Single Best Pick to Double"" From thousands of stocks, 5 Zacks experts each have chosen their favorite to skyrocket +100% or more in months to come. From those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all. It’s a little-known chemical company that’s up 65% over last year, yet still dirt cheap. With unrelenting demand, soaring 2022 earnings estimates, and $1.5 billion for repurchasing shares, retail investors could jump in at any time. This company could rival or surpass other recent Zacks’ Stocks Set to Double like Boston Beer Company which shot up +143.0% in little more than 9 months and NVIDIA which boomed +175.9% in one year. Free: See Our Top Stock and 4 Runners Up >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. (BECN): Free Stock Analysis Report Builders FirstSource, Inc. (BLDR): Free Stock Analysis Report United Rentals, Inc. (URI): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2022-11-09,49.4,49.98,48.8,48.88,
FAST,2022-11-10,50.8,51.98,50.4648,51.87,"7 Stocks Under $50 to Buy and Hold Forever InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips With the major equity indices presently swimming in red ink, on paper, it’s not hard to find stocks under $50 to buy and hold forever. After all, several market ideas find themselves below parity for the year, often via a double-digit magnitude. Still, the exercise is a bit more complex because of the Federal Reserve and its monetary tightening policy pivot. Fundamentally, I recently discussed the monetary backdrop at the current juncture. “In the trailing five years since September 2022, the real M2 money stock expanded over 30%. Put another way, money was ‘cheap’ (or inflationary), so it incentivized business growth. However, in the trailing year, M2 declined over 5%, making money ‘expensive’ (deflationary).” Translation? The best stocks under $50 to buy and hold forever must be relevant and fiscally resilient. Using the investment resource Gurufocus, I extracted several market ideas that at minimum feature higher-than-average stability in the balance sheet. As well, these best stocks under $50 to buy may bring other qualities, such as fundamental relevance or other financially attractive metrics. Stocks Under $50 to Buy and Hold: Trade Desk (TTD) Source: Tada Images / Shutterstock.com Based in California, Trade Desk (NASDAQ:TTD) represents a multinational technology company that specializes in real-time programmatic marketing automation technologies, products and services. As of this writing, TTD dropped nearly 47% on a year-to-date (YTD) basis. In the trailing month, shares dropped over 12% of equity value. A name among the stocks under $50 to buy and hold? Perhaps not, you might be thinking. At the same time, investors should focus on forward developments. For instance, major content entertainment streaming platforms recently reported significant subscriber growth. To be fair, concerns exist regarding the sustainability of this growth in the quarters ahead. However, with consumer sentiment strained due to macroeconomic headwinds – but with people still desiring entertainment – Trade Desk may enjoy demand inflows due to spiked interest in programmatic ad services. Moving onto the financial snapshot, Trade Desk will likely benefit from its strong balance sheet. Its Altman Z-Score is nearly 8 points, reflecting extremely low bankruptcy risk. With the global markets emphasizing stability over expansion potential, TTD represents one of the stocks under $50 to buy. Fastenal (FAST) Source: IgorGolovniov / Shutterstock.com Headquartered in Winona, Minnesota, Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) bills itself as a supply chain solutions company. Other publications label Fastenal as an industrial distributor. Shares traded around $48.88 yesterday, barely making the numerical threshold for stocks under $50 to buy. Since the start of the year, FAST slipped over 17%. However, in the trailing month, it’s up 11%. Whatever you think about the underlying industry, Fastenal makes sense as a stable and reliable portfolio pick. For instance, Fastenal enjoys a solid balance sheet, anchored by an Altman Z-Score of 15.5. Again, that demonstrates extremely low bankruptcy risk. Also, its equity-to-asset ratio stands at 0.68 times, ranking better than almost 83% of its peers. But it’s the bottom line that helps Fastenal distinguish itself amid the elite stocks under $50 to buy. Primarily, the company commands strong profitability metrics. Its operating and net margins ping at 20.9% and 15.7%, respectively. Both metrics occupy the top 5% of the underlying industry. Stocks Under $50 to Buy and Hold: Simulations Plus (SLP) Source: shutterstock.com/Romix Image Headquartered in Lancaster, California, Simulations Plus (NASDAQ:SLP) develops absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity modeling and simulation software for the pharmaceutical and biotechnology, industrial chemicals, cosmetics, food ingredients and herbicide industries. Currently, the market prices SLP at $42.88. It’s down 14% YTD. As well, near-term momentum presents concerns, with shares shedding 11% of value in the trailing month. Similar to the top stocks under $50 to buy, Simulations Plus enjoys a very stable balance sheet. Most conspicuously, its cash-to-debt ratio stands at a whopping 91.3 times. In contrast, the healthcare provider and services industry features an average ratio of only 0.88 times. Put another way, SLP ranks better than 90% of its peers for this metric. Considering the money-tightening environment, cash on hand may represent a significant premium moving forward. Also, investors should consider the excellent metrics on the bottom line. For example, the company’s operating and net margins stand at 27.7% and 23.2%, respectively. Both rate among the leaders for the sector. Semtech (SMTC) Source: Shutterstock Founded in 1960, Semtech (NASDAQ:SMTC) represents a supplier of analog and mixed-signal semiconductors and advanced algorithms for consumer, enterprise computing, communications and industrial end-markets. As of this writing, Wall Street priced SMTC at $29. Similar to other tech-related stocks under $50 to buy, SMTC took a beating this year, shedding 68% of equity value. Worrying? Listen, I wouldn’t be honest if I didn’t say Semtech represented a speculative idea. However, outside headwinds such as the global supply chain disruption negatively impacted companies like Semtech. At some point, these factors will eventually fade and allow investors to focus on core attributes. For SMTC right now, investors should consider its stability — specifically its Altman Z-Score of 5.32. As well, its equity-to-asset ratio of 0.67 ranks higher than 60.3% of the industry. Moreover, SMTC brings great value to the table. It’s only trading at 10.4 times forward earnings, below the sector median of 15.3 times. Stocks Under $50 to Buy and Hold: Kulicke and Soffa Industries (KLIC) Source: Shutterstock Founded in 1951, Kulicke and Soffa Industries (NASDAQ:KLIC) hails from Singapore. According to its public profile, the company is a leading provider of semiconductor, LED and electronic assembly solutions serving the global automotive, consumer, communications, computing and industrial markets. Presently, the market prices KLIC at $46. Since the beginning of this year, KLIC dropped over 29% of equity value. Again, like other tech-related stocks under $50 to buy, Kulicke and Soffa suffered from sector-specific headwinds. In addition, the exposure to the global automotive industry has been problematic because this segment too suffered from disruptions. As well, economic challenges may pressure auto sales. Still, mobility represents a must-have for many regions. Thus, contrarians may have a viable argument with KLIC. What’s not disputable, though, centers on its sector-beating financial metrics. Broadly speaking, KLIC benefits from the trifecta of stability (strong cash balance), growth (excellent revenue trek) and earnings (blistering profitability margins). On top of it all, KLIC trades for 5.7 times trailing-12-month earnings, which is deeply undervalued. Trex (TREX) Source: shutterstock.com/Free Belarus Headquartered in Winchester, Virginia, Trex (NYSE:TREX) is a manufacturer of wood-alternative composite decking, railing and other outdoor items made from recycled materials. Per its corporate profile, Trex is the world’s largest manufacturer of wood-alternative decking and railing. Currently, TREX trades hands just under $50. Shares slipped 62% YTD. Moreover, the near-term picture doesn’t encourage, falling almost 14% in the trailing month. On paper, prospective investors do have a right to be concerned about this market idea. Go ahead and consider it one of the speculative names among stocks under $50 to buy. However, the latter point still presents relevance because of its baseline stability. For instance, Trex features an Altman Z-Score of 14.5, indicating extremely low bankruptcy risk. Arguably, though, market participants will likely tune in to the company’s income-statement metrics. On the top line, Trex carries a three-year revenue growth rate of 21.3%, beating out nearly 90% of its peers. On the bottom line, the company has a net margin of 16.4%, greater than over 91% of the industry. To be fair, headwinds like economic woes and the housing boom-bust cycle clearly hurt Trex. However, thanks to its stability, the stock could be a significant discount. Stocks Under $50 to Buy and Hold: New York Times (NYT) Source: Osugi / Shutterstock.com I’m going to end this list of stocks under $50 to buy and hold on a fun one. Well, I’m talking about the New York Times (NYSE:NYT), so it might not be fun for everyone. Nevertheless, representing one of the most well-known mass media companies in the world, NYT deserves a look. Currently, the market prices its shares at $34.86. Since the start of the year, NYT dropped nearly 28% of equity value. Still, over the trailing five days, NYT stock gained nearly 5%. While some critics dismiss the Times as “fake news,” the tight results of the midterm elections revealed basically a 50/50 split among voters. This suggests neither side really dominates the political discourse, implying opportunities for a well-known brand like the New York Times. Let’s get into the facts. According to Gurufocus, NYT enjoys a strong balance sheet unburdened with debt. Further, its Altman Z-Score of 5.7 reflects a business largely safe from bankruptcy risk. As well, it’s a broadly positive enterprise, featuring better-than-sector average operating and net margins. Whatever your beliefs, you can’t ask for much more from stocks under $50 to buy and hold forever. On the date of publication, Josh Enomoto did not have (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.com Publishing Guidelines. A former senior business analyst for Sony Electronics, Josh Enomoto has helped broker major contracts with Fortune Global 500 companies. Over the past several years, he has delivered unique, critical insights for the investment markets, as well as various other industries including legal, construction management, and healthcare. The post 7 Stocks Under $50 to Buy and Hold Forever appeared first on InvestorPlace. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2022-11-11,51.82,51.98,51.16,51.8,
FAST,2022-11-14,51.81,52.615,51.59,51.68,"Fastenal (FAST) Shares Cross Above 200 DMA In trading on Monday, shares of Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) crossed above their 200 day moving average of $52.01, changing hands as high as $52.55 per share. Fastenal Co. shares are currently trading up about 0.9% on the day. The chart below shows the one year performance of FAST shares, versus its 200 day moving average: Looking at the chart above, FAST's low point in its 52 week range is $43.73 per share, with $64.7465 as the 52 week high point — that compares with a last trade of $52.28. The FAST DMA information above was sourced from TechnicalAnalysisChannel.com Click here to find out which 9 other dividend stocks recently crossed above their 200 day moving average » Also see: • Top Ten Hedge Funds Holding VMIN • RYLD Options Chain • Institutional Holders of YDLE The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2022-11-15,52.37,52.48,51.15,51.63,
FAST,2022-11-16,51.63,52.29,51.52,51.76,
FAST,2022-11-17,51.1,51.63,50.12,51.59,
FAST,2022-11-18,52.13,52.32,51.04,51.66,
FAST,2022-11-21,51.68,52.225,51.4,52.05,
FAST,2022-11-22,52.4,52.93,51.88,52.39,
FAST,2022-11-23,52.37,52.87,52.205,52.41,
FAST,2022-11-25,52.23,52.51,52.21,52.33,
FAST,2022-11-28,52.26,52.36,50.985,51.19,
FAST,2022-11-29,50.94,51.0873,49.82,50.27,
FAST,2022-11-30,50.15,51.54,49.42,51.51,
FAST,2022-12-01,51.68,51.95,51.04,51.56,"[""Thursday 12/1 Insider Buying Report: FAST, BODY As the saying goes, there are many possible reasons for an insider to sell a stock, but only one reason to buy -- they expect to make money. So let's look at two noteworthy recent insider buys. At Fastenal, a filing with the SEC revealed that on Tuesday, EXECUTIVE VICE-PRESIDENT Jeffery Michael Watts purchased 5,940 shares of FAST, for a cost of $50.58 each, for a total investment of $300,433. Watts was up about 2.7% on the purchase at the high point of today's trading session, with FAST trading as high as $51.95 in trading on Thursday. Fastenal is trading up about 0.1% on the day Thursday. And on Wednesday, CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER Kathy P. Vrabeck purchased $175,250 worth of Beachbody, purchasing 250,000 shares at a cost of $0.70 each. Before this latest buy, Vrabeck made one other buy in the past twelve months, purchasing $499,987 shares at a cost of $1.07 each. Beachbody is trading trading flat on the day Thursday. VIDEO: Thursday 12/1 Insider Buying Report: FAST, BODY The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""FAST Crosses Above Average Analyst Target In recent trading, shares of Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) have crossed above the average analyst 12-month target price of $50.88, changing hands for $51.51/share. When a stock reaches the target an analyst has set, the analyst logically has two ways to react: downgrade on valuation, or, re-adjust their target price to a higher level. Analyst reaction may also depend on the fundamental business developments that may be responsible for driving the stock price higher \u2014 if things are looking up for the company, perhaps it is time for that target price to be raised. There are 8 different analyst targets within the Zacks coverage universe contributing to that average for Fastenal Co., but the average is just that \u2014 a mathematical average. There are analysts with lower targets than the average, including one looking for a price of $43.00. And then on the other side of the spectrum one analyst has a target as high as $58.00. The standard deviation is $4.853. But the whole reason to look at the average FAST price target in the first place is to tap into a \""wisdom of crowds\"" effort, putting together the contributions of all the individual minds who contributed to the ultimate number, as opposed to what just one particular expert believes. And so with FAST crossing above that average target price of $50.88/share, investors in FAST have been given a good signal to spend fresh time assessing the company and deciding for themselves: is $50.88 just one stop on the way to an even higher target, or has the valuation gotten stretched to the point where it is time to think about taking some chips off the table? Below is a table showing the current thinking of the analysts that cover Fastenal Co.: RECENT FAST ANALYST RATINGS BREAKDOWN \u00bb Current 1 Month Ago 2 Month Ago 3 Month Ago Strong buy ratings: 2 1 1 2 Buy ratings: 0 0 0 0 Hold ratings: 8 8 8 8 Sell ratings: 0 0 0 0 Strong sell ratings: 2 2 2 2 Average rating: 2.94 3.12 3.12 2.94 The average rating presented in the last row of the above table above is from 1 to 5 where 1 is Strong Buy and 5 is Strong Sell. This article used data provided by Zacks Investment Research via Quandl.com. Get the latest Zacks research report on FAST \u2014 FREE. 10 ETFs With Most Upside To Analyst Targets \u00bb Also see: \u0095 Stock Splits \u0095 QUOT Options Chain \u0095 NTZO Options Chain The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Campbell Soup (CPB) Queued for Q1 Earnings: What Awaits? Campbell Soup Company CPB is likely to register top-line growth when it reports first-quarter fiscal 2023 earnings on Dec 7. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly revenues is pegged at $2,428 million, suggesting a rise of 8.6% from the prior-year quarter\u2019s reported figure. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly earnings has risen by 2 cents in the past 30 days to 86 cents per share. However, this indicates a 3.4% decline from the figure reported in the prior-year quarter. The food company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 6.5%, on average. CPB\u2019s earnings came in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate in the last reported quarter. We expect first-quarter net revenues to be up 7% year over year to $2,391.5 million and the bottom line to dip 7.4% to 82 cents a share. Campbell Soup Company Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Campbell Soup Company price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Campbell Soup Company Quote Factors to Note Campbell Soup has been struggling with cost inflation for a while. In the fourth quarter of fiscal 2022, inflation and other factors had an adverse impact of 810 basis points on the adjusted gross margin. Most of this was a result of cost inflation stemming from a nearly 15% hike in input prices. Inflation is likely to come in the low-teens range in fiscal 2023. During the fiscal, pension income is expected to decline by about $35 million, which is likely to reflect a headwind of nearly 3% in the adjusted EBIT and adjusted EPS growth in fiscal 2023. These factors raise concerns for the quarter under review. That said, Campbell Soup\u2019s fiscal 2023 guidance reflects the expectations of persistent solid product demand. This, along with pricing actions and limited price elasticities amid escalated inflation, is likely to boost sales growth in the Meals & Beverages and Snacks divisions. Sales growth in the segments is likely to be backed by elevated brand investments facilitated by an enhanced supply chain. These upsides also bode well for the quarter to be reported. What the Zacks Model Unveils Our proven model doesn\u2019t conclusively predict an earnings beat for Campbell Soup this time. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat, which is not the case here. Campbell Soup carries a Zacks Rank #3 and has an Earnings ESP of -0.63%. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they\u2019re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter. Stocks With the Favorable Combination Here are three companies you may want to consider as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat: Casey's General Stores CASY currently has an Earnings ESP of +12.58% and a Zacks Rank #3. The company is expected to register a bottom-line increase when it reports second-quarter fiscal 2023 results. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarterly earnings per share of $3.10 suggests an increase of 19.7% from the year-ago quarter. You can see the complete list of today\u2019s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Casey's General\u2019s top line is anticipated to rise year over year. The consensus mark for CASY\u2019s revenues is pegged at $4.16 billion, indicating an increase of 27.5% from the figure reported in the year-ago quarter. Casey's General has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 1.3%, on average. Rent the Runway RENT currently has an Earnings ESP of +2.08% and a Zacks Rank of 3. The company is likely to register an increase in the bottom line when it reports third-quarter fiscal 2022 results. The Zacks Consensus Estimate of a loss of 56 cents per share suggests an improvement of 83.3% from the year-ago quarter. Rent the Runway\u2019s top line is expected to rise year over year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly revenues is pegged at $73.1 million, which suggests a rise of 23.8% from the figure reported in the prior-year quarter. RENT delivered an earnings beat of 18.5% in the last reported quarter. Fastenal FAST currently has an Earnings ESP of +1.14% and a Zacks Rank #3. The company is likely to register an increase in the bottom line when it reports fourth-quarter fiscal 2022 results. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarterly earnings per share of 42 cents suggests an increase of 5% from the year-ago quarter. Fastenal\u2019s top line is expected to rise year over year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly revenues is pegged at $1.7 billion, which suggests a rise of 9.2% from the figure reported in the prior-year quarter. FAST delivered an earnings beat of 4.8%, on average, in the trailing four quarters. Stay on top of upcoming earnings announcements with the Zacks Earnings Calendar. Zacks Names \""Single Best Pick to Double\"" From thousands of stocks, 5 Zacks experts each have chosen their favorite to skyrocket +100% or more in months to come. From those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all. It\u2019s a little-known chemical company that\u2019s up 65% over last year, yet still dirt cheap. With unrelenting demand, soaring 2022 earnings estimates, and $1.5 billion for repurchasing shares, retail investors could jump in at any time. This company could rival or surpass other recent Zacks\u2019 Stocks Set to Double like Boston Beer Company which shot up +143.0% in little more than 9 months and NVIDIA which boomed +175.9% in one year. Free: See Our Top Stock and 4 Runners Up >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report Campbell Soup Company (CPB) : Free Stock Analysis Report Rent the Runway, Inc. (RENT) : Free Stock Analysis Report Casey's General Stores, Inc. (CASY) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2022-12-02,50.92,51.62,50.38,51.43,"United Natural (UNFI) to Post Q1 Earnings: Things to Note United Natural Foods, Inc. UNFI is likely to register top-and bottom-line growth when it releases first-quarter fiscal 2023 earnings on Dec 7. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly revenues is pegged at $7,489 million, suggesting a rise of 7% from the prior-year quarter’s reported figure. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly earnings has remained unchanged in the past 30 days at $1.14 per share, indicating a 17.5% growth from the figure reported in the prior-year quarter. The food company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 18.9%, on average. UNFI delivered an earnings surprise of 1.6% in the last reported quarter. United Natural Foods, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise United Natural Foods, Inc. price-eps-surprise | United Natural Foods, Inc. Quote Things to Note United Natural’s is benefiting from e-commerce strength thanks to increased digital solutions offered by the company. The company is on track to undertake growth initiatives under its future pillar, which includes brands, professional services and fresh. The top line has been gaining on the back of inflation and new business from current and new customers, including benefits from cross-selling. United Natural’s Fuel the Future strategy, including six pillars — fulfill power in scale, unlock customer experience, taste the future, UNFI pride, retail optimization and earn results, bodes well. Management is on track to increase market share via network optimization, solid innovation and a better customer experience. These upsides are likely to have contributed to the company’s first-quarter fiscal 2023 performance. That being said, United Natural is witnessing the adverse impact of a broad-based inflationary environment. The company is also bearing the brunt of lower volumes and a tight labor market. We believe that the persistence of such high costs might have been a headwind in the quarter to be reported. What the Zacks Model Unveils Our proven model doesn’t conclusively predict an earnings beat for United Natural this time around. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter. United Natural currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 and has an Earnings ESP of 0.00%. Stocks With Favorable Combination Here are three companies you may want to consider, as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat: Casey's General Stores CASY currently has an Earnings ESP of +12.58% and a Zacks Rank #3. The company is expected to register a bottom-line increase when it reports second-quarter fiscal 2023 results. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarterly earnings per share (EPS) of $3.10 suggests an increase of 19.7% from the year-ago quarter. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Casey's General’s top line is anticipated to rise year over year. The consensus mark for CASY’s revenues is pegged at $4.16 billion, indicating an increase of 27.5% from the figure reported in the year-ago quarter. Casey's General has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 1.3%, on average. Rent the Runway RENT currently has an Earnings ESP of +2.08% and a Zacks Rank of 3. The company is likely to register an increase in the bottom line when it reports third-quarter fiscal 2022 results. The Zacks Consensus Estimate of a loss of 56 cents per share suggests an improvement of 83.3% from the year-ago quarter. Rent the Runway’s top line is expected to rise year over year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly revenues is pegged at $73.1 million, suggesting a rise of 23.8% from the figure reported in the prior-year quarter. RENT delivered an earnings beat of 18.5% in the last reported quarter. Fastenal FAST currently has an Earnings ESP of +1.14% and a Zacks Rank #3. The company is likely to register an increase in the bottom line when it reports fourth-quarter fiscal 2022 results. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarterly EPS of 42 cents suggests an increase of 5% from the year-ago quarter. Fastenal’s top line is expected to rise year over year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly revenues is pegged at $1.7 billion, indicating a rise of 9.2% from the figure reported in the prior-year quarter. FAST delivered an earnings beat of 4.8%, on average, in the trailing four quarters. Stay on top of upcoming earnings announcements with the Zacks Earnings Calendar. Zacks Names ""Single Best Pick to Double"" From thousands of stocks, 5 Zacks experts each have chosen their favorite to skyrocket +100% or more in months to come. From those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all. It’s a little-known chemical company that’s up 65% over last year, yet still dirt cheap. With unrelenting demand, soaring 2022 earnings estimates, and $1.5 billion for repurchasing shares, retail investors could jump in at any time. This company could rival or surpass other recent Zacks’ Stocks Set to Double like Boston Beer Company which shot up +143.0% in little more than 9 months and NVIDIA which boomed +175.9% in one year. Free: See Our Top Stock and 4 Runners Up >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report Rent the Runway, Inc. (RENT) : Free Stock Analysis Report United Natural Foods, Inc. (UNFI) : Free Stock Analysis Report Casey's General Stores, Inc. (CASY) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2022-12-05,51.05,51.09,50.13,50.89,
FAST,2022-12-06,50.98,51.215,49.705,50.14,
FAST,2022-12-07,49.98,50.87,49.87,50.25,
FAST,2022-12-08,50.47,51.3,50.34,51.17,
FAST,2022-12-09,51.13,51.5,50.845,50.96,
FAST,2022-12-12,51.26,51.67,51.01,51.67,
FAST,2022-12-13,53.28,53.49,49.55,50.14,
FAST,2022-12-14,50.32,50.53,49.16,49.58,
FAST,2022-12-15,49.23,49.35,47.475,47.97,"Are You a Growth Investor? This 1 Stock Could Be the Perfect Pick Taking full advantage of the stock market and investing with confidence are common goals for new and old investors, and Zacks Premium offers many different ways to do both. Featuring daily updates of the Zacks Rank and Zacks Industry Rank, full access to the Zacks #1 Rank List, Equity Research reports, and Premium stock screens, the research service can help you become a smarter, more self-assured investor. Zacks Premium includes access to the Zacks Style Scores as well. What are the Zacks Style Scores? The Zacks Style Scores, developed alongside the Zacks Rank, are complementary indicators that rate stocks based on three widely-followed investing methodologies; they also help investors pick stocks with the best chances of beating the market over the next 30 days. Each stock is assigned a rating of A, B, C, D, or F based on their value, growth, and momentum characteristics. Just like in school, an A is better than a B, a B is better than a C, and so on -- that means the better the score, the better chance the stock will outperform. The Style Scores are broken down into four categories: Value Score Value investors love finding good stocks at good prices, especially before the broader market catches on to a stock's true value. Utilizing ratios like P/E, PEG, Price/Sales, Price/Cash Flow, and many other multiples, the Value Style Score identifies the most attractive and most discounted stocks. Growth Score Growth investors are more concerned with a stock's future prospects, and the overall financial health and strength of a company. Thus, the Growth Style Score analyzes characteristics like projected and historic earnings, sales, and cash flow to find stocks that will see sustainable growth over time. Momentum Score Momentum investors, who live by the saying ""the trend is your friend,"" are most interested in taking advantage of upward or downward trends in a stock's price or earnings outlook. Utilizing one-week price change and the monthly percentage change in earnings estimates, among other factors, the Momentum Style Score can help determine favorable times to buy high-momentum stocks. VGM Score If you like to use all three kinds of investing, then the VGM Score is for you. It's a combination of all Style Scores, and is an important indicator to use with the Zacks Rank. The VGM Score rates each stock on their shared weighted styles, narrowing down the companies with the most attractive value, best growth forecast, and most promising momentum. How Style Scores Work with the Zacks Rank The Zacks Rank, which is a proprietary stock-rating model, employs earnings estimate revisions, or changes to a company's earnings expectations, to make building a winning portfolio easier. #1 (Strong Buy) stocks have produced an unmatched +25.41% average annual return since 1988, which is more than double the S&P 500's performance over the same time frame. However, the Zacks Rank examines a ton of stocks, and there can be more than 200 companies with a Strong Buy rank, and another 600 with a #2 (Buy) rank, on any given day. But it can feel overwhelming to pick the right stocks for you and your investing goals with over 800 top-rated stocks to choose from. That's where the Style Scores come in. You want to make sure you're buying stocks with the highest likelihood of success, and to do that, you'll need to pick stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 or #2 that also have Style Scores of A or B. If you like a stock that only as a #3 (Hold) rank, it should also have Scores of A or B to guarantee as much upside potential as possible. Since the Scores were created to work together with the Zacks Rank, the direction of a stock's earnings estimate revisions should be a key factor when choosing which stocks to buy. Here's an example: a stock with a #4 (Sell) or #5 (Strong Sell) rating, even one with Style Scores of A and B, still has a downward-trending earnings outlook, and a bigger chance its share price will decrease too. Thus, the more stocks you own with a #1 or #2 Rank and Scores of A or B, the better. Stock to Watch: Fastenal (FAST) Based in Winona, MN, Fastenal Company is a national wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies. The company distributes its products through more than 3,200 company-owned stores mostly located in North America. FAST is a #3 (Hold) on the Zacks Rank, with a VGM Score of B. Additionally, the company could be a top pick for growth investors. FAST has a Growth Style Score of B, forecasting year-over-year earnings growth of 17.5% for the current fiscal year. Five analysts revised their earnings estimate upwards in the last 60 days for fiscal 2022. The Zacks Consensus Estimate has increased $0.01 to $1.88 per share. FAST boasts an average earnings surprise of 4.8%. With a solid Zacks Rank and top-tier Growth and VGM Style Scores, FAST should be on investors' short list. 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days Just released: Experts distill 7 elite stocks from the current list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buys. They deem these tickers ""Most Likely for Early Price Pops."" Since 1988, the full list has beaten the market more than 2X over with an average gain of +24.8% per year. So be sure to give these hand-picked 7 your immediate attention. See them now >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2022-12-16,47.41,48.01,47.22,47.87,
FAST,2022-12-19,48.05,48.4827,47.32,47.75,
FAST,2022-12-20,47.65,47.94,47.405,47.65,
FAST,2022-12-21,47.75,48.04,47.48,47.94,"5 Dividend Growth Stocks With Upside To Analyst Targets To become a ""Dividend Aristocrat,"" a dividend paying company must accomplish an incredible feat: consistently increase shareholder dividends every year for at least 20 consecutive years. Companies with this kind of track record tend to attract a lot of investor attention — and furthermore, ""tracking"" funds that follow the Dividend Aristocrats Index must own them. With all of this demand for shares, dividend growth stocks can sometimes become ""fully priced,"" where there isn't much upside to analyst targets. But we here at ETF Channel have looked through the underlying holdings of the SPDR S&P Dividend ETF (which tracks the S&P High Yield Dividend Aristocrats Index), and found these five dividend growth stocks that actually still have fairly substantial upside to the average analyst target price 12 months out. Which means, if the analysts are correct, these are five dividend growth stocks that could produce capital gains in addition to their growing dividend payments. In the first table below, we present the five stocks. The recent share price, average analyst 12-month target price, and percentage upside to reach the analyst target are presented. STOCK RECENT PRICE AVG. ANALYST 12-MO. TARGET % UPSIDE TO TARGET FactSet Research Systems Inc. (Symbol: FDS) $397.28 $444.83 11.97% Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) $47.65 $50.88 6.77% California Water Service Group (Symbol: CWT) $60.59 $64.67 6.73% Atmos Energy Corp. (Symbol: ATO) $113.07 $119.86 6.00% W.W. Grainger Inc. (Symbol: GWW) $562.74 $595.78 5.87% The average 12-month analyst targets are only targets for the share price however, and each of these stocks are expected to pay dividends during that holding period — so the expected total return if these stocks reach their analyst targets is actually the share price upside seen by the analysts plus the dividend yield shareholders can expect. To ballpark that total return potential, we have added the current yield to the analyst target price upside, in order to arrive at the 12-month total return potential: STOCK DIVIDEND YIELD % UPSIDE TO ANALYST TARGET IMPLIED TOTAL RETURN POTENTIAL FactSet Research Systems Inc. (Symbol: FDS) 0.90% 11.97% 12.87% Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) 2.60% 6.77% 9.37% California Water Service Group (Symbol: CWT) 1.65% 6.73% 8.38% Atmos Energy Corp. (Symbol: ATO) 2.62% 6.00% 8.62% W.W. Grainger Inc. (Symbol: GWW) 1.22% 5.87% 7.09% Another consideration with dividend growth stocks is just how much the dividend is growing. We looked up the trailing twelve months worth of dividends shareholders of each of the above five companies have collected, and then also looked up the same number for the prior trailing twelve months. This gives us a rough yardstick to see how much the dividend has grown, from one trailing twelve month period to another. STOCK PRIOR TTM DIVIDEND TTM DIVIDEND % GROWTH FactSet Research Systems Inc. (Symbol: FDS) $3.23 $3.49 8.05% Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) $1.12 $1.24 10.71% California Water Service Group (Symbol: CWT) $0.92 $1 8.70% Atmos Energy Corp. (Symbol: ATO) $1.875 $2.78 48.27% W.W. Grainger Inc. (Symbol: GWW) $6.39 $6.78 6.10% These five stocks are part of our full Dividend Aristocrats List. The average analyst target price data upon which this article was based, is courtesy of data provided by Zacks Investment Research via Quandl.com. Get the latest Zacks research report on ATO — FREE Get the latest Zacks research report on GWW — FREE Dividend Growth Stocks: 25 Aristocrats » Also see: • AGX market cap history • IDRA YTD Return • Funds Holding DEPO The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2022-12-22,47.6,47.72,46.68,47.69,
FAST,2022-12-23,47.65,48.04,47.43,47.76,
FAST,2022-12-27,47.79,47.93,47.355,47.49,
FAST,2022-12-28,47.7,47.83,46.825,46.84,
FAST,2022-12-29,47.25,47.81,47.08,47.56,
FAST,2022-12-30,47.3,47.47,46.85,47.32,
FAST,2023-01-03,47.62,47.69,46.86,47.4,
FAST,2023-01-04,47.99,48.41,47.51,47.97,
FAST,2023-01-05,47.7,47.75,45.76,46.3,
FAST,2023-01-06,46.77,47.76,46.55,47.61,
FAST,2023-01-09,47.71,48.92,47.55,47.95,
FAST,2023-01-10,47.77,48.53,47.665,48.5,"1 Top Dividend Stock to Buy Now Following 2022's disappointing results from the S&P 500 (and even worse results from the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite), many investors may be looking to avoid buying volatile, high-risk growth stocks this year. For those investors, it may make sense to consider adding more dividend income to their portfolio. Even more, it might be wise for investors burned out by the market's volatility to look for a highly profitable and established company to invest in. Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST), which specializes in wholesale distribution of industrial and construction supplies, is a great option for these investors to consider. Fastenal, the market-leading supplier of industrial and construction supplies, is a cash cow, enabling it to pay investors a nice quarterly dividend -- a cash payment that can offset some of the pain of stock market volatility. In addition, the company has a long history of steady, profitable growth. Let's take a closer look at this investment idea. Strong growth Fastenal's resilient and impressive business model is evident in both the company's long-term results and its most recent quarter. Starting with its financial results from its third quarter of 2022, Fastenal reported revenue growth of 16% year over year. Its earnings per share rose 17.4% year over year. Key catalysts during the quarter were ""good underlying demand in markets tied to industrial capital goods and commodities,"" management said in the company's third-quarter earnings release. Highlighting the company's pricing power and the strength of Fastenal's business model, management said 550 to 580 basis points of the company's net sales during the period was driven by price increases rolled out to mitigate the impact of cost inflation. Results are impressive over the past five years, too. During this period, Fastenal managed to increase its annual sales about 55%. Even more notable, earnings per share rose a total of 87% during this same timeframe. The company's positioning as North America's largest fastener distributor and its long history of providing outstanding service to its customers pays off in consistent and robust growth. An attractive dividend The company's profitable business growth over the last five years means shareholders have been rewarded. Not only has the stock risen 73% over this period but the company has been increasing its dividend for decades, with its first dividend being paid to investors in 1991. In addition, it has paid out a special dividend on top of its regular dividend in 2008, 2010, 2012, and 2020. Capturing how much the company prioritizes returning cash to shareholders through dividends, Fastenal's quarterly dividend has increased a total of 94% over the past five years. Looking ahead, Fastenal's dividend should continue to grow thanks to the company's underlying business momentum and a payout ratio that has some wiggle room for increased payments. Today, Fastenal is paying out about 65% of its earnings in dividends, leaving plenty of room for continued growth. Making the stock attractive today, Fastenal currently boasts a meaningful dividend yield of about 2.6%. With the company's dividend likely to increase in the coming years, its total cash payments will probably grow, too. Furthermore, since the company has historically paid a special dividend from time to time, it's always possible that Fastenal sweetens the pot with an extra cash payment in the coming years. The company's strong business momentum, robust dividend yield, and dividend growth prospects combine to make Fastenal a great investment idea for investors looking for a compelling dividend stock. 10 stocks we like better than Fastenal When our award-winning analyst team has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.* They just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Fastenal wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of January 9, 2023 Daniel Sparks has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. His clients may own shares of the companies mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-01-11,48.81,49.3,48.585,49.1,
FAST,2023-01-12,49.1,49.42,48.25,49.02,"[""Fastenal (FAST) Earnings Expected to Grow: What to Know Ahead of Next Week's Release Wall Street expects a year-over-year increase in earnings on higher revenues when Fastenal (FAST) reports results for the quarter ended December 2022. While this widely-known consensus outlook is important in gauging the company's earnings picture, a powerful factor that could impact its near-term stock price is how the actual results compare to these estimates. The stock might move higher if these key numbers top expectations in the upcoming earnings report, which is expected to be released on January 19. On the other hand, if they miss, the stock may move lower. While the sustainability of the immediate price change and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's discussion of business conditions on theearnings call it's worth handicapping the probability of a positive EPS surprise. Zacks Consensus Estimate This maker of industrial and construction fasteners is expected to post quarterly earnings of $0.42 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of +5%. Revenues are expected to be $1.67 billion, up 9.3% from the year-ago quarter. Estimate Revisions Trend The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has been revised 0.59% higher over the last 30 days to the current level. This is essentially a reflection of how the covering analysts have collectively reassessed their initial estimates over this period. Investors should keep in mind that the direction of estimate revisions by each of the covering analysts may not always get reflected in the aggregate change. Earnings Whisper Estimate revisions ahead of a company's earnings release offer clues to the business conditions for the period whose results are coming out. This insight is at the core of our proprietary surprise prediction model -- the Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction). The Zacks Earnings ESP compares the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter; the Most Accurate Estimate is a more recent version of the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate. The idea here is that analysts revising their estimates right before an earnings release have the latest information, which could potentially be more accurate than what they and others contributing to the consensus had predicted earlier. Thus, a positive or negative Earnings ESP reading theoretically indicates the likely deviation of the actual earnings from the consensus estimate. However, the model's predictive power is significant for positive ESP readings only. A positive Earnings ESP is a strong predictor of an earnings beat, particularly when combined with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold). Our research shows that stocks with this combination produce a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time, and a solid Zacks Rank actually increases the predictive power of Earnings ESP. Please note that a negative Earnings ESP reading is not indicative of an earnings miss. Our research shows that it is difficult to predict an earnings beat with any degree of confidence for stocks with negative Earnings ESP readings and/or Zacks Rank of 4 (Sell) or 5 (Strong Sell). How Have the Numbers Shaped Up for Fastenal? For Fastenal, the Most Accurate Estimate is the same as the Zacks Consensus Estimate, suggesting that there are no recent analyst views which differ from what have been considered to derive the consensus estimate. This has resulted in an Earnings ESP of 0%. On the other hand, the stock currently carries a Zacks Rank of #3. So, this combination makes it difficult to conclusively predict that Fastenal will beat the consensus EPS estimate. Does Earnings Surprise History Hold Any Clue? Analysts often consider to what extent a company has been able to match consensus estimates in the past while calculating their estimates for its future earnings. So, it's worth taking a look at the surprise history for gauging its influence on the upcoming number. For the last reported quarter, it was expected that Fastenal would post earnings of $0.48 per share when it actually produced earnings of $0.50, delivering a surprise of +4.17%. Over the last four quarters, the company has beaten consensus EPS estimates three times. Bottom Line An earnings beat or miss may not be the sole basis for a stock moving higher or lower. Many stocks end up losing ground despite an earnings beat due to other factors that disappoint investors. Similarly, unforeseen catalysts help a number of stocks gain despite an earnings miss. That said, betting on stocks that are expected to beat earnings expectations does increase the odds of success. This is why it's worth checking a company's Earnings ESP and Zacks Rank ahead of its quarterly release. Make sure to utilize our Earnings ESP Filter to uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they've reported. Fastenal doesn't appear a compelling earnings-beat candidate. However, investors should pay attention to other factors too for betting on this stock or staying away from it ahead of its earnings release. Stay on top of upcoming earnings announcements with the Zacks Earnings Calendar. Zacks Names \""Single Best Pick to Double\"" From thousands of stocks, 5 Zacks experts each have chosen their favorite to skyrocket +100% or more in months to come. From those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all. It\u2019s a little-known chemical company that\u2019s up 65% over last year, yet still dirt cheap. With unrelenting demand, soaring 2022 earnings estimates, and $1.5 billion for repurchasing shares, retail investors could jump in at any time. This company could rival or surpass other recent Zacks\u2019 Stocks Set to Double like Boston Beer Company which shot up +143.0% in little more than 9 months and NVIDIA which boomed +175.9% in one year. Free: See Our Top Stock and 4 Runners Up >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Why Fastenal (FAST) is a Top Growth Stock for the Long-Term For new and old investors, taking full advantage of the stock market and investing with confidence are common goals. Zacks Premium provides lots of different ways to do both. Featuring daily updates of the Zacks Rank and Zacks Industry Rank, full access to the Zacks #1 Rank List, Equity Research reports, and Premium stock screens, the research service can help you become a smarter, more self-assured investor. It also includes access to the Zacks Style Scores. What are the Zacks Style Scores? The Zacks Style Scores is a unique set of guidelines that rates stocks based on three popular investing types, and were developed as complementary indicators for the Zacks Rank. This combination helps investors choose securities with the highest chances of beating the market over the next 30 days. Based on their value, growth, and momentum characteristics, each stock is assigned a rating of A, B, C, D, or F. The better the score, the better chance the stock will outperform; an A is better than a B, a B is better than a C, and so on. The Style Scores are broken down into four categories: Value Score For value investors, it's all about finding good stocks at good prices, and discovering which companies are trading under their true value before the broader market catches on. The Value Style Score utilizes ratios like P/E, PEG, Price/Sales, Price/Cash Flow, and a host of other multiples to help pick out the most attractive and discounted stocks. Growth Score Growth investors, on the other hand, are more concerned with a company's financial strength and health, and its future outlook. The Growth Style Score examines things like projected and historic earnings, sales, and cash flow to find stocks that will experience sustainable growth over time. Momentum Score Momentum trading is all about taking advantage of upward or downward trends in a stock's price or earnings outlook, and these investors live by the saying \""the trend is your friend.\"" The Momentum Style Score can pinpoint good times to build a position in a stock, using factors like one-week price change and the monthly percentage change in earnings estimates. VGM Score If you like to use all three kinds of investing, then the VGM Score is for you. It's a combination of all Style Scores, and is an important indicator to use with the Zacks Rank. The VGM Score rates each stock on their shared weighted styles, narrowing down the companies with the most attractive value, best growth forecast, and most promising momentum. How Style Scores Work with the Zacks Rank The Zacks Rank, which is a proprietary stock-rating model, employs earnings estimate revisions, or changes to a company's earnings expectations, to make building a winning portfolio easier. It's highly successful, with #1 (Strong Buy) stocks producing an unmatched +25.41% average annual return since 1988. That's more than double the S&P 500. But because of the large number of stocks we rate, there are over 200 companies with a Strong Buy rank, plus another 600 with a #2 (Buy) rank, on any given day. This totals more than 800 top-rated stocks, and it can be overwhelming to try and pick the best stocks for you and your portfolio. That's where the Style Scores come in. To maximize your returns, you want to buy stocks with the highest probability of success. This means picking stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 or #2 that also have Style Scores of A or B. If you find yourself looking at stocks with a #3 (Hold) rank, make sure they have Scores of A or B as well to ensure as much upside potential as possible. Since the Scores were created to work together with the Zacks Rank, the direction of a stock's earnings estimate revisions should be a key factor when choosing which stocks to buy. For instance, a stock with a #4 (Sell) or #5 (Strong Sell) rating, even one that boasts Scores of A and B, still has a downward-trending earnings forecast, and a much greater likelihood its share price will decline as well. Thus, the more stocks you own with a #1 or #2 Rank and Scores of A or B, the better. Stock to Watch: Fastenal (FAST) Based in Winona, MN, Fastenal Company is a national wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies. The company distributes its products through more than 3,200 company-owned stores mostly located in North America. FAST is a #3 (Hold) on the Zacks Rank, with a VGM Score of B. Additionally, the company could be a top pick for growth investors. FAST has a Growth Style Score of B, forecasting year-over-year earnings growth of 17.5% for the current fiscal year. One analysts revised their earnings estimate upwards in the last 60 days for fiscal 2022. The Zacks Consensus Estimate has increased $0 to $1.88 per share. FAST boasts an average earnings surprise of 4.8%. With a solid Zacks Rank and top-tier Growth and VGM Style Scores, FAST should be on investors' short list. Zacks Names \""Single Best Pick to Double\"" From thousands of stocks, 5 Zacks experts each have chosen their favorite to skyrocket +100% or more in months to come. From those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all. It\u2019s a little-known chemical company that\u2019s up 65% over last year, yet still dirt cheap. With unrelenting demand, soaring 2022 earnings estimates, and $1.5 billion for repurchasing shares, retail investors could jump in at any time. This company could rival or surpass other recent Zacks\u2019 Stocks Set to Double like Boston Beer Company which shot up +143.0% in little more than 9 months and NVIDIA which boomed +175.9% in one year. Free: See Our Top Stock and 4 Runners Up >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2023-01-13,48.64,48.88,48.14,48.82,
FAST,2023-01-17,48.87,49.085,48.07,48.22,"5 Must See Earnings Charts Fourth quarter earnings season is off and running but this week will still be fairly quiet as the big, regional banks reports earnings and a smattering of other names from various key industries such as the industrials, energy and the transports. If you want insight as to what is happening in the economy in industries outside of tech, this week we’ll start to get some answers. The key will be in 2023 guidance and not in the Q4 report. But will it be good news, or bad? And will some companies even be able to give guidance? Some of the home builders have provided only Q1 gross margin guidance because there is so much uncertainty about the spring season. Here are 5 must-see earnings charts this week which may provide some insight at what is going on in the economy. 5 Must See Earnings Charts 1. J.B. Hunt Transport Service, Inc. JBHT J.B. Hunt is a trucking company which has put together a strong earnings surprise track record. It has beat 8 quarters in a row. Shares of J.B. Hunt are off their 2022 highs, falling 12.5% in the last year. It has a forward P/E of 18.4, so it’s not that cheap. That’s near the average of the S&P 500. The transports are a key component of the US economy and can often signal a recession is approaching. Will J.B. Hunt sound the alarm this quarter? 2. Procter & Gamble PG Procter & Gamble has an excellent earnings surprise track record, marred only by one miss in the last 5 years. That was in 2022. Investors have tried to hide out in the consumer giant, as Procter & Gamble pays a dividend currently yielding 2.4%. Shares of Procter & Gamble are down only 6.3% over the last year but they’re far from cheap. It trades with a forward P/E of 25.9. Is Procter & Gamble too pricey for this market now? 3. Fastenal FAST Fastenal, a bellwether company for the manufacturing and construction industries, has a great earnings surprise track record. It has beat 11 quarters in a row. But shares of Fastenal peaked at the end of 2021 and have declined 17.2% over the last year. Fastenal still isn’t cheap. It trades with a forward P/E of 25.5 and earnings are only expected to rise 2% in 2023. Is there more selling to come in Fastenal in 2023? 4. SLB SLB SLB, formerly known as Schlumberger, hasn’t missed on earnings in 5 years. That’s impressive, especially for an energy company as the energy industry was volatile during the start of the pandemic. Shares of SLB are also up in the last year, gaining 53.4% and hitting new 52-week highs heading into this report. But they’re still attractively valued, with a forward P/E of 19. Earnings are expected to rise another 40% in 2023, with one analyst raising their estimate for the year in the last week. That’s bullish. Even with the big rally in SLB last year, is there still further upside ahead? 5. Ally Financial ALLY Ally Financial, the digital bank, has missed two quarters in a row. The analysts are bearish on the company for 2023 with 1 estimate being raised, but 3 being lowered for the year in the last week. Earnings are expected to fall 41.2% in 2023. Last quarter, the bank warned it had to put more money into its loan loss reserves for its auto loans. As a result, shares of Ally Financial have taken a tumble in the last year, falling 41.2%. It is cheap, with a forward P/E of 7.7 and a P/B ratio of 0.8. Financials are considered cheap with a P/B ratio at 1.0 and Ally Financial is now under that. Is it too soon to buy Ally Financial? This Little-Known Semiconductor Stock Could Be Your Portfolio’s Hedge Against Inflation Everyone uses semiconductors. But only a small number of people know what they are and what they do. If you use a smartphone, computer, microwave, digital camera or refrigerator (and that’s just the tip of the iceberg), you have a need for semiconductors. That’s why their importance can’t be overstated and their disruption in the supply chain has such a global effect. But every cloud has a silver lining. Shockwaves to the international supply chain from the global pandemic have unearthed a tremendous opportunity for investors. And today, Zacks' leading stock strategist is revealing the one semiconductor stock that stands to gain the most in a new FREE report. It's yours at no cost and with no obligation. >>Yes, I Want to Help Protect My Portfolio During the Recession Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Schlumberger Limited (SLB) : Free Stock Analysis Report Procter & Gamble Company The (PG) : Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (JBHT) : Free Stock Analysis Report Ally Financial Inc. (ALLY) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-01-18,48.22,48.81,47.5,47.54,"Pre-Market Earnings Report for January 19, 2023 : PG, TFC, FAST, MTB, FITB, NTRS, KEY, CMA, CBSH, SNV, HOMB, WNS The following companies are expected to report earnings prior to market open on 01/19/2023. Visit our Earnings Calendar for a full list of expected earnings releases. Procter & Gamble Company (PG)is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2022. The cleaning company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 9 analysts that follow the stock is $1.58. This value represents a 4.82% decrease compared to the same quarter last year. PG missed the consensus earnings per share in the 2nd calendar quarter of 2022 by -1.63%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2023 Price to Earnings ratio for PG is 25.80 vs. an industry ratio of 24.30, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Truist Financial Corporation (TFC)is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2022. The bank company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 9 analysts that follow the stock is $1.28. This value represents a 7.25% decrease compared to the same quarter last year. TFC missed the consensus earnings per share in the 3rd calendar quarter of 2022 by -1.59%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2022 Price to Earnings ratio for TFC is 9.53 vs. an industry ratio of 10.10. Fastenal Company (FAST)is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2022. The building company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 7 analysts that follow the stock is $0.42. This value represents a 5.00% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year FAST has met analyst expectations once and beat the expectations the other three quarters. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2022 Price to Earnings ratio for FAST is 25.65 vs. an industry ratio of 12.70, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. M&T Bank Corporation (MTB)is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2022. The bank company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 15 analysts that follow the stock is $4.47. This value represents a 27.71% increase compared to the same quarter last year. MTB missed the consensus earnings per share in the 3rd calendar quarter of 2022 by -9.03%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2022 Price to Earnings ratio for MTB is 10.75 vs. an industry ratio of 10.10, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Fifth Third Bancorp (FITB)is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2022. The bank company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 10 analysts that follow the stock is $1.00. This value represents a 7.53% increase compared to the same quarter last year. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2022 Price to Earnings ratio for FITB is 9.94 vs. an industry ratio of 10.10. Northern Trust Corporation (NTRS)is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2022. The bank company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 5 analysts that follow the stock is $1.81. This value represents a 5.24% decrease compared to the same quarter last year. The last two quarters NTRS had negative earnings surprises; the latest report they missed by -1.1%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2022 Price to Earnings ratio for NTRS is 13.79 vs. an industry ratio of 10.10, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. KeyCorp (KEY)is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2022. The bank company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 9 analysts that follow the stock is $0.55. This value represents a 14.06% decrease compared to the same quarter last year. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2022 Price to Earnings ratio for KEY is 8.62 vs. an industry ratio of 10.10. Comerica Incorporated (CMA)is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2022. The bank company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 9 analysts that follow the stock is $2.56. This value represents a 54.22% increase compared to the same quarter last year. CMA missed the consensus earnings per share in the 1st calendar quarter of 2022 by -0.72%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2022 Price to Earnings ratio for CMA is 8.05 vs. an industry ratio of 10.10. Commerce Bancshares, Inc. (CBSH)is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2022. The bank (midwest) company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 6 analysts that follow the stock is $1.03. This value represents a 14.44% increase compared to the same quarter last year. CBSH missed the consensus earnings per share in the 3rd calendar quarter of 2022 by -2.02%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2022 Price to Earnings ratio for CBSH is 17.94 vs. an industry ratio of 10.30, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Synovus Financial Corp. (SNV)is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2022. The banks (southeast) company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 9 analysts that follow the stock is $1.37. This value represents a 1.48% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year SNV has beat the expectations every quarter. The highest one was in the 3rd calendar quarter where they beat the consensus by 4.69%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2022 Price to Earnings ratio for SNV is 7.87 vs. an industry ratio of 10.70. Home BancShares, Inc. (HOMB)is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2022. The banks (southeast) company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 3 analysts that follow the stock is $0.54. This value represents a 20.00% increase compared to the same quarter last year. HOMB missed the consensus earnings per share in the 1st calendar quarter of 2022 by -5.13%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2022 Price to Earnings ratio for HOMB is 12.04 vs. an industry ratio of 10.70, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. WNS (Holdings) Limited (WNS)is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2022. The business services company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 6 analysts that follow the stock is $0.80. This value represents a 9.59% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year WNS has beat the expectations every quarter. The highest one was in the 3rd calendar quarter where they beat the consensus by 8.82%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2023 Price to Earnings ratio for WNS is 27.81 vs. an industry ratio of 15.50, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-01-19,47.45,48.5774,45.7,46.8,"[""More Than One Reason To Buy Fastenal, Quickly Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST) just reported its Q4 earnings and has given the market more than 1 reason to become a buyer of this stock. Not only did the results outperform the market\u2019s expectations, but it announced another dividend increase. A dividend increase on its own is good, but this one looks a lot better when you consider the number of annual increases that came before it, which were 24. This means the latest increase, the 25th consecutive annual increase, qualifies the stock as a Dividend Aristocrat. Again, not so much of a catalyst until you think of all the indices and ETFs pegged to the Dividend Aristocrat Index. There are dozens of Dividend Aristocrat ETFs, the top two are worth more than $90 billion in market cap, which makes for a powerful tailwind for this stock because all those ETFs will need to buy some of Fastenal to maintain their allocation. The insiders and institutions have been buying this stock over the last year in preparation for this day. The insiders, except for 1 sale by an EVP, have only bought this stock for the last 5 quarters, and the institutional activity is the same. The institutions were barely net-sellers for a single quarter in 2022 but netted shares for 10 of the 11 quarters leading up to the present and including Q1 of 2023. This has the total institutional ownership up to 77% and growing if the Q4 results have anything to do with it. Fastenal Beats On The Top And Bottom Lines Fastenal had a mixed quarter on a segment basis, but 2 things stand out. The company produced market-beating revenue and earnings despite weakness in 2 of the 4 core segments. At the same time, portfolio diversification, specifically the expansion into international markets, helped to offset the aforementioned weakness. The revenue of $1.69 billion is not only up 10.5%, but it beat the consensus by 120 basis points, and the strength carried through to the bottom line. On a segment basis, the Capital Equipment and Commercial segments both produced growth while the Consumer and Construction segments both contracted; no surprise. Moving down to the earnings, there was some margin pressure, but the contraction was in-line with expectations. The company says mix, FX headwinds and the combination of input prices and pricing actions are to blame. The company eased off on pricing actions in the quarter due to a moderation in inflation that may lead to higher margins in 2023, assuming inflationary pressures continue to decline. Regarding the margin, the gross margin was contracted by 70 basis points but was offset by an improvement in SG&A that left the operating margin flat on a YOY basis. This left GAAP earnings at $0.43 or up $0.03 from last year, a penny ahead of consensus, and in a good position to maintain dividend health and continue repurchases. Fastenal On Tack For Capital Returns In 2023 Fastenal increased its quarterly dividend payment by nearly 12% when it released the Q4 results. This is a slowdown from the 14% CAGR the company has been running but still a healthy increase and one that is more sustainable. Currently, the stock is yielding more than 2.6%, which is a full 125 basis points above the broad market and here are share repurchases to consider as well. The company has up to 6.2 million shares left under its current authorization, which amounts to about 1% of the outstanding shares. The Technical Outlook: Fastenal Is Bottoming Shares of Fastenal hit bottom in early October 2022 and appear to be returning to retest support now. The post-release action has the stock down about 0.6% in premarket trading and above key support at the $45 level. There is a chance for support to kick in at the higher $47 level, but that needs to be confirmed by the market. A fall below $47 is not necessarily bearish, but a move below $45 might be. Longer term, this stock should find a firm bottom soon and begin moving sideways in preparation for the next economic expansion if it doesn\u2019t do so today. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Nasdaq 100 Movers: ALGN, PDD In early trading on Thursday, shares of Pinduoduo topped the list of the day's best performing components of the Nasdaq 100 index, trading up 2.5%. Year to date, Pinduoduo registers a 12.5% gain. And the worst performing Nasdaq 100 component thus far on the day is Align Technology, trading down 3.9%. Align Technology is showing a gain of 12.4% looking at the year to date performance. Two other components making moves today are Warner Bros Discovery, trading down 3.1%, and Fastenal, trading up 1.8% on the day. VIDEO: Nasdaq 100 Movers: ALGN, PDD The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal (FAST) Hikes Dividend by 13% to Reward Investors Fastenal Company FAST gained 2.76% in the after-hour trading session on Jan 18 after it announced a 12.9% hike in its quarterly cash dividend. This national wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies will pay out a quarterly dividend of 35 cents per share on Mar 2, 2023, to shareholders of record as of Feb 2. The company currently has a dividend payout ratio of 66% and a dividend yield of 2.57% based on the closing share price of $47.54 on Jan 18. Over the past two decades, Fastenal has been paying out annual dividends. Also, it paid out special one-time dividends in December 2008, December 2012 and December 2020. With the recent move, FAST is maintaining its commitment to increase stockholders\u2019 returns regularly. The move reflects the company\u2019s sound and stable financial position, and commitment to rewarding shareholders amid industry-wide challenges. Will This Sustain? Fastenal has been paying cash dividends since 1991. It has been consistently sharing its cash flows with shareholders and maintaining a strong financial position. It ended third-quarter 2022 with cash and cash equivalents of $231.5 million versus $236.2 million at 2021-end. The company has sufficient funds to meet the short-term obligation of $150.3 million. Operating lease liabilities, net of the current portion, at September-end were $161.2 million, slightly up from $156 million at 2021-end. Nonetheless, it has no significant debt maturity in recent years. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Additionally, cash provided by operating activities was $257.9 million for third-quarter 2022 versus $167.4 million a year ago. This reflects significantly improved levels of cash flow for the quarter. The company\u2019s financial strength, access to low-cost capital and ability to generate cash flow provide confidence to its stakeholders. Investors always prefer a return-generating stock. A high-dividend-yielding one is much coveted. It goes without saying that stockholders are always on the lookout for companies with a record of consistent and incremental dividend payments. Although shares of the company underperformed the industry in the past year, earnings estimates for 2023 moved up to $1.92 per share from $1.90 in the past 30 days. The trend is likely to continue, given its solid cost-control measures, combative investment to increase Onsite locations and focus on e-commerce business. The company is benefiting from higher demand for industrial capital goods and commodities, which are offsetting softer markets tied to consumer goods and relatively lower growth in construction. Zacks Rank & Key Picks Currently, Fastenal carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today\u2019s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Some better-ranked stocks in the Zacks Retail-Wholesale sector are Darden Restaurants, Inc. DRI, McDonald's Corporation MCD and Yum! Brands, Inc. YUM. Darden carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). DRI has a long-term earnings growth rate of 9.8%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Darden\u2019s 2023 sales and earnings per share (EPS) suggests growth of 7.9% and 5.5%, respectively, from the year-ago period\u2019s reported levels. McDonald's carries a Zacks Rank #2. MCD has a long-term earnings growth rate of 8.2%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for McDonald's 2023 sales and EPS suggests growth of 3.2% and 5.3%, respectively, from the year-ago period\u2019s reported levels. Yum! Brands currently carries a Zacks Rank #2. YUM has a long-term earnings growth rate of 11.8%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Yum! Brands\u2019 2023 sales and EPS suggests growth of 6.2% and 15.5%, respectively, from the year-ago period\u2019s reported levels. 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days Just released: Experts distill 7 elite stocks from the current list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buys. They deem these tickers \""Most Likely for Early Price Pops.\"" Since 1988, the full list has beaten the market more than 2X over with an average gain of +24.8% per year. So be sure to give these hand-picked 7 your immediate attention. See them now >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report McDonald's Corporation (MCD) : Free Stock Analysis Report Yum Brands, Inc. (YUM) : Free Stock Analysis Report Darden Restaurants, Inc. (DRI) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Co. Profit Rises In Q4, Beats estimates (RTTNews) - Fastenal Co. (FAST) revealed earnings for its fourth quarter that increased from the same period last year and beat the Street estimates. The company's bottom line totaled $245.6 million, or $0.43 per share. This compares with $231.2 million, or $0.40 per share, in last year's fourth quarter. Analysts on average had expected the company to earn $0.42 per share, according to figures compiled by Thomson Reuters. Analysts' estimates typically exclude special items. The company's revenue for the quarter rose 11.1% to $1.70 billion from $1.53 billion last year. Fastenal Co. earnings at a glance (GAAP) : -Earnings (Q4): $245.6 Mln. vs. $231.2 Mln. last year. -EPS (Q4): $0.43 vs. $0.40 last year. -Analyst Estimate: $0.42 -Revenue (Q4): $1.70 Bln vs. $1.53 Bln last year. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Q4 22 Earnings Conference Call At 10:00 AM ET (RTTNews) - Fastenal Co. (FAST) will host a conference call at 10:00 AM ET on Jan. 19, 2023, to discuss Q4 22 earnings results. To access the live webcast, log on to https://investor.fastenal.com/events-and-presentations/default.aspx The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal (FAST) Q4 Earnings and Revenues Top Estimates Fastenal (FAST) came out with quarterly earnings of $0.43 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.42 per share. This compares to earnings of $0.40 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items. This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of 2.38%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this maker of industrial and construction fasteners would post earnings of $0.48 per share when it actually produced earnings of $0.50, delivering a surprise of 4.17%. Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates three times. Fastenal, which belongs to the Zacks Building Products - Retail industry, posted revenues of $1.7 billion for the quarter ended December 2022, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 1.23%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $1.53 billion. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates three times over the last four quarters. The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call. Fastenal shares have added about 0.5% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 2.3%. What's Next for Fastenal? While Fastenal has underperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock? There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately. Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions. Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for Fastenal: mixed. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to perform in line with the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. It will be interesting to see how estimates for the coming quarters and current fiscal year change in the days ahead. The current consensus EPS estimate is $0.48 on $1.81 billion in revenues for the coming quarter and $1.92 on $7.25 billion in revenues for the current fiscal year. Investors should be mindful of the fact that the outlook for the industry can have a material impact on the performance of the stock as well. In terms of the Zacks Industry Rank, Building Products - Retail is currently in the bottom 27% of the 250 plus Zacks industries. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1. Beacon Roofing Supply (BECN), another stock in the same industry, has yet to report results for the quarter ended December 2022. This roofing materials distributor is expected to post quarterly earnings of $1.26 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of -1.6%. The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has been revised 0.2% lower over the last 30 days to the current level. Beacon Roofing Supply's revenues are expected to be $2 billion, up 13.9% from the year-ago quarter. 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days Just released: Experts distill 7 elite stocks from the current list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buys. They deem these tickers \""Most Likely for Early Price Pops.\"" Since 1988, the full list has beaten the market more than 2X over with an average gain of +24.8% per year. So be sure to give these hand-picked 7 your immediate attention. See them now >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. (BECN) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2023-01-20,47.06,49.14,46.59,49.0,
FAST,2023-01-23,49.1,49.44,48.71,48.99,"The 7 Best Income Stocks to Buy in January InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips Following a volatile year, investors may want to consider the best income stocks to buy in Jan. As the name suggests, these publicly traded securities offer regular passive income payouts with dividends (typically on a quarterly basis). Fundamentally, this financial category enables market participants to have their money work for them rather than the other way around. In addition, unlike risk-on growth-oriented enterprises, the price action for shares of passive income providers tends to be more resilient to fluctuations. Of course, this framework prevents truly outstanding upside potential. But in an ecosystem that might turn deflationary because of frequent interest rate hikes, stability commands a premium. With so many variables to account for the in the post-pandemic new normal, it’s wise to own established enterprises. Below are the best income stocks to buy in Jan. FAST Fastenal $48.99 JNJ Johnson & Johnson $168.31 CSCO Cisco $47.50 TXN Texas Instruments $178.17 UPS United Parcel Service $180.48 RHI Robert Half $79.75 TROW T. Rowe Price $118.67 Fastenal (FAST) Source: jittawit21/Shutterstock.com Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) provides fasteners such as screws, threaded rods and nuts typically used in construction and manufacturing applications. As well, the company offers various services, including inventory management. Admittedly boring, Fastenal benefits from an established business, providing seemingly mundane equipment for various industrial needs. Thus, it makes an ideal play for best income stocks to buy. Currently, Fastenal enjoys solid financials across the board. For instance, the company’s Altman Z-Score hits 15.23, reflecting extremely low bankruptcy risk over the next two years. As well, its equity-to-asset ratio stands at 0.68 times, well above the sector median of 0.46 times. Operationally, Fastenal’s three-year revenue growth rate (on a per-share basis) pings at 6.4%, above nearly 62% of its rivals. More impressively, the company’s net margin is 15.7%, ranked better than 96% of sector players. Finally, Fastenal carries a forward yield of 2.86%. Combined with its 24 years of consecutive dividend increases, FAST represents one of the best income stocks to buy. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) Source: Dmitry Lobanov/Shutterstock.com Healthcare and consumer products stalwart Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) needs no introduction. Though it courted various controversies over the past few years, the brand carries tremendous global recognition. Further, during these difficult times, investors may view JNJ as a reliable canvas. Therefore, it’s worth consideration as one of the best income stocks to buy this month. Mainly, Johnson & Johnson enjoys solid all-around financials. On the balance sheet, the company’s Altman Z-Score of 4.78 reflects a business enterprise safe from bankruptcy risk. But JNJ really comes alive in the bottom line. From gross to operating to net margins, each of these metrics rank among the industry’s top echelon. Moreover, the healthcare giant’s return on equity (ROE) of 25.9% reflects superior capacity to convert equity financing into profits. Notably, Wall Street analysts rate JNJ as a consensus moderate buy. Their average price target also implies potential upside of over 12%. Finally, JNJ carries a forward yield of 2.68%, higher than the healthcare sector’s average yield of 1.58%. Cisco (CSCO) Source: iQoncept/shutterstock.com A multinational technology conglomerate, Cisco (NASDAQ:CSCO) is another powerful name that needs no introduction. Undergirding the communication and security networks of some of the biggest enterprises in the world, Cisco represents a mature business. In that sense, it’s an ideal candidate for best income stocks to buy. It’s entrenched in high-barrier-to-competition arena, allowing it to focus on its shareholders. That’s exactly what Cisco does. At the moment, the company carries a forward yield of 3.25%, conspicuously above the technology sector’s average yield of 1.37%. Notably, its payout ratio sits at 39.79%, which is fairly low. This metric provides confidence that the company can continue offering passive income to stakeholders without a glitch. As well, it enjoys 12 years of consecutive dividend increases. Fiscally, Cisco benefits from a stable balance sheet (strong cash-to-debt ratio) and excellent profitability margins. Moreover, bargain hunters will appreciate that the market prices CSCO at 13.2-times forward earnings. In contrast, the sector median is 15.1 times. Texas Instruments (TXN) Source: Shutterstock On the riskier side of the spectrum regarding best income stocks to buy, Texas Instruments (NASDAQ:TXN) designs and manufactures semiconductors and various integrated circuits. Of course, because of the global supply chain crisis imposing severe disruption to the tech space, TXN incurred slow price action following the culmination of its post-pandemic bull rally. Still, for the adventurous type, TXN might be worth a look for best income stocks to buy. Primarily, the company provides decent passive income with a forward yield of 2.87%. As well, it commands 19 years of consecutive annual dividend increases, a status management won’t give up too cheaply. And while the payout ratio of 57.69% is elevated, it’s not to the point of raising serious sustainability concerns. Financially, investors have a lot to love about Texas Instruments. First, its Altman Z-Score hits 13.33, reflecting extremely low bankruptcy risk. On the bottom line, the company enjoys outstanding profitability metrics, along with a stratospheric ROE. United Parcel Service (UPS) Source: Shutterstock On surface level, United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) represents a significant risk. While shares did lose nearly 12% of equity value in the trailing year, that’s just part of the anxieties. Perhaps most notably, UPS faces competition from certain e-commerce firms. As well, when you’re dealing with courier services, you must factor in consumer sentiment. Well, this stat stinks, to put it bluntly. So, why mention UPS as one of the best income stocks to buy? When you consider the company objectively, it’s difficult to ignore the holistic value proposition. First, it features a decent balance sheet with an Altman Z-Score rating up in the safe zone. Operationally, the company’s three-year revenue growth rate (per share) stands at 10.3%, well above the sector median of 1%. And it also enjoys a solid 11% net margin. In terms of passive income, UPS offers a forward yield of 3.41%, well above the industrials sector’s average yield of 2.36%. As well, it features a decently reliable payout ratio of 48.53%. Robert Half (RHI) Source: Shutterstock With the last two entries for best income stocks to buy, we’re going to dial up the risk-reward profile, beginning with employment services agency Robert Half (NYSE:RHI). Before anyone gets any strange ideas, RHI presents significant risks. In the trailing year, shares stumbled over 28%. However, in the year so far, Robert Half gained over 6% of equity value. Fundamentally, it’s possible that RHI may benefit (cynically, I might add) from mass layoffs. While the baseline unemployment rate may be low relative to the devastation of the coronavirus pandemic, many companies axed their high-paying jobs. Therefore, if broader economic challenges persist, more folks may take up Robert Half’s employment services. While waiting for this narrative to pan out, investors may enjoy its passive income. Currently, the company carries a forward yield of 2.2%. Also, it features a low payout ratio of 28.84%, suggesting that you can depend on this income source. T. Rowe Price (TROW) Source: Shutterstock Based on outside fundamentals, T. Rowe Price (NASDAQ:TROW) arguably represents the riskiest of best income stocks to buy. As a global investment management firm, T. Rowe does well when the markets do well. Unfortunately, that’s not substantively the case at this juncture, hurting the enterprise. In the trailing year, TROW lost over 26% of equity value. Still, some hope endures for T. Rowe. In the year so far, TROW gained 8%. Some of this upside may be due to the underlying company’s relevance. Essentially, T. Rowe hires some of the brightest (and certified) financial advisors in the game. If anybody can navigate the uncertainties of this market environment, it would be these folks. For those that are interested, T. Rowe also offers the highest payout on this list of best income stocks to buy. Currently, its forward yield stands at 4.07%. As well, the company enjoys 37 years of consecutive annual dividend increases. On the date of publication, Josh Enomoto did not have (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.com Publishing Guidelines. A former senior business analyst for Sony Electronics, Josh Enomoto has helped broker major contracts with Fortune Global 500 companies. Over the past several years, he has delivered unique, critical insights for the investment markets, as well as various other industries including legal, construction management, and healthcare. The post The 7 Best Income Stocks to Buy in January appeared first on InvestorPlace. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-01-24,48.98,49.655,48.37,49.58,
FAST,2023-01-25,49.45,49.51,48.53,49.47,"Validea Daily Guru Fundamental Report for FAST - 1/25/2023 Below is Validea's daily guru fundamental report for FASTENAL CO (FAST). Of the twelve guru strategies we follow, FAST rates highest using our Patient Investor model based on the published strategy of Warren Buffett. This strategy seeks out firms with long-term, predictable profitability and low debt that trade at reasonable valuations. FASTENAL CO (FAST) is a large-cap growth stock in the Misc. Fabricated Products industry. The rating using this strategy is 86% based on the firm’s underlying fundamentals and the stock’s valuation. A score of 80% or above typically indicates that the strategy has some interest in the stock and a score above 90% typically indicates strong interest. Company Description: Fastenal Company is engaged in the wholesale distribution of industrial and construction supplies. The Company is a distributor of threaded fasteners, bolts, nuts, screws, studs, and related washers, as well as miscellaneous supplies and hardware. Its customers are in the manufacturing and non-residential construction markets. The manufacturing market includes sales of products for both original equipment manufacturing (OEM), where its products are consumed in the final products of its customers, and manufacturing, repair, and operations (MRO), where its products are consumed to support the facilities and ongoing operations of its customers. The non-residential construction market includes general, electrical, plumbing, sheet metal and road contractors. Other users of its products include farmers, truckers, railroads, oil exploration companies, oil production and refinement companies, mining companies, federal, state, and local governmental entities, schools, and certain retail trades. The following table summarizes whether the stock meets each of this strategy's tests. Not all criteria in the below table receive equal weighting or are independent, but the table provides a brief overview of the strong and weak points of the security in the context of the strategy's criteria. EARNINGS PREDICTABILITY: PASS DEBT SERVICE: PASS RETURN ON EQUITY: PASS RETURN ON TOTAL CAPITAL: PASS FREE CASH FLOW: PASS USE OF RETAINED EARNINGS: PASS SHARE REPURCHASE: PASS INITIAL RATE OF RETURN: PASS EXPECTED RETURN: FAIL Detailed Analysis of FASTENAL CO FAST Guru Analysis FAST Fundamental Analysis Warren Buffett Portfolio Top Warren Buffett Stocks About Warren Buffett: Warren Buffett is considered by many to be the greatest investor of all time. As the chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, Buffett has consistently outperformed the S&P 500 for decades, and in the process has become one of the world's richest men. (Forbes puts his net worth at $37 billion.) Despite his fortune, Buffett is known for living a modest lifestyle, by billionaire standards. His primary residence remains the gray stucco Nebraska home he purchased for $31,500 nearly 50 years ago, according to Forbes, and his folksy Midwestern manner and penchant for simple pleasures -- a cherry Coke, a good burger, and a good book are all near the top of the list -- have been well-documented. About Validea: Validea is aninvestment researchservice that follows the published strategies of investment legends. Validea offers both stock analysis and model portfolios based on gurus who have outperformed the market over the long-term, including Warren Buffett, Benjamin Graham, Peter Lynch and Martin Zweig. For more information about Validea, click here The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-01-26,49.81,50.0552,49.16,49.61,"Pricing to Aid PulteGroup's (PHM) Homebuilding in Q4 Earnings PulteGroup, Inc.’s PHM Homebuilding segment, accounting for more than 97% of total revenues, is expected to have registered growth, mainly attributable to higher housing prices. Consequently, the segment is likely to contribute to overall revenues when it reports fourth-quarter 2022 results on Jan 31. PulteGroup has exhibited a solid performance over the past year, with the stock rising almost at par with the Zacks Building Products - Home Builders industry. It has been benefiting from its focus on entry-level buyers and liquidity protection, prudent management of cash flows and land investment strategy. However, accelerating mortgage rates and continuous supply-chain issues pose a concern. Click here to know how the company’s overall Q4 performance is expected to be. A Look at Q4 Segmental Performance PulteGroup’s Homebuilding segment is expected to have registered growth, courtesy of a higher average selling price or ASP. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Homebuilding revenues of $4.52 billion suggests an increase of 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. PulteGroup expects home deliveries to be 8,000, indicating a decline from 8,611 homes delivered a year ago. The decrease reflects the challenging sales environment, higher cancelation rates and the ongoing impact of Hurricane Ian on Florida operations. It expects a higher ASP for the quarter in the range of $560,000-$570,000, suggesting an increase from $490,000 in the year-ago period. The consensus mark for ASP is $565,000, which points to a 15.3% year-over-year improvement. For the quarter to be reported, the consensus mark for the number of homes closed is 7,903, which points to an 8.2% year-over-year decrease. A prudent land investment strategy and focus on entry-level buyers are expected to have benefited PulteGroup in the fourth quarter. However, rising mortgage rates might have impacted the demand for homes in the quarter, which is expected to have reflected in the quarterly sales as well as orders for homes. Also, the company has been witnessing supply-chain challenges that are resulting in construction-related delays. The labor market tightened with the limited availability of labor, arresting the rapid growth in housing production. These headwinds might have impacted the upcoming results to some extent. Nonetheless, higher pricing is expected to have mitigated the risks. As such, given these cost price dynamics, PHM expects homebuilding gross margins to expand 120 basis points to 28% for fourth-quarter 2022 from the year-ago period. The company remains on track for full-year SG&A (as a percentage of home sales revenues) to be in the range of 9.2% to 9.5%. Overall Q4 Earnings & Revenue Expectations The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the to-be-reported quarter’s earnings is currently pegged at $2.88 per share, indicating 14.7% growth from the year-ago figure of $2.51. Also, the consensus mark for revenues is $4.60 billion, suggesting 5.6% year-over-year growth. PulteGroup, a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) company, surpassed earnings estimates in 21 of the trailing 24 quarters. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. A Few Recent Construction Releases D.R. Horton, Inc. DHI reported first-quarter fiscal 2023 (ended Dec 31, 2022) results, wherein earnings and revenues surpassed their respective Zacks Consensus Estimate. Yet, on a year-over-year basis, DHI’s quarterly metrics declined due to prevailing softness in the market. Fastenal Company FAST reported fourth-quarter 2022 results, wherein earnings and revenues topped the Zacks Consensus Estimate. FAST’s quarterly revenues and earnings also improved on a year-over-year basis, given the strong demand in markets associated with industrial capital goods and commodities amid inflation for products, particularly fasteners and transportation services. KB Home KBH reported lackluster results in fourth-quarter fiscal 2022 (ended Nov 30, 2022). Both the earnings and revenues lagged the Zacks Consensus Estimate. On a year-over-year basis, both metrics increased on the back of measures undertaken to stimulate additional sales during the seasonally slower time frame. Stay on top of upcoming earnings announcements with the Zacks Earnings Calendar. Free Report: Must-See Energy Stocks for 2023 Record profits at oil companies can mean big gains for you. With soaring demand and elevated prices, oil stocks could be top performers by far in 2023. Zacks has released a special report revealing the 4 oil stocks experts believe will deliver the biggest gains. (You’ll never guess Stock #2!) Download Oil Market on Fire today, absolutely free. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report PulteGroup, Inc. (PHM) : Free Stock Analysis Report KB Home (KBH) : Free Stock Analysis Report D.R. Horton, Inc. (DHI) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-01-27,49.53,50.535,49.46,50.25,"Forget Bargain Hunting, Buy 5 Stocks With Rising P/E Bargain hunting or chasing stocks with a low price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio is among the widely-used investing strategies. Investors believe that the lower the P/E, the higher will be the value of the stock.The logic is simple — a stock’s current market price does not justify its higher earnings and therefore leaves room for upside. But there is more to this whole P/E story. Because not only low P/E, stocks with a rising P/E can also fetch strong returns. In this regard, investors can bet on the likes of Live Nation Entertainment LYV, Fastenal FAST, BigCommerce BIGC, Telefonica Brasil VIV and Renesola SOL. Rising P/E: An Useful Tool The concept is that as earnings rise, so should the price of the stock. As forecasts for expected earnings come in higher, strong demand for the stock should continue to push up its prices. After all, astock's P/E gives an indication of how much investors are ready to shell out per dollar of earnings. Suppose an investor wants to buy a stock with a P/E ratio of 30. This means that he is willing to shell out $30 for only $1 worth of earnings as he expects the earnings of the company to rise at a faster pace in the future, owing to strong fundamentals. So, if the P/E of a stock is rising steadily, it means that investors are assured of its inherent strength and expect some strong positives out of it. Also, studies have revealed that stocks have seen their P/E ratios jump over 100% from their breakout point in the cycle. So, if you can pick stocks early in their breakout cycle, you can end up seeing considerable gains. The Winning Strategy In order to shortlist stocks that are exhibiting an increasing P/E, we chose the following as our primary screening parameters. EPS growth estimate for the current year is greater than or equal to last year’s actual growth Percentage change in last year EPS should be greater than or equal zero (These two criteria point to flat earnings or a growth trend over the years.) Percentage change in price over four weeks greater than the percentage change in price over 12 weeks Percentage change in price over 12 weeks greater than percentage change in price over 24 weeks (These two criteria show that price of the stock is increasing consistently over the said timeframes.) Percentage price change for four weeks relative to the S&P 500 greater than the percentage price change for 12 weeks relative to the S&P 500 Percentage price change for 12 weeks relative to the S&P 500 greater than the percentage price change for 24 weeks relative to the S&P 500 (Here, the case for consistent price gains gets even stronger as it displays percentage price changes relative to the S&P 500.) Percentage price change for 12 weeks is 20% higher than or equal to the percentage price change for 24 weeks, but it should not exceed 100% (A 20% increase in the price of a stock from the breakout point gives cues of an impending uptrend. But a jump of over 100% indicates that there is limited scope for further upside and that the stock might be due for a reversal.) In addition, we place a few other criteria that lead us to some likely outperformers. Zacks Rank less than or equal to 2: Only companies with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy) can get through. Average 20-day Volume greater than or equal to 50,000: High trading volume implies that the stocks have adequate liquidity. Just these few criteria narrowed down the universe from over 7,700 stocks to just 46. Here are five out of the 46 stocks: Live Nation Entertainment (LYV): The Zacks Rank #2 companyprovides live entertainment. It operates through Concerts, Ticketing, and Sponsorship and Advertising segments. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. The average earnings surprise of LYV for the past four quarters is 9.72%. Fastenal (FAST): Fastenal Company is a national wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies. The company distributes its products through more than 3,200 company-owned stores mostly located in North America. FAST has a Zacks Rank #2. The average earnings surprise of FAST for the past four quarters is 3.34%. BigCommerce (BIGC): This Zacks Rank #2 company provides software-as-a-service ecommerce platform. The average earnings surprise of BIGC of the past four quarters is 4.66%. Telefonica Brasil (VIV): Telefonica Brasil SA is engaged in providing communication, information and entertainment solutions in the telecommunication sector, in the State of Sao Paulo. The company has a Zacks Rank #2. The average earnings surprise of VIV for the past four quarters is 27.71%. Renesola (SOL): The Zacks Rank #2 companyis into the production and sale of solar wafers. Starting 2012, the company expanded its operations into global energy-efficient products and services business and downstream solar power projects in overseas markets. The average earnings surprise of SOL for the past four quarters is 70.84%. You can get the rest of the stocks on this list by signing up now for your 2-week free trial to the Research Wizard and start using this screen in your own trading. Further, you can also create your own strategies and test them first before taking the investment plunge. The Research Wizard is a great place to begin. It's easy to use. Everything is in plain language. And it's very intuitive. Start your Research Wizard trial today. And the next time you read an economic report, open up the Research Wizard, plug your finds in, and see what gems come out. Click here to sign up for a free trial to the Research Wizard today. Disclosure: Officers, directors and/or employees of Zacks Investment Research may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material. An affiliated investment advisory firm may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material. Disclosure: Performance information for Zacks’ portfolios and strategies are available at: https://www.zacks.com/performance. 5 Stocks Set to Double Each was handpicked by a Zacks expert as the #1 favorite stock to gain +100% or more in 2021. Previous recommendations have soared +143.0%, +175.9%, +498.3% and +673.0%. Most of the stocks in this report are flying under Wall Street radar, which provides a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor. Today, See These 5 Potential Home Runs >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Renesola Ltd. (SOL) : Free Stock Analysis Report Telefonica Brasil S.A. (VIV) : Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. (LYV) : Free Stock Analysis Report BigCommerce Holdings, Inc. (BIGC) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-01-30,49.85,50.36,49.33,49.43,"Zacks.com featured highlights Live Nation Entertainment, Fastenal, BigCommerce, Telefonica Brasil and Renesola For Immediate Release Chicago, IL – January 30, 2023 – Stocks in this week’s article are Live Nation Entertainment LYV, Fastenal FAST, BigCommerce BIGC, Telefonica Brasil VIV and Renesola SOL. Forget Bargain Hunting: Buy 5 Stocks with Rising P/E Bargain hunting or chasing stocks with a low price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio is among the widely-used investing strategies. Investors believe that the lower the P/E, the higher will be the value of the stock.The logic is simple — a stock’s current market price does not justify its higher earnings and therefore leaves room for upside. But there is more to this whole P/E story. Because not only low P/E, stocks with a rising P/E can also fetch strong returns. In this regard, investors can bet on the likes of Live Nation Entertainment, Fastenal, BigCommerce, Telefonica Brasil and Renesola. Rising P/E: An Useful Tool The concept is that as earnings rise, so should the price of the stock. As forecasts for expected earnings come in higher, strong demand for the stock should continue to push up its prices. After all, astock's P/E gives an indication of how much investors are ready to shell out per dollar of earnings. Suppose an investor wants to buy a stock with a P/E ratio of 30. This means that he is willing to shell out $30 for only $1 worth of earnings as he expects the earnings of the company to rise at a faster pace in the future, owing to strong fundamentals. So, if the P/E of a stock is rising steadily, it means that investors are assured of its inherent strength and expect some strong positives out of it. Also, studies have revealed that stocks have seen their P/E ratios jump over 100% from their breakout point in the cycle. So, if you can pick stocks early in their breakout cycle, you can end up seeing considerable gains. Here are five out of the 46 stocks: Live Nation Entertainment: The Zacks Rank #2 company provides live entertainment. It operates through Concerts, Ticketing, and Sponsorship and Advertising segments. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. The average earnings surprise of LYV for the past four quarters is 9.72%. Fastenal: Fastenal Company is a national wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies. The company distributes its products through more than 3,200 company-owned stores mostly located in North America. FAST has a Zacks Rank #2. The average earnings surprise of FAST for the past four quarters is 3.34%. BigCommerce: This Zacks Rank #2 company provides software-as-a-service ecommerce platform. The average earnings surprise of BIGC of the past four quarters is 4.66%. Telefonica Brasil: Telefonica Brasil SA is engaged in providing communication, information and entertainment solutions in the telecommunication sector, in the State of Sao Paulo. The company has a Zacks Rank #2. The average earnings surprise of VIV for the past four quarters is 27.71%. Renesola: The Zacks Rank #2 company is into the production and sale of solar wafers. Starting 2012, the company expanded its operations into global energy-efficient products and services business and downstream solar power projects in overseas markets. The average earnings surprise of SOL for the past four quarters is 70.84%. You can get the rest of the stocks on this list by signing up now for your 2-week free trial to the Research Wizard and start using this screen in your own trading. Further, you can also create your own strategies and test them first before taking the investment plunge. The Research Wizard is a great place to begin. It's easy to use. Everything is in plain language. And it's very intuitive. Start your Research Wizard trial today. And the next time you read an economic report, open up the Research Wizard, plug your finds in, and see what gems come out. Click here to sign up for a free trial to the Research Wizard today. For the rest of this Screen of the Week article please visit Zacks.com at: https://www.zacks.com/stock/news/2045311/forget-bargain-hunting-buy-5-stocks-with-rising-pe Disclosure: Officers, directors and/or employees of Zacks Investment Research may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material. An affiliated investment advisory firm may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material. About Screen of the Week Zacks.com created the first and best screening system on the web earning the distinction as the ""#1 site for screening stocks"" by Money Magazine. But powerful screening tools is just the start. That is why Zacks created the Screen of the Week to highlight profitable stock picking strategies that investors can actively use. Strong Stocks that Should Be in the News Many are little publicized and fly under the Wall Street radar. They're virtually unknown to the general public. Yet today's 220 Zacks Rank #1 ""Strong Buys"" were generated by the stock-picking system that has more than doubled the market from 1988 through 2016. Its average gain has been a stellar +25% per year. See these high-potential stocks free >>. Follow us on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/zacksresearch Join us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ZacksInvestmentResearch Zacks Investment Research is under common control with affiliated entities (including a broker-dealer and an investment adviser), which may engage in transactions involving the foregoing securities for the clients of such affiliates. Contact: Jim Giaquinto Company: Zacks.com Phone: 312-265-9268 Email: pr@zacks.com Visit: https://www.zacks.com/ Zacks.com provides investment resources and informs you of these resources, which you may choose to use in making your own investment decisions. Zacks is providing information on this resource to you subject to the Zacks ""Terms and Conditions of Service"" disclaimer. www.zacks.com/disclaimer. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release. Just Released: Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2023 In addition to the investment ideas discussed above, would you like to know about our 10 top picks for 2023? From inception in 2012 through November, the Zacks Top 10 Stocks portfolio has tripled the market, gaining an impressive +884.5% versus the S&P 500’s +287.4%. Our Director of Research has now combed through 4,000 companies covered by the Zacks Rank and handpicked the best 10 tickers to buy and hold in 2023. Don’t miss your chance to still be among the first to get in on these just-released stocks. See New Top 10 Stocks >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Renesola Ltd. (SOL) : Free Stock Analysis Report Telefonica Brasil S.A. (VIV) : Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. (LYV) : Free Stock Analysis Report BigCommerce Holdings, Inc. (BIGC) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-01-31,49.45,50.59,49.415,50.55,"Fastenal (FAST) Shares Cross Above 200 DMA In trading on Tuesday, shares of Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) crossed above their 200 day moving average of $50.50, changing hands as high as $50.59 per share. Fastenal Co. shares are currently trading up about 2.3% on the day. The chart below shows the one year performance of FAST shares, versus its 200 day moving average: Looking at the chart above, FAST's low point in its 52 week range is $43.73 per share, with $60.735 as the 52 week high point — that compares with a last trade of $50.55. The FAST DMA information above was sourced from TechnicalAnalysisChannel.com Click here to find out which 9 other dividend stocks recently crossed above their 200 day moving average » Also see: • SUN shares outstanding history • PHII market cap history • MTBC Stock Predictions The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-02-01,50.06,52.26,50.04,51.9,
FAST,2023-02-02,52.33,55.34,52.19,55.29,"Validea Daily Guru Fundamental Report for FAST - 2/2/2023 Below is Validea's daily guru fundamental report for FASTENAL CO (FAST). Of the twelve guru strategies we follow, FAST rates highest using our Patient Investor model based on the published strategy of Warren Buffett. This strategy seeks out firms with long-term, predictable profitability and low debt that trade at reasonable valuations. FASTENAL CO (FAST) is a large-cap growth stock in the Misc. Fabricated Products industry. The rating using this strategy is 86% based on the firm’s underlying fundamentals and the stock’s valuation. A score of 80% or above typically indicates that the strategy has some interest in the stock and a score above 90% typically indicates strong interest. Company Description: Fastenal Company is engaged in the wholesale distribution of industrial and construction supplies. The Company is a distributor of threaded fasteners, bolts, nuts, screws, studs, and related washers, as well as miscellaneous supplies and hardware. Its customers are in the manufacturing and non-residential construction markets. The manufacturing market includes sales of products for both original equipment manufacturing (OEM), where its products are consumed in the final products of its customers, and manufacturing, repair, and operations (MRO), where its products are consumed to support the facilities and ongoing operations of its customers. The non-residential construction market includes general, electrical, plumbing, sheet metal and road contractors. Other users of its products include farmers, truckers, railroads, oil exploration companies, oil production and refinement companies, mining companies, federal, state, and local governmental entities, schools, and certain retail trades. The following table summarizes whether the stock meets each of this strategy's tests. Not all criteria in the below table receive equal weighting or are independent, but the table provides a brief overview of the strong and weak points of the security in the context of the strategy's criteria. EARNINGS PREDICTABILITY: PASS DEBT SERVICE: PASS RETURN ON EQUITY: PASS RETURN ON TOTAL CAPITAL: PASS FREE CASH FLOW: PASS USE OF RETAINED EARNINGS: PASS SHARE REPURCHASE: PASS INITIAL RATE OF RETURN: PASS EXPECTED RETURN: FAIL Detailed Analysis of FASTENAL CO FAST Guru Analysis FAST Fundamental Analysis Warren Buffett Portfolio Top Warren Buffett Stocks About Warren Buffett: Warren Buffett is considered by many to be the greatest investor of all time. As the chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, Buffett has consistently outperformed the S&P 500 for decades, and in the process has become one of the world's richest men. (Forbes puts his net worth at $37 billion.) Despite his fortune, Buffett is known for living a modest lifestyle, by billionaire standards. His primary residence remains the gray stucco Nebraska home he purchased for $31,500 nearly 50 years ago, according to Forbes, and his folksy Midwestern manner and penchant for simple pleasures -- a cherry Coke, a good burger, and a good book are all near the top of the list -- have been well-documented. About Validea: Validea is aninvestment researchservice that follows the published strategies of investment legends. Validea offers both stock analysis and model portfolios based on gurus who have outperformed the market over the long-term, including Warren Buffett, Benjamin Graham, Peter Lynch and Martin Zweig. For more information about Validea, click here The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-02-03,54.56,54.84,53.78,54.2,"BlackRock Increases Position in Fastenal (FAST) Fintel reports that BlackRock has filed a 13G/A form with the SEC disclosing ownership of 45.02MM shares of Fastenal Company (FAST). This represents 7.9% of the company. In their previous filing dated February 1, 2022 they reported 44.51MM shares and 7.70% of the company, an increase in shares of 1.14% and an increase in total ownership of 0.20% (calculated as current - previous percent ownership). Analyst Price Forecast Suggests 8.45% Downside As of February 2, 2023, the average one-year price target for Fastenal is $50.62. The forecasts range from a low of $42.42 to a high of $57.75. The average price target represents a decrease of 8.45% from its latest reported closing price of $55.29. The projected annual revenue for Fastenal is $7,336MM, an increase of 5.09%. The projected annual EPS is $1.97, an increase of 3.93%. Fund Sentiment There are 1725 funds or institutions reporting positions in Fastenal. This is a decrease of 56 owner(s) or 3.14%. Average portfolio weight of all funds dedicated to US:FAST is 0.2976%, a decrease of 2.7566%. Total shares owned by institutions decreased in the last three months by 0.39% to 490,916K shares. What are large shareholders doing? Bank of New York Mellon holds 26,933,292 shares representing 4.72% ownership of the company. In it's prior filing, the firm reported owning 27,111,528 shares, representing a decrease of 0.66%. The firm decreased its portfolio allocation in FAST by 56.45% over the last quarter. VTSMX - Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund Investor Shares holds 17,141,490 shares representing 3.00% ownership of the company. In it's prior filing, the firm reported owning 16,946,111 shares, representing an increase of 1.14%. The firm decreased its portfolio allocation in FAST by 2.75% over the last quarter. Geode Capital Management holds 13,281,042 shares representing 2.33% ownership of the company. In it's prior filing, the firm reported owning 12,965,419 shares, representing an increase of 2.38%. The firm decreased its portfolio allocation in FAST by 2.11% over the last quarter. VIMSX - Vanguard Mid-Cap Index Fund Investor Shares holds 13,257,268 shares representing 2.32% ownership of the company. In it's prior filing, the firm reported owning 13,250,179 shares, representing an increase of 0.05%. The firm decreased its portfolio allocation in FAST by 3.52% over the last quarter. VFINX - Vanguard 500 Index Fund Investor Shares holds 13,027,408 shares representing 2.28% ownership of the company. In it's prior filing, the firm reported owning 12,737,459 shares, representing an increase of 2.23%. The firm decreased its portfolio allocation in FAST by 2.46% over the last quarter. Fastenal Declares $0.35 Dividend Fastenal said on January 18, 2023 that its board of directors declared a regular quarterly dividend of $0.35 per share ($1.40 annualized). Shareholders of record as of February 1, 2023 will receive the payment on March 2, 2023. Previously, the company paid $0.31 per share. At the current share price of $55.29 / share, the stock's dividend yield is 2.53%. Looking back five years and taking a sample every week, the average dividend yield has been 2.48%, the lowest has been 1.75%, and the highest has been 3.55%. The standard deviation of yields is 0.35 (n=237). The current dividend yield is 0.14 standard deviations above the historical average. Additionally, the company's dividend payout ratio is 0.74. The payout ratio tells us how much of a company's income is paid out in dividends. A payout ratio of one (1.0) means 100% of the company's income is paid in a dividend. A payout ratio greater than one means the company is dipping into savings in order to maintain its dividend - not a healthy situation. Companies with few growth prospects are expected to pay out most of their income in dividends, which typically means a payout ratio between 0.5 and 1.0. Companies with good growth prospects are expected to retain some earnings in order to invest in those growth prospects, which translates to a payout ratio of zero to 0.5. The company's 3-Year dividend growth rate is 0.40%, demonstrating that it has increased its dividend over time. Fastenal Background Information (This description is provided by the company.) Fastenal helps customers simplify and realize product and process savings across their supply chain. It sells a broad oCering of products spanning more than nine major product lines - from fasteners and tools to safety and janitorial supplies. These products are eciently distributed to manufacturing facilities, job sites, and other customer locations through local service teams and point-of-use inventory solutions, including industrial vending technology and bin stock programs (Fastenal Managed Inventory or FMI®). Its distribution system centers on over 3,200 in-market locations (a combination of public branches and customer-speci c Onsite locations), primarily in North America but also in Asia, Europe, and Central and South America, each providing tailored inventory, exible service, and custom solutions to drive the unique goals of local customers. These in-market servicing locations are supported by Vfteen regional distribution centers, a captive logistics Deet, robust sourcing, quality and manufacturing resources, and multiple teams of industry specialists and support personnel - all working toward Fastenal's common goal of Growth Through Customer Service®. This story originally appeared on Fintel. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-02-06,53.81,54.04,52.92,53.22,
FAST,2023-02-07,52.9,53.615,52.28,53.48,"[""Jacobs (J) Q1 Earnings & Revenues Top Estimates, Shares Rise Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. J reported first-quarter fiscal 2022 (ended Dec 30, 2022) results, with earnings and revenues surpassing their respective Zacks Consensus Estimate and rising year over year. The results reflect the company\u2019s ability to capture high growth opportunities emerging across Climate Response, Data Solutions and Consulting & Advisory. Shares of this construction and technical services company gained 1.1% following the earnings release on Feb 7, 2023. Looking into fiscal 2023 and beyond, Jacobs' president and CFO Kevin Berryman added, \""We delivered solid first quarter results with double-digit revenue growth, strong profitability performance and robust cash flow generation. The profitability mix within our revenue backlog improved in Q1, which positions us well to achieve our fiscal year 2023 outlook. We continue to expect strong demand across our diverse portfolio of solutions with the ability to drive further earnings per share growth by prudently deploying capital.\"" Jacobs Solutions Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Jacobs Solutions Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Jacobs Solutions Inc. Quote Earnings & Revenue Discussion For the reported quarter, adjusted earnings of $1.67 per share topped the consensus estimate of $1.61. Also, the reported figure was up 7% from the year-ago period. Jacobs\u2019 revenues totaled $3.8 billion, topped the consensus mark of $3.62 billion and grew 7.7% year over year. Revenues were up 12% year over year in constant currency. Backlog at the end of first-quarter fiscal 2023 amounted to $28.3 billion, up 1% from a year ago. Segment Details Revenues from the Critical Mission Solutions or CMS segment of $1.08 billion increased 10.1% year over year. Yet, the segment operating profit of $82.2 million was down from $91.2 million reported a year ago. The backlog at the fiscal first-quarter end was $7.63 billion, slightly up from $7.53 billion a year ago. Revenues from the People & Places Solutions or P&PS segment totaled $2.23 billion, which inched up 15.8% year over year. Net revenues (excluding Pass Through Revenue) were up 8.2% year over year. Segment operating profit grew 20% from the prior-year quarter to $226.6 million. The backlog at the quarter end was $17.2 billion, up from $16.93 billion a year ago. Revenues from the Divergent Solutions segment totaled $214.5 million, which grew 11.2% year over year. Divergent Solutions net revenues were up 3% year over year. Segment operating profit declined 48.2% from the prior-year quarter to $12 million. The backlog at the quarter-end was $3.08 billion, down from $3.28 billion a year ago. PA Consulting generated $282 million in revenues in the fiscal first quarter, down from the year-ago quarter\u2019s figure of $290 million. Segment operating profit was $51 million, down from $63.1 million a year ago. Quarter-end backlog amounted to $306 million, up from $276 million a year ago. Margins Profile Total segment operating profit grew to $371.8 million from $366.3 million a year ago. Balance Sheet & Cash Flow At the fiscal first-quarter end, Jacobs had cash and cash equivalents of $1,211.1 million, up from $1,140.5 million at the fiscal 2022-end (Sep 30, 2022). Long-term debt increased to $3.43 billion at the fiscal first-quarter end from $3.36 billion at the fiscal 2022-end. Net cash provided by operating activities totaled $302.3 million in the quarter compared with $321.6 million in the year-ago quarter. Fiscal 2023 Guidance Maintained Meanwhile, based on recent FX rates, Jacobs still expects adjusted EBITDA between $1,400 million and $1,480 million and adjusted earnings within $7.20-$7.50 per share (up 6% both at the midpoints). The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the company\u2019s fiscal 2023 earnings is currently pegged at $7.36 per share. Zacks Rank Jacobs currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today\u2019s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Some Recent Releases Weyerhaeuser Company WY reported fourth-quarter 2022 results, wherein its earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate, and the same declined from the year-ago period's levels. The quarter\u2019s performance reflects strong execution across the businesses, which was offset by macroeconomic headwinds, supply-chain disruptions and dynamic market conditions. On an impressive note, WY unveiled a 90 cents per share supplemental dividend. The company also increased its base dividend by 5.9%, repurchased $550 million in shares and refinanced $900 million of debt. Fastenal Company FAST reported fourth-quarter 2022 results, wherein earnings and revenues topped the Zacks Consensus Estimate. FAST\u2019s top and bottom lines also improved on a year-over-year basis, given the strong demand in markets associated with industrial capital goods and commodities amid inflation for products, particularly fasteners and transportation services. United Rentals, Inc. URI reported fourth-quarter 2022 results. Its earnings and revenues missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate but increased on a year-over-year basis on the back of sustained demand in its end markets and the strength of its core rental business. URI provided solid full-year 2023 guidance for total revenues and adjusted EBITDA, given broad-based end-market activity, contractor backlogs, customer sentiment and solid visibility. Also, it unveiled a quarterly dividend of $1.48 per share, with an annualized yield of approximately 1.5%. The company also plans to restart its share repurchase program, with the intention of buying back $1 billion of common stock in 2023. Free Report: Must-See Hydrogen Stocks Hydrogen fuel cells are already used to provide efficient, ultra-clean energy to buses, ships and even hospitals. This technology is on the verge of a massive breakthrough, one that could make hydrogen a major source of America's power. It could even totally revolutionize the EV industry. Zacks has released a special report revealing the 4 stocks experts believe will deliver the biggest gains. Download Cashing In on Cleaner Energy today, absolutely free. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report Weyerhaeuser Company (WY) : Free Stock Analysis Report United Rentals, Inc. (URI) : Free Stock Analysis Report Jacobs Solutions Inc. (J) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Validea Daily Guru Fundamental Report for FAST - 2/7/2023 Below is Validea's daily guru fundamental report for FASTENAL CO (FAST). Of the twelve guru strategies we follow, FAST rates highest using our Patient Investor model based on the published strategy of Warren Buffett. This strategy seeks out firms with long-term, predictable profitability and low debt that trade at reasonable valuations. FASTENAL CO (FAST) is a large-cap growth stock in the Misc. Fabricated Products industry. The rating using this strategy is 86% based on the firm\u2019s underlying fundamentals and the stock\u2019s valuation. A score of 80% or above typically indicates that the strategy has some interest in the stock and a score above 90% typically indicates strong interest. Company Description: Fastenal Company is engaged in the wholesale distribution of industrial and construction supplies. The Company is a distributor of threaded fasteners, bolts, nuts, screws, studs, and related washers, as well as miscellaneous supplies and hardware. Its customers are in the manufacturing and non-residential construction markets. The manufacturing market includes sales of products for both original equipment manufacturing (OEM), where its products are consumed in the final products of its customers, and manufacturing, repair, and operations (MRO), where its products are consumed to support the facilities and ongoing operations of its customers. The non-residential construction market includes general, electrical, plumbing, sheet metal and road contractors. Other users of its products include farmers, truckers, railroads, oil exploration companies, oil production and refinement companies, mining companies, federal, state, and local governmental entities, schools, and certain retail trades. The following table summarizes whether the stock meets each of this strategy's tests. Not all criteria in the below table receive equal weighting or are independent, but the table provides a brief overview of the strong and weak points of the security in the context of the strategy's criteria. EARNINGS PREDICTABILITY: PASS DEBT SERVICE: PASS RETURN ON EQUITY: PASS RETURN ON TOTAL CAPITAL: PASS FREE CASH FLOW: PASS USE OF RETAINED EARNINGS: PASS SHARE REPURCHASE: PASS INITIAL RATE OF RETURN: PASS EXPECTED RETURN: FAIL Detailed Analysis of FASTENAL CO FAST Guru Analysis FAST Fundamental Analysis Warren Buffett Portfolio Top Warren Buffett Stocks About Warren Buffett: Warren Buffett is considered by many to be the greatest investor of all time. As the chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, Buffett has consistently outperformed the S&P 500 for decades, and in the process has become one of the world's richest men. (Forbes puts his net worth at $37 billion.) Despite his fortune, Buffett is known for living a modest lifestyle, by billionaire standards. His primary residence remains the gray stucco Nebraska home he purchased for $31,500 nearly 50 years ago, according to Forbes, and his folksy Midwestern manner and penchant for simple pleasures -- a cherry Coke, a good burger, and a good book are all near the top of the list -- have been well-documented. About Validea: Validea is aninvestment researchservice that follows the published strategies of investment legends. Validea offers both stock analysis and model portfolios based on gurus who have outperformed the market over the long-term, including Warren Buffett, Benjamin Graham, Peter Lynch and Martin Zweig. For more information about Validea, click here The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2023-02-08,53.44,53.58,52.48,52.67,
FAST,2023-02-09,53.04,53.27,51.95,52.16,
FAST,2023-02-10,51.8,52.285,51.46,52.11,
FAST,2023-02-13,52.34,53.225,52.15,53.03,"Validea Daily Guru Fundamental Report for FAST - 2/13/2023 Below is Validea's daily guru fundamental report for FASTENAL CO (FAST). Of the twelve guru strategies we follow, FAST rates highest using our Patient Investor model based on the published strategy of Warren Buffett. This strategy seeks out firms with long-term, predictable profitability and low debt that trade at reasonable valuations. FASTENAL CO (FAST) is a large-cap growth stock in the Misc. Fabricated Products industry. The rating using this strategy is 86% based on the firm’s underlying fundamentals and the stock’s valuation. A score of 80% or above typically indicates that the strategy has some interest in the stock and a score above 90% typically indicates strong interest. Company Description: Fastenal Company is engaged in the wholesale distribution of industrial and construction supplies. The Company is a distributor of threaded fasteners, bolts, nuts, screws, studs, and related washers, as well as miscellaneous supplies and hardware. Its customers are in the manufacturing and non-residential construction markets. The manufacturing market includes sales of products for both original equipment manufacturing (OEM), where its products are consumed in the final products of its customers, and manufacturing, repair, and operations (MRO), where its products are consumed to support the facilities and ongoing operations of its customers. The non-residential construction market includes general, electrical, plumbing, sheet metal and road contractors. Other users of its products include farmers, truckers, railroads, oil exploration companies, oil production and refinement companies, mining companies, federal, state, and local governmental entities, schools, and certain retail trades. The following table summarizes whether the stock meets each of this strategy's tests. Not all criteria in the below table receive equal weighting or are independent, but the table provides a brief overview of the strong and weak points of the security in the context of the strategy's criteria. EARNINGS PREDICTABILITY: PASS DEBT SERVICE: PASS RETURN ON EQUITY: PASS RETURN ON TOTAL CAPITAL: PASS FREE CASH FLOW: PASS USE OF RETAINED EARNINGS: PASS SHARE REPURCHASE: PASS INITIAL RATE OF RETURN: PASS EXPECTED RETURN: FAIL Detailed Analysis of FASTENAL CO FAST Guru Analysis FAST Fundamental Analysis Warren Buffett Portfolio Top Warren Buffett Stocks About Warren Buffett: Warren Buffett is considered by many to be the greatest investor of all time. As the chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, Buffett has consistently outperformed the S&P 500 for decades, and in the process has become one of the world's richest men. (Forbes puts his net worth at $37 billion.) Despite his fortune, Buffett is known for living a modest lifestyle, by billionaire standards. His primary residence remains the gray stucco Nebraska home he purchased for $31,500 nearly 50 years ago, according to Forbes, and his folksy Midwestern manner and penchant for simple pleasures -- a cherry Coke, a good burger, and a good book are all near the top of the list -- have been well-documented. About Validea: Validea is aninvestment researchservice that follows the published strategies of investment legends. Validea offers both stock analysis and model portfolios based on gurus who have outperformed the market over the long-term, including Warren Buffett, Benjamin Graham, Peter Lynch and Martin Zweig. For more information about Validea, click here The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-02-14,52.77,53.21,52.09,52.74,
FAST,2023-02-15,52.49,53.11,52.17,53.08,
FAST,2023-02-16,52.45,53.44,52.19,53.02,
FAST,2023-02-17,52.79,53.66,52.64,53.44,
FAST,2023-02-21,53.0,53.0,51.335,51.46,
FAST,2023-02-22,51.64,51.81,51.175,51.6,
FAST,2023-02-23,51.76,51.98,50.7,51.4,
FAST,2023-02-24,50.67,51.34,50.37,51.24,
FAST,2023-02-27,51.59,51.98,51.405,51.57,"Validea Guru Fundamental Report for FAST - 2/27/2023 Below is Validea's guru fundamental report for FASTENAL CO (FAST). Of the 22 guru strategies we follow, FAST rates highest using our Patient Investor model based on the published strategy of Warren Buffett. This strategy seeks out firms with long-term, predictable profitability and low debt that trade at reasonable valuations. FASTENAL CO (FAST) is a large-cap growth stock in the Misc. Fabricated Products industry. The rating using this strategy is 86% based on the firm’s underlying fundamentals and the stock’s valuation. A score of 80% or above typically indicates that the strategy has some interest in the stock and a score above 90% typically indicates strong interest. The following table summarizes whether the stock meets each of this strategy's tests. Not all criteria in the below table receive equal weighting or are independent, but the table provides a brief overview of the strong and weak points of the security in the context of the strategy's criteria. EARNINGS PREDICTABILITY: PASS DEBT SERVICE: PASS RETURN ON EQUITY: PASS RETURN ON TOTAL CAPITAL: PASS FREE CASH FLOW: PASS USE OF RETAINED EARNINGS: PASS SHARE REPURCHASE: PASS INITIAL RATE OF RETURN: PASS EXPECTED RETURN: FAIL Detailed Analysis of FASTENAL CO FAST Guru Analysis FAST Fundamental Analysis Warren Buffett Portfolio Top Warren Buffett Stocks About Warren Buffett: Warren Buffett is considered by many to be the greatest investor of all time. As the chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, Buffett has consistently outperformed the S&P 500 for decades, and in the process has become one of the world's richest men. (Forbes puts his net worth at $37 billion.) Despite his fortune, Buffett is known for living a modest lifestyle, by billionaire standards. His primary residence remains the gray stucco Nebraska home he purchased for $31,500 nearly 50 years ago, according to Forbes, and his folksy Midwestern manner and penchant for simple pleasures -- a cherry Coke, a good burger, and a good book are all near the top of the list -- have been well-documented. About Validea: Validea is aninvestment researchservice that follows the published strategies of investment legends. Validea offers both stock analysis and model portfolios based on gurus who have outperformed the market over the long-term, including Warren Buffett, Benjamin Graham, Peter Lynch and Martin Zweig. For more information about Validea, click here The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-02-28,51.54,52.125,51.42,51.56,
FAST,2023-03-01,51.39,51.75,51.13,51.55,
FAST,2023-03-02,51.44,52.93,51.22,52.9,
FAST,2023-03-03,53.19,53.7958,52.93,53.68,
FAST,2023-03-06,53.88,54.27,53.29,53.36,
FAST,2023-03-07,53.34,53.48,52.41,52.61,"[""Top Analyst Reports for Procter & Gamble, Applied Materials & Automatic Data Processing Tuesday, March 7, 2023 The Zacks Research Daily presents the best research output of our analyst team. Today's Research Daily features new research reports on 16 major stocks, including The Procter & Gamble Company (PG), Applied Materials, Inc. (AMAT) and Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (ADP). These research reports have been hand-picked from the roughly 70 reports published by our analyst team today. You can see all of today\u2019s research reports here >>> Shares of Procter & Gamble performed in-line with the broader market over the past year (down -4.7% vs. -4.5% for the S&P 500 index), but have lagged this year (-7.8% vs. +5.5%). Driving this performance variance is trends in market sentiment that appears to have moved away from the relatively safer parts of the market as represented by P&G. The company posted better-than-expected top and bottom lines for the second consecutive quarter. Its organic sales improved, driven by robust pricing and a favorable mix, along with strength across segments. Improved productivity amid cost headwinds has also aided the results Driven by the company\u2019s progress against its plans, management has raised its sales view for fiscal 2023. However, Procter & Gamble has been witnessing commodity cost inflation, increase in freight costs, product and packaging investments and other impacts hurt margins. Also, the company retained its drab earnings view for fiscal 2023 due to persistence of inflation, higher freight and currency woes. (You can read the full research report on Procter & Gamble here >>>) Applied Materials shares have modestly outperformed the Zacks Semiconductor Equipment - Wafer industry over the past six months (+26.3% vs. +24.4%). The company is witnessing strong momentum across Semiconductor Systems and Applied Global Services remained a positive. Solid demand for semiconductors drove the top line growth. Further, rising multi-year subscription bookings contributed well. Notably, the demand for foundry logic is expected to remain strong, courtesy of the rising need for specialty nodes in automotive, power, 5G rollout, IoT, communications and image sensor markets. Also, growing demand for semiconductor and wafer fab equipment is a tailwind. However, the pandemic-led supply-chain constraints and market uncertainties are major headwinds. Sluggishness in the Display segment remains a concern. Per our estimate, the segment is likely to witness a year-over-year fall of 54.7% in fiscal 2023. (You can read the full research report on Applied Materials here >>>) Shares of Automatic Data Processing have outperformed the Zacks Outsourcing industry over the past year (+9.8% vs. +4.8%). The company continues to enjoy a dominant position in the human capital management market through strategic buyouts like Celergo, WorkMarket, Global Cash Card and The Marcus Buckingham Company. It has a strong business model, high recurring revenues, good margins, robust client retention and low capital expenditure. Further, it continues to innovate, improve operations and invest in its ongoing transformation efforts. However, ADP faces significant competition in each of its product lines. Failure to remain technologically updated might reduce the demand for its solutions and services. Rising expenses due to investment in transformation efforts remains a concern. High debt remains a concern. (You can read the full research report on Applied Data Processing here >>>) Other noteworthy reports we are featuring today include Cadence Design Systems, Inc. (CDNS), Microchip Technology Incorporated (MCHP) and Fastenal Company (FAST). Director of Research Sheraz Mian Note: Sheraz Mian heads the Zacks Equity Research department and is a well-regarded expert of aggregate earnings. He is frequently quoted in the print and electronic media and publishes the weekly Earnings Trends and Earnings Preview reports. If you want an email notification each time Sheraz publishes a new article, please click here>>> Today's Must Read High Demand & Productivity Plan Drives P&G's (PG) Growth Applied Materials (AMAT) Rides on Foundry & Logic Spending Solid Business Model Boosts ADP, Low Current Ratio Hurt Featured Reports Cadence (CDNS) Benefits from Product Portfolio & Acquisitions Per the Zacks analyst, Cadence's performance is gaining from robust demand for the company's diversified product portfolio. Synergies from recent acquisitions also bode well. E-commerce Business Benefits Fastenal (FAST), Inflation Hurt Per the Zacks analyst, Fastenal benefits from robust e-commerce business and cost-control initiatives. However, inflationary pressures and supply chain risks hurt growth prospects. Digital Transformation and Acquisitions Aid Tyler (TYL) Per the Zacks analyst, Tyler is benefiting from ongoing digital transformations and adoption of its cloud-based solutions. Moreover, strategic acquisitions like Quatred and Safeground are a positive. Empaveli, Syfovre Fuel Growth For Apellis (APLS) Per the Zacks analyst, the encouraging uptake of Empaveli and approval of additional drugs should fuel growth for Apellis. However, Apellis faces stiff competition for its products. Robust Projects Aid Canadian Solar (CSIQ), High-Cost Woes Per the Zacks Analyst, strong pipeline of projects and expanding global footprint boost Canadian Solar's long-term growth prospects. Yet, higher logistics and input costs remains a challenge. New Upgrades Robust Product Portfolio & Bookings Aids Microchip (MCHP) Per the Zacks analyst, Microchip's expanding product portfolio, solid demand for microcontrollers and bookings growth across industrial, data center, and automotive end markets are key catalysts Urban Outfitters' (URBN) FP Movement Initiative Bodes Well Per the Zacks analyst, Urban Outfitters' strategic efforts remain on track. In fourth-quarter fiscal 2023, the FP Movement brand witnessed an outstanding quarter, generating 38% retail segment growth. New Downgrades Callon (CPE) to be Hurt by Aggressive Capital Spending Budget Per the Zacks analyst, Callon's higher 2023 operational capital budget of $1,000 million can affect its profitability. Also, the company's debt-laden balance sheet is concerning. Slow Housing Demand, Costs & Supply Woes Hurt KB Home (KBH) Per the Zacks analyst, softening housing demand, increased material and labor costs, and supply chain disruptions adversely impact KB Home's growth potential. Free Report: Must-See Energy Stocks for 2023 Record profits at oil companies can mean big gains for you. With soaring demand and elevated prices, oil stocks could be top performers by far in 2023. Zacks has released a special report revealing the 4 oil stocks experts believe will deliver the biggest gains. (You\u2019ll never guess Stock #2!) Download Oil Market on Fire today, absolutely free. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (ADP) : Free Stock Analysis Report Procter & Gamble Company (The) (PG) : Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report Microchip Technology Incorporated (MCHP) : Free Stock Analysis Report Applied Materials, Inc. (AMAT) : Free Stock Analysis Report Cadence Design Systems, Inc. (CDNS) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Zacks Investment Ideas feature highlights: Tecnoglass, Fastenal Company and Builders FirstSource For Immediate Release Chicago, IL \u2013 March 7, 2023 \u2013 Today, Zacks Investment Ideas feature highlights Tecnoglass TGLS, Fastenal Company FAST and Builders FirstSource BLDR. Market Rally at Key Turning Point: 3 Stocks to Watch Stocks staged a dramatic reversal last week, driving the bulls back in charge as markets look to put a disappointing month of February in the rearview mirror. Both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq found support at key technical levels, bolstering the case that the rally may be just getting underway. On the week, the S&P 500 climbed 1.9%, the Nasdaq advanced 2.6%, while the Dow rose 1.75%. Several leading stocks showed strength on heavy volume, a signal that may bode well for some March momentum. Treasury yields have been a headwind for stocks lately, as the yield on the 10-year Treasury note reached a 4-month high last week. Still, the benchmark yield closed the week about 12 basis points off the highs, as markets await Fed Chairman Jerome Powell\u2019s testimony before Congress on Tuesday and Wednesday. Powell\u2019s recent introduction of the \u201cdisinflationary\u201d wording has sent equity markets higher this year, but has done little to tame treasury yields thus far. We\u2019ll also receive more jobs data with Friday morning\u2019s release of the February employment report. The non-farm payrolls report is expected to show a gain of 225,000 following January\u2019s better-than-anticipated 517k figure. The unemployment rate is projected to remain at 3.4%, the lowest dating back to 1969. Stocks to Watch Building material and product companies are one area that has been leading the charge off the lows of last year. The Zacks Building Products \u2013 Retail industry group currently ranks in the top 22% out of more than 250 Zacks Ranked Industries. Because this group is ranked in the top half of all industries, we expect it to outperform the market over the next 3 to 6 months. Historical research studies suggest that approximately half of a stock\u2019s price appreciation is due to its industry grouping. In fact, the top 50% of Zacks Ranked Industries outperforms the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1. It\u2019s no secret that investing in stocks that are part of leading industry groups can give us a leg up relative to the market. By focusing on leading stocks within the top 50% of Zacks Ranked Industries, we can dramatically improve our stock-picking success. Three separate stocks within this leading industry have all been outperforming year-to-date. Tecnoglass is a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) stock that produces, markets, and installs architectural systems for commercial and residential construction industries. TGLS offers low emissivity, laminated, aluminum, and digital print glass products, in addition to windows, doors, dividers, and awnings. Tecnoglass has exceeded earnings estimates in each of the past four quarters with an average surprise of 21.54%. Just last week, TGLS reported Q4 earnings of $1.09/share, beating the $0.99 Zacks Consensus Estimate by 10.1%. TGLS shares have advanced 38% this year. Fastenal Company engages in the wholesale distribution of industrial and construction supplies internationally. The company provides fasteners, bolts, nuts, screws, studs, and washers used in manufactured products and construction projects. FAST also offers supplies and hardware such as machinery keys, concrete anchors, metal framing systems, and wire ropes. FAST has surpassed earnings estimates in each of the past four quarters, posting an average surprise of 3.34% over that timeframe. A Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), Fastenal has seen its shares rise nearly 15% this year. Builders FirstSource manufactures and supplies building materials and construction services to professional homebuilders, sub-contractors, remodelers, and consumers in the United States. BLDR offers lumber and lumber sheet goods, along with manufactured products such as wall panels, stairs, windows, and door units. The company also provides specialty products such as siding, exterior trim, roofing, cabinets, and insulation. BLDR has delivered a trailing four-quarter average earnings surprise of 68.21%. BLDR stock is ranked favorably by our Zacks Style Scores, with a top \u2018A\u2019 rating in each of our Value, Growth, and Momentum categories. Builder FirstSource stock has been on a tear this year, climbing more than 37%. How to Approach This Rally We have more in the way of momentum than at any point in the last year, along with broader participation as more stocks participate in this rally. Leadership from the more aggressive pockets of the market (consumer discretionary, information technology, communication services) is another positive sign that points to a higher probability of more bullish outcomes moving forward. Still, we want to always approach the market from a risk-first perspective. That means legging into long positions and building out our portfolio in increments, paying particular attention to which industry groups and individual stocks are leading the charge. And while the end of last week may have marked a significant turning point, we\u2019ll need to see more confirmation in the way of higher highs and increased volume. The next few weeks should provide some clarity as we\u2019ll see how stocks react to a slew of incoming data. Why Haven\u2019t You Looked at Zacks' Top Stocks? Since 2000, our top stock-picking strategies have blown away the S&P's +6.2 average gain per year. Amazingly, they soared with average gains of +46.4%, +49.5% and +55.2% per year. Today you can access their live picks without cost or obligation. See Stocks Free >> Media Contact Zacks Investment Research 800-767-3771 ext. 9339 support@zacks.com https://www.zacks.com Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release. Free Report: Must-See Energy Stocks for 2023 Record profits at oil companies can mean big gains for you. With soaring demand and elevated prices, oil stocks could be top performers by far in 2023. Zacks has released a special report revealing the 4 oil stocks experts believe will deliver the biggest gains. (You\u2019ll never guess Stock #2!) Download Oil Market on Fire today, absolutely free. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report Builders FirstSource, Inc. (BLDR) : Free Stock Analysis Report Tecnoglass Inc. (TGLS) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2023-03-08,52.7,53.0,52.42,52.95,"The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights Procter & Gamble, Applied Materials, Automatic Data Processing, Microchip Technology and Fastenal For Immediate Release Chicago, IL – March 8, 2023 – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: The Procter & Gamble Co. PG, Applied Materials, Inc. AMAT, Automatic Data Processing, Inc. ADP, Microchip Technology Inc. MCHP and Fastenal Co. FAST. Here are highlights from Tuesday’s Analyst Blog: Top Analyst Reports for Procter & Gamble, Applied Materials and ADP The Zacks Research Daily presents the best research output of our analyst team. Today's Research Daily features new research reports on 16 major stocks, including The Procter & Gamble Co., Applied Materials, Inc. and Automatic Data Processing, Inc. These research reports have been hand-picked from the roughly 70 reports published by our analyst team today. You can see all of today’s research reports here >>> Shares of Procter & Gamble performed in-line with the broader market over the past year (down -4.7% vs. -4.5% for the S&P 500 index), but have lagged this year (-7.8% vs. +5.5%). Driving this performance variance is trends in market sentiment that appears to have moved away from the relatively safer parts of the market as represented by P&G. The company posted better-than-expected top and bottom lines for the second consecutive quarter. Its organic sales improved, driven by robust pricing and a favorable mix, along with strength across segments. Improved productivity amid cost headwinds has also aided the results. Driven by the company’s progress against its plans, management has raised its sales view for fiscal 2023. However, Procter & Gamble has been witnessing commodity cost inflation, increase in freight costs, product and packaging investments and other impacts that hurt margins. Also, the company retained its drab earnings view for fiscal 2023 due to persistence of inflation, higher freight and currency woes. (You can read the full research report on Procter & Gamble here >>>) Applied Materials shares have modestly outperformed the Zacks Semiconductor Equipment - Wafer industry over the past six months (+26.3% vs. +24.4%). The company is witnessing strong momentum across Semiconductor Systems and Applied Global Services remains positive. Solid demand for semiconductors drove the top line growth. Further, rising multi-year subscription bookings contributed well. Notably, the demand for foundry logic is expected to remain strong, courtesy of the rising need for specialty nodes in automotive, power, 5G rollout, IoT, communications and image sensor markets. Also, growing demand for semiconductor and wafer fab equipment is a tailwind. However, the pandemic-led supply-chain constraints and market uncertainties are major headwinds. Sluggishness in the Display segment remains a concern. Per our estimate, the segment is likely to witness a year-over-year fall of 54.7% in fiscal 2023. (You can read the full research report on Applied Materials here >>>) Shares of Automatic Data Processing have outperformed the Zacks Outsourcing industry over the past year (+9.8% vs. +4.8%). The company continues to enjoy a dominant position in the human capital management market through strategic buyouts like Celergo, WorkMarket, Global Cash Card and The Marcus Buckingham Company. It has a strong business model, high recurring revenues, good margins, robust client retention and low capital expenditure. Further, it continues to innovate, improve operations and invest in its ongoing transformation efforts. However, ADP faces significant competition in each of its product lines. Failure to remain technologically updated might reduce the demand for its solutions and services. Rising expenses due to investment in transformation efforts remains a concern. High debt remains a concern. (You can read the full research report on Applied Data Processing here >>>) Other noteworthy reports we are featuring today include Microchip Technology Inc. and Fastenal Co. Why Haven’t You Looked at Zacks' Top Stocks? Since 2000, our top stock-picking strategies have blown away the S&P's +6.2 average gain per year. Amazingly, they soared with average gains of +46.4%, +49.5% and +55.2% per year. Today you can access their live picks without cost or obligation. See Stocks Free >> Media Contact Zacks Investment Research 800-767-3771 ext. 9339 support@zacks.com https://www.zacks.com Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release. This Little-Known Semiconductor Stock Could Be Your Portfolio’s Hedge Against Inflation Everyone uses semiconductors. But only a small number of people know what they are and what they do. If you use a smartphone, computer, microwave, digital camera or refrigerator (and that’s just the tip of the iceberg), you have a need for semiconductors. That’s why their importance can’t be overstated and their disruption in the supply chain has such a global effect. But every cloud has a silver lining. Shockwaves to the international supply chain from the global pandemic have unearthed a tremendous opportunity for investors. And today, Zacks' leading stock strategist is revealing the one semiconductor stock that stands to gain the most in a new FREE report. It's yours at no cost and with no obligation. >>Yes, I Want to Help Protect My Portfolio During the Recession Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (ADP) : Free Stock Analysis Report Procter & Gamble Company (The) (PG) : Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report Microchip Technology Incorporated (MCHP) : Free Stock Analysis Report Applied Materials, Inc. (AMAT) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-03-09,53.24,53.29,51.92,52.1,
FAST,2023-03-10,52.12,53.135,51.3,51.52,
FAST,2023-03-13,51.14,52.425,51.06,51.7,"[""First Week of FAST April 21st Options Trading Investors in Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) saw new options become available this week, for the April 21st expiration. At Stock Options Channel, our YieldBoost formula has looked up and down the FAST options chain for the new April 21st contracts and identified one put and one call contract of particular interest. The put contract at the $50.00 strike price has a current bid of $1.40. If an investor was to sell-to-open that put contract, they are committing to purchase the stock at $50.00, but will also collect the premium, putting the cost basis of the shares at $48.60 (before broker commissions). To an investor already interested in purchasing shares of FAST, that could represent an attractive alternative to paying $51.56/share today. Because the $50.00 strike represents an approximate 3% discount to the current trading price of the stock (in other words it is out-of-the-money by that percentage), there is also the possibility that the put contract would expire worthless. The current analytical data (including greeks and implied greeks) suggest the current odds of that happening are 63%. Stock Options Channel will track those odds over time to see how they change, publishing a chart of those numbers on our website under the contract detail page for this contract. Should the contract expire worthless, the premium would represent a 2.80% return on the cash commitment, or 26.21% annualized \u2014 at Stock Options Channel we call this the YieldBoost. Below is a chart showing the trailing twelve month trading history for Fastenal Co., and highlighting in green where the $50.00 strike is located relative to that history: Turning to the calls side of the option chain, the call contract at the $52.50 strike price has a current bid of $1.85. If an investor was to purchase shares of FAST stock at the current price level of $51.56/share, and then sell-to-open that call contract as a \""covered call,\"" they are committing to sell the stock at $52.50. Considering the call seller will also collect the premium, that would drive a total return (excluding dividends, if any) of 5.41% if the stock gets called away at the April 21st expiration (before broker commissions). Of course, a lot of upside could potentially be left on the table if FAST shares really soar, which is why looking at the trailing twelve month trading history for Fastenal Co., as well as studying the business fundamentals becomes important. Below is a chart showing FAST's trailing twelve month trading history, with the $52.50 strike highlighted in red: Considering the fact that the $52.50 strike represents an approximate 2% premium to the current trading price of the stock (in other words it is out-of-the-money by that percentage), there is also the possibility that the covered call contract would expire worthless, in which case the investor would keep both their shares of stock and the premium collected. The current analytical data (including greeks and implied greeks) suggest the current odds of that happening are 56%. On our website under the contract detail page for this contract, Stock Options Channel will track those odds over time to see how they change and publish a chart of those numbers (the trading history of the option contract will also be charted). Should the covered call contract expire worthless, the premium would represent a 3.59% boost of extra return to the investor, or 33.58% annualized, which we refer to as the YieldBoost. The implied volatility in the put contract example is 35%, while the implied volatility in the call contract example is 37%. Meanwhile, we calculate the actual trailing twelve month volatility (considering the last 250 trading day closing values as well as today's price of $51.56) to be 30%. For more put and call options contract ideas worth looking at, visit StockOptionsChannel.com. Top YieldBoost Calls of the Nasdaq 100 \u00bb Also see: \u0095 Energy Stocks Hedge Funds Are Selling \u0095 Top Ten Hedge Funds Holding WBIG \u0095 LPTX Historical Stock Prices The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Beat the Market Like Zacks: United Airlines, NVIDIA, WANdisco in Focus The three most widely followed indexes ended the week in the red, wiping out the previous week\u2019s gains. The Nasdaq Composite declined 4.7%, while the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 4.6% and 4.4%, respectively. The S&P 500 registered its biggest weekly loss since September 2022, while the Nasdaq and the Dow posted their largest losses since November and June, respectively. Even as economic data released through the week, especially from the labor market, indicated that inflation was slowing, the market resumed its bloodbath on fears of steeper interest rate hikes ahead. The financial sector saw a broad-based selloff late in the week with the collapse of a major bank. The crypto industry also experienced massive tremors with the failure of an important crypto-lender. The 2-year treasury yield hit decade highs last week by crossing the 5% mark for the first time since 2007. Hawkish comments from Fed Chair Jerome Powell and the recent developments in the financial sector suggest that volatility in the markets may persist. Regardless of market conditions, we, here at Zacks, provide investors with unbiased guidance on how to beat the market. As usual, Zacks Research guided investors over the past three months with its time-tested methodologies. Given the prevailing market uncertainty, you may want to look at our feats to prepare better for your next action. Here are some of our key achievements: WANdisco and Newcrest Mining Surge Following Zacks Rank Upgrade Shares of WANdisco plc WANSF have surged 45.7% since it was upgraded to a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) on December 28. Another stock, Newcrest Mining Limited NCMGY, which was also upgraded to a Zacks Rank #2 on December 26, has returned 12% since then. Zacks Rank, our short-term rating system, has earnings estimate revisions at its core. Empirical research shows a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and near-term stock price movements. This stock-rating system, which uses four factors related to earnings estimates to classify stocks into five groups, ranging from Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) to Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell), has an impressive externally audited track record, with Zacks Rank #1 stocks generating an average annual return of +24.8% since 1988.You can see the complete list of today\u2019s Zacks Rank #1 stocks here >>> Check WANdisco\u2019s historical EPS and Sales here>>> Check Newcrest Mining\u2019s historical EPS and Sales here>>> Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Zacks Recommendation Upgrade United Airlines and Michelin Higher Shares of United Airlines Holdings, Inc. UAL and Compagnie G\u00e9n\u00e9rale des \u00c9tablissements Michelin MGDDY have advanced 32.8% and 7.3% since their Zacks Recommendation was upgraded to Outperform on December 27 and December 26, respectively. While the Zacks Rank is our short-term rating system that is most effective over the one- to three-month holding horizon, the Zacks Recommendation aims to predict performance over the next 6 to 12 months. However, just like the Zacks Rank, the foundation for the Zacks Recommendation is trends in earnings estimate revisions. The Zacks Recommendation classifies stocks into three groups \u2014 Outperform, Neutral and Underperform. While these recommendations are determined quantitatively, our analysts have the flexibility to override them for the 1100+ stocks they closely follow based on their better judgment of factors such as valuation, industry conditions and management effectiveness than the quantitative model. To access our research reports with Zacks Recommendations for the 1100+ stocks we cover, click here>>> Zacks Focus List Stocks NVIDIA, Sea Soar High Shares of NVIDIA Corporation NVDA, which belongs to the Zacks Focus List, have risen 38.6% over the past 12 weeks. The stock was added to the Focus List on May 20, 2019. Another Focus-List holding, Sea Limited SE, which was added to the portfolio on March 26, 2020, has returned 36.8% over the past 12 weeks. The Zacks Focus List is a model portfolio of 50 hand-picked stocks that possess the right fundamental ingredients to outperform the market over the next 12 months. These 50 stocks are picked from a long list of stocks with the highest Zacks Rank. Since its inception on February 1, 1996, the Focus List portfolio has delivered an annualized return of +12.9%. Unlock all of our powerful research, tools and analysis, including the Focus List, Zacks #1 Rank List, Equity Research Reports, Zacks Earnings ESP Filter, Premium Screener and more, as part of Zacks Premium. Gain full access now >> Zacks ECAP Stocks Fiserv and Tractor Supply Make Significant Gains Fiserv, Inc. FISV, a component of our Earnings Certain Admiral Portfolio (ECAP), jumped 13.4% over the past 12 weeks. Tractor Supply Company TSCO followed Fiserv with 8% returns. ECAP is a model portfolio of 30 concentrated, ultra-defensive, long-term Buy and Hold stocks. With little to no turnover and annual rebalance periodicity, the ECAP seeks to minimize capital loss by holding shares of companies whose earnings streams exhibit a proven 20+ year track record of surviving recessionary periods with minimal impact on aggregate earnings growth relative to the overall S&P 500. The ECAP and many other model portfolios are available as part of Zacks Advisor Tools, a cloud-based solution to access Zacks award-winning stock, mutual fund and ETF research. Click here to schedule a demo. Zacks ECDP Stocks C.H. Robinson, Fastenal Outperform Peers C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. CHRW, which is part of our Earnings Certain Dividend Portfolio (ECDP), has returned 8.8% over the past 12 weeks. Another ECDP stock, Fastenal Company FAST, has climbed 7.6% over the same time frame. Of course, the inclination of investors toward quality dividend stocks to secure an income stream amid the heightened market volatility contributed to this performance. Check C.H. Robinson\u2019s dividend history here>>> Check Fastenal\u2019s dividend history here>>> With an extremely low Beta and a history of minimum earnings variability over the last 20+ years, this 25-stock portfolio helps significantly mitigate risk. The ECDP has consistently outperformed the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF NOBL. Click here to access this portfolio on Zacks Advisor Tools. Free Report Reveals How You Could Profit from the Growing Electric Vehicle Industry Globally, electric car sales continue their remarkable growth even after breaking records in 2021. High gas prices have fueled his demand, but so has evolving EV comfort, features and technology. So, the fervor for EVs will be around long after gas prices normalize. Not only are manufacturers seeing record-high profits, but producers of EV-related technology are raking in the dough as well. Do you know how to cash in? If not, we have the perfect report for you \u2013 and it\u2019s FREE! Today, don't miss your chance to download Zacks' top 5 stocks for the electric vehicle revolution at no cost and with no obligation. >>Send me my free report on the top 5 EV stocks Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report United Airlines Holdings Inc (UAL) : Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA) : Free Stock Analysis Report Tractor Supply Company (TSCO) : Free Stock Analysis Report Fiserv, Inc. (FISV) : Free Stock Analysis Report C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. (CHRW) : Free Stock Analysis Report Sea Limited Sponsored ADR (SE) : Free Stock Analysis Report ProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF (NOBL): ETF Research Reports Newcrest Mining Ltd. (NCMGY) : Free Stock Analysis Report Michelin (MGDDY) : Free Stock Analysis Report WANdisco PLC (WANSF) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2023-03-14,52.35,52.98,51.81,52.35,"[""Guru Fundamental Report for FAST - Warren Buffett Below is Validea's guru fundamental report for FASTENAL CO (FAST). Of the 22 guru strategies we follow, FAST rates highest using our Patient Investor model based on the published strategy of Warren Buffett. This strategy seeks out firms with long-term, predictable profitability and low debt that trade at reasonable valuations. FASTENAL CO (FAST) is a large-cap growth stock in the Misc. Fabricated Products industry. The rating using this strategy is 86% based on the firm\u2019s underlying fundamentals and the stock\u2019s valuation. A score of 80% or above typically indicates that the strategy has some interest in the stock and a score above 90% typically indicates strong interest. The following table summarizes whether the stock meets each of this strategy's tests. Not all criteria in the below table receive equal weighting or are independent, but the table provides a brief overview of the strong and weak points of the security in the context of the strategy's criteria. EARNINGS PREDICTABILITY: PASS DEBT SERVICE: PASS RETURN ON EQUITY: PASS RETURN ON TOTAL CAPITAL: PASS FREE CASH FLOW: PASS USE OF RETAINED EARNINGS: PASS SHARE REPURCHASE: PASS INITIAL RATE OF RETURN: PASS EXPECTED RETURN: FAIL Detailed Analysis of FASTENAL CO FAST Guru Analysis FAST Fundamental Analysis More Information on Warren Buffett Warren Buffett Portfolio Top Warren Buffett Stocks About Warren Buffett: Warren Buffett is considered by many to be the greatest investor of all time. As the chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, Buffett has consistently outperformed the S&P 500 for decades, and in the process has become one of the world's richest men. (Forbes puts his net worth at $37 billion.) Despite his fortune, Buffett is known for living a modest lifestyle, by billionaire standards. His primary residence remains the gray stucco Nebraska home he purchased for $31,500 nearly 50 years ago, according to Forbes, and his folksy Midwestern manner and penchant for simple pleasures -- a cherry Coke, a good burger, and a good book are all near the top of the list -- have been well-documented. Additional Research Links Factor-Based Stock Portfolios Factor-Based ETF Portfolios Harry Browne Permanent Portfolio Ray Dalio All Weather Portfolio About Validea: Validea is aninvestment researchservice that follows the published strategies of investment legends. Validea offers both stock analysis and model portfolios based on gurus who have outperformed the market over the long-term, including Warren Buffett, Benjamin Graham, Peter Lynch and Martin Zweig. For more information about Validea, click here The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""First Week of FAST March 17th Options Trading Investors in Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) saw new options become available this week, for the March 17th expiration. At Stock Options Channel, our YieldBoost formula has looked up and down the FAST options chain for the new March 17th contracts and identified the following put contract of particular interest. The put contract at the $52.50 strike price has a current bid of 40 cents. If an investor was to sell-to-open that put contract, they are committing to purchase the stock at $52.50, but will also collect the premium, putting the cost basis of the shares at $52.10 (before broker commissions). To an investor already interested in purchasing shares of FAST, that could represent an attractive alternative to paying $52.79/share today. Because the $52.50 strike represents an approximate 1% discount to the current trading price of the stock (in other words it is out-of-the-money by that percentage), there is also the possibility that the put contract would expire worthless. The current analytical data (including greeks and implied greeks) suggest the current odds of that happening are 58%. Stock Options Channel will track those odds over time to see how they change, publishing a chart of those numbers on our website under the contract detail page for this contract. Should the contract expire worthless, the premium would represent a 0.76% return on the cash commitment, or 92.70% annualized \u2014 at Stock Options Channel we call this the YieldBoost. Below is a chart showing the trailing twelve month trading history for Fastenal Co., and highlighting in green where the $52.50 strike is located relative to that history: The implied volatility in the put contract example above is 36%. Meanwhile, we calculate the actual trailing twelve month volatility (considering the last 251 trading day closing values as well as today's price of $52.79) to be 30%. For more put and call options contract ideas worth looking at, visit StockOptionsChannel.com. Top YieldBoost Puts of the Nasdaq 100 \u00bb Also see: \u0095 Top Dividend Stocks YTD \u0095 WRB Stock Predictions \u0095 FTHM YTD Return The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2023-03-15,51.73,51.91,50.79,51.56,
FAST,2023-03-16,51.22,52.66,51.05,52.38,
FAST,2023-03-17,52.215,52.42,51.56,52.14,
FAST,2023-03-20,52.25,53.21,52.18,53.15,
FAST,2023-03-21,53.58,53.75,52.575,53.14,
FAST,2023-03-22,52.87,53.19,51.81,51.83,"Is Brinker International (EAT) Outperforming Other Retail-Wholesale Stocks This Year? For those looking to find strong Retail-Wholesale stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Has Brinker International (EAT) been one of those stocks this year? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out. Brinker International is one of 226 companies in the Retail-Wholesale group. The Retail-Wholesale group currently sits at #3 within the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank gauges the strength of our 16 individual sector groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. The Zacks Rank is a successful stock-picking model that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions. The system highlights a number of different stocks that could be poised to outperform the broader market over the next one to three months. Brinker International is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy). Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for EAT's full-year earnings has moved 5.9% higher. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend. Based on the most recent data, EAT has returned 16.6% so far this year. In comparison, Retail-Wholesale companies have returned an average of 4.2%. This shows that Brinker International is outperforming its peers so far this year. Another stock in the Retail-Wholesale sector, Fastenal (FAST), has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 12.3%. Over the past three months, Fastenal's consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 2.2%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Looking more specifically, Brinker International belongs to the Retail - Restaurants industry, which includes 41 individual stocks and currently sits at #47 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has gained an average of 4.4% so far this year, meaning that EAT is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns. Fastenal, however, belongs to the Building Products - Retail industry. Currently, this 8-stock industry is ranked #36. The industry has moved -3.2% so far this year. Investors interested in the Retail-Wholesale sector may want to keep a close eye on Brinker International and Fastenal as they attempt to continue their solid performance. 5 Stocks Set to Double Each was handpicked by a Zacks expert as the #1 favorite stock to gain +100% or more in 2021. Previous recommendations have soared +143.0%, +175.9%, +498.3% and +673.0%. Most of the stocks in this report are flying under Wall Street radar, which provides a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor. Today, See These 5 Potential Home Runs >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Brinker International, Inc. (EAT) : Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-03-23,51.87,52.45,51.26,51.74,"CalMaine Foods (CALM) to Report Q3 Earnings: What's in Store? CalMaine Foods CALM will release third-quarter fiscal 2023 results on Mar 28, after market close. Q3 Results In the last reported quarter, CalMaine Foods delivered earnings per share of $4.07, which marked a solid improvement from earnings of 2 cents in the year-ago quarter. Revenues surged 105% year over year, driven by record average conventional egg selling price. Earnings also beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate. CALM has a trailing four-quarter negative earnings surprise of 15.30%, on average. Cal-Maine Foods, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise Cal-Maine Foods, Inc. price-eps-surprise | Cal-Maine Foods, Inc. Quote Q4 Estimates The Zacks Consensus Estimate for third-quarter fiscal 2023 earnings per share for CALM is pegged at $6.00. The estimate has been unchanged over the past 30 days and indicates a year-over-year improvement of 640.7%. Factors at Play CalMaine Food’s results have been benefiting from record average selling prices for conventional eggs primarily due to fears of reduced supply, stemming from the outbreak of the highly pathogenic avian influenza in the United States. Volumes have been strong due to solid customer demand. The preference for specialty eggs, including cage-free eggs, continues to be on the rise and consumers are willing to pay premium prices for these products. Demand has also been supported by states passing legislation or regulations mandating minimum space or cage-free requirements for egg production or mandating the sale of only cage-free eggs and egg products. All these factors are expected to reflect on the company’s top-line performance in the third quarter of fiscal 2023. Higher feed costs are likely to have weighed on margins in the quarter under review. Nevertheless, the company’s ongoing focus on cost control is likely to have helped counter this impact. What Our Zacks Model Indicates Our proven model does not conclusively predict an earnings beat for CalMaine Foods this time around. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the chances of an earnings beat, which is not the case here, as elaborated below. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Earnings ESP: The Earnings ESP for CALM is 0.00%. Zacks Rank: The company currently carries a Zacks Rank of 3. Price Performance CALM shares have gained 8.4% in the past year against the industry’s 18.1% fall. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Stocks Poised to Beat Estimates Here are some stocks, which have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat in their upcoming releases. Fastenal FAST is slated to report first-quarter fiscal 2023 results on Apr 13. FAST has an Earnings ESP of +0.29% and a Zacks Rank of 2 at present. Its earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 3.3%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for FAST’s first-quarter earnings has been unchanged at 49 cents per share over the past 60 days. The estimate suggests an increase of 4.3% from the year-ago quarter’s reported earnings. Fastenal’s quarterly revenues are projected to increase 7% year over year to $1.83 billion. Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. WBA has an Earnings ESP of +0.12% and a Zacks Rank of 3. The company is slated to report fourth-quarter fiscal 2023 results on Mar 28. WBA’s earnings outperformed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 4.72%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for WBA’s fourth-quarter earnings stands at $1.12 per share, implying a year-over-year increase of 16.7%. It is expected to report revenues of $33.67 billion, which suggests a 3.3% dip from the year-ago quarter's reported figure. Constellation Brands STZ has an Earnings ESP of +2.09% and a Zacks Rank of 3. The company is expected to report fourth-quarter fiscal 2023 results on Apr 4. Its earnings surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the trailing four quarters, while missing one quarter, the average surprise being 6.14%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CTZ’s fourth-quarter earnings is pegged at $1.91 per share, indicating a year-over-year decline of 19.4%. The estimate has been unchanged in the past 60 days. The consensus mark for revenues stands at $2.03 billion, suggesting a year-over-year decrease of 3.4%. Stay on top of upcoming earnings announcements with the Zacks Earnings Calendar. Is THIS the Ultimate New Clean Energy Source? (4 Ways to Profit) The world is increasingly focused on eliminating fossil fuels and ramping up use of renewable, clean energy sources. Hydrogen fuel cells, powered by the most abundant substance in the universe, could provide an unlimited amount of ultra-clean energy for multiple industries. Our urgent special report reveals 4 hydrogen stocks primed for big gains - plus our other top clean energy stocks. See Stocks Now Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report Constellation Brands Inc (STZ) : Free Stock Analysis Report Cal-Maine Foods, Inc. (CALM) : Free Stock Analysis Report Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (WBA) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-03-24,51.66,52.43,51.15,52.3,
FAST,2023-03-27,52.55,52.79,51.98,52.35,"Beat the Market Like Zacks: NVIDIA, SoundHound, Reuters in Focus The three most widely followed indexes ended the week in the green. The Nasdaq Composite advanced 1.7%, while the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 1.4% and 1.2%, respectively. Even as the crisis in the banking sector continued to dominate investor sentiment, assurances made by the Fed and other central banks around the world had a calming effect on the market. Promises of government intervention in case of liquidity crunch faced by regional banks helped the sector recover. The Fed hiked interest rates by 25 bps, meeting expectations. Economic indicators, too, remain resilient, making investors hopeful that a recession might be avoided. Market participants are currently pricing in no change to the current levels of interest rate at the next Fed meeting. Regardless of market conditions, we, here at Zacks, provide investors with unbiased guidance on how to beat the market. As usual, Zacks Research guided investors over the past three months with its time-tested methodologies. Given the prevailing market uncertainty, you may want to look at our feats to prepare better for your next action. Here are some of our key achievements: SoundHound and DSV Surge Following Zacks Rank Upgrade Shares of SoundHound AI, Inc. SOUN have skyrocketed 103.9% since it was upgraded to a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) on January 10. Another stock, DSV A/S DSDVY, which was upgraded to a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) on January 11, has returned 18.2% since then. Zacks Rank, our short-term rating system, has earnings estimate revisions at its core. Empirical research shows a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and near-term stock price movements. This stock-rating system, which uses four factors related to earnings estimates to classify stocks into five groups, ranging from Zacks Rank #1 to Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell), has an impressive externally audited track record, with Zacks Rank #1 stocks generating an average annual return of +24.8% since 1988.You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks Rank #1 stocks here >>> Check SoundHound’s historical EPS and Sales here>>> Check DSV’s historical EPS and Sales here>>> Zacks Recommendation Upgrade Drives Bayerische Motoren and Reuters Higher Shares of Bayerische Motoren Werke BAMXF and Thomson Reuters Corporation TRI have advanced 12.1% and 9.9% since their Zacks Recommendation was upgraded to Outperform on January 12 and January 11, respectively. While the Zacks Rank is our short-term rating system that is most effective over the one- to three-month holding horizon, the Zacks Recommendation aims to predict performance over the next 6 to 12 months. However, just like the Zacks Rank, the foundation for the Zacks Recommendation is trends in earnings estimate revisions. The Zacks Recommendation classifies stocks into three groups — Outperform, Neutral and Underperform. While these recommendations are determined quantitatively, our analysts have the flexibility to override them for the 1100+ stocks they closely follow based on their better judgment of factors such as valuation, industry conditions and management effectiveness than the quantitative model. To access our research reports with Zacks Recommendations for the 1100+ stocks we cover, click here>>> Zacks Focus List Stocks NVIDIA, Sea Limited Soar High Shares of NVIDIA Corporation NVDA, which belongs to the Zacks Focus List, have risen 83.2% over the past 12 weeks. The stock was added to the Focus List on May 20, 2019. Another Focus-List holding, Sea Limited SE, which was added to the portfolio on March 26, 2020, has returned 58.3% over the past 12 weeks. The Zacks Focus List is a model portfolio of 50 hand-picked stocks that possess the right fundamental ingredients to outperform the market over the next 12 months. These 50 stocks are picked from a long list of stocks with the highest Zacks Rank. Since its inception on February 1, 1996, the Focus List portfolio has delivered an annualized return of +12.9%. Unlock all of our powerful research, tools and analysis, including the Focus List, Zacks #1 Rank List, Equity Research Reports, Zacks Earnings ESP Filter, Premium Screener and more, as part of Zacks Premium. Gain full access now >> Zacks ECAP Stocks Novo Nordisk and Fiserv Make Significant Gains Novo Nordisk A/S NVO, a component of our Earnings Certain Admiral Portfolio (ECAP), jumped 12.9% over the past 12 weeks. Fiserv, Inc. FISV followed Novo Nordisk with 11.3% returns. ECAP is a model portfolio of 30 concentrated, ultra-defensive, long-term Buy and Hold stocks. With little to no turnover and annual rebalance periodicity, the ECAP seeks to minimize capital loss by holding shares of companies whose earnings streams exhibit a proven 20+ year track record of surviving recessionary periods with minimal impact on aggregate earnings growth relative to the overall S&P 500. The ECAP and many other model portfolios are available as part of Zacks Advisor Tools, a cloud-based solution to access Zacks award-winning stock, mutual fund and ETF research. Click here to schedule a demo. Zacks ECDP Stocks Clorox, Fastenal Outperform Peers The Clorox Company CLX, which is part of our Earnings Certain Dividend Portfolio (ECDP), has returned 12.2% over the past 12 weeks. Another ECDP stock, Fastenal Company FAST, has climbed 10.5% over the same time frame. Of course, the inclination of investors toward quality dividend stocks to secure an income stream amid the heightened market volatility contributed to this performance. Check Clorox’s dividend history here>>> Check Fastenal’s dividend history here>>> With an extremely low Beta and a history of minimum earnings variability over the last 20+ years, this 25-stock portfolio helps significantly mitigate risk. The ECDP has consistently outperformed the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF NOBL. Click here to access this portfolio on Zacks Advisor Tools. Just Released: Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2023 In addition to the investment ideas discussed above, would you like to know about our 10 top picks for 2023? From inception in 2012 through November, the Zacks Top 10 Stocks portfolio has tripled the market, gaining an impressive +884.5% versus the S&P 500’s +287.4%. Our Director of Research has now combed through 4,000 companies covered by the Zacks Rank and handpicked the best 10 tickers to buy and hold in 2023. Don’t miss your chance to still be among the first to get in on these just-released stocks. See New Top 10 Stocks >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Novo Nordisk A/S (NVO) : Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA) : Free Stock Analysis Report Fiserv, Inc. (FISV) : Free Stock Analysis Report The Clorox Company (CLX) : Free Stock Analysis Report Sea Limited Sponsored ADR (SE) : Free Stock Analysis Report Thomson Reuters Corp (TRI) : Free Stock Analysis Report Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BAMXF) : Free Stock Analysis Report ProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF (NOBL): ETF Research Reports DSV (DSDVY) : Free Stock Analysis Report SoundHound AI, Inc. (SOUN) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-03-28,52.23,52.84,52.17,52.63,"[""Guru Fundamental Report for FAST - Warren Buffett Below is Validea's guru fundamental report for FASTENAL CO (FAST). Of the 22 guru strategies we follow, FAST rates highest using our Patient Investor model based on the published strategy of Warren Buffett. This strategy seeks out firms with long-term, predictable profitability and low debt that trade at reasonable valuations. FASTENAL CO (FAST) is a large-cap growth stock in the Misc. Fabricated Products industry. The rating using this strategy is 86% based on the firm\u2019s underlying fundamentals and the stock\u2019s valuation. A score of 80% or above typically indicates that the strategy has some interest in the stock and a score above 90% typically indicates strong interest. The following table summarizes whether the stock meets each of this strategy's tests. Not all criteria in the below table receive equal weighting or are independent, but the table provides a brief overview of the strong and weak points of the security in the context of the strategy's criteria. EARNINGS PREDICTABILITY: PASS DEBT SERVICE: PASS RETURN ON EQUITY: PASS RETURN ON TOTAL CAPITAL: PASS FREE CASH FLOW: PASS USE OF RETAINED EARNINGS: PASS SHARE REPURCHASE: PASS INITIAL RATE OF RETURN: PASS EXPECTED RETURN: FAIL Detailed Analysis of FASTENAL CO FAST Guru Analysis FAST Fundamental Analysis More Information on Warren Buffett Warren Buffett Portfolio Top Warren Buffett Stocks About Warren Buffett: Warren Buffett is considered by many to be the greatest investor of all time. As the chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, Buffett has consistently outperformed the S&P 500 for decades, and in the process has become one of the world's richest men. (Forbes puts his net worth at $37 billion.) Despite his fortune, Buffett is known for living a modest lifestyle, by billionaire standards. His primary residence remains the gray stucco Nebraska home he purchased for $31,500 nearly 50 years ago, according to Forbes, and his folksy Midwestern manner and penchant for simple pleasures -- a cherry Coke, a good burger, and a good book are all near the top of the list -- have been well-documented. Additional Research Links Factor-Based Stock Portfolios Factor-Based ETF Portfolios Harry Browne Permanent Portfolio Ray Dalio All Weather Portfolio About Validea: Validea is aninvestment researchservice that follows the published strategies of investment legends. Validea offers both stock analysis and model portfolios based on gurus who have outperformed the market over the long-term, including Warren Buffett, Benjamin Graham, Peter Lynch and Martin Zweig. For more information about Validea, click here The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Boring is Beautiful, Illinois Tool Works Stock Fits the Bill The markets have been so volatile since the pandemic that boring and stable businesses that report in GAAP numbers are a welcome respite for investors. Industrial products and equipment manufacturer Illinois Tool Works, Inc. (NYSE: ITW) stock has been a safe haven for the risk-averse. Its one-year stock performance is up 5% compared to the S&P 500 down (11%) and the Nasdaq falling (14%) in the same period. The company makes essential tools and equipment products, serving seven segments comprising 87 global divisions. Industrial Staples ITW is akin to a consumer staples company for companies. Its essential products make it an industrial staples business. Its seven segments include construction products, food equipment, automotive original equipment manufacturing (OEM), specialty products, electronics, fluids, and welding. The business achieved a record Q4 2022 operating income. Unlike so many businesses facing margin compression, ITW experienced operating margin expansion. The company navigated through supply chain challenges and cost inflation to deliver 12% organic growth. Momentum was so strong heading into 2023 that It also raised its profit estimates for the year. Competitors The company has many competitors within its seven segments. Some of them include Fastenal Co. (NASDAQ: FAST) for fasteners, 3M Company (NYSE: MMM) for its polymers and fluids, Emerson Electric Co. (NYSE: EMR), and Stanley Black & Decker Inc. (NYSE: SWK) for tools. As echoed by competitor Fastenal, ITW sees demand continue to soften with commercial construction. Slow and Steady Wins the Race On Feb. 2, 2023, ITW released its fourth-quarter 2022 results for the quarter ending Dec. 2022. The company's GAAP earnings-per-share (EPS) profit of $2.95 includes the $0.61 of divestiture gains, which may not be comparable to the $2.53 consensus analyst estimates or missed by ($0.19) if backing out the divestiture gains. Revenues grew by 8% year-over-year (YOY) to $3.97 billion, beating analyst estimates of $3.90 billion. Foreign currency translations or the strong U.S. dollar headwind had a (5%) impact on revenues. The company declared a $1.31 dividend for shareholders of record March 31, 2023, with an ex-dividend on March 30, 2023. The dividend will be payable on April 13, 2023. Segment Growth Five of its seven segments had double-digit revenue growth. Automotive OEM led with 20% organic growth, attributed to supply chain issues last year. North America saw 15% revenue growth, while Europe had 23% YoY growth. China's revenues rose 17%, driven by noticeable strength in electric vehicles (EVs). Company-wide organic growth for the quarter was 13% in North America, 11% in Europe, and 9% in Asia. Weakening Construction Offset by Strong Residential Housing Demand The construction segment experienced a demand slowdown bringing the organic growth rate to 4%. Residential construction was up 11%, while commercial construction fell (6%) in the U.S. Part of the shortfall was due to robust comps of 21% growth in the year-ago period. Lifting EPS and Lowballing Revenue Guidance ITW raised its full-year 2023 guidance for EPS between $9.40 to $9.80 versus $9.34 consensus analyst estimates. The company is anticipating slowing demand in semiconductor-related end markets in addition to construction, commercial welding, auto aftermarket, and appliances. For this reason, they were cautious about top line revenue estimates. Organic revenue growth is expected between 3% to 5%. Operating margins are expected between 24.5% to 25.5% crediting enterprise initiatives to add up to 100 bps. Weekly Rising Channel The weekly candlestick chart on ITW has been in a rising price channel since reaching a swing low of $179.39 in October 2023. Shares triggered their first weekly market structure low (MSL) on the $193.34 breakout powered by a rising stochastic. Shares triggered a second weekly MSL on the breakout through $221.32, driving the stock to a high of $253.37 at the end of January 2023. The stock has been pulled back as the weekly stochastic oscillates towards the 40-band. The weekly 20-period exponential moving average (EMA) support is slowly rising at $226.43, with the weekly 50-period MA support below $208.78. The pullback to the lower trendline bounced off $224.69, setting up another rising to the upper trendline or a breakdown through the trendline. Pullback supports are at $213.38, $204.82, $193.34, $188.14, and $184.21. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2023-03-29,53.01,53.17,52.67,52.97,"Conn's (CONN) Reports Q4 Loss, Tops Revenue Estimates Conn's (CONN) came out with a quarterly loss of $1.53 per share versus the Zacks Consensus Estimate of a loss of $0.83. This compares to earnings of $0.33 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items. This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of -84.34%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this retailer would post a loss of $0.85 per share when it actually produced a loss of $0.78, delivering a surprise of 8.24%. Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates two times. Conn's, which belongs to the Zacks Retail - Consumer Electronics industry, posted revenues of $334.88 million for the quarter ended January 2023, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 1.33%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $402.49 million. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates two times over the last four quarters. The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call. Conn's shares have lost about 21.4% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 3.4%. What's Next for Conn's? While Conn's has underperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock? There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately. Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions. Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for Conn's: unfavorable. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to underperform the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. It will be interesting to see how estimates for the coming quarters and current fiscal year change in the days ahead. The current consensus EPS estimate is -$0.28 on $335.91 million in revenues for the coming quarter and -$0.60 on $1.4 billion in revenues for the current fiscal year. Investors should be mindful of the fact that the outlook for the industry can have a material impact on the performance of the stock as well. In terms of the Zacks Industry Rank, Retail - Consumer Electronics is currently in the bottom 22% of the 250 plus Zacks industries. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1. One other stock from the broader Zacks Retail-Wholesale sector, Fastenal (FAST), is yet to report results for the quarter ended March 2023. The results are expected to be released on April 13. This maker of industrial and construction fasteners is expected to post quarterly earnings of $0.49 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of +4.3%. The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has been revised 0.3% higher over the last 30 days to the current level. Fastenal's revenues are expected to be $1.83 billion, up 7.1% from the year-ago quarter. Free Report: Must-See Hydrogen Stocks Hydrogen fuel cells are already used to provide efficient, ultra-clean energy to buses, ships and even hospitals. This technology is on the verge of a massive breakthrough, one that could make hydrogen a major source of America's power. It could even totally revolutionize the EV industry. Zacks has released a special report revealing the 4 stocks experts believe will deliver the biggest gains. Download Cashing In on Cleaner Energy today, absolutely free. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Conn's, Inc. (CONN) : Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-03-30,53.4,53.58,52.67,52.82,
FAST,2023-03-31,53.07,53.98,52.9,53.94,"Simulations Plus (SLP) to Report Q2 Earnings: What's in Store? Simulations Plus Inc SLP is slated to release second-quarter fiscal 2023 results on Apr 5. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for second-quarter revenues is pegged at $16.2 million, which suggests growth of 9.2% from the year-ago quarter’s reported figure. The company expects fiscal second-quarter revenue growth rate to be between 7% and 11%. The consensus mark for earnings is pegged at 18 cents per share, indicating a year-over-year decrease of 14.3%. The company reported first-quarter 2023 earnings of 6 cents per share, which were down 60% on a year-over-year basis and missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 50%. Revenues of $12 million decreased 4% year over year, affected by lower revenues in Software business segment. The top line missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 3.8%. Simulations Plus, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise Simulations Plus, Inc. price-eps-surprise | Simulations Plus, Inc. Quote Factors to Note Increasing demand for the company’s modeling and simulation solutions is likely to have boosted software sales in the second quarter. Also, SLP expects changes in renewal pattern and shift in revenue seasonality to positively impact revenue performance. The company’s implementation of cross-selling strategies has seen success with a growing client base using multiple platforms. In the last-reported quarter, the company added 15 new customers across the portfolio and with 15 upsells. The company has also standardized its renewal, pricing and discounting policies to make it simpler for clients to buy multiple offerings. This is likely to have favored the top-line performance in the to-be-reported quarter. The company plans to expand globally by increasing its presence in Europe, Asia and Latin America, and penetrating smaller biotech firms with its software solutions like PBPK and PKPD services. Higher costs on product enhancements, acquisitions, and research and development are likely to have exerted pressure on margin expansion in the quarter to be reported. Weakness in macro environment, increasing interest rates and forex volatility remain added concerns. What the Zacks Model Unveils According to the Zacks model, the combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat. But that’s not the case here. Simulations Plus has an Earnings ESP of 0.00% and a Zacks Rank #2. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter. Stocks to Consider Here are some companies which, per our model, have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this time around: The Greenbrier Companies, Inc GBX has an Earnings ESP of +59.78% and currently has a Zacks Rank #3. Greenbrier is scheduled to report second-quarter fiscal 2023 earnings on Apr 10. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Greenbrier’s to-be-reported quarter’s earnings is pegged at 61 cents per share. GBX surpassed earnings estimates in two of the preceding four quarters, delivering an average surprise of 35.9%. Shares of GBX have gained 26.7% in the past year. Constellation Brands, Inc STZ has an Earnings ESP of +3.99% and currently has a Zacks Rank #3. Constellation Brands is scheduled to report fourth-quarter fiscal 2023 earnings on Apr 6. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Constellation Brands’ to-be-reported quarter’s earnings and revenues is pegged at $1.87 per share and $2.03 billion, respectively. Constellation Brands surpassed earnings estimates in three of the preceding four quarters, delivering an average surprise of 6.1%. Shares of STZ have lost 4.1% in the past year. Fastenal Company FAST has an Earnings ESP of +0.29% and currently has a Zacks Rank #2. Fastenal is scheduled to report first-quarter fiscal 2023 earnings on Apr 13. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Fastenal’s to-be-reported quarter’s earnings and revenues is pegged at 49 cents per share and $1.83 billion, respectively. Fastenal surpassed earnings estimates in all the preceding four quarters, delivering an average surprise of 3.3%. Shares of FAST have gained 11.5% in the past year. Stay on top of upcoming earnings announcements with the Zacks Earnings Calendar. Zacks Names ""Single Best Pick to Double"" From thousands of stocks, 5 Zacks experts each have chosen their favorite to skyrocket +100% or more in months to come. From those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all. It’s a little-known chemical company that’s up 65% over last year, yet still dirt cheap. With unrelenting demand, soaring 2022 earnings estimates, and $1.5 billion for repurchasing shares, retail investors could jump in at any time. This company could rival or surpass other recent Zacks’ Stocks Set to Double like Boston Beer Company which shot up +143.0% in little more than 9 months and NVIDIA which boomed +175.9% in one year. Free: See Our Top Stock and 4 Runners Up >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report Constellation Brands Inc (STZ) : Free Stock Analysis Report Simulations Plus, Inc. (SLP) : Free Stock Analysis Report Greenbrier Companies, Inc. (The) (GBX) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-04-03,53.74,54.28,53.465,53.83,
FAST,2023-04-04,54.42,54.51,52.72,53.01,
FAST,2023-04-05,52.705,52.85,51.22,51.51,"Morgan Stanley Maintains Fastenal (FAST) Underweight Recommendation Fintel reports that on April 5, 2023, Morgan Stanley maintained coverage of Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) with a Underweight recommendation. Analyst Price Forecast Suggests 0.18% Upside As of March 30, 2023, the average one-year price target for Fastenal is $51.60. The forecasts range from a low of $42.42 to a high of $58.80. The average price target represents an increase of 0.18% from its latest reported closing price of $51.51. See our leaderboard of companies with the largest price target upside. The projected annual revenue for Fastenal is $7,336MM, an increase of 5.09%. The projected annual non-GAAP EPS is $1.97. Fastenal Declares $0.35 Dividend On January 18, 2023 the company declared a regular quarterly dividend of $0.35 per share ($1.40 annualized). Shareholders of record as of February 2, 2023 received the payment on March 2, 2023. Previously, the company paid $0.31 per share. At the current share price of $51.51 / share, the stock's dividend yield is 2.72%. Looking back five years and taking a sample every week, the average dividend yield has been 2.48%, the lowest has been 1.75%, and the highest has been 3.55%. The standard deviation of yields is 0.35 (n=237). The current dividend yield is 0.67 standard deviations above the historical average. Additionally, the company's dividend payout ratio is 0.74. The payout ratio tells us how much of a company's income is paid out in dividends. A payout ratio of one (1.0) means 100% of the company's income is paid in a dividend. A payout ratio greater than one means the company is dipping into savings in order to maintain its dividend - not a healthy situation. Companies with few growth prospects are expected to pay out most of their income in dividends, which typically means a payout ratio between 0.5 and 1.0. Companies with good growth prospects are expected to retain some earnings in order to invest in those growth prospects, which translates to a payout ratio of zero to 0.5. The company's 3-Year dividend growth rate is 0.40%, demonstrating that it has increased its dividend over time. What are Other Shareholders Doing? Salvus Wealth Management holds 11K shares representing 0.00% ownership of the company. In it's prior filing, the firm reported owning 11K shares, representing an increase of 0.66%. The firm decreased its portfolio allocation in FAST by 0.36% over the last quarter. LS Investment Advisors holds 9K shares representing 0.00% ownership of the company. No change in the last quarter. Johnson Financial Group holds 10K shares representing 0.00% ownership of the company. In it's prior filing, the firm reported owning 10K shares, representing a decrease of 3.05%. The firm decreased its portfolio allocation in FAST by 99.95% over the last quarter. XVV - iShares ESG Screened S&P 500 ETF holds 4K shares representing 0.00% ownership of the company. In it's prior filing, the firm reported owning 4K shares, representing an increase of 3.89%. The firm decreased its portfolio allocation in FAST by 3.04% over the last quarter. ALLIANZ VARIABLE INSURANCE PRODUCTS TRUST - AZL Fidelity Institutional Asset Management Multi-Strategy Fund Class 2 holds 12K shares representing 0.00% ownership of the company. In it's prior filing, the firm reported owning 11K shares, representing an increase of 6.66%. The firm increased its portfolio allocation in FAST by 5.15% over the last quarter. What is the Fund Sentiment? There are 1758 funds or institutions reporting positions in Fastenal. This is an increase of 25 owner(s) or 1.44% in the last quarter. Average portfolio weight of all funds dedicated to FAST is 0.28%, a decrease of 7.85%. Total shares owned by institutions increased in the last three months by 1.10% to 501,524K shares. The put/call ratio of FAST is 0.93, indicating a bullish outlook. Fastenal Background Information (This description is provided by the company.) Fastenal helps customers simplify and realize product and process savings across their supply chain. It sells a broad oCering of products spanning more than nine major product lines - from fasteners and tools to safety and janitorial supplies. These products are eciently distributed to manufacturing facilities, job sites, and other customer locations through local service teams and point-of-use inventory solutions, including industrial vending technology and bin stock programs (Fastenal Managed Inventory or FMI®). Its distribution system centers on over 3,200 in-market locations (a combination of public branches and customer-speci c Onsite locations), primarily in North America but also in Asia, Europe, and Central and South America, each providing tailored inventory, exible service, and custom solutions to drive the unique goals of local customers. These in-market servicing locations are supported by Vfteen regional distribution centers, a captive logistics Deet, robust sourcing, quality and manufacturing resources, and multiple teams of industry specialists and support personnel - all working toward Fastenal's common goal of Growth Through Customer Service®. See all Fastenal regulatory filings. This story originally appeared on Fintel. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-04-06,51.22,51.85,50.7,51.48,"[""3 April Earnings Plays for Bullish Swing Traders The spring season is finally upon us! Time to pull out the raincoat, plant some seeds and put that green thumb to use. If you\u2019re a stock trader, it\u2019s also a time to put on the thinking cap. First quarter earnings season is upon us \u2014 which means plenty of opportunities for new portfolio growth. And on the heels of a volatile market for March 2023, traders could be in for a wild ride. Due to recession and bank liquidity concerns, Wall Street analysts have set the bar low. Data from FactSet shows that S&P 500 companies are expected to report 6.6% lower earnings for the first quarter of this year. If they do, it would be the group\u2019s biggest earnings decline since the coronavirus outbreak. While this suggests storm clouds are rolling in, there\u2019s actually a ray of light. With low-profit expectations come opportunities for sizable outperformance. If early reports are any indication, there will be plenty of positive surprises ahead. Of 17 S&P companies that reported first-quarter results through March 31st, all but one beat consensus earnings per share (EPS) estimates. Where will future beats come from? Quite possibly from sectors that are expected to have witnessed growth. According to Factset, industrials, financials and consumer discretionary names are expected to have survived demand slowdowns and cost inflation better than most. This makes these three stocks bullish swing trade candidates. What Could Drive a Black Rock Earnings Beat? Since the capital markets have trended lower since late 2021, BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE: BLK) faces tough year-over-year comparisons. As such, analysts have set the Q1 bar low \u2014 but as we learned from recent results, it may be too low. BlackRock has topped quarterly EPS expectations by a wide margin the last two times out. Higher interest rates attracted investors to the company\u2019s fixed income products in Q4, driving a 10% positive earnings surprise. With interest rates only increasing since it could be d\u00e9j\u00e0 vu when BlackRock reports first-quarter results on April 14th. Considering recent layoffs, strong bond inflows and lower costs could drive another meaningful EPS beat. In worst case scenario, if a bullish earnings trade fails, the position could be converted into a longer-term holding. At 20x earnings, BlackRock is trading slightly below the capital market industry average when its growth profile arguably supports a premium valuation. Is Wall Street Bullish on Delta Air Lines Stock? Delta Air Lines Inc. (NYSE: DAL) kicks off airlines earnings season on April 13th. Being the lead-off batter makes it harder to glean information from peer reports, but the stock may be worth a swing. Led by strong travel demand, Delta beat last quarter\u2019s earnings bogey by 5%. Developments since have been mixed. Travel restrictions in Western Europe and China have been lifted, boosting international travel. Business travel is also on the rebound with corporate events and conferences back in full swing. On the negative side, kerosene jet fuel prices have soared to a multiyear high and labor costs are up. This sets the stage for an intriguing tug-of-war between increasing revenue and increasing costs. Last time around, demand won out, propelling Delta to a double beat. However, management\u2019s 2023 earnings guidance reflected high costs associated with labor deals and an operations ramp ahead of the summer travel season. The stock sold off, but the airliner\u2019s outlook may prove overly cloudy. Higher-priced corporate and international tickets can potentially drive strong top-line results over the next few quarters. This is a big reason why the Street is unanimously bullish on Delta. Three analysts have upgraded to buy this year \u2014 and with price targets in the $ 40s and $ 50s, the first quarter update could ignite a powerful takeoff. What Could Cause Fastenal\u2019s Share Price to Go Up? When Fastenal Co. (NASDAQ: FAST) reports first-quarter numbers on April 13th, the market will look for 6% EPS growth. This would be the lowest year-over-year growth in nearly two years. But after beating both Q3 and Q4 EPS estimates, the industrial supplier kicked off 2023 by announcing a 13% dividend increase. This signals confidence in the long-term outlook, which could manifest as early as next week\u2019s Q1 report. Granted, Fastenal still has some challenges to hammer out. Construction activity has slowed, and operating costs have increased. At some point, Fed rate hikes will stop, which would boost mortgage activity and Fastental\u2019s business. This certainly won\u2019t be reflected in first-quarter results, but upbeat management commentary about an expected housing market recovery could push the stock higher regardless of the Q1 performance. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal (FAST) Reports Next Week: Wall Street Expects Earnings Growth Wall Street expects a year-over-year increase in earnings on higher revenues when Fastenal (FAST) reports results for the quarter ended March 2023. While this widely-known consensus outlook is important in gauging the company's earnings picture, a powerful factor that could impact its near-term stock price is how the actual results compare to these estimates. The stock might move higher if these key numbers top expectations in the upcoming earnings report, which is expected to be released on April 13. On the other hand, if they miss, the stock may move lower. While the sustainability of the immediate price change and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's discussion of business conditions on theearnings call it's worth handicapping the probability of a positive EPS surprise. Zacks Consensus Estimate This maker of industrial and construction fasteners is expected to post quarterly earnings of $0.49 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of +4.3%. Revenues are expected to be $1.83 billion, up 7.3% from the year-ago quarter. Estimate Revisions Trend The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has been revised 0.03% lower over the last 30 days to the current level. This is essentially a reflection of how the covering analysts have collectively reassessed their initial estimates over this period. Investors should keep in mind that an aggregate change may not always reflect the direction of estimate revisions by each of the covering analysts. Earnings Whisper Estimate revisions ahead of a company's earnings release offer clues to the business conditions for the period whose results are coming out. Our proprietary surprise prediction model -- the Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction) -- has this insight at its core. The Zacks Earnings ESP compares the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter; the Most Accurate Estimate is a more recent version of the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate. The idea here is that analysts revising their estimates right before an earnings release have the latest information, which could potentially be more accurate than what they and others contributing to the consensus had predicted earlier. Thus, a positive or negative Earnings ESP reading theoretically indicates the likely deviation of the actual earnings from the consensus estimate. However, the model's predictive power is significant for positive ESP readings only. A positive Earnings ESP is a strong predictor of an earnings beat, particularly when combined with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold). Our research shows that stocks with this combination produce a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time, and a solid Zacks Rank actually increases the predictive power of Earnings ESP. Please note that a negative Earnings ESP reading is not indicative of an earnings miss. Our research shows that it is difficult to predict an earnings beat with any degree of confidence for stocks with negative Earnings ESP readings and/or Zacks Rank of 4 (Sell) or 5 (Strong Sell). How Have the Numbers Shaped Up for Fastenal? For Fastenal, the Most Accurate Estimate is higher than the Zacks Consensus Estimate, suggesting that analysts have recently become bullish on the company's earnings prospects. This has resulted in an Earnings ESP of +0.26%. On the other hand, the stock currently carries a Zacks Rank of #2. So, this combination indicates that Fastenal will most likely beat the consensus EPS estimate. Does Earnings Surprise History Hold Any Clue? While calculating estimates for a company's future earnings, analysts often consider to what extent it has been able to match past consensus estimates. So, it's worth taking a look at the surprise history for gauging its influence on the upcoming number. For the last reported quarter, it was expected that Fastenal would post earnings of $0.42 per share when it actually produced earnings of $0.43, delivering a surprise of +2.38%. Over the last four quarters, the company has beaten consensus EPS estimates three times. Bottom Line An earnings beat or miss may not be the sole basis for a stock moving higher or lower. Many stocks end up losing ground despite an earnings beat due to other factors that disappoint investors. Similarly, unforeseen catalysts help a number of stocks gain despite an earnings miss. That said, betting on stocks that are expected to beat earnings expectations does increase the odds of success. This is why it's worth checking a company's Earnings ESP and Zacks Rank ahead of its quarterly release. Make sure to utilize our Earnings ESP Filter to uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they've reported. Fastenal appears a compelling earnings-beat candidate. However, investors should pay attention to other factors too for betting on this stock or staying away from it ahead of its earnings release. Stay on top of upcoming earnings announcements with the Zacks Earnings Calendar. Zacks Names \""Single Best Pick to Double\"" From thousands of stocks, 5 Zacks experts each have chosen their favorite to skyrocket +100% or more in months to come. From those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all. It\u2019s a little-known chemical company that\u2019s up 65% over last year, yet still dirt cheap. With unrelenting demand, soaring 2022 earnings estimates, and $1.5 billion for repurchasing shares, retail investors could jump in at any time. This company could rival or surpass other recent Zacks\u2019 Stocks Set to Double like Boston Beer Company which shot up +143.0% in little more than 9 months and NVIDIA which boomed +175.9% in one year. Free: See Our Top Stock and 4 Runners Up >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2023-04-10,51.2,52.35,51.155,52.17,"Fastenal (FAST) to Report Q1 Earnings: What's in the Cards? Fastenal Company FAST is scheduled to report first-quarter 2023 results on Apr 13, before the opening bell. In the last reported quarter, earnings and net sales topped the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 2.4% and 1.2%, respectively. Earnings and net sales increased 10.7% each from the year-ago figures, respectively. Fastenal’s earnings topped the consensus mark in all the last four quarters, with the average being 3.3%. Trend in Estimate Revision For the quarter to be reported, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings per share has remained unchanged at 49 cents over the past 60 days. The estimated figure indicates 4.3% growth from the year-ago level. The consensus mark for revenues is pegged at $1.83 billion, suggesting a 7.3% increase from the year-ago reported figure of $1.70 billion. Fastenal Company Price and EPS Surprise Fastenal Company price-eps-surprise | Fastenal Company Quote Key Factors to Note Sales: Higher manufacturing demand is expected to have generated higher sales on a year-over-year basis for this national wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies. Notably, slower international business due to the zero-COVID policy in China and a soft European macro are expected to have weighed on the company’s top line. Construction sales are expected to be weak as Fastenal de-emphasizes walk-in branch sales. If we go by the latest monthly sales report, February’s average daily sales grew 9.6% to $29.1 million, moderating sequentially. In January 2023, daily sales registered 11.2% growth. The company has been navigating well through issues like price inflation, supply-chain challenges and a shortage of labor. It has been gaining from all product categories, end markets and customers. In terms of end markets/products/customers in February and January 2023, manufacturing sales improved by 25.8% and 20.8% from the respective year-ago months. Non-residential construction declined 1.8% in February and 1.7% in January 2023. Fastener sales were up 8% in February (compared with an 11.6% increase in January 2023). Safety sales increased 3.2% in February compared with 6.2% growth in January 2023. In terms of customer channel, national accounts were up 14% year over year in February (compared with a 16% increase in January 2023), while non-national accounts grew 4% (compared with a 6% rise in January 2023). The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the company’s overall daily sales is pegged at $28.4 million, indicating an increase from $26.6 million reported a year ago and from $27.3 million in the prior quarter. Margins: Inflationary pressure has been a cause of concern. The company highlighted that it has been experiencing significant material cost inflation, particularly for steel, fuel and transportation. The company has been experiencing the adverse effects of tightening global and domestic supply chains. Also, adverse price/cost dynamics are expected to have weighed on the company’s quarterly margins. What the Zacks Model Unveils Our proven model predicts an earnings beat for FAST this time around. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat. This is exactly the case here, as you will see below. Earnings ESP: The company has an Earnings ESP of +0.76%. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter. Zacks Rank: Currently, Fastenal carries a Zacks Rank #2. Stocks With the Favorable Combination Here are some companies which, according to our model, have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat on their respective quarters to be reported. EMCOR Group EME has an Earnings ESP of +0.27% and a Zacks Rank #2. EME’s earnings missed the consensus mark once but beat the same on three other occasions, with the average surprise being 5.5%. Earnings for the to-be-reported quarter are expected to increase 32.4% year over year. Lennox International LII has an Earnings ESP of +2.35% and a Zacks Rank #2. LII’s earnings topped the consensus mark in three of the last four quarters but missed on one occasion, with the average being 5.7%. Earnings for the to-be-reported quarter are expected to increase 0.4% year over year. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Patrick Industries PATK has an Earnings ESP of +33.41% and a Zacks Rank #3. PATK’s earnings topped the consensus mark in all the last four quarters, with the average being 34.8%. Earnings for the to-be-reported quarter are expected to decline 70.7% year over year. Stay on top of upcoming earnings announcements with the Zacks Earnings Calendar. Free Report: Must-See Hydrogen Stocks Hydrogen fuel cells are already used to provide efficient, ultra-clean energy to buses, ships and even hospitals. This technology is on the verge of a massive breakthrough, one that could make hydrogen a major source of America's power. It could even totally revolutionize the EV industry. Zacks has released a special report revealing the 4 stocks experts believe will deliver the biggest gains. Download Cashing In on Cleaner Energy today, absolutely free. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report Lennox International, Inc. (LII) : Free Stock Analysis Report EMCOR Group, Inc. (EME) : Free Stock Analysis Report Patrick Industries, Inc. (PATK) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-04-11,52.47,53.03,52.35,52.66,"[""Will Fastenal (FAST) Beat Estimates Again in Its Next Earnings Report? Looking for a stock that has been consistently beating earnings estimates and might be well positioned to keep the streak alive in its next quarterly report? Fastenal (FAST), which belongs to the Zacks Building Products - Retail industry, could be a great candidate to consider. This maker of industrial and construction fasteners has seen a nice streak of beating earnings estimates, especially when looking at the previous two reports. The average surprise for the last two quarters was 3.27%. For the last reported quarter, Fastenal came out with earnings of $0.43 per share versus the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.42 per share, representing a surprise of 2.38%. For the previous quarter, the company was expected to post earnings of $0.48 per share and it actually produced earnings of $0.50 per share, delivering a surprise of 4.17%. Price and EPS Surprise For Fastenal, estimates have been trending higher, thanks in part to this earnings surprise history. And when you look at the stock's positive Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction), it's a great indicator of a future earnings beat, especially when combined with its solid Zacks Rank. Our research shows that stocks with the combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) or better produce a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time. In other words, if you have 10 stocks with this combination, the number of stocks that beat the consensus estimate could be as high as seven. The Zacks Earnings ESP compares the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter; the Most Accurate Estimate is a version of the Zacks Consensus whose definition is related to change. The idea here is that analysts revising their estimates right before an earnings release have the latest information, which could potentially be more accurate than what they and others contributing to the consensus had predicted earlier. Fastenal has an Earnings ESP of +1.27% at the moment, suggesting that analysts have grown bullish on its near-term earnings potential. When you combine this positive Earnings ESP with the stock's Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), it shows that another beat is possibly around the corner. The company's next earnings report is expected to be released on April 13, 2023. With the Earnings ESP metric, it's important to note that a negative value reduces its predictive power; however, a negative Earnings ESP does not indicate an earnings miss. Many companies end up beating the consensus EPS estimate, though this is not the only reason why their shares gain. Additionally, some stocks may remain stable even if they end up missing the consensus estimate. Because of this, it's really important to check a company's Earnings ESP ahead of its quarterly release to increase the odds of success. Make sure to utilize our Earnings ESP Filter to uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they've reported. Just Released: Free Report Reveals Little-Known Strategies to Help Profit from the $30 Trillion Metaverse Boom It's undeniable. The metaverse is gaining steam every day. Just follow the money. Google. Microsoft. Adobe. Nike. Facebook even rebranded itself as Meta because Mark Zuckerberg believes the metaverse is the next iteration of the internet. The inevitable result? Many investors will get rich as the metaverse evolves. What do they know that you don't? They\u2019re aware of the companies best poised to grow as the metaverse does. And in a new FREE report, Zacks is revealing those stocks to you. This week, you can download, The Metaverse - What is it? And How to Profit with These 5 Pioneering Stocks. It reveals specific stocks set to skyrocket as this emerging technology develops and expands. Don't miss your chance to access it for free with no obligation. >>Show me how I could profit from the metaverse! Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""FAST Crosses Above Average Analyst Target In recent trading, shares of Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) have crossed above the average analyst 12-month target price of $51.78, changing hands for $52.17/share. When a stock reaches the target an analyst has set, the analyst logically has two ways to react: downgrade on valuation, or, re-adjust their target price to a higher level. Analyst reaction may also depend on the fundamental business developments that may be responsible for driving the stock price higher \u2014 if things are looking up for the company, perhaps it is time for that target price to be raised. There are 9 different analyst targets within the Zacks coverage universe contributing to that average for Fastenal Co., but the average is just that \u2014 a mathematical average. There are analysts with lower targets than the average, including one looking for a price of $46.00. And then on the other side of the spectrum one analyst has a target as high as $61.00. The standard deviation is $4.684. But the whole reason to look at the average FAST price target in the first place is to tap into a \""wisdom of crowds\"" effort, putting together the contributions of all the individual minds who contributed to the ultimate number, as opposed to what just one particular expert believes. And so with FAST crossing above that average target price of $51.78/share, investors in FAST have been given a good signal to spend fresh time assessing the company and deciding for themselves: is $51.78 just one stop on the way to an even higher target, or has the valuation gotten stretched to the point where it is time to think about taking some chips off the table? Below is a table showing the current thinking of the analysts that cover Fastenal Co.: RECENT FAST ANALYST RATINGS BREAKDOWN \u00bb Current 1 Month Ago 2 Month Ago 3 Month Ago Strong buy ratings: 3 2 2 2 Buy ratings: 0 0 0 0 Hold ratings: 8 9 9 8 Sell ratings: 0 0 0 0 Strong sell ratings: 2 2 2 2 Average rating: 2.79 2.95 2.95 2.94 The average rating presented in the last row of the above table above is from 1 to 5 where 1 is Strong Buy and 5 is Strong Sell. This article used data provided by Zacks Investment Research via Quandl.com. Get the latest Zacks research report on FAST \u2014 FREE. 10 ETFs With Most Upside To Analyst Targets \u00bb Also see: \u0095 Home Improvement Stores Dividend Stocks \u0095 Institutional Holders of RWAY \u0095 Institutional Holders of NPF The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Is a Surprise Coming for Fastenal (FAST) This Earnings Season? Investors are always looking for stocks that are poised to beat at earnings season and Fastenal Company FAST may be one such company. The firm has earnings coming up pretty soon, and events are shaping up quite nicely for their report. That is because Fastenal is seeing favorable earnings estimate revision activity as of late, which is generally a precursor to an earnings beat. After all, analysts raising estimates right before earnings \u2014 with the most up-to-date information possible \u2014 is a pretty good indicator of some favorable trends underneath the surface for FAST in this report. In fact, the Most Accurate Estimate for the current quarter is currently at 50 cents per share for FAST, compared to a broader Zacks Consensus Estimate of 49 cents per share. This suggests that analysts have very recently bumped up their estimates for FAST, giving the stock a Zacks Earnings ESP of +1.27% heading into earnings season. Fastenal Company Price and EPS Surprise Fastenal Company price-eps-surprise | Fastenal Company Quote Why is this Important? A positive reading for the Zacks Earnings ESP has proven to be very powerful in producing both positive surprises, and outperforming the market. Our recent 10-year backtest shows that stocks that have a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) or better show a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time, and have returned over 28% on average in annual returns (see more Top Earnings ESP stocks here). Given that FAST has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and an ESP in positive territory, investors might want to consider this stock ahead of earnings. You can see the complete list of today\u2019s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Clearly, recent earnings estimate revisions suggest that good things are ahead for Fastenal, and that a beat might be in the cards for the upcoming report. Just Released: Free Report Reveals Little-Known Strategies to Help Profit from the $30 Trillion Metaverse Boom It's undeniable. The metaverse is gaining steam every day. Just follow the money. Google. Microsoft. Adobe. Nike. Facebook even rebranded itself as Meta because Mark Zuckerberg believes the metaverse is the next iteration of the internet. The inevitable result? Many investors will get rich as the metaverse evolves. What do they know that you don't? They\u2019re aware of the companies best poised to grow as the metaverse does. And in a new FREE report, Zacks is revealing those stocks to you. This week, you can download, The Metaverse - What is it? And How to Profit with These 5 Pioneering Stocks. It reveals specific stocks set to skyrocket as this emerging technology develops and expands. Don't miss your chance to access it for free with no obligation. >>Show me how I could profit from the metaverse! Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2023-04-12,53.25,53.55,52.475,52.56,"[""Is DICK'S Sporting Goods (DKS) Stock Outpacing Its Retail-Wholesale Peers This Year? The Retail-Wholesale group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Dick's Sporting Goods (DKS) is a stock that can certainly grab the attention of many investors, but do its recent returns compare favorably to the sector as a whole? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Retail-Wholesale peers, we might be able to answer that question. Dick's Sporting Goods is a member of our Retail-Wholesale group, which includes 221 different companies and currently sits at #6 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank includes 16 different groups and is listed in order from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors. The Zacks Rank is a proven system that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions, highlighting a variety of stocks that are displaying the right characteristics to beat the market over the next one to three months. Dick's Sporting Goods is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy). The Zacks Consensus Estimate for DKS' full-year earnings has moved 12.4% higher within the past quarter. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive. Based on the most recent data, DKS has returned 15.6% so far this year. Meanwhile, the Retail-Wholesale sector has returned an average of 6.4% on a year-to-date basis. This means that Dick's Sporting Goods is outperforming the sector as a whole this year. One other Retail-Wholesale stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is Fastenal (FAST). The stock is up 11.3% year-to-date. For Fastenal, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 1.6% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Breaking things down more, Dick's Sporting Goods is a member of the Retail - Miscellaneous industry, which includes 21 individual companies and currently sits at #96 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has lost an average of 6.9% so far this year, meaning that DKS is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns. Fastenal, however, belongs to the Building Products - Retail industry. Currently, this 8-stock industry is ranked #23. The industry has moved -1.3% so far this year. Going forward, investors interested in Retail-Wholesale stocks should continue to pay close attention to Dick's Sporting Goods and Fastenal as they could maintain their solid performance. 4 Oil Stocks with Massive Upsides Global demand for oil is through the roof... and oil producers are struggling to keep up. So even though oil prices are well off their recent highs, you can expect big profits from the companies that supply the world with \""black gold.\"" Zacks Investment Research has just released an urgent special report to help you bank on this trend. In Oil Market on Fire, you'll discover 4 unexpected oil and gas stocks positioned for big gains in the coming weeks and months. You don't want to miss these recommendations. Download your free report now to see them. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report DICK'S Sporting Goods, Inc. (DKS) : Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Pre-Market Earnings Report for April 13, 2023 : FAST, DAL, NTIC The following companies are expected to report earnings prior to market open on 04/13/2023. Visit our Earnings Calendar for a full list of expected earnings releases. Fastenal Company (FAST)is reporting for the quarter ending March 31, 2023. The building company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 8 analysts that follow the stock is $0.49. This value represents a 4.26% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year FAST has met analyst expectations once and beat the expectations the other three quarters. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2023 Price to Earnings ratio for FAST is 27.01 vs. an industry ratio of 14.50, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Delta Air Lines, Inc. (DAL)is reporting for the quarter ending March 31, 2023. The airline company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 10 analysts that follow the stock is $0.31. This value represents a 125.20% increase compared to the same quarter last year. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2023 Price to Earnings ratio for DAL is 6.66 vs. an industry ratio of 8.50. Northern Technologies International Corporation (NTIC)is reporting for the quarter ending February 28, 2023. The chemical company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 1 analyst that follows the stock is $0.18. This value represents a 350.00% increase compared to the same quarter last year. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2023 Price to Earnings ratio for NTIC is 15.26 vs. an industry ratio of 17.30. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Pre-Market Earnings Report for April 13, 2023 : FAST, DAL, NTIC The following companies are expected to report earnings prior to market open on 04/13/2023. Visit our Earnings Calendar for a full list of expected earnings releases. Fastenal Company (FAST)is reporting for the quarter ending March 31, 2023. The building company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 8 analysts that follow the stock is $0.49. This value represents a 4.26% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year FAST has met analyst expectations once and beat the expectations the other three quarters. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2023 Price to Earnings ratio for FAST is 27.01 vs. an industry ratio of 14.50, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Delta Air Lines, Inc. (DAL)is reporting for the quarter ending March 31, 2023. The airline company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 10 analysts that follow the stock is $0.31. This value represents a 125.20% increase compared to the same quarter last year. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2023 Price to Earnings ratio for DAL is 6.66 vs. an industry ratio of 8.50. Northern Technologies International Corporation (NTIC)is reporting for the quarter ending February 28, 2023. The chemical company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 1 analyst that follows the stock is $0.18. This value represents a 350.00% increase compared to the same quarter last year. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2023 Price to Earnings ratio for NTIC is 15.26 vs. an industry ratio of 17.30. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2023-04-13,50.88,52.45,50.3,52.34,"[""Time to Buy Fastenal (FAST) Stock After Earnings? As we kick off earnings season a few top-rated Zacks stocks have already reported this week. Among them, Fastenal (FAST) stock is one for investors to consider. Let\u2019s see if it\u2019s time to buy shares of Fastenal after reporting its fiscal first-quarter earnings today. Brief Overview Fastenal is out of the Zacks Retail and Wholesale sector and its Building Products-Retail Industry is currently in the top 10% of over 250 Zacks industries. The most known companies in the space include Home Depot (HD) and Lowe\u2019s (LOW). As for Fastenal, the company is a national wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies that is known as an essential supplier of nuts and bolts. Headquartered in Minnesota, Fastenal distributes its products through company-owned stores mostly located in North America. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Q1 Review Fastenal beat its first-quarter earnings expectations by 6% with EPS at $0.52. This was a 10% increase from the prior year quarter. Sales slightly topped quarterly estimates at $1.86 billion, up 5% from Q1 2022. Fastenal cited 89 new onsite locations that were added during Q1 as growth drivers for the company. As of March 31, Fastenal had 1,674 active sites which represented a 16% YoY increase with the company stating daily sales grew roughly 20% from the prior-year quarter. Operating cash flow also stood out at $388.5 million, climbing 69% from Q1 2022. This was largely attributed to global supply chains normalizing resulting in the reduction of working capital being used to support growth. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Performance & Valuation Fastenal stock is up +8% year to date to slightly top the S&P 500 and outperform Home Depot\u2019s -9% and Lowe\u2019s virtually flat performance. More impressive, shares of FAST are up +102% over the last five years to easily top the benchmark and Home Depot while only trailing Lowe\u2019s +130%. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Trading around $51 per share, Fastenal stock trades at 27X forward earnings which is nicely beneath its decade-long high of 40.7X and closer to the median of 26.3X. While investors are paying a premium for Fastenal stock compared to the industry average of 13.3X and the S&P 500\u2019s 19X rising earnings estimates have started to offer support to the company\u2019s P/E valuation and growth. Growth & Outlook Based on Zacks estimates, Fastenal earnings are projected to be up 3% in fiscal 2023 and rise another 6% in FY24 at $2.06 per share. Earnings estimate revisions have increased slightly over the last quarter and this may continue after the company\u2019s solid Q1 report. On the top line, sales are forecasted to rise 5% in FY23 and jump another 5% in FY24 to $7.77 billion. Fiscal 2024 would represent 46% growth from pre-pandemic levels with 2019 sales at $5.53 billion. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Takeaway Fastenal stock currently sports a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) as earnings estimates have remained higher and this should likely continue after the company\u2019s appeasing first-quarter results. Furthermore, Fastenal's Q1 report was reassuring to Wall Street as it showed inflation is beginning to ease along with supply chain issues which could give FAST shares a boost as we progress through 2023. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report Lowe's Companies, Inc. (LOW) : Free Stock Analysis Report The Home Depot, Inc. (HD) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal (FAST) Q1 Earnings & Net Sales Top, Gross Margin Down Fastenal Company FAST plunged 3.2% in the pre-market trading session on Apr 13 after it reported first-quarter 2023 results. Both earnings and net sales surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate. The company\u2019s top and bottom lines also improved on a year-over-year basis, given daily sales growth, good expense control and incremental margins and a lower share base. The company reported tepid margin performance, owing to softness in certain markets and high costs. Earnings & Sales in Detail The company reported earnings of 52 cents per share, which beat the consensus mark of 49 cents by 6.1% and rose 10.4% from the year-ago period. Fastenal Company Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Fastenal Company price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Fastenal Company Quote Net sales totaled $1,859.1 million, beating the consensus mark of $1,842 million by 0.9% and increasing 9.1% from the year-ago figure of $1,704.1 million. Daily sales of $29 million increased 9.1% year over year in the reported quarter. The upside was mainly due to higher unit sales, thanks to solid demand for industrial capital goods and commodities, offsetting a modest contraction for construction supplies. The foreign exchange and inclement weather adversely impacted sales by 70 and 20-40 basis points (bps). On a monthly basis, daily sales improved 6.8%, 9.6% and 11.2% in March, February and January 2023, respectively, year over year. Daily sales of Fastener products (mainly used for industrial production and accounting for approximately 33.6% of first-quarter sales) rose 7% year over year. Sales of safety products (20.4%) grew 5.7% on a daily basis. Sales of the remaining products (46%) grew 12.4% year over year. On the end-market basis, daily sales of Manufacturing (accounting for approximately 74.6% of first-quarter sales) rose 14.4% year over year. Sales of Non-residential construction (9.3%) fell 2.4% on a daily basis. Sales of Other (16.1%) declined 4.4% year over year. Daily sales through weighted FMI devices grew 21.3% for the first quarter and represented 39.4% of net sales. Daily sales to national account customers (representing 59.2% of total first-quarter net sales) increased 13.6% on a year-over-year basis. Daily sales to non-national account customers (which include government customers and represent 40.8% of total quarterly revenues) rose 3.4% from the prior-year quarter. Vending Trends & Other Growth Drivers Fastenal signed 89 new Onsite locations during the quarter. As of Mar 31, 2023, the company had 1,674 active sites, up 16.3% from the year-ago period. Daily sales through Onsite locations (excluding sales transferred from branches to new Onsite\u2019s) increased nearly 20% year over year. This was backed by strong contributions from Onsite locations, activated and implemented over the last 12 months and continued growth from older Onsite locations. For 2023, the company continues to expect 375-400 annual Onsite signings. Margins A gross margin of 45.7% for the reported quarter was down from 46.6% a year ago. This was due to customer and product mix, increased growth in the lower margin Onsite and non-fastener products and lower product margins in certain other product categories. Also, higher organizational/overhead costs as well as supply chain headwinds added to the negatives. Operating margin came in at 21.2%, which was 20 basis points up from a year ago, backed by improved operating expense leverage. Financials As of Mar 31, 2023, cash and cash equivalents were $239.8 million, up from $230.1 million on Dec 31, 2022. The long-term debt at the first quarter-end was $200 million, up from $353.2 million at 2022-end. During first-quarter, FAST returned $199.8 million to its shareholders in the form of dividends. For the first three months of 2023, cash provided by operating activities totaled $388.5 million, up from $230 million in a year-ago period. Zacks Rank Fastenal currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today\u2019s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Stocks in Broader Sector Some better-ranked stocks in the Zacks Retail-Wholesale sector are: Tecnoglass Inc. TGLS sports a Zacks Rank #1 at present. TGLS delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 21.5%, on average. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for TGLS\u2019s 2023 sales and EPS suggests growth of 13.4% and 15.4%, respectively, from the year-ago period\u2019s reported levels. Chuy's Holdings, Inc. CHUY currently has a Zacks Rank #1. CHUY delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 19.1%, on average. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CHUY\u2019s 2023 sales and EPS suggests growth of 10.8% and 19%, respectively, from the year-ago period\u2019s reported levels. The Kroger Co. KR currently sports a Zacks Rank #1. KR delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 9.8%, on average. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for KR\u2019s fiscal 2024 sales and EPS suggests growth of 2.5% and 6.6%, respectively, from the year-ago period\u2019s reported levels. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report The Kroger Co. (KR) : Free Stock Analysis Report Chuy's Holdings, Inc. (CHUY) : Free Stock Analysis Report Tecnoglass Inc. (TGLS) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Daily Dividend Report: ST, ADP, DOW, FAST, LEN Sensata Technologies (ST) approved a quarterly dividend in the amount of $0.12 per share. The Company will pay this second quarter 2023 dividend on May 24, 2023, to shareholders of record as of May 10, 2023. Automatic Data Processing (ADP) has declared a regular quarterly dividend of $1.25 per share payable July 1, 2023 to shareholders of record on June 9, 2023. Dow (DOW) declared a quarterly dividend of 70 cents per share, payable June 9, 2023, to shareholders of record on May 31, 2023. Fastenal Company (FAST) declared a dividend of $0.35 per share to be paid in cash on May 25, 2023 to shareholders of record at the close of business on April 27, 2023. Lennar Corporation has declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.375 per share for both Class A and Class B common stock payable on May 10, 2023 to holders of record at the close of business on April 26, 2023. VIDEO: Daily Dividend Report: ST, ADP, DOW, FAST, LEN The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""These 2 Industrial Stocks Just Set the Stage for Earnings Season The stock market looked poised for a modest move higher on Thursday morning. Most investors seemed to draw minimal conclusions from inflation data released the previous day, and many still expect the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates when it meets early next month. Futures on major stock indexes were up as much as a third of a percent just before the market opened. Earnings season is about to begin in earnest, with major banks kicking things off on Friday. However, investors always like to get a head start, and so many investors looked closely at a pair of industrial stocks that reported their latest financial results Thursday morning. Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) and Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST) shareholders didn't have the same reaction to the news from their respective companies, but both businesses showed signs of holding up better than some market participants had feared. Image source: Delta Air Lines. Delta aims to fly higher Shares of Delta Air Lines were up 2.5% in premarket trading Thursday morning. The airline giant reported first-quarter financial results that didn't show a lot of strength, but its outlook for the key summer travel months appeared to be more upbeat. Delta's numbers showed a strong rebound from weakness during the early part of the COVID-19 pandemic. Operating revenue for the first quarter came in at $11.8 billion, up 45% year over year and 14% higher than during the same quarter in 2019 before the pandemic began. Notably, Delta pointed out that business travel demand fully recovered compared to pre-pandemic levels, with small and midsize businesses leading the way for the airline. Larger corporate sales remained below 2019's figures, but the vast majority of companies it surveyed expect to maintain or boost their travel activity in the near future. Delta also managed to turn things around on the bottom line, posting adjusted net income of $163 million and reversing a sizable year-earlier loss. However, the resulting adjusted earnings of $0.25 per share weren't quite as high as many shareholders had hoped, and the fact that Delta reported a sizable loss using generally accepted accounting principles raised concerns among some of those following the stock. Nevertheless, the stock's move higher stemmed from the company's expectation for a record performance in the second quarter. The airline expects revenue to rise 15% to 17% year over year in the period, with adjusted earnings of $2 to $2.25 per share. Delta also sees full-year results remaining strong, with sales growth in the 15% to 20% range and earnings of between $5 and $6 per share. That was enough to stoke enthusiasm among shareholders even amid some near-term worries about costs. Fastenal falls despite solid results Moving the other direction, shares of Fastenal dropped 3% in the premarket session. Yet even with the decline, first-quarter financial results from the distributor of industrial and construction supplies showed solid gains from year-ago levels. Fastenal's sales were up 9% year over year to $1.86 billion, with the company pointing to strong underlying demand in commodities and capital goods markets that overcame some weakness in the construction industry. Cost-cutting measures aimed at reducing operating and administrative expenses were sufficient to offset higher costs of sales, leading to a modest rise in profit margin figures. Net income of $295 million was 10% higher than in the previous year's first quarter, and earnings came in at $0.52 per share. A look at Fastenal's segments shows differences inside its business even more clearly. Daily sales rates improved markedly in the manufacturing segment, building on strength from 2022's first quarter. However, Fastenal's non-residential construction business showed outright declines, as did the catch-all category that includes the industrial distribution specialist's work with public sector customers and the transportation and warehousing sector. Fastenal has a reputation for being a reliable company that produces ample cash flow and rewards shareholders with solid dividends. Despite nervousness about the impact a potential recession could have on the business in the short run, Fastenal remains an attractive choice for investors looking for stability in tough times. 10 stocks we like better than Delta Air Lines When our analyst team has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.* They just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Delta Air Lines wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of April 10, 2023 Dan Caplinger has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Delta Air Lines. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Guru Fundamental Report for FAST - Warren Buffett Below is Validea's guru fundamental report for FASTENAL CO (FAST). Of the 22 guru strategies we follow, FAST rates highest using our Patient Investor model based on the published strategy of Warren Buffett. This strategy seeks out firms with long-term, predictable profitability and low debt that trade at reasonable valuations. FASTENAL CO (FAST) is a large-cap growth stock in the Misc. Fabricated Products industry. The rating using this strategy is 86% based on the firm\u2019s underlying fundamentals and the stock\u2019s valuation. A score of 80% or above typically indicates that the strategy has some interest in the stock and a score above 90% typically indicates strong interest. The following table summarizes whether the stock meets each of this strategy's tests. Not all criteria in the below table receive equal weighting or are independent, but the table provides a brief overview of the strong and weak points of the security in the context of the strategy's criteria. EARNINGS PREDICTABILITY: PASS DEBT SERVICE: PASS RETURN ON EQUITY: PASS RETURN ON TOTAL CAPITAL: PASS FREE CASH FLOW: PASS USE OF RETAINED EARNINGS: PASS SHARE REPURCHASE: PASS INITIAL RATE OF RETURN: PASS EXPECTED RETURN: FAIL Detailed Analysis of FASTENAL CO FAST Guru Analysis FAST Fundamental Analysis More Information on Warren Buffett Warren Buffett Portfolio Top Warren Buffett Stocks About Warren Buffett: Warren Buffett is considered by many to be the greatest investor of all time. As the chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, Buffett has consistently outperformed the S&P 500 for decades, and in the process has become one of the world's richest men. (Forbes puts his net worth at $37 billion.) Despite his fortune, Buffett is known for living a modest lifestyle, by billionaire standards. His primary residence remains the gray stucco Nebraska home he purchased for $31,500 nearly 50 years ago, according to Forbes, and his folksy Midwestern manner and penchant for simple pleasures -- a cherry Coke, a good burger, and a good book are all near the top of the list -- have been well-documented. Additional Research Links Factor-Based Stock Portfolios Factor-Based ETF Portfolios Harry Browne Permanent Portfolio Ray Dalio All Weather Portfolio About Validea: Validea is aninvestment researchservice that follows the published strategies of investment legends. Validea offers both stock analysis and model portfolios based on gurus who have outperformed the market over the long-term, including Warren Buffett, Benjamin Graham, Peter Lynch and Martin Zweig. For more information about Validea, click here The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Zacks Industry Outlook Highlights Lowe's Companies, Fastenal, Builders FirstSource, Beacon Roofing Supply and Tecnoglass For Immediate Release Chicago, IL \u2013 April 13, 2023 \u2013 Today, Zacks Equity Research discusses Lowe's Companies Inc. LOW, Fastenal Co. FAST, Builders FirstSource, Inc. BLDR, Beacon Roofing Supply BECN and Tecnoglass TGLS. Industry: Building Products - Retail Link: https://www.zacks.com/commentary/2077409/watch-these-5-retail-building-products-stocks-in-a-prospering-industry The Zacks Building Products \u2013 Retail industry is poised to gain from the continued strong consumer demand trends for home renovation and maintenance activities amid rising interest rates and home prices. The industry players are expected to gain from accretive acquisitions and digital initiatives. Further, the companies are likely to benefit from the successful execution of technology initiatives to bolster e-commerce growth. However, severe constraints related to supply chains and labor availability, along with product and transportation cost inflation, are worrisome. Continued innovation and e-commerce expansion, and strong demand are likely to benefit industry participants like Lowe's Companies Inc., Fastenal Co., Builders FirstSource, Inc., Beacon Roofing Supply and Tecnoglass. About the Industry The Zacks Building Products \u2013 Retail industry mainly comprises U.S. home improvement retailers, manufacturers of industrial and construction materials, and distributors of wallboard and ceiling systems. Some industry participants offer products and services for home decoration, repair and remodeling, and in-home delivery and installation services. A few industry players provide construction products, ranging from cement or concrete foundation materials to roofing boards and shingles. The companies also sell lumber, insulation materials, drywall, plumbing fixtures, hard-surface flooring, and lawn and garden decor products. Some players deal in threaded fastener products, and manufactured and natural stone tiles. In addition to general consumers, the industry players cater to professional builders, sub-contractors, remodelers and retailers. 3 Trends Shaping the Future of Building Products - Retail Industry Digitization in Focus: Retail Building Products industry participants have been witnessing a surge in online business transactions, owing to consumers' growing digital dependency. Companies have, therefore, been strengthening their digital presence by expanding the availability of online assortments and bolstering omni-channel capabilities. Such prudent measures have been aiding the companies to meet the accelerated demand. Companies are also ramping up their delivery operations in order to provide safe and swift services. The digital transaction boom should continue to drive the top lines of the key industry players. Adherence to Home Refurbishing Activities: With rising inflation, interest rates, and increased construction costs and home prices, consumers are inclined toward renovating their homes instead of buying one. With the increasing work-from-home trend, consumers continue to invest in making homes enjoyable and comfortable. Industry experts opine that consumers' discretionary spending on homes will continue, as interests in keeping houses well-maintained are here to stay. Revamping interiors to facilitate work-from-home and entertainment needs continues to be a major trend. Do-it-yourself (DIY) projects for decorating and maintaining furniture and fixtures are being widely undertaken. Additionally, consumers are open to hiring professional help to complete their home renovations, resulting in rising demand for Pro projects. This is likely to aid companies in the home improvement space, with a focus on building Pro offerings. Rising Costs: Inflationary pressures, tight supply chains and labor shortages have been concerning for players in the home improvement industry. Such increased costs are likely to put pressure on margins. Some companies have provided conservative views for 2023 based on assumptions about lower consumer spending trends, normalized transactions and continued investments to capture market share. Many economists have projected flat real economic growth and consumer spending for 2023. The industry is expected to witness gradual normalization in transactions as consumer spending has shifted from goods to services. The continued shift is likely to result in a low-single-digit decline in the home improvement market. Zacks Industry Rank Indicates Solid Prospects The Building Products \u2013 Retail industry is housed within the broader Zacks Retail-Wholesale sector. The industry currently carries a Zacks Industry Rank #23, which places it in the top 9% of more than 250 Zacks industries. The group's Zacks Industry Rank, which is basically the average of the Zacks Rank of all the member stocks, indicates bright near-term prospects. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperforms the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1. The industry's position in the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries is a result of a positive earnings outlook for the constituent companies in aggregate. Looking at the aggregate earnings estimate revisions, it appears that analysts are gradually gaining confidence in this group's earnings growth potential. Given the industry's encouraging prospects, we present a few stocks that you may want to consider buying for your portfolio. But before that, it is worth taking a look at the industry's stock-market performance and current valuation. Industry Vs. Broader Market The Zacks Building Products \u2013 Retail industry has outperformed the broader Zacks Retail-Wholesale sector and the Zacks S&P 500 over the past year. The industry has dipped 3.6% in the past year, whereas the broader sector declined 15.5%. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 has registered an 8.2% fall in the same period. Industry's Current Valuation On the basis of the forward 12-month price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio, which is the commonly used multiple for valuing Retail-Wholesale stocks, the industry is currently trading at 16.33X compared with the S&P 500's 18.48X. Further, the sector's forward-12-month P/E stands at 22.22X. Over the last five years, the industry traded as high as 23.43X and as low as 14.25X, with the median at 19.04X. 5 Building Products Stocks to Watch Tecnoglass: The Colombia-based company is a leading manufacturer of architectural glass, windows, and associated aluminum products serving the global residential and commercial end markets. Tecnoglass has been gaining from its ability to capitalize on strong residential demand, investments in automation and capacity enhancements, and focus on execution. The company has been delivering strong results for its single-family residential business, which has a shorter cash cycle. Tecnoglass is poised to benefit from its business momentum, particularly strong single-family residential revenues. The Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) company has been committed to leveraging its vertically integrated structure and innovative product development to boost shareholder value. The stock has rallied 75.8% in a year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for TGLS' current fiscal-year sales and earnings indicates growth of 13.4% and 15.4%, respectively, from the year-ago quarter. The consensus estimate for the current fiscal-year earnings has been unchanged in the past 30 days. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Fastenal: The Winona, MN-based wholesale distributor of industrial and construction products has been benefiting from strong demand for manufacturing and construction equipment, as well as supplies. The company's focus on virtual platforms to boost customer engagement is boosting sales and driving growth. Cost-control strategies like automating warehouses, increasing delivery efficiency through its trucking network, and selling more private-level products with higher margins are aiding FAST to improve efficiency, thereby increasing returns. Industrial vending is one of the primary growth drivers for Fastenal and has the potential to significantly increase sales and profits. The Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) company is striving to boost its onsite location portfolio, in which a mini-Fastenal shop is located in a customer's facility. The FAST stock has declined 10.7% in a year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the company's current fiscal-year sales and earnings indicates growth of 5.3% and 3.2% year over year, respectively. The consensus estimate for current fiscal-year earnings has moved up by a penny in the past seven days. Lowe's: The Mooresville, NC-based leading home improvements retailer has been gaining from strong growth in its Pro business. The company has been enhancing the experience of its pro customers by upgrading pro-focused brands and revamping the pro-service business's website. The company has also been well-positioned to capitalize on the demand for the home improvement market, backed by investments in the technology and merchandise category. Gains from the Total Home strategy and the execution of the Perpetual Productivity Improvement initiative are likely to drive the company's results in the near and long terms. The Total Home strategy has been resonating well with Pro and DIY customers for a while. Lowe's has been progressing well with advancements in the digital channel. The company is investing in enhancing omni-channel retailing capabilities. Management is also committed to enhancing the Pro offerings, expanding the company's market share and driving the operating margin. Shares of the Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company have declined 2.1% in a year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current fiscal year's sales and earnings indicates declines of 8.5% and 0.4%, respectively, from the year-ago quarter. The consensus estimate for current fiscal-year earnings has moved up by a penny in the past 30 days. Builders FirstSource: The Dallas, TX-based company manufactures and supplies building materials. The company has been benefiting from its focus on cost synergies, strategic acquisition, and robust demand from solid housing and repair and remodeling activities. Robust demand for single-family housing, R&R and other activities have been tailwinds for the company's products and services. Builders FirstSource continues to focus on investing in innovations and enhancing digital solutions for its customers. Acquisitions are important for Builders FirstSource's growth strategy to supplement its organic growth and expand extensively across vast geographic boundaries. The Zacks Rank #3 company has been active on the acquisition front, which is supporting the top line. It is also focusing on cost-management practices. The BLDR stock has risen 48.7% in a year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the company's current fiscal-year sales and earnings indicates declines of 29.8% and 62.6%, respectively, from the prior-year period's reported figures. The consensus estimate for the current fiscal-year earnings has moved down 2.1% in the past 30 days. Beacon: The company is the largest publicly-traded distributor of residential and non-residential roofing materials, along with complementary building products, in the United States and Canada. The company has been benefiting from strategic initiatives and the successful execution of its technology initiative in the growing e-commerce platform. It is on track with its Ambition 2025 targets, which emphasize operational excellence, above-market growth trajectory and accelerated stockholder value creation. Beacon has been focusing on business expansion through bolt-on acquisitions, thereby expanding its reach. Beacon is expanding its digital platform in value-added ways. It has been on track with the long-term target of generating $1 billion in annual digital sales. Disciplined pricing in a volatile, supply-constrained marketplace, and effective and timely sourcing have been aiding margins. Cost-saving efforts and productivity initiatives are expected to go a long way in bringing down the Zacks Rank #3 company's operating expenses, thereby driving margins. The BECN stock has dipped 0.3% in a year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for BECN's current fiscal-year sales indicates growth of 2.3% year over year. The consensus estimate for current fiscal-year earnings has been unchanged in the past 30 days. Zacks Names \""Single Best Pick to Double\"" From thousands of stocks, 5 Zacks experts each have chosen their favorite to skyrocket +100% or more in months to come. From those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all. It's a little-known chemical company that's up 65% over last year, yet still dirt cheap. With unrelenting demand, soaring 2022 earnings estimates, and $1.5 billion for repurchasing shares, retail investors could jump in at any time. This company could rival or surpass other recent Zacks' Stocks Set to Double like Boston Beer Company which shot up +143.0% in little more than 9 months and NVIDIA which boomed +175.9% in one year. Free: See Our Top Stock and 4 Runners Up >> Join us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ZacksInvestmentResearch/ Zacks Investment Research is under common control with affiliated entities (including a broker-dealer and an investment adviser), which may engage in transactions involving the foregoing securities for the clients of such affiliates. Media Contact Zacks Investment Research 800-767-3771 ext. 9339 support@zacks.com https://www.zacks.com Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release. Zacks Names \""Single Best Pick to Double\"" From thousands of stocks, 5 Zacks experts each have chosen their favorite to skyrocket +100% or more in months to come. From those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all. It\u2019s a little-known chemical company that\u2019s up 65% over last year, yet still dirt cheap. With unrelenting demand, soaring 2022 earnings estimates, and $1.5 billion for repurchasing shares, retail investors could jump in at any time. This company could rival or surpass other recent Zacks\u2019 Stocks Set to Double like Boston Beer Company which shot up +143.0% in little more than 9 months and NVIDIA which boomed +175.9% in one year. Free: See Our Top Stock and 4 Runners Up >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report Lowe's Companies, Inc. (LOW) : Free Stock Analysis Report Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. (BECN) : Free Stock Analysis Report Builders FirstSource, Inc. (BLDR) : Free Stock Analysis Report Tecnoglass Inc. (TGLS) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Daily Markets: Investors Consider Fresh Inflation Data Today\u2019s Big Picture Asia-Pacific equity markets finished the day mixed. Australia\u2019s ASX All Ordinaries declined 0.24%, China\u2019s Shanghai Composite fell 0.27% and Taiwan\u2019s TAIEX closed 0.80% lower, led by Technology Services. India\u2019s SENSEX ended the day essentially flat, up a mere 0.06% while Hong Kong\u2019s Hang Seng rose 0.17%, Japan\u2019s Nikkei gained 0.26% and South Korea\u2019s KOSPI added 0.43% led by Health Technology names. European markets are mixed in midday trading and futures point to a positive open. Yesterday\u2019s March Consumer Price Index report showed little to no progress in core inflation during the March quarter, bringing an even greater focus on today\u2019s March Producer Price Index (PPI) report. The headline figure is expected to come in at +3.0% YoY for March, a nice step down from February\u2019s 4.6%. This is thought to be largely due to improved energy prices. The core PPI reading for March is also expected to step down to +3.4% YoY from February\u2019s 4.4%, which would be a welcome sight. Similar to what we\u2019ve seen in recent inflation data sets, softer than expected figures will argue for the Fed needing to do less, but a hotter than expected update will likely cement expectations for a 25-basis point rate hike in early May and raise questions over expected rate cuts in 2H 2023. Providing further insight, S&P Global (SPGI) will soon publish its Flash Manufacturing & Services PMIs for April which will contain an even fresher perspective on input cost inflation. In addition to inflation data out this morning, the market will keep no doubt keep a watchful eye on US-China-Taiwan tensions. Sparking those efforts were comments from China\u2019s President Xi Jinping to \""strengthen military training oriented towards actual combat\"" after Beijing conducted military drills intended to intimidate Taiwan. Data Download International Economy Imports to China fell 1.4% YoY to $227.4 billion in March, weaker than the expected 5% drop following the 10.2% slump in January-February combined. However, exports from China surged 14.8% YoY from a year earlier to an eight-month high of $315.59 billion in March, rebounding sharply from a 6.8% drop in the combined January-February combined, and far stronger than the expected 7% fall. Germany's consumer price inflation was confirmed at a seven-month low of 7.4% YoY in March, down from 8.7% in the previous two months but well above the European Central Bank's target of about 2%. Energy inflation eased sharply to 3.5% from 19.1% in February, while food prices increased at a faster 22.3%, compared with a 21.8% gain the month before. Industrial production in the Euro Area rose by 2.0% YoY in February, stronger than the expected gain of 1.5%. Industrial production in the UK fell 0.2% MoM (down 3.1% YoY) in February, marking its second consecutive drop after an upwardly revised 0.5% decrease in January. The February figure also missed market expectations of a 0.2% growth. Domestic Economy As we discussed above, the economic data point the market will be focusing on this morning will be the March Producer Price Index and what it says about the pace of inflation. We also have the usual Thursday data suspects which are the weekly and continuing jobless claims as well as natural gas inventories from the Energy Information Administration. Crude oil prices popped Wednesday after Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm said the U.S. government could begin buying oil to replenish the Strategic Petroleum Reserve later this year \""if it is advantageous to taxpayers.\"" The White House is expected to announce around $300 million for nine bridge projects in both rural and urban areas in eight states and the District of Columbia, funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law's Bridge Investment Program. These bridges reportedly serve over 230,000 vehicles combined per day. To date, the Administration has funded over 4,600 bridge repair and replacement projects across the country. This is all part of the Biden Administration\u2019s Investing in America agenda that has unleashed over $435 billion in private sector manufacturing investments and funded 23,000 infrastructure projects across 4,500 cities and towns. Markets Equities came under some pressure yesterday as Amazon (AMZN) and Tesla (TSLA) combined to contribute to just under 60% of Consumer Discretionary (-1.55%) sector losses, and Communications Services names fell -1.04% on general weakness. The Dow declined 0.11%, the S&P 500 fell 0.41%, the Russell 2000 gave back 0.72% and the Nasdaq Composite closed 0.85% lower. Yesterday saw airline stocks tumble as American Airlines (AAL) and United Airlines (UAL) fell 9.22% and 6.50%, respectively after AAL updated Q1 guidance lower, dragging down the industry. Here\u2019s how the major market indicators stack up year-to-date: Dow Jones Industrial Average: 1.51% S&P 500: 6.58% Nasdaq Composite: 13.98% Russell 2000: 0.71% Bitcoin (BTC-USD): 80.24% Ether (ETH-USD): 60.34% Stocks to Watch Before US equity markets begin trading today, Delta Air Lines (DAL), Fastenal (FAST), and Progressive (PGR) are expected to report their quarterly results. While Sportsman\u2019s Warehouse (SPWH) reported better than expected January quarter results for both revenue and EPS, the outlook for its April quarter came up short relative to consensus expectations. For the current quarter, it sees EPS of $(0.40)-$(0.35) vs. the $0.02 consensus with revenue of $265-$270 million vs. the $319.69 million consensus. Per the company, \u201c\u2026the macroeconomic environment and inflationary pressures are weighing on the consumer and their discretionary spending. Additionally, the unusually wet and cold weather in the western U.S., where a large portion of our stores are located, is creating a later than normal start to the spring shooting, fishing, and camping seasons, negatively impacting our current business.\"" Rent the Runway (RENT) reported a smaller than expected bottom line loss for its January quarter, one that saw revenue rise 17.6% YoY to $75.4 million vs. the $73.5 million consensus. However, the company issued weaker than expected revenue guidance for its April quarter and full year 2023. For the April quarter, it sees revenue of $72-$74 million vs the $76.64 million consensus. In terms of 2023, it forecasts revenue in the range of $320-$330 million, below the $346 million consensus but expects active subscriber growth of more than 25%. In a letter to shareholders, Amazon (AMZN) CEO Andy Jassy wrote Amazon Web Services \u201cfaces short-term headwinds right now as companies are being more cautious in spending given the challenging, current macroeconomic conditions.\u201d Heico (HEI) disclosed a cybersecurity incident impacted certain of its information technology systems. The incident also involved the theft of some internal business documents. The Company became aware on April 7, 2023, that information related to the Company was posted on the dark web. Diagnostics company Oncocyte Corporation (OCX) announced plans to reduce about 20% of its workforce in an attempt to cut costs and extend its cash runway. Shares of SiriusPoint (SPNT) jumped 10% after hedge fund Third Point said the firm is exploring taking the reinsurer private. Luxury goods provider LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVMUY) posted strong Q1 results, with revenues up 17% on a YoY basis. All sectors saw healthy double-digit growth except for Wines & Spirits (3%) with management noting that virtually all growth was the result of organic sales following the lifting of covid restrictions in China throughout the first quarter of 2023. Reports suggest IBM (IBM) is exploring the sale of its weather operation, which could fetch over $1.0 billion. IPOs Near-term the calendar for such activity looks rather thin. Readers looking to dig more into the upcoming IPO calendar should visit Nasdaq\u2019s Latest & Upcoming IPOs page. After Today\u2019s Market Close Edgio (EGIO) and Washington Federal (WAFD) are slated to report their quarterly results after equities stop trading. Those looking for more on which companies are reporting when should head on over to Nasdaq\u2019s Earnings Calendar. On the Horizon Friday, April 14 US: Retail Sales \u2013 March US: Import/Export Prices \u2013 March US: Industrial Production & Capacity Utilization \u2013 March US: The University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment \u2013 April Preliminary Thought for the Day \""Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen.\"" ~ Michael Jordan Disclosures Tesla (TSLA) is a constituent of the Tematica BITA Cleaner Living Sustainability Screened Index LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton (MC-FR, LVMUY) is a constituent of the Tematica BITA Big Spenders & Savers Index The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Co. Profit Climbs In Q1, Beats estimates (RTTNews) - Fastenal Co. (FAST) reported earnings for its first quarter that increased from the same period last year and beat the Street estimates. The company's earnings came in at $295.1 million, or $0.52 per share. This compares with $269.6 million, or $0.47 per share, in last year's first quarter. Analysts on average had expected the company to earn $0.50 per share, according to figures compiled by Thomson Reuters. Analysts' estimates typically exclude special items. The company's revenue for the quarter rose 9.4% to $1.86 billion from $1.70 billion last year. Fastenal Co. earnings at a glance (GAAP) : -Earnings (Q1): $295.1 Mln. vs. $269.6 Mln. last year. -EPS (Q1): $0.52 vs. $0.47 last year. -Analyst Estimate: $0.50 -Revenue (Q1): $1.86 Bln vs. $1.70 Bln last year. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Q1 23 Earnings Conference Call At 9:00 AM ET (RTTNews) - Fastenal Co. (FAST) will host a conference call at 9:00 AM ET on April 13, 2023, to discuss Q1 23 earnings results. To access the live webcast, log on to https://investor.fastenal.com/events-and-presentations/default.aspx The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Nasdaq 100 Movers: FAST, ENPH In early trading on Thursday, shares of Enphase Energy (ENPH) topped the list of the day's best performing components of the Nasdaq 100 index, trading up 3.1%. Year to date, Enphase Energy has lost about 23.7% of its value. And the worst performing Nasdaq 100 component thus far on the day is Fastenal (FAST), trading down 4.1%. Fastenal is showing a gain of 6.6% looking at the year to date performance. Two other components making moves today are Old Dominion Freight Line (ODFL), trading down 3.1%, and Moderna (MRNA), trading up 2.9% on the day. VIDEO: Nasdaq 100 Movers: FAST, ENPH The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Is At A Critical Turning Point Fastenal\u2019s (NASDAQ: FAST) Q1 report is lackluster, but investors should take the report's details to heart. The company made several mentions of the supply chain that included words like stable, stabilizing and stability which we have not heard in quite some time. What this means for the company is easing cost pressures, although there are still headwinds to overcome, and improving margin. The takeaway for investors is that Fastenal\u2019s diversified product mix and multi-channel sales network are sustaining growth, margins are improving, and cash flow is robust. That means the 2.66% dividend is safe, and the distribution is expected to grow. \u201cThe combination of good demand, more stable cost trends, and our long supply chain for imported fasteners and certain non-fastener products produced stable price levels for our products,\u201d said the company in the press release. The only thing that may hold this stock back in 2023 is the valuation. Trading at 26X its earnings, it is a highly-valued stock among S&P 500 (NYSEARCA: SPY) members. The offsetting factors include growth; the company is still growing earnings at a high-single-digit pace, and the yield, which is a full 100 basis points better than the S&P 500 average. Fastenal Pulls Back To Support On Tepid Results Fastenal reported a solid quarter, but the results are mixed regarding the analysts' expectations. The $1.86 billion in revenue is up 9.1% compared to last year, but it missed the consensus by 50 basis points. The gain was driven by a 9.1% increase in average daily sales, supported by an increase in unit volume and 290 to 320 basis points of price increases. Internally, growth was driven by industrial customers and was offset by a decline in construction demand. Fasteners grew by 7% on a segment basement, Safety grew by 5.7%, and Other grew by 12.4%. The margin news is also mixed. The company\u2019s gross profit increased by 7.2% due to a 90 basis point decline in gross margin. The SG&A expense also increased about 5%, but that gain lagged revenue growth and left the margin down 90 bps to more than offset the gross margin weakness. That left operating income up 9.8%, EBIT up 9.6%, and GAAP EPS up 10.4% with share repurchases. The company does not give formal guidance, but the outlook is stable. \u201cThe combination of good demand, more stable cost trends, and our long supply chain for imported fasteners and certain non-fastener products produced stable price levels for our products.\u201d Fastenal added 89 new Onsite locations during the quarter bringing the YOY gain to 16%. That is compounded by a 10.8% increase in FastStock signings and a 10.9% increase in FastStock installations. Daily sales in those units at up 20% and 19.3%, respectively and are expected to continue leading the company\u2019s growth in 2023. The Technical Outlook: Fastenal Is At Critical Support The price action in Fastenal pulled back to the critical $51 level in premarket trading. This level is just below the 150-day moving average and is the mid-point of the current trading range. If the market can not find support at this level, it could drift to the bottom of the range near $45. If it does confirm support at this level, upward bias is expected, but range-bound conditions may persist until there is more clarity in the broad economy. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2023-04-14,52.475,53.9,52.38,53.27,"[""Baird Maintains Fastenal (FAST) Neutral Recommendation Fintel reports that on April 14, 2023, Baird maintained coverage of Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) with a Neutral recommendation. Analyst Price Forecast Suggests 1.40% Upside As of April 6, 2023, the average one-year price target for Fastenal is $53.07. The forecasts range from a low of $46.46 to a high of $64.05. The average price target represents an increase of 1.40% from its latest reported closing price of $52.34. See our leaderboard of companies with the largest price target upside. The projected annual revenue for Fastenal is $7,336MM, an increase of 2.81%. The projected annual non-GAAP EPS is $1.97. Fastenal Declares $0.35 Dividend On April 12, 2023 the company declared a regular quarterly dividend of $0.35 per share ($1.40 annualized). Shareholders of record as of April 27, 2023 will receive the payment on May 25, 2023. Previously, the company paid $0.35 per share. At the current share price of $52.34 / share, the stock's dividend yield is 2.67%. Looking back five years and taking a sample every week, the average dividend yield has been 2.48%, the lowest has been 1.75%, and the highest has been 3.55%. The standard deviation of yields is 0.35 (n=237). The current dividend yield is 0.55 standard deviations above the historical average. Additionally, the company's dividend payout ratio is 0.72. The payout ratio tells us how much of a company's income is paid out in dividends. A payout ratio of one (1.0) means 100% of the company's income is paid in a dividend. A payout ratio greater than one means the company is dipping into savings in order to maintain its dividend - not a healthy situation. Companies with few growth prospects are expected to pay out most of their income in dividends, which typically means a payout ratio between 0.5 and 1.0. Companies with good growth prospects are expected to retain some earnings in order to invest in those growth prospects, which translates to a payout ratio of zero to 0.5. The company's 3-Year dividend growth rate is 0.40%, demonstrating that it has increased its dividend over time. What are Other Shareholders Doing? Two Roads Shared Trust - LeaderShares(R) Equity Skew ETF holds 1K shares representing 0.00% ownership of the company. In it's prior filing, the firm reported owning 0K shares, representing an increase of 62.89%. The firm increased its portfolio allocation in FAST by 157.64% over the last quarter. ULTRA SERIES FUND - Large Cap Value Fund Class I holds 80K shares representing 0.01% ownership of the company. In it's prior filing, the firm reported owning 82K shares, representing a decrease of 2.50%. The firm decreased its portfolio allocation in FAST by 9.87% over the last quarter. Wedbush Securities holds 7K shares representing 0.00% ownership of the company. In it's prior filing, the firm reported owning 8K shares, representing a decrease of 5.56%. The firm decreased its portfolio allocation in FAST by 99.90% over the last quarter. JNL SERIES TRUST - JNL holds 8K shares representing 0.00% ownership of the company. In it's prior filing, the firm reported owning 8K shares, representing a decrease of 4.30%. The firm decreased its portfolio allocation in FAST by 5.35% over the last quarter. Profunds - Profund Vp Nasdaq-100 holds 3K shares representing 0.00% ownership of the company. In it's prior filing, the firm reported owning 3K shares, representing a decrease of 8.67%. The firm increased its portfolio allocation in FAST by 17.84% over the last quarter. What is the Fund Sentiment? There are 1759 funds or institutions reporting positions in Fastenal. This is an increase of 28 owner(s) or 1.62% in the last quarter. Average portfolio weight of all funds dedicated to FAST is 0.25%, a decrease of 16.66%. Total shares owned by institutions increased in the last three months by 1.74% to 501,346K shares. The put/call ratio of FAST is 1.02, indicating a bearish outlook. Fastenal Background Information (This description is provided by the company.) Fastenal helps customers simplify and realize product and process savings across their supply chain. It sells a broad oCering of products spanning more than nine major product lines - from fasteners and tools to safety and janitorial supplies. These products are eciently distributed to manufacturing facilities, job sites, and other customer locations through local service teams and point-of-use inventory solutions, including industrial vending technology and bin stock programs (Fastenal Managed Inventory or FMI\u00ae). Its distribution system centers on over 3,200 in-market locations (a combination of public branches and customer-speci c Onsite locations), primarily in North America but also in Asia, Europe, and Central and South America, each providing tailored inventory, exible service, and custom solutions to drive the unique goals of local customers. These in-market servicing locations are supported by Vfteen regional distribution centers, a captive logistics Deet, robust sourcing, quality and manufacturing resources, and multiple teams of industry specialists and support personnel - all working toward Fastenal's common goal of Growth Through Customer Service\u00ae. See all Fastenal regulatory filings. This story originally appeared on Fintel. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Nasdaq 100 Movers: LCID, FAST In early trading on Friday, shares of Fastenal topped the list of the day's best performing components of the Nasdaq 100 index, trading up 2.7%. Year to date, Fastenal registers a 13.5% gain. And the worst performing Nasdaq 100 component thus far on the day is Lucid Group, trading down 9.1%. Lucid Group is showing a gain of 9.8% looking at the year to date performance. Two other components making moves today are Rivian Automotive, trading down 5.0%, and Diamondback Energy, trading up 1.8% on the day. VIDEO: Nasdaq 100 Movers: LCID, FAST The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2023-04-17,53.61,54.1,52.935,53.54,"Fastenal Company (FAST) Is a Trending Stock: Facts to Know Before Betting on It Fastenal (FAST) is one of the stocks most watched by Zacks.com visitors lately. So, it might be a good idea to review some of the factors that might affect the near-term performance of the stock. Shares of this maker of industrial and construction fasteners have returned +2.2% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +5.7% change. The Zacks Building Products - Retail industry, to which Fastenal belongs, has gained 1.4% over this period. Now the key question is: Where could the stock be headed in the near term? While media releases or rumors about a substantial change in a company's business prospects usually make its stock 'trending' and lead to an immediate price change, there are always some fundamental facts that eventually dominate the buy-and-hold decision-making. Revisions to Earnings Estimates Here at Zacks, we prioritize appraising the change in the projection of a company's future earnings over anything else. That's because we believe the present value of its future stream of earnings is what determines the fair value for its stock. We essentially look at how sell-side analysts covering the stock are revising their earnings estimates to reflect the impact of the latest business trends. And if earnings estimates go up for a company, the fair value for its stock goes up. A higher fair value than the current market price drives investors' interest in buying the stock, leading to its price moving higher. This is why empirical research shows a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and near-term stock price movements. Fastenal is expected to post earnings of $0.52 per share for the current quarter, representing a year-over-year change of +4%. Over the last 30 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate has changed +0.2%. The consensus earnings estimate of $1.96 for the current fiscal year indicates a year-over-year change of +3.7%. This estimate has changed +1.1% over the last 30 days. For the next fiscal year, the consensus earnings estimate of $2.07 indicates a change of +5.6% from what Fastenal is expected to report a year ago. Over the past month, the estimate has changed +1%. Having a strong externally audited track record, our proprietary stock rating tool, the Zacks Rank, offers a more conclusive picture of a stock's price direction in the near term, since it effectively harnesses the power of earnings estimate revisions. Due to the size of the recent change in the consensus estimate, along with three other factors related to earnings estimates, Fastenal is rated Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). The chart below shows the evolution of the company's forward 12-month consensus EPS estimate: 12 Month EPS Projected Revenue Growth Even though a company's earnings growth is arguably the best indicator of its financial health, nothing much happens if it cannot raise its revenues. It's almost impossible for a company to grow its earnings without growing its revenue for long periods. Therefore, knowing a company's potential revenue growth is crucial. In the case of Fastenal, the consensus sales estimate of $1.9 billion for the current quarter points to a year-over-year change of +6.7%. The $7.37 billion and $7.79 billion estimates for the current and next fiscal years indicate changes of +5.6% and +5.6%, respectively. Last Reported Results and Surprise History Fastenal reported revenues of $1.86 billion in the last reported quarter, representing a year-over-year change of +9.1%. EPS of $0.52 for the same period compares with $0.47 a year ago. Compared to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.84 billion, the reported revenues represent a surprise of +0.92%. The EPS surprise was +6.12%. Over the last four quarters, Fastenal surpassed consensus EPS estimates three times. The company topped consensus revenue estimates three times over this period. Valuation No investment decision can be efficient without considering a stock's valuation. Whether a stock's current price rightly reflects the intrinsic value of the underlying business and the company's growth prospects is an essential determinant of its future price performance. While comparing the current values of a company's valuation multiples, such as price-to-earnings (P/E), price-to-sales (P/S) and price-to-cash flow (P/CF), with its own historical values helps determine whether its stock is fairly valued, overvalued, or undervalued, comparing the company relative to its peers on these parameters gives a good sense of the reasonability of the stock's price. As part of the Zacks Style Scores system, the Zacks Value Style Score (which evaluates both traditional and unconventional valuation metrics) organizes stocks into five groups ranging from A to F (A is better than B; B is better than C; and so on), making it helpful in identifying whether a stock is overvalued, rightly valued, or temporarily undervalued. Fastenal is graded C on this front, indicating that it is trading at par with its peers. Click here to see the values of some of the valuation metrics that have driven this grade. Conclusion The facts discussed here and much other information on Zacks.com might help determine whether or not it's worthwhile paying attention to the market buzz about Fastenal. However, its Zacks Rank #2 does suggest that it may outperform the broader market in the near term. Free Report Reveals How You Could Profit from the Growing Electric Vehicle Industry Globally, electric car sales continue their remarkable growth even after breaking records in 2021. High gas prices have fueled his demand, but so has evolving EV comfort, features and technology. So, the fervor for EVs will be around long after gas prices normalize. Not only are manufacturers seeing record-high profits, but producers of EV-related technology are raking in the dough as well. Do you know how to cash in? If not, we have the perfect report for you – and it’s FREE! Today, don't miss your chance to download Zacks' top 5 stocks for the electric vehicle revolution at no cost and with no obligation. >>Send me my free report on the top 5 EV stocks Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-04-18,53.91,54.02,53.16,53.85,
FAST,2023-04-19,53.9,54.02,53.37,54.01,
FAST,2023-04-20,53.76,54.69,53.715,54.6,
FAST,2023-04-21,54.6,54.92,54.42,54.81,
FAST,2023-04-24,54.95,55.13,54.44,54.92,"[""Cash Dividend On The Way From Fastenal (FAST) Looking at the universe of stocks we cover at Dividend Channel, on 4/26/23, Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) will trade ex-dividend, for its quarterly dividend of $0.35, payable on 5/25/23. As a percentage of FAST's recent stock price of $55.07, this dividend works out to approximately 0.64%, so look for shares of Fastenal Co. to trade 0.64% lower \u2014 all else being equal \u2014 when FAST shares open for trading on 4/26/23. In general, dividends are not always predictable; but looking at the history above can help in judging whether the most recent dividend from FAST is likely to continue, and whether the current estimated yield of 2.54% on annualized basis is a reasonable expectation of annual yield going forward. The chart below shows the one year performance of FAST shares, versus its 200 day moving average: Looking at the chart above, FAST's low point in its 52 week range is $43.73 per share, with $57.695 as the 52 week high point \u2014 that compares with a last trade of $54.99. In Monday trading, Fastenal Co. shares are currently up about 0.5% on the day. Click here to learn which 25 S.A.F.E. dividend stocks should be on your radar screen \u00bb Also see: \u0095 TRXC Historical Stock Prices \u0095 LMNR Dividend Growth Rate \u0095 Institutional Holders of PCBK The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Beat the Market Like Zacks: NVIDIA, Clorox, Procter & Gamble in Focus The three most widely followed indexes closed the week in the red amid choppy trading. The S&P 500 declined 0.1%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the Nasdaq Composite lost 0.2% and 0.4%, respectively. The week\u2019s trade was heavily influenced by mixed to disappointing first-quarter 2023 earnings and outlook provided by corporate behemoths, which presented a grim picture for the months ahead. Treasury yields were on the rise, and economic data released throughout the week suggested a broad economic slowdown in various sectors. The economy shows signs of the Fed\u2019s policies taking effect, with inflation metrics pointing downward and sectors slowing. Yet, market participants are worried that a recession is inevitable if the Fed remains on its path of accelerated interest rate hikes. Currently, investors are stoic and watchful as they price in a 25 bps hike from the Fed\u2019s May meeting. Regardless of market conditions, we, here at Zacks, provide investors with unbiased guidance on how to beat the market. As usual, Zacks Research guided investors over the past three months with its time-tested methodologies. Given the prevailing market uncertainty, you may want to look at our feats to prepare better for your next action. Here are some of our key achievements: Carrols Restaurant and Graphite Bio Surge Following Zacks Rank Upgrade Shares of Carrols Restaurant Group, Inc. TAST have soared 79.4% since it was upgraded to a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) on February 7. Another stock, Graphite Bio, Inc. GRPH, which was also upgraded to a Zacks Rank #2 on February 6, has returned 34.8% since then. Zacks Rank, our short-term rating system, has earnings estimate revisions at its core. Empirical research shows a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and near-term stock price movements. This stock-rating system, which uses four factors related to earnings estimates to classify stocks into five groups, ranging from Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) to Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell), has an impressive externally audited track record, with Zacks Rank #1 stocks generating an average annual return of +24.8% since 1988.You can see the complete list of today\u2019s Zacks Rank #1 stocks here >>> Check Carrols Restaurant\u2019s historical EPS and Sales here>>> Check Graphite Bio\u2019s historical EPS and Sales here>>> Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Zacks Recommendation Upgrade Drives Telenor and Omnicom Higher Shares of Telenor ASA TELNY and Omnicom Group Inc. OMC have advanced 12% and 3.1% since their Zacks Recommendation was upgraded to Outperform on February 7. While the Zacks Rank is our short-term rating system that is most effective over the one- to three-month holding horizon, the Zacks Recommendation aims to predict performance over the next 6 to 12 months. However, just like the Zacks Rank, the foundation for the Zacks Recommendation is trends in earnings estimate revisions. The Zacks Recommendation classifies stocks into three groups \u2014 Outperform, Neutral and Underperform. While these recommendations are determined quantitatively, our analysts have the flexibility to override them for the 1100+ stocks they closely follow based on their better judgment of factors such as valuation, industry conditions and management effectiveness than the quantitative model. To access our research reports with Zacks Recommendations for the 1100+ stocks we cover, click here>>> Zacks Focus List Stocks NVIDIA, Novo Nordisk High Shares of NVIDIA Corporation NVDA, which belongs to the Zacks Focus List, have risen 37% over the past 12 weeks. The stock was added to the Focus List on May 20, 2019. Another Focus-List holding, Novo Nordisk A/S NVO, which was added to the portfolio on March 7, 2023, has returned 25.5% over the past 12 weeks. The Zacks Focus List is a model portfolio of 50 hand-picked stocks that possess the right fundamental ingredients to outperform the market over the next 12 months. These 50 stocks are picked from a long list of stocks with the highest Zacks Rank. Since its inception on February 1, 1996, the Focus List portfolio has delivered an annualized return of +12.9%. Unlock all of our powerful research, tools and analysis, including the Focus List, Zacks #1 Rank List, Equity Research Reports, Zacks Earnings ESP Filter, Premium Screener and more, as part of Zacks Premium. Gain full access now >> Zacks ECAP Stocks McCormick and Clorox Make Significant Gains McCormick & Company, Incorporated MKC, a component of our Earnings Certain Admiral Portfolio (ECAP), jumped 16.6% over the past 12 weeks. The Clorox Company CLX followed McCormick with 16.5% returns. ECAP is a model portfolio of 30 concentrated, ultra-defensive, long-term Buy and Hold stocks. With little to no turnover and annual rebalance periodicity, the ECAP seeks to minimize capital loss by holding shares of companies whose earnings streams exhibit a proven 20+ year track record of surviving recessionary periods with minimal impact on aggregate earnings growth relative to the overall S&P 500. The ECAP and many other model portfolios are available as part of Zacks Advisor Tools, a cloud-based solution to access Zacks award-winning stock, mutual fund and ETF research. Click here to schedule a demo. Zacks ECDP Stocks Procter & Gamble and Fastenal Outperform Peers The Procter & Gamble Company PG, which is part of our Earnings Certain Dividend Portfolio (ECDP), has returned 10.6% over the past 12 weeks. Another ECDP stock, Fastenal Company FAST, has climbed 10.5% over the same time frame. Of course, the inclination of investors toward quality dividend stocks to secure an income stream amid the heightened market volatility contributed to this performance. Check Procter & Gamble\u2019s dividend history here>>> Check Fastenal\u2019s dividend history here>>> With an extremely low Beta and a history of minimum earnings variability over the last 20+ years, this 25-stock portfolio helps significantly mitigate risk. The ECDP has consistently outperformed the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF NOBL. Click here to access this portfolio on Zacks Advisor Tools. Zacks Names \""Single Best Pick to Double\"" From thousands of stocks, 5 Zacks experts each have chosen their favorite to skyrocket +100% or more in months to come. From those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all. It\u2019s a little-known chemical company that\u2019s up 65% over last year, yet still dirt cheap. With unrelenting demand, soaring 2022 earnings estimates, and $1.5 billion for repurchasing shares, retail investors could jump in at any time. This company could rival or surpass other recent Zacks\u2019 Stocks Set to Double like Boston Beer Company which shot up +143.0% in little more than 9 months and NVIDIA which boomed +175.9% in one year. Free: See Our Top Stock and 4 Runners Up >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Novo Nordisk A/S (NVO) : Free Stock Analysis Report Procter & Gamble Company (The) (PG) : Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report Omnicom Group Inc. (OMC) : Free Stock Analysis Report NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA) : Free Stock Analysis Report The Clorox Company (CLX) : Free Stock Analysis Report McCormick & Company, Incorporated (MKC) : Free Stock Analysis Report Carrols Restaurant Group, Inc. (TAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report ProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF (NOBL): ETF Research Reports Telenor ASA (TELNY) : Free Stock Analysis Report Graphite Bio, Inc. (GRPH) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2023-04-25,54.6,54.75,53.41,53.51,"Validea's Top 5 Industrial Stocks Based On Warren Buffett - 4/25/2023 The following are the top rated Industrial stocks according to Validea's Patient Investor model based on the published strategy of Warren Buffett. This strategy seeks out firms with long-term, predictable profitability and low debt that trade at reasonable valuations. FASTENAL CO (FAST) is a large-cap growth stock in the Misc. Fabricated Products industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Warren Buffett is 86% based on the firm’s underlying fundamentals and the stock’s valuation. A score of 80% or above typically indicates that the strategy has some interest in the stock and a score above 90% typically indicates strong interest. Company Description: Fastenal Company is engaged in the wholesale distribution of industrial and construction supplies. The Company is a distributor of threaded fasteners, bolts, nuts, screws, studs, and related washers, as well as miscellaneous supplies and hardware. Its customers are in the manufacturing and non-residential construction markets. The manufacturing market includes sales of products for both original equipment manufacturing (OEM), where its products are consumed in the final products of its customers, and manufacturing, repair, and operations (MRO), where its products are consumed to support the facilities and ongoing operations of its customers. The non-residential construction market includes general, electrical, plumbing, sheet metal and road contractors. Other users of its products include farmers, truckers, railroads, oil exploration companies, oil production and refinement companies, mining companies, federal, state, and local governmental entities, schools, and certain retail trades. The following table summarizes whether the stock meets each of this strategy's tests. Not all criteria in the below table receive equal weighting or are independent, but the table provides a brief overview of the strong and weak points of the security in the context of the strategy's criteria. EARNINGS PREDICTABILITY: PASS DEBT SERVICE: PASS RETURN ON EQUITY: PASS RETURN ON TOTAL CAPITAL: PASS FREE CASH FLOW: PASS USE OF RETAINED EARNINGS: PASS SHARE REPURCHASE: PASS INITIAL RATE OF RETURN: PASS EXPECTED RETURN: FAIL Detailed Analysis of FASTENAL CO FAST Guru Analysis FAST Fundamental Analysis CINTAS CORPORATION (CTAS) is a large-cap growth stock in the Personal Services industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Warren Buffett is 72% based on the firm’s underlying fundamentals and the stock’s valuation. A score of 80% or above typically indicates that the strategy has some interest in the stock and a score above 90% typically indicates strong interest. Company Description: Cintas Corporation develops uniform programs using fabric. The Company helps businesses of all types and sizes, primarily in the United States, as well as Canada and Latin America. Its segments include Uniform Rental and Facility Services, and First Aid and Safety Services. Uniform Rental and Facility Services segment consists of the rental and servicing of uniforms and other garments, including flame-resistant clothing, mats, mops and shop towels and other ancillary items. In addition to these rental items, restroom cleaning services and supplies and the sale of items from its catalogues to its customers on route are included within this segment. First Aid and Safety Services segment consists of first aid and safety products and services. The remainder of its segments, which consists of the Fire Protection Services segment and the Uniform Direct Sale segment, is included in All Other. It provides its products and services to small service and manufacturing companies to corporations. The following table summarizes whether the stock meets each of this strategy's tests. Not all criteria in the below table receive equal weighting or are independent, but the table provides a brief overview of the strong and weak points of the security in the context of the strategy's criteria. EARNINGS PREDICTABILITY: PASS DEBT SERVICE: PASS RETURN ON EQUITY: PASS RETURN ON TOTAL CAPITAL: FAIL FREE CASH FLOW: PASS USE OF RETAINED EARNINGS: PASS SHARE REPURCHASE: PASS INITIAL RATE OF RETURN: PASS EXPECTED RETURN: FAIL Detailed Analysis of CINTAS CORPORATION CTAS Guru Analysis CTAS Fundamental Analysis OMEGA FLEX, INC. (OFLX) is a small-cap growth stock in the Misc. Fabricated Products industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Warren Buffett is 72% based on the firm’s underlying fundamentals and the stock’s valuation. A score of 80% or above typically indicates that the strategy has some interest in the stock and a score above 90% typically indicates strong interest. Company Description: Omega Flex, Inc. is a manufacturer of flexible metal hoses. The Company's flexible metal hose is used in a variety of applications to carry gases and liquids within their particular applications. These applications include carrying fuel gases within residential and commercial buildings; gasoline and diesel gasoline products (both above and below the ground) in a double containment piping to contain any possible leaks, which is used in automotive and marina refueling, and fueling for backup generation; and medical gases in health care facilities. The Company's flexible gas piping products are sold under TracPipe and CounterStrike trademarks. Its products also include MediTrac corrugated medical gas tubing and DoubleTrac double containment piping. It sells its products through distributors, and wholesalers to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) throughout North America and Europe. The following table summarizes whether the stock meets each of this strategy's tests. Not all criteria in the below table receive equal weighting or are independent, but the table provides a brief overview of the strong and weak points of the security in the context of the strategy's criteria. EARNINGS PREDICTABILITY: PASS DEBT SERVICE: PASS RETURN ON EQUITY: PASS RETURN ON TOTAL CAPITAL: PASS FREE CASH FLOW: PASS USE OF RETAINED EARNINGS: FAIL SHARE REPURCHASE: PASS INITIAL RATE OF RETURN: FAIL EXPECTED RETURN: PASS Detailed Analysis of OMEGA FLEX, INC. OFLX Guru Analysis OFLX Fundamental Analysis CSX CORPORATION (CSX) is a large-cap growth stock in the Railroads industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Warren Buffett is 68% based on the firm’s underlying fundamentals and the stock’s valuation. A score of 80% or above typically indicates that the strategy has some interest in the stock and a score above 90% typically indicates strong interest. Company Description: CSX Corporation is a transportation company. The Company provides rail-based freight transportation services, including traditional rail service and transport of intermodal containers and trailers, as well as other transportation services, such as rail-to-truck transfers and bulk commodity operations. It categorizes its products into primary lines of business such as merchandise, intermodal, coal and trucking. Its intermodal business links customers to railroads through trucks and terminals. Its merchandise business consists of shipments in markets, such as agricultural and food products, automotive, forest products, metals and equipment, and fertilizers. It transports domestic coal, coke and iron ore to electricity-generating power plants, steel manufacturers and industrial plants, as well as export coal to deep-water port facilities. Its principal operating subsidiary, CSX Transportation, Inc., provides an important link to the transportation supply chain through its route-mile rail. The following table summarizes whether the stock meets each of this strategy's tests. Not all criteria in the below table receive equal weighting or are independent, but the table provides a brief overview of the strong and weak points of the security in the context of the strategy's criteria. EARNINGS PREDICTABILITY: PASS DEBT SERVICE: PASS RETURN ON EQUITY: PASS RETURN ON TOTAL CAPITAL: FAIL FREE CASH FLOW: PASS USE OF RETAINED EARNINGS: PASS SHARE REPURCHASE: PASS INITIAL RATE OF RETURN: PASS EXPECTED RETURN: FAIL Detailed Analysis of CSX CORPORATION CSX Guru Analysis CSX Fundamental Analysis HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL INC (HON) is a large-cap growth stock in the Aerospace & Defense industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Warren Buffett is 68% based on the firm’s underlying fundamentals and the stock’s valuation. A score of 80% or above typically indicates that the strategy has some interest in the stock and a score above 90% typically indicates strong interest. Company Description: Honeywell International Inc. is a software-industrial company that provides technology solutions. The Company operates through four segments: Aerospace, Honeywell Building Technologies, Performance Materials and Technologies, and Safety and Productivity Solutions. The Aerospace segment supplies products, software and services for aircrafts that it sells to original equipment manufacturers (OEM) and other customers in various end markets. The Honeywell Building Technologies segment offers products, software, solutions and technologies that enable building owners and occupants to ensure their facilities are safe, energy efficient, sustainable and productive. The Performance Materials and Technologies segment is engaged in developing and manufacturing performance chemicals and materials, process technologies and automation solutions. The Safety and Productivity Solutions segment provides products and software that improve productivity, workplace safety, and asset performance to customers. The following table summarizes whether the stock meets each of this strategy's tests. Not all criteria in the below table receive equal weighting or are independent, but the table provides a brief overview of the strong and weak points of the security in the context of the strategy's criteria. EARNINGS PREDICTABILITY: PASS DEBT SERVICE: PASS RETURN ON EQUITY: PASS RETURN ON TOTAL CAPITAL: PASS FREE CASH FLOW: PASS USE OF RETAINED EARNINGS: FAIL SHARE REPURCHASE: PASS INITIAL RATE OF RETURN: PASS EXPECTED RETURN: FAIL Detailed Analysis of HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL INC HON Guru Analysis HON Fundamental Analysis Warren Buffett Portfolio Top Warren Buffett Stocks About Warren Buffett: Warren Buffett is considered by many to be the greatest investor of all time. As the chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, Buffett has consistently outperformed the S&P 500 for decades, and in the process has become one of the world's richest men. (Forbes puts his net worth at $37 billion.) Despite his fortune, Buffett is known for living a modest lifestyle, by billionaire standards. His primary residence remains the gray stucco Nebraska home he purchased for $31,500 nearly 50 years ago, according to Forbes, and his folksy Midwestern manner and penchant for simple pleasures -- a cherry Coke, a good burger, and a good book are all near the top of the list -- have been well-documented. About Validea: Validea is aninvestment researchservice that follows the published strategies of investment legends. Validea offers both stock analysis and model portfolios based on gurus who have outperformed the market over the long-term, including Warren Buffett, Benjamin Graham, Peter Lynch and Martin Zweig. For more information about Validea, click here The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-04-26,52.78,53.19,52.285,52.45,"Should You Invest in the Global X U.S. Infrastructure Development ETF (PAVE)? Launched on 03/06/2017, the Global X U.S. Infrastructure Development ETF (PAVE) is a passively managed exchange traded fund designed to provide a broad exposure to the Utilities - Infrastructure segment of the equity market. Retail and institutional investors increasingly turn to passively managed ETFs because they offer low costs, transparency, flexibility, and tax efficiency; these kind of funds are also excellent vehicles for long term investors. Additionally, sector ETFs offer convenient ways to gain low risk and diversified exposure to a broad group of companies in particular sectors. Utilities - Infrastructure is one of the 16 broad Zacks sectors within the Zacks Industry classification. It is currently ranked 11, placing it in bottom 31%. Index Details The fund is sponsored by Global X Management. It has amassed assets over $3.90 billion, making it one of the larger ETFs attempting to match the performance of the Utilities - Infrastructure segment of the equity market. PAVE seeks to match the performance of the INDXX U.S. Infrastructure Development Index before fees and expenses. The INDXX U.S. Infrastructure Development Index measure the performance of U.S. listed companies that provide exposure to domestic infrastructure development, including companies involved in construction and engineering; production of infrastructure raw materials, composites and products; industrial transportation; and producers/distributors of heavy construction equipment. Costs Expense ratios are an important factor in the return of an ETF and in the long term, cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive counterparts, other things remaining the same. Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.47%, making it on par with most peer products in the space. It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 0.81%. Sector Exposure and Top Holdings While ETFs offer diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk, a deep look into a fund's holdings is a valuable exercise. And, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis. This ETF has heaviest allocation in the Industrials sector--about 72.20% of the portfolio. Materials and Utilities round out the top three. Looking at individual holdings, Fastenal Co (FAST) accounts for about 3.30% of total assets, followed by Trane Technologies Plc (TT) and Parker Hannifin Corp (PH). The top 10 holdings account for about 30.65% of total assets under management. Performance and Risk Year-to-date, the Global X U.S. Infrastructure Development ETF has added roughly 2.87% so far, and was up about 1.90% over the last 12 months (as of 04/26/2023). PAVE has traded between $22.45 and $30.14 in this past 52-week period. The ETF has a beta of 1.27 and standard deviation of 25.63% for the trailing three-year period. With about 98 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk. Alternatives Global X U.S. Infrastructure Development ETF holds a Zacks ETF Rank of 2 (Buy), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Because of this, PAVE is a great option for investors seeking exposure to the Utilities/Infrastructure ETFs segment of the market. There are other additional ETFs in the space that investors could consider as well. IShares U.S. Infrastructure ETF (IFRA) tracks NYSE FACTSET U.S. INFRASTRUCTURE INDEX and the iShares Global Infrastructure ETF (IGF) tracks S&P Global Infrastructure Index. IShares U.S. Infrastructure ETF has $1.79 billion in assets, iShares Global Infrastructure ETF has $3.92 billion. IFRA has an expense ratio of 0.30% and IGF charges 0.40%. Bottom Line To learn more about this product and other ETFs, screen for products that match your investment objectives and read articles on latest developments in the ETF investing universe, please visit Zacks ETF Center. Want key ETF info delivered straight to your inbox? Zacks’ free Fund Newsletter will brief you on top news and analysis, as well as top-performing ETFs, each week. Get it free >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Global X U.S. Infrastructure Development ETF (PAVE): ETF Research Reports Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report Parker-Hannifin Corporation (PH) : Free Stock Analysis Report iShares Global Infrastructure ETF (IGF): ETF Research Reports Trane Technologies plc (TT) : Free Stock Analysis Report iShares U.S. Infrastructure ETF (IFRA): ETF Research Reports To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-04-27,52.72,54.015,52.66,53.94,
FAST,2023-04-28,54.05,54.32,53.47,53.84,"[""IYM, NUE, DOW, FAST: ETF Inflow Alert Looking today at week-over-week shares outstanding changes among the universe of ETFs covered at ETF Channel, one standout is the iShares U.S. Basic Materials ETF (Symbol: IYM) where we have detected an approximate $77.8 million dollar inflow -- that's a 9.4% increase week over week in outstanding units (from 6,350,000 to 6,950,000). Among the largest underlying components of IYM, in trading today Nucor Corp. (Symbol: NUE) is trading flat, Dow Inc (Symbol: DOW) is up about 1.7%, and Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) is lower by about 0.1%. For a complete list of holdings, visit the IYM Holdings page \u00bb The chart below shows the one year price performance of IYM, versus its 200 day moving average: Looking at the chart above, IYM's low point in its 52 week range is $106.2881 per share, with $147.06 as the 52 week high point \u2014 that compares with a last trade of $130.27. Comparing the most recent share price to the 200 day moving average can also be a useful technical analysis technique -- learn more about the 200 day moving average \u00bb. Free Report: Top 8%+ Dividends (paid monthly) Exchange traded funds (ETFs) trade just like stocks, but instead of ''shares'' investors are actually buying and selling ''units''. These ''units'' can be traded back and forth just like stocks, but can also be created or destroyed to accommodate investor demand. Each week we monitor the week-over-week change in shares outstanding data, to keep a lookout for those ETFs experiencing notable inflows (many new units created) or outflows (many old units destroyed). Creation of new units will mean the underlying holdings of the ETF need to be purchased, while destruction of units involves selling underlying holdings, so large flows can also impact the individual components held within ETFs. Click here to find out which 9 other ETFs had notable inflows \u00bb Also see: \u0095 Stocks with Recent Secondaries That Hedge Funds Are Selling \u0095 ACIA Historical Stock Prices \u0095 AAME market cap history The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Company (FAST) is Attracting Investor Attention: Here is What You Should Know Fastenal (FAST) has recently been on Zacks.com's list of the most searched stocks. Therefore, you might want to consider some of the key factors that could influence the stock's performance in the near future. Shares of this maker of industrial and construction fasteners have returned +2.1% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +4% change. The Zacks Building Products - Retail industry, to which Fastenal belongs, has gained 4.1% over this period. Now the key question is: Where could the stock be headed in the near term? Although media reports or rumors about a significant change in a company's business prospects usually cause its stock to trend and lead to an immediate price change, there are always certain fundamental factors that ultimately drive the buy-and-hold decision. Earnings Estimate Revisions Rather than focusing on anything else, we at Zacks prioritize evaluating the change in a company's earnings projection. This is because we believe the fair value for its stock is determined by the present value of its future stream of earnings. Our analysis is essentially based on how sell-side analysts covering the stock are revising their earnings estimates to take the latest business trends into account. When earnings estimates for a company go up, the fair value for its stock goes up as well. And when a stock's fair value is higher than its current market price, investors tend to buy the stock, resulting in its price moving upward. Because of this, empirical studies indicate a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and short-term stock price movements. Fastenal is expected to post earnings of $0.52 per share for the current quarter, representing a year-over-year change of +4%. Over the last 30 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate has changed +0.5%. For the current fiscal year, the consensus earnings estimate of $1.96 points to a change of +3.7% from the prior year. Over the last 30 days, this estimate has changed +1.1%. For the next fiscal year, the consensus earnings estimate of $2.08 indicates a change of +5.8% from what Fastenal is expected to report a year ago. Over the past month, the estimate has changed +1.5%. With an impressive externally audited track record, our proprietary stock rating tool -- the Zacks Rank -- is a more conclusive indicator of a stock's near-term price performance, as it effectively harnesses the power of earnings estimate revisions. The size of the recent change in the consensus estimate, along with three other factors related to earnings estimates, has resulted in a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) for Fastenal. The chart below shows the evolution of the company's forward 12-month consensus EPS estimate: 12 Month EPS Projected Revenue Growth Even though a company's earnings growth is arguably the best indicator of its financial health, nothing much happens if it cannot raise its revenues. It's almost impossible for a company to grow its earnings without growing its revenue for long periods. Therefore, knowing a company's potential revenue growth is crucial. In the case of Fastenal, the consensus sales estimate of $1.88 billion for the current quarter points to a year-over-year change of +5.6%. The $7.33 billion and $7.75 billion estimates for the current and next fiscal years indicate changes of +5% and +5.7%, respectively. Last Reported Results and Surprise History Fastenal reported revenues of $1.86 billion in the last reported quarter, representing a year-over-year change of +9.1%. EPS of $0.52 for the same period compares with $0.47 a year ago. Compared to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.84 billion, the reported revenues represent a surprise of +0.92%. The EPS surprise was +6.12%. Over the last four quarters, Fastenal surpassed consensus EPS estimates three times. The company topped consensus revenue estimates three times over this period. Valuation Without considering a stock's valuation, no investment decision can be efficient. In predicting a stock's future price performance, it's crucial to determine whether its current price correctly reflects the intrinsic value of the underlying business and the company's growth prospects. Comparing the current value of a company's valuation multiples, such as its price-to-earnings (P/E), price-to-sales (P/S), and price-to-cash flow (P/CF), to its own historical values helps ascertain whether its stock is fairly valued, overvalued, or undervalued, whereas comparing the company relative to its peers on these parameters gives a good sense of how reasonable its stock price is. As part of the Zacks Style Scores system, the Zacks Value Style Score (which evaluates both traditional and unconventional valuation metrics) organizes stocks into five groups ranging from A to F (A is better than B; B is better than C; and so on), making it helpful in identifying whether a stock is overvalued, rightly valued, or temporarily undervalued. Fastenal is graded C on this front, indicating that it is trading at par with its peers. Click here to see the values of some of the valuation metrics that have driven this grade. Conclusion The facts discussed here and much other information on Zacks.com might help determine whether or not it's worthwhile paying attention to the market buzz about Fastenal. However, its Zacks Rank #2 does suggest that it may outperform the broader market in the near term. Zacks Names \""Single Best Pick to Double\"" From thousands of stocks, 5 Zacks experts each have chosen their favorite to skyrocket +100% or more in months to come. From those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all. It\u2019s a little-known chemical company that\u2019s up 65% over last year, yet still dirt cheap. With unrelenting demand, soaring 2022 earnings estimates, and $1.5 billion for repurchasing shares, retail investors could jump in at any time. This company could rival or surpass other recent Zacks\u2019 Stocks Set to Double like Boston Beer Company which shot up +143.0% in little more than 9 months and NVIDIA which boomed +175.9% in one year. Free: See Our Top Stock and 4 Runners Up >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2023-05-01,54.15,54.815,54.09,54.58,
FAST,2023-05-02,54.5,54.595,53.72,54.35,"Is AutoNation (AN) Outperforming Other Retail-Wholesale Stocks This Year? The Retail-Wholesale group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. AutoNation (AN) is a stock that can certainly grab the attention of many investors, but do its recent returns compare favorably to the sector as a whole? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out. AutoNation is a member of the Retail-Wholesale sector. This group includes 220 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #9. The Zacks Sector Rank considers 16 different sector groups. The average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups is measured, and the sectors are listed from best to worst. The Zacks Rank is a proven system that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions, highlighting a variety of stocks that are displaying the right characteristics to beat the market over the next one to three months. AutoNation is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy). Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for AN's full-year earnings has moved 8.1% higher. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend. Based on the latest available data, AN has gained about 27.7% so far this year. Meanwhile, stocks in the Retail-Wholesale group have gained about 6.6% on average. This means that AutoNation is outperforming the sector as a whole this year. Fastenal (FAST) is another Retail-Wholesale stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year. Since the beginning of the year, the stock has returned 15.3%. Over the past three months, Fastenal's consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 2.2%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Looking more specifically, AutoNation belongs to the Automotive - Retail and Whole Sales industry, which includes 9 individual stocks and currently sits at #177 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have gained 14.4% this year, meaning that AN is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns. In contrast, Fastenal falls under the Building Products - Retail industry. Currently, this industry has 8 stocks and is ranked #41. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved +1%. Investors interested in the Retail-Wholesale sector may want to keep a close eye on AutoNation and Fastenal as they attempt to continue their solid performance. Zacks Names ""Single Best Pick to Double"" From thousands of stocks, 5 Zacks experts each have chosen their favorite to skyrocket +100% or more in months to come. From those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all. It’s a little-known chemical company that’s up 65% over last year, yet still dirt cheap. With unrelenting demand, soaring 2022 earnings estimates, and $1.5 billion for repurchasing shares, retail investors could jump in at any time. This company could rival or surpass other recent Zacks’ Stocks Set to Double like Boston Beer Company which shot up +143.0% in little more than 9 months and NVIDIA which boomed +175.9% in one year. Free: See Our Top Stock and 4 Runners Up >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report AutoNation, Inc. (AN) : Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-05-03,54.67,55.235,54.0,54.08,
FAST,2023-05-04,53.97,54.18,52.85,54.02,"Here's Why Fastenal (FAST) is a Strong Growth Stock Taking full advantage of the stock market and investing with confidence are common goals for new and old investors, and Zacks Premium offers many different ways to do both. The popular research service can help you become a smarter, more self-assured investor, giving you access to daily updates of the Zacks Rank and Zacks Industry Rank, the Zacks #1 Rank List, Equity Research reports, and Premium stock screens. It also includes access to the Zacks Style Scores. What are the Zacks Style Scores? The Zacks Style Scores, developed alongside the Zacks Rank, are complementary indicators that rate stocks based on three widely-followed investing methodologies; they also help investors pick stocks with the best chances of beating the market over the next 30 days. Each stock is assigned a rating of A, B, C, D, or F based on their value, growth, and momentum characteristics. Just like in school, an A is better than a B, a B is better than a C, and so on -- that means the better the score, the better chance the stock will outperform. The Style Scores are broken down into four categories: Value Score For value investors, it's all about finding good stocks at good prices, and discovering which companies are trading under their true value before the broader market catches on. The Value Style Score utilizes ratios like P/E, PEG, Price/Sales, Price/Cash Flow, and a host of other multiples to help pick out the most attractive and discounted stocks. Growth Score Growth investors are more concerned with a stock's future prospects, and the overall financial health and strength of a company. Thus, the Growth Style Score analyzes characteristics like projected and historic earnings, sales, and cash flow to find stocks that will see sustainable growth over time. Momentum Score Momentum investors, who live by the saying ""the trend is your friend,"" are most interested in taking advantage of upward or downward trends in a stock's price or earnings outlook. Utilizing one-week price change and the monthly percentage change in earnings estimates, among other factors, the Momentum Style Score can help determine favorable times to buy high-momentum stocks. VGM Score If you want a combination of all three Style Scores, then the VGM Score will be your friend. It rates each stock on their combined weighted styles, helping you find the companies with the most attractive value, best growth forecast, and most promising momentum. It's also one of the best indicators to use with the Zacks Rank. How Style Scores Work with the Zacks Rank The Zacks Rank, which is a proprietary stock-rating model, employs earnings estimate revisions, or changes to a company's earnings expectations, to make building a winning portfolio easier. It's highly successful, with #1 (Strong Buy) stocks producing an unmatched +25.41% average annual return since 1988. That's more than double the S&P 500. But because of the large number of stocks we rate, there are over 200 companies with a Strong Buy rank, plus another 600 with a #2 (Buy) rank, on any given day. This totals more than 800 top-rated stocks, and it can be overwhelming to try and pick the best stocks for you and your portfolio. That's where the Style Scores come in. To maximize your returns, you want to buy stocks with the highest probability of success. This means picking stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 or #2 that also have Style Scores of A or B. If you find yourself looking at stocks with a #3 (Hold) rank, make sure they have Scores of A or B as well to ensure as much upside potential as possible. The direction of a stock's earnings estimate revisions should always be a key factor when choosing which stocks to buy, since the Scores were created to work together with the Zacks Rank. For instance, a stock with a #4 (Sell) or #5 (Strong Sell) rating, even one that boasts Scores of A and B, still has a downward-trending earnings forecast, and a much greater likelihood its share price will decline as well. Thus, the more stocks you own with a #1 or #2 Rank and Scores of A or B, the better. Stock to Watch: Fastenal (FAST) Based in Winona, MN, Fastenal Company is a national wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies. The company distributes its products through more than 3,200 company-owned stores mostly located in North America. FAST is a #2 (Buy) on the Zacks Rank, with a VGM Score of B. Additionally, the company could be a top pick for growth investors. FAST has a Growth Style Score of A, forecasting year-over-year earnings growth of 4.8% for the current fiscal year. For fiscal 2023, eight analysts revised their earnings estimate upwards in the last 60 days, and the Zacks Consensus Estimate has increased $0.04 to $1.98 per share. FAST boasts an average earnings surprise of 3.2%. With a solid Zacks Rank and top-tier Growth and VGM Style Scores, FAST should be on investors' short list. Top 5 ChatGPT Stocks Revealed Zacks Senior Stock Strategist, Kevin Cook names 5 hand-picked stocks with sky-high growth potential in a brilliant sector of Artificial Intelligence. By 2030, the AI industry is predicted to have an internet and iPhone-scale economic impact of $15.7 Trillion. Today you can invest in the wave of the future, an automation that answers follow-up questions … admits mistakes … challenges incorrect premises … rejects inappropriate requests. As one of the selected companies puts it, “Automation frees people from the mundane so they can accomplish the miraculous.” Download Free ChatGPT Stock Report Right Now >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-05-05,54.32,54.72,54.12,54.66,
FAST,2023-05-08,54.5,54.59,53.85,54.34,
FAST,2023-05-09,54.31,54.68,53.97,54.46,
FAST,2023-05-10,54.89,55.08,53.93,54.59,
FAST,2023-05-11,54.35,54.92,54.07,54.87,"[""Here is What to Know Beyond Why Fastenal Company (FAST) is a Trending Stock Fastenal (FAST) is one of the stocks most watched by Zacks.com visitors lately. So, it might be a good idea to review some of the factors that might affect the near-term performance of the stock. Shares of this maker of industrial and construction fasteners have returned +3.9% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +0.8% change. The Zacks Building Products - Retail industry, to which Fastenal belongs, has gained 1.5% over this period. Now the key question is: Where could the stock be headed in the near term? While media releases or rumors about a substantial change in a company's business prospects usually make its stock 'trending' and lead to an immediate price change, there are always some fundamental facts that eventually dominate the buy-and-hold decision-making. Revisions to Earnings Estimates Rather than focusing on anything else, we at Zacks prioritize evaluating the change in a company's earnings projection. This is because we believe the fair value for its stock is determined by the present value of its future stream of earnings. Our analysis is essentially based on how sell-side analysts covering the stock are revising their earnings estimates to take the latest business trends into account. When earnings estimates for a company go up, the fair value for its stock goes up as well. And when a stock's fair value is higher than its current market price, investors tend to buy the stock, resulting in its price moving upward. Because of this, empirical studies indicate a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and short-term stock price movements. For the current quarter, Fastenal is expected to post earnings of $0.53 per share, indicating a change of +6% from the year-ago quarter. The Zacks Consensus Estimate has changed +0.7% over the last 30 days. For the current fiscal year, the consensus earnings estimate of $1.98 points to a change of +4.8% from the prior year. Over the last 30 days, this estimate has changed +1.9%. For the next fiscal year, the consensus earnings estimate of $2.09 indicates a change of +5.3% from what Fastenal is expected to report a year ago. Over the past month, the estimate has changed +1.5%. With an impressive externally audited track record, our proprietary stock rating tool -- the Zacks Rank -- is a more conclusive indicator of a stock's near-term price performance, as it effectively harnesses the power of earnings estimate revisions. The size of the recent change in the consensus estimate, along with three other factors related to earnings estimates, has resulted in a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) for Fastenal. The chart below shows the evolution of the company's forward 12-month consensus EPS estimate: 12 Month EPS Projected Revenue Growth While earnings growth is arguably the most superior indicator of a company's financial health, nothing happens as such if a business isn't able to grow its revenues. After all, it's nearly impossible for a company to increase its earnings for an extended period without increasing its revenues. So, it's important to know a company's potential revenue growth. For Fastenal, the consensus sales estimate for the current quarter of $1.89 billion indicates a year-over-year change of +6.3%. For the current and next fiscal years, $7.35 billion and $7.77 billion estimates indicate +5.4% and +5.6% changes, respectively. Last Reported Results and Surprise History Fastenal reported revenues of $1.86 billion in the last reported quarter, representing a year-over-year change of +9.1%. EPS of $0.52 for the same period compares with $0.47 a year ago. Compared to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.84 billion, the reported revenues represent a surprise of +0.92%. The EPS surprise was +6.12%. Over the last four quarters, Fastenal surpassed consensus EPS estimates three times. The company topped consensus revenue estimates three times over this period. Valuation Without considering a stock's valuation, no investment decision can be efficient. In predicting a stock's future price performance, it's crucial to determine whether its current price correctly reflects the intrinsic value of the underlying business and the company's growth prospects. While comparing the current values of a company's valuation multiples, such as price-to-earnings (P/E), price-to-sales (P/S) and price-to-cash flow (P/CF), with its own historical values helps determine whether its stock is fairly valued, overvalued, or undervalued, comparing the company relative to its peers on these parameters gives a good sense of the reasonability of the stock's price. The Zacks Value Style Score (part of the Zacks Style Scores system), which pays close attention to both traditional and unconventional valuation metrics to grade stocks from A to F (an An is better than a B; a B is better than a C; and so on), is pretty helpful in identifying whether a stock is overvalued, rightly valued, or temporarily undervalued. Fastenal is graded C on this front, indicating that it is trading at par with its peers. Click here to see the values of some of the valuation metrics that have driven this grade. Bottom Line The facts discussed here and much other information on Zacks.com might help determine whether or not it's worthwhile paying attention to the market buzz about Fastenal. However, its Zacks Rank #2 does suggest that it may outperform the broader market in the near term. Free Report: Top EV Battery Stocks to Buy Now Just-released report reveals 5 stocks to profit as millions of EV batteries are made. Elon Musk tweeted that lithium prices have gone to \""insane levels,\"" and they're likely to keep climbing. As a result, a handful of lithium battery stocks are set to skyrocket. Access this report to discover which battery stocks to buy and which to avoid. Download free today. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Here's Why Fastenal Is a No-Brainer Dividend Growth Stock Investors looking for a mixture of growth and income should take a look at industrial-focused Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST). It's not a household name, but it has an incredible dividend record. And here's the best part: It looks at least reasonably priced today. Paying a fair price for a great company like this can work out very well over time. Here are some charts and tables to highlight the opportunity. 1. How fast? Fastenal has increased its dividend annually for around a quarter of a century. Over the past decade, the average annualized dividend increase was a very robust 12%. But rapid dividend growth has actually been a fairly consistent pattern. To get a good idea of just how powerful that is, take a look at the graph below, which looks at dividend growth from the start of 2000 to the current dividend rate of $0.35 per share per quarter. FAST Dividend Per Share (Annual) data by YCharts. You might need to do a double-take. The 49.5K% listed to the far right of the line translates into 49,500%, which is astronomical dividend growth. To be fair, it is highly unlikely that Fastenal will repeat that feat, given that it is a much larger company today than it was back in 2000. However, continued strong dividend growth over the past decade shows that this dividend stock is still returning material value to shareholders via dividend growth. 2. Expanding in more ways than one Dividends don't come out of nowhere; they require a company to be growing over time. As the chart below shows, earnings per share have been heading steadily higher at Fastenal over the past decade, along with the dividend. FAST Dividend Per Share (Annual) data by YCharts. But notice the orange line on the graph, which is the payout ratio. It has bounced around a little from year to year but has mostly fallen within the 60% to 70% range. That's a completely reasonable payout for a large industrial company (it has a roughly $30 billion market cap) with a business that sells lots of small parts to a fairly loyal customer base. In other words, Fastenal appears to be growing nicely and managing its dividend policy in a reasonable fashion. 3. Executing a plan One of the main goals Fastenal has been working toward is building stronger customer relationships. That's involved a shift from business locations that sell to multiple customers and toward what it calls \""onsites.\"" These are locations that are physically within a customer location, or that only serve a single customer. For lack of a better description, onsites are vending machines for frequently used parts. 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 1Q 2023 Branch 2,383 2,227 2,114 2,003 1,793 1,683 1,660 Onsite 605 894 1,114 1,265 1,416 1,623 1,674 Data source: Fastenal. From the table above, you can see quite clearly that it has been shifting models at a steady clip. And, when you consider the points from above, it has been doing this while expanding earnings and dividends. It's nice to see a management team lay out a plan and execute it at a high level. As long as the company can keep living up to its own goals, there's no reason to believe that growth will materially slow anytime soon. 4. Rock solid Now, none of the above would be possible if Fastenal was financially weak. This is why investors looking at dividend stocks should always consider a company's balance sheet. In this case, there's only positive news to report. FAST Debt-to-Equity Ratio data by YCharts. For starters, Fastenal's leverage is really modest, with a debt-to-equity ratio of just 0.12 times or so. And it covers its trailing-12-month interest expenses by over 100 times. Even if the company faces hard times, say, during a recession, it should have more than enough financial strength to muddle through. And it might even be able to use the downturn to its advantage by acquiring financially weak competitors. 5. Fairly priced As you can imagine, a dividend growth machine like Fastenal doesn't go on sale very often. And it isn't even on sale today, though the 2.6% dividend yield is above the five-year average yield of around 2.4%. But, using dividend yield as a rough gauge of valuation, it does look fairly valued. FAST Dividend Yield data by YCharts. This is backed up by the fact that the price-to-sales, price-to-earnings, and price-to-cash-flow ratios are all roughly in line with their five-year averages. The only common valuation tool that's a bit elevated is the price-to-book-value ratio. But, taken as a whole, it appears that investors are paying a fair price for this dividend growth stock. For long-term dividend growth investors Fastenal is not a screaming value opportunity, but given its impressive historical performance, that makes complete sense. If you prefer value investments, you might want to put this name on your wish list just in case there's a major market dislocation. However, if you are OK with paying a fair price for a great dividend stock, then you might want to consider this dividend growth machine right now. 10 stocks we like better than Fastenal When our analyst team has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.* They just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Fastenal wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of May 1, 2023 Reuben Gregg Brewer has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2023-05-12,55.0,55.32,54.2593,54.745,
FAST,2023-05-15,54.66,54.66,53.835,54.22,
FAST,2023-05-16,53.95,54.095,53.52,53.64,"Home Depot (HD) Stock Falls as Q1 Earnings & Sales Decline Y/Y The Home Depot, Inc. HD has reported dismal first-quarter fiscal 2023 results, with the top and bottom lines declining year over year. Earnings surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate, while sales missed the same. Results have been impacted by a more broad-based pressure across the business, driven by softened demand versus expectations. A deflation in lumber prices and unfavorable weather have also hurt the results. Home Depot's earnings of $3.82 per share declined 6.6% from $4.09 registered in the year-ago quarter. The bottom line beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.80 but missed our estimate of $3.86. Net sales declined 4.2% to $37,257 million from $38,908 million in the year-ago quarter. The metric also missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $38,510 million and our estimate of $38,796.9 million. Lower-than-expected sales mainly resulted from lumber deflation and adverse weather conditions, primarily in the Western division, which was impacted by extreme weather in California. Driven by the soft performance, Home Depot’s shares declined 4.75% in the pre-market trading session on May 16, 2023. The Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company’s shares have lost 9.3% in the past three months compared with the industry's decline of 7%. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Home Depot's comparable sales fell 4.5% in the reported quarter. The company’s comparable sales in the United States declined 4.6%. Comps were impacted by a decline in customer transactions, partly offset by a rise in average ticket. Customer transactions declined 4.8% year over year, while the average ticket rose 0.2%. Sales per retail square foot were down 4.7%. In dollar terms, the gross profit dipped 4.5% to $12,557 million from $13,145 million in the year-ago quarter. The operating income fell 6.4% year over year to $5,929 million. Selling, general and administrative expenses of $6,355 million declined 3.9% from the $6,610 million reported in the year-ago quarter. The Home Depot, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise The Home Depot, Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | The Home Depot, Inc. Quote Other Updates Home Depot ended first-quarter fiscal 2023 with cash and cash equivalents of $1,260 million, long-term debt (excluding current installments) of $40,915 million, and shareholders' equity of $362 million. In first-quarter fiscal 2023, the company generated $5,614 million of net cash from operations. Fiscal 2023 View Driven by the impacts of lumber deflation and weather on first-quarter fiscal 2023 results, as well as expectations of softened consumer demand, Home Depot lowered its sales and earnings view for fiscal 2023. Home Depot anticipates sales and comparable sales to decline 2-5% year over year in fiscal 2023, compared with the prior mentioned view of flat year-over-year results. The operating margin rate is estimated at 14-14.3% compared with the 14.5% mentioned earlier. The company expects an effective tax rate of 24.5% in fiscal 2023. Interest expenses are likely to be $1.8 billion in fiscal 2023. HD estimates earnings per share to move down 7-13% year over year in fiscal 2023 versus a mid-single-digit decline stated earlier. Solid Retail Bets Some better-ranked stocks are Tecnoglass TGLS, Builders FirstSource BLDR and Fastenal FAST. Tecnoglass, which engages in manufacturing and selling architectural glass and windows and aluminum products for the residential and commercial construction industries, sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). TGLS has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 22.7%, on average. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Tecnoglass’ current financial-year sales and earnings per share (EPS) suggests growth of 18.11% and 23.8%, respectively, from the year-ago period’s reported figures. Builders FirstSource, the largest supplier of building materials, manufactured components and construction services, presently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). BLDR has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 68.3%, on average. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Builders FirstSource’s current-year sales and EPS suggests declines of 29.5% and 50.4%, respectively, from the year-ago period’s reported numbers. Fastenal, a national wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies, currently carries a Zacks Rank of 2. FAST delivered an earnings surprise of 3.2% in the last reported quarter. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Fastenal’s current financial-year sales and EPS suggests growth of 5.4% and 4.8%, respectively, from the year-ago reported figures. 4 Oil Stocks with Massive Upsides Global demand for oil is through the roof... and oil producers are struggling to keep up. So even though oil prices are well off their recent highs, you can expect big profits from the companies that supply the world with ""black gold."" Zacks Investment Research has just released an urgent special report to help you bank on this trend. In Oil Market on Fire, you'll discover 4 unexpected oil and gas stocks positioned for big gains in the coming weeks and months. You don't want to miss these recommendations. Download your free report now to see them. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report The Home Depot, Inc. (HD) : Free Stock Analysis Report Builders FirstSource, Inc. (BLDR) : Free Stock Analysis Report Tecnoglass Inc. (TGLS) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-05-17,53.78,54.35,53.65,54.22,"The TJX Companies (TJX) Ups Profit View on Q1 Earnings Beat The TJX Companies, Inc. TJX posted first-quarter fiscal 2024 results, wherein the top and bottom lines increased year over year and the latter beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate. The TJX Companies continues to benefit from its off-price business model, brand strength and robust geographical reach. During the quarter, the company witnessed a rise in comparable store sales (or comp store sales) due to improved customer traffic and strength in Marmaxx, which is TJX’s largest division. Driven by its better-than-planned profit performance, management raised its pretax profit margin and earnings per share (EPS) guidance for fiscal 2024 while keeping its comp store sales guidance unchanged. Quarter in Detail TJX Companies’ EPS came in at 76 cents, which soared roughly 55% from the year-ago period’s earnings of 49 cents. The quarterly earnings increased 12% from the year-ago period’s adjusted EPS of 68 cents. The bottom line cruised past the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 71 cents. The TJX Companies, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise The TJX Companies, Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | The TJX Companies, Inc. Quote Net sales came in at $11,783 million, up nearly 3% from the $11,406 million reported in the year-ago quarter. However, the metric fell short of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $11,823 million. Foreign currency movements had a 1.3-percentage-point negative effect on net sales growth. In the Marmaxx (U.S.) division, the company’s net sales came in at $7,366 million, up 7% year over year, driven by strength in the apparel and accessories categories. Net sales amounted to $1,966 million, down 3% year over year, in the HomeGoods (U.S.) division. TJX Canada’s net sales came in at $1,038 million, down 4% from the figure reported in the year-ago period. TJX International’s (Europe & Australia) net sales were $1,413 million, nearly flat year over year. Comp store sales grew 5% at Marmaxx (U.S.) while declining 7% at HomeGoods (U.S.). Comp store sales increased 1% and 4%, respectively, at TJX Canada and TJX International (Europe & Australia). On an overall basis, the company’s comp store sales jumped 3% due to higher customer traffic. The pretax profit margin came in at 10.3%, up from the 7.5% reported in the year-ago quarter. The company’s first-quarter fiscal 2024 pretax profit margin increased 0.9 percentage points from the adjusted pretax profit margin of 9.4% recorded in the year-ago period. The better-than-expected pretax profit margin was a result of gains from freight and the timing of some expenses. The gross profit margin was 28.9%, up by one percentage point. The company witnessed an increase in the merchandise margin due to reduced freight costs and solid mark on from improved buying. SG&A costs as a percent of sales came in at 19%, up 0.6 percentage points year over year. Other Updates TJX Companies ended the quarter with cash of $5,025 million, long-term debt of $2,860 million and shareholders’ equity of $6,422 million. The company generated operating cash flow of $745 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2024. During the quarter, management returned $841 million to shareholders. TJX repurchased $500 million in stock, retiring 6.5 million shares. The company paid out $341 million in shareholder dividends. Management plans to repurchase shares worth $2-$2.5 billion in the fiscal year ending Feb 3, 2024. As of Apr 29, 2023, total inventories were $6.4 billion. Management is optimistic about its capabilities to offer impressive branded merchandise at its stores and online during the spring and summer seasons. Guidance For fiscal 2024, TJX Companies continues to expect an overall comparable store sales increase of 2-3%. Management expects a fiscal 2024 adjusted pretax profit margin of 10.2-10.4% compared with the earlier view of 10-10.2%. The reported pretax profit margin is expected at 10.3-10.5% now compared with 10.1-10.3% expected earlier. For fiscal 2024, management now envisions the adjusted EPS in the range of $3.39-$3.48 and a reported EPS of $3.49 to $3.58. Earlier, it expected the adjusted EPS in the band of $3.29-$3.41 and the reported EPS in the range of $3.39-$3.51. For the second quarter of fiscal 2024, management anticipates a pretax profit margin in the range of 9.3-9.5% and an EPS between 72 and 75 cents. For the quarter, the company is projecting overall comparable store sales growth of 2-3%. Shares of this Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) company have rallied 30% in the past year compared with the industry’s growth of 6.6%. Some More Picks Here we have highlighted three other top-ranked stocks. Kroger KR, a renowned grocery retailer, currently carries a Zacks Rank #2. KR has an EPS growth rate of 6% for three to five years. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Kroger’s current financial-year EPS suggests an increase of 6.6% from the year-ago reported figure. Kroger has a trailing four-quarter negative earnings surprise of 9.8%, on average. Hibbett HIBB currently carries a Zacks Rank #2. This athletic-inspired fashion product company has an expected EPS growth rate of 12.4% for three to five years. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Hibbett’s current financial-year EPS suggests a dip of 0.1% from the year-ago reported figure. HIBB has a trailing four-quarter negative earnings surprise of 13.9%, on average. Fastenal FAST engages in the wholesale distribution of industrial and construction supplies. FAST currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 and has an expected EPS growth rate of 9% for three to five years. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Fastenal’s current financial-year EPS suggests growth of 4.8% from the year-ago reported figure. Fastenal has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 3.2%, on average. Free Report Reveals How You Could Profit from the Growing Electric Vehicle Industry Globally, electric car sales continue their remarkable growth even after breaking records in 2021. High gas prices have fueled his demand, but so has evolving EV comfort, features and technology. So, the fervor for EVs will be around long after gas prices normalize. Not only are manufacturers seeing record-high profits, but producers of EV-related technology are raking in the dough as well. Do you know how to cash in? If not, we have the perfect report for you – and it’s FREE! Today, don't miss your chance to download Zacks' top 5 stocks for the electric vehicle revolution at no cost and with no obligation. >>Send me my free report on the top 5 EV stocks Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report The TJX Companies, Inc. (TJX) : Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report The Kroger Co. (KR) : Free Stock Analysis Report Hibbett, Inc. (HIBB) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-05-18,54.3,55.28,54.12,55.24,"[""Fastenal (FAST) Outpaces Stock Market Gains: What You Should Know In the latest trading session, Fastenal (FAST) closed at $55.24, marking a +1.88% move from the previous day. The stock outpaced the S&P 500's daily gain of 0.95%. At the same time, the Dow added 0.35%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq gained 4.73%. Heading into today, shares of the maker of industrial and construction fasteners had gained 0.39% over the past month, lagging the Retail-Wholesale sector's gain of 2.76% and outpacing the S&P 500's gain of 0.3% in that time. Fastenal will be looking to display strength as it nears its next earnings release. In that report, analysts expect Fastenal to post earnings of $0.53 per share. This would mark year-over-year growth of 6%. Meanwhile, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenue is projecting net sales of $1.89 billion, up 6.28% from the year-ago period. FAST's full-year Zacks Consensus Estimates are calling for earnings of $1.98 per share and revenue of $7.35 billion. These results would represent year-over-year changes of +4.76% and +5.36%, respectively. Any recent changes to analyst estimates for Fastenal should also be noted by investors. These revisions help to show the ever-changing nature of near-term business trends. As a result, we can interpret positive estimate revisions as a good sign for the company's business outlook. Our research shows that these estimate changes are directly correlated with near-term stock prices. To benefit from this, we have developed the Zacks Rank, a proprietary model which takes these estimate changes into account and provides an actionable rating system. The Zacks Rank system ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell). It has a remarkable, outside-audited track record of success, with #1 stocks delivering an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Within the past 30 days, our consensus EPS projection has moved 1.02% higher. Fastenal is currently a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Digging into valuation, Fastenal currently has a Forward P/E ratio of 27.34. For comparison, its industry has an average Forward P/E of 12.94, which means Fastenal is trading at a premium to the group. We can also see that FAST currently has a PEG ratio of 3.04. The PEG ratio is similar to the widely-used P/E ratio, but this metric also takes the company's expected earnings growth rate into account. The Building Products - Retail industry currently had an average PEG ratio of 1.75 as of yesterday's close. The Building Products - Retail industry is part of the Retail-Wholesale sector. This industry currently has a Zacks Industry Rank of 22, which puts it in the top 9% of all 250+ industries. The Zacks Industry Rank includes is listed in order from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1. You can find more information on all of these metrics, and much more, on Zacks.com. Zacks Names \""Single Best Pick to Double\"" From thousands of stocks, 5 Zacks experts each have chosen their favorite to skyrocket +100% or more in months to come. From those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all. It\u2019s a little-known chemical company that\u2019s up 65% over last year, yet still dirt cheap. With unrelenting demand, soaring 2022 earnings estimates, and $1.5 billion for repurchasing shares, retail investors could jump in at any time. This company could rival or surpass other recent Zacks\u2019 Stocks Set to Double like Boston Beer Company which shot up +143.0% in little more than 9 months and NVIDIA which boomed +175.9% in one year. Free: See Our Top Stock and 4 Runners Up >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Walmart (WMT) Raises Guidance on Q1 Earnings & Sales Beat Walmart Inc. WMT came out with robust first-quarter fiscal 2024 results as both the top and bottom lines increased year over year and cruised ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Strong comp sales growth globally and expense leverage were upsides. Walmart continues to benefit from its strong omnichannel model. Encouragingly, management raised its guidance for fiscal 2024. Quarter in Detail Walmart\u2019s adjusted earnings of $1.47 per share increased 13.1% from the year-ago period\u2019s figure of $1.30. The metric surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.32. Walmart Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Walmart Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Walmart Inc. Quote Total revenues of $152.3 billion grew 7.6% and beat the consensus mark of $149.7 billion. The top line was hurt by currency woes to the tune of $0.2 billion. On a constant-currency (cc) basis, total revenues climbed 7.7%. The company witnessed growth in all segments. E-commerce sales surged 26% globally on omnichannel strength, including pickup and delivery. The consolidated gross profit margin contracted by 18 basis points (bps) to 23.7%, mainly due to the impact of the sales mix stemming from a shift from general merchandise to grocery and health & wellness. The operating income increased 17.3% to $6.2 billion, and the operating margin expanded 34 bps due to expense leverage and the development of the company\u2019s connected value streams, such as advertising. Consolidated operating expenses as a percentage of sales declined by 58 bps year over year. WMT\u2019s global advertising business soared more than 30%. Segment Details Walmart U.S.: The segment\u2019s net sales grew 7.2% to $103.9 billion in the reported quarter. U.S. comp sales, excluding fuel, improved by 7.4% due to a 4.4% increase in the average ticket, and transactions rose 2.9% year over year. Comp sales were mainly driven by strength in food categories, the solid sales of private brands, an elevated average ticket and increased store transactions. The segment continued to see an increased market share in grocery. E-commerce boosted comps by 270 bps. E-commerce sales in the segment rose 27%, driven by strength in pickup & delivery and advertising. As of the first quarter, Walmart U.S. had more than 4,600 pickup locations and more than 3,900 same-day delivery stores. The company remodeled 96 stores during the reported quarter. The gross margin at Walmart U.S. fell 41 bps due to a mix shift. The operating income of the Walmart U.S. segment jumped 11.7% to $5 billion. Walmart International: The segment\u2019s net sales rose 12% to $26.6 billion. Currency movements had a $0.2-billion adverse impact. On a cc basis, net sales jumped 12.9% to $26.8 million. Sales were largely driven by Walmex, China and Flipkart. Segment e-commerce sales jumped 25% on store-fulfilled and advertising strength. The operating income, on a cc basis, grew 41.5% to $1.1 billion. Sam\u2019s Club: The segment, which comprises membership warehouse clubs, witnessed a net sales increase of 4.5% to $20.5 billion. Sam\u2019s Club\u2019s comp sales, excluding fuel, grew 7%. While transactions grew 2.9%, the average ticket rose 4%. Comp sales saw strength across most categories, mainly led by food and consumables. The membership income climbed 6.3% in the quarter, reflecting strong membership trends and a record total member count. The Plus penetration rate continued to rise. E-commerce fueled comps by 160 bps. E-commerce net sales jumped 19% at Sam\u2019s Club on robust curbside performances. The segment\u2019s operating income came in at $0.5 billion, down 0.4% year over year. Other Financial Updates & Developments Walmart ended the quarter with cash and cash equivalents of $10.6 billion and total debt of $49.5 billion. In the first quarter of fiscal 2024, WMT generated operating cash flow of $4.6 billion and incurred capital expenditures of $4.4 billion, resulting in free cash flow of $0.2 billion. In fiscal 2024, capital expenditures are likely to range between flat and slightly up compared with fiscal 2023. Walmart allocated $0.7 billion for share buybacks during the quarter, repurchasing 4.8 million shares. As of the first-quarter earnings release, the company had $18.6 billion remaining under its share buyback plan. FY24 Guidance For fiscal 2024, Walmart now expects consolidated net sales growth of nearly 3.5% at cc compared with the previous view of 2.5-3% growth. Management expects the consolidated operating income to increase roughly 4-4.5% at cc now, including 100 bps from LIFO. The consolidated operating income was earlier expected to increase 3% at cc, including the LIFO impact. Management anticipates net interest expenses to escalate by approximately $600 million in comparison with the year-ago period. The effective tax rate is likely to be approximately 26.5%. The company also expects the noncontrolling interest to be a roughly 20-cent headwind to the EPS. Management now envisions an adjusted EPS in the band of $6.10-$6.20, up from the earlier projected range of $5.90-$6.05. The bottom-line view includes an anticipated LIFO impact of 14 cents. The company posted an adjusted EPS of $6.29 in fiscal 2023. Q2 View For the second quarter of fiscal 2024, Walmart expects consolidated net sales growth of around 4% at cc. The consolidated operating income is expected to decline about 2% at cc. The adjusted EPS is likely to come in the range of $1.63-$1.68. Walmart currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Shares of the company have risen 2.1% in the past three months compared with the industry\u2019s growth of 2.7%. Some Solid Picks Here we have highlighted three better-ranked stocks. Kroger KR, a renowned grocery retailer, currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). KR has an EPS growth rate of 6% for three to five years. You can see the complete list of today\u2019s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Kroger\u2019s current financial-year EPS suggests an increase of 6.6% from the year-ago reported figure. Kroger has a trailing four-quarter negative earnings surprise of 9.8%, on average. Hibbett HIBB currently carries a Zacks Rank #2. This athletic-inspired fashion product company has an expected EPS growth rate of 12.4% for three to five years. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Hibbett\u2019s current financial-year EPS suggests a dip of 0.1% from the year-ago reported figure. HIBB has a trailing four-quarter negative earnings surprise of 13.9%, on average. Fastenal FAST engages in the wholesale distribution of industrial and construction supplies. FAST currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 and has an expected EPS growth rate of 9% for three to five years. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Fastenal\u2019s current financial-year EPS suggests growth of 4.8% from the year-ago reported figure. Fastenal has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 3.2%, on average. Zacks Reveals ChatGPT \""Sleeper\"" Stock One little-known company is at the heart of an especially brilliant Artificial Intelligence sector. By 2030, the AI industry is predicted to have an internet and iPhone-scale economic impact of $15.7 Trillion. As a service to readers, Zacks is providing a bonus report that names and explains this explosive growth stock and 4 other \""must buys.\"" Plus more. Download Free ChatGPT Stock Report Right Now >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report Walmart Inc. (WMT) : Free Stock Analysis Report The Kroger Co. (KR) : Free Stock Analysis Report Hibbett, Inc. (HIBB) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2023-05-19,55.44,55.62,54.68,55.0,"Is Fastenal (FAST) Outperforming Other Retail-Wholesale Stocks This Year? The Retail-Wholesale group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Is Fastenal (FAST) one of those stocks right now? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Retail-Wholesale peers, we might be able to answer that question. Fastenal is one of 219 companies in the Retail-Wholesale group. The Retail-Wholesale group currently sits at #6 within the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank gauges the strength of our 16 individual sector groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. The Zacks Rank is a proven system that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions, highlighting a variety of stocks that are displaying the right characteristics to beat the market over the next one to three months. Fastenal is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy). Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for FAST's full-year earnings has moved 2.3% higher. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger. Our latest available data shows that FAST has returned about 16.7% since the start of the calendar year. Meanwhile, the Retail-Wholesale sector has returned an average of 11% on a year-to-date basis. This means that Fastenal is outperforming the sector as a whole this year. Another Retail-Wholesale stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is Hennes & Mauritz AB (HNNMY). The stock has returned 31.4% year-to-date. For Hennes & Mauritz AB, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 7.1% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). Breaking things down more, Fastenal is a member of the Building Products - Retail industry, which includes 8 individual companies and currently sits at #14 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has gained an average of 1.4% so far this year, so FAST is performing better in this area. In contrast, Hennes & Mauritz AB falls under the Retail - Apparel and Shoes industry. Currently, this industry has 44 stocks and is ranked #197. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved -4.8%. Going forward, investors interested in Retail-Wholesale stocks should continue to pay close attention to Fastenal and Hennes & Mauritz AB as they could maintain their solid performance. Zacks Names ""Single Best Pick to Double"" From thousands of stocks, 5 Zacks experts each have chosen their favorite to skyrocket +100% or more in months to come. From those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all. It’s a little-known chemical company that’s up 65% over last year, yet still dirt cheap. With unrelenting demand, soaring 2022 earnings estimates, and $1.5 billion for repurchasing shares, retail investors could jump in at any time. This company could rival or surpass other recent Zacks’ Stocks Set to Double like Boston Beer Company which shot up +143.0% in little more than 9 months and NVIDIA which boomed +175.9% in one year. Free: See Our Top Stock and 4 Runners Up >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report Hennes & Mauritz AB (HNNMY) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-05-22,55.12,55.585,54.67,55.39,
FAST,2023-05-23,55.24,55.24,54.26,54.32,
FAST,2023-05-24,54.39,54.47,53.635,53.85,"[""Fastenal (FAST) Dips More Than Broader Markets: What You Should Know In the latest trading session, Fastenal (FAST) closed at $53.85, marking a -0.87% move from the previous day. This move lagged the S&P 500's daily loss of 0.73%. Meanwhile, the Dow lost 0.77%, and the Nasdaq, a tech-heavy index, lost 7.92%. Heading into today, shares of the maker of industrial and construction fasteners had gained 1.51% over the past month, outpacing the Retail-Wholesale sector's loss of 0.23% and the S&P 500's gain of 0.5% in that time. Wall Street will be looking for positivity from Fastenal as it approaches its next earnings report date. The company is expected to report EPS of $0.53, up 6% from the prior-year quarter. Meanwhile, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenue is projecting net sales of $1.89 billion, up 6.28% from the year-ago period. FAST's full-year Zacks Consensus Estimates are calling for earnings of $1.98 per share and revenue of $7.35 billion. These results would represent year-over-year changes of +4.76% and +5.36%, respectively. Investors should also note any recent changes to analyst estimates for Fastenal. These recent revisions tend to reflect the evolving nature of short-term business trends. As a result, we can interpret positive estimate revisions as a good sign for the company's business outlook. Our research shows that these estimate changes are directly correlated with near-term stock prices. We developed the Zacks Rank to capitalize on this phenomenon. Our system takes these estimate changes into account and delivers a clear, actionable rating model. The Zacks Rank system ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell). It has a remarkable, outside-audited track record of success, with #1 stocks delivering an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the past month, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 1.02% higher. Fastenal currently has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy). Looking at its valuation, Fastenal is holding a Forward P/E ratio of 27.39. This valuation marks a premium compared to its industry's average Forward P/E of 11.76. It is also worth noting that FAST currently has a PEG ratio of 3.04. This popular metric is similar to the widely-known P/E ratio, with the difference being that the PEG ratio also takes into account the company's expected earnings growth rate. Building Products - Retail stocks are, on average, holding a PEG ratio of 1.87 based on yesterday's closing prices. The Building Products - Retail industry is part of the Retail-Wholesale sector. This industry currently has a Zacks Industry Rank of 15, which puts it in the top 6% of all 250+ industries. The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1. Be sure to follow all of these stock-moving metrics, and many more, on Zacks.com. Free Report: Must-See Hydrogen Stocks Hydrogen fuel cells are already used to provide efficient, ultra-clean energy to buses, ships and even hospitals. This technology is on the verge of a massive breakthrough, one that could make hydrogen a major source of America's power. It could even totally revolutionize the EV industry. Zacks has released a special report revealing the 4 stocks experts believe will deliver the biggest gains. Download Cashing In on Cleaner Energy today, absolutely free. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Kohl's (KSS) Q1 Earnings Beat Estimates, Revenues Drop Y/Y Kohl's Corporation KSS posted solid first-quarter fiscal 2023 results as both the top and bottom lines came ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate and the latter improved year over year. Kohl\u2019s saw an expansion in margins and a 6% decline in inventory. The store business witnessed productivity gains, with Sephora at Kohl\u2019s continuing the sales momentum. Total beauty sales grew 150% in the first quarter. The company is making progress toward all of its 2023 key priorities, which include improving customer experience, simplifying value strategies, undertaking disciplined inventory and expenses management and solidifying the balance sheet. With the macroeconomic landscape remaining difficult, management reaffirmed its guidance for the full-year 2023. Kohl's Corporation Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Kohl's Corporation price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Kohl's Corporation Quote Quarter in Detail Kohl's posted earnings of 13 cents per share compared with 11 cents reported in the year-ago period. The bottom line came way ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of a loss of 44 cents. Total revenues came in at $3,571 million, down from the prior-year quarter\u2019s level of $3,715 million. However, the metric beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of nearly $3,519 million. Net sales dipped 3.3% year over year to $3,355 million. Comparable sales or comps decreased by 4.3% compared with our estimate of a decline of 1.6%. Kohl's gross margin expanded 67 basis points (bps) to 39% in the reported quarter due to lower digital-led shipping costs, reduced freight expenses and simplified value strategies, partly countered by product cost inflation and increased shrink. SG&A expenses fell by 4.2% to $1,238 million. As a percentage of total revenues, SG&A expenses declined 13 bps to 34.7%. This resulted from reduced Sephora openings and associated store refreshes (compared with the year-ago period) and overall cost management, partly negated by wage cost headwinds. The company posted an operating income of $98 million, up 19.5% from $82 million in the year-ago period. The operating income margin rose 55 bps to 2.8%. Other Financial Details Kohl\u2019s ended the quarter with cash and cash equivalents of $286 million, long-term debt of $1,637 million and shareholders\u2019 equity of $3,720 million. In February 2023, the company retired bonds of $164 million. In the full-year 2023, Kohl\u2019s plans to retire bonds worth $111 million, which are maturing in December 2023. Management expects capital expenditures in the band of $600-$650 million in the full-year 2023 (including the expansion of its Sephora collaboration and store refresh actions). On May 10, 2023, Kohl\u2019s declared a quarterly cash dividend of 50 cents per share, payable on Jun 21, 2023, to shareholders of record as of Jun 7. Guidance Kohl\u2019s reiterated its guidance for the full-year 2023. The company expects net sales to decline 2-4%, which includes the impact of a 53rd week. The operating margin is likely to be about 4%. Earnings per share (EPS), excluding non-recurring charges, are envisioned in the band of $2.10-$2.70 compared to the adjusted loss of 15 cents reported in fiscal 2022. Shares of this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company have decreased 32.1% in the past three months compared with the industry\u2019s decline of 25%. Some Solid Picks Here we have highlighted three better-ranked stocks. Kroger KR, a renowned grocery retailer, currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). KR has an EPS growth rate of 6% for three to five years. You can see the complete list of today\u2019s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Kroger\u2019s current financial-year EPS suggests an increase of 6.6% from the year-ago reported figure. Kroger has a trailing four-quarter negative earnings surprise of 9.8%, on average. The TJX Companies TJX currently carries a Zacks Rank #2. This off-price retailer has an expected EPS growth rate of 10.5% for three to five years. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for The TJX Companies\u2019 current financial-year EPS suggests growth of 14.5% from the year-ago reported figure. TJX has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 4.4%, on average. Fastenal FAST engages in the wholesale distribution of industrial and construction supplies. FAST currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 and has an expected EPS growth rate of 9% for three to five years. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Fastenal\u2019s current financial-year EPS suggests growth of 4.8% from the year-ago reported figure. Fastenal has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 3.2%, on average. Free Report: Must-See Hydrogen Stocks Hydrogen fuel cells are already used to provide efficient, ultra-clean energy to buses, ships and even hospitals. This technology is on the verge of a massive breakthrough, one that could make hydrogen a major source of America's power. It could even totally revolutionize the EV industry. Zacks has released a special report revealing the 4 stocks experts believe will deliver the biggest gains. Download Cashing In on Cleaner Energy today, absolutely free. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report The TJX Companies, Inc. (TJX) : Free Stock Analysis Report Kohl's Corporation (KSS) : Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report The Kroger Co. (KR) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2023-05-25,53.795,54.455,53.56,54.33,
FAST,2023-05-26,54.54,55.29,54.41,55.16,"Investors Heavily Search Fastenal Company (FAST): Here is What You Need to Know Fastenal (FAST) is one of the stocks most watched by Zacks.com visitors lately. So, it might be a good idea to review some of the factors that might affect the near-term performance of the stock. Shares of this maker of industrial and construction fasteners have returned +0.7% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +2.1% change. The Zacks Building Products - Retail industry, to which Fastenal belongs, has lost 1.6% over this period. Now the key question is: Where could the stock be headed in the near term? While media releases or rumors about a substantial change in a company's business prospects usually make its stock 'trending' and lead to an immediate price change, there are always some fundamental facts that eventually dominate the buy-and-hold decision-making. Revisions to Earnings Estimates Rather than focusing on anything else, we at Zacks prioritize evaluating the change in a company's earnings projection. This is because we believe the fair value for its stock is determined by the present value of its future stream of earnings. Our analysis is essentially based on how sell-side analysts covering the stock are revising their earnings estimates to take the latest business trends into account. When earnings estimates for a company go up, the fair value for its stock goes up as well. And when a stock's fair value is higher than its current market price, investors tend to buy the stock, resulting in its price moving upward. Because of this, empirical studies indicate a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and short-term stock price movements. For the current quarter, Fastenal is expected to post earnings of $0.53 per share, indicating a change of +6% from the year-ago quarter. The Zacks Consensus Estimate has changed +0.7% over the last 30 days. For the current fiscal year, the consensus earnings estimate of $1.98 points to a change of +4.8% from the prior year. Over the last 30 days, this estimate has changed +1%. For the next fiscal year, the consensus earnings estimate of $2.09 indicates a change of +5.3% from what Fastenal is expected to report a year ago. Over the past month, the estimate has changed +1%. Having a strong externally audited track record, our proprietary stock rating tool, the Zacks Rank, offers a more conclusive picture of a stock's price direction in the near term, since it effectively harnesses the power of earnings estimate revisions. Due to the size of the recent change in the consensus estimate, along with three other factors related to earnings estimates, Fastenal is rated Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). The chart below shows the evolution of the company's forward 12-month consensus EPS estimate: 12 Month EPS Revenue Growth Forecast While earnings growth is arguably the most superior indicator of a company's financial health, nothing happens as such if a business isn't able to grow its revenues. After all, it's nearly impossible for a company to increase its earnings for an extended period without increasing its revenues. So, it's important to know a company's potential revenue growth. For Fastenal, the consensus sales estimate for the current quarter of $1.89 billion indicates a year-over-year change of +6.3%. For the current and next fiscal years, $7.35 billion and $7.77 billion estimates indicate +5.4% and +5.6% changes, respectively. Last Reported Results and Surprise History Fastenal reported revenues of $1.86 billion in the last reported quarter, representing a year-over-year change of +9.1%. EPS of $0.52 for the same period compares with $0.47 a year ago. Compared to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.84 billion, the reported revenues represent a surprise of +0.92%. The EPS surprise was +6.12%. Over the last four quarters, Fastenal surpassed consensus EPS estimates three times. The company topped consensus revenue estimates three times over this period. Valuation No investment decision can be efficient without considering a stock's valuation. Whether a stock's current price rightly reflects the intrinsic value of the underlying business and the company's growth prospects is an essential determinant of its future price performance. While comparing the current values of a company's valuation multiples, such as price-to-earnings (P/E), price-to-sales (P/S) and price-to-cash flow (P/CF), with its own historical values helps determine whether its stock is fairly valued, overvalued, or undervalued, comparing the company relative to its peers on these parameters gives a good sense of the reasonability of the stock's price. As part of the Zacks Style Scores system, the Zacks Value Style Score (which evaluates both traditional and unconventional valuation metrics) organizes stocks into five groups ranging from A to F (A is better than B; B is better than C; and so on), making it helpful in identifying whether a stock is overvalued, rightly valued, or temporarily undervalued. Fastenal is graded C on this front, indicating that it is trading at par with its peers. Click here to see the values of some of the valuation metrics that have driven this grade. Conclusion The facts discussed here and much other information on Zacks.com might help determine whether or not it's worthwhile paying attention to the market buzz about Fastenal. However, its Zacks Rank #2 does suggest that it may outperform the broader market in the near term. Zacks Names ""Single Best Pick to Double"" From thousands of stocks, 5 Zacks experts each have chosen their favorite to skyrocket +100% or more in months to come. From those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all. It’s a little-known chemical company that’s up 65% over last year, yet still dirt cheap. With unrelenting demand, soaring 2022 earnings estimates, and $1.5 billion for repurchasing shares, retail investors could jump in at any time. This company could rival or surpass other recent Zacks’ Stocks Set to Double like Boston Beer Company which shot up +143.0% in little more than 9 months and NVIDIA which boomed +175.9% in one year. Free: See Our Top Stock and 4 Runners Up >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-05-30,55.37,55.41,54.775,54.9,"Fastenal (FAST) Stock Moves -0.47%: What You Should Know Fastenal (FAST) closed the most recent trading day at $54.90, moving -0.47% from the previous trading session. Meanwhile, the Dow lost 0.15%, and the Nasdaq, a tech-heavy index, lost 2.33%. Prior to today's trading, shares of the maker of industrial and construction fasteners had gained 1.06% over the past month. This has outpaced the Retail-Wholesale sector's gain of 0.98% and the S&P 500's gain of 1.03% in that time. Investors will be hoping for strength from Fastenal as it approaches its next earnings release. On that day, Fastenal is projected to report earnings of $0.53 per share, which would represent year-over-year growth of 6%. Meanwhile, our latest consensus estimate is calling for revenue of $1.89 billion, up 6.28% from the prior-year quarter. Looking at the full year, our Zacks Consensus Estimates suggest analysts are expecting earnings of $1.98 per share and revenue of $7.35 billion. These totals would mark changes of +4.76% and +5.36%, respectively, from last year. It is also important to note the recent changes to analyst estimates for Fastenal. These revisions typically reflect the latest short-term business trends, which can change frequently. As a result, we can interpret positive estimate revisions as a good sign for the company's business outlook. Our research shows that these estimate changes are directly correlated with near-term stock prices. Investors can capitalize on this by using the Zacks Rank. This model considers these estimate changes and provides a simple, actionable rating system. The Zacks Rank system, which ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), has an impressive outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks generating an average annual return of +25% since 1988. The Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 0.71% higher within the past month. Fastenal is currently a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Investors should also note Fastenal's current valuation metrics, including its Forward P/E ratio of 27.82. This represents a premium compared to its industry's average Forward P/E of 12.02. Investors should also note that FAST has a PEG ratio of 3.09 right now. The PEG ratio is similar to the widely-used P/E ratio, but this metric also takes the company's expected earnings growth rate into account. The Building Products - Retail industry currently had an average PEG ratio of 1.86 as of yesterday's close. The Building Products - Retail industry is part of the Retail-Wholesale sector. This group has a Zacks Industry Rank of 16, putting it in the top 7% of all 250+ industries. The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our individual industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1. You can find more information on all of these metrics, and much more, on Zacks.com. This Little-Known Semiconductor Stock Could Be Your Portfolio’s Hedge Against Inflation Everyone uses semiconductors. But only a small number of people know what they are and what they do. If you use a smartphone, computer, microwave, digital camera or refrigerator (and that’s just the tip of the iceberg), you have a need for semiconductors. That’s why their importance can’t be overstated and their disruption in the supply chain has such a global effect. But every cloud has a silver lining. Shockwaves to the international supply chain from the global pandemic have unearthed a tremendous opportunity for investors. And today, Zacks' leading stock strategist is revealing the one semiconductor stock that stands to gain the most in a new FREE report. It's yours at no cost and with no obligation. >>Yes, I Want to Help Protect My Portfolio During the Recession Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-05-31,54.9,54.9,53.495,53.85,
FAST,2023-06-01,54.19,54.36,53.05,53.9,
FAST,2023-06-02,54.24,55.53,54.05,55.37,
FAST,2023-06-05,55.554,55.805,55.0631,55.29,"[""Fastenal (FAST) Stock Moves -0.14%: What You Should Know Fastenal (FAST) closed at $55.29 in the latest trading session, marking a -0.14% move from the prior day. This change was narrower than the S&P 500's daily loss of 0.2%. Elsewhere, the Dow lost 0.59%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq lost 1.54%. Heading into today, shares of the maker of industrial and construction fasteners had gained 1.3% over the past month, lagging the Retail-Wholesale sector's gain of 3.95% and the S&P 500's gain of 4.14% in that time. Fastenal will be looking to display strength as it nears its next earnings release. In that report, analysts expect Fastenal to post earnings of $0.53 per share. This would mark year-over-year growth of 6%. Meanwhile, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenue is projecting net sales of $1.89 billion, up 6.28% from the year-ago period. FAST's full-year Zacks Consensus Estimates are calling for earnings of $1.98 per share and revenue of $7.35 billion. These results would represent year-over-year changes of +4.76% and +5.36%, respectively. Investors should also note any recent changes to analyst estimates for Fastenal. These recent revisions tend to reflect the evolving nature of short-term business trends. As a result, we can interpret positive estimate revisions as a good sign for the company's business outlook. Research indicates that these estimate revisions are directly correlated with near-term share price momentum. To benefit from this, we have developed the Zacks Rank, a proprietary model which takes these estimate changes into account and provides an actionable rating system. The Zacks Rank system ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell). It has a remarkable, outside-audited track record of success, with #1 stocks delivering an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the past month, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 0.1% higher. Fastenal is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy). Valuation is also important, so investors should note that Fastenal has a Forward P/E ratio of 27.92 right now. For comparison, its industry has an average Forward P/E of 12.37, which means Fastenal is trading at a premium to the group. Also, we should mention that FAST has a PEG ratio of 3.1. This popular metric is similar to the widely-known P/E ratio, with the difference being that the PEG ratio also takes into account the company's expected earnings growth rate. Building Products - Retail stocks are, on average, holding a PEG ratio of 1.47 based on yesterday's closing prices. The Building Products - Retail industry is part of the Retail-Wholesale sector. This group has a Zacks Industry Rank of 22, putting it in the top 9% of all 250+ industries. The Zacks Industry Rank includes is listed in order from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1. Be sure to follow all of these stock-moving metrics, and many more, on Zacks.com. Top 5 ChatGPT Stocks Revealed Zacks Senior Stock Strategist, Kevin Cook names 5 hand-picked stocks with sky-high growth potential in a brilliant sector of Artificial Intelligence. By 2030, the AI industry is predicted to have an internet and iPhone-scale economic impact of $15.7 Trillion. Today you can invest in the wave of the future, an automation that answers follow-up questions \u2026 admits mistakes \u2026 challenges incorrect premises \u2026 rejects inappropriate requests. As one of the selected companies puts it, \u201cAutomation frees people from the mundane so they can accomplish the miraculous.\u201d Download Free ChatGPT Stock Report Right Now >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Warren Buffett Detailed Fundamental Analysis - FAST Below is Validea's guru fundamental report for FASTENAL CO (FAST). Of the 22 guru strategies we follow, FAST rates highest using our Patient Investor model based on the published strategy of Warren Buffett. This strategy seeks out firms with long-term, predictable profitability and low debt that trade at reasonable valuations. FASTENAL CO (FAST) is a large-cap growth stock in the Misc. Fabricated Products industry. The rating using this strategy is 86% based on the firm\u2019s underlying fundamentals and the stock\u2019s valuation. A score of 80% or above typically indicates that the strategy has some interest in the stock and a score above 90% typically indicates strong interest. The following table summarizes whether the stock meets each of this strategy's tests. Not all criteria in the below table receive equal weighting or are independent, but the table provides a brief overview of the strong and weak points of the security in the context of the strategy's criteria. EARNINGS PREDICTABILITY: PASS DEBT SERVICE: PASS RETURN ON EQUITY: PASS RETURN ON TOTAL CAPITAL: PASS FREE CASH FLOW: PASS USE OF RETAINED EARNINGS: PASS SHARE REPURCHASE: PASS INITIAL RATE OF RETURN: PASS EXPECTED RETURN: FAIL Detailed Analysis of FASTENAL CO FAST Guru Analysis FAST Fundamental Analysis More Information on Warren Buffett Warren Buffett Portfolio Top Warren Buffett Stocks About Warren Buffett: Warren Buffett is considered by many to be the greatest investor of all time. As the chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, Buffett has consistently outperformed the S&P 500 for decades, and in the process has become one of the world's richest men. (Forbes puts his net worth at $37 billion.) Despite his fortune, Buffett is known for living a modest lifestyle, by billionaire standards. His primary residence remains the gray stucco Nebraska home he purchased for $31,500 nearly 50 years ago, according to Forbes, and his folksy Midwestern manner and penchant for simple pleasures -- a cherry Coke, a good burger, and a good book are all near the top of the list -- have been well-documented. Additional Research Links Top NASDAQ 100 Stocks Factor-Based Stock Portfolios Factor-Based ETF Portfolios Harry Browne Permanent Portfolio Ray Dalio All Weather Portfolio About Validea: Validea is aninvestment researchservice that follows the published strategies of investment legends. Validea offers both stock analysis and model portfolios based on gurus who have outperformed the market over the long-term, including Warren Buffett, Benjamin Graham, Peter Lynch and Martin Zweig. For more information about Validea, click here The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal (FAST) is Poised Well: It's Time to Invest in the Stock Fastenal Company\u2019s FAST focus on e-commerce, cost-control efforts, and digitizing its business to bring efficiencies and solid performance from manufacturing and large accounts are expected to drive growth. Shares of this maker of industrial and construction fasteners have gained 17% this year, outperforming the industry\u2019s 0.6% rise. The Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) company's 2023 earnings estimates have moved upward to $1.98 per share from $1.94 over the past 60 days. The estimated figure indicates 4.8% year-over-year growth. This positive trend signifies bullish analysts\u2019 sentiments, indicating robust fundamentals and the expectation of outperformance in the near term. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research What Makes the Stock an Attractive Pick? Focus on E-commerce: Fastenal has been focusing more on virtual platforms to boost customers\u2019 engagement. The company\u2019s e-commerce business includes sales made through an electronic data interface with customers. During the first quarter of 2023, daily sales through e-commerce increased 48.7% year over year. Digital footprint (FMI technology plus non-FMI-related eCommerce) represented 54.1% of sales in the first quarter of 2023. In the year-ago period, the metric was 47%. Fastenal\u2019s goal is to hit 65% of sales in 2023, with the potential to hit 85% in the long term. It is to be noted that the company started calculating its Digital Footprint in first-quarter 2021, which includes sales through FASTVend, FASTBin and FASTStock, as well as e-commerce. Revenues attributable to eCommerce represented 21.9% of total first-quarter 2023 revenues. Cost-Saving Initiatives: FAST has been focusing on controlling costs to offset inflation, especially product and transportation costs. During the first quarter of 2023, FAST continues to manage operating expenses effectively, producing 90 basis points of operating expense leverage. The company leveraged employee costs, with slower growth resulting in lower incentive compensation. It also leveraged occupancy expenses as a result of branch rationalization. Higher Manufacturing Demand: The company has been gaining from solid demand for traditional large manufacturing and construction clients. The daily sales rate or DSR during first-quarter 2023 for the company\u2019s manufacturing market was 14.4%. Manufacturing and large accounts continue to perform strongly, reflecting investments in Onsite and changes to branch structure and sales roles. In first-quarter 2023, the company signed 89 new Onsite locations. As of Mar 31, 2023, the company had 1,674 active sites, up 16.3% from the comparable year-ago period. First-quarter 2023 daily sales through Onsite locations (excluding sales transferred from branches to new Onsites) increased 20% from a year ago. The increased number of onsite locations is likely to expand Fastenal\u2019s market share. The company expects 375-400 annual signings in 2023. Rewarding Shareholders: Fastenal has been driving investor value by providing regular dividends. The company began paying annual dividends in 1991 and semi-annual dividends in 2003. It then expanded to quarterly dividends in 2011. It paid $711.3 million worth of dividends in 2022 and $199.8 million in first-quarter 2023. The company keeps on raising quarterly dividends on a regular basis. In January 2023, Fastenal announced a 12.9% hike in its quarterly cash dividend. Over the past two decades, Fastenal has been paying out annual dividends. Also, it paid special one-time dividends in December 2008, December 2012 and December 2020. Other Top-Ranked Stocks From the Zacks Retail and Wholesale Sector: MercadoLibre, Inc. MELI presently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). MELI has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 35%, on average. Shares of MELI have gained 58% in the past year. You can see the complete list of today\u2019s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for MELI\u2019s 2023 sales and earnings per share (EPS) indicates a rise of 27.6% and 75%, respectively, from the year-ago period\u2019s reported levels. Abercrombie & Fitch Co. ANF presently flaunts a Zacks Rank #1. The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 480.6%, on average. Shares of ANF have risen 54.9% in the past year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for ANF\u2019s 2023 sales and EPS indicates a rise of 3.4% and 660%, respectively, from the year-ago period\u2019s actuals. Builders FirstSource BLDR currently sports a Zacks Rank #1. The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 68.3%, on average. Shares of BLDR have gained 78.7% in the past year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for BLDR\u2019s 2023 earnings has increased to $9.62 per share from $7.21 over the past 30 days. Top 5 ChatGPT Stocks Revealed Zacks Senior Stock Strategist, Kevin Cook names 5 hand-picked stocks with sky-high growth potential in a brilliant sector of Artificial Intelligence. By 2030, the AI industry is predicted to have an internet and iPhone-scale economic impact of $15.7 Trillion. Today you can invest in the wave of the future, an automation that answers follow-up questions \u2026 admits mistakes \u2026 challenges incorrect premises \u2026 rejects inappropriate requests. As one of the selected companies puts it, \u201cAutomation frees people from the mundane so they can accomplish the miraculous.\u201d Download Free ChatGPT Stock Report Right Now >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report Abercrombie & Fitch Company (ANF) : Free Stock Analysis Report Builders FirstSource, Inc. (BLDR) : Free Stock Analysis Report MercadoLibre, Inc. (MELI) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Are Retail-Wholesale Stocks Lagging Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) This Year? The Retail-Wholesale group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Is Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) one of those stocks right now? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Retail-Wholesale peers, we might be able to answer that question. Chipotle Mexican Grill is one of 219 individual stocks in the Retail-Wholesale sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #10 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank gauges the strength of our 16 individual sector groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. The Zacks Rank is a proven system that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions, highlighting a variety of stocks that are displaying the right characteristics to beat the market over the next one to three months. Chipotle Mexican Grill is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy). Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for CMG's full-year earnings has moved 6.1% higher. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend. According to our latest data, CMG has moved about 48.6% on a year-to-date basis. At the same time, Retail-Wholesale stocks have gained an average of 10.8%. This means that Chipotle Mexican Grill is outperforming the sector as a whole this year. One other Retail-Wholesale stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is Fastenal (FAST). The stock is up 17% year-to-date. The consensus estimate for Fastenal's current year EPS has increased 2.3% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Looking more specifically, Chipotle Mexican Grill belongs to the Retail - Restaurants industry, which includes 40 individual stocks and currently sits at #49 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has gained an average of 11.8% so far this year, so CMG is performing better in this area. On the other hand, Fastenal belongs to the Building Products - Retail industry. This 8-stock industry is currently ranked #22. The industry has moved +1.8% year to date. Going forward, investors interested in Retail-Wholesale stocks should continue to pay close attention to Chipotle Mexican Grill and Fastenal as they could maintain their solid performance. Top 5 ChatGPT Stocks Revealed Zacks Senior Stock Strategist, Kevin Cook names 5 hand-picked stocks with sky-high growth potential in a brilliant sector of Artificial Intelligence. By 2030, the AI industry is predicted to have an internet and iPhone-scale economic impact of $15.7 Trillion. Today you can invest in the wave of the future, an automation that answers follow-up questions \u2026 admits mistakes \u2026 challenges incorrect premises \u2026 rejects inappropriate requests. As one of the selected companies puts it, \u201cAutomation frees people from the mundane so they can accomplish the miraculous.\u201d Download Free ChatGPT Stock Report Right Now >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (CMG) : Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""3 Cheap Blue-Chip Stocks to Buy Before They Rebound InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips I\u2019m looking for undervalued blue-chip stocks to buy. Three criteria come to mind when it comes to blue-chip stocks. First, they\u2019re part of the S&P 500. However, that doesn\u2019t mean they\u2019re blue-chip stocks. For example, the company in the index with the smallest market capitalization is Newell Brands (NASDAQ:NWL) at $3.44 billion. It might be a decent-sized company, but it hasn\u2019t been blue-chip for over a decade. The second criterion is that they pay a dividend. Again, they don\u2019t have to be a member of the elite Dividend Aristocrats club, but they should be growing their payout. Lastly, their long-term debt should be insignificant. For me, that\u2019s less than 10% of the market cap. In addition, it would be nice if they had more than $100 million in free cash flow to invest in the business. So, who are these best blue chips poised for growth? Well, for starters, they\u2019re stocks from three different sectors. Secondly, at least one of them won\u2019t be a mega-cap and will have a market cap of less than $25 billion. Fastenal (FAST) Source: Eyesonmilan / Shutterstock.com I\u2019ve been a Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) fan for years. Recently, I included FAST in a group of seven stocks to own in February 2021. The first time I wrote about the industrial distributor was in March 2012. I was thumbs down on the stock suggesting it was overpriced at 25x earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA). Today, its EV/EBITDA is 18.69x, less than its five-year average. So, suppose you buy Fastenal at current prices. In that case, you\u2019re getting shares in a company with a trailing 12-month free cash flow of $767.2 million [cash flow], total debt of $648.1 million, or 2.1% of its $30.8 billion market cap, and generating a 2.6% dividend yield. Year-to-date, Fastenal\u2019s stock\u2019s up nearly 14%, 431 basis points higher than the index. So over the past five years, it\u2019s almost doubled the index\u2019s performance. As businesses go, you can\u2019t get much more blue-chip than Fastenal. Robert Half International (RHI) Source: Casimiro PT / Shutterstock.com Robert Half International (NYSE:RHI) was one of the first human resource consulting firms. It started in 1948 when Bob Half looked to connect job seekers with companies with open positions. The company got a new executive officer on May 17 when it announced Joseph Tarantino as an executive officer of Robert Half. Tarantino has been CEO of its Protiviti division since 2007. It now generates close to $2 billion in annual revenue and accounts for nearly 30% of the company\u2019s overall revenue. In late April, it released its first-quarter results. Revenues were $1.72 billion, 5.4% lower than Q1 2022. On the bottom line, it earned $122.0 million, 27.5% less than a year earlier. The big winner in the quarter was Protiviti, whose revenues grew 4.6% to $494.1 million. \u201cProtiviti led the way with its 22nd consecutive quarter of year-over-year revenue growth. Talent solutions performed well against a backdrop of client hiring caution and tight labor markets,\u201d stated CEO Keith Waddell. Robert Half\u2019s trailing 12-month free cash flow is $624.6 million [key ratios]; it has no debt and a 3.0% dividend yield. Philip Morris International (PM) Source: vfhnb12 / Shutterstock.com Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) stock has underperformed in 2023, down more than 11% YTD. However, when it yields more than 5.6%, capital appreciation isn\u2019t nearly as necessary for a successful investment. Philip Morris CEO Jacek Olczak told the Financial Times that he sees the company becoming an ESG stock ESG stock very soon. That\u2019s because its smokeless vape products now account for a third of the company\u2019s revenue, and more analysts are sniffing around. \u201cI\u2019m not saying that they are building a position in Philip Morris \u2026 but the asset managers will not spend the time on talking with you if they don\u2019t have in mind that one day is coming that they should reconsider the exclusion [policy],\u201d Olczak told FT in an interview, CNN Business reported. The CEO argues that the world needs to push to eliminate cigarettes by making healthier alternatives \u2014 especially those made by Philip Morris \u2014 easily accessible to consumers. While earnings were down in the first quarter \u2014 $2.0 billion compared to $2.33 billion a year earlier \u2013 they were still more than 10% of its revenue. Get paid to wait for its next leg up. On the date of publication, Will Ashworth did not have (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.com Publishing Guidelines. Will Ashworth has written about investments full-time since 2008. Publications where he\u2019s appeared include InvestorPlace, The Motley Fool Canada, Investopedia, Kiplinger, and several others in both the U.S. and Canada. He particularly enjoys creating model portfolios that stand the test of time. He lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The post 3 Cheap Blue-Chip Stocks to Buy Before They Rebound appeared first on InvestorPlace. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2023-06-06,53.92,54.47,53.15,53.96,
FAST,2023-06-07,53.8,54.21,52.86,53.94,"[""Fastenal's (FAST) Average Daily Sales Increase 5.2% in May Fastenal Company FAST recently released its May sales report, wherein average daily sales grew 5.2% to $29.5 million, moderating from 7.8% growth In April 2023. The metric had witnessed 17.6% growth in May 2022. Net sales in May 2023 were $649 million, reflecting an increase of 10.2% year over year. May 2023 had 22 business days compared with 21 days in May 2022, which added 4.8% to the sales growth. Currency fluctuations had a negative impact of 0.4% on May\u2019s daily sales growth. Daily sales on a seasonal basis were up 0.7% compared with the company\u2019s benchmark (historical five-year average) of 2.7%, which is 200 basis points below the company\u2019s historical seasonal benchmark. Shares of Fastenal lost 2.4% during the trading session on May 6 but gained 1.6% during the after-hour trading session. End-Market Perspective, Product Lines & Customers From an end-market perspective, manufacturing sales improved 9.7% for the month, decelerating from 22.4% growth a year ago. Non-residential construction dropped 9.5% versus a 10.7% increase reported in May 2022. The average daily sales growth rate in non-residential and manufacturing end markets also decelerated in May from the prior month. Fastenal derives sales from Fasteners, Safety and other product lines. Fasteners witnessed a 0.6% decline in sales last month against 20% growth in the year-ago period. Safety products grew 6.8% in May 2023 compared with a rise of 15.6% a year ago. In May 2023, Other categories improved 9% compared with 16.1% increase a year ago. Geographically, sales in the United States grew 4% (compared with 19.1% a year ago), while Canada/Mexico grew 14% (compared with 14.7%). Rest of World sales declined to 1.7% compared with a 5.8% drop registered in the year-ago period. In terms of customer/channel, National account daily sales growth advanced 9% in May from a year ago, given the fact that 71% of the top 100 accounts and 52% of public branches are expanding. Yet, non-national accounts showed no growth year over year for the month. In the year-ago period, daily sales growth in non-national accounts was up 12% year over year. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Shares of the company have outperformed the industry this year so far. Although daily sales have moderated sequentially because of a potentially slower macro environment, we believe this Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) company is well-positioned to navigate through these challenges, given cost-control efforts and focus on e-commerce business. The company\u2019s industrial markets have been slowing down broadly due to reduced customer spending. Despite tough year-ago comparisons, Fastenal\u2019s decent number of large customers, its leverage in its digital strategy, onsite/offsite mix and market share gains across its product categories are expected to drive growth. Other Top-Ranked Stocks From the Zacks Retail and Wholesale Sector MercadoLibre, Inc. MELI: It presently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). MELI has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 35%, on average. Shares of MELI have gained 48.2% this past year. You can see the complete list of today\u2019s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here The Zacks Consensus Estimate for MELI\u2019s 2023 sales and earnings per share (EPS) indicates a rise of 27.6% and 75%, respectively, from the year-ago period\u2019s levels. Abercrombie & Fitch Co. ANF: It presently flaunts a Zacks Rank #1. The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 480.6%, on average. Shares of ANF have increased 42.8% this year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for ANF\u2019s 2023 sales and EPS indicates a rise of 3.4% and 660%, respectively, from the year-ago period\u2019s levels. Builders FirstSource BLDR: It currently sports a Zacks Rank #1. The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 68.3%, on average. Shares of BLDR have increased 91% this year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for BLDR\u2019s 2023 earnings has increased to $9.62 per share from $7.21 over the past 30 days. Infrastructure Stock Boom to Sweep America A massive push to rebuild the crumbling U.S. infrastructure will soon be underway. It\u2019s bipartisan, urgent, and inevitable. Trillions will be spent. Fortunes will be made. The only question is \u201cWill you get into the right stocks early when their growth potential is greatest?\u201d Zacks has released a Special Report to help you do just that, and today it\u2019s free. Discover 5 special companies that look to gain the most from construction and repair to roads, bridges, and buildings, plus cargo hauling and energy transformation on an almost unimaginable scale. Download FREE: How To Profit From Trillions On Spending For Infrastructure >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report Abercrombie & Fitch Company (ANF) : Free Stock Analysis Report Builders FirstSource, Inc. (BLDR) : Free Stock Analysis Report MercadoLibre, Inc. (MELI) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Why This 1 Growth Stock Could Be a Great Addition to Your Portfolio For new and old investors, taking full advantage of the stock market and investing with confidence are common goals. Zacks Premium provides lots of different ways to do both. The popular research service can help you become a smarter, more self-assured investor, giving you access to daily updates of the Zacks Rank and Zacks Industry Rank, the Zacks #1 Rank List, Equity Research reports, and Premium stock screens. It also includes access to the Zacks Style Scores. What are the Zacks Style Scores? The Zacks Style Scores, developed alongside the Zacks Rank, are complementary indicators that rate stocks based on three widely-followed investing methodologies; they also help investors pick stocks with the best chances of beating the market over the next 30 days. Each stock is given an alphabetic rating of A, B, C, D or F based on their value, growth, and momentum qualities. With this system, an A is better than a B, a B is better than a C, and so on, meaning the better the score, the better chance the stock will outperform. The Style Scores are broken down into four categories: Value Score Finding good stocks at good prices, and discovering which companies are trading under their true value, are what value investors like to focus on. So, the Value Style Score takes into account ratios like P/E, PEG, Price/Sales, Price/Cash Flow, and a host of other multiples to highlight the most attractive and discounted stocks. Growth Score Growth investors, on the other hand, are more concerned with a company's financial strength and health, and its future outlook. The Growth Style Score examines things like projected and historic earnings, sales, and cash flow to find stocks that will experience sustainable growth over time. Momentum Score Momentum trading is all about taking advantage of upward or downward trends in a stock's price or earnings outlook, and these investors live by the saying \""the trend is your friend.\"" The Momentum Style Score can pinpoint good times to build a position in a stock, using factors like one-week price change and the monthly percentage change in earnings estimates. VGM Score If you want a combination of all three Style Scores, then the VGM Score will be your friend. It rates each stock on their combined weighted styles, helping you find the companies with the most attractive value, best growth forecast, and most promising momentum. It's also one of the best indicators to use with the Zacks Rank. How Style Scores Work with the Zacks Rank The Zacks Rank, which is a proprietary stock-rating model, employs earnings estimate revisions, or changes to a company's earnings expectations, to make building a winning portfolio easier. It's highly successful, with #1 (Strong Buy) stocks producing an unmatched +25.41% average annual return since 1988. That's more than double the S&P 500. But because of the large number of stocks we rate, there are over 200 companies with a Strong Buy rank, plus another 600 with a #2 (Buy) rank, on any given day. With more than 800 top-rated stocks to choose from, it can certainly feel overwhelming to pick the ones that are right for you and your investing journey. That's where the Style Scores come in. You want to make sure you're buying stocks with the highest likelihood of success, and to do that, you'll need to pick stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 or #2 that also have Style Scores of A or B. If you like a stock that only as a #3 (Hold) rank, it should also have Scores of A or B to guarantee as much upside potential as possible. The direction of a stock's earnings estimate revisions should always be a key factor when choosing which stocks to buy, since the Scores were created to work together with the Zacks Rank. A stock with a #4 (Sell) or #5 (Strong Sell) rating, for instance, even one with Scores of A and B, will still have a declining earnings forecast, and a greater chance its share price will fall too. Thus, the more stocks you own with a #1 or #2 Rank and Scores of A or B, the better. Stock to Watch: Fastenal (FAST) Based in Winona, MN, Fastenal Company is a national wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies. The company distributes its products through more than 3,200 company-owned stores mostly located in North America. FAST is a #2 (Buy) on the Zacks Rank, with a VGM Score of A. Additionally, the company could be a top pick for growth investors. FAST has a Growth Style Score of A, forecasting year-over-year earnings growth of 4.8% for the current fiscal year. Eight analysts revised their earnings estimate upwards in the last 60 days for fiscal 2023. The Zacks Consensus Estimate has increased $0.03 to $1.98 per share. FAST boasts an average earnings surprise of 3.2%. With a solid Zacks Rank and top-tier Growth and VGM Style Scores, FAST should be on investors' short list. Infrastructure Stock Boom to Sweep America A massive push to rebuild the crumbling U.S. infrastructure will soon be underway. It\u2019s bipartisan, urgent, and inevitable. Trillions will be spent. Fortunes will be made. The only question is \u201cWill you get into the right stocks early when their growth potential is greatest?\u201d Zacks has released a Special Report to help you do just that, and today it\u2019s free. Discover 5 special companies that look to gain the most from construction and repair to roads, bridges, and buildings, plus cargo hauling and energy transformation on an almost unimaginable scale. Download FREE: How To Profit From Trillions On Spending For Infrastructure >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2023-06-08,53.94,54.54,53.65,54.47,
FAST,2023-06-09,54.57,54.955,54.12,54.77,
FAST,2023-06-12,54.88,55.28,54.48,55.16,"Fastenal (FAST) Gains But Lags Market: What You Should Know Fastenal (FAST) closed at $55.16 in the latest trading session, marking a +0.71% move from the prior day. This change lagged the S&P 500's 0.93% gain on the day. Meanwhile, the Dow gained 0.56%, and the Nasdaq, a tech-heavy index, added 1.71%. Heading into today, shares of the maker of industrial and construction fasteners had gained 0.05% over the past month, lagging the Retail-Wholesale sector's gain of 3.91% and the S&P 500's gain of 4.61% in that time. Fastenal will be looking to display strength as it nears its next earnings release. In that report, analysts expect Fastenal to post earnings of $0.52 per share. This would mark year-over-year growth of 4%. Meanwhile, our latest consensus estimate is calling for revenue of $1.89 billion, up 6.12% from the prior-year quarter. FAST's full-year Zacks Consensus Estimates are calling for earnings of $1.98 per share and revenue of $7.35 billion. These results would represent year-over-year changes of +4.76% and +5.35%, respectively. Investors might also notice recent changes to analyst estimates for Fastenal. These recent revisions tend to reflect the evolving nature of short-term business trends. As a result, we can interpret positive estimate revisions as a good sign for the company's business outlook. Based on our research, we believe these estimate revisions are directly related to near-team stock moves. We developed the Zacks Rank to capitalize on this phenomenon. Our system takes these estimate changes into account and delivers a clear, actionable rating model. The Zacks Rank system ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell). It has a remarkable, outside-audited track record of success, with #1 stocks delivering an average annual return of +25% since 1988. The Zacks Consensus EPS estimate remained stagnant within the past month. Fastenal is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy). In terms of valuation, Fastenal is currently trading at a Forward P/E ratio of 27.62. For comparison, its industry has an average Forward P/E of 12.07, which means Fastenal is trading at a premium to the group. It is also worth noting that FAST currently has a PEG ratio of 3.07. The PEG ratio is similar to the widely-used P/E ratio, but this metric also takes the company's expected earnings growth rate into account. Building Products - Retail stocks are, on average, holding a PEG ratio of 1.89 based on yesterday's closing prices. The Building Products - Retail industry is part of the Retail-Wholesale sector. This group has a Zacks Industry Rank of 24, putting it in the top 10% of all 250+ industries. The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1. Make sure to utilize Zacks.com to follow all of these stock-moving metrics, and more, in the coming trading sessions. 5 Stocks Set to Double Each was handpicked by a Zacks expert as the #1 favorite stock to gain +100% or more in 2021. Previous recommendations have soared +143.0%, +175.9%, +498.3% and +673.0%. Most of the stocks in this report are flying under Wall Street radar, which provides a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor. Today, See These 5 Potential Home Runs >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-06-13,55.55,56.27,55.34,56.13,"First Week of FAST June 16th Options Trading Investors in Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) saw new options become available this week, for the June 16th expiration. At Stock Options Channel, our YieldBoost formula has looked up and down the FAST options chain for the new June 16th contracts and identified the following put contract of particular interest. The put contract at the $55.00 strike price has a current bid of 15 cents. If an investor was to sell-to-open that put contract, they are committing to purchase the stock at $55.00, but will also collect the premium, putting the cost basis of the shares at $54.85 (before broker commissions). To an investor already interested in purchasing shares of FAST, that could represent an attractive alternative to paying $56.04/share today. Because the $55.00 strike represents an approximate 2% discount to the current trading price of the stock (in other words it is out-of-the-money by that percentage), there is also the possibility that the put contract would expire worthless. The current analytical data (including greeks and implied greeks) suggest the current odds of that happening are 78%. Stock Options Channel will track those odds over time to see how they change, publishing a chart of those numbers on our website under the contract detail page for this contract. Should the contract expire worthless, the premium would represent a 0.27% return on the cash commitment, or 33.18% annualized — at Stock Options Channel we call this the YieldBoost. Below is a chart showing the trailing twelve month trading history for Fastenal Co., and highlighting in green where the $55.00 strike is located relative to that history: The implied volatility in the put contract example above is 32%. Meanwhile, we calculate the actual trailing twelve month volatility (considering the last 251 trading day closing values as well as today's price of $56.04) to be 27%. For more put and call options contract ideas worth looking at, visit StockOptionsChannel.com. Top YieldBoost Puts of the Nasdaq 100 » Also see: • Gold Dividend Stocks • CNC market cap history • Top Ten Hedge Funds Holding BFIX The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-06-14,56.11,56.14,55.075,55.44,"4 Retail Stocks That Appear to be Solid Bets for 2H23 Inflation and recession fears seem to have taken a backseat for the time being with the S&P 500 entering bullish territory. Investors are keeping a close watch on the outcome of the two-day policy meet ending Wednesday. With inflation easing further in May, the probability of a rate hike looks slim. If the Federal Reserve chooses to pause rate hikes for now, it would only add to the positive sentiment prevailing in the market. We note that the consumer price index rose just 0.1% on a sequential basis in the month of May. The index climbed 4% on a year-over-year basis, at a slower rate when compared with April’s reading of 4.9%. Markedly, this was the lowest year-on-year increase since March 2021, when inflation rose 2.6%. What is further elevating investor sentiment is the U.S. labor market. The current job data is defying claims of the economy being in a recessionary mode. The U.S. Labor Department informed that employers added 339,000 jobs last month, surpassing the market’s expectation and higher than April’s upwardly revised reading of 294,000 jobs. Meanwhile, average hourly earnings increased 0.3%, while the same rose 4.3% on an annual basis. If all goes well, the second half of 2023 looks promising. Any improvement in the economy would fill investors with enthusiasm. Investors should place their bets on stocks with strong fundamentals. That said, we have highlighted four stocks from the Retail – Wholesale sector. These stocks have a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Price Performance: Past One Year Image Source: Zacks Investment Research 4 Prominent Picks You may invest in Urban Outfitters, Inc. URBN. This leading lifestyle products and services company seems a promising bet due to its solid business strategies and sound fundamentals. Management has been strengthening its direct-to-consumer business, enhancing productivity across the existing channels and optimizing inventory levels. URBN’s strategic growth initiative, FP Movement, and store-growth endeavors are also impressive. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Urban Outfitters’ current-fiscal sales and EPS suggests growth of 5.1% and 57.1%, respectively, from the year-ago reported figure. This Zacks Rank #1 stock has an estimated long-term earnings growth rate of 18%. URBN has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 12.2%, on average. Investors can count on Abercrombie & Fitch Co. ANF. The company has been making strategic investments across stores, digital and technology to drive top and bottom-line growth. The company also remains on track with its 2025 Always Forward Plan. Moreover, a strong balance sheet allows it to navigate the current macroeconomic environment. This leading, global, omnichannel specialty retailer of apparel and accessories for men, women and kids delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 480.6%, on average. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Abercrombie & Fitch’s current financial-year sales and EPS suggests growth of 3.3% and 732%, respectively, from the year-ago period. ANF presently sports a Zacks Rank #1. Tecnoglass Inc. TGLS is also worth betting on. The company is likely to benefit from stellar demand for single-family residential and multifamily/commercial products. The company is also encouraged by the continued expanding backlog that reflects an increasing number of projects in commercial pipeline with visibility well into 2024. TGLS has been making investments in strategic automation and capacity enhancements. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for TGLS’s current-fiscal sales and EPS suggests growth of 18.1% and 23.8%, respectively, from the year-ago reported figure. This Zacks Rank #1 stock has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 22.7%, on average. Fastenal Company FAST, another potential pick, is the leader in the wholesale distribution of industrial and construction supplies. Despite a slower macro environment and reduced customer spending, Fastenal’s decent large customers, digital strategy, onsite/offsite mix and market share gains across its product categories are expected to drive growth. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Fastenal Company’s current-fiscal sales and EPS suggests growth of 5.4% and 4.8%, respectively, from the year-ago reported figure. This Zacks Rank #2 stock has an estimated long-term earnings growth rate of 9%. FAST delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 3.2%, on average. Zacks Reveals ChatGPT ""Sleeper"" Stock One little-known company is at the heart of an especially brilliant Artificial Intelligence sector. By 2030, the AI industry is predicted to have an internet and iPhone-scale economic impact of $15.7 Trillion. As a service to readers, Zacks is providing a bonus report that names and explains this explosive growth stock and 4 other ""must buys."" Plus more. Download Free ChatGPT Stock Report Right Now >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report Abercrombie & Fitch Company (ANF) : Free Stock Analysis Report Urban Outfitters, Inc. (URBN) : Free Stock Analysis Report Tecnoglass Inc. (TGLS) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-06-15,55.47,56.52,55.185,56.24,"Tales of Stock Compounding: Does It Always Work? (1:00) - The Power of Compounding: How Long Do You Need To Invest? (8:50) - How Warren Buffett’s Neighbors Became Millionaires (17:45) - Stocks With The Power of Compounding (25:05) - Episode Roundup: XOM, BRK.B, MSFT, SHW, FAST Podcast@Zacks.com Welcome to Episode #332 of the Value Investor Podcast. Every week, Tracey Ryniec, the editor of Zacks Value Investor portfolio, shares some of her top value investing tips and stock picks. She has talked about the magical power of compounding on the podcast in the past but wanted to revisit it after reading a Benzinga article about a neighborhood couple of Warren Buffett’s who invested money with him in the 1960s, which grew into millions of dollars. But even in recent years, the Berkshire Hathaway B shares, which are the more affordable shares for retail investors, have been a good performer. Over the last 5 years, Berkshire Hathaway B shares (BRK.B) have outperformed the S&P 500, gaining 75% while the S&P is up 57.3% during that time. But what if you aren’t lucky enough to live down the street from a 35-year-old Warren Buffett and compound your way to riches? Does compounding ANY stock bring about the same magical results? 4 Stocks and 18 Years of Compounding 1. ExxonMobil Corp. (XOM) Tracey has discussed how her grandmother, and her grandmother’s sister, both inherited shares of ExxonMobil from their father in 1972. They both owned shares for decades. Shares of ExxonMobil, however, have not had the returns of Berkshire Hathaway over the decades. From Jan 3, 2005 to June 13, 2023, or 18 years and 4 months, ExxonMobil was up just 112.5%, without dividends reinvested. You basically doubled your money in a little over 18 years. That underperformed both the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq 100. But ExxonMobil is a cyclical and in 2023, it is again cheap, with a forward P/E of 11. It is also a dividend aristocrat, as it has raised its dividend for 41 consecutive years. It is currently yielding 3.46%. Is it time to consider ExxonMobil for the portfolio again? 2. Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) We are all familiar with the Microsoft millionaires from the 1980s and 90s due to the dot-com boom. But what if you bought on Jan 3, 2005, after the dot-com bust, and held through June 13, 2023? 100 shares purchased on Jan 3, 2005 would have cost you $2674. By 2023, it would have been up 1,150% to $33,429. This is without dividends reinvested. Microsoft is now hitting new all-time highs after gaining 45% year-to-date. It’s not a cheap stock on a P/E basis, trading at 35x. Can this rally in Microsoft continue in 2023? 3. The Sherwin-Williams Company (SHW) Don’t rule out the old economy companies when thinking about compounding. If you had bought shares of Sherwin-Williams on Jan 3, 2005 and held until June 13, 2023, or 18 years and 4 months, your money, with dividends reinvested, would have compounded annually at 18.2%, or 2083%. This easily outperformed the S&P 500 which was up just 263.5%, or 7.25% annually. Shares of Sherwin-Williams is up just 5.1% year-to-date however. It’s not cheap with a forward P/E of 28. Is it too late for buy and hold investors to buy Sherwin-Williams? 4. Fastenal (FAST) Fastenal is another old economy company that long-term investors may overlook. It’s a leader in industrial and construction supplies. If you had invested on Jan 3, 2005 and held until June 13, 2023, with dividends reinvested, you’d be up 1,049%, or a 14.16% annual growth rate. Not too shabby for a company that isn’t in the tech industry. Fastenal shares are up 18.9% year-to-date, but are expensive with a forward P/E of 27. Is Fastenal too expensive for value investors? What Else Should You Know About Compounding? Tune into this week’s podcast to find out. [In full disclosure, Tracey owns shares of MSFT in her personal portfolio but, alas, she didn’t buy in the 80s or 90s.] 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days Just released: Experts distill 7 elite stocks from the current list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buys. They deem these tickers ""Most Likely for Early Price Pops."" Since 1988, the full list has beaten the market more than 2X over with an average gain of +24.3% per year. So be sure to give these hand-picked 7 your immediate attention. See them now >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) : Free Stock Analysis Report Exxon Mobil Corporation (XOM) : Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report The Sherwin-Williams Company (SHW) : Free Stock Analysis Report Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRK.B) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-06-16,56.3,57.14,56.09,56.58,"Fastenal (FAST) Gains As Market Dips: What You Should Know In the latest trading session, Fastenal (FAST) closed at $56.58, marking a +0.6% move from the previous day. The stock outpaced the S&P 500's daily loss of 0.37%. Meanwhile, the Dow lost 0.32%, and the Nasdaq, a tech-heavy index, lost 1.18%. Coming into today, shares of the maker of industrial and construction fasteners had gained 1.81% in the past month. In that same time, the Retail-Wholesale sector gained 5.52%, while the S&P 500 gained 7.18%. Fastenal will be looking to display strength as it nears its next earnings release, which is expected to be July 13, 2023. On that day, Fastenal is projected to report earnings of $0.52 per share, which would represent year-over-year growth of 4%. Meanwhile, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenue is projecting net sales of $1.89 billion, up 6.12% from the year-ago period. Looking at the full year, our Zacks Consensus Estimates suggest analysts are expecting earnings of $1.98 per share and revenue of $7.35 billion. These totals would mark changes of +4.76% and +5.35%, respectively, from last year. Investors might also notice recent changes to analyst estimates for Fastenal. These recent revisions tend to reflect the evolving nature of short-term business trends. With this in mind, we can consider positive estimate revisions a sign of optimism about the company's business outlook. Our research shows that these estimate changes are directly correlated with near-term stock prices. Investors can capitalize on this by using the Zacks Rank. This model considers these estimate changes and provides a simple, actionable rating system. The Zacks Rank system, which ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), has an impressive outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks generating an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Within the past 30 days, our consensus EPS projection remained stagnant. Fastenal is holding a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy) right now. Looking at its valuation, Fastenal is holding a Forward P/E ratio of 28.36. For comparison, its industry has an average Forward P/E of 12.37, which means Fastenal is trading at a premium to the group. It is also worth noting that FAST currently has a PEG ratio of 3.15. The PEG ratio is similar to the widely-used P/E ratio, but this metric also takes the company's expected earnings growth rate into account. FAST's industry had an average PEG ratio of 1.93 as of yesterday's close. The Building Products - Retail industry is part of the Retail-Wholesale sector. This group has a Zacks Industry Rank of 22, putting it in the top 9% of all 250+ industries. The Zacks Industry Rank includes is listed in order from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1. To follow FAST in the coming trading sessions, be sure to utilize Zacks.com. Free Report Reveals How You Could Profit from the Growing Electric Vehicle Industry Globally, electric car sales continue their remarkable growth even after breaking records in 2021. High gas prices have fueled his demand, but so has evolving EV comfort, features and technology. So, the fervor for EVs will be around long after gas prices normalize. Not only are manufacturers seeing record-high profits, but producers of EV-related technology are raking in the dough as well. Do you know how to cash in? If not, we have the perfect report for you – and it’s FREE! Today, don't miss your chance to download Zacks' top 5 stocks for the electric vehicle revolution at no cost and with no obligation. >>Send me my free report on the top 5 EV stocks Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-06-20,56.47,56.88,56.29,56.75,"[""4 Stocks Worth Considering as Retail Sales Rise in May Inflation and recession fears seem to have taken a backseat for the time being, as U.S. retail sales again witnessed a positive trend in May. Consumer spending activity, one of the pivotal factors driving the economy, held up well last month, as Americans spent more on motor vehicles and building materials. The Commerce Department reported a sequential increase of 0.3% in U.S. retail and food services sales for May, reaching a total of $686.6 billion. This follows a revised reading of a 0.4% increase registered in April. Impressively, May retail sales rose 1.6% from the year-ago period. Currently, consumers are breathing a sigh of relief, owing to the decisive actions taken by the Federal Reserve to address inflationary headwinds. The Fed\u2019s latest decision to temporarily pause the rate hike has bolstered the positive sentiment in the market. Adding to the already buoyant investor sentiment is the U.S. labor market, the current job data is defying claims of the economy being in a recessionary mode. The U.S. Labor Department informed that employers added 339,000 jobs last month, surpassing the market\u2019s expectation and higher than April\u2019s upwardly revised reading of 294,000 jobs. Furthermore, average hourly earnings increased 0.3%, while the same rose 4.3% on an annual basis. That said, we have highlighted four stocks, Urban Outfitters, Inc. URBN, Abercrombie & Fitch Co. ANF, Tecnoglass Inc. TGLS and Fastenal Company FAST, from the Retail\u2013Wholesale sector. These stocks have a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today\u2019s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Before delving into the stocks, let's take a look at the sales figures across different categories. Category-Wise Sales The Commerce Department\u2019s report suggests that sales at motor vehicle & parts dealers and furniture & home furnishings stores increased 1.4% and 0.4%, respectively, on a sequential basis. Sales at electronics & appliance stores rose 0.2%, while the same at building material & supplies dealers increased 2.2%. Again, sales at non-store retailers were up 0.3%. Sales at food & beverage stores climbed 0.3%, while at food services & drinking places, it grew 0.4%. At sporting goods, hobby, musical instrument, & book stores, sales advanced 0.3%, while the same at general merchandise stores rose 0.4%. Sales at clothing & clothing accessories outlets and health & personal care stores remained flat. The report also indicated a decline of 1% in sales at miscellaneous store retailers. Meanwhile, receipts at gasoline stations were down 2.6%. Price Performance: Past One Year Image Source: Zacks Investment Research 4 Prominent Picks You may invest in Urban Outfitters. This leading lifestyle products and services company seems a promising bet due to its solid business strategies and sound fundamentals. Management has been strengthening its direct-to-consumer business, enhancing productivity across the existing channels and optimizing inventory levels. URBN\u2019s strategic growth initiative, FP Movement, and store-growth endeavors are also impressive. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Urban Outfitters\u2019 current-fiscal sales and EPS suggests growth of 5.1% and 57.1%, respectively, from the year-ago reported figure. This Zacks Rank #1 stock has an estimated long-term earnings growth rate of 18%. URBN has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 12.2%, on average. Investors can count on Abercrombie & Fitch. The company has been making strategic investments across stores, digital and technology to drive top and bottom-line growth. The company also remains on track with its 2025 Always Forward Plan. Moreover, a strong balance sheet allows it to navigate the current macroeconomic environment. This leading, global, omnichannel specialty retailer of apparel and accessories for men, women and kids delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 480.6%, on average. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Abercrombie & Fitch\u2019s current financial-year sales and EPS suggests growth of 3.4% and 732%, respectively, from the year-ago period. ANF presently sports a Zacks Rank #1. Tecnoglass is also worth betting on. The company is likely to benefit from stellar demand for single-family residential and multifamily/commercial products. The company is also encouraged by the continued expanding backlog that reflects an increasing number of projects in commercial pipeline with visibility well into 2024. TGLS has been making investments in strategic automation and capacity enhancements. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for TGLS\u2019s current-fiscal sales and EPS suggests growth of 18.2% and 25%, respectively, from the year-ago reported figure. This Zacks Rank #1 stock has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 22.7%, on average. Fastenal Company, another potential pick, is the leader in the wholesale distribution of industrial and construction supplies. Despite a slower macro environment and reduced customer spending, Fastenal\u2019s decent large customers, digital strategy, onsite/offsite mix and market share gains across its product categories are expected to drive growth. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Fastenal Company\u2019s current-fiscal sales and EPS suggests growth of 5.4% and 4.8%, respectively, from the year-ago reported figure. This Zacks Rank #2 stock has an estimated long-term earnings growth rate of 9%. FAST delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 3.2%, on average. Free Report: Must-See Hydrogen Stocks Hydrogen fuel cells are already used to provide efficient, ultra-clean energy to buses, ships and even hospitals. This technology is on the verge of a massive breakthrough, one that could make hydrogen a major source of America's power. It could even totally revolutionize the EV industry. Zacks has released a special report revealing the 4 stocks experts believe will deliver the biggest gains. Download Cashing In on Cleaner Energy today, absolutely free. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report Abercrombie & Fitch Company (ANF) : Free Stock Analysis Report Urban Outfitters, Inc. (URBN) : Free Stock Analysis Report Tecnoglass Inc. (TGLS) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Beat the Market Like Zacks: NVIDIA, VirTra, Rockwell Medical in Focus All three most widely followed indexes closed last week in the green. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite advanced 1.3%, 2.6% and 3.3%, respectively. For the tech-heavy Nasdaq, this marked the eighth consecutive winning week. Stocks did well throughout the week on the back of encouraging inflation numbers and the Fed\u2019s much anticipated rate-hike pause. However, during the latter part of the week, the market pared some of the gains it had made earlier as cautionary comments made by Fed officials started to sink in. The rate-hike cycle might have come to an end as of now, but it is still likely to be resumed at the next Fed FOMC meeting. In fact, there is a majoritarian view that the central bank would indeed re-embark on its path of policy-tightening from its next meeting. A few officials have suggested that there would be at least another half a percentage point hike before the year ends. They have also warned that although headline inflation is definitively coming down, core inflation is not. Regardless of market conditions, we, here at Zacks, provide investors with unbiased guidance on how to beat the market. As usual, Zacks Research guided investors over the past three months with its time-tested methodologies. Given the prevailing market uncertainty, you may want to look at our feats to prepare better for your next action. Here are some of our key achievements: Rockwell Medical and VirTra Surge Following Zacks Rank Upgrade Shares of Rockwell Medical, Inc. RMTI have soared 129.4% (versus the S&P 500\u2019s 8.5% increase) since it was upgraded to a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) on April 5. Another stock, VirTra, Inc. VTSI, which was upgraded to a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) on April 4, has returned 41.9% (versus the S&P 500\u2019s 7.9% increase) since then. Zacks Rank, our short-term rating system, has earnings estimate revisions at its core. Empirical research shows a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and near-term stock price movements. This stock-rating system, which uses four factors related to earnings estimates to classify stocks into five groups, ranging from Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) to Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell), has an impressive externally audited track record, with Zacks Rank #1 stocks generating an average annual return of +24.8% since 1988.You can see the complete list of today\u2019s Zacks Rank #1 stocks here >>> A hypothetical portfolio of Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stocks returned +2.7% this year (through May 15th) vs. +7.69% for the S&P 500 index. Check Rockwell Medical\u2019s historical EPS and Sales here>>> Check VirTra\u2019s historical EPS and Sales here>>> Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Zacks Recommendation Upgrade Drives Lisata and Unum Higher Shares of Lisata Therapeutics, Inc. LSTA and Unum Group UNM have advanced 23.3% (versus the S&P 500\u2019s 8.3% rise) and 13.4% (versus the S&P 500\u2019s 7.4% increase), respectively, since their Zacks Recommendation was upgraded to Outperform on April 3 and April 17, respectively. While the Zacks Rank is our short-term rating system that is most effective over the one- to three-month holding horizon, the Zacks Recommendation aims to predict performance over the next 6 to 12 months. However, just like the Zacks Rank, the foundation for the Zacks Recommendation is trends in earnings estimate revisions. The Zacks Recommendation classifies stocks into three groups \u2014 Outperform, Neutral and Underperform. While these recommendations are determined quantitatively, our analysts have the flexibility to override them for the 1100+ stocks they closely follow based on their better judgment of factors such as valuation, industry conditions and management effectiveness than the quantitative model. To access our research reports with Zacks Recommendations for the 1100+ stocks we cover, click here>>> Zacks Focus List Stocks NVIDIA, Shopify Shoot Up Shares of NVIDIA Corporation NVDA, which belongs to the Zacks Focus List, have risen 57% over the past 12 weeks. The stock was added to the Focus List on May 20, 2019. Another Focus-List holding, Shopify Inc. SHOP, which was added to the portfolio on September 6, 2022, has returned 41.3% over the past 12 weeks. The S&P 500 has gained 11.3% over this period. The Zacks Focus List is a model portfolio of 50 hand-picked stocks that possess the right fundamental ingredients to outperform the market over the next 12 months. These 50 stocks are picked from a long list of stocks with the highest Zacks Rank. The 50-stock Zacks Focus List model portfolio returned +9.14% in 2023 (through May 31st) vs. +9.64% for the S&P 500 index. In 2022, the portfolio produced -15.2% vs. the S&P 500 index\u2019s -17.96%. Since 2004, the Focus List portfolio has produced an annualized return of +10.75% through May 31st, 2023. This compares to a +9.2% annualized return for the S&P 500 index in the same time period. Unlock all of our powerful research, tools and analysis, including the Focus List, Zacks #1 Rank List, Equity Research Reports, Zacks Earnings ESP Filter, Premium Screener and more, as part of Zacks Premium. Gain full access now >> Zacks ECAP Stocks McCormick and AmerisourceBergen Make Significant Gains McCormick & Company MKC, a component of our Earnings Certain Admiral Portfolio (ECAP), has jumped 30.1% over the past 12 weeks. AmerisourceBergen Corporation ABC has followed McCormick with 21.3% returns. ECAP, which consists of 30 concentrated, ultra-defensive, long-term Buy and Hold stocks, returned +3.05% in 2023 (through May 31st) vs. +9.64% for the S&P 500 index. The portfolio returned -4.7% in 2022 vs. the S&P 500 index\u2019s -17.96%. With little to no turnover and annual rebalance periodicity, the ECAP seeks to minimize capital loss by holding shares of companies whose earnings streams exhibit a proven 20+ year track record of surviving recessionary periods with minimal impact on aggregate earnings growth relative to the overall S&P 500. The ECAP and many other model portfolios are available as part of Zacks Advisor Tools, a cloud-based solution to access Zacks award-winning stock, mutual fund and ETF research. Click here to schedule a demo. Zacks ECDP Stocks Intercontinental Exchange and Fastenal Outperform Peers Intercontinental Exchange ICE, which is part of our Earnings Certain Dividend Portfolio (ECDP), has returned 15.7% over the past 12 weeks. Another ECDP stock, Fastenal Company FAST, has climbed 9.4% over the same time frame. Of course, the inclination of investors toward quality dividend stocks to secure an income stream amid heightened market volatility contributed to this performance. Check Intercontinental\u2019s dividend history here>>> Check Fastenals\u2019 dividend history here>>> With an extremely low Beta and a history of minimum earnings variability over the last 20+ years, this 25-stock portfolio helps significantly mitigate risk. ECDP returned -3.2% in 2023 (through May 31st) vs. +9.64% for the S&P 500 index and +1.39% for the ProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF NOBL. The portfolio returned -2.3% in 2022 vs. -17.96% for the S&P 500 index and -8.34% for NOBL. Click here to access this portfolio on Zacks Advisor Tools. Celsius Makes It Into The Zacks Top 10 Stocks Celsius Holdings, Inc. CELH, from the Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2023, has gained 39.1% year to date, which compares to a 15.7% gain for the S&P 500 Index. The portfolio returned +7.12% through the end of May 2023 vs. +9.64% for the S&P 500 (the equal-weighted index, a more appropriate benchmark returned -0.63% in the same time period). The portfolio returned -15.8% in 2022 vs. -18.1% for the S&P 500 index. Since 2012, the Top 10 portfolio has generated an annualized return of +22.4% vs. +12.5% for the S&P 500 index. Since the start of 2012, the Zacks Top 10 Stocks delivered a cumulative return of 827.6% through the end of 2022 versus a 265% cumulative return for the S&P 500 Index. Free Report: Must-See Hydrogen Stocks Hydrogen fuel cells are already used to provide efficient, ultra-clean energy to buses, ships and even hospitals. This technology is on the verge of a massive breakthrough, one that could make hydrogen a major source of America's power. It could even totally revolutionize the EV industry. Zacks has released a special report revealing the 4 stocks experts believe will deliver the biggest gains. Download Cashing In on Cleaner Energy today, absolutely free. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Intercontinental Exchange Inc. (ICE) : Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA) : Free Stock Analysis Report AmerisourceBergen Corporation (ABC) : Free Stock Analysis Report Unum Group (UNM) : Free Stock Analysis Report McCormick & Company, Incorporated (MKC) : Free Stock Analysis Report Rockwell Medical, Inc. (RMTI) : Free Stock Analysis Report Shopify Inc. (SHOP) : Free Stock Analysis Report ProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF (NOBL): ETF Research Reports VirTra, Inc. (VTSI) : Free Stock Analysis Report Celsius Holdings Inc. (CELH) : Free Stock Analysis Report Lisata Therapeutics, Inc. (LSTA) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2023-06-21,56.7,57.77,56.37,57.64,"[""Fastenal Company (FAST) is Attracting Investor Attention: Here is What You Should Know Fastenal (FAST) has been one of the most searched-for stocks on Zacks.com lately. So, you might want to look at some of the facts that could shape the stock's performance in the near term. Shares of this maker of industrial and construction fasteners have returned +4.5% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +4.9% change. The Zacks Building Products - Retail industry, to which Fastenal belongs, has gained 4.5% over this period. Now the key question is: Where could the stock be headed in the near term? Although media reports or rumors about a significant change in a company's business prospects usually cause its stock to trend and lead to an immediate price change, there are always certain fundamental factors that ultimately drive the buy-and-hold decision. Revisions to Earnings Estimates Rather than focusing on anything else, we at Zacks prioritize evaluating the change in a company's earnings projection. This is because we believe the fair value for its stock is determined by the present value of its future stream of earnings. Our analysis is essentially based on how sell-side analysts covering the stock are revising their earnings estimates to take the latest business trends into account. When earnings estimates for a company go up, the fair value for its stock goes up as well. And when a stock's fair value is higher than its current market price, investors tend to buy the stock, resulting in its price moving upward. Because of this, empirical studies indicate a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and short-term stock price movements. For the current quarter, Fastenal is expected to post earnings of $0.52 per share, indicating a change of +4% from the year-ago quarter. The Zacks Consensus Estimate has changed -0.5% over the last 30 days. For the current fiscal year, the consensus earnings estimate of $1.98 points to a change of +4.8% from the prior year. Over the last 30 days, this estimate has remained unchanged. For the next fiscal year, the consensus earnings estimate of $2.09 indicates a change of +5.3% from what Fastenal is expected to report a year ago. Over the past month, the estimate has remained unchanged. Having a strong externally audited track record, our proprietary stock rating tool, the Zacks Rank, offers a more conclusive picture of a stock's price direction in the near term, since it effectively harnesses the power of earnings estimate revisions. Due to the size of the recent change in the consensus estimate, along with three other factors related to earnings estimates, Fastenal is rated Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). The chart below shows the evolution of the company's forward 12-month consensus EPS estimate: 12 Month EPS Projected Revenue Growth While earnings growth is arguably the most superior indicator of a company's financial health, nothing happens as such if a business isn't able to grow its revenues. After all, it's nearly impossible for a company to increase its earnings for an extended period without increasing its revenues. So, it's important to know a company's potential revenue growth. In the case of Fastenal, the consensus sales estimate of $1.89 billion for the current quarter points to a year-over-year change of +6.1%. The $7.35 billion and $7.77 billion estimates for the current and next fiscal years indicate changes of +5.4% and +5.6%, respectively. Last Reported Results and Surprise History Fastenal reported revenues of $1.86 billion in the last reported quarter, representing a year-over-year change of +9.1%. EPS of $0.52 for the same period compares with $0.47 a year ago. Compared to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.84 billion, the reported revenues represent a surprise of +0.92%. The EPS surprise was +6.12%. Over the last four quarters, Fastenal surpassed consensus EPS estimates three times. The company topped consensus revenue estimates three times over this period. Valuation Without considering a stock's valuation, no investment decision can be efficient. In predicting a stock's future price performance, it's crucial to determine whether its current price correctly reflects the intrinsic value of the underlying business and the company's growth prospects. Comparing the current value of a company's valuation multiples, such as its price-to-earnings (P/E), price-to-sales (P/S), and price-to-cash flow (P/CF), to its own historical values helps ascertain whether its stock is fairly valued, overvalued, or undervalued, whereas comparing the company relative to its peers on these parameters gives a good sense of how reasonable its stock price is. As part of the Zacks Style Scores system, the Zacks Value Style Score (which evaluates both traditional and unconventional valuation metrics) organizes stocks into five groups ranging from A to F (A is better than B; B is better than C; and so on), making it helpful in identifying whether a stock is overvalued, rightly valued, or temporarily undervalued. Fastenal is graded C on this front, indicating that it is trading at par with its peers. Click here to see the values of some of the valuation metrics that have driven this grade. Bottom Line The facts discussed here and much other information on Zacks.com might help determine whether or not it's worthwhile paying attention to the market buzz about Fastenal. However, its Zacks Rank #2 does suggest that it may outperform the broader market in the near term. Top 5 ChatGPT Stocks Revealed Zacks Senior Stock Strategist, Kevin Cook names 5 hand-picked stocks with sky-high growth potential in a brilliant sector of Artificial Intelligence. By 2030, the AI industry is predicted to have an internet and iPhone-scale economic impact of $15.7 Trillion. Today you can invest in the wave of the future, an automation that answers follow-up questions \u2026 admits mistakes \u2026 challenges incorrect premises \u2026 rejects inappropriate requests. As one of the selected companies puts it, \u201cAutomation frees people from the mundane so they can accomplish the miraculous.\u201d Download Free ChatGPT Stock Report Right Now >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights Urban Outfitters, Abercrombie & Fitch, Tecnoglass and Fastenal For Immediate Release Chicago, IL \u2013 June 21, 2023 \u2013 Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: Urban Outfitters, Inc. URBN, Abercrombie & Fitch Co. ANF, Tecnoglass Inc. TGLS and Fastenal Co. FAST. Here are highlights from Tuesday\u2019s Analyst Blog: 4 Stocks Worth Considering as Retail Sales Rise in May Inflation and recession fears seem to have taken a backseat for the time being, as U.S. retail sales again witnessed a positive trend in May. Consumer spending activity, one of the pivotal factors driving the economy, held up well last month, as Americans spent more on motor vehicles and building materials. The Commerce Department reported a sequential increase of 0.3% in U.S. retail and food services sales for May, reaching a total of $686.6 billion. This follows a revised reading of a 0.4% increase registered in April. Impressively, May retail sales rose 1.6% from the year-ago period. Currently, consumers are breathing a sigh of relief, owing to the decisive actions taken by the Federal Reserve to address inflationary headwinds. The Fed\u2019s latest decision to temporarily pause the rate hike has bolstered the positive sentiment in the market. Adding to the already buoyant investor sentiment is the U.S. labor market, the current job data is defying claims of the economy being in a recessionary mode. The U.S. Labor Department informed that employers added 339,000 jobs last month, surpassing the market\u2019s expectation and higher than April\u2019s upwardly revised reading of 294,000 jobs. Furthermore, average hourly earnings increased 0.3%, while the same rose 4.3% on an annual basis. That said, we have highlighted four stocks, Urban Outfitters, Inc., Abercrombie & Fitch Co., Tecnoglass Inc. and Fastenal Co., from the Retail\u2013Wholesale sector. These stocks have a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today\u2019s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Before delving into the stocks, let's take a look at the sales figures across different categories. Category-Wise Sales The Commerce Department\u2019s report suggests that sales at motor vehicle & parts dealers and furniture & home furnishings stores increased 1.4% and 0.4%, respectively, on a sequential basis. Sales at electronics & appliance stores rose 0.2%, while the same at building material & supplies dealers increased 2.2%. Again, sales at non-store retailers were up 0.3%. Sales at food & beverage stores climbed 0.3%, while at food services & drinking places, it grew 0.4%. At sporting goods, hobby, musical instrument, & book stores, sales advanced 0.3%, while the same at general merchandise stores rose 0.4%. Sales at clothing & clothing accessories outlets and health & personal care stores remained flat. The report also indicated a decline of 1% in sales at miscellaneous store retailers. Meanwhile, receipts at gasoline stations were down 2.6%. 4 Prominent Picks You may invest in Urban Outfitters. This leading lifestyle products and services company seems a promising bet due to its solid business strategies and sound fundamentals. Management has been strengthening its direct-to-consumer business, enhancing productivity across the existing channels and optimizing inventory levels. URBN\u2019s strategic growth initiative, FP Movement, and store-growth endeavors are also impressive. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Urban Outfitters\u2019 current-fiscal sales and EPS suggests growth of 5.1% and 57.1%, respectively, from the year-ago reported figure. This Zacks Rank #1 stock has an estimated long-term earnings growth rate of 18%. URBN has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 12.2%, on average. Investors can count on Abercrombie & Fitch. The company has been making strategic investments across stores, digital and technology to drive top and bottom-line growth. The company also remains on track with its 2025 Always Forward Plan. Moreover, a strong balance sheet allows it to navigate the current macroeconomic environment. This leading, global, omnichannel specialty retailer of apparel and accessories for men, women and kids delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 480.6%, on average. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Abercrombie & Fitch\u2019s current financial-year sales and EPS suggests growth of 3.4% and 732%, respectively, from the year-ago period. ANF presently sports a Zacks Rank #1. Tecnoglass is also worth betting on. The company is likely to benefit from stellar demand for single-family residential and multifamily/commercial products. The company is also encouraged by the continued expanding backlog that reflects an increasing number of projects in the commercial pipeline with visibility well into 2024. TGLS has been making investments in strategic automation and capacity enhancements. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for TGLS\u2019s current fiscal-year sales and EPS suggests growth of 18.2% and 25%, respectively, from the year-ago reported figure. This Zacks Rank #1 stock has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 22.7%, on average. Fastenal Company, another potential pick, is the leader in the wholesale distribution of industrial and construction supplies. Despite a slower macro environment and reduced consumer spending, Fastenal\u2019s decent large customers, digital strategy, onsite/offsite mix and market share gains across its product categories are expected to drive growth. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Fastenal Company\u2019s current-fiscal sales and EPS suggests growth of 5.4% and 4.8%, respectively, from the year-ago reported figure. This Zacks Rank #2 stock has an estimated long-term earnings growth rate of 9%. FAST delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 3.2%, on average. Why Haven\u2019t You Looked at Zacks' Top Stocks? Since 2000, our top stock-picking strategies have blown away the S&P's +6.2 average gain per year. Amazingly, they soared with average gains of +46.4%, +49.5% and +55.2% per year. Today you can access their live picks without cost or obligation. See Stocks Free >> Media Contact Zacks Investment Research 800-767-3771 ext. 9339 support@zacks.com https://www.zacks.com Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release. Top 5 ChatGPT Stocks Revealed Zacks Senior Stock Strategist, Kevin Cook names 5 hand-picked stocks with sky-high growth potential in a brilliant sector of Artificial Intelligence. By 2030, the AI industry is predicted to have an internet and iPhone-scale economic impact of $15.7 Trillion. Today you can invest in the wave of the future, an automation that answers follow-up questions \u2026 admits mistakes \u2026 challenges incorrect premises \u2026 rejects inappropriate requests. As one of the selected companies puts it, \u201cAutomation frees people from the mundane so they can accomplish the miraculous.\u201d Download Free ChatGPT Stock Report Right Now >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report Abercrombie & Fitch Company (ANF) : Free Stock Analysis Report Urban Outfitters, Inc. (URBN) : Free Stock Analysis Report Tecnoglass Inc. (TGLS) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2023-06-22,57.8,57.82,56.8038,56.96,"[""Fastenal (FAST) Stock Sinks As Market Gains: What You Should Know Fastenal (FAST) closed at $56.96 in the latest trading session, marking a -1.18% move from the prior day. This move lagged the S&P 500's daily gain of 0.37%. Meanwhile, the Dow lost 0.01%, and the Nasdaq, a tech-heavy index, lost 1.26%. Prior to today's trading, shares of the maker of industrial and construction fasteners had gained 7.04% over the past month. This has outpaced the Retail-Wholesale sector's gain of 3.11% and the S&P 500's gain of 4.31% in that time. Fastenal will be looking to display strength as it nears its next earnings release, which is expected to be July 13, 2023. In that report, analysts expect Fastenal to post earnings of $0.52 per share. This would mark year-over-year growth of 4%. Our most recent consensus estimate is calling for quarterly revenue of $1.89 billion, up 6.12% from the year-ago period. FAST's full-year Zacks Consensus Estimates are calling for earnings of $1.98 per share and revenue of $7.35 billion. These results would represent year-over-year changes of +4.76% and +5.35%, respectively. Any recent changes to analyst estimates for Fastenal should also be noted by investors. These revisions help to show the ever-changing nature of near-term business trends. As such, positive estimate revisions reflect analyst optimism about the company's business and profitability. Our research shows that these estimate changes are directly correlated with near-term stock prices. To benefit from this, we have developed the Zacks Rank, a proprietary model which takes these estimate changes into account and provides an actionable rating system. Ranging from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), the Zacks Rank system has a proven, outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks returning an average of +25% annually since 1988. The Zacks Consensus EPS estimate remained stagnant within the past month. Fastenal is currently a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). In terms of valuation, Fastenal is currently trading at a Forward P/E ratio of 29.07. This represents a premium compared to its industry's average Forward P/E of 12.76. Investors should also note that FAST has a PEG ratio of 3.23 right now. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. The Building Products - Retail industry currently had an average PEG ratio of 1.95 as of yesterday's close. The Building Products - Retail industry is part of the Retail-Wholesale sector. This industry currently has a Zacks Industry Rank of 22, which puts it in the top 9% of all 250+ industries. The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1. Make sure to utilize Zacks.com to follow all of these stock-moving metrics, and more, in the coming trading sessions. 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days Just released: Experts distill 7 elite stocks from the current list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buys. They deem these tickers \""Most Likely for Early Price Pops.\"" Since 1988, the full list has beaten the market more than 2X over with an average gain of +24.3% per year. So be sure to give these hand-picked 7 your immediate attention. See them now >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Is Fastenal (FAST) Stock Outpacing Its Retail-Wholesale Peers This Year? The Retail-Wholesale group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Has Fastenal (FAST) been one of those stocks this year? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out. Fastenal is a member of our Retail-Wholesale group, which includes 218 different companies and currently sits at #7 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank gauges the strength of our 16 individual sector groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. The Zacks Rank is a proven model that highlights a variety of stocks with the right characteristics to outperform the market over the next one to three months. The system emphasizes earnings estimate revisions and favors companies with improving earnings outlooks. Fastenal is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy). The Zacks Consensus Estimate for FAST's full-year earnings has moved 2.2% higher within the past quarter. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving. Our latest available data shows that FAST has returned about 21.8% since the start of the calendar year. In comparison, Retail-Wholesale companies have returned an average of 12.3%. As we can see, Fastenal is performing better than its sector in the calendar year. One other Retail-Wholesale stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is Hennes & Mauritz AB (HNNMY). The stock is up 34.3% year-to-date. In Hennes & Mauritz AB's case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 10.7% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). Looking more specifically, Fastenal belongs to the Building Products - Retail industry, a group that includes 8 individual stocks and currently sits at #22 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has gained an average of 4.2% so far this year, meaning that FAST is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns. Hennes & Mauritz AB, however, belongs to the Retail - Apparel and Shoes industry. Currently, this 44-stock industry is ranked #191. The industry has moved -5.5% so far this year. Fastenal and Hennes & Mauritz AB could continue their solid performance, so investors interested in Retail-Wholesale stocks should continue to pay close attention to these stocks. 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days Just released: Experts distill 7 elite stocks from the current list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buys. They deem these tickers \""Most Likely for Early Price Pops.\"" Since 1988, the full list has beaten the market more than 2X over with an average gain of +24.3% per year. So be sure to give these hand-picked 7 your immediate attention. See them now >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report Hennes & Mauritz AB (HNNMY) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Lowe's (LOW) Rides High on Growth Strategies: Apt to Hold Lowe's Companies, Inc. LOW appears quite encouraging, thanks to its sturdy growth endeavors. A strong digital base has been aiding the company\u2019s performance for a while now. LOW\u2019s Total Home strategy, including complete solutions for various home improvement needs, also bodes well. The company\u2019s Pro business has also been yielding results. Buoyed by such strengths, the renowned home-improvement retailer\u2019s shares have increased 13% in the past three months compared with the industry\u2019s 8.1% rise. Let\u2019s delve deeper. Strategies in Detail Lowe\u2019s has been making investments in its omnichannel capabilities to drive growth. These areas include expanding the online assortment, boosting the user experience and improving fulfillment. Also, it has been advancing Lowes.com\u2019s assortment to resonate well with customers' designs and lifestyles. Management has been enhancing the pick up in store experience to streamline processes and advance technology. These enhancements led to faster fulfillment and a 400-basis point increase in pickup in-store customer satisfaction scores in the first quarter of fiscal 2023. Apparently, online sales accelerated with 6% comparable sales growth, accounting for more than a 10% sales penetration. The growth was backed by higher Pro sales stemming from advanced Pro digital experience with the latest tools and personalization. Also, the company is expanding its DIY online experience by making home-improvement projects easier for customers to visualize, estimate and shop. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Within the supply chain, the company continued to roll out its market delivery model, bringing it to 12 geographic regions in the country and supporting over 1,100 stores. It remains on schedule to roll out market delivery by 2023. Management is on track with advancing the same-day and next-day fulfillment capabilities. It constantly pilots various gig network solutions, such as partnering with Instacart across many markets with same-day DIY home delivery. Meanwhile, its focus on the perpetual productivity improvement initiative has also been yielding results. Pro customers have been a significant driver in Lowe's business growth. In a bid to continue augmenting sales from pro customers, the company has been augmenting pro-focused brands. It had refurbished the pro-service business website, LowesForPros.com, to give special attention to the needs of Pro customers. Management is focused on improving Pro product and service offerings with the company\u2019s MVP Pro Rewards and partnership program and enhancing Pro Customer Relationship Management. Further, management has launched Pro online business tools. Lowe\u2019s is focused on enhancing the Pro offering across the company\u2019s stores and online with improved service levels, deeper inventory quantities, intuitive store layout and more Pro national brands. The Pro segment is expected to continue its momentum with improved in-stock inventory levels, enhanced service offerings and a Pro loyalty program. Going ahead, management expects Pro to exceed DIY for the current fiscal year as Pro backlogs remain sturdy and demand for Pro services stands strong. What\u2019s More? We note that the analysts look optimistic about the company. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Lowe\u2019s fiscal 2024 sales and earnings per share (EPS) is currently pegged at $89.5 billion and $14.61, respectively. These estimates suggest growth of 1.9% and 8.9%, respectively, from the year-ago fiscal quarter\u2019s corresponding figures. Overall, Lowe\u2019s remains well-positioned to capitalize on the demand in the home improvement market, backed by investments in technology, merchandise category and strength in the Pro business. The long-term expected earnings growth rate of 12.6% coupled with a VGM Score of B further speaks volumes for this current Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company. Solid Picks in Retail We have highlighted three better-ranked stocks, namely Builders FirstSource, Inc. BLDR, Tecnoglass Inc. TGLS and Fastenal Company FAST. Builders FirstSource, a leading supplier of building materials and construction services, currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today\u2019s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Builders FirstSource\u2019s next financial-year sales suggests growth of 4.1%, respectively, from the year-ago reported figure. BLDR delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 68.3%, on average. Tecnoglass, engaged in manufacturing architectural glass and windows, currently sports a Zacks Rank of 1. The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 22.7%, on average. The consensus estimate for Tecnoglass\u2019 current financial-year sales and EPS suggests growth of 18.2% and 25%, respectively, from the year-ago reported figures. Fastenal, a distributor of industrial and construction supplies, currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). FAST delivered an average earnings surprise of 9.2% in the trailing four quarters. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Fastenal\u2019s current financial-year EPS suggests growth of 4.1% from the year-ago reported figure. 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days Just released: Experts distill 7 elite stocks from the current list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buys. They deem these tickers \""Most Likely for Early Price Pops.\"" Since 1988, the full list has beaten the market more than 2X over with an average gain of +24.3% per year. So be sure to give these hand-picked 7 your immediate attention. See them now >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report Lowe's Companies, Inc. (LOW) : Free Stock Analysis Report Builders FirstSource, Inc. (BLDR) : Free Stock Analysis Report Tecnoglass Inc. (TGLS) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2023-06-23,56.54,57.1,56.46,56.89,
FAST,2023-06-26,57.14,57.75,56.82,57.57,
FAST,2023-06-27,57.75,58.575,57.6,58.46,"Builders FirstSource, Inc. (BLDR) Hit a 52 Week High, Can the Run Continue? Have you been paying attention to shares of Builders FirstSource (BLDR)? Shares have been on the move with the stock up 10.9% over the past month. The stock hit a new 52-week high of $130.39 in the previous session. Builders FirstSource has gained 97.6% since the start of the year compared to the 12.7% move for the Zacks Retail-Wholesale sector and the 6.1% return for the Zacks Building Products - Retail industry. What's Driving the Outperformance? The stock has an impressive record of positive earnings surprises, as it hasn't missed our earnings consensus estimate in any of the last four quarters. In its last earnings report on May 3, 2023, Builders FirstSource reported EPS of $2.96 versus consensus estimate of $1.63 while it beat the consensus revenue estimate by 8.31%. For the current fiscal year, Builders FirstSource is expected to post earnings of $10.11 per share on $16.04 billion in revenues. This represents a -45.96% change in EPS on a -29.44% change in revenues. For the next fiscal year, the company is expected to earn $9.97 per share on $16.7 billion in revenues. This represents a year-over-year change of -1.41% and 4.14%, respectively. Valuation Metrics Builders FirstSource may be at a 52-week high right now, but what might the future hold for the stock? A key aspect of this question is taking a look at valuation metrics in order to determine if the company is due for a pullback from this level. On this front, we can look at the Zacks Style Scores, as they provide investors with an additional way to sort through stocks (beyond looking at the Zacks Rank of a security). These styles are represented by grades running from A to F in the categories of Value, Growth, and Momentum, while there is a combined VGM Score as well. The idea behind the style scores is to help investors pick the most appropriate Zacks Rank stocks based on their individual investment style. Builders FirstSource has a Value Score of A. The stock's Growth and Momentum Scores are B and C, respectively, giving the company a VGM Score of A. In terms of its value breakdown, the stock currently trades at 12.7X current fiscal year EPS estimates, which is not in-line with the peer industry average of 12.7X. On a trailing cash flow basis, the stock currently trades at 5.3X versus its peer group's average of 10.8X. This isn't enough to put the company in the top echelon of all stocks we cover from a value perspective. Zacks Rank We also need to look at the Zacks Rank for the stock, as this supersedes any trend on the style score front. Fortunately, Builders FirstSource currently has a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy) thanks to rising earnings estimates. Since we recommend that investors select stocks carrying Zacks Rank of 1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy) and Style Scores of A or B, it looks as if Builders FirstSource passes the test. Thus, it seems as though Builders FirstSource shares could still be poised for more gains ahead. How Does BLDR Stack Up to the Competition? Shares of BLDR have been soaring, and the company still appears to be a decent choice, but what about the rest of the industry? One industry peer that looks good is Fastenal Company (FAST). FAST has a Zacks Rank of # 2 (Buy) and a Value Score of C, a Growth Score of A, and a Momentum Score of D. Earnings were strong last quarter. Fastenal Company beat our consensus estimate by 6.12%, and for the current fiscal year, FAST is expected to post earnings of $1.98 per share on revenue of $7.35 billion. Shares of Fastenal Company have gained 4.4% over the past month, and currently trade at a forward P/E of 29.03X and a P/CF of 26.01X. The Building Products - Retail industry is in the top 8% of all the industries we have in our universe, so it looks like there are some nice tailwinds for BLDR and FAST, even beyond their own solid fundamental situation. Zacks Names ""Single Best Pick to Double"" From thousands of stocks, 5 Zacks experts each have chosen their favorite to skyrocket +100% or more in months to come. From those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all. It’s a little-known chemical company that’s up 65% over last year, yet still dirt cheap. With unrelenting demand, soaring 2022 earnings estimates, and $1.5 billion for repurchasing shares, retail investors could jump in at any time. This company could rival or surpass other recent Zacks’ Stocks Set to Double like Boston Beer Company which shot up +143.0% in little more than 9 months and NVIDIA which boomed +175.9% in one year. Free: See Our Top Stock And 4 Runners Up Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Builders FirstSource, Inc. (BLDR) : Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-06-28,58.45,58.64,57.8,58.06,"Fastenal (FAST) Dips More Than Broader Markets: What You Should Know Fastenal (FAST) closed at $58.06 in the latest trading session, marking a -0.68% move from the prior day. This change lagged the S&P 500's daily loss of 0.04%. Elsewhere, the Dow lost 0.22%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq added 2.93%. Prior to today's trading, shares of the maker of industrial and construction fasteners had gained 6.48% over the past month. This has outpaced the Retail-Wholesale sector's gain of 5.35% and the S&P 500's gain of 4.22% in that time. Investors will be hoping for strength from Fastenal as it approaches its next earnings release, which is expected to be July 13, 2023. In that report, analysts expect Fastenal to post earnings of $0.52 per share. This would mark year-over-year growth of 4%. Our most recent consensus estimate is calling for quarterly revenue of $1.89 billion, up 6.12% from the year-ago period. For the full year, our Zacks Consensus Estimates are projecting earnings of $1.98 per share and revenue of $7.35 billion, which would represent changes of +4.76% and +5.35%, respectively, from the prior year. Investors should also note any recent changes to analyst estimates for Fastenal. These revisions help to show the ever-changing nature of near-term business trends. With this in mind, we can consider positive estimate revisions a sign of optimism about the company's business outlook. Research indicates that these estimate revisions are directly correlated with near-term share price momentum. We developed the Zacks Rank to capitalize on this phenomenon. Our system takes these estimate changes into account and delivers a clear, actionable rating model. Ranging from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), the Zacks Rank system has a proven, outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks returning an average of +25% annually since 1988. The Zacks Consensus EPS estimate remained stagnant within the past month. Fastenal is holding a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy) right now. In terms of valuation, Fastenal is currently trading at a Forward P/E ratio of 29.48. This represents a premium compared to its industry's average Forward P/E of 13. We can also see that FAST currently has a PEG ratio of 3.28. The PEG ratio is similar to the widely-used P/E ratio, but this metric also takes the company's expected earnings growth rate into account. The Building Products - Retail industry currently had an average PEG ratio of 2.03 as of yesterday's close. The Building Products - Retail industry is part of the Retail-Wholesale sector. This group has a Zacks Industry Rank of 17, putting it in the top 7% of all 250+ industries. The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our individual industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1. To follow FAST in the coming trading sessions, be sure to utilize Zacks.com. Zacks Names ""Single Best Pick to Double"" From thousands of stocks, 5 Zacks experts each have chosen their favorite to skyrocket +100% or more in months to come. From those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all. It’s a little-known chemical company that’s up 65% over last year, yet still dirt cheap. With unrelenting demand, soaring 2022 earnings estimates, and $1.5 billion for repurchasing shares, retail investors could jump in at any time. This company could rival or surpass other recent Zacks’ Stocks Set to Double like Boston Beer Company which shot up +143.0% in little more than 9 months and NVIDIA which boomed +175.9% in one year. Free: See Our Top Stock and 4 Runners Up >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-06-29,57.91,58.57,57.57,58.54,"[""Are You a Growth Investor? This 1 Stock Could Be the Perfect Pick Taking full advantage of the stock market and investing with confidence are common goals for new and old investors, and Zacks Premium offers many different ways to do both. The research service features daily updates of the Zacks Rank and Zacks Industry Rank, full access to the Zacks #1 Rank List, Equity Research reports, and Premium stock screens, all of which will help you become a smarter, more confident investor. Zacks Premium includes access to the Zacks Style Scores as well. What are the Zacks Style Scores? The Zacks Style Scores is a unique set of guidelines that rates stocks based on three popular investing types, and were developed as complementary indicators for the Zacks Rank. This combination helps investors choose securities with the highest chances of beating the market over the next 30 days. Each stock is given an alphabetic rating of A, B, C, D or F based on their value, growth, and momentum qualities. With this system, an A is better than a B, a B is better than a C, and so on, meaning the better the score, the better chance the stock will outperform. The Style Scores are broken down into four categories: Value Score Value investors love finding good stocks at good prices, especially before the broader market catches on to a stock's true value. Utilizing ratios like P/E, PEG, Price/Sales, Price/Cash Flow, and many other multiples, the Value Style Score identifies the most attractive and most discounted stocks. Growth Score Growth investors are more concerned with a stock's future prospects, and the overall financial health and strength of a company. Thus, the Growth Style Score analyzes characteristics like projected and historic earnings, sales, and cash flow to find stocks that will see sustainable growth over time. Momentum Score Momentum trading is all about taking advantage of upward or downward trends in a stock's price or earnings outlook, and these investors live by the saying \""the trend is your friend.\"" The Momentum Style Score can pinpoint good times to build a position in a stock, using factors like one-week price change and the monthly percentage change in earnings estimates. VGM Score If you like to use all three kinds of investing, then the VGM Score is for you. It's a combination of all Style Scores, and is an important indicator to use with the Zacks Rank. The VGM Score rates each stock on their shared weighted styles, narrowing down the companies with the most attractive value, best growth forecast, and most promising momentum. How Style Scores Work with the Zacks Rank A proprietary stock-rating model, the Zacks Rank utilizes the power of earnings estimate revisions, or changes to a company's earnings outlook, to help investors create a successful portfolio. #1 (Strong Buy) stocks have produced an unmatched +25.41% average annual return since 1988, which is more than double the S&P 500's performance over the same time frame. However, the Zacks Rank examines a ton of stocks, and there can be more than 200 companies with a Strong Buy rank, and another 600 with a #2 (Buy) rank, on any given day. But it can feel overwhelming to pick the right stocks for you and your investing goals with over 800 top-rated stocks to choose from. That's where the Style Scores come in. To maximize your returns, you want to buy stocks with the highest probability of success. This means picking stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 or #2 that also have Style Scores of A or B. If you find yourself looking at stocks with a #3 (Hold) rank, make sure they have Scores of A or B as well to ensure as much upside potential as possible. As mentioned above, the Scores are designed to work with the Zacks Rank, so any change to a company's earnings outlook should be a deciding factor when picking which stocks to buy. Here's an example: a stock with a #4 (Sell) or #5 (Strong Sell) rating, even one with Style Scores of A and B, still has a downward-trending earnings outlook, and a bigger chance its share price will decrease too. Thus, the more stocks you own with a #1 or #2 Rank and Scores of A or B, the better. Stock to Watch: Fastenal (FAST) Based in Winona, MN, Fastenal Company is a national wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies. The company distributes its products through more than 3,200 company-owned stores mostly located in North America. FAST is a #2 (Buy) on the Zacks Rank, with a VGM Score of B. Additionally, the company could be a top pick for growth investors. FAST has a Growth Style Score of A, forecasting year-over-year earnings growth of 4.8% for the current fiscal year. Two analysts revised their earnings estimate higher in the last 60 days for fiscal 2023, while the Zacks Consensus Estimate has increased $0.01 to $1.98 per share. FAST also boasts an average earnings surprise of 3.2%. With a solid Zacks Rank and top-tier Growth and VGM Style Scores, FAST should be on investors' short list. Free Report: Top EV Battery Stocks to Buy Now Just-released report reveals 5 stocks to profit as millions of EV batteries are made. Elon Musk tweeted that lithium prices have gone to \""insane levels,\"" and they're likely to keep climbing. As a result, a handful of lithium battery stocks are set to skyrocket. Access this report to discover which battery stocks to buy and which to avoid. Download free today. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""5 Stocks to Skim in a Strong Retail Building Products Industry The Zacks Building Products \u2013 Retail industry is poised to gain from accretive acquisitions, the focus on expanding supply-chain facilities and digital initiatives. The companies are likely to benefit from the successful execution of technology initiatives to bolster the e-commerce experience. However, broad-based pressure across the business, driven by softened consumer demand versus expectations, is likely to impact the performances of the industry participants. Severe constraints related to supply chains and labor availability, deflation in lumber prices, and product and transportation cost inflation are worrisome. Continued innovation and e-commerce expansion, and strong demand are likely to benefit industry participants like The Home Depot Inc. HD, Lowe\u2019s Companies Inc. LOW, Fastenal Company FAST, Builders FirstSource, Inc. BLDR and Tecnoglass TGLS. About the Industry The Zacks Building Products \u2013 Retail industry mainly comprises U.S. home improvement retailers, manufacturers of industrial and construction materials, and distributors of wallboard and ceiling systems. Some industry participants offer products and services for home decoration, repair and remodeling, and in-home delivery and installation services. A few industry players provide construction products, ranging from cement or concrete foundation materials to roofing boards and shingles. The companies also sell lumber, insulation materials, drywall, plumbing fixtures, hard-surface flooring, and lawn and garden decor products. Some players deal in threaded fastener products, and manufactured and natural stone tiles. In addition to general consumers, the industry players cater to professional builders, sub-contractors, remodelers and retailers. 3 Trends Shaping the Future of Building Products - Retail Industry Digitization & Acquisitions in Focus: Retail Building Products industry participants have been witnessing a surge in online business transactions, owing to consumers\u2019 growing digital dependency. The focus on virtual platforms to boost customer engagement has been rewarding for top-line growth of many industry players. Companies have, therefore, been strengthening their digital presence by expanding the availability of online assortments and bolstering omni-channel capabilities. Such prudent measures have been aiding the companies to meet the accelerated demand. Companies are also ramping up their delivery operations in order to provide safe and swift services. The digital transaction boom should continue to drive the top lines of the key industry players. Acquisitions have been crucial parts of the growth strategies of companies in the Retail Building Products industry. Some Players continue to focus on exploring acquisition options to expand extensively across vast geographic boundaries and improve organic revenues. Demand for Do-it-Yourself (DIY) and Pro Projects: Despite a slowdown in spending trends, revamping interiors to facilitate work-from-home and entertainment needs continues to be a major trend. DIY projects for decorating and maintaining furniture and fixtures are being widely undertaken. Additionally, consumers are open to hiring professional (\u201cPros\u201d) help to complete their home renovations, resulting in rising demand for Pro projects. Companies noted that Pro backlogs continue to be healthy and elevated. This is likely to aid companies in the home improvement space, with a focus on building Pro offerings. Rising Costs: Inflationary pressures, tight supply chains and labor shortages have been concerning for players in the home improvement industry. Such increased input costs are likely to put pressure on margins. A deflation in lumber prices is also expected to hurt the performance of participating companies. Some companies have provided conservative views for 2023 based on assumptions about lower consumer spending trends, normalized transactions and continued investments to capture market share. Many economists have projected flat real economic growth and consumer spending for 2023. The industry is expected to witness gradual normalization in transactions, as consumer spending has shifted from goods to services. The continued shift is likely to result in a low-single-digit decline in the home improvement market. Zacks Industry Rank Indicates Solid Prospects The Building Products \u2013 Retail industry is housed within the broader Zacks Retail-Wholesale sector. The industry currently carries a Zacks Industry Rank #17, which places it in the top 7% of more than 250 Zacks industries. The group\u2019s Zacks Industry Rank, which is basically the average of the Zacks Rank of all the member stocks, indicates bright near-term prospects. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperforms the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1. The industry\u2019s position in the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries is a result of a positive earnings outlook for the constituent companies in aggregate. Looking at the aggregate earnings estimate revisions, it appears that analysts are gradually gaining confidence in this group\u2019s earnings growth potential. Given the industry\u2019s encouraging prospects, we present a few stocks that you may want to consider buying for your portfolio. But before that, it is worth taking a look at the industry\u2019s stock-market performance and current valuation. Industry Vs. Broader Market The Zacks Building Products \u2013 Retail industry has outperformed the broader Zacks Retail-Wholesale sector and the Zacks S&P 500 over the past year. The industry has rallied 21.8% in the past year compared with the broader sector\u2019s growth of 12.7%. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 has registered a 15.7% rise in the same period. One-Year Price Performance Industry's Current Valuation On the basis of the forward 12-month price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio, which is the commonly used multiple for valuing Retail-Wholesale stocks, the industry is currently trading at 18.3X compared with the S&P 500\u2019s 19.37X. Further, the sector\u2019s forward-12-month P/E stands at 23.05X. Over the last five years, the industry traded as high as 23.43X and as low as 14.25X, with the median at 19.04X, as the chart below shows. Price-to-Earnings Ratio (Past 5 Years) 5 Building Products Stocks to Watch Builders FirstSource: The Dallas, TX-based company manufactures and supplies building materials. The company has been benefiting from its focus on cost synergies, strategic acquisition, and robust demand from solid housing and repair and remodeling activities. Robust demand for single-family housing, R&R and other activities have been tailwinds for the company\u2019s products and services. Builders FirstSource continues to focus on investing in innovations and enhancing digital solutions for its customers. Acquisitions are important for Builders FirstSource\u2019s growth strategy to supplement its organic growth and expand extensively across vast geographic boundaries. The Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) company has been active on the acquisition front, which is supporting its top line. It is also focusing on cost-management practices. The BLDR stock has risen 152% in a year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the company\u2019s current fiscal-year sales and earnings indicates declines of 28.5% and 45.1%, respectively, from the prior-year period\u2019s reported figures. The consensus estimate for the current fiscal-year earnings has moved up 1.6% in the past seven days. You can see the complete list of today\u2019s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Price and Consensus: BLDR Tecnoglass: The Colombia-based company is a leading manufacturer of architectural glass, windows, and associated aluminum products serving the global residential and commercial end markets. Tecnoglass has been gaining from its ability to capitalize on strong residential demand, investments in automation and capacity enhancements, and focus on execution. The company has been delivering strong results for its single-family residential business, which has a shorter cash cycle. Tecnoglass is poised to benefit from its business momentum, particularly strong single-family residential revenues. The Zacks Rank #1 company has been committed to leveraging its vertically integrated structure and innovative product development to boost shareholder value. The stock has rallied 190.6% in a year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for TGLS\u2019 current fiscal-year sales and earnings indicates growth of 18.2% and 25%, respectively, from the year-ago quarter. The consensus estimate for the current fiscal-year earnings has moved up 1% in the past 30 days. Price and Consensus: TGLS Fastenal: The Winona, MN-based wholesale distributor of industrial and construction products has been benefiting from strong demand for manufacturing and construction equipment, as well as supplies. Its focus on virtual platforms to boost customer engagement has been boosting sales. Cost-control strategies like automating warehouses, increasing delivery efficiency through its trucking network, and selling more private-level products with higher margins are aiding FAST to improve efficiency, thereby increasing returns. Industrial vending is one of the primary growth drivers for Fastenal and has the potential to significantly increase sales and profits. The Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) company is striving to boost its onsite location portfolio, in which a mini-Fastenal shop is located in a customer\u2019s facility. The FAST stock has risen 16.3% in a year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the company\u2019s current fiscal-year sales and earnings indicates year-over-year growth of 5.4% and 4.8%, respectively. The consensus estimate for current fiscal-year earnings has been unchanged in the past 30 days. Price and Consensus: FAST Home Depot: The Atlanta, GA-based company is the world\u2019s largest home improvement specialty retailer based on net sales. Home Depot has been benefiting from strong demand for home improvement projects, robust housing market trends and ongoing investments. Continued strength in the Pro and DIY categories, and digital momentum have been key drivers. Its interconnected retail strategy and underlying technology infrastructure have helped consistently boost web traffic for the past few quarters, aiding digital sales. Home Depot is witnessing significant benefits from the execution of its One Home Depot plan, which focuses on supply-chain expansion, technology investments and digital enhancements. The Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stock has risen 11.7% in a year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for HD\u2019s current fiscal-year sales and earnings indicates year-over-year declines of 3.5% and 10%, respectively. The consensus estimate for current fiscal-year earnings has moved down 0.6% in the past 30 days. Price and Consensus: HD Lowe\u2019s: The Mooresville, NC-based leading home improvements retailer has been gaining from strong growth in its Pro business. The company has been enhancing the experience of its pro customers by upgrading pro-focused brands and revamping the pro-service business\u2019s website. The company has also been well-positioned to capitalize on the demand for the home improvement market, backed by investments in the technology and merchandise category. Gains from the Total Home strategy and the execution of the Perpetual Productivity Improvement initiative are likely to drive the company\u2019s results in the near and long terms. The Total Home strategy has been resonating well with Pro and DIY customers for a while. Lowe\u2019s has been progressing well with advancements in the digital channel. The company is investing in enhancing omni-channel retailing capabilities. Management is also committed to enhancing the Pro offerings, expanding the company\u2019s market share and driving the operating margin. Shares of the Zacks Rank #3 company have rallied 27.4% in a year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current fiscal year\u2019s sales and earnings indicates declines of 9.4% and 3.4%, respectively, from the year-ago quarter\u2019s actuals. The consensus estimate for current fiscal-year earnings has moved down by a penny in the past 30 days. Price and Consensus: LOW Free Report: Top EV Battery Stocks to Buy Now Just-released report reveals 5 stocks to profit as millions of EV batteries are made. Elon Musk tweeted that lithium prices have gone to \""insane levels,\"" and they're likely to keep climbing. As a result, a handful of lithium battery stocks are set to skyrocket. Access this report to discover which battery stocks to buy and which to avoid. Download free today. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report The Home Depot, Inc. (HD) : Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report Lowe's Companies, Inc. (LOW) : Free Stock Analysis Report Builders FirstSource, Inc. (BLDR) : Free Stock Analysis Report Tecnoglass Inc. (TGLS) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2023-06-30,58.97,59.295,58.865,58.99,"Zacks Industry Outlook Highlights Home Depot, Lowe's, Fastenal, Builders FirstSource and Tecnoglass For Immediate Release Chicago, IL – June 30, 2023 – Today, Zacks Equity Research discusses The Home Depot Inc. HD, Lowe’s Companies Inc. LOW, Fastenal Co. FAST, Builders FirstSource, Inc. BLDR and Tecnoglass TGLS. Industry: Building Products Link: https://www.zacks.com/commentary/2114726/5-stocks-to-skim-in-a-strong-retail-building-products-industry The Zacks Building Products – Retail industry is poised to gain from accretive acquisitions, the focus on expanding supply-chain facilities and digital initiatives. The companies are likely to benefit from the successful execution of technology initiatives to bolster the e-commerce experience. However, broad-based pressure across the business, driven by softened consumer demand versus expectations, is likely to impact the performances of the industry participants. Severe constraints related to supply chains and labor availability, deflation in lumber prices, and product and transportation cost inflation are worrisome. Continued innovation and e-commerce expansion, and strong demand are likely to benefit industry participants like The Home Depot Inc., Lowe’s Companies Inc., Fastenal Co., Builders FirstSource, Inc. and Tecnoglass. About the Industry The Zacks Building Products – Retail industry mainly comprises U.S. home improvement retailers, manufacturers of industrial and construction materials, and distributors of wallboard and ceiling systems. Some industry participants offer products and services for home decoration, repair and remodeling, and in-home delivery and installation services. A few industry players provide construction products, ranging from cement or concrete foundation materials to roofing boards and shingles. The companies also sell lumber, insulation materials, drywall, plumbing fixtures, hard-surface flooring, and lawn and garden decor products. Some players deal in threaded fastener products, and manufactured and natural stone tiles. In addition to general consumers, the industry players cater to professional builders, sub-contractors, remodelers and retailers. 3 Trends Shaping the Future of Building Products - Retail Industry Digitization & Acquisitions in Focus: Retail Building Products industry participants have been witnessing a surge in online business transactions, owing to consumers’ growing digital dependency. The focus on virtual platforms to boost customer engagement has been rewarding for top-line growth of many industry players. Companies have, therefore, been strengthening their digital presence by expanding the availability of online assortments and bolstering omni-channel capabilities. Such prudent measures have been aiding the companies to meet the accelerated demand. Companies are also ramping up their delivery operations in order to provide safe and swift services. The digital transaction boom should continue to drive the top lines of the key industry players. Acquisitions have been crucial parts of the growth strategies of companies in the Retail Building Products industry. Some Players continue to focus on exploring acquisition options to expand extensively across vast geographic boundaries and improve organic revenues. Demand for Do-it-Yourself (DIY) and Pro Projects: Despite a slowdown in spending trends, revamping interiors to facilitate work-from-home and entertainment needs continues to be a major trend. DIY projects for decorating and maintaining furniture and fixtures are being widely undertaken. Additionally, consumers are open to hiring professional (“Pros”) help to complete their home renovations, resulting in rising demand for Pro projects. Companies noted that Pro backlogs continue to be healthy and elevated. This is likely to aid companies in the home improvement space, with a focus on building Pro offerings. Rising Costs: Inflationary pressures, tight supply chains and labor shortages have been concerning for players in the home improvement industry. Such increased input costs are likely to put pressure on margins. A deflation in lumber prices is also expected to hurt the performance of participating companies. Some companies have provided conservative views for 2023 based on assumptions about lower consumer spending trends, normalized transactions and continued investments to capture market share. Many economists have projected flat real economic growth and consumer spending for 2023. The industry is expected to witness gradual normalization in transactions, as consumer spending has shifted from goods to services. The continued shift is likely to result in a low-single-digit decline in the home improvement market. Zacks Industry Rank Indicates Solid Prospects The Building Products – Retail industry is housed within the broader Zacks Retail-Wholesale sector. The industry currently carries a Zacks Industry Rank #17, which places it in the top 7% of more than 250 Zacks industries. The group’s Zacks Industry Rank, which is basically the average of the Zacks Rank of all the member stocks, indicates bright near-term prospects. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperforms the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1. The industry’s position in the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries is a result of a positive earnings outlook for the constituent companies in aggregate. Looking at the aggregate earnings estimate revisions, it appears that analysts are gradually gaining confidence in this group’s earnings growth potential. Given the industry’s encouraging prospects, we present a few stocks that you may want to consider buying for your portfolio. But before that, it is worth taking a look at the industry’s stock-market performance and current valuation. Industry vs. Broader Market The Zacks Building Products – Retail industry has outperformed the broader Zacks Retail-Wholesale sector and the Zacks S&P 500 over the past year. The industry has rallied 21.8% in the past year compared with the broader sector’s growth of 12.7%. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 has registered a 15.7% rise in the same period. Industry's Current Valuation On the basis of the forward 12-month price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio, which is the commonly used multiple for valuing Retail-Wholesale stocks, the industry is currently trading at 18.3X compared with the S&P 500’s 19.37X. Further, the sector’s forward-12-month P/E stands at 23.05X. Over the last five years, the industry traded as high as 23.43X and as low as 14.25X, with the median at 19.04X. 5 Building Products Stocks to Watch Builders FirstSource: The Dallas, TX-based company manufactures and supplies building materials. The company has been benefiting from its focus on cost synergies, strategic acquisition, and robust demand from solid housing and repair and remodeling activities. Robust demand for single-family housing, R&R and other activities have been tailwinds for the company’s products and services. Builders FirstSource continues to focus on investing in innovations and enhancing digital solutions for its customers. Acquisitions are important for Builders FirstSource’s growth strategy to supplement its organic growth and expand extensively across vast geographic boundaries. The Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) company has been active on the acquisition front, which is supporting its top line. It is also focusing on cost-management practices. The BLDR stock has risen 152% in a year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the company’s current fiscal-year sales and earnings indicates declines of 28.5% and 45.1%, respectively, from the prior-year period’s reported figures. The consensus estimate for the current fiscal-year earnings has moved up 1.6% in the past seven days. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Tecnoglass: The Colombia-based company is a leading manufacturer of architectural glass, windows, and associated aluminum products serving the global residential and commercial end markets. Tecnoglass has been gaining from its ability to capitalize on strong residential demand, investments in automation and capacity enhancements, and focus on execution. The company has been delivering strong results for its single-family residential business, which has a shorter cash cycle. Tecnoglass is poised to benefit from its business momentum, particularly strong single-family residential revenues. The Zacks Rank #1 company has been committed to leveraging its vertically integrated structure and innovative product development to boost shareholder value. The stock has rallied 190.6% in a year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for TGLS’ current fiscal-year sales and earnings indicates growth of 18.2% and 25%, respectively, from the year-ago quarter. The consensus estimate for the current fiscal-year earnings has moved up 1% in the past 30 days. Fastenal: The Winona, MN-based wholesale distributor of industrial and construction products has been benefiting from strong demand for manufacturing and construction equipment, as well as supplies. Its focus on virtual platforms to boost customer engagement has been boosting sales. Cost-control strategies like automating warehouses, increasing delivery efficiency through its trucking network, and selling more private-level products with higher margins are aiding FAST to improve efficiency, thereby increasing returns. Industrial vending is one of the primary growth drivers for Fastenal and has the potential to significantly increase sales and profits. The Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) company is striving to boost its onsite location portfolio, in which a mini-Fastenal shop is located in a customer’s facility. The FAST stock has risen 16.3% in a year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the company’s current fiscal-year sales and earnings indicates year-over-year growth of 5.4% and 4.8%, respectively. The consensus estimate for current fiscal-year earnings has been unchanged in the past 30 days. Home Depot: The Atlanta, GA-based company is the world’s largest home improvement specialty retailer based on net sales. Home Depot has been benefiting from strong demand for home improvement projects, robust housing market trends and ongoing investments. Continued strength in the Pro and DIY categories, and digital momentum have been key drivers. Its interconnected retail strategy and underlying technology infrastructure have helped consistently boost web traffic for the past few quarters, aiding digital sales. Home Depot is witnessing significant benefits from the execution of its One Home Depot plan, which focuses on supply-chain expansion, technology investments and digital enhancements. The Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stock has risen 11.7% in a year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for HD’s current fiscal-year sales and earnings indicates year-over-year declines of 3.5% and 10%, respectively. The consensus estimate for current fiscal-year earnings has moved down 0.6% in the past 30 days. Lowe’s: The Mooresville, NC-based leading home improvements retailer has been gaining from strong growth in its Pro business. The company has been enhancing the experience of its pro customers by upgrading pro-focused brands and revamping the pro-service business’s website. The company has also been well-positioned to capitalize on the demand for the home improvement market, backed by investments in the technology and merchandise category. Gains from the Total Home strategy and the execution of the Perpetual Productivity Improvement initiative are likely to drive the company’s results in the near and long terms. The Total Home strategy has been resonating well with Pro and DIY customers for a while. Lowe’s has been progressing well with advancements in the digital channel. The company is investing in enhancing omni-channel retailing capabilities. Management is also committed to enhancing the Pro offerings, expanding the company’s market share and driving the operating margin. Shares of the Zacks Rank #3 company have rallied 27.4% in a year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current fiscal year’s sales and earnings indicates declines of 9.4% and 3.4%, respectively, from the year-ago quarter’s actuals. The consensus estimate for current fiscal-year earnings has moved down by a penny in the past 30 days. Why Haven’t You Looked at Zacks' Top Stocks? Since 2000, our top stock-picking strategies have blown away the S&P's +6.2 average gain per year. Amazingly, they soared with average gains of +46.4%, +49.5% and +55.2% per year. Today you can access their live picks without cost or obligation. See Stocks Free >> Join us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ZacksInvestmentResearch/ Zacks Investment Research is under common control with affiliated entities (including a broker-dealer and an investment adviser), which may engage in transactions involving the foregoing securities for the clients of such affiliates. Media Contact Zacks Investment Research 800-767-3771 ext. 9339 support@zacks.com https://www.zacks.com Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release. Top 5 ChatGPT Stocks Revealed Zacks Senior Stock Strategist, Kevin Cook names 5 hand-picked stocks with sky-high growth potential in a brilliant sector of Artificial Intelligence. By 2030, the AI industry is predicted to have an internet and iPhone-scale economic impact of $15.7 Trillion. Today you can invest in the wave of the future, an automation that answers follow-up questions … admits mistakes … challenges incorrect premises … rejects inappropriate requests. As one of the selected companies puts it, “Automation frees people from the mundane so they can accomplish the miraculous.” Download Free ChatGPT Stock Report Right Now >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report Lowe's Companies, Inc. (LOW) : Free Stock Analysis Report The Home Depot, Inc. (HD) : Free Stock Analysis Report Builders FirstSource, Inc. (BLDR) : Free Stock Analysis Report Tecnoglass Inc. (TGLS) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-07-03,58.76,58.76,58.21,58.41,"[""Warren Buffett Detailed Fundamental Analysis - FAST Below is Validea's guru fundamental report for FASTENAL CO (FAST). Of the 22 guru strategies we follow, FAST rates highest using our Patient Investor model based on the published strategy of Warren Buffett. This strategy seeks out firms with long-term, predictable profitability and low debt that trade at reasonable valuations. FASTENAL CO (FAST) is a large-cap growth stock in the Misc. Fabricated Products industry. The rating using this strategy is 86% based on the firm\u2019s underlying fundamentals and the stock\u2019s valuation. A score of 80% or above typically indicates that the strategy has some interest in the stock and a score above 90% typically indicates strong interest. The following table summarizes whether the stock meets each of this strategy's tests. Not all criteria in the below table receive equal weighting or are independent, but the table provides a brief overview of the strong and weak points of the security in the context of the strategy's criteria. EARNINGS PREDICTABILITY: PASS DEBT SERVICE: PASS RETURN ON EQUITY: PASS RETURN ON TOTAL CAPITAL: PASS FREE CASH FLOW: PASS USE OF RETAINED EARNINGS: PASS SHARE REPURCHASE: PASS INITIAL RATE OF RETURN: PASS EXPECTED RETURN: FAIL Detailed Analysis of FASTENAL CO FAST Guru Analysis FAST Fundamental Analysis More Information on Warren Buffett Warren Buffett Portfolio Top Warren Buffett Stocks About Warren Buffett: Warren Buffett is considered by many to be the greatest investor of all time. As the chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, Buffett has consistently outperformed the S&P 500 for decades, and in the process has become one of the world's richest men. (Forbes puts his net worth at $37 billion.) Despite his fortune, Buffett is known for living a modest lifestyle, by billionaire standards. His primary residence remains the gray stucco Nebraska home he purchased for $31,500 nearly 50 years ago, according to Forbes, and his folksy Midwestern manner and penchant for simple pleasures -- a cherry Coke, a good burger, and a good book are all near the top of the list -- have been well-documented. Additional Research Links Top Large-Cap Growth Stocks Factor-Based Stock Portfolios Dividend Aristocrats 2023 High Insider Ownership Stocks Top S&P 500 Stocks Excess Returns Investing Podcast About Validea: Validea is aninvestment researchservice that follows the published strategies of investment legends. Validea offers both stock analysis and model portfolios based on gurus who have outperformed the market over the long-term, including Warren Buffett, Benjamin Graham, Peter Lynch and Martin Zweig. For more information about Validea, click here The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Beat the Market the Zacks Way: Vertiv, Costco, Sonnet BioTherapeutics in Focus The three most widely followed indexes closed last week in the green. The Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 2%, while Nasdaq Composite and the S&P 500 gained 2.2% and 2.4%, respectively. Trade throughout the week was buoyant by the release of encouraging economic numbers suggestive of a resilient economy, especially in the housing sector. Consumer confidence also witnessed remarkable growth, thereby giving the impression that consumers are yet to buy into the outlook of an economic slowdown just as yet. Tech, which has been a guiding light, took a hit late in the week with talks of further export restrictions of semiconductors to China. On the flip side, Fed officials continued to suggest that further interest rate hikes are on the way because inflation is still not sufficiently in check, and investors are currently pricing in a probable 25 bps rate hike from the next Fed meeting. Regardless of market conditions, we, here at Zacks, provide investors with unbiased guidance on how to beat the market. As usual, Zacks Research guided investors over the past three months with its time-tested methodologies. Given the prevailing market uncertainty, you may want to look at our feats to prepare better for your next action. Here are some of our key achievements: Sonnet BioTherapeutics and Snap-on Surge Following Zacks Rank Upgrade Shares of Sonnet BioTherapeutics Holdings, Inc. SONN have soared 60.8% (versus the S&P 500\u2019s 6.9% increase) since it was upgraded to a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) on Apr 21. Another stock, Snap-on Incorporated SNA, which was also upgraded to a Zacks Rank #2 on Apr 20, has returned 20.2% (versus the S&P 500\u2019s 6.3% increase) since then. Zacks Rank, our short-term rating system, has earnings estimate revisions at its core. Empirical research shows a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and near-term stock price movements. This stock-rating system, which uses four factors related to earnings estimates to classify stocks into five groups, ranging from Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) to Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell), has an impressive externally audited track record, with Zacks Rank #1 stocks generating an average annual return of +24.8% since 1988.You can see the complete list of today\u2019s Zacks Rank #1 stocks here >>> A hypothetical portfolio of Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stocks returned +2.7% this year (through May 15) versus +7.69% for the S&P 500 Index. Check Sonnet\u2019s historical EPS and Sales here>>> Check Snap-on\u2019s historical EPS and Sales here>>> Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Zacks Recommendation Upgrade Drives Vertiv and Unum Higher Shares of Vertiv Holdings VRT and Unum Group UNM have advanced 97.1% (versus the S&P 500\u2019s 6.3% rise) and 19.2% (versus the S&P 500\u2019s 6.5% rise) since their Zacks Recommendation was upgraded to Outperform on Apr 18 and Apr 17, respectively. While the Zacks Rank is our short-term rating system that is most effective over the one- to three-month holding horizon, the Zacks Recommendation aims to predict performance over the next 6 to 12 months. However, just like the Zacks Rank, the foundation for the Zacks Recommendation is trends in earnings estimate revisions. The Zacks Recommendation classifies stocks into three groups \u2014 Outperform, Neutral and Underperform. While these recommendations are determined quantitatively, our analysts have the flexibility to override them for the 1100+ stocks they closely follow based on their better judgment of factors such as valuation, industry conditions and management effectiveness than the quantitative model. To access our research reports with Zacks Recommendations for the 1100+ stocks we cover, click here>>> Zacks Focus List Stocks Lam Research, Arcosa Shoot Up Shares of Lam Research Corporation LRCX, which belongs to the Zacks Focus List, have risen 30.2% over the past 12 weeks. The stock was added to the Focus List on Dec 5, 2016. Another Focus-List holding, Arcosa, Inc. ACA, which was added to the portfolio on Jan 6, 2020, has returned 29.1% over the past 12 weeks. The S&P 500 has gained 7.4% over this period. The Zacks Focus List is a model portfolio of 50 hand-picked stocks that possess the right fundamental ingredients to outperform the market over the next 12 months. These 50 stocks are picked from a long list of stocks with the highest Zacks Rank. The 50-stock Zacks Focus List model portfolio returned +9.14% in 2023 (through May 31) versus +9.64% for the S&P 500 Index. In 2022, the portfolio produced -15.2% versus the S&P 500 Index\u2019s -17.96%. Since 2004, the Focus List portfolio has produced an annualized return of +10.75% through May 31, 2023. This compares to a +9.2% annualized return for the S&P 500 Index in the same time period. Unlock all of our powerful research, tools and analysis, including the Focus List, Zacks #1 Rank List, Equity Research Reports, Zacks Earnings ESP Filter, Premium Screener and more, as part of Zacks Premium. Gain full access now >> Zacks ECAP Stocks Costco and Church & Dwight Make Significant Gains Costco Wholesale Corporation COST, a component of our Earnings Certain Admiral Portfolio (ECAP), has jumped 10.8% over the past 12 weeks. Church & Dwight Co., Inc. CHD has followed Costco with 10.6% returns. ECAP, which consists of 30 concentrated, ultra-defensive, long-term Buy and Hold stocks, returned +3.05% in 2023 (through May 31) versus +9.64% for the S&P 500 Index. The portfolio returned -4.7% in 2022 versus the S&P 500 Index\u2019s -17.96%. With little to no turnover and annual rebalance periodicity, the ECAP seeks to minimize capital loss by holding shares of companies whose earnings streams exhibit a proven 20+ year track record of surviving recessionary periods with minimal impact on aggregate earnings growth relative to the overall S&P 500. The ECAP and many other model portfolios are available as part of Zacks Advisor Tools, a cloud-based solution to access Zacks award-winning stock, mutual fund and ETF research. Click here to schedule a demo. Zacks ECDP Stocks Fastenal and Illinois Tool Works Outperform Peers Fastenal Company FAST, which is part of our Earnings Certain Dividend Portfolio (ECDP), has returned 14.6% over the past 12 weeks. Another ECDP stock, Illinois Tool Works Inc. ITW, has climbed 9.9% over the same time frame. Of course, the inclination of investors toward quality dividend stocks to secure an income stream amid heightened market volatility contributed to this performance. Check Fastenal\u2019s dividend history here>>> Check Illinois Tool Works\u2019 dividend history here>>> With an extremely low Beta and a history of minimum earnings variability over the last 20+ years, this 25-stock portfolio helps significantly mitigate risk. ECDP returned -3.2% in 2023 (through May 31) versus +9.64% for the S&P 500 Index and +1.39% for the ProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF NOBL. The portfolio returned -2.3% in 2022 versus -17.96% for the S&P 500 Index and -8.34% for NOBL. Click here to access this portfolio on Zacks Advisor Tools. Zacks Top 10 Stocks \u2014 Celsius Delivers Solid Returns Celsius Holdings, Inc. CELH, from the Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2023, has gained 43.4% year to date, which compares to a 15.5% gain for the S&P 500 Index. The portfolio returned +7.12% through the end of May 2023 versus +9.64% for the S&P 500 (the equal-weighted index, a more appropriate benchmark, returned -0.63% in the same period). The portfolio returned -15.8% in 2022 versus -18.1% for the S&P 500 Index. Since 2012, the Top 10 portfolio has generated an annualized return of +22.4% versus +12.5% for the S&P 500 Index. Since the start of 2012, the Zacks Top 10 Stocks delivered a cumulative return of 827.6% through the end of 2022 versus a 265% cumulative return for the S&P 500 Index. Zacks Names \""Single Best Pick to Double\"" From thousands of stocks, 5 Zacks experts each have chosen their favorite to skyrocket +100% or more in months to come. From those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all. It\u2019s a little-known chemical company that\u2019s up 65% over last year, yet still dirt cheap. With unrelenting demand, soaring 2022 earnings estimates, and $1.5 billion for repurchasing shares, retail investors could jump in at any time. This company could rival or surpass other recent Zacks\u2019 Stocks Set to Double like Boston Beer Company which shot up +143.0% in little more than 9 months and NVIDIA which boomed +175.9% in one year. Free: See Our Top Stock And 4 Runners Up Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Illinois Tool Works Inc. (ITW) : Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report Snap-On Incorporated (SNA) : Free Stock Analysis Report Lam Research Corporation (LRCX) : Free Stock Analysis Report Unum Group (UNM) : Free Stock Analysis Report Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST) : Free Stock Analysis Report Church & Dwight Co., Inc. (CHD) : Free Stock Analysis Report ProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF (NOBL): ETF Research Reports Celsius Holdings Inc. (CELH) : Free Stock Analysis Report Arcosa, Inc. (ACA) : Free Stock Analysis Report Vertiv Holdings Co. (VRT) : Free Stock Analysis Report Sonnet BioTherapeutics Holdings, Inc. (SONN) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2023-07-05,57.95,58.455,57.72,58.25,
FAST,2023-07-06,57.76,57.84,57.16,57.77,"Fastenal (FAST) Reports Next Week: Wall Street Expects Earnings Growth The market expects Fastenal (FAST) to deliver a year-over-year increase in earnings on higher revenues when it reports results for the quarter ended June 2023. This widely-known consensus outlook is important in assessing the company's earnings picture, but a powerful factor that might influence its near-term stock price is how the actual results compare to these estimates. The earnings report, which is expected to be released on July 13, 2023, might help the stock move higher if these key numbers are better than expectations. On the other hand, if they miss, the stock may move lower. While the sustainability of the immediate price change and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's discussion of business conditions on theearnings call it's worth handicapping the probability of a positive EPS surprise. Zacks Consensus Estimate This maker of industrial and construction fasteners is expected to post quarterly earnings of $0.52 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of +4%. Revenues are expected to be $1.89 billion, up 6% from the year-ago quarter. Estimate Revisions Trend The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has remained unchanged over the last 30 days. This is essentially a reflection of how the covering analysts have collectively reassessed their initial estimates over this period. Investors should keep in mind that an aggregate change may not always reflect the direction of estimate revisions by each of the covering analysts. Earnings Whisper Estimate revisions ahead of a company's earnings release offer clues to the business conditions for the period whose results are coming out. Our proprietary surprise prediction model -- the Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction) -- has this insight at its core. The Zacks Earnings ESP compares the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter; the Most Accurate Estimate is a more recent version of the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate. The idea here is that analysts revising their estimates right before an earnings release have the latest information, which could potentially be more accurate than what they and others contributing to the consensus had predicted earlier. Thus, a positive or negative Earnings ESP reading theoretically indicates the likely deviation of the actual earnings from the consensus estimate. However, the model's predictive power is significant for positive ESP readings only. A positive Earnings ESP is a strong predictor of an earnings beat, particularly when combined with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold). Our research shows that stocks with this combination produce a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time, and a solid Zacks Rank actually increases the predictive power of Earnings ESP. Please note that a negative Earnings ESP reading is not indicative of an earnings miss. Our research shows that it is difficult to predict an earnings beat with any degree of confidence for stocks with negative Earnings ESP readings and/or Zacks Rank of 4 (Sell) or 5 (Strong Sell). How Have the Numbers Shaped Up for Fastenal? For Fastenal, the Most Accurate Estimate is lower than the Zacks Consensus Estimate, suggesting that analysts have recently become bearish on the company's earnings prospects. This has resulted in an Earnings ESP of -0.48%. On the other hand, the stock currently carries a Zacks Rank of #3. So, this combination makes it difficult to conclusively predict that Fastenal will beat the consensus EPS estimate. Does Earnings Surprise History Hold Any Clue? While calculating estimates for a company's future earnings, analysts often consider to what extent it has been able to match past consensus estimates. So, it's worth taking a look at the surprise history for gauging its influence on the upcoming number. For the last reported quarter, it was expected that Fastenal would post earnings of $0.49 per share when it actually produced earnings of $0.52, delivering a surprise of +6.12%. Over the last four quarters, the company has beaten consensus EPS estimates three times. Bottom Line An earnings beat or miss may not be the sole basis for a stock moving higher or lower. Many stocks end up losing ground despite an earnings beat due to other factors that disappoint investors. Similarly, unforeseen catalysts help a number of stocks gain despite an earnings miss. That said, betting on stocks that are expected to beat earnings expectations does increase the odds of success. This is why it's worth checking a company's Earnings ESP and Zacks Rank ahead of its quarterly release. Make sure to utilize our Earnings ESP Filter to uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they've reported. Fastenal doesn't appear a compelling earnings-beat candidate. However, investors should pay attention to other factors too for betting on this stock or staying away from it ahead of its earnings release. Stay on top of upcoming earnings announcements with the Zacks Earnings Calendar. 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days Just released: Experts distill 7 elite stocks from the current list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buys. They deem these tickers ""Most Likely for Early Price Pops."" Since 1988, the full list has beaten the market more than 2X over with an average gain of +24.2% per year. So be sure to give these hand-picked 7 your immediate attention. See them now >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-07-07,57.85,58.48,57.64,57.87,"Here's Why Fastenal Is a No-Brainer Dividend Growth Stock In some ways, Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST) is an incredibly boring industrial company. In other ways, it's quite exciting. However you view it, though, there's one thing it has done for investors amazingly well: grow its dividend. Over the past decade, for example, the payout has increased at an annual rate of 14%. That's huge, but here are some more reasons to like this no-brainer dividend growth stock. 1. The top and bottom lines Fastenal sells fasteners and other small parts and tools that industrial companies use to build their products. It is not a sexy business, but it is a reliable one since there's a near-constant need to replace used items. For a long time, the company operated stores, which it still does, but it has been increasingly integrating into the businesses it serves. That can take the form of regular deliveries to a manufacturing site or even vending machines that a customer's employees use. The big picture here, however, is that Fastenal is both an important supplier and increasingly integral to its customers' supply chains. Being a key partner has resulted in long-term sales and earnings growth, as the chart below highlights. FAST revenue (annual) data by YCharts. The trend isn't uninterrupted; the Great Recession was a particularly tough time. But it is the long-term growth of the business that underpins the company's ability to pay a steadily rising dividend. 2. A strong foundation While sales and earnings growth are important in supporting dividend growth, the balance sheet is also worth highlighting. Companies with too much leverage can have a difficult time increasing dividends because so much of their cash has to go toward interest expenses. That's not the case here. As the chart below shows, Fastenal's debt-to-equity ratio is a very modest 0.12. The highest point over the past decade was still below 0.25, which itself is a low figure. FAST debt-to-equity ratio data by YCharts. To emphasize just how low the company's leverage is, you can also look at times interest earned. Essentially, the company's earnings before interest and taxes cover interest expenses by 100-fold! There should be few concerns about debt levels at Fastenal, which makes the dividend that much safer. FAST times interest earned (TTM) data by YCharts. TTM = trailing 12 months. 3. Ample coverage The next graph is a little less compelling. It shows the company's dividend payout ratio, which is basically dividends as a percentage of earnings. The figure today is roughly 66%, which is not low. And yet it isn't overly high, either. FAST payout ratio data by YCharts. The payout ratio has been higher and lower over the past decade, but it has generally hovered between 50% and 66%. Given the modest debt burden, that's probably a reasonable range. That said, during hard times, investors should probably be prepared to see the payout ratio spike toward 100%. 4. A proven history Hard times are inevitable for any business. What's important is how a company manages through the difficult periods. And for Fastenal, one important fact is that it has continued to increase its dividend through thick and thin, including during the Great Recession. The annual streak is currently up to 24 years. The dividend was increased again in January, so the board is already working on hitting the quarter-century mark. FAST dividend per share (annual) data by YCharts. And, as noted above, the annualized increase over the past decade was a huge 14%. Using the rule of 72, the dividend would double in a little over five years at that rate. Dividend growth investors should find that incredibly compelling even though the starting dividend yield is a bit modest at just 2.4% today. But dividend growth will steadily push up your yield based on your purchase price. Time for a deep dive Fastenal is not a cheap stock -- the shares currently trade at about 29 times forward earnings -- but given its strong history of growth (and dividend growth in particular), that shouldn't be too shocking. If you are willing to pay full price for a great company that has a proven history of rewarding investors with robust dividend growth, it is worth a very close look. That's true even if you just put it on your wish list, in case there's a market sell-off that leaves the shares sitting on the sale rack. A dividend yield of around 3% would probably represent a great buying opportunity. 10 stocks we like better than Fastenal When our analyst team has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.* They just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Fastenal wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of July 3, 2023 Reuben Gregg Brewer has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-07-10,57.85,59.02,57.85,58.85,
FAST,2023-07-11,58.9,59.33,58.59,58.96,"Fastenal (FAST) to Report Q2 Earnings: What's in the Cards? Fastenal Company FAST is scheduled to report second-quarter 2023 results on Jul 13, before the opening bell. In the last reported quarter, earnings and net sales topped the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 6.1% and 0.9%, respectively. Earnings and net sales increased 10.4% and 9.1% from the year-ago figures, respectively. Fastenal’s earnings topped the consensus mark in all the last four quarters, with the average being 3.2%. Trend in Estimate Revision For the quarter to be reported, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings per share has decreased to 52 cents from 53 cents over the past 60 days. The estimated figure indicates 4% growth from the year-ago level. The consensus mark for revenues is pegged at $1.89 billion, suggesting a 6% increase from the year-ago reported figure of $1.78 billion. Fastenal Company Price and EPS Surprise Fastenal Company price-eps-surprise | Fastenal Company Quote Key Factors to Note Sales: Fastenal’s industrial markets have been slowing down broadly due to decreased customer spending. However, the company has several factors working in its favor that are expected to have driven its growth. These include a significant number of large customers, a strong digital strategy, a balanced mix of onsite and offsite services and market share gains across various product categories. Despite challenging comparisons to the previous year, Fastenal's positive attributes are anticipated to have driven its growth. If we go by the latest monthly sales report, May’s average daily sales grew 5.2% to $29.5 million, moderating from 7.8% growth in April 2023. The metric witnessed 17.6% growth in May 2022. In terms of end markets/products/customers in May and April 2023, manufacturing sales improved 9.7% and 13% from the year-ago months, respectively. Non-residential construction declined 9.5% in May and 8.2% in April 2023. Fastener sales were down 0.6% in May (against a 1.2% increase in April 2023). Safety sales increased 6.8% in May compared with 10.1% growth in April 2023. In terms of customer channel, national accounts were up 9% year over year in May (compared with a 13% increase in April 2023), while non-national accounts growth remained unchanged from the year-ago level (compared with a 1% rise in April 2023). Our model predicts Fastenal’s overall daily sales to be $29.2 million for the second quarter, indicating an increase from $27.8 million reported a year ago and from $29 million in the prior quarter. Margins: Steel and freight expenses continue to decline. The company is focused on maintaining a balance between pricing and declining costs, aiming to eliminate any negative impact on the full-year margin. The negative impact from the customer and product mix, high growth in the lower margin of Onsite and non-fastener products and lower product margins in certain other product categories are likely to have been headwinds. Also, more overhead costs and supply chain headwinds are expected to have weighed on the company’s margins. What the Zacks Model Unveils Our proven model does not conclusively predict an earnings beat for FAST this time around. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat. This is not the case here, as you will see below. Earnings ESP: The company has an Earnings ESP of 0.00%. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter. Zacks Rank: Currently, Fastenal carries a Zacks Rank #3. Stocks With the Favorable Combination Here are some companies which, according to our model, have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat on their respective quarters to be reported. Builders FirstSource, Inc. BLDR has an Earnings ESP of +0.45% and a Zacks Rank #1. BLDR’s earnings topped the consensus mark in all the last four quarters, with the average being 68.3%. Earnings for the to-be-reported quarter are expected to decrease 58.5% year over year. TopBuild Corp. BLD has an Earnings ESP of +1.30% and a Zacks Rank #1. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. BLD’s earnings topped the consensus mark in all the last four quarters, with the average being 12.9%. Earnings for the to-be-reported quarter are expected to drop 1.6% year over year. Floor & Decor Holdings, Inc. FND has an Earnings ESP of +5.02% and a Zacks Rank #3. FND’s earnings topped the consensus mark in three the last four quarters but missed in one occasion, with the average being 4.8%. Earnings for the to-be-reported quarter are expected to decline 13.2% year over year. Stay on top of upcoming earnings announcements with the Zacks Earnings Calendar. 4 Oil Stocks with Massive Upsides Global demand for oil is through the roof... and oil producers are struggling to keep up. So even though oil prices are well off their recent highs, you can expect big profits from the companies that supply the world with ""black gold."" Zacks Investment Research has just released an urgent special report to help you bank on this trend. In Oil Market on Fire, you'll discover 4 unexpected oil and gas stocks positioned for big gains in the coming weeks and months. You don't want to miss these recommendations. Download your free report now to see them. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report Builders FirstSource, Inc. (BLDR) : Free Stock Analysis Report TopBuild Corp. (BLD) : Free Stock Analysis Report Floor & Decor Holdings, Inc. (FND) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-07-12,59.35,59.43,58.35,58.73,"[""The 5 Most Important Charts to Kick Off Earnings Season Second quarter earnings season is finally here. First quarter was supposed to be dramatic due to the banking crisis, but instead, it was fairly typical. No actual drama ensued. The big banks will lead off earnings season, as usual, with JPMorgan Chase and Citigroup leading the pack. But those aren\u2019t the earnings charts to watch this week. I\u2019ll be watching a group of five companies that represent a diverse look at the economy. Several of them have strong momentum this year. Will that continue? They all have solid earnings surprise histories as well. But the beat isn\u2019t going to matter much this quarter. Guidance is the name of the game as the Street is looking for any clues to the US economy, a possible recession and whatever else may be on the near-term horizon. 5 of the Most Important Earnings Chart this Week 1. Delta Airlines, Inc. (DAL) has missed on earnings three of the last four quarters. But the Street doesn\u2019t care as Delta Airlines has recently reported strong bookings. Shares have popped in 2023 and are up 48.4%. Delta Airlines is cheap, with a forward P/E of just 7.7. Is it time to buy Delta Airlines? 2. PepsiCo, Inc. (PEP) hasn\u2019t missed on earnings in 5 years. What an impressive track record. That includes the quarter when the pandemic hit. PepsiCo is a true earnings all-star. Shares are up 63% over those 5 years. PepsiCo is not a cheap stock. It trades with a forward P/E of 25. Is PepsiCo too hot to handle? 3. ConAgra Brands, Inc. (CAG) has beat 5 quarters in a row. Shares haven\u2019t participated in 2023\u2019s rally, however. ConAgra shares are down 14.4% year-to-date. It\u2019s cheap, though, with a forward P/E of 11.7. ConAgra also pays a dividend, currently yielding about 4%. Is ConAgra a hidden value gem? 4. Cintas Corp. (CTAS) has beat every quarter for 5 years. That\u2019s an incredible record for this uniform company. Cintas is trading near 5-year highs and is up 145% over that time period versus just 73.7% for the S&P 500. You won\u2019t get Cintas cheap though. It trades with a forward P/E of 34.3. How much more does Cintas have left in the tank? 5. Fastenal Co. (FAST) has beat 13 quarters in a row. It\u2019s last beat was just before the pandemic started, in early 2020. That\u2019s an impressive earnings surprise streak. Shares of Fastenal are up 24.6% year-to-date, easily beating the S&P 500, up 14.8%. Fastenal pays a dividend, yielding 2.4%. But it\u2019s not cheap. It trades with a forward P/E of 29. Will Fastenal beat again in Q2? This Little-Known Semiconductor Stock Could Be Your Portfolio\u2019s Hedge Against Inflation Everyone uses semiconductors. But only a small number of people know what they are and what they do. If you use a smartphone, computer, microwave, digital camera or refrigerator (and that\u2019s just the tip of the iceberg), you have a need for semiconductors. That\u2019s why their importance can\u2019t be overstated and their disruption in the supply chain has such a global effect. But every cloud has a silver lining. Shockwaves to the international supply chain from the global pandemic have unearthed a tremendous opportunity for investors. And today, Zacks' leading stock strategist is revealing the one semiconductor stock that stands to gain the most in a new FREE report. It's yours at no cost and with no obligation. Yes, I Want to Help Protect My Portfolio Against Inflation >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Delta Air Lines, Inc. (DAL) : Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report PepsiCo, Inc. (PEP) : Free Stock Analysis Report Cintas Corporation (CTAS) : Free Stock Analysis Report Conagra Brands (CAG) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Morgan Stanley Maintains Fastenal (FAST) Underweight Recommendation Fintel reports that on July 12, 2023, Morgan Stanley maintained coverage of Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) with a Underweight recommendation. Analyst Price Forecast Suggests 4.22% Downside As of July 6, 2023, the average one-year price target for Fastenal is 56.47. The forecasts range from a low of 46.46 to a high of $64.05. The average price target represents a decrease of 4.22% from its latest reported closing price of 58.96. See our leaderboard of companies with the largest price target upside. The projected annual revenue for Fastenal is 7,336MM, an increase of 2.81%. The projected annual non-GAAP EPS is 1.97. Fastenal Declares $0.35 Dividend On April 12, 2023 the company declared a regular quarterly dividend of $0.35 per share ($1.40 annualized). Shareholders of record as of April 27, 2023 received the payment on May 25, 2023. Previously, the company paid $0.35 per share. At the current share price of $58.96 / share, the stock's dividend yield is 2.37%. Looking back five years and taking a sample every week, the average dividend yield has been 2.46%, the lowest has been 1.75%, and the highest has been 3.55%. The standard deviation of yields is 0.34 (n=236). The current dividend yield is 0.26 standard deviations below the historical average. Additionally, the company's dividend payout ratio is 0.72. The payout ratio tells us how much of a company's income is paid out in dividends. A payout ratio of one (1.0) means 100% of the company's income is paid in a dividend. A payout ratio greater than one means the company is dipping into savings in order to maintain its dividend - not a healthy situation. Companies with few growth prospects are expected to pay out most of their income in dividends, which typically means a payout ratio between 0.5 and 1.0. Companies with good growth prospects are expected to retain some earnings in order to invest in those growth prospects, which translates to a payout ratio of zero to 0.5. The company's 3-Year dividend growth rate is 0.40%, demonstrating that it has increased its dividend over time. What is the Fund Sentiment? There are 1774 funds or institutions reporting positions in Fastenal. This is an increase of 15 owner(s) or 0.85% in the last quarter. Average portfolio weight of all funds dedicated to FAST is 0.31%, an increase of 25.67%. Total shares owned by institutions decreased in the last three months by 1.27% to 494,999K shares. The put/call ratio of FAST is 0.85, indicating a bullish outlook. What are Other Shareholders Doing? Bank of New York Mellon holds 25,750K shares representing 4.51% ownership of the company. In it's prior filing, the firm reported owning 26,226K shares, representing a decrease of 1.85%. The firm increased its portfolio allocation in FAST by 7.19% over the last quarter. VTSMX - Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund Investor Shares holds 17,667K shares representing 3.09% ownership of the company. In it's prior filing, the firm reported owning 17,419K shares, representing an increase of 1.40%. The firm increased its portfolio allocation in FAST by 6.75% over the last quarter. Geode Capital Management holds 13,676K shares representing 2.40% ownership of the company. In it's prior filing, the firm reported owning 13,559K shares, representing an increase of 0.86%. The firm increased its portfolio allocation in FAST by 6.31% over the last quarter. VIMSX - Vanguard Mid-Cap Index Fund Investor Shares holds 13,333K shares representing 2.34% ownership of the company. In it's prior filing, the firm reported owning 13,334K shares, representing a decrease of 0.01%. The firm increased its portfolio allocation in FAST by 10.33% over the last quarter. VFINX - Vanguard 500 Index Fund Investor Shares holds 13,320K shares representing 2.33% ownership of the company. In it's prior filing, the firm reported owning 13,237K shares, representing an increase of 0.63%. The firm increased its portfolio allocation in FAST by 6.38% over the last quarter. Fastenal Background Information (This description is provided by the company.) Fastenal helps customers simplify and realize product and process savings across their supply chain. It sells a broad oCering of products spanning more than nine major product lines - from fasteners and tools to safety and janitorial supplies. These products are eciently distributed to manufacturing facilities, job sites, and other customer locations through local service teams and point-of-use inventory solutions, including industrial vending technology and bin stock programs (Fastenal Managed Inventory or FMI\u00ae). Its distribution system centers on over 3,200 in-market locations (a combination of public branches and customer-speci c Onsite locations), primarily in North America but also in Asia, Europe, and Central and South America, each providing tailored inventory, exible service, and custom solutions to drive the unique goals of local customers. These in-market servicing locations are supported by Vfteen regional distribution centers, a captive logistics Deet, robust sourcing, quality and manufacturing resources, and multiple teams of industry specialists and support personnel - all working toward Fastenal's common goal of Growth Through Customer Service\u00ae. Additional reading: Fastenal Company Reports 2023 First Quarter Earnings Description of Capital Stock Bonus Program for Executive Officers* First Amendment to Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated as of January 20, 2023, by and among Fastenal Company, the Lenders party thereto, and Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, as Administrative Agent. List of Subsidiaries This story originally appeared on Fintel. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Pre-Market Earnings Report for July 13, 2023 : PEP, PGR, CTAS, FAST, DAL, CAG, WIT, NTIC The following companies are expected to report earnings prior to market open on 07/13/2023. Visit our Earnings Calendar for a full list of expected earnings releases. Pepsico, Inc. (PEP)is reporting for the quarter ending June 30, 2023. The beverages company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 7 analysts that follow the stock is $1.95. This value represents a 4.84% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year PEP has beat the expectations every quarter. The highest one was in the 1st calendar quarter where they beat the consensus by 9.49%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2023 Price to Earnings ratio for PEP is 25.24 vs. an industry ratio of -12.20, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Progressive Corporation (PGR)is reporting for the quarter ending June 30, 2023. The insurance (property & casualty) company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 9 analysts that follow the stock is $0.91. This value represents a 4.21% decrease compared to the same quarter last year. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2023 Price to Earnings ratio for PGR is 26.02 vs. an industry ratio of 17.40, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Cintas Corporation (CTAS)is reporting for the quarter ending May 31, 2023. The uniform company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 9 analysts that follow the stock is $3.19. This value represents a 13.52% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year CTAS has beat the expectations every quarter. The highest one was in the 1st calendar quarter where they beat the consensus by 4.32%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2023 Price to Earnings ratio for CTAS is 38.41 vs. an industry ratio of 30.20, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Fastenal Company (FAST)is reporting for the quarter ending June 30, 2023. The building company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 8 analysts that follow the stock is $0.52. This value represents a 4.00% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year FAST has met analyst expectations once and beat the expectations the other three quarters. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2023 Price to Earnings ratio for FAST is 29.78 vs. an industry ratio of 17.00, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Delta Air Lines, Inc. (DAL)is reporting for the quarter ending June 30, 2023. The airline company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 8 analysts that follow the stock is $2.42. This value represents a 68.06% increase compared to the same quarter last year. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2023 Price to Earnings ratio for DAL is 7.80 vs. an industry ratio of 8.70. ConAgra Brands, Inc. (CAG)is reporting for the quarter ending May 31, 2023. The food company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 7 analysts that follow the stock is $0.60. This value represents a 7.69% decrease compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year CAG has beat the expectations every quarter. The highest one was in the 1st calendar quarter where they beat the consensus by 18.75%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2023 Price to Earnings ratio for CAG is 12.04 vs. an industry ratio of 17.60. Wipro Limited (WIT)is reporting for the quarter ending June 30, 2023. The business software company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 2 analysts that follow the stock is $0.06. This value represents a no change for the same quarter last year. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2024 Price to Earnings ratio for WIT is 16.79 vs. an industry ratio of 9.70, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Northern Technologies International Corporation (NTIC)is reporting for the quarter ending May 31, 2023. The chemical company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 1 analyst that follows the stock is $0.19. This value represents a 58.33% increase compared to the same quarter last year. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2023 Price to Earnings ratio for NTIC is 19.73 vs. an industry ratio of 14.20, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2023-07-13,57.0,58.53,56.5,56.7,"[""Consumer Sector Update for 07/13/2023: CAG, AMZN, DAL, FAST Consumer stocks were gaining late Thursday, with the Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLP) increasing 0.5% and the Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLY) adding 1.1%. In company news, Conagra Brands (CAG) guided for a deceleration in fiscal 2024 organic revenue growth and lower earnings year on year after reporting mixed Q4 results. The shares rose 0.7%. Amazon.com (AMZN) shares rose 2.8% after its first day of Prime Day sales on Tuesday was its single largest sales day ever. Fastenal (FAST) was shedding 3.3% after the company reported weaker-than-expected Q2 revenue amid flat fastener daily sales as manufacturing and non-residential construction end markets softened. Delta Air Lines (DAL) was down 0.3%. The airline said it has ordered 12 A220-300 jetliners from Airbus, which is expected to deliver them in 2027 and 2028. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Nasdaq 100 Movers: WBD, JD In early trading on Thursday, shares of JD.com topped the list of the day's best performing components of the Nasdaq 100 index, trading up 3.5%. Year to date, JD.com has lost about 31.0% of its value. And the worst performing Nasdaq 100 component thus far on the day is Warner Bros Discovery, trading down 2.8%. Warner Bros Discovery is showing a gain of 34.9% looking at the year to date performance. Two other components making moves today are Fastenal, trading down 1.6%, and Zscaler, trading up 3.2% on the day. VIDEO: Nasdaq 100 Movers: WBD, JD The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Has Darden Restaurants (DRI) Outpaced Other Retail-Wholesale Stocks This Year? For those looking to find strong Retail-Wholesale stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Has Darden Restaurants (DRI) been one of those stocks this year? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Retail-Wholesale peers, we might be able to answer that question. Darden Restaurants is one of 221 individual stocks in the Retail-Wholesale sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #9 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank gauges the strength of our 16 individual sector groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. The Zacks Rank is a proven model that highlights a variety of stocks with the right characteristics to outperform the market over the next one to three months. The system emphasizes earnings estimate revisions and favors companies with improving earnings outlooks. Darden Restaurants is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy). Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for DRI's full-year earnings has moved 1% higher. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend. Our latest available data shows that DRI has returned about 20.6% since the start of the calendar year. Meanwhile, stocks in the Retail-Wholesale group have gained about 16.5% on average. This means that Darden Restaurants is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns. Another Retail-Wholesale stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is Fastenal (FAST). The stock has returned 24.1% year-to-date. For Fastenal, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 1.1% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Looking more specifically, Darden Restaurants belongs to the Retail - Restaurants industry, a group that includes 41 individual stocks and currently sits at #25 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has gained an average of 12.3% so far this year, so DRI is performing better in this area. In contrast, Fastenal falls under the Building Products - Retail industry. Currently, this industry has 8 stocks and is ranked #21. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved +10.5%. Investors interested in the Retail-Wholesale sector may want to keep a close eye on Darden Restaurants and Fastenal as they attempt to continue their solid performance. Just Released: Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2023 In addition to the investment ideas discussed above, would you like to know about our 10 top picks for 2023? From inception in 2012 through November, the Zacks Top 10 Stocks portfolio has tripled the market, gaining an impressive +884.5% versus the S&P 500\u2019s +287.4%. Our Director of Research has now combed through 4,000 companies covered by the Zacks Rank and handpicked the best 10 tickers to buy and hold in 2023. Don\u2019t miss your chance to still be among the first to get in on these just-released stocks. See New Top 10 Stocks >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Darden Restaurants, Inc. (DRI) : Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal (FAST) Q2 Earnings: Taking a Look at Key Metrics Versus Estimates Fastenal (FAST) reported $1.88 billion in revenue for the quarter ended June 2023, representing a year-over-year increase of 5.9%. EPS of $0.52 for the same period compares to $0.50 a year ago. The reported revenue compares to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.89 billion, representing a surprise of -0.11%. The company has not delivered EPS surprise, with the consensus EPS estimate being $0.52. While investors closely watch year-over-year changes in headline numbers -- revenue and earnings -- and how they compare to Wall Street expectations to determine their next course of action, some key metrics always provide a better insight into a company's underlying performance. As these metrics influence top- and bottom-line performance, comparing them to the year-ago numbers and what analysts estimated helps investors project a stock's price performance more accurately. Here is how Fastenal performed in the just reported quarter in terms of the metrics most widely monitored and projected by Wall Street analysts: Business days: 64 Days compared to the 64 Days average estimate based on six analysts. Daily sales: $29.40 versus the four-analyst average estimate of $29.35. Number of in-market locations: 3363 versus 3348.48 estimated by three analysts on average. Weighted FASTBin/FASTVend installations: 107115 versus the two-analyst average estimate of 107323.1. Number of active Onsite locations: 1728 versus the two-analyst average estimate of 1710.48. Number of branch locations: 1635 versus 1634.25 estimated by two analysts on average. Weighted FASTBin/FASTVend signings: 6794 compared to the 5814.07 average estimate based on two analysts. View all Key Company Metrics for Fastenal here>>> Shares of Fastenal have returned +5.9% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +3.2% change. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), indicating that it could outperform the broader market in the near term. Just Released: Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2023 In addition to the investment ideas discussed above, would you like to know about our 10 top picks for 2023? From inception in 2012 through November, the Zacks Top 10 Stocks portfolio has tripled the market, gaining an impressive +884.5% versus the S&P 500\u2019s +287.4%. Our Director of Research has now combed through 4,000 companies covered by the Zacks Rank and handpicked the best 10 tickers to buy and hold in 2023. Don\u2019t miss your chance to still be among the first to get in on these just-released stocks. See New Top 10 Stocks >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal (FAST) Q2 Earnings Match Estimates Fastenal (FAST) came out with quarterly earnings of $0.52 per share, in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate. This compares to earnings of $0.50 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items. A quarter ago, it was expected that this maker of industrial and construction fasteners would post earnings of $0.49 per share when it actually produced earnings of $0.52, delivering a surprise of 6.12%. Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates three times. Fastenal, which belongs to the Zacks Building Products - Retail industry, posted revenues of $1.88 billion for the quarter ended June 2023, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 0.11%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $1.78 billion. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates three times over the last four quarters. The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call. Fastenal shares have added about 24.1% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 16.5%. What's Next for Fastenal? While Fastenal has outperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock? There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately. Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions. Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for Fastenal: favorable. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to outperform the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. It will be interesting to see how estimates for the coming quarters and current fiscal year change in the days ahead. The current consensus EPS estimate is $0.51 on $1.86 billion in revenues for the coming quarter and $1.98 on $7.36 billion in revenues for the current fiscal year. Investors should be mindful of the fact that the outlook for the industry can have a material impact on the performance of the stock as well. In terms of the Zacks Industry Rank, Building Products - Retail is currently in the top 9% of the 250 plus Zacks industries. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1. Tecnoglass (TGLS), another stock in the same industry, has yet to report results for the quarter ended June 2023. This architectural glass maker is expected to post quarterly earnings of $0.98 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of +42%. The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has been revised 2.4% higher over the last 30 days to the current level. Tecnoglass' revenues are expected to be $208.9 million, up 23.5% from the year-ago quarter. Just Released: Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2023 In addition to the investment ideas discussed above, would you like to know about our 10 top picks for 2023? From inception in 2012 through November, the Zacks Top 10 Stocks portfolio has tripled the market, gaining an impressive +884.5% versus the S&P 500\u2019s +287.4%. Our Director of Research has now combed through 4,000 companies covered by the Zacks Rank and handpicked the best 10 tickers to buy and hold in 2023. Don\u2019t miss your chance to still be among the first to get in on these just-released stocks. See New Top 10 Stocks >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report Tecnoglass Inc. (TGLS) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Q2 23 Earnings Conference Call At 9:00 AM ET (RTTNews) - Fastenal Co. (FAST) will host a conference call at 9:00 AM ET on July 13, 2023, to discuss Q2 23 earnings results. To access the live webcast, log on to https://investor.fastenal.com/events-and-presentations/default.aspx The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Consumer Sector Update for 07/13/2023: AMZN, DAL, FAST Consumer stocks were higher Thursday afternoon with the Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLP) increasing 0.2% and the Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLY) up 0.9%. In company news, Amazon.com (AMZN) shares climbed 2.7% after the company's first day of Prime Day sales on Tuesday was its single largest sales day ever. Delta Air Lines (DAL) was up 1.2% after it said Thursday it has ordered 12 A220-300 jetliners from Airbus, which is expected to deliver them in 2027 and 2028. Fastenal (FAST) was shedding 2.6% after the company reported weaker-than-expected Q2 revenue amid flat fastener daily sales as manufacturing and non-residential construction end markets softened. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal (FAST) Q2 Earnings In Line, Sales Miss, Shares Down Fastenal Company\u2019s FAST shares dipped more than 3% in the pre-market trading session on Jul 13 after it reported second-quarter 2023 results. Earnings met the Zacks Consensus Estimate but net sales missed the same. The company\u2019s top and bottom lines, however, improved on a year-over-year basis, given daily sales growth, good expense control and a lower share base. Although growing digital footprint and market share gains across various product categories are positives, Fastenal\u2019s industrial markets have been slowing down broadly due to decreased customer spending. The company also lowered its Onsite locations expectation for 2023 based on the first half of 2023 performance. Earnings & Sales in Detail The company reported earnings of 52 cents per share, in line with the consensus mark but rose 4.6% from the year-ago period. Net sales totaled $1,883.1 million, missing the consensus mark of $1,885 million by 0.1% but increasing 5.9% from the year-ago level. Daily sales of $29.4 million increased 5.9% year over year in the reported quarter. The upside was mainly due to higher unit sales, thanks to solid demand for industrial capital goods and commodities, offsetting a contraction for construction and reseller end markets. The foreign exchange adversely impacted sales by 40 basis points. On a monthly basis, daily sales improved 4.7%, 5.2% and 7.8% in June, May and April 2023, respectively, year over year. Daily sales of Fastener products (mainly used for industrial production and accounting for approximately 32.6% of second-quarter sales) remained unchanged year over year. Sales of safety products (20.7%) grew 7.9% on a daily basis. Sales of the remaining products (46.7%) grew 9.8% year over year. On the end-market basis, daily sales of Manufacturing (accounting for approximately 74.8% of second-quarter sales) rose 10.4% year over year. Sales of Non-residential construction (9.2%) fell 8.8% on a daily basis. Sales of Other (16%) declined 3.2% year over year. Daily sales through weighted FMI devices grew 18.4% for the second quarter and represented 39.8% of net sales. Daily sales to national account customers (representing 59.3% of total second-quarter net sales) increased 10.3% on a year-over-year basis. Daily sales to non-national account customers (which include government customers and represent 40.7% of total quarterly revenues) rose 0.2% from the prior-year quarter. The company\u2019s digital footprint increased to 55.3% of sales in the second quarter of 2023 from 47.9% of sales in the year-ago period. Fastenal Company Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Fastenal Company price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Fastenal Company Quote Vending Trends & Other Growth Drivers Fastenal signed 86 new Onsite locations during the quarter. As of Jun 30, 2023, the company had 1,728 active sites, up 15.1% from the year-ago period. Daily sales through Onsite locations (excluding sales transferred from branches to new Onsite) increased at a high-teens rate year over year. This was backed by strong contributions from Onsite locations, activated and implemented over the last 12 months and continued growth from older Onsite locations. For 2023, the company now expects 350 annual Onsite signings versus 375-400 expected earlier. Margins A gross margin of 45.5% for the reported quarter was down from 46.5% a year ago. This was due to customer and product mix, given increased growth in the lower margin of Onsite and non-fastener products and lower product margins in certain other product categories. Also, higher organizational/overhead costs added to the negatives. Operating margin came in at 21%, which was 60 basis points down from a year ago due to lower gross margin. Financials As of Jun 30, 2023, cash and cash equivalents were $243.6 million, up from $230.1 million on Dec 31, 2022. The long-term debt at the second-quarter end was $200 million, down from $353.2 million at 2022-end. During the second quarter, FAST returned $199.9 million to its shareholders in the form of dividends. During second-quarter 2023, cash provided by operating activities totaled $302.1 million, up 99.8% from the year-ago period. Zacks Rank Fastenal currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Other Stocks to Consider Some other top-ranked stocks in the Zacks Retail-Wholesale sector are: Builders FirstSource, Inc. BLDR presently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). BLDR\u2019s earnings topped the consensus mark in all the last four quarters, with the average being 68.3%. You can see the complete list of today\u2019s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for BLDR\u2019s 2023 earnings per share (EPS) estimates have increased to $10.27 from $10.11 over the past 30 days. GMS Inc. GMS sports a Zacks Rank #1 at present. GMS\u2019 earnings surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the trailing four quarters and missed on one occasion, the average surprise being 9.2%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for GMS\u2019 2023 EPS estimates have increased to $8.16 from $6.99 over the past 30 days. Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. PLAY currently sports a Zacks Rank #1. PLAY has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 6.8%, on average. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for PLAY\u2019s 2023 EPS indicates growth of 28% from the year-ago period. Just Released: Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2023 In addition to the investment ideas discussed above, would you like to know about our 10 top picks for 2023? From inception in 2012 through November, the Zacks Top 10 Stocks portfolio has tripled the market, gaining an impressive +884.5% versus the S&P 500\u2019s +287.4%. Our Director of Research has now combed through 4,000 companies covered by the Zacks Rank and handpicked the best 10 tickers to buy and hold in 2023. Don\u2019t miss your chance to still be among the first to get in on these just-released stocks. See New Top 10 Stocks >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report Builders FirstSource, Inc. (BLDR) : Free Stock Analysis Report Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. (PLAY) : Free Stock Analysis Report GMS Inc. (GMS) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2023-07-14,56.43,57.52,56.3,57.48,"[""Kohl's (KSS) Exhibits Bright Prospects, Headwinds Prevail Kohl's Corporation KSS is well-poised for growth, courtesy of its strength in core businesses, robust customer base, effective management of inventory and focus on strengthening its balance sheet. However, high operating expenses and softness in its home products business remain concerning. The Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company has a market capitalization of $2.8 billion and belongs to the Zacks Retail - Regional Department Stores industry. Factors Influencing the Company\u2019s Performance Kohl\u2019s remains focused on its 2023 key priorities, which include simplifying value strategies, enhancing customers\u2019 experiences and undertaking a disciplined approach toward inventory and expense management. A focus on these priorities aided the company\u2019s first-quarter fiscal 2023 results, wherein both top and bottom lines surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate and the latter improved year over year. In the quarter, Kohl\u2019s witnessed an expansion in margins and a 6% decline in inventory. The company remains committed to creating an exciting in-store experience, driving digital growth and expanding its Sephora partnership. Management expects to have Sephora\u2019s presence at more than 900 Kohl\u2019s shops by the end of 2023, which includes 860 full-size and 50 small-format shop-in-shops. In regard to its value strategies, management remains focused on accelerating growth through simplified pricing, effective marketing initiatives and loyalty programs. For fiscal 2023, KSS anticipates adjusted earnings per share to lie in the range of $2.10-$2.70 compared with loss of 15 cents per share reported in fiscal 2022. Its operating margin is expected to be about 4% in fiscal 2023, indicating an increase from 1.4% recorded in the previous fiscal year. Kohl\u2019s remains committed to offering a convenient customer shopping experience with great deals in 1,100 plus stores throughout the country as well as on Kohls.com. The leading omnichannel retailer is providing style-forward products at a great value with Kohl\u2019s Card, Kohl\u2019s Cash and Kohl\u2019s Rewards program during the back-to-school season and otherwise. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research In the past three months, it has gained 7.2% against the industry\u2019s decline of 1.1%. Despite the positives, the company has been witnessing weakness in its home products business. This is because the company entered the year with leaner inventories in the home category, which received fewer benefits from Kohl\u2019s clearance activities. For fiscal 2023, Kohl\u2019s anticipates net sales to decline 2-4%, reflecting the expected impact of macroeconomic headwinds on its business. The company has been grappling with inflationary pressure for a while now. Product cost inflation and increased shrinkage have been affecting the company\u2019s gross margin of late. In the fiscal second quarter, management expects the gross margin to decline year over year. Key Picks Some better-ranked stocks are Abercrombie & Fitch Co. ANF, Fastenal Company FAST and Arcos Dorados Holdings, Inc. ARCO. While Abercrombie & Fitch sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), Fastenal and Arcos Dorados each carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today\u2019s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Abercrombie & Fitch operates as a specialty retailer of premium, high-quality casual apparel for men, women and kids. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Abercrombie & Fitch\u2019s current financial-year sales suggests growth of 3.4%. Its earnings per share are expected to rise 732% from the corresponding year-ago reported figures. ANF has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 480.6%, on average. Fastenal specializes in the distribution of industrial and construction supplies in North America. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Fastenal\u2019s current financial-year sales and earnings per share suggests growth of 5.4% and 4.8%, respectively, from the corresponding year-ago reported figures. FAST has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 3.2%, on average. Arcos Dorados operates as a franchisee of McDonald's restaurants. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for ARCO\u2019s current financial-year sales and earnings per share suggests growth of 13.4% and 4.4%, respectively, from the corresponding year-ago reported figures. The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 23.5%, on average. Zacks Names \""Single Best Pick to Double\"" From thousands of stocks, 5 Zacks experts each have chosen their favorite to skyrocket +100% or more in months to come. From those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all. It\u2019s a little-known chemical company that\u2019s up 65% over last year, yet still dirt cheap. With unrelenting demand, soaring 2022 earnings estimates, and $1.5 billion for repurchasing shares, retail investors could jump in at any time. This company could rival or surpass other recent Zacks\u2019 Stocks Set to Double like Boston Beer Company which shot up +143.0% in little more than 9 months and NVIDIA which boomed +175.9% in one year. Free: See Our Top Stock and 4 Runners Up >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Kohl's Corporation (KSS) : Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report Abercrombie & Fitch Company (ANF) : Free Stock Analysis Report Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc. (ARCO) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Falls To The Buy Zone: But Wait To Buy More Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST) fell following its Q2 earnings release and could fall further. The caveat is that tepid results do not overshadow the company\u2019s strengths, including a solid balance sheet, an improvement in cash flow, share repurchases, and dividend payments. While q2 results were less than hoped, they aligned with the analyst's consensus, which called for growth. In this scenario, the stock price may continue to dip within its trading range, but there should be solid support at the bottom of the range, if not higher. The market is sitting on a critical support level now; if support confirms in the next few days, the market could begin to rebound over the summer. Fastenal Has Tepid Quarter? Mixed Results Weigh On Price Action Fastenal had a tepid quarter but only regarding the analysts\u2019 expectations. The company produced $1.88 billion in net revenue for a gain of 5.9% compared to last year. The revenue missed the consensus by a slim $0.010 billion or 0.5% but an improvement in margin offsets that. Data within the revenue figure reveals the company\u2019s diversification and industry-supporting strategy are working. Sales were driven by an increase in Onsite locations offset by weakness in construction and reseller markets. Other led with a gain of 9.8% on a segment basis, with Safety close behind at 8% and Fasteners holding steady compared to last year. Manufacturing led on an end-market basis, with non-residential construction and others both falling. On a business-size basis, national accounts grew by 10.2% and Non-national by 0.2%. If there is a takeaway for the broad economy, it is that national-level manufacturers are buying safety and other products from Onsite systems. The margin news is the best in the report. Margin contracted at the gross and operating levels but less than expected. The operating margin fell 60 bps, leaving the GAAP EPS at $0.52. This is up 4% compared to last year versus the topline growth of 5.9%, as expected compared to the top-line miss. The takeaway is that business is slightly better than expected and is expected to remain steady, if not grow, in the coming quarters. The company continues to add new Onsite locations, the count is up 15% YOY, and deepen penetration of existing markets. The Analysts Are Holding: The Institutions Are Buying The analysts' sentiment toward Fastenal will not drive the market higher but will support the market. The analysts have the stock pegged at Hold with a price target trending higher but assuming fair value at current price levels. That\u2019s near $56.50 and potentially strong support near the middle of a trading range. If support starts at this level, the market should consolidate near its high, possibly moving higher later in the year. As for the institutions, they own about 77% of the stock and have been buying on balance for the last year. Buying outpaces selling by 1.65:1 has netted about 3% of the post-release market cap. Buying ramped higher in recent quarters, coincident with a bottom and reversal in the price action. The chart is a little iffy but shows a market in reversal. The post-release drop in price action is a correction within a larger movement that should result in a buying signal. That signal could form at the current levels or lower. The best target for solid support is the 150-day moving average, nearly $54. The market may stall at its current level, near $56.50, and allow the EMA to catch up. In that scenario, the stock could retest the recent highs by the end of the year. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2023-07-17,57.6,57.89,57.13,57.28,"Warren Buffett Detailed Fundamental Analysis - FAST Below is Validea's guru fundamental report for FASTENAL CO (FAST). Of the 22 guru strategies we follow, FAST rates highest using our Patient Investor model based on the published strategy of Warren Buffett. This strategy seeks out firms with long-term, predictable profitability and low debt that trade at reasonable valuations. FASTENAL CO (FAST) is a large-cap growth stock in the Misc. Fabricated Products industry. The rating using this strategy is 86% based on the firm’s underlying fundamentals and the stock’s valuation. A score of 80% or above typically indicates that the strategy has some interest in the stock and a score above 90% typically indicates strong interest. The following table summarizes whether the stock meets each of this strategy's tests. Not all criteria in the below table receive equal weighting or are independent, but the table provides a brief overview of the strong and weak points of the security in the context of the strategy's criteria. EARNINGS PREDICTABILITY: PASS DEBT SERVICE: PASS RETURN ON EQUITY: PASS RETURN ON TOTAL CAPITAL: PASS FREE CASH FLOW: PASS USE OF RETAINED EARNINGS: PASS SHARE REPURCHASE: PASS INITIAL RATE OF RETURN: PASS EXPECTED RETURN: FAIL Detailed Analysis of FASTENAL CO FAST Guru Analysis FAST Fundamental Analysis More Information on Warren Buffett Warren Buffett Portfolio Top Warren Buffett Stocks About Warren Buffett: Warren Buffett is considered by many to be the greatest investor of all time. As the chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, Buffett has consistently outperformed the S&P 500 for decades, and in the process has become one of the world's richest men. (Forbes puts his net worth at $37 billion.) Despite his fortune, Buffett is known for living a modest lifestyle, by billionaire standards. His primary residence remains the gray stucco Nebraska home he purchased for $31,500 nearly 50 years ago, according to Forbes, and his folksy Midwestern manner and penchant for simple pleasures -- a cherry Coke, a good burger, and a good book are all near the top of the list -- have been well-documented. Additional Research Links Top Large-Cap Growth Stocks Factor-Based Stock Portfolios Dividend Aristocrats 2023 High Insider Ownership Stocks Top S&P 500 Stocks Excess Returns Investing Podcast About Validea: Validea is aninvestment researchservice that follows the published strategies of investment legends. Validea offers both stock analysis and model portfolios based on gurus who have outperformed the market over the long-term, including Warren Buffett, Benjamin Graham, Peter Lynch and Martin Zweig. For more information about Validea, click here The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-07-18,57.2,57.5725,56.515,56.79,
FAST,2023-07-19,56.72,57.51,56.545,57.29,"[""Wednesday 7/19 Insider Buying Report: FAST, GABC As the saying goes, there are many possible reasons for an insider to sell a stock, but only one reason to buy -- they expect to make money. So let's look at two noteworthy recent insider buys. On Monday, Fastenal's , Michael J. Ancius, made a $28,765 buy of FAST, purchasing 500 shares at a cost of $57.53 each. Investors can buy FAST at a price even lower than Ancius did, with shares trading as low as $56.55 in trading on Wednesday which is 1.7% below Ancius's purchase price. Fastenal is trading up about 0.9% on the day Wednesday. Before this latest buy, Ancius made one other purchase in the past year, buying $24,310 shares for a cost of $48.62 a piece. And at German American Bancorp, there was insider buying on Saturday, by Susan J. Ellspermann who bought 723 shares at a cost of $27.67 each, for a trade totaling $20,000. Before this latest buy, Ellspermann purchased GABC at 7 other times during the past year, for a total investment of $15,276 at an average of $37.34 per share. German American Bancorp Inc is trading up about 2.6% on the day Wednesday. So far Ellspermann is in the green, up about 4.7% on their purchase based on today's trading high of $28.98. VIDEO: Wednesday 7/19 Insider Buying Report: FAST, GABC The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""2 Safe Dividend Stocks to Beat Inflation Inflation is insidious, slowly eating away at the value of your money. Although the rate of inflation is elevated today, bringing the issue to the fore, it is almost always working in the background. Indeed, inflation is something you should be thinking about at all times when you invest. Which is why you might want to include dividend growth stocks like A. O. Smith (NYSE: AOS) and Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST) in your portfolio. The pain you feel but don't see The historical growth rate of inflation is around 3.2% annually, so low that it can be hard to tell that anything is changing from year to year. Over the past 18 months or so, however, inflation kicked up dramatically for a time as companies try to pass on rising costs to end customers. The price increases are clearly present in the grocery store, as you buy materially less food with the same dollars. Many consumer-staples makers have pushed through multiple rounds of price hikes in a very short period of time when, historically, they might have only increased them once a year. Image source: Getty Images. But don't get too caught up in today's inflation rate. In fact, the latest monthly report suggests it is effectively back at historically normal levels and well down from the 9.1% levels seen last summer. The real lesson here is that inflation destroys the buying power of your dollars, and it is a problem you need to address. One way to combat the ravages of inflation is to buy dividend growth stocks -- particularly stocks with long histories of fairly rapid rates of annual payout increases. In this way, you might not only offset inflation, but you might also even outpace it and boost the buying power of the income you collect from your portfolio. Here's a bit more about the two dividend stocks mentioned above. 1. A.O. Smith: Giving the world what it wants Industrial company A. O. Smith makes water heaters. Hot water is an affordable luxury that everyone wants and few are willing to give up once they have it. The core of the business (roughly 75% of revenue) is North America, where replacement sales provide a solid base for the business as a whole. A slow and steady increase is the expectation here. The rest of the business is described as \""rest of world,\"" but it is basically Asia. China has been the big growth story for many years, with the company now focused on using its China playbook in India. Both countries are filled with people stepping up the socioeconomic ladder. That means finally getting access to hot water. So the big picture here is a solid foundation (North America) supporting growth-focused expansion in newer markets (Asia). But the real story for investors worried about inflation is A. O. Smith's three-decade history of annual dividend increases. Over the past decade, the dividend has risen at a very rapid 19% annual rate. To be fair, A. O. Smith has been having some issues in China, so the business isn't hitting on all cylinders today. But despite that, the last dividend increase was still 7%. If that's what this dividend growth stock can do in a bad year, long-term investors should be very happy. The yield is around 1.6%. That is a modest yield. But added to a portfolio of higher-yielding stocks, it can help fight the ravages of inflation. 2. Fastenal: A team player Fastenal is an industrial parts and tools provider. It looks to partner with its customers, integrating itself into their supply chains so that it is hard to bring in a new supplier. In recent years, it has been shifting from owning stores to physically embedding itself into customer locations with things like vending machines and direct supply routes. Selling nuts and bolts is pretty simple, but Fastenal has turned it into something of an art form. The company's business is cyclical, so investors have to understand that performance (and the stock price) will wax and wane along with the economy. But if you are patient and can think in the long term, an economic downturn could be a great time to add the stock to your portfolio. The biggest reason is that it has grown its dividend for 24 consecutive years with a rate of 14% over the past decade. The most recent increase was a huge 13% or so. While you should expect smaller increases during recessions, the long-term trend here is very clearly rapid dividend growth. As with A. O. Smith, adding this stock to a dividend portfolio can definitely help to offset the hit of inflation. The yield is currently around 2.4%. Fast and steady Inflation is always with us, so you always need to think about it. For dividend investors, that means including at least a few dividend growth stocks like A. O. Smith and Fastenal in a portfolio. If you do that, inflation shouldn't be as insidious a headwind. 10 stocks we like better than A. O. Smith When our analyst team has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.* They just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and A. O. Smith wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of July 17, 2023 Reuben Gregg Brewer has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends A. O. Smith. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2023-07-20,57.32,58.095,56.819,57.86,"[""Fastenal a Top Ranked SAFE Dividend Stock With 2.4% Yield (FAST) Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) has been named to the Dividend Channel ''S.A.F.E. 25'' list, signifying a stock with above-average ''DividendRank'' statistics including a strong 2.4% yield, as well as a superb track record of at least two decades of dividend growth, according to the most recent ''DividendRank'' report. According to the ETF Finder at ETF Channel, Fastenal Co. is a member of the iShares S&P 1500 Index ETF (ITOT), and is also an underlying holding representing 0.92% of the SPDR S&P Dividend ETF (SDY), which holds $204,649,304 worth of FAST shares. Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) made the \""Dividend Channel S.A.F.E. 25\"" list because of these qualities: S. Solid return \u2014 hefty yield and strong DividendRank characteristics; A. Accelerating amount \u2014 consistent dividend increases over time; F. Flawless history \u2014 never a missed or lowered dividend; E. Enduring \u2014 at least two decades of dividend payments. The annualized dividend paid by Fastenal Co. is $1.4/share, currently paid in quarterly installments, and its most recent dividend ex-date was on 07/26/2023. Below is a long-term dividend history chart for FAST, which the report stressed as being of key importance. FAST operates in the Home Improvement Stores sector, among companies like Home Depot Inc (HD), and Lowe's Companies Inc (LOW). Top 25 S.A.F.E. Dividend Stocks Increasing Payments For Decades \u00bb Also see: \u0095 Jeremy Grantham Stock Picks \u0095 Institutional Holders of JKE \u0095 Regency Centers DMA The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Why Fastenal is a Top Socially Responsible Dividend Stock (FAST) Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) has been named a Top Socially Responsible Dividend Stock by Dividend Channel, signifying a stock with above-average ''DividendRank'' statistics including a strong 2.4% yield, as well as being recognized by prominent asset managers as being a socially responsible investment, through analysis of social and environmental criteria. Environmental criteria include considerations like the environmental impact of the company's products and services, as well as the company's efficiency in terms of its use of energy and resources. Social criteria include elements such as human rights, child labor, corporate diversity, and the company's impact on society \u2014 for instance, taken into consideration would be business activities tied to weapons, gambling, tobacco, and alcohol. According to the ETF Finder at ETF Channel, Fastenal Co. is a member of the iShares USA ESG Select ETF (SUSA), making up 0.15% of the underlying holdings of the fund, which owns $5,818,808 worth of FAST shares. The annualized dividend paid by Fastenal Co. is $1.4/share, currently paid in quarterly installments, and its most recent dividend ex-date was on 07/26/2023. Below is a long-term dividend history chart for FAST, which the DividendRank report stressed as being of key importance. Indeed, studying a company's past dividend history can be of good help in judging whether the most recent dividend is likely to continue. FAST operates in the Home Improvement Stores sector, among companies like Home Depot Inc (HD), and Lowe's Companies Inc (LOW). Top 25 Socially Responsible Dividend Stocks \u2014 Income To Feel Good About \u00bb Also see: \u0095 Stock RSI \u0095 RODM Videos \u0095 SHCO Options Chain The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2023-07-21,57.97,58.475,57.92,58.14,
FAST,2023-07-24,58.1,58.48,57.78,58.42,"[""July 2024 Options Now Available For Fastenal (FAST) Investors in Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) saw new options begin trading today, for the July 2024 expiration. One of the key inputs that goes into the price an option buyer is willing to pay, is the time value, so with 361 days until expiration the newly trading contracts represent a possible opportunity for sellers of puts or calls to achieve a higher premium than would be available for the contracts with a closer expiration. At Stock Options Channel, our YieldBoost formula has looked up and down the FAST options chain for the new July 2024 contracts and identified one put and one call contract of particular interest. The put contract at the $57.50 strike price has a current bid of $3.30. If an investor was to sell-to-open that put contract, they are committing to purchase the stock at $57.50, but will also collect the premium, putting the cost basis of the shares at $54.20 (before broker commissions). To an investor already interested in purchasing shares of FAST, that could represent an attractive alternative to paying $57.80/share today. Because the $57.50 strike represents an approximate 1% discount to the current trading price of the stock (in other words it is out-of-the-money by that percentage), there is also the possibility that the put contract would expire worthless. The current analytical data (including greeks and implied greeks) suggest the current odds of that happening are 99%. Stock Options Channel will track those odds over time to see how they change, publishing a chart of those numbers on our website under the contract detail page for this contract. Should the contract expire worthless, the premium would represent a 5.74% return on the cash commitment, or 5.80% annualized \u2014 at Stock Options Channel we call this the YieldBoost. Below is a chart showing the trailing twelve month trading history for Fastenal Co., and highlighting in green where the $57.50 strike is located relative to that history: Turning to the calls side of the option chain, the call contract at the $60.00 strike price has a current bid of $3.80. If an investor was to purchase shares of FAST stock at the current price level of $57.80/share, and then sell-to-open that call contract as a \""covered call,\"" they are committing to sell the stock at $60.00. Considering the call seller will also collect the premium, that would drive a total return (excluding dividends, if any) of 10.38% if the stock gets called away at the July 2024 expiration (before broker commissions). Of course, a lot of upside could potentially be left on the table if FAST shares really soar, which is why looking at the trailing twelve month trading history for Fastenal Co., as well as studying the business fundamentals becomes important. Below is a chart showing FAST's trailing twelve month trading history, with the $60.00 strike highlighted in red: Considering the fact that the $60.00 strike represents an approximate 4% premium to the current trading price of the stock (in other words it is out-of-the-money by that percentage), there is also the possibility that the covered call contract would expire worthless, in which case the investor would keep both their shares of stock and the premium collected. The current analytical data (including greeks and implied greeks) suggest the current odds of that happening are 99%. On our website under the contract detail page for this contract, Stock Options Channel will track those odds over time to see how they change and publish a chart of those numbers (the trading history of the option contract will also be charted). Should the covered call contract expire worthless, the premium would represent a 6.57% boost of extra return to the investor, or 6.65% annualized, which we refer to as the YieldBoost. Meanwhile, we calculate the actual trailing twelve month volatility (considering the last 250 trading day closing values as well as today's price of $57.80) to be 26%. For more put and call options contract ideas worth looking at, visit StockOptionsChannel.com. Top YieldBoost Calls of the Nasdaq 100 \u00bb Also see: \u0095 Funds Holding PYN \u0095 BETR Videos \u0095 HWBK Videos The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Ex-Dividend Reminder: Fastenal, Cooper Companies and Marsh & McLennan Companies Looking at the universe of stocks we cover at Dividend Channel, on 7/26/23, Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST), Cooper Companies, Inc. (Symbol: COO), and Marsh & McLennan Companies Inc. (Symbol: MMC) will all trade ex-dividend for their respective upcoming dividends. Fastenal Co. will pay its quarterly dividend of $0.35 on 8/24/23, Cooper Companies, Inc. will pay its semi-annual dividend of $0.03 on 8/11/23, and Marsh & McLennan Companies Inc. will pay its quarterly dividend of $0.71 on 8/15/23. As a percentage of FAST's recent stock price of $58.17, this dividend works out to approximately 0.60%, so look for shares of Fastenal Co. to trade 0.60% lower \u2014 all else being equal \u2014 when FAST shares open for trading on 7/26/23. Similarly, investors should look for COO to open 0.01% lower in price and for MMC to open 0.37% lower, all else being equal. Below are dividend history charts for FAST, COO, and MMC, showing historical dividends prior to the most recent ones declared. Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST): Cooper Companies, Inc. (Symbol: COO): Marsh & McLennan Companies Inc. (Symbol: MMC): In general, dividends are not always predictable, following the ups and downs of company profits over time. Therefore, a good first due diligence step in forming an expectation of annual yield going forward, is looking at the history above, for a sense of stability over time. This can help in judging whether the most recent dividends from these companies are likely to continue. If they do continue, the current estimated yields on annualized basis would be 2.41% for Fastenal Co., 0.02% for Cooper Companies, Inc., and 1.48% for Marsh & McLennan Companies Inc.. In Monday trading, Fastenal Co. shares are currently up about 0.1%, Cooper Companies, Inc. shares are off about 0.3%, and Marsh & McLennan Companies Inc. shares are up about 0.1% on the day. Click here to learn which 25 S.A.F.E. dividend stocks should be on your radar screen \u00bb Also see: \u0095 Dividend Bargains You Can Buy Cheaper Than Insiders Did \u0095 VDE Videos \u0095 WAFD Insider Buying The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2023-07-25,58.47,58.94,58.22,58.61,
FAST,2023-07-26,58.11,58.7,57.91,58.53,
FAST,2023-07-27,58.5,58.53,57.275,57.69,
FAST,2023-07-28,58.085,58.51,58.06,58.43,
FAST,2023-07-31,58.43,58.64,58.09,58.61,"Validea Detailed Fundamental Analysis - FAST Below is Validea's guru fundamental report for FASTENAL CO (FAST). Of the 22 guru strategies we follow, FAST rates highest using our Multi-Factor Investor model based on the published strategy of Pim van Vliet. This multi-factor model seeks low volatility stocks that also have strong momentum and high net payout yields. FASTENAL CO (FAST) is a large-cap growth stock in the Misc. Fabricated Products industry. The rating using this strategy is 87% based on the firm’s underlying fundamentals and the stock’s valuation. A score of 80% or above typically indicates that the strategy has some interest in the stock and a score above 90% typically indicates strong interest. The following table summarizes whether the stock meets each of this strategy's tests. Not all criteria in the below table receive equal weighting or are independent, but the table provides a brief overview of the strong and weak points of the security in the context of the strategy's criteria. MARKET CAP: PASS STANDARD DEVIATION: PASS TWELVE MINUS ONE MOMENTUM: NEUTRAL NET PAYOUT YIELD: NEUTRAL FINAL RANK: FAIL Detailed Analysis of FASTENAL CO FAST Guru Analysis FAST Fundamental Analysis More Information on Pim van Vliet Pim van Vliet Portfolio About Pim van Vliet: In investing, you typically need to take more risk to get more return. There is one major exception to this in the factor investing world, though. Low volatility stocks have been proven to outperform their high volatility counterparts, and do so with less risk. Pim van Vliet is the head of Conservative Equities at Robeco Asset Management. His research into conservative factor investing led to the creation of this strategy and the publication of the book ""High Returns From Low Risk: A Remarkable Stock Market Paradox"". Van Vliet holds a PhD in Financial and Business Economics from Erasmus University Rotterdam. Additional Research Links Top Large-Cap Growth Stocks Factor-Based Stock Portfolios Dividend Aristocrats 2023 High Insider Ownership Stocks Top S&P 500 Stocks Excess Returns Investing Podcast About Validea: Validea is aninvestment researchservice that follows the published strategies of investment legends. Validea offers both stock analysis and model portfolios based on gurus who have outperformed the market over the long-term, including Warren Buffett, Benjamin Graham, Peter Lynch and Martin Zweig. For more information about Validea, click here The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-08-01,58.52,58.825,58.135,58.34,
FAST,2023-08-02,58.05,58.36,57.725,57.87,"Here's How This Dividend Growth Machine Puts Customers First Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST) is a standout as a dividend stock. Not only has it increased its payout annually for roughly a quarter century, but the average annualized dividend increase over the past decade also was a very attractive 14%. You don't create a record like that by accident. There are many positive financial attributes that can be highlighted here, but one that is hard to see is the success it has created by being a good partner to its customers. The model works A company with a long history of success likely has a good business model. Fastenal sells small products, like fasteners and tools, that are used on a regular basis by its industrial customers. That's not a bad business, but it isn't exactly unique. There's something more going on that has helped Fastenal build such an impressive dividend history. Image source: Getty Images. A big part of what has allowed the company to grow at such a rapid clip is its intense focus on working with its customers to create mutually beneficial outcomes. During the company's second quarterearnings call management provided three examples that highlight this approach. Fixing a supply chain In one recent situation, Fastenal took on a new customer and examined its current supply chain. That's normal, since Fastenal basically steps in to replace other suppliers and needs to make sure that it can competently replicate or improve on the existing relationship. As Fastenal looked at the supply chain, it noticed that the new customer had 14 months of supply for a particular item it needed. That's not a positive because excess inventory can weigh on profitability by tying up cash that could be used elsewhere. Instead of simply maintaining that elevated level of inventory, Fastenal worked out a plan to reduce it over time. That meant that it sold fewer products to the new customer for a fairly long time, given the surplus inventory on hand. In short, to put its customer in a better position, Fastenal made less money. But it likely created a positive relationship that will last for years. Implementing the best system In another situation, Fastenal took on a customer that was staffing its supply chain operation 24 hours a day to ensure it had access to the items it needed. Not only is it costly to have people available all day, every day, but it is also hard to find employees willing to come in late at night. Fastenal worked with the company to implement a supply chain system unique to the customer that allowed for just 10 hours of staffing. The really important part of that story is that it is much easier for a company like Fastenal to offer cookie-cutter solutions, so it can just replicate business relationships over and over again with minimal extra work. Many situations are probably as easy as that, but when faced with one that wasn't, Fastenal worked to find a solution that was better for the customer. Again, putting in that extra effort likely created a huge amount of goodwill. Better for everyone The two examples above are unique to the customers involved. But another recent example cited in theearnings callwas far more pervasive. During the pandemic, supply chains were under a huge amount of strain. The illness disrupted production and logistics, leaving customers at risk of running short of key parts. Fastenal therefore increased its own inventory levels. It wanted to be sure that none of its customers had to shut down because they couldn't get a part. The cost to Fastenal was tying up more cash in its own inventory, which it knew would eventually be a headwind when the supply chain disruptions eased. But it was willing to deal with the drag of working off excess inventory to make sure that its customers never had to doubt their relationship with a key supplier. Being able to operate like usual in difficult times is something that an industrial customer isn't likely to forget. Word gets around These are simple examples of how Fastenal treats its customers as partners. Each case is individually important, but there's a snowball effect as well. When Fastenal makes a call to a potential customer, that company is likely to know about Fastenal's strong reputation (or it will quickly find out through references). And that reputation, which isn't a tangible item you can track via financial statements, makes building the business easier over time. Dividend investors benefit from this approach because it leads to strong business growth and large dividend hikes. Given that being a good partner is built into Fastenal's DNA, there's a good chance the company's customers and shareholders will both continue to be very happy with its success for years to come. 10 stocks we like better than Fastenal When our analyst team has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.* They just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Fastenal wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of July 27, 2023 Reuben Gregg Brewer has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-08-03,57.2,57.51,56.67,56.91,
FAST,2023-08-04,57.37,57.37,55.96,56.08,"3 Dividend Stocks to Buy if You Believe Inflation is Coming Back We don’t know how much relief most Americans are feeling from the effects of inflation, particularly at the grocery store. But we live in a data-driven world, and the data says that inflation is retreating on a year-over-year basis. Still, inflation is growing above the Federal Reserve’s preferred target rate of 2%. And the core rate of inflation is much higher than that. Not to be a downer, but many economists – and a little bit of common sense – suggest that inflation is likely to go back up. And, like your golf score, this is a time when higher is not better. That means now is a good time to check in with your portfolio. Did you rotate too much into risk-on-growth stocks? Do you have enough dividend stocks? If you’re looking to mitigate some of your risks, there are still some excellent opportunities. These dividend payers not only have a reputation of increasing their dividends on an annual basis but they are also expected to have earnings growth in 2023 and 2024. That means you’ll get some capital gains to go along with those regular dividend payments. This Company is Helping America Rebuild its Infrastructure Fastenal Company (NASDAQ: FAST) is a wholesale distributor of many of the products needed by industrial and construction companies. The products aren’t exciting, but they’re essential. And as you can see in the company’s balance sheet, it holds its own in good economic times and bad. However, you would expect the company to get a lift as infrastructure spending hits the economy. Sure enough, FAST stock is up about 20% in 2023, and there are likely more gains ahead. Having said that, the stock is above the analysts’ price targets and near the upper end of its 52-week price range. Analysts have been slow to weigh in on the stock after the company missed on its quarterly earnings in July. But this isn’t a bad stock to wait on, and while you do, you can collect a dividend that currently pays out $1.40 per share annually and has been increasing for 24 consecutive years. America’s Snacking Habits Remain Inflation-Proof Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MDLZ) is perhaps best known as the company behind the Oreo cookie brand. But that’s just one of the brands in the company’s large portfolio of snack foods and beverage products. As the company’s most recent earnings report shows, Americans continue to pay for their favorite creature comforts. Mondelez reported earnings per share of 76 cents on revenue of $8.51 billion. Both of those numbers were higher than in the same quarter the prior year. The company’s dividend is solid with a 2.05% yield and a $1.54 payout on an annual basis. But many investors are noticing that the company has boosted its dividend by 60% in the last two years. And that’s on top of the 15% share price gain in MDLZ stock in the past 12 months. A Solid Choice for Higher Oil Prices Energy stocks are a good choice for investors who believe higher inflation is coming, and Xcel Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ: XCEL) is a solid choice. When the price of oil rises, it has a lagging effect on the rest of the economy. Rising oil prices increase producer prices, particularly transportation costs. Companies, in turn, attempt to pass along as much of those costs as they can to consumers in the form of higher prices. Xcel Energy is one of the nation’s largest electric utilities. It’s also one of the leading natural gas utilities. After spiking to over $9 in August 2022, the price of natural gas has come down significantly. So has XCEL stock, down 17% in the last 12 months. But with oil and natural gas prices expected to soar, now is a good time to snag some shares of Xcel Energy stock which is down 2.5% in the 30 days ending August 3, 2023. The 12% 12-month gain may not excite you, but the stock also has a solid dividend that has a 3.39% yield. Plus, the company has raised its dividend in each of the last 20 years. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-08-07,56.56,57.31,56.56,57.23,
FAST,2023-08-08,56.77,56.79,55.99,56.7,"Fastenal Co. Reaches Analyst Target Price In recent trading, shares of Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) have crossed above the average analyst 12-month target price of $56.28, changing hands for $57.23/share. When a stock reaches the target an analyst has set, the analyst logically has two ways to react: downgrade on valuation, or, re-adjust their target price to a higher level. Analyst reaction may also depend on the fundamental business developments that may be responsible for driving the stock price higher — if things are looking up for the company, perhaps it is time for that target price to be raised. There are 7 different analyst targets within the Zacks coverage universe contributing to that average for Fastenal Co., but the average is just that — a mathematical average. There are analysts with lower targets than the average, including one looking for a price of $50.00. And then on the other side of the spectrum one analyst has a target as high as $61.00. The standard deviation is $5.056. But the whole reason to look at the average FAST price target in the first place is to tap into a ""wisdom of crowds"" effort, putting together the contributions of all the individual minds who contributed to the ultimate number, as opposed to what just one particular expert believes. And so with FAST crossing above that average target price of $56.28/share, investors in FAST have been given a good signal to spend fresh time assessing the company and deciding for themselves: is $56.28 just one stop on the way to an even higher target, or has the valuation gotten stretched to the point where it is time to think about taking some chips off the table? Below is a table showing the current thinking of the analysts that cover Fastenal Co.: RECENT FAST ANALYST RATINGS BREAKDOWN » Current 1 Month Ago 2 Month Ago 3 Month Ago Strong buy ratings: 1 3 3 3 Buy ratings: 0 0 0 0 Hold ratings: 8 8 8 8 Sell ratings: 0 0 0 0 Strong sell ratings: 2 2 2 2 Average rating: 3.12 2.79 2.79 2.79 The average rating presented in the last row of the above table above is from 1 to 5 where 1 is Strong Buy and 5 is Strong Sell. This article used data provided by Zacks Investment Research via Quandl.com. Get the latest Zacks research report on FAST — FREE. The Top 25 Broker Analyst Picks of the S&P 500 » Also see: • OCCI shares outstanding history • Top Ten Hedge Funds Holding VTTI • EMB Videos The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-08-09,56.91,57.335,56.515,57.08,
FAST,2023-08-10,57.27,57.58,56.635,56.78,"[""Invest Like Warren Buffett with These Stocks & ETFs (1:30) - How Did Warren Buffett Get Started In Investing? (7:10) - How Has Berkshire Hathaway\u2019s Investing Changed Over The Years? (12:20) - Breaking Down Warren Buffett\u2019s Current Portfolio Holdings (19:30) - Creating Your Own Mini Berkshire Hathaway Portfolio: What Stocks Should You Consider? (23:40) - First Trust RBA American Industrial Renaissance ETF: AIRR (28:50) - Episode Roundup: FAST,MTZ, URI, MOAT, VOO, IVV, SPLG, QUS Podcast@Zacks.com In this episode of ETF Spotlight, I speak with Tracey Ryniec, Zacks Senior Equity Strategist, about investing like Warren Buffett, one of the greatest and most respected investors of all time. Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) reported excellent earnings last week, sending its class A shares to an all-time high. The stock is up more than 25,000 times since Buffett took control of the company in 1965, according to Barron's. Most investors would like to emulate Buffett's investing style in their portfolios, which is not easy, but we can certainly learn from his strategies. In the past, Buffett invested in undervalued companies with great potential, which he called \""cigar butts.\"" However, his thinking later evolved to \""it's far better to buy a wonderful company at a fair price than a fair company at a wonderful price.\"" The Oracle of Omaha avoided investing in tech companies earlier in his career but changed his stance later. Apple AAPL, which is now Berkshire's largest stock investment, was praised by Buffett as \""a better business than any we own.\"" The SPDR MSCI USA StrategicFactors ETF QUS seeks to invest in high-quality firms with durable balance sheets and stable cash flows, trading at reasonable valuations. The legendary investor likes companies with \""economic moats,\"" that allow a company to outperform others in the same industry over time. The VanEck Morningstar Wide Moat ETF MOAT invests in attractively priced companies with sustainable competitive advantages. Buffett has long recommended that most investors should stick with low-cost index funds. The iShares Core S&P 500 ETF IVV and Vanguard S&P 500 ETF VOO charge just 0.03% each, but SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 ETF SPLG's new fee of 0.02% makes it the cheapest in the space. Fastenal FAST, MasTec MTZ and United Rentals URI are among Berkshire-like companies that investors may want to consider. Tune in to the podcast to learn more. Make sure to be on the lookout for the next edition of the ETF Spotlight and remember to subscribe! If you have any comments or questions, please email podcast@zacks.com. Want key ETF info delivered straight to your inbox? Zacks\u2019 free Fund Newsletter will brief you on top news and analysis, as well as top-performing ETFs, each week. Get it free >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Apple Inc. (AAPL) : Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRK.A) : Free Stock Analysis Report United Rentals, Inc. (URI) : Free Stock Analysis Report MasTec, Inc. (MTZ) : Free Stock Analysis Report Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO): ETF Research Reports VanEck Morningstar Wide Moat ETF (MOAT): ETF Research Reports iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV): ETF Research Reports SPDR MSCI USA StrategicFactors ETF (QUS): ETF Research Reports SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 ETF (SPLG): ETF Research Reports To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""BECN vs. FAST: Which Stock Should Value Investors Buy Now? Investors with an interest in Building Products - Retail stocks have likely encountered both Beacon Roofing Supply (BECN) and Fastenal (FAST). But which of these two stocks offers value investors a better bang for their buck right now? We'll need to take a closer look. The best way to find great value stocks is to pair a strong Zacks Rank with an impressive grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system. The proven Zacks Rank emphasizes companies with positive estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight stocks with specific traits. Beacon Roofing Supply and Fastenal are sporting Zacks Ranks of #2 (Buy) and #3 (Hold), respectively, right now. Investors should feel comfortable knowing that BECN likely has seen a stronger improvement to its earnings outlook than FAST has recently. But this is just one piece of the puzzle for value investors. Value investors analyze a variety of traditional, tried-and-true metrics to help find companies that they believe are undervalued at their current share price levels. Our Value category grades stocks based on a number of key metrics, including the tried-and-true P/E ratio, the P/S ratio, earnings yield, and cash flow per share, as well as a variety of other fundamentals that value investors frequently use. BECN currently has a forward P/E ratio of 12.28, while FAST has a forward P/E of 28.78. We also note that BECN has a PEG ratio of 1.87. This popular metric is similar to the widely-known P/E ratio, with the difference being that the PEG ratio also takes into account the company's expected earnings growth rate. FAST currently has a PEG ratio of 3.20. Another notable valuation metric for BECN is its P/B ratio of 2.63. The P/B ratio pits a stock's market value against its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. For comparison, FAST has a P/B of 9.65. Based on these metrics and many more, BECN holds a Value grade of A, while FAST has a Value grade of C. BECN stands above FAST thanks to its solid earnings outlook, and based on these valuation figures, we also feel that BECN is the superior value option right now. 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days Just released: Experts distill 7 elite stocks from the current list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buys. They deem these tickers \""Most Likely for Early Price Pops.\"" Since 1988, the full list has beaten the market more than 2X over with an average gain of +24.3% per year. So be sure to give these hand-picked 7 your immediate attention. See them now >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. (BECN) : Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2023-08-11,56.82,57.54,56.775,57.44,
FAST,2023-08-14,57.41,57.81,57.18,57.75,"Warren Buffett Detailed Fundamental Analysis - FAST Below is Validea's guru fundamental report for FASTENAL CO (FAST). Of the 22 guru strategies we follow, FAST rates highest using our Patient Investor model based on the published strategy of Warren Buffett. This strategy seeks out firms with long-term, predictable profitability and low debt that trade at reasonable valuations. FASTENAL CO (FAST) is a large-cap growth stock in the Misc. Fabricated Products industry. The rating using this strategy is 86% based on the firm’s underlying fundamentals and the stock’s valuation. A score of 80% or above typically indicates that the strategy has some interest in the stock and a score above 90% typically indicates strong interest. The following table summarizes whether the stock meets each of this strategy's tests. Not all criteria in the below table receive equal weighting or are independent, but the table provides a brief overview of the strong and weak points of the security in the context of the strategy's criteria. EARNINGS PREDICTABILITY: PASS DEBT SERVICE: PASS RETURN ON EQUITY: PASS RETURN ON TOTAL CAPITAL: PASS FREE CASH FLOW: PASS USE OF RETAINED EARNINGS: PASS SHARE REPURCHASE: PASS INITIAL RATE OF RETURN: PASS EXPECTED RETURN: FAIL Detailed Analysis of FASTENAL CO FAST Guru Analysis FAST Fundamental Analysis More Information on Warren Buffett Warren Buffett Portfolio Top Warren Buffett Stocks About Warren Buffett: Warren Buffett is considered by many to be the greatest investor of all time. As the chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, Buffett has consistently outperformed the S&P 500 for decades, and in the process has become one of the world's richest men. (Forbes puts his net worth at $37 billion.) Despite his fortune, Buffett is known for living a modest lifestyle, by billionaire standards. His primary residence remains the gray stucco Nebraska home he purchased for $31,500 nearly 50 years ago, according to Forbes, and his folksy Midwestern manner and penchant for simple pleasures -- a cherry Coke, a good burger, and a good book are all near the top of the list -- have been well-documented. Additional Research Links Top Large-Cap Growth Stocks Factor-Based Stock Portfolios Dividend Aristocrats 2023 High Insider Ownership Stocks Top S&P 500 Stocks Excess Returns Investing Podcast About Validea: Validea is aninvestment researchservice that follows the published strategies of investment legends. Validea offers both stock analysis and model portfolios based on gurus who have outperformed the market over the long-term, including Warren Buffett, Benjamin Graham, Peter Lynch and Martin Zweig. For more information about Validea, click here The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-08-15,57.75,57.75,57.4,57.55,
FAST,2023-08-16,57.6,58.11,57.0,57.04,
FAST,2023-08-17,57.25,57.605,57.06,57.26,
FAST,2023-08-18,56.97,57.61,56.77,57.49,"Fastenal (FAST) Gains As Market Dips: What You Should Know Fastenal (FAST) closed at $57.49 in the latest trading session, marking a +0.4% move from the prior day. This change outpaced the S&P 500's 0.02% loss on the day. At the same time, the Dow added 0.08%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq lost 0.2%. Heading into today, shares of the maker of industrial and construction fasteners had lost 1.04% over the past month, outpacing the Retail-Wholesale sector's loss of 1.07% and the S&P 500's loss of 3.25% in that time. Investors will be hoping for strength from Fastenal as it approaches its next earnings release. In that report, analysts expect Fastenal to post earnings of $0.51 per share. This would mark year-over-year growth of 2%. Meanwhile, our latest consensus estimate is calling for revenue of $1.85 billion, up 2.77% from the prior-year quarter. Looking at the full year, our Zacks Consensus Estimates suggest analysts are expecting earnings of $1.98 per share and revenue of $7.34 billion. These totals would mark changes of +4.76% and +5.12%, respectively, from last year. It is also important to note the recent changes to analyst estimates for Fastenal. These recent revisions tend to reflect the evolving nature of short-term business trends. As a result, we can interpret positive estimate revisions as a good sign for the company's business outlook. Based on our research, we believe these estimate revisions are directly related to near-team stock moves. We developed the Zacks Rank to capitalize on this phenomenon. Our system takes these estimate changes into account and delivers a clear, actionable rating model. Ranging from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), the Zacks Rank system has a proven, outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks returning an average of +25% annually since 1988. Over the past month, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 0.35% higher. Fastenal is currently a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Digging into valuation, Fastenal currently has a Forward P/E ratio of 28.88. This valuation marks a premium compared to its industry's average Forward P/E of 11.35. It is also worth noting that FAST currently has a PEG ratio of 3.21. This popular metric is similar to the widely-known P/E ratio, with the difference being that the PEG ratio also takes into account the company's expected earnings growth rate. Building Products - Retail stocks are, on average, holding a PEG ratio of 2 based on yesterday's closing prices. The Building Products - Retail industry is part of the Retail-Wholesale sector. This industry currently has a Zacks Industry Rank of 28, which puts it in the top 12% of all 250+ industries. The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1. Be sure to follow all of these stock-moving metrics, and many more, on Zacks.com. 4 Oil Stocks with Massive Upsides Global demand for oil is through the roof... and oil producers are struggling to keep up. So even though oil prices are well off their recent highs, you can expect big profits from the companies that supply the world with ""black gold."" Zacks Investment Research has just released an urgent special report to help you bank on this trend. In Oil Market on Fire, you'll discover 4 unexpected oil and gas stocks positioned for big gains in the coming weeks and months. You don't want to miss these recommendations. Download your free report now to see them. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-08-21,57.27,57.67,56.645,57.19,
FAST,2023-08-22,57.15,57.47,56.7,56.85,
FAST,2023-08-23,57.09,57.4409,56.96,57.3,
FAST,2023-08-24,57.44,57.69,56.43,56.45,"Fastenal (FAST) Dips More Than Broader Markets: What You Should Know Fastenal (FAST) closed at $56.45 in the latest trading session, marking a -1.48% move from the prior day. This move lagged the S&P 500's daily loss of 1.35%. At the same time, the Dow lost 1.08%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq lost 1.87%. Prior to today's trading, shares of the maker of industrial and construction fasteners had lost 2.1% over the past month. This has lagged the Retail-Wholesale sector's loss of 0.32% and the S&P 500's loss of 2.06% in that time. Fastenal will be looking to display strength as it nears its next earnings release. On that day, Fastenal is projected to report earnings of $0.51 per share, which would represent year-over-year growth of 2%. Meanwhile, our latest consensus estimate is calling for revenue of $1.85 billion, up 2.77% from the prior-year quarter. Looking at the full year, our Zacks Consensus Estimates suggest analysts are expecting earnings of $1.98 per share and revenue of $7.34 billion. These totals would mark changes of +4.76% and +5.12%, respectively, from last year. Investors might also notice recent changes to analyst estimates for Fastenal. These recent revisions tend to reflect the evolving nature of short-term business trends. As such, positive estimate revisions reflect analyst optimism about the company's business and profitability. Our research shows that these estimate changes are directly correlated with near-term stock prices. We developed the Zacks Rank to capitalize on this phenomenon. Our system takes these estimate changes into account and delivers a clear, actionable rating model. Ranging from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), the Zacks Rank system has a proven, outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks returning an average of +25% annually since 1988. Within the past 30 days, our consensus EPS projection has moved 0.35% higher. Fastenal is currently a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Digging into valuation, Fastenal currently has a Forward P/E ratio of 28.9. This valuation marks a premium compared to its industry's average Forward P/E of 11.16. It is also worth noting that FAST currently has a PEG ratio of 3.21. The PEG ratio is similar to the widely-used P/E ratio, but this metric also takes the company's expected earnings growth rate into account. Building Products - Retail stocks are, on average, holding a PEG ratio of 1.98 based on yesterday's closing prices. The Building Products - Retail industry is part of the Retail-Wholesale sector. This industry currently has a Zacks Industry Rank of 29, which puts it in the top 12% of all 250+ industries. The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our individual industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1. To follow FAST in the coming trading sessions, be sure to utilize Zacks.com. Top 5 ChatGPT Stocks Revealed Zacks Senior Stock Strategist, Kevin Cook names 5 hand-picked stocks with sky-high growth potential in a brilliant sector of Artificial Intelligence. By 2030, the AI industry is predicted to have an internet and iPhone-scale economic impact of $15.7 Trillion. Today you can invest in the wave of the future, an automation that answers follow-up questions … admits mistakes … challenges incorrect premises … rejects inappropriate requests. As one of the selected companies puts it, “Automation frees people from the mundane so they can accomplish the miraculous.” Download Free ChatGPT Stock Report Right Now >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-08-25,56.71,57.445,56.71,57.16,
FAST,2023-08-28,57.54,57.67,57.1,57.33,
FAST,2023-08-29,57.11,57.66,56.57,57.54,"Should You Invest in the Global X U.S. Infrastructure Development ETF (PAVE)? Looking for broad exposure to the Utilities - Infrastructure segment of the equity market? You should consider the Global X U.S. Infrastructure Development ETF (PAVE), a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on 03/06/2017. Passively managed ETFs are becoming increasingly popular with institutional as well as retail investors due to their low cost, transparency, flexibility and tax efficiency. They are excellent vehicles for long term investors. Sector ETFs also provide investors access to a broad group of companies in particular sectors that offer low risk and diversified exposure. Utilities - Infrastructure is one of the 16 broad Zacks sectors within the Zacks Industry classification. It is currently ranked 3, placing it in top 19%. Index Details The fund is sponsored by Global X Management. It has amassed assets over $5.13 billion, making it one of the largest ETFs attempting to match the performance of the Utilities - Infrastructure segment of the equity market. PAVE seeks to match the performance of the INDXX U.S. Infrastructure Development Index before fees and expenses. The INDXX U.S. Infrastructure Development Index measure the performance of U.S. listed companies that provide exposure to domestic infrastructure development, including companies involved in construction and engineering; production of infrastructure raw materials, composites and products; industrial transportation; and producers/distributors of heavy construction equipment. Costs Cost is an important factor in selecting the right ETF, and cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive counterparts if all other fundamentals are the same. Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.47%, making it on par with most peer products in the space. It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 0.70%. Sector Exposure and Top Holdings It is important to delve into an ETF's holdings before investing despite the many upsides to these kinds of funds like diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk. And, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis. This ETF has heaviest allocation in the Industrials sector--about 74.20% of the portfolio. Materials and Information Technology round out the top three. Looking at individual holdings, Eaton Corp Plc (ETN) accounts for about 3.40% of total assets, followed by Parker Hannifin Corp (PH) and Fastenal Co (FAST). The top 10 holdings account for about 30.60% of total assets under management. Performance and Risk The ETF has gained about 20.12% and it's up approximately 20.70% so far this year and in the past one year (as of 08/29/2023), respectively. PAVE has traded between $22.95 and $32.54 during this last 52-week period. The ETF has a beta of 1.29 and standard deviation of 23.15% for the trailing three-year period. With about 101 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk. Alternatives Global X U.S. Infrastructure Development ETF holds a Zacks ETF Rank of 2 (Buy), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Because of this, PAVE is a great option for investors seeking exposure to the Utilities/Infrastructure ETFs segment of the market. There are other additional ETFs in the space that investors could consider as well. IShares U.S. Infrastructure ETF (IFRA) tracks NYSE FACTSET U.S. INFRASTRUCTURE INDEX and the iShares Global Infrastructure ETF (IGF) tracks S&P Global Infrastructure Index. IShares U.S. Infrastructure ETF has $2.13 billion in assets, iShares Global Infrastructure ETF has $3.70 billion. IFRA has an expense ratio of 0.30% and IGF charges 0.41%. Bottom Line To learn more about this product and other ETFs, screen for products that match your investment objectives and read articles on latest developments in the ETF investing universe, please visit Zacks ETF Center. Want key ETF info delivered straight to your inbox? Zacks’ free Fund Newsletter will brief you on top news and analysis, as well as top-performing ETFs, each week. Get it free >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Global X U.S. Infrastructure Development ETF (PAVE): ETF Research Reports Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report Parker-Hannifin Corporation (PH) : Free Stock Analysis Report Eaton Corporation, PLC (ETN) : Free Stock Analysis Report iShares Global Infrastructure ETF (IGF): ETF Research Reports iShares U.S. Infrastructure ETF (IFRA): ETF Research Reports To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-08-30,57.51,57.97,57.465,57.78,
FAST,2023-08-31,57.93,58.09,57.53,57.58,
FAST,2023-09-01,58.03,58.13,56.895,57.28,
FAST,2023-09-05,57.28,57.3,55.975,56.08,
FAST,2023-09-06,55.81,56.35,55.335,55.86,"Fastenal (FAST) Stock Moves -0.39%: What You Should Know In the latest trading session, Fastenal (FAST) closed at $55.86, marking a -0.39% move from the previous day. This move was narrower than the S&P 500's daily loss of 0.7%. Elsewhere, the Dow lost 0.57%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq lost 1.06%. Coming into today, shares of the maker of industrial and construction fasteners had lost 1.09% in the past month. In that same time, the Retail-Wholesale sector lost 1.15%, while the S&P 500 gained 0.58%. Wall Street will be looking for positivity from Fastenal as it approaches its next earnings report date. This is expected to be October 12, 2023. On that day, Fastenal is projected to report earnings of $0.51 per share, which would represent year-over-year growth of 2%. Our most recent consensus estimate is calling for quarterly revenue of $1.85 billion, up 2.77% from the year-ago period. FAST's full-year Zacks Consensus Estimates are calling for earnings of $1.98 per share and revenue of $7.34 billion. These results would represent year-over-year changes of +4.76% and +5.12%, respectively. It is also important to note the recent changes to analyst estimates for Fastenal. These revisions help to show the ever-changing nature of near-term business trends. As such, positive estimate revisions reflect analyst optimism about the company's business and profitability. Based on our research, we believe these estimate revisions are directly related to near-team stock moves. We developed the Zacks Rank to capitalize on this phenomenon. Our system takes these estimate changes into account and delivers a clear, actionable rating model. The Zacks Rank system, which ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), has an impressive outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks generating an average annual return of +25% since 1988. The Zacks Consensus EPS estimate remained stagnant within the past month. Fastenal currently has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). Investors should also note Fastenal's current valuation metrics, including its Forward P/E ratio of 28.28. This represents a premium compared to its industry's average Forward P/E of 11.3. It is also worth noting that FAST currently has a PEG ratio of 3.14. The PEG ratio is similar to the widely-used P/E ratio, but this metric also takes the company's expected earnings growth rate into account. The Building Products - Retail industry currently had an average PEG ratio of 2 as of yesterday's close. The Building Products - Retail industry is part of the Retail-Wholesale sector. This group has a Zacks Industry Rank of 63, putting it in the top 25% of all 250+ industries. The Zacks Industry Rank includes is listed in order from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1. You can find more information on all of these metrics, and much more, on Zacks.com. The New Gold Rush: How Lithium Batteries Will Make Millionaires As the electric vehicle revolution expands, investors have a chance to target huge gains. Millions of lithium batteries are being made & demand is expected to increase 889%. Download the brand-new FREE report revealing 5 EV battery stocks set to soar. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-09-07,55.22,55.545,54.6,55.34,"Is Fastenal's Business Sending Warning Signs to Investors? 3 Things to Watch Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST) is a cyclical company that sells fasteners and tools to industrial companies like manufacturers. Despite a business that rises and falls along with economic activity, it has an impressive dividend history, with around a quarter of a century of annual increases under its belt. If you are a dividend growth investor, there are three things you need to watch about Fastenal today. 1. The big picture is weakening Fastenal provides a pretty detailed look into the trends in its business. However, the top level is still very interesting. Daily sales rate growth hit a recent peak in the first quarter of 2022, as the world was still opening back up from the economic shutdowns used to slow the spread of the coronavirus. The peak value on this broad growth metric was 18.4%. Image source: Getty Images. To be fair, that's not really a sustainable number and was actually representative of the recovery taking place at the time. So a pullback was almost inevitable. And that's exactly what has happened. The worrisome part is that the rate has declined every single quarter since that high-water mark, with daily sales rate growth sitting at 5.9% in Q2 2023. On the one hand, the figure is still positive, which is good news. On the other hand, the trend line is decidedly negative. 2. Key markets are causing the trouble When you dig into what's behind the top-level weakness, you see that manufacturing (75% of sales) is in a downtrend. Although the end market daily sales rate growth for manufacturing remains in positive territory, it has slowed for about a year, hitting 10.4% in the second quarter of 2023. Meanwhile, the construction end market, which is smaller at about 10% of sales, shrank 8.8% in Q2 and has been in negative territory for roughly three quarters. Once again, the trends are not good. Looking at product categories, Fastenal's safety supplies and ""remaining products"" (together around two-thirds of revenue) have been holding up fairly well over the past year or so. But fastener sales have plunged, and the daily sales rate growth for this product group is now zero. The big takeaway here is that this industrial company's business isn't exactly falling into disrepair, but some key markets are notably slowing down, which is having a major impact at the top level. This could be an early sign of broader weakness to come. 3. Cyclical swings can open up buying opportunities If you are a long-term shareholder of Fastenal, you probably shouldn't sell it. After all, the company's business is cyclical in nature and the weakness today is kind of par for the course. Business cycles include both good times and bad ones. But if you don't own Fastenal, now might be a good time to start watching the stock more closely. FAST Dividend Yield data by YCharts Often, the best time to buy a cyclical stock that has a long and proven track record of success is during weak patches. While Wall Street is thinking short term, worrying about the impact of a downturn, you have a chance to pick up a great company on the cheap. To put some numbers on that, Fastenal's dividend yield is around 2.4% today, which is moderately attractive historically speaking. But if the yield were to pop up to around 3%, the stock would look incredibly attractive to long-term-focused dividend growth investors. Indeed, Fastenal's dividend growth over the past decade averaged around 14% a year. Watch Fastenal's growth as you await a buying opportunity Fastenal doesn't go on sale very often, which shouldn't be surprising given its strong dividend growth history. If you are a dividend investor, now is the time to start paying extra attention to the company's business. Yes, sales trends are weakening. But if history is any guide, that could open up a great long-term buying opportunity for investors willing to take a contrarian view of a cyclical company with an impressive track record of success. 10 stocks we like better than Fastenal When our analyst team has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.* They just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Fastenal wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of August 28, 2023 Reuben Gregg Brewer has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-09-08,55.43,55.51,54.345,54.51,
FAST,2023-09-11,54.54,55.15,54.215,54.6,"Fastenal Becomes Oversold The DividendRank formula at Dividend Channel ranks a coverage universe of thousands of dividend stocks, according to a proprietary formula designed to identify those stocks that combine two important characteristics — strong fundamentals and a valuation that looks inexpensive. Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) presently has an above average rank, in the top 50% of the coverage universe, which suggests it is among the top most ""interesting"" ideas that merit further research by investors. But making Fastenal Co. an even more interesting and timely stock to look at, is the fact that in trading on Monday, shares of FAST entered into oversold territory, changing hands as low as $54.25 per share. We define oversold territory using the Relative Strength Index, or RSI, which is a technical analysis indicator used to measure momentum on a scale of zero to 100. A stock is considered to be oversold if the RSI reading falls below 30. In the case of Fastenal Co., the RSI reading has hit 29.5 — by comparison, the universe of dividend stocks covered by Dividend Channel currently has an average RSI of 44.9. A falling stock price — all else being equal — creates a better opportunity for dividend investors to capture a higher yield. Indeed, FAST's recent annualized dividend of 1.4/share (currently paid in quarterly installments) works out to an annual yield of 2.57% based upon the recent $54.51 share price. A bullish investor could look at FAST's 29.5 RSI reading today as a sign that the recent heavy selling is in the process of exhausting itself, and begin to look for entry point opportunities on the buy side. Among the fundamental datapoints dividend investors should investigate to decide if they are bullish on FAST is its dividend history. In general, dividends are not always predictable; but, looking at the history chart below can help in judging whether the most recent dividend is likely to continue. Click here to find out what 9 other oversold dividend stocks you need to know about » Also see: • Top Stocks Held By Carl Icahn • ENVX Average Annual Return • Dow RSI The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-09-12,54.35,54.77,54.32,54.52,"[""Fastenal (FAST) Stock Moves -0.15%: What You Should Know Fastenal (FAST) closed the most recent trading day at $54.52, moving -0.15% from the previous trading session. This move was narrower than the S&P 500's daily loss of 0.57%. Elsewhere, the Dow lost 0.05%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq lost 1.04%. Coming into today, shares of the maker of industrial and construction fasteners had lost 5.45% in the past month. In that same time, the Retail-Wholesale sector lost 0.27%, while the S&P 500 gained 0.64%. Investors will be hoping for strength from Fastenal as it approaches its next earnings release, which is expected to be October 12, 2023. In that report, analysts expect Fastenal to post earnings of $0.51 per share. This would mark year-over-year growth of 2%. Our most recent consensus estimate is calling for quarterly revenue of $1.85 billion, up 2.7% from the year-ago period. For the full year, our Zacks Consensus Estimates are projecting earnings of $1.98 per share and revenue of $7.34 billion, which would represent changes of +4.76% and +5.1%, respectively, from the prior year. Investors might also notice recent changes to analyst estimates for Fastenal. These revisions typically reflect the latest short-term business trends, which can change frequently. As a result, we can interpret positive estimate revisions as a good sign for the company's business outlook. Research indicates that these estimate revisions are directly correlated with near-term share price momentum. To benefit from this, we have developed the Zacks Rank, a proprietary model which takes these estimate changes into account and provides an actionable rating system. The Zacks Rank system, which ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), has an impressive outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks generating an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the past month, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate remained stagnant. Fastenal is currently a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Looking at its valuation, Fastenal is holding a Forward P/E ratio of 27.53. This represents a premium compared to its industry's average Forward P/E of 11.29. Also, we should mention that FAST has a PEG ratio of 3.06. This popular metric is similar to the widely-known P/E ratio, with the difference being that the PEG ratio also takes into account the company's expected earnings growth rate. Building Products - Retail stocks are, on average, holding a PEG ratio of 2 based on yesterday's closing prices. The Building Products - Retail industry is part of the Retail-Wholesale sector. This industry currently has a Zacks Industry Rank of 60, which puts it in the top 24% of all 250+ industries. The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our individual industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1. To follow FAST in the coming trading sessions, be sure to utilize Zacks.com. Free Report: Top EV Battery Stocks to Buy Now Just-released report reveals 5 stocks to profit as millions of EV batteries are made. Elon Musk tweeted that lithium prices have gone to \""insane levels,\"" and they're likely to keep climbing. As a result, a handful of lithium battery stocks are set to skyrocket. Access this report to discover which battery stocks to buy and which to avoid. Download free today. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal's (FAST) Average Daily Sales Rise 3.6% in August Fastenal Company FAST recently released its August sales report, wherein average daily sales grew 3.6% to $29.1 million, moderating sequentially. In July 2023, daily sales registered 3.7% growth, whereas the same had witnessed 16.1% growth in August 2022. Net sales in August 2023 were $668.2 million, reflecting an increase of 3.6% year over year. August 2023 had 23 business days compared with 23 days a year ago. Currency fluctuations had a negative impact of 0.2% on August\u2019s daily sales growth. Last month, sales were up 1.3% month over month versus down 2.6% in July. The trend is worse than the historical August average daily sequential sales growth of 2.9% from 2017-2022 (excluding 2020). End-Market Perspective, Product Lines & Customers From an end-market perspective, heavy manufacturing sales improved 8.6% for the month and other manufacturing inched up 1.3% from a year ago. Total manufacturing registered 6.9% growth in July 2023. Non-residential construction dropped 6.2% compared with a 9.5% decrease reported in August 2022. The average daily sales growth rate in non-residential and manufacturing end markets improved in May from the prior month. Fastenal derives sales from Fasteners, Safety and other product lines. Fasteners witnessed a 3.8% decline in sales last month against 19.8% growth in the year-ago period. Safety products grew 9.5% in August 2023 compared with a rise of 11.7% a year ago. In August 2023, Other categories improved 6.9% compared with a 14.5% increase a year ago. Geographically, sales in the United States grew 3.2% (compared with 16.5% a year ago), while Canada/Mexico grew 9% (compared with 17.5% a year ago). Rest of World sales declined to 4.7% against 1.5% growth registered in the year-ago period. In terms of customer/channel, National account daily sales growth advanced 8% in August from a year ago, given the fact that 63% of the top 100 accounts and 51.4% of public branches are expanding. Yet, non-national accounts showed a 3% decline year over year for the month. In the year-ago period, daily sales growth in non-national accounts was up 10% year over year. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Shares of the company have outperformed the industry this year so far. Although daily sales have moderated sequentially because of a potentially slower macro environment, we believe this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company is well-positioned to navigate these challenges, given cost-control efforts and focus on e-commerce business. The company\u2019s industrial markets have been slowing down broadly due to reduced customer spending. Despite tough year-ago comparisons, Fastenal\u2019s decent large customers, its leverage in its digital strategy, onsite/offsite mix and market share gains across its product categories are expected to drive growth. Better-Ranked Stocks From the Zacks Retail and Wholesale Sector are: Builders FirstSource BLDR currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 52.2%, on average. Shares of BLDR rallied 118.7% this year so far. You can see the complete list of today\u2019s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for BLDR\u2019s 2023 earnings per share (EPS) has increased to $13.18 from $12.66 over the past 30 days. Kura Sushi USA, Inc. KRUS sports a Zacks Rank #1. The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 139.7% on average. Shares of KRUS gained 65.4% this year so far. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for KRUS\u2019s 2023 sales and EPS indicates 33.4% and 300% growth, respectively, from the year-ago period\u2019s levels. Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc. ARCO currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). ARCO has a long-term earnings growth rate of 11.4%. The stock gained 16.5% this year so far. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Arcos Dorados\u2019 2023 sales and EPS indicates 19.2% and 13% growth, respectively, from the year-ago period\u2019s levels. Free Report: Top EV Battery Stocks to Buy Now Just-released report reveals 5 stocks to profit as millions of EV batteries are made. Elon Musk tweeted that lithium prices have gone to \""insane levels,\"" and they're likely to keep climbing. As a result, a handful of lithium battery stocks are set to skyrocket. Access this report to discover which battery stocks to buy and which to avoid. Download free today. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report Builders FirstSource, Inc. (BLDR) : Free Stock Analysis Report Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc. (ARCO) : Free Stock Analysis Report Kura Sushi USA, Inc. (KRUS) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2023-09-13,54.55,54.79,54.245,54.7,"Fastenal (FAST) to Perform Trial of Select Fleet Trucks to EVs Fastenal Company FAST inked a deal with a worldwide leader in intelligent electric vehicle (EV) systems — ZEVX. Per the partnership, FAST and ZEVX will perform an operational trial in six states to convert pickup trucks into EVs. The ZEVX premier battery electric powertrain and power system products will repower nearly 16 Fastenal vehicles this year. The move is in line with FAST’s intention to be a driver of innovation and efficiency in the commercial transportation system. Impressively, the ZEVX technology will help the industry move forward and substantially accelerate the carbon reduction initiative. Post-trial, if feasible, Fastenal will operationalize battery electric technology in its fleet of 700-plus commercial motor vehicles and 8,200-plus last-mile delivery vehicles. Earlier this year, Fastenal purchased an Orange EV electric yard tractor for its Indianapolis distribution center and the vehicle went into operation in July. It also participated in a fleet-electrification collaboration program with Penske Truck Leasing and Daimler Trucks North America. This included running two electric straight trucks for 18 months and also completing a short-term pilot of a pre-series electric Class 8 semi-truck. This national wholesaler of industrial and construction supplies distributes its products through more than 3,200 company-owned stores, mostly located in North America. Its FAST Solutions, an industrial vending process, has the potential to revolutionize the industrial distribution system and increase profitability. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Although shares of the company underperformed the industry in the past three months, earnings estimates for 2023 of $1.98 per share reflect 4.5% year-over-year growth despite ongoing challenges. The trend is likely to continue given its solid cost-control measures, combative investment to increase Onsite locations and focus on e-commerce business. The company is benefiting from higher demand for industrial capital goods and commodities and its focus on virtual platforms to boost customer engagement. Zacks Rank & Key Picks Fastenal carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Some better-ranked stocks in the Zacks Retail-Wholesale sector are: Kura Sushi USA, Inc. KRUS sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 139.7% on average. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for KRUS’s 2023 sales and EPS indicates 33.4% and 300% growth, respectively, from the year-ago period’s levels. Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc. ARCO currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). ARCO has a long-term earnings growth rate of 11.4%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Arcos Dorados’ 2023 sales and EPS indicates 19.2% and 13% growth, respectively, from the year-ago period’s levels. Chuy's Holdings, Inc. CHUY carries a Zacks Rank #2. The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 26.6% on average. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CHUY’s 2023 sales and EPS indicate an increase of 9.5% and 32.9%, respectively, from the year-ago period’s levels. Top 5 ChatGPT Stocks Revealed Zacks Senior Stock Strategist, Kevin Cook names 5 hand-picked stocks with sky-high growth potential in a brilliant sector of Artificial Intelligence. By 2030, the AI industry is predicted to have an internet and iPhone-scale economic impact of $15.7 Trillion. Today you can invest in the wave of the future, an automation that answers follow-up questions … admits mistakes … challenges incorrect premises … rejects inappropriate requests. As one of the selected companies puts it, “Automation frees people from the mundane so they can accomplish the miraculous.” Download Free ChatGPT Stock Report Right Now >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report Chuy's Holdings, Inc. (CHUY) : Free Stock Analysis Report Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc. (ARCO) : Free Stock Analysis Report Kura Sushi USA, Inc. (KRUS) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-09-14,55.11,55.19,54.67,54.82,
FAST,2023-09-15,55.14,55.25,54.81,55.22,"HSBC Initiates Coverage of Fastenal (FAST) with Hold Recommendation Fintel reports that on September 15, 2023, HSBC initiated coverage of Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) with a Hold recommendation. Analyst Price Forecast Suggests 7.36% Upside As of August 30, 2023, the average one-year price target for Fastenal is 58.85. The forecasts range from a low of 50.50 to a high of $64.36. The average price target represents an increase of 7.36% from its latest reported closing price of 54.82. See our leaderboard of companies with the largest price target upside. The projected annual revenue for Fastenal is 7,336MM, an increase of 1.32%. The projected annual non-GAAP EPS is 1.97. Fastenal Declares $0.35 Dividend On July 12, 2023 the company declared a regular quarterly dividend of $0.35 per share ($1.40 annualized). Shareholders of record as of July 27, 2023 received the payment on August 24, 2023. Previously, the company paid $0.35 per share. At the current share price of $54.82 / share, the stock's dividend yield is 2.55%. Looking back five years and taking a sample every week, the average dividend yield has been 2.45%, the lowest has been 1.75%, and the highest has been 3.55%. The standard deviation of yields is 0.33 (n=236). The current dividend yield is 0.31 standard deviations above the historical average. Additionally, the company's dividend payout ratio is 0.71. The payout ratio tells us how much of a company's income is paid out in dividends. A payout ratio of one (1.0) means 100% of the company's income is paid in a dividend. A payout ratio greater than one means the company is dipping into savings in order to maintain its dividend - not a healthy situation. Companies with few growth prospects are expected to pay out most of their income in dividends, which typically means a payout ratio between 0.5 and 1.0. Companies with good growth prospects are expected to retain some earnings in order to invest in those growth prospects, which translates to a payout ratio of zero to 0.5. The company's 3-Year dividend growth rate is 0.40%, demonstrating that it has increased its dividend over time. What is the Fund Sentiment? There are 1810 funds or institutions reporting positions in Fastenal. This is an increase of 38 owner(s) or 2.14% in the last quarter. Average portfolio weight of all funds dedicated to FAST is 0.32%, an increase of 5.24%. Total shares owned by institutions increased in the last three months by 0.21% to 495,943K shares. The put/call ratio of FAST is 0.94, indicating a bullish outlook. What are Other Shareholders Doing? Bank of New York Mellon holds 24,620K shares representing 4.31% ownership of the company. In it's prior filing, the firm reported owning 25,750K shares, representing a decrease of 4.59%. The firm decreased its portfolio allocation in FAST by 4.23% over the last quarter. VTSMX - Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund Investor Shares holds 17,805K shares representing 3.12% ownership of the company. In it's prior filing, the firm reported owning 17,667K shares, representing an increase of 0.78%. The firm increased its portfolio allocation in FAST by 1.69% over the last quarter. Geode Capital Management holds 14,123K shares representing 2.47% ownership of the company. In it's prior filing, the firm reported owning 13,676K shares, representing an increase of 3.16%. The firm increased its portfolio allocation in FAST by 2.16% over the last quarter. VFINX - Vanguard 500 Index Fund Investor Shares holds 13,596K shares representing 2.38% ownership of the company. In it's prior filing, the firm reported owning 13,320K shares, representing an increase of 2.03%. The firm increased its portfolio allocation in FAST by 1.10% over the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management holds 13,408K shares representing 2.35% ownership of the company. In it's prior filing, the firm reported owning 11,333K shares, representing an increase of 15.48%. The firm increased its portfolio allocation in FAST by 25.12% over the last quarter. Fastenal Background Information (This description is provided by the company.) Fastenal helps customers simplify and realize product and process savings across their supply chain. It sells a broad oCering of products spanning more than nine major product lines - from fasteners and tools to safety and janitorial supplies. These products are eciently distributed to manufacturing facilities, job sites, and other customer locations through local service teams and point-of-use inventory solutions, including industrial vending technology and bin stock programs (Fastenal Managed Inventory or FMI®). Its distribution system centers on over 3,200 in-market locations (a combination of public branches and customer-speci c Onsite locations), primarily in North America but also in Asia, Europe, and Central and South America, each providing tailored inventory, exible service, and custom solutions to drive the unique goals of local customers. These in-market servicing locations are supported by Vfteen regional distribution centers, a captive logistics Deet, robust sourcing, quality and manufacturing resources, and multiple teams of industry specialists and support personnel - all working toward Fastenal's common goal of Growth Through Customer Service®. Fintel is one of the most comprehensive investing research platforms available to individual investors, traders, financial advisors, and small hedge funds. Our data covers the world, and includes fundamentals, analyst reports, ownership data and fund sentiment, options sentiment, insider trading, options flow, unusual options trades, and much more. Additionally, our exclusive stock picks are powered by advanced, backtested quantitative models for improved profits. Click to Learn More This story originally appeared on Fintel. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-09-18,55.29,55.65,54.83,54.91,
FAST,2023-09-19,54.81,54.955,54.23,54.8,
FAST,2023-09-20,55.15,55.2677,54.25,54.28,
FAST,2023-09-21,54.18,54.55,53.83,54.1,"Fastenal (FAST) Stock Moves -0.33%: What You Should Know Fastenal (FAST) closed at $54.10 in the latest trading session, marking a -0.33% move from the prior day. This change was narrower than the S&P 500's daily loss of 1.64%. At the same time, the Dow lost 1.08%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq lost 1.82%. Prior to today's trading, shares of the maker of industrial and construction fasteners had lost 5.27% over the past month. This has lagged the Retail-Wholesale sector's loss of 0.11% and the S&P 500's gain of 0.89% in that time. Investors will be hoping for strength from Fastenal as it approaches its next earnings release, which is expected to be October 12, 2023. On that day, Fastenal is projected to report earnings of $0.51 per share, which would represent year-over-year growth of 2%. Meanwhile, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenue is projecting net sales of $1.85 billion, up 2.7% from the year-ago period. Looking at the full year, our Zacks Consensus Estimates suggest analysts are expecting earnings of $1.98 per share and revenue of $7.34 billion. These totals would mark changes of +4.76% and +5.1%, respectively, from last year. Investors might also notice recent changes to analyst estimates for Fastenal. These revisions typically reflect the latest short-term business trends, which can change frequently. With this in mind, we can consider positive estimate revisions a sign of optimism about the company's business outlook. Based on our research, we believe these estimate revisions are directly related to near-team stock moves. Investors can capitalize on this by using the Zacks Rank. This model considers these estimate changes and provides a simple, actionable rating system. Ranging from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), the Zacks Rank system has a proven, outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks returning an average of +25% annually since 1988. The Zacks Consensus EPS estimate remained stagnant within the past month. Fastenal is holding a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold) right now. Investors should also note Fastenal's current valuation metrics, including its Forward P/E ratio of 27.37. This valuation marks a premium compared to its industry's average Forward P/E of 11.37. Also, we should mention that FAST has a PEG ratio of 3.04. This popular metric is similar to the widely-known P/E ratio, with the difference being that the PEG ratio also takes into account the company's expected earnings growth rate. FAST's industry had an average PEG ratio of 1.94 as of yesterday's close. The Building Products - Retail industry is part of the Retail-Wholesale sector. This group has a Zacks Industry Rank of 60, putting it in the top 24% of all 250+ industries. The Zacks Industry Rank includes is listed in order from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1. You can find more information on all of these metrics, and much more, on Zacks.com. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-09-22,53.99,54.53,53.95,54.21,
FAST,2023-09-25,54.14,54.82,54.14,54.79,
FAST,2023-09-26,54.65,54.81,54.24,54.46,
FAST,2023-09-27,54.71,55.325,54.6,55.06,
FAST,2023-09-28,55.17,55.95,55.07,55.65,
FAST,2023-09-29,55.75,55.8,54.52,54.64,"Fastenal (FAST) Dips More Than Broader Markets: What You Should Know In the latest trading session, Fastenal (FAST) closed at $54.64, marking a -1.81% move from the previous day. This move lagged the S&P 500's daily loss of 0.27%. Elsewhere, the Dow lost 0.47%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq added 0.14%. Prior to today's trading, shares of the maker of industrial and construction fasteners had lost 3.35% over the past month. This has lagged the Retail-Wholesale sector's loss of 3.29% and the S&P 500's loss of 2.86% in that time. Fastenal will be looking to display strength as it nears its next earnings release, which is expected to be October 12, 2023. The company is expected to report EPS of $0.51, up 2% from the prior-year quarter. Meanwhile, our latest consensus estimate is calling for revenue of $1.85 billion, up 2.7% from the prior-year quarter. Looking at the full year, our Zacks Consensus Estimates suggest analysts are expecting earnings of $1.98 per share and revenue of $7.34 billion. These totals would mark changes of +4.76% and +5.1%, respectively, from last year. Investors might also notice recent changes to analyst estimates for Fastenal. These revisions typically reflect the latest short-term business trends, which can change frequently. With this in mind, we can consider positive estimate revisions a sign of optimism about the company's business outlook. Research indicates that these estimate revisions are directly correlated with near-term share price momentum. We developed the Zacks Rank to capitalize on this phenomenon. Our system takes these estimate changes into account and delivers a clear, actionable rating model. The Zacks Rank system, which ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), has an impressive outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks generating an average annual return of +25% since 1988. The Zacks Consensus EPS estimate remained stagnant within the past month. Fastenal currently has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). Looking at its valuation, Fastenal is holding a Forward P/E ratio of 28.06. For comparison, its industry has an average Forward P/E of 11.62, which means Fastenal is trading at a premium to the group. We can also see that FAST currently has a PEG ratio of 3.12. This popular metric is similar to the widely-known P/E ratio, with the difference being that the PEG ratio also takes into account the company's expected earnings growth rate. FAST's industry had an average PEG ratio of 1.94 as of yesterday's close. The Building Products - Retail industry is part of the Retail-Wholesale sector. This industry currently has a Zacks Industry Rank of 57, which puts it in the top 23% of all 250+ industries. The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our individual industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1. Be sure to follow all of these stock-moving metrics, and many more, on Zacks.com. Zacks Names ""Single Best Pick to Double"" From thousands of stocks, 5 Zacks experts each have chosen their favorite to skyrocket +100% or more in months to come. From those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all. It’s a little-known chemical company that’s up 65% over last year, yet still dirt cheap. With unrelenting demand, soaring 2022 earnings estimates, and $1.5 billion for repurchasing shares, retail investors could jump in at any time. This company could rival or surpass other recent Zacks’ Stocks Set to Double like Boston Beer Company which shot up +143.0% in little more than 9 months and NVIDIA which boomed +175.9% in one year. Free: See Our Top Stock and 4 Runners Up >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-10-02,54.7,55.05,54.39,54.86,
FAST,2023-10-03,54.75,55.23,53.935,54.19,"First Week of January 2026 Options Trading For Fastenal (FAST) Investors in Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) saw new options become available this week, for the January 2026 expiration. One of the key data points that goes into the price an option buyer is willing to pay, is the time value, so with 836 days until expiration the newly available contracts represent a potential opportunity for sellers of puts or calls to achieve a higher premium than would be available for the contracts with a closer expiration. At Stock Options Channel, our YieldBoost formula has looked up and down the FAST options chain for the new January 2026 contracts and identified one put and one call contract of particular interest. The put contract at the $42.50 strike price has a current bid of $2.60. If an investor was to sell-to-open that put contract, they are committing to purchase the stock at $42.50, but will also collect the premium, putting the cost basis of the shares at $39.90 (before broker commissions). To an investor already interested in purchasing shares of FAST, that could represent an attractive alternative to paying $54.29/share today. Because the $42.50 strike represents an approximate 22% discount to the current trading price of the stock (in other words it is out-of-the-money by that percentage), there is also the possibility that the put contract would expire worthless. The current analytical data (including greeks and implied greeks) suggest the current odds of that happening are 85%. Stock Options Channel will track those odds over time to see how they change, publishing a chart of those numbers on our website under the contract detail page for this contract. Should the contract expire worthless, the premium would represent a 6.12% return on the cash commitment, or 2.67% annualized — at Stock Options Channel we call this the YieldBoost. Below is a chart showing the trailing twelve month trading history for Fastenal Co., and highlighting in green where the $42.50 strike is located relative to that history: Turning to the calls side of the option chain, the call contract at the $57.50 strike price has a current bid of $6.10. If an investor was to purchase shares of FAST stock at the current price level of $54.29/share, and then sell-to-open that call contract as a ""covered call,"" they are committing to sell the stock at $57.50. Considering the call seller will also collect the premium, that would drive a total return (excluding dividends, if any) of 17.15% if the stock gets called away at the January 2026 expiration (before broker commissions). Of course, a lot of upside could potentially be left on the table if FAST shares really soar, which is why looking at the trailing twelve month trading history for Fastenal Co., as well as studying the business fundamentals becomes important. Below is a chart showing FAST's trailing twelve month trading history, with the $57.50 strike highlighted in red: Considering the fact that the $57.50 strike represents an approximate 6% premium to the current trading price of the stock (in other words it is out-of-the-money by that percentage), there is also the possibility that the covered call contract would expire worthless, in which case the investor would keep both their shares of stock and the premium collected. The current analytical data (including greeks and implied greeks) suggest the current odds of that happening are 44%. On our website under the contract detail page for this contract, Stock Options Channel will track those odds over time to see how they change and publish a chart of those numbers (the trading history of the option contract will also be charted). Should the covered call contract expire worthless, the premium would represent a 11.24% boost of extra return to the investor, or 4.91% annualized, which we refer to as the YieldBoost. The implied volatility in the put contract example is 44%, while the implied volatility in the call contract example is 24%. Meanwhile, we calculate the actual trailing twelve month volatility (considering the last 251 trading day closing values as well as today's price of $54.29) to be 24%. For more put and call options contract ideas worth looking at, visit StockOptionsChannel.com. Top YieldBoost Calls of the Nasdaq 100 » Also see: • Biotechnology Dividend Stocks • ROK YTD Return • Top Ten Hedge Funds Holding ORGN The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-10-04,54.36,55.08,53.97,55.02,
FAST,2023-10-05,55.2,55.35,54.695,54.9,"Fastenal (FAST) Earnings Expected to Grow: What to Know Ahead of Next Week's Release The market expects Fastenal (FAST) to deliver a year-over-year increase in earnings on higher revenues when it reports results for the quarter ended September 2023. This widely-known consensus outlook is important in assessing the company's earnings picture, but a powerful factor that might influence its near-term stock price is how the actual results compare to these estimates. The earnings report, which is expected to be released on October 12, 2023, might help the stock move higher if these key numbers are better than expectations. On the other hand, if they miss, the stock may move lower. While the sustainability of the immediate price change and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's discussion of business conditions on theearnings call it's worth handicapping the probability of a positive EPS surprise. Zacks Consensus Estimate This maker of industrial and construction fasteners is expected to post quarterly earnings of $0.51 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of +2%. Revenues are expected to be $1.85 billion, up 2.7% from the year-ago quarter. Estimate Revisions Trend The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has remained unchanged over the last 30 days. This is essentially a reflection of how the covering analysts have collectively reassessed their initial estimates over this period. Investors should keep in mind that an aggregate change may not always reflect the direction of estimate revisions by each of the covering analysts. Earnings Whisper Estimate revisions ahead of a company's earnings release offer clues to the business conditions for the period whose results are coming out. Our proprietary surprise prediction model -- the Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction) -- has this insight at its core. The Zacks Earnings ESP compares the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter; the Most Accurate Estimate is a more recent version of the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate. The idea here is that analysts revising their estimates right before an earnings release have the latest information, which could potentially be more accurate than what they and others contributing to the consensus had predicted earlier. Thus, a positive or negative Earnings ESP reading theoretically indicates the likely deviation of the actual earnings from the consensus estimate. However, the model's predictive power is significant for positive ESP readings only. A positive Earnings ESP is a strong predictor of an earnings beat, particularly when combined with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold). Our research shows that stocks with this combination produce a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time, and a solid Zacks Rank actually increases the predictive power of Earnings ESP. Please note that a negative Earnings ESP reading is not indicative of an earnings miss. Our research shows that it is difficult to predict an earnings beat with any degree of confidence for stocks with negative Earnings ESP readings and/or Zacks Rank of 4 (Sell) or 5 (Strong Sell). How Have the Numbers Shaped Up for Fastenal? For Fastenal, the Most Accurate Estimate is lower than the Zacks Consensus Estimate, suggesting that analysts have recently become bearish on the company's earnings prospects. This has resulted in an Earnings ESP of -1.72%. On the other hand, the stock currently carries a Zacks Rank of #4. So, this combination makes it difficult to conclusively predict that Fastenal will beat the consensus EPS estimate. Does Earnings Surprise History Hold Any Clue? While calculating estimates for a company's future earnings, analysts often consider to what extent it has been able to match past consensus estimates. So, it's worth taking a look at the surprise history for gauging its influence on the upcoming number. For the last reported quarter, it was expected that Fastenal would post earnings of $0.52 per share when it actually produced earnings of $0.52, delivering no surprise. Over the last four quarters, the company has beaten consensus EPS estimates three times. Bottom Line An earnings beat or miss may not be the sole basis for a stock moving higher or lower. Many stocks end up losing ground despite an earnings beat due to other factors that disappoint investors. Similarly, unforeseen catalysts help a number of stocks gain despite an earnings miss. That said, betting on stocks that are expected to beat earnings expectations does increase the odds of success. This is why it's worth checking a company's Earnings ESP and Zacks Rank ahead of its quarterly release. Make sure to utilize our Earnings ESP Filter to uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they've reported. Fastenal doesn't appear a compelling earnings-beat candidate. However, investors should pay attention to other factors too for betting on this stock or staying away from it ahead of its earnings release. Stay on top of upcoming earnings announcements with the Zacks Earnings Calendar. Zacks Names #1 Semiconductor Stock It's only 1/9,000th the size of NVIDIA which skyrocketed more than +800% since we recommended it. NVIDIA is still strong, but our new top chip stock has much more room to boom. With strong earnings growth and an expanding customer base, it's positioned to feed the rampant demand for Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Internet of Things. Global semiconductor manufacturing is projected to explode from $452 billion in 2021 to $803 billion by 2028. See This Stock Now for Free >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-10-06,54.79,56.47,54.76,56.12,
FAST,2023-10-09,56.0,56.78,56.0,56.47,
FAST,2023-10-10,56.57,56.575,55.705,55.85,"What's in the Cards for Fastenal (FAST) in Q3 Earnings? Fastenal Company FAST is scheduled to report third-quarter 2023 results on Oct 12, before the opening bell. In the last reported quarter, earnings were in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate but net sales missed the same by 0.1%. Earnings and net sales increased 4.6% and 5.9% from the year-ago figures, respectively. Fastenal’s earnings topped the consensus mark in three of the last four quarters and met on one occasion, with the average being 3.2%. Trend in Estimate Revision For the quarter to be reported, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings per share has remained unchanged at 51 cents over the past 60 days. The estimated figure indicates 2% growth from the year-ago level. The consensus mark for revenues is pegged at $1.85 billion, suggesting a 2.7% increase from the year-ago reported figure of $1.8 billion. Fastenal Company Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Fastenal Company price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Fastenal Company Quote Key Factors to Note Sales: Fastenal’s industrial markets have been slowing down broadly due to decreased customer spending. However, the company has several factors working in its favor that are expected to have driven its growth. These include a significant number of large customers, a strong digital strategy, a balanced mix of onsite and offsite services and market share gains across various product categories. Despite challenging comparisons to the previous year, Fastenal's positive attributes are anticipated to have driven its growth. If we go by the latest monthly sales report, August’s average daily sales grew 3.6% to $29.1 million, moderating from 3.7% growth in July 2023. The metric witnessed 16.1% growth in August 2022. In terms of end markets/products/customers in August and July 2023, total manufacturing sales improved 9.9% (Heavy Manufacturing and Other Manufacturing) and 6.9% from the year-ago months, respectively. Non-residential construction declined 6.2% in August and 9.5% in July 2023. Fastener sales were down 3.8% in August and down 1.9% in July 2023. Safety sales increased 9.5% in August compared with 8.3% growth in July 2023. Other categories improved 6.9% in August and 6.6% in July 2023. In terms of customer channel, national accounts were up 8% year over year in both August and July 2023, while non-national accounts declined 3% in August and 2% in July 2023. Our model predicts Fastenal’s overall daily sales to be $29.3 million for the third quarter, indicating an increase of 4% from $28.2 million reported a year ago. Margins: Steel and freight expenses continue to decline. The company is focused on maintaining a balance between pricing and declining costs, aiming to eliminate any negative impact on the full-year margin. The negative impact from the customer and product mix, high growth in the lower margin of Onsite and non-fastener products and lower product margins in certain other product categories are likely to have been headwinds. Also, more overhead costs are expected to have weighed on the company’s margins. Per our model, the gross margin for the quarter is expected to be 45.9%, same as the year-ago figure. We expect total operating expenses to increase 2.8% to $460 million from a year ago in the quarter. What the Zacks Model Unveils Our proven model does not conclusively predict an earnings beat for FAST this time around. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat. This is not the case here, as you will see below. Earnings ESP: The company has an Earnings ESP of -1.72%. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter. Zacks Rank: Currently, Fastenal carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). Stocks With the Favorable Combination Here are some companies which, according to our model, have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat on their respective quarters to be reported. Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. BECN has an Earnings ESP of +14.02% and a Zacks Rank #3. BLDR’s earnings topped the consensus mark in all the last four quarters, with the average being 9.8%. Earnings for the to-be-reported quarter are expected to increase 12.4% year over year. Construction Partners, Inc. ROAD has an Earnings ESP of +2.91% and a Zacks Rank #1. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. ROAD’s earnings topped the consensus mark in three of the last four quarters, with the average being 10.6%. Earnings for the to-be-reported quarter are expected to rise 108% year over year. Watsco, Inc. WSO has an Earnings ESP of +6.12% and a Zacks Rank #3. WSO’s earnings topped the consensus mark in two of the last four quarters and missed on other two occasions, with the average being 3.5%. Earnings for the to-be-reported quarter are expected to grow 5% year over year. Stay on top of upcoming earnings announcements with the Zacks Earnings Calendar. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report Watsco, Inc. (WSO) : Free Stock Analysis Report Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. (BECN) : Free Stock Analysis Report Construction Partners, Inc. (ROAD) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-10-11,55.74,56.16,55.42,56.01,"[""Pre-Market Earnings Report for October 12, 2023 : FAST, DAL, WBA, DPZ, INFY, CMC, SOTK, BYRN The following companies are expected to report earnings prior to market open on 10/12/2023. Visit our Earnings Calendar for a full list of expected earnings releases. Fastenal Company (FAST)is reporting for the quarter ending September 30, 2023. The building company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 8 analysts that follow the stock is $0.51. This value represents a 2.00% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year FAST has met analyst expectations once and beat the expectations the other three quarters. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2023 Price to Earnings ratio for FAST is 28.21 vs. an industry ratio of 15.00, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Delta Air Lines, Inc. (DAL)is reporting for the quarter ending September 30, 2023. The airline company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 8 analysts that follow the stock is $1.92. This value represents a 27.15% increase compared to the same quarter last year. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2023 Price to Earnings ratio for DAL is 5.96 vs. an industry ratio of 15.90. Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (WBA)is reporting for the quarter ending August 31, 2023. The drug store company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 9 analysts that follow the stock is $0.68. This value represents a 15.00% decrease compared to the same quarter last year. WBA missed the consensus earnings per share in the 2nd calendar quarter of 2023 by -5.66%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2023 Price to Earnings ratio for WBA is 5.61 vs. an industry ratio of 5.00, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Domino's Pizza Inc (DPZ)is reporting for the quarter ending September 30, 2023. The restaurant company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 11 analysts that follow the stock is $3.29. This value represents a 17.92% increase compared to the same quarter last year. DPZ missed the consensus earnings per share in the 3rd calendar quarter of 2022 by -5.42%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2023 Price to Earnings ratio for DPZ is 25.92 vs. an industry ratio of -327.40, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Infosys Limited (INFY)is reporting for the quarter ending September 30, 2023. The information technology services company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 6 analysts that follow the stock is $0.18. This value represents a no change for the same quarter last year. The last two quarters INFY had negative earnings surprises; the latest report they missed by -5.56%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2024 Price to Earnings ratio for INFY is 25.14 vs. an industry ratio of 2.70, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Commercial Metals Company (CMC)is reporting for the quarter ending August 31, 2023. The steel company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 3 analysts that follow the stock is $1.88. This value represents a 23.27% decrease compared to the same quarter last year. CMC missed the consensus earnings per share in the 1st calendar quarter of 2023 by -5.88%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2023 Price to Earnings ratio for CMC is 6.46 vs. an industry ratio of 11.50. Sono-Tek Corporation (SOTK)is reporting for the quarter ending August 31, 2023. The electric company company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 1 analyst that follows the stock is $0.05. This value represents a 400.00% increase compared to the same quarter last year. The days to cover, as reported in the 9/29/2023 short interest update, increased 211.84% from previous report on 9/15/2023. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2024 Price to Earnings ratio for SOTK is 54.75 vs. an industry ratio of 14.00, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. Byrna Technologies, Inc. (BYRN)is reporting for the quarter ending August 31, 2023. The technology services company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 1 analyst that follows the stock is $-0.07. This value represents a 41.67% increase compared to the same quarter last year. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2023 Price to Earnings ratio for BYRN is -9.64 vs. an industry ratio of -12.40, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Why Investors Should Keep an Eye on Earnings from One Low-Profile Company Tomorrow Morning A s a rule, I don\u2019t do earnings forecasts or outlooks for individual companies. My background has trained me to react to news of any kind rather than to anticipate it, and anyway, advance analysis of what to expect from individual earnings reports is a specialty of my fellow contributor, Richard Saintvilus, who does an excellent job of doing just that. That said, I do sometimes like to point out some less-hyped reports that interest me in that they can be indicative of economic conditions and market sentiment, and one such company, Fastenal (FAST) will report on Thursday morning. Despite a nearly $32 billion market cap, it is likely that Fastenal\u2019s results will slip under the radar a bit tomorrow. Richard, like most people, is understandably focused on what to expect from Delta Air Lines (DAL), which will report at around the same time; others may be paying attention to Infosys (INFY) as an indicator for the health of tech. Both of these earnings reports matter, of course, but both also have special factors and competition dynamics that make their performance company-specific rather than giving any indication of broader conditions last quarter. Fastenal, on the other hand, is a wholesaler and supplier of, quite literally, the nuts and bolts of the economy. They supply such nuts, bolts, and other related products to manufacturers and builders, and their performance each quarter gives a look back on conditions in industries that, despite the shift to tech and the all-consuming fascination with AI, still drive the U.S. economy. American success is based on building and making things, and those things still matter. From an investment perspective, it is not particularly sexy, but it is the kind of stock I like to own as part of a core of a long-term portfolio. There is enough volatility to create \u201cbuy the dip\u201d entry points but not enough to scare the pants off you, and the price has tended to grind upwards over time, paying a decent, growing dividend as it does. However, I don\u2019t own the stock right now, because it doesn\u2019t fit my view that, at some point soon, higher interest rates will have a negative impact on the economy. Still, when the company releases calendar Q3 earnings tomorrow that is where my attention will be. The thing about FAST is that it gives a sense of what is going on without the influence of any conventional wisdom. Throughout the last year, for example, as everyone -- including myself -- fretted about an upcoming recession, Fastenal just kept making money, growing earnings slightly and beating estimates in three out of the last four quarters, with the fourth being exactly as expected. In other words, they showed the kind of performance that has driven the market to where the S&P 500 is, showing gains of around 25% on a 52-week basis. With all of that in mind, what should investors be looking for when FAST reports? The analysts' estimates going in reinforce what I said about FAST as an unsexy but reliable kind of company. The consensus is for EPS of $0.51, a penny more than the same quarter last year, but a penny less than in Q2, on sales of $1.85 billion, 2.6% higher than Q3 2022. The relationship between the sales and EPS numbers will give an indication of how Fastenal, and to some extent their customers, are handling inflationary pressure. Should they beat on the bottom line on as expected or lower sales, it will reinforce what we heard from PepsiCo (PEP) yesterday, that companies seem to be taking it in their stride. If sales are a little disappointing, though, it will confirm the message of a couple of other observations that aren\u2019t as positive. Housing starts and mortgage numbers are suggesting that the housing boom that has been so resilient over the last few years is coming to an end. There isn\u2019t a collapse in prices, but housing growth has screeched to a stop. And on the manufacturing side, results have held up, but industry confidence has been falling sharply since the end of 2021. If Fastenal reports a tough quarter, it will indicate that there is some merit to that pessimism and that the effect of the Fed\u2019s actions is being felt on the ground. That matters because, after strong PPI numbers this morning that indicate continued inflation, the central bank may feel they are forced to consider at least one more rate hike this year. If they do that, just as what they have done to this point begins hurting businesses, there is a good chance that they may end up going too far and causing real pain next year. On the other hand, if Fastenal\u2019s earnings indicate continued customer resiliency, the Holy Grail of a soft landing for the economy will still look achievable. That is why, while most people are focused on Delta and Infosys tomorrow, I will be watching out for results from a medium-sized industrial supply company from Minnesota. Their results won\u2019t be sensational or much hyped, but they will be informative. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2023-10-12,58.7,60.685,58.0,60.22,"[""Nasdaq 100 Movers: JD, FAST In early trading on Thursday, shares of Fastenal topped the list of the day's best performing components of the Nasdaq 100 index, trading up 6.2%. Year to date, Fastenal registers a 25.7% gain. And the worst performing Nasdaq 100 component thus far on the day is JD.com, trading down 4.9%. JD.com is lower by about 48.6% looking at the year to date performance. Two other components making moves today are Atlassian, trading down 4.7%, and Walgreens Boots Alliance, trading up 3.5% on the day. VIDEO: Nasdaq 100 Movers: JD, FAST The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Stocks Finish Lower as Strong CPI and Weak Bond Auction Boosts Yields What you need to know\u2026 The S&P 500 Index ($SPX) (SPY) on Thursday closed down -0.62%, the Dow Jones Industrials Index ($DOWI) (DIA) closed down -0.51%, and the Nasdaq 100 Index ($IUXX) (QQQ) closed down -0.37%. Stocks on Thursday posted moderate losses as T-note yields rose on the stronger-than-expected U.S. Sep CPI report. Also, weekly U.S. initial unemployment claims were unchanged, stronger than expectations for a slight increase and a hawkish factor for Fed policy. Thursday\u2019s hawkish reports keep in play the possibility of one more Fed rate hike this year. Stocks extended their losses Thursday afternoon when T-note yields rose even higher on weak demand for the Treasury\u2019s $20 billion 30-year T-bond auction. Concern that the conflict between Israel and Hamas will spread in the Middle East is another negative factor for stocks on reports that Israel carried out airstrikes on the main airports in Damascus and Aleppo in Syria. U.S. Sep CPI rose +3.7% y/y, unchanged from Aug and stronger than expectations of a decline to +3.6% y/y. Sep CPI ex-food and energy eased to 4.1% y/y from +4.3% y/y in Aug, right on expectations and the smallest increase in 2 years. U.S. weekly initial unemployment claims were unchanged at 209,000, showing a slightly stronger labor market than expectations of an increase to 210,000. Comments from Boston Fed President Collins suggest she favors pausing Fed rate hikes when she said, \""The rise in long-term yields implies some tightening of financial conditions, and if it persists, it likely reduces the need for further monetary-policy tightening in the near term.\"" The markets are discounting a 12% chance that the FOMC will raise the funds rate by +25 bp at the next FOMC meeting that ends on November 1, and a 38% chance for that +25 bp rate hike at the following meeting that ends on December 13. The markets are then expecting the FOMC to begin cutting rates in the second half of 2024 in response to an expected slowdown in the U.S. economy. U.S. and European bond yields Thursday moved higher. The 10-year T-note recovered from a 1-1/2 week low of 4.515% and finished up +14.5 bp at 4.703%. The 10-year German bund yield rebounded from a 2-1/2 week low of 2.685% and finished up +6.8 bp at 2.786%. The 10-year UK gilt yield recovered from a 2-week low of 4.284% and finished up +9.4 bp at 4.423%. The account of the Sep 13-14 ECB meeting showed the decision to raise interest rates by 25 bp was a \""close call,\"" as policymakers assessed that the risks of tightening too much and the risks of tightening too little had become \""more balanced.\"" The minutes suggest the ECB may pause its rate hike campaign. ECB Governing Council member Centeno said, \""With the current level of interest rates, we will be making a substantial contribution to the 2% inflation objective. We will get there by continuing this monetary policy stance, holding on for a while until we are totally sure that inflation is coming down.\"" ECB Governing Council member Wunsch said, \""If we keep seeing inflation numbers aligned with the forecast, then we don't have to hike interest rates anymore.\"" Overseas stock markets Thursday settled mixed. The Euro Stoxx 50 closed down -0.06%. China\u2019s Shanghai Composite Index closed up +0.94%. Japan\u2019s Nikkei 225 today closed up +1.75 %. Today\u2019s stock movers\u2026 Hormel Foods (HRL) closed down more than -9% to lead losers in the S&P 500 on disappointment in its investors\u2019 day conference. Homebuilding stocks retreated after the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate rose to a 23-year high of 7.67%, which weighs on housing demand. As a result, DR Horton (DHI), Lennar (LEN), and Toll Brothers (TOL) closed down more than -5%. Also, PulteGroup (PHM) closed down more than -4%. Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP) closed down more than -4% after Bernstein cut its price target on the stock to $37 from $40. Boeing (BA) closed down more than -2% to lead losers in the Dow Jones Industrials after Ryanair Holdings Plc said Boeing\u2019s delays of its 737 Max aircraft have worsened, and it expects only 40 deliveries of the jet by Jun 2024 versus the previous estimate of 57. Atlassian (TEAM) closed down more than -4% after it agreed to acquire vide-messaging startup Loom for $975 million. Commercial Metals (CMC) closed down more than -9% after reporting Q4 net sales of $1.90 billion, below the consensus of $2.12 billion. Ford Motor (F) closed down more than -2% after UAW autoworkers began a strike at the company\u2019s largest plant in Kentucky. Jack Henry & Associates (JKHY) closed down more than -1% after Goldman Sachs downgraded the stock to sell from neutral with a price target of $140. Fastenal (FAST) closed up more than +7% to lead gainers in the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 after reporting Q3 EPS of 52 cents, above the consensus of 50 cents. Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) closed up more than +7% to lead gainers in the Dow Jones Industrials after announcing a $1 billion cost-cutting program and reducing its capital expenditures by about $600 million. Strength in chip stocks was a positive factor for the overall market. KLA Corp (KLAC) and Broadcom (AVGO) closed up more than +3%. Also, Lam Research (LRCX) closed up more than +2%. In addition, Applied Materials (AMAT) and ASML Holding NV (ASML) closed up more than +1%. Adobe (ADBE) closed up more than +1%, adding to Wednesday\u2019s +3% gain, on a positive response to its release of new features for generative AI models at the Max conference in Los Angeles. Albemarle (ALB) closed up more than +3% after being granted an extension for seven days to close its deal to acquire Liontown Resources Ltd for $4.2 billion. CME Group (CME) closed up more than +1% after Citigroup raised its price target on the stock to $240 from $215. Target (TGT) closed up more than +1% after Bank of America upgraded the stock to buy from neutral with a price target of $135. Across the markets\u2026 December 10-year T-notes (ZNZ23) Thursday closed down -22.5 ticks, and the 10-year T-note yield rose +14.5 bp to 4.703%. Dec T-notes Thursday today fell back from a 2-week high and moved lower, and the 10-year T-note yield rebounded from a 1-1/2 week low of 4.515%. T-notes erased overnight gains and turned lower on Thursday\u2019s stronger-than-expected U.S. Sep CPI and weekly jobless claims reports, which are hawkish for Fed policy. Also, an increase in inflation expectations was bearish for T-notes after the 10-year breakeven inflation rate climbed to a 1-week high Thursday at 2.345%. T-notes dropped to their lows Thursday afternoon on weak demand for the Treasury\u2019s $20 billion 30-year T-bond auction with a bid-to-cover ratio of 2.35, below the 10-auction average of 2.39. T-notes climbed from their lows as weakness in stocks sparked some safe-haven buying of government debt. Also, comments from Boston Fed President Collins suggesting she favors pausing Fed rate hikes supported T-notes. More Stock Market News from Barchart Dollar Moves Higher as Strong U.S. CPI Boosts Bond Yields Down 45% From July Highs, Can Plug Power Stock Rebound? Coinbase and 2 More Overvalued Stocks to Avoid, Despite the Recent Pullback Middle East War: 3 Top-Rated Defense Stocks for Your Portfolio On the date of publication, Rich Asplund did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. For more information please view the Barchart Disclosure Policy here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""US STOCKS-Wall Street falls as Treasury yields rise, investors digest inflation data By Sin\u00e9ad Carew and Shashwat Chauhan Oct 12 (Reuters) - Wall Street's main indexes closed lower on Thursday after a U.S. Treasury auction sent bond yields higher while investors were already digesting data that showed consumer prices rose more than anticipated in September. After the data, the S&P 500 spent the morning zig-zagging between red and green. It turned decisively lower after a 1 p.m. EDT (1700 GMT) auction of 30-year U.S. Treasuries met weak demand. \""The biggest overhang to the market the last two months has been the rise in interest rates. Any meaningful move one way or the other on any given day is going to have an impact on equities,\"" said Michael James, managing director of equity trading at Wedbush Securities in Los Angeles. After Thursday's auction \""the magnitude of the move higher in rates caused a significant downward dislocation in equities across the board,\"" James added. The Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI fell 173.73 points, or 0.51%, to 33,631.14, the S&P 500 .SPX lost 27.34 points, or 0.62%, to 4,349.61 and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC dropped 85.46 points, or 0.63%, to 13,574.22. Among the S&P 500's 11 major industry sectors, the biggest decliner was materials .SPLRCM, ending down 1.5%. The rise in yields particularly pressured rate-sensitive sectors such as utilities .SPLRCU, down 1.5% and real estate .SPLRCR down 1.3%, its second and third biggest decliners. Homebuilding stocks fell after the data and came under more pressure after the afternoon increase in bond yields. The iShares Home Construction ETF ITB.Z ended down 4.62% for its biggest one-day percentage decline in almost a year. The sole S&P sector gainers were information technology .SPLRCT, up 0.1% and energy .SPNY, up 0.09%. Investors were also carefully monitoring developments in the Middle East. Gaza moved closer to a humanitarian catastrophe as the death toll rose and vital supplies ran low, while Israel massed tanks on the enclave's border ahead of an anticipated ground invasion amid international calls for restraint. Investor focus may soon shift to the earnings season on Friday, with big banks including JPMorgan Chase JPM.N, Wells Fargo WFC.N and Citigroup C.N reporting their quarterly numbers before the market open. Among individual stocks, Fastenal FAST.O rallied 7.5% after the industrial supplies company beat third-quarter profit estimates. Ford Motor F.N fell 2% after the United Auto Workers (UAW) union expanded its strike at the company's biggest and most profitable factory. Declining issues outnumbered advancing ones on the NYSE by a 4.46-to-1 ratio; on Nasdaq, a 2.89-to-1 ratio favored decliners. The S&P 500 posted 17 new 52-week highs and 37 new lows; the Nasdaq Composite recorded 38 new highs and 322 new lows. On U.S. exchanges 10.91 billion shares changed hands compared with the 10.75 billion moving average for the last 20 sessions. Monthly change in US Consumer Price Index https://tmsnrt.rs/3FeEfXe (Reporting by Sin\u00e9ad Carew in New York, Amruta Khandekar, Shashwat Chauhan and Ankika Biswas in Bengaluru; Additional reporting by Johann M Cherian; Editing by Arun Koyyur, Shounak Dasgupta, Maju Samuel and David Gregorio) ((sinead.carew@thomsonreuters.com; +13322191897;)) The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""US STOCKS-Wall Street falls as Treasury yields rise, investors digest inflation data, By Sin\u00e9ad Carew and Shashwat Chauhan Oct 12 (Reuters) - Wall Street's main indexes fell on Thursday after a U.S. Treasury auction sent bond yields higher while investors were already digesting data that showed consumer prices rose more than anticipated in September. Surging shelter costs pushed consumer prices higher last month while the annual increase in the core figure, excluding volatile food and energy components, was the smallest in two years. After the data, the S&P 500 spent the morning zig-zagging between red and green. It turned decisively lower after a 1 p.m. EDT (1700 GMT) auction of 30-year U.S. Treasuries met weak demand. \""The biggest overhang to the market the last two months has been the rise in interest rates. Any meaningful move one way or the other on any given day is going to have an impact on equities,\"" said Michael James, managing director of equity trading at Wedbush Securities in Los Angeles. After Thursday's auction \""the magnitude of the move higher in rates caused a significant downward dislocation in equities across the board,\"" James added. According to preliminary data, the S&P 500 .SPX lost 27.50 points, or 0.63%, to end at 4,349.45 points, while the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC lost 85.46 points, or 0.63%, to 13,574.22. The Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI fell 173.77 points, or 0.51%, to 33,631.10. U.S. benchmark 10-year yields US10YT=RR rose after the inflation data and rose further to hit a session high after the auction. The benchmark yield rose as high as 4.728%, after falling for two straight days. The rise in yields particularly pressured rate-sensitive sectors such as utilities .SPLRCU and real estate .SPLRCR, often viewed as bond proxies. Homebuilding stocks fell after the data and came under more pressure after the afternoon increase in bond yields. The iShares Home Construction ETF ITB.Z was down sharply. Of the S&P 500's 11 major sectors energy .SPNY and information technology .SPLRCT were under least pressure during the session. Traders now expect a stronger chance the Fed will end up delivering another interest-rate hike this year, and keep rates higher for longer next year. Boston Fed President Susan Collins, who does not have a vote on the rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) this year, said on Wednesday that while the odds of the economy escaping a recession have grown, it is possible the central bank is not done with interest rate hikes aimed at bringing inflation back to its target. Meanwhile, Israel said there would be no pause in its siege of the Gaza Strip for aid or evacuations until all its hostages were freed. Investor focus may soon shift to the earnings season on Friday, with big banks including JPMorgan Chase JPM.N, Wells Fargo WFC.N and Citigroup C.N reporting their quarterly numbers before the market open. Among individual stocks, Fastenal FAST.O rallied after the industrial supplies company beat third-quarter profit estimates. Ford Motor F.N fell after the United Auto Workers (UAW) union expanded its strike at the company's biggest and most profitable factory. Monthly change in US Consumer Price Index https://tmsnrt.rs/3FeEfXe (Reporting by Sin\u00e9ad Carew in New York, Amruta Khandekar, Shashwat Chauhan and Ankika Biswas in Bengaluru; Additional reporting by Johann M Cherian; Editing by Arun Koyyur, Shounak Dasgupta, Maju Samuel and David Gregorio) ((sinead.carew@thomsonreuters.com; +13322191897;)) The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""US STOCKS-Wall Street falls as Treasury yields rise, investors digest inflation data, By Sin\u00e9ad Carew and Shashwat Chauhan Oct 12 (Reuters) - Wall Street's main indexes fell on Thursday as bond yields rose and data showed consumer prices rose more than anticipated in September, clouding the Federal Reserve's interest rate outlook. \u201cThe headline (number) was a little bit hotter than expected, but core inflation dropped (year-on-year),\u201d said Anthony Saglimbene, chief market strategist at Ameriprise Financial in Michigan. While the strategist said this means \""the Fed's work in terms of raising interest rates is done,\"" he cautioned the central bank is \""likely to leave interest rates higher for longer.\"" Another set of data showed jobless claims rose 209,000 for the week ended Oct. 7, lower than an estimated 210,000 rise. In afternoon trading stocks fell as U.S. benchmark 10-year yields US10YT=RR added to gains to hit a session high after a U.S. Treasury auction. The benchmark yield rose above 4.7% after falling for two straight days. The Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI fell 302.04 points, or 0.89%, to 33,502.83, the S&P 500 .SPX lost 42.36 points, or 0.97%, to 4,334.59 and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC dropped 125.81 points, or 0.92%, to 13,533.86. The rise in yields particularly pressured rate-sensitive sectors such as utilities .SPLRCU and real estate .SPLRCR, often viewed as bond proxies. Information technology .SPLRCT and energy .SPNY were among the smallest decliners in afternoon trading. Traders expect a stronger chance the Fed will end up delivering another interest-rate hike this year, and keep rates higher for longer next year. Boston Fed President Susan Collins, who does not have a vote on the rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) this year, said on Wednesday that while the odds of the economy escaping a recession have grown, it is possible the central bank is not done with interest rate hikes aimed at bringing inflation back to its target. Remarks from other Fed policymakers, including Atlanta's Raphael Bostic, are also expected on Thursday. Meanwhile, Israel said there would be in its siege of the Gaza Strip for aid or evacuations until all its hostages were freed. Investor focus may soon shift to the earnings season, with big banks including JPMorgan Chase JPM.N, Wells Fargo WFC.N and Citigroup C.N reporting their quarterly numbers before the bell on Friday. Among individual stocks, FastenalFAST.O rose 6.2% after the industrial supplies company beat third-quarter profit estimates. Ford MotorF.N fell 2.5% after the United Auto Workers (UAW) union expanded its strike at the company's biggest and most profitable factory. Declining issues outnumbered advancing ones on the NYSE by a 5.88-to-1 ratio; on Nasdaq, a 3.22-to-1 ratio favored decliners. The S&P 500 posted 17 new 52-week highs and 31 new lows; the Nasdaq Composite recorded 33 new highs and 282 new lows. Monthly change in US Consumer Price Index https://tmsnrt.rs/3FeEfXe (Reporting by Sin\u00e9ad Carew in New York, Amruta Khandekar, Shashwat Chauhan and Ankika Biswas in Bengaluru; Additional reporting by Johann M Cherian; Editing by Arun Koyyur, Shounak Dasgupta, Maju Samuel and David Gregorio) ((sinead.carew@thomsonreuters.com; +13322191897;)) The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""US STOCKS-Wall Street muted as investors digest inflation data, Treasury yields rise By Shashwat Chauhan and Ankika Biswas Oct 12 (Reuters) - Wall Street's main indexes were subdued in choppy trading on Thursday, as data showed consumer prices rose more than anticipated in September, although underlying price pressures eased, clouding the Federal Reserve's interest rate outlook. Surging rental costs pushed consumer prices higher last month, while the annual increase in the core figure, excluding volatile food and energy components, last month was the smallest in two years. \""Headline inflation was a little hot because of energy, but core prices remained subdued ... this number isn't great for the bulls but also doesn't give much reason to be bearish,\"" said David Russell, global head of market strategy at TradeStation. \""The latest surge in yields has gotten rates to a place where the Fed feels much less need to act ... inflation and the Fed will be less of a news driver in coming months as all the tightening gradually takes effect.\"" Another set of data showed jobless claims rose 209,000 for the week ended Oct. 7, lower than an estimated 210,000 rise. U.S. benchmark 10-year yields US10YT=RR rose to 4.6512% after falling for two straight days, putting real estate .SPLRCR, consumer staples .SPLRCS and utilities .SPLRCU - often considered as bond proxies - amongst the worst hit S&P 500 sectors on Thursday. Energy .SPNY and information technology .SPLRCT were among the gainers in afternoon trading. Traders expect a stronger chance the Fed will end up delivering another interest-rate hike this year, and keep rates higher for longer next year. Boston Fed President Susan Collins, who does not have a vote on the rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) this year, said on Wednesday that while the odds of the economy escaping a recession have grown, it is possible the central bank is not done with interest rate hikes aimed at bringing inflation back to its target. Remarks from other Fed policymakers, including Atlanta's Raphael Bostic, are also expected on Thursday. Minutes of the Fed's Sept. 19-20 meeting showed a growing sense of uncertainty around the path of the U.S. economy, with volatile data and tightening financial markets posing risks to growth. Meanwhile, Israel said there would be in its siege of the Gaza Strip for aid or evacuations until all its hostages were freed. At 12:05 p.m. ET, the Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI was down 30.64 points, or 0.09%, at 33,774.23, the S&P 500 .SPX was up 1.36 points, or 0.03%, at 4,378.31, and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC was up 30.08 points, or 0.22%, at 13,689.75. Focus would now shift to the earnings season, with big banks including JPMorgan Chase JPM.N, Wells Fargo WFC.N and Citigroup C.N reporting their quarterly numbers before the bell on Friday. Among stocks, FastenalFAST.O rose 7.9% after the industrial supplies company beat third-quarter profit estimates. Ford MotorF.N eased 1.9% after the United Auto Workers (UAW) union expanded its strike at the company's biggest and most profitable factory. Declining issues outnumbered advancers for a 3.09-to-1 ratio on the NYSE and for a 2.30-to-1 ratio on the Nasdaq. Monthly change in US Consumer Price Index https://tmsnrt.rs/3FeEfXe (Reporting by Shashwat Chauhan and Ankika Biswas in Bengaluru; Additional reporting by Johann M Cherian; Editing by Arun Koyyur, Shounak Dasgupta and Maju Samuel) ((Shashwat.Chauhan@thomsonreuters.com)) The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal (FAST) Q3 Earnings Top, Sales Miss, Shares Rise Fastenal Company\u2019s FAST shares gained more than 4.6% in the pre-market trading session on Oct 12 after it reported third-quarter 2023 results. Earnings topped the Zacks Consensus Estimate but net sales missed the same. Both the top and bottom lines increased on a year-over-year basis, given daily sales growth, good expense control and lower net interest expense. Earnings & Sales in Detail The company reported earnings of 52 cents per share, which beat the consensus mark by a penny and increased 4.1% from the year-ago period. Net sales totaled $1,845.9 million, missing the consensus mark of $1,849 million by 0.2% but increasing 2.4% from the year-ago level. Daily sales of $29.3 million increased 4% year over year in the reported quarter. In the third quarter of 2023, Fastenal witnessed an upswing in unit sales, primarily attributed to robust growth at its Onsite locations, especially those established within the past two years. This robust performance effectively mitigated the effects of decreased demand from manufacturing customers and reduced revenues from construction and reseller customers. Additionally, foreign exchange fluctuations exerted a minor downward pressure on third-quarter sales, accounting for approximately a 10-basis point decrease. On a monthly basis, daily sales improved 5%, 3.6% and 3.7% in September, August and July 2023, respectively, year over year. Fastenal Company Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Fastenal Company price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Fastenal Company Quote Daily sales of Fastener products (mainly used for industrial production and accounting for approximately 32.1% of third-quarter sales) declined 2% year over year. Sales of safety products (21.4%) grew 9.2% on a daily basis. Sales of the remaining products (46.5%) grew 6.8% year over year. On an end-market basis, daily sales of Heavy manufacturing (accounting for approximately 43.2% of third-quarter sales) rose 9% year over year. Sales of Other manufacturing (31.1%) grew 2.5% on a daily basis. Sales of Non-residential construction (9.1%) fell 7.2% on a daily basis. Sales of Reseller (5.8%) declined 6.9%, while that of Other (10.8%) increased 8.1% year over year. Daily sales through weighted FMI devices grew 14.8% for the third quarter and represented 40.7% of net sales. Daily sales to national account customers (representing 60.8% of total third-quarter net sales) increased 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. Daily sales to non-national account customers (which include government customers and represent 39.2% of total quarterly revenues) declined 1.9% from the prior-year quarter. The company\u2019s digital footprint increased to 57.1% of sales in the third quarter of 2023 from 49.5% of sales in the year-ago period. Vending Trends & Other Growth Drivers Fastenal signed 93 new Onsite locations during the quarter. As of Sep 30, 2023, the company had 1,778 active sites, up 13.5% from the year-ago period. Daily sales through Onsite locations (excluding sales transferred from branches to new Onsite) increased at a low double-digit rate year over year. This was backed by strong contributions from Onsite locations, activated and implemented over the last 12 months and continued growth from older Onsite locations. For 2023, the company now expects 350 annual Onsite signings. Margins Gross margin was 45.9% in the reported quarter, flat year over year. This was due to customer and product mix, given increased growth in the lower margin of Onsite and non-fastener products, and lower product margins in certain other product categories. These were offset by a number of favorable variables like favorable freight costs. Operating margin came in at 21%, unchanged from a year ago. Financials As of Sep 30, 2023, cash and cash equivalents were $297.5 million, up from $230.1 million on Dec 31, 2022. The long-term debt at third-quarter end was $200 million, down from $353.2 million at 2022-end. During the third quarter, FAST returned $199.8 million to its shareholders in the form of dividends. During third-quarter 2023, cash provided by operating activities totaled $388.1 million, up 50.5% from the year-ago period. Zacks Rank Fastenal currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Stocks to Consider Some better-ranked stocks in the Zacks Retail-Wholesale sector are: Abercrombie & Fitch Co. ANF sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). It has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 724.8%, on average. Shares of ANF have surged 256.3% in the past year. You can see the complete list of today\u2019s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for ANF\u2019s 2024 sales and earnings per share (EPS) implies increases of 10% and 1,644%, respectively, from the year-ago period\u2019s levels. Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc. ARCO currently carries a Zacks Rank #1. It has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 35%, on average. The stock has gained 19.6% in the past year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Arcos Dorados\u2019 2023 sales and EPS suggests a rise of 19.2% and 13%, respectively, from the year-ago period\u2019s levels. Amazon.com, Inc. AMZN sports a Zacks Rank #1. It has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 41%, on average. Shares of AMZN have gained 17.1% in the past year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for AMZN\u2019s 2023 sales and EPS indicates a 11.1% and a 214.1% growth, respectively, from the year-ago period\u2019s levels. 5 Stocks Set to Double Each was handpicked by a Zacks expert as the #1 favorite stock to gain +100% or more in 2023. Previous recommendations have soared +143.0%, +175.9%, +498.3% and +673.0%. Most of the stocks in this report are flying under Wall Street radar, which provides a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor. Today, See These 5 Potential Home Runs >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN) : Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report Abercrombie & Fitch Company (ANF) : Free Stock Analysis Report Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc. (ARCO) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Why Fastenal Shares Popped Thursday What happened Industrial supplier Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST) can be a bellwether for how the American economy is performing. The company reported third-quarter earnings today, and investors are celebrating the results. After popping as much as 8%, Fastenal shares were higher by 6.1% as of 10:55 a.m. ET Thursday morning. So what Fastenal said its third-quarter sales increased 2.4% year over year, meeting analyst expectations. But a better-than-expected operating profit margin helped the company beat Wall Street estimates on the bottom line. Overall, continued economic strength has given investors confidence in Fastenal's business, resulting in a more than 10% gain for the stock over the last month. Now what Fastenal provides industrial supplies, including fastener, safety, janitorial, and other products from about 3,400 branches and on-site locations. That means it relies on growth from many business sectors to power its earnings. The manufacturing sector is where Fastenal reported the most growth in the third quarter. While heavy manufacturing sales increased by 9%, nonresidential construction sales fell by 7.2% in the quarterly period. But construction makes up less than 10% of Fastenal's sales, while heavy manufacturing is its largest customer segment. Investors also likely focused on the company beating profitability expectations, not just seeing increased sales due to raising prices. Fastenal might be the right stock for those who believe in the resilience of the overall economy. It has also been paying a dividend since 1991. This year, while it maintained its current dividend rate for the fourth quarter, that still represents a 13% year-over-year increase. While a recession would undoubtedly hurt the returns from Fastenal stock in the short term, long-term investors might want to hold shares in this economic bellwether. 10 stocks we like better than Fastenal When our analyst team has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.* They just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Fastenal wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of October 9, 2023 Howard Smith has positions in Fastenal. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Broader Market Under Pressure as Strong CPI Keeps Fed Rate Hikes in Play What you need to know\u2026 The S&P 500 Index ($SPX) (SPY) today is down -0.09%, the Dow Jones Industrials Index ($DOWI) (DIA) is down -0.22%, and the Nasdaq 100 Index ($IUXX) (QQQ) is up +0.41%. Stocks this morning are mixed, with the Nasdaq 10 climbing to a 3-1/2 week high. The broader market is under pressure today after T-note yields jumped when U.S. Sep consumer prices rose more than expected. Also, weekly U.S. initial unemployment claims were unchanged, stronger than expectations for a slight increase and a hawkish factor for Fed policy. This morning\u2019s hawkish reports keep in play the possibility of one more Fed rate hike this year. Today's rally in chip stocks is keeping the Nasdaq 100 in positive territory. Concern that the conflict between Israel and Hamas will spread in the Middle East is another negative factor for stocks on reports that Israel carried out airstrikes on the main airports in Damascus and Aleppo in Syria. U.S. Sep CPI rose +3.7% y/y, unchanged from Aug and stronger than expectations of a decline to 3.6% y/y. Sep CPI ex-food and energy eased to 4.1% y/y from +4.3% y/y in Aug, right on expectations and the smallest increase in 2 years. U.S. weekly initial unemployment claims were unchanged at 209,000, showing a slightly stronger labor market than expectations of an increase to 210,000. The markets are discounting a 14% chance that the FOMC will raise the funds rate by +25 bp at the next FOMC meeting that ends on November 1, and a 44% chance for that +25 bp rate hike at the following meeting that ends on December 13. The markets are then expecting the FOMC to begin cutting rates in the second half of 2024 in response to an expected slowdown in the U.S. economy. U.S. and European bond yields are higher. The 10-year T-note recovered from a 1-1/2 week low of 4.515% and is up +8.7 bp at 4.645%. The 10-year German bund yield rebounded from a 2-1/2 week low of 2.685% and is up +6.4 bp at 2.782%. The 10-year UK gilt yield recovered from a 2-week low of 4.284% and is up +7.9 bp at 4.407%. Overseas stock markets are higher. The Euro Stoxx 50 is up +0.01%. China\u2019s Shanghai Composite Index closed up +0.94%. Japan\u2019s Nikkei 225 today closed up +1.75 %. Today\u2019s stock movers\u2026 Hormel Foods (HRL) is down more than -8% to lead losers in the S&P 500 on disappointment in its investors\u2019 day conference. Homebuilding stocks are under pressure after the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate rose to a 23-year high of 7.67%, which weighs on housing demand. As a result, DR Horton (DHI) and Toll Brothers (TOL) are down more than -4%. Also, Lennar (LEN) and PulteGroup (PHM) are down more than -3%. Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP) is down more than -4% after Berstein cut its price target on the stock to $37 from $40. Boeing (BA) is down more than -2% to lead losers in the Dow Jones Industrials after Ryanair Holdings Plc said Boeing\u2019s delays of its 737 Max aircraft have worsened, and it expects only 40 deliveries of the jet by Jun 2024 versus the previous estimate of 57. Atlassian (TEAM) is down more than -4% after it agreed to acquire vide-messaging startup Loom for $975 million. Commercial Metals (CMC) is down more than -8% after reporting Q4 net sales of $1.90 billion, below the consensus of $2.12 billion. Ford Motor (F) is down more than -2% after UAW autoworkers began a strike at the company\u2019s largest plant in Kentucky. Jack Henry & Associates (JKHY) is down more than -1% after Goldman Sachs downgraded the stock to sell from neutral with a price target of $140. Fastenal (FAST) is up more than +6% to lead gainers in the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 after reporting Q3 EPS of 52 cents, above the consensus of 50 cents. Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) is up more than +4% to lead gainers in the Dow Jones Industrials after announcing a $1 billion cost-cutting program and reducing its capital expenditures by about $600 million. Strength in chip stocks is a positive factor for the overall market. KLA Corp (KLAC) and Applied Materials (AMAT) are up more than +4%. Also, Broadcom (AVGO) and Lam Research (LRCX) are up more than +3%. In addition, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) and ASML Holding NV (ASML) are up more than +2%. Adobe (ADBE) is up more than +4%, adding to Wednesday\u2019s +3% gain, on a positive response to its release of new features for generative AI models at the Max conference in Los Angeles. Albemarle (ALB) is up more than +2% after being granted an extension for seven days to close its deal to acquire Liontown Resources Ltd for $4.2 billion. Target (TGT) is up more than +1% after Bank of America upgraded the stock to buy from neutral with a price target of $135. Across the markets\u2026 December 10-year T-notes (ZNZ23) this morning are down -14 ticks, and the 10-year T-note yield is up +8.7 bp at 4.645%. Dec T-notes today fell back from a 2-week high and moved lower, and the 10-year T-note yield rebounded from a 1-1/2 week low of 4.515%. T-notes erased overnight gains and turned lower on this morning\u2019s stronger-than-expected U.S. Sep CPI and weekly jobless claims reports, which are hawkish for Fed policy. Also, an increase in inflation expectations is bearish for T-notes after the 10-year breakeven inflation rate climbed to a 1-week high today at 2.341%. In addition, supply pressures are weighing on T-notes as the Treasury will auction $20 billion of 30-year T-bonds later today to conclude this week\u2019s $101 billion T-notes and T-bonds auction package. The dollar index (DXY00) today is up by +0.35%. The dollar this morning recovered from a 2-1/2 week low and moved higher after stronger-than-expected reports on U.S. Sep consumer prices and weekly jobless claims bolsters the outlook for the Fed to raise interest rates one more time this year. Today's decline in bond yields is undercutting the dollar as the 10-year T-note yield fell to a 2-week low. Also, dovish ECB comments undercut EUR/USD to the dollar\u2019s benefit today. EUR/USD (^EURUSD) today is down by -0.62%. The euro today fell back sharply from a 2-1/2 week high on dollar strength and dovish ECB comments. ECB Governing Council members Centeno and Wunsch said today that current interest rates are appropriate, and they favor the ECB pausing its interest rate hike campaign. ECB Governing Council member Centeno said, \""With the current level of interest rates, we will be making a substantial contribution to the 2% inflation objective. We will get there by continuing this monetary policy stance, holding on for a while until we are totally sure that inflation is coming down.\"" ECB Governing Council member Wunsch said, \""If we keep seeing inflation numbers aligned with the forecast, then we don't have to hike interest rates anymore.\"" USD/JPY (^USDJPY) today is up by +0.27%. The yen today dropped to a 1-week low against the dollar after stronger-than-expected U.S. reports on consumer prices and weekly jobless claims pushed T-note yields higher. Also, a decline in Japanese government bond yields weighed on the yen after the 10-year JGB bond yield fell to a 2-week low of 0.754%. In addition, weak economic news undercut the yen after Japan Aug machine tool orders unexpectedly declined and Japan's Sep PPI rose less than expected, dovish factors for BOJ policy. Japan Sep PPI eased to +2.0% y/y from +3.3% y/y in Aug, weaker than expectations of +2.4% y/y and the slowest pace of increase in 2-1/2 years. Japan Aug core machine orders unexpectedly fell -0.5% m/m, weaker than expectations of +0.6% m/m. December gold (GCZ3) today is down -0.4 (-0.02%), and Dec silver (SIZ23) is down -0.073 (-0.33%). Precious metals prices this morning gave up overnight gains and turned lower, with gold falling from a 2-week high and silver dropping from a 1-1/2 week high. A recovery in the dollar weighed on metals after the dollar index rebounded from a 2-1/2 week low and moved higher. Also, today\u2019s stronger-than-expected U.S. economic reports on Sep consumer prices and weekly jobless claims pushed T-note yields high and undercut precious metals. Losses in metals were limited after U.S. inflation expectations rose when the 10-year breakeven inflation rate climbed to a 1-week high, which boosted demand for gold as an inflation hedge. Also, concerns that the Middle East turmoil may spread boosted safe-haven demand for precious metals after Israel carried out airstrikes on the main airports in Damascus and Aleppo in Syria. More Stock Market News from Barchart AI Could Power Up These 2 Healthcare Stocks Markets Today: Stocks Erase Overnight Gains on a Strong Sep CPI Report Get'em While They're Hot! These Stocks Just Broke Out From Their Resistance! Stocks Climb Before the Open as Bond Yields Fall, U.S. Inflation Data Looms On the date of publication, Rich Asplund did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. For more information please view the Barchart Disclosure Policy here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Notable Thursday Option Activity: C, FAST, NOC Among the underlying components of the S&P 500 index, we saw noteworthy options trading volume today in Citigroup Inc (Symbol: C), where a total of 71,825 contracts have traded so far, representing approximately 7.2 million underlying shares. That amounts to about 44.5% of C's average daily trading volume over the past month of 16.2 million shares. Especially high volume was seen for the $44 strike call option expiring January 19, 2024, with 6,652 contracts trading so far today, representing approximately 665,200 underlying shares of C. Below is a chart showing C's trailing twelve month trading history, with the $44 strike highlighted in orange: Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) options are showing a volume of 12,321 contracts thus far today. That number of contracts represents approximately 1.2 million underlying shares, working out to a sizeable 40.8% of FAST's average daily trading volume over the past month, of 3.0 million shares. Particularly high volume was seen for the $65 strike call option expiring January 19, 2024, with 1,167 contracts trading so far today, representing approximately 116,700 underlying shares of FAST. Below is a chart showing FAST's trailing twelve month trading history, with the $65 strike highlighted in orange: And Northrop Grumman Corp (Symbol: NOC) options are showing a volume of 3,764 contracts thus far today. That number of contracts represents approximately 376,400 underlying shares, working out to a sizeable 40.7% of NOC's average daily trading volume over the past month, of 923,715 shares. Particularly high volume was seen for the $480 strike call option expiring October 13, 2023, with 253 contracts trading so far today, representing approximately 25,300 underlying shares of NOC. Below is a chart showing NOC's trailing twelve month trading history, with the $480 strike highlighted in orange: For the various different available expirations for C options, FAST options, or NOC options, visit StockOptionsChannel.com. Today's Most Active Call & Put Options of the S&P 500 \u00bb Also see: \u0095 GOGL Stock Predictions \u0095 CHIC Options Chain \u0095 Top Ten Hedge Funds Holding BSJM The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Markets Today: Stocks Erase Overnight Gains on a Strong Sep CPI Report Morning Markets December E-Mini S&P 500 futures (ESZ23) are up +0.15%, and the Dec Nasdaq 100 E-Mini futures (NQZ23) are up +0.08%. Stock index futures this morning erased most of their overnight gains after T-note yields jumped when U.S. Sep consumer prices rose more than expected. Also, weekly U.S. initial unemployment claims were unchanged, stronger than expectations for a slight increase and a hawkish factor for Fed policy. This morning\u2019s hawkish reports keep in play the possibility of one more Fed rate hike this year. Positive corporate news is lifting stock index futures, with Delta Air Lines and Fastenal up more than +3% in pre-market trading after reporting better-than-expected Q3 adjusted EPS. Also, Target is up more than +2% after Bank of America upgraded the stock to a buy. Concern that the conflict between Israel and Hamas will spread in the Middle East is another negative factor for stocks on reports that Israel carried out airstrikes on the main airports in Damascus and Aleppo in Syria. U.S. Sep CPI rose +3.7% y/y, unchanged from Aug and stronger than expectations of a decline to 3.6% y/y. Sep CPI ex-food and energy eased to 4.1% y/y from +4.3% y/y in Aug, right on expectations and the smallest increase in 2 years. U.S. weekly initial unemployment claims were unchanged at 209,000, showing a slightly stronger labor market than expectations of an increase to 210,000. The markets are discounting a 10% chance that the FOMC will raise the funds rate by +25 bp at the next FOMC meeting that ends on November 1, and a 40% chance for that +25 bp rate hike at the following meeting that ends on December 13. The markets are then expecting the FOMC to begin cutting rates in the second half of 2024 in response to an expected slowdown in the U.S. economy. U.S. and European bond yields are higher. The 10-year T-note recovered from a 1-1/2 week low of 4.515% and is up +2.3 bp at 4.581%. The 10-year German bund yield rebounded from a 2-1/2 week low of 2.685% and is up +1.5 bp at 2.733%. The 10-year UK gilt yield recovered from a 2-week low of 4.284% and is up +3.0 bp at 4.359%. Overseas stock markets are higher. The Euro Stoxx 50 is up +0.23%. China\u2019s Shanghai Composite Index closed up +0.94%. Japan\u2019s Nikkei 225 today closed up +1.75 %. The Euro Stoxx 50 today rallied to a 3-week high and is moderately higher. Gains in energy and mining stocks are leading the overall market higher. Advertising and media stocks also rallied, led by a +4% gain in Publicis after it upgraded its full-year organic growth target when Q3 sales growth came in stronger than expected. On the negative side, bank stocks are on the defensive, led by a -3% decline in Barclays Plc after its CEO said stagnant deal activity, easing volatility, and peaking interest rates are set to weigh on bank sector earnings. ECB Governing Council member Centeno said, \""With the current level of interest rates, we will be making a substantial contribution to the 2% inflation objective. We will get there by continuing this monetary policy stance, holding on for a while until we are totally sure that inflation is coming down.\"" ECB Governing Council member Wunsch said, \""If we keep seeing inflation numbers aligned with the forecast, then we don't have to hike interest rates anymore.\"" China\u2019s Shanghai Composite Stock Index today closed moderately higher. Chinese stocks rallied today after buying of bank stocks by state-linked entities lifted market sentiment. Bank stocks rallied after China\u2019s state-owned Central Huijin Investment Ltd increased its stake in the country\u2019s biggest lenders, a sign that authorities are serious about efforts to support the equity market. The sovereign wealth fund increased its shares in China\u2019s biggest banks for the first time since 2015. On the negative side, HSBC cut its year-end 2023 index targets for onshore Chinese stocks by 5% to 8%, saying, \u201cWe were too optimistic about the pace of China\u2019s economic recovery and underestimated the scale of stock outflows in August and September.\u201d Japan\u2019s Nikkei Stock Index today extended this week\u2019s rally to a 2-week high and closed moderately higher. Japanese stocks found carryover support from strength in U.S. stocks after dovish Fed comments knocked bond yields lower and bolstered speculation the Fed is heading toward a pause in interest rate hikes. Also, an easing of producer prices knocked Japanese government bond yields lower after Japan's Sep PPI eased to +2.0% y/y, the smallest increase in 2-1/2 years. The 10-year Japan JGB bond yield fell to a 2-week low of 0.754%. Chip stocks also rose after Asahi reported Japan\u2019s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry is seeking 3.4 trillion yen ($22.8 billion) for funds to support the chip industry as part of Prime Minister Kishida\u2019s economic package. Japan Sep PPI eased to +2.0% y/y from +3.3% y/y in Aug, weaker than expectations of +2.4% y/y and the slowest pace of increase in 2-1/2 years. Japan Aug core machine orders unexpectedly fell -0.5% m/m, weaker than expectations of +0.6% m/m. Pre-Market U.S. Stock Movers Delta Air Lines (DAL) climbed more than +3% in pre-market trading after reporting Q3 adjusted EPS of $2.03, better than the consensus of $1.94, and forecast Q4 adjusted EPS of $1.05-$1.30, the midpoint above the consensus of $1.11. Fastenal (FAST) climbed more than +4% in pre-market trading after reporting Q3 EPS of 52 cents, above the consensus of 50 cents. Energy stocks and energy service providers are climbing in pre-market trading, with WTI crude up more than +1% after Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said oil producers will continue to work together and act preemptively to keep the oil market in balance. As a result, ConocoPhillips (COP), Devon Energy (DVN), Exxon Mobil (XOM), Marathon Petroleum (MRO), Occidental Petroleum (OXY), Schlumberger (SLB), and Valero Energy (VLO) are up more than +1%. Target (TGT) rose more than +2% in pre-market trading after Bank of America upgraded the stock to buy from neutral with a price target of $135. Albemarle (ALB) is up more than +2% in pre-market trading after being granted an extension for seven days to close its deal to acquire Liontown Resources Ltd for $4.2 billion. Core & Main Inc (CNM) rose more than +1% in pre-market trading after Wolfe Research upgraded the stock to outperform from peer perform. Ford Motor (F) dropped more than -2% in pre-market trading after UAW autoworkers began a strike at the company\u2019s largest plant in Kentucky. Domino\u2019s Pizza (DPZ) dropped more than -2% in pre-market trading after reporting Q3 revenue of $1.03 billion, weaker than the consensus of $1.05 billion. Commercial Metals (CMC) fell more than -2% in pre-market trading after reporting Q4 net sales of $1.90 billion, below the consensus of $2.12 billion. Carrier Global (CARR) slid more than -1% in pre-market trading after Wole Research downgraded the stock to underperform from peer perform. Jack Henry & Associates (JKHY) fell more than -2% in pre-market trading after Goldman Sachs downgraded the stock to sell from neutral with a price target of $140. Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) fell more than -1% in pre-market trading after reporting Q4 adjusted EPS of 67 cents, weaker than the consensus of 69 cents, and forecasting 2024 adjusted EPS of $3.20-$3.50 below the consensus of $3.70. Carvana (CVNA) dropped more than -2% in pre-market trading after BNP Paribas Exane downgraded the stock to neutral from outperform. Welltower (WELL) slid over 1% in pre-market trading after JPMorgan Chase downgraded the stock to market neutral from overweight. ResMed (RMD) fell more than -2% in pre-market trading after RBC Capital Markets downgraded the stock to sector perform from outperform. Earnings Reports (10/12/2023) Commercial Metals Co (CMC), Comtech Telecommunications Cor (CMTL), Delta Air Lines Inc (DAL), Domino's Pizza Inc (DPZ), Fastenal Co (FAST), IDT Corp (IDT), Oil-Dri Corp of America (ODC), SMART Global Holdings Inc (SGH), Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc (WBA), Winmark Corp (WINA). More Stock Market News from Barchart Get'em While They're Hot! These Stocks Just Broke Out From Their Resistance! Stocks Climb Before the Open as Bond Yields Fall, U.S. Inflation Data Looms Stocks Settle Higher as Bond Yields Fall on Dovish Fed Comments 11 Steps to Take If You Get Laid Off or Lose Your Job On the date of publication, Rich Asplund did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. For more information please view the Barchart Disclosure Policy here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""US STOCKS-Wall Street dips as Treasury yields rise after inflation data By Shashwat Chauhan and Ankika Biswas Oct 12 (Reuters) - Wall Street's main indexes fell on Thursday as Treasury yields rose after data showed consumer prices rose more than expected in September, although underlying price pressures eased. The Labor Department report showed U.S. consumer prices rose 0.4% in September versus estimates of a 0.3% rise, according to economists polled by Reuters. Prices rose to 3.7% against estimates of 3.6% in the 12 months through September. Core CPI, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, rose 0.3% in line with estimates. \""The headline numbers always get the most attention, but it is important to look at the core because that's what the Fed uses to make any decisions,\"" said Art Hogan, chief market strategist at B. Riley Wealth. \""The Fed's going to find themselves to be overly restrictive by the first half of next year and their next move likely will be to cut rates gradually into the second half.\"" Another set of data showed jobless claims rose 209,000 for the week ended Oct. 7, lower than an estimated 210,000 rise. U.S. benchmark 10-year yields US10YT=RR rose to 4.638% after falling for two straight days. Traders see a stronger chance the Federal Reserve will end up delivering another interest rate hike this year and keep rates higher for longer next year. Boston Fed President Susan Collins said on Wednesday while the odds of the economy escaping a recession have grown, it's possible the central bank is not done with interest rate hikes aimed at bringing inflation back to its target. Remarks from other Fed policymakers, including Atlanta's Raphael Bostic, are also expected on Thursday. Minutes of the Fed's Sept. 19-20 meeting showed a growing sense of uncertainty around the path of the U.S. economy, with volatile data and tightening financial markets posing risks to growth. Meanwhile, Israel said there would be no humanitarian exceptions to its siege of the Gaza Strip until all its hostages were freed. Public broadcaster Kan said the Israeli death toll had risen to more than 1,300, while Gaza authorities said 1,354 Palestinians have been killed and more than 6,000 wounded in retaliatory bombings. At 9:55 a.m. ET, the Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI was down 94.20 points, or 0.28%, at 33,710.67, the S&P 500 .SPX was down 10.30 points, or 0.24%, at 4,366.65, and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC was down 19.61 points, or 0.14%, at 13,640.07. Real estate .SPLRCR and consumer staples .SPLRCS were among the worst hit S&P 500 sectors, while energy .SPNY was the top gainer. FastenalFAST.O rose 5% after the industrial supplies company beat third-quarter profit estimates. Declining issues outnumbered advancers for a 2.76-to-1 ratio on the NYSE and a 2.43-to-1 ratio on the Nasdaq. The S&P index recorded 14 new 52-week highs and 15 new lows, while the Nasdaq recorded 22 new highs and 137 new lows. Monthly change in US Consumer Price Index https://tmsnrt.rs/3FeEfXe (Reporting by Shashwat Chauhan and Ankika Biswas in Bengaluru; Additional reporting by Johann M Cherian; Editing by Arun Koyyur and Shounak Dasgupta) ((Shashwat.Chauhan@thomsonreuters.com)) The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Co. Rises On Upbeat Q3 Results (RTTNews) - Shares of Fastenal Company (FAST), a distributer of industrial and construction supplies, are rising more than 5% Thursday morning after reporting third-quarter earnings above the Street view. Net earnings in the third quarter increased to $295.5 million or $0.52 per share from $284.6 million or $0.50 per share in the same quarter a year ago. Analysts on average polled by Thomson-Reuters were expecting earnings of $0.50 per share. Sales for the quarter increased to $1.846 billion from $1.802 billion last year. The consensus estimate was for $1.85 billion. FAST is at $59.13 currently. It has traded in the range of $43.73 - $59.43 in the last 52 weeks. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""These 2 Stocks Are Taking Flight Thursday Investors have been watching inflation closely, and it appeared that they weren't entirely comfortable with what they saw from the Bureau of Labor Statistics on Thursday morning. The Consumer Price Index rose 0.4% in the month of September, keeping its year-over-year rise at 3.7%. That's well above the 2% target from the Federal Reserve, and stock index futures responded by giving up a substantial part of their gains from earlier in the morning. In addition to inflation data and the Fed, investors are looking closely for signs of how the economy is doing. Earnings reports from the third quarter will play a big role in setting the tone for the market, and the current trickle of financial numbers will turn into a torrent in the days and weeks to come. On Thursday morning, Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) and Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST) reported their latest financial results, and shareholders were generally happy with what they saw. Here are the details you need to know. Delta gains altitude on strong travel demand Shares of Delta Air Lines were up more than 3% in premarket trading Thursday morning. The airline giant reported third-quarter financial results that showed the current strength of the travel industry, but Delta also warned that the good times might not last forever. Delta's numbers from the summer months were generally impressive. Adjusted operating revenue rose 13% year over year to $14.6 billion, setting a new record for the company. Adjusted net income came in even better, with Delta making $1.31 billion for the quarter. That was up 35% from the year-ago period, and it worked out to adjusted earnings of $2.03 per share. Travel demand has been high ever since COVID-19 pandemic restrictions started to lift, and Delta saw strong momentum continue in the quarter that ended Sept. 30. Unit revenue was at the high end of previous guidance, although total revenue per available seat mile (TRASM) was down 2.5% from year-ago levels. That shows just how busy 2022 was for the airline, though, and international passenger revenue soared 35% on strong gains in travel across the Atlantic Ocean. Delta has high hopes that demand momentum will continue through the end of the year, with its fourth-quarter guidance calling for total revenue growth of 9% to 12% and adjusted earnings of $1.05 to $1.30 per share. That would leave Delta having earned $6 to $6.25 per share for the year, and for a stock trading well below $40 per share, many investors will conclude that the airline's valuation is too good to pass up. Fastenal points to a strong industrial economy Shares of Fastenal, meanwhile, climbed 4%. The distributor of industrial and construction supplies reported third-quarter financial results suggesting that much of the industrial sector remains strong even in the face of macroeconomic pressures. Fastenal posted revenue of $1.85 billion for the quarter, up 2.4% from year-ago levels. Sales performance would have been stronger were it not for the fact that there was one less business day in this year's third quarter than in the corresponding period last year. Net income came in at $295.5 million, with adjusted earnings of $0.52 per share climbing 4% year over year. A closer look at Fastenal's results showed some disparities across various industries. Demand from heavy manufacturing clients was particularly strong, with Fastenal seeing sales gains of 9% in that area. However, sales for nonresidential construction customers were down 7.2% from year-ago levels, and resellers also pulled back on purchases of Fastenal's goods as well. Fastenal's stock has been a steady performer lately, and its financial success suggests that the manufacturing sector is in better shape than some have feared. That could bode well for prospects for 2024 across the industry. 10 stocks we like better than Delta Air Lines When our analyst team has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.* They just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Delta Air Lines wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of October 9, 2023 Dan Caplinger has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Delta Air Lines. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal (FAST) Q3 Earnings: Taking a Look at Key Metrics Versus Estimates Fastenal (FAST) reported $1.85 billion in revenue for the quarter ended September 2023, representing a year-over-year increase of 2.4%. EPS of $0.52 for the same period compares to $0.50 a year ago. The reported revenue compares to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.85 billion, representing a surprise of -0.18%. The company delivered an EPS surprise of +1.96%, with the consensus EPS estimate being $0.51. While investors closely watch year-over-year changes in headline numbers -- revenue and earnings -- and how they compare to Wall Street expectations to determine their next course of action, some key metrics always provide a better insight into a company's underlying performance. As these metrics influence top- and bottom-line performance, comparing them to the year-ago numbers and what analysts estimated helps investors project a stock's price performance more accurately. Here is how Fastenal performed in the just reported quarter in terms of the metrics most widely monitored and projected by Wall Street analysts: Business days: 63 Days compared to the 63 Days average estimate based on six analysts. Daily sales: $29.30 versus $29.28 estimated by five analysts on average. Number of in-market locations: 3,393 versus the three-analyst average estimate of 3,370. Weighted FASTBin/FASTVend installations: 110,191 versus the two-analyst average estimate of 109,787. Number of active Onsite locations: 1,778 versus 1,780 estimated by two analysts on average. Number of branch locations: 1,615 versus the two-analyst average estimate of 1,613. Weighted FASTBin/FASTVend signings: 5,969 versus the two-analyst average estimate of 5,918. View all Key Company Metrics for Fastenal here>>> Shares of Fastenal have returned +2.4% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's -2.4% change. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), indicating that it could perform in line with the broader market in the near term. Zacks Names \""Single Best Pick to Double\"" From thousands of stocks, 5 Zacks experts each have chosen their favorite to skyrocket +100% or more in months to come. From those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all. It\u2019s a little-known chemical company that\u2019s up 65% over last year, yet still dirt cheap. With unrelenting demand, soaring 2022 earnings estimates, and $1.5 billion for repurchasing shares, retail investors could jump in at any time. This company could rival or surpass other recent Zacks\u2019 Stocks Set to Double like Boston Beer Company which shot up +143.0% in little more than 9 months and NVIDIA which boomed +175.9% in one year. Free: See Our Top Stock and 4 Runners Up >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal (FAST) Q3 Earnings Surpass Estimates Fastenal (FAST) came out with quarterly earnings of $0.52 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.51 per share. This compares to earnings of $0.50 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items. This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of 1.96%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this maker of industrial and construction fasteners would post earnings of $0.52 per share when it actually produced earnings of $0.52, delivering no surprise. Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates three times. Fastenal, which belongs to the Zacks Building Products - Retail industry, posted revenues of $1.85 billion for the quarter ended September 2023, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 0.18%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $1.8 billion. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates two times over the last four quarters. The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call. Fastenal shares have added about 18.4% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 14%. What's Next for Fastenal? While Fastenal has outperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock? There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately. Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions. Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for Fastenal: mixed. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to perform in line with the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. It will be interesting to see how estimates for the coming quarters and current fiscal year change in the days ahead. The current consensus EPS estimate is $0.45 on $1.74 billion in revenues for the coming quarter and $1.98 on $7.33 billion in revenues for the current fiscal year. Investors should be mindful of the fact that the outlook for the industry can have a material impact on the performance of the stock as well. In terms of the Zacks Industry Rank, Building Products - Retail is currently in the top 17% of the 250 plus Zacks industries. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1. One other stock from the same industry, Beacon Roofing Supply (BECN), is yet to report results for the quarter ended September 2023. This roofing materials distributor is expected to post quarterly earnings of $2.53 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of +12.4%. The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has been revised 1% higher over the last 30 days to the current level. Beacon Roofing Supply's revenues are expected to be $2.59 billion, up 7.2% from the year-ago quarter. 5 Stocks Set to Double Each was handpicked by a Zacks expert as the #1 favorite stock to gain +100% or more in 2023. Previous recommendations have soared +143.0%, +175.9%, +498.3% and +673.0%. Most of the stocks in this report are flying under Wall Street radar, which provides a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor. Today, See These 5 Potential Home Runs >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. (BECN) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Stocks Climb Before the Open as Bond Yields Fall, U.S. Inflation Data Looms December S&P 500 futures (ESZ23) are up +0.43%, and December Nasdaq 100 E-Mini futures (NQZ23) are up +0.46% this morning as U.S. Treasury yields continued to fall, while market participants braced for a key U.S. consumer inflation report. The minutes of the Federal Open Market Committee\u2019s September 19-20 meeting revealed that most Federal Reserve policymakers found it \u201cappropriate\u201d to implement one more rate hike and stressed the importance of maintaining higher interest rates for an extended period as inflation continues to trend well above the central bank\u2019s 2% target. At the same time, some participants argued that the focus of monetary policy decisions should transition from considering \u201chow high\u201d to raise rates to determining \u201chow long\u201d to hold rates at restrictive levels. \u201cA majority of participants judged that one more increase in the target federal funds rate at a future meeting would likely be appropriate, while some judged it likely that no further increases would be warranted,\u201d according to the FOMC minutes released Wednesday. In Wednesday\u2019s trading session, Wall Street\u2019s major averages ended higher. Alphabet Inc (GOOGL) and Meta Platforms Inc (META) rose over +1% following a report indicating that the megacap firms had received an internal draft proposing a more business-friendly stance on artificial intelligence from Southeast Asian countries. Also, Amgen Inc (AMGN) climbed more than +4% after Leerink Partners upgraded the stock to Outperform from Market Perform with a price target of $318. On the bearish side, Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM) slid over -3% after agreeing to buy Pioneer Natural Resources in an all-stock deal valued at $59.5 billion. In addition, shares of dialysis companies slumped after Novo Nordisk said that it was ending a kidney failure study of its GLP-1 drug Ozempic early due to efficacy data, with DaVita (DVA) tumbling more than -16% and Baxter International (BAX) plunging over -12%. Economic data on Wednesday showed that U.S. PPI rose +0.5% m/m and +2.2% y/y in September, higher than the expected figures of +0.3% m/m and +1.6% y/y. Also, U.S. September Core PPI rose +0.3% m/m and +2.7% y/y, stronger than expectations of +0.2% m/m and +2.3% y/y. Meanwhile, Fed Governor Christopher Waller stated Wednesday that the U.S. central bank could \u201cwatch and see\u201d what happens before making additional decisions on interest rates, particularly as financial markets tighten. \u201cWe\u2019re in this position where we can watch and see what\u2019s going on with rates,\u201d Waller said. Also, Atlanta Fed President Raphael Bostic said Wednesday that the U.S. central bank should refrain from further interest rate hikes due to the numerous indicators suggesting a slowing economy. \u201cToday, I don\u2019t think we need to do anything more in terms of interest rates,\u201d Bostic said. However, Bostic noted that the Fed would \u201cneed to do more\u201d if inflation stalls or goes in the other direction. U.S. rate futures have priced in an 8.6% probability of a 25 basis point rate increase at the November FOMC meeting and a 26.0% chance of a 25 basis point rate hike at the December FOMC meeting. On the earnings front, notable companies like Fastenal (FAST), Delta Air Lines (DAL), Walgreens Boots (WBA), and Domino\u2019s Pizza Inc (DPZ) are set to report their quarterly figures today. Today, all eyes are focused on the U.S. consumer inflation report in a couple of hours. Economists, on average, forecast that September U.S. CPI will come in at +0.3% m/m and +3.6% y/y, compared to the previous values of +0.6% m/m and +3.7% y/y. \u201cIt\u2019s the last CPI reading before the next FOMC decision on November 1st and, therefore, it could be impactful to markets that are pricing little to no chance at a hike at that meeting,\u201d Scotiabank Economics said in a recent note. Also, investors will likely focus on U.S. Core CPI data. Economists anticipate Core CPI to be +0.3% m/m and +4.1% y/y in September, compared to the previous figures of +0.3% m/m and +4.3% y/y. U.S. Initial Jobless Claims data will also be closely watched today. Economists foresee this figure to come in at 210K, slightly higher than the 207K reported last week. U.S. Crude Oil Inventories data will be reported today as well. Economists estimate this figure to be +0.492M, compared to last week\u2019s value of -2.224M. In the bond markets, United States 10-year rates are at 4.560%, down -0.76%. The Euro Stoxx 50 futures are up +0.40% this morning as investors digested solid U.K. growth numbers while awaiting the release of U.S. CPI data for monetary policy clues. Gains in energy and media stocks are leading the overall market higher. Data from the Office for National Statistics showed on Thursday that the U.K. economy rebounded moderately in August, primarily attributed to growth in the services sector. In corporate news, Publicis Groupe Sa (PUB.FP) climbed over +4% after the world\u2019s largest advertising group boosted its 2023 sales and margin forecasts. U.K.\u2019s GDP, U.K.\u2019s Industrial Production, U.K.\u2019s Manufacturing Production, and U.K.\u2019s Monthly GDP 3M/3M Change data were released today. U.K. August GDP has been reported at +0.2% m/m and +0.5% y/y, in line with expectations. U.K. August Industrial Production stood at -0.7% m/m and +1.3% y/y, weaker than expectations of -0.2% m/m and +1.7% y/y. U.K. August Manufacturing Production came in at -0.8% m/m and +2.8% y/y, weaker than expectations of -0.4% m/m and +3.4% y/y. U.K. August Monthly GDP 3M/3M Change arrived at +0.3%, in line with expectations. Asian stock markets today settled in the green. China\u2019s Shanghai Composite Index (SHCOMP) closed up +0.94%, and Japan\u2019s Nikkei 225 Stock Index (NIK) closed up +1.75%. China\u2019s Shanghai Composite today closed higher as a move by Chinese sovereign wealth fund Central Huijin Investment to increase its stake in the nation\u2019s biggest banks for the first time since 2015 boosted sentiment. China\u2019s sovereign wealth fund raised its stakes in each of the four banks by 0.01% and expressed its intention to increase holdings even further over the next six months, stoking speculation authorities will intensify efforts to prop up the sinking stock market. As a result, shares of Industrial & Commercial Bank of China, Bank of China, China Construction Bank, and Agricultural Bank of China, along with stocks of other lenders, advanced in mainland and Hong Kong trading. Meanwhile, Reuters reported on Thursday that China issued a notice forbidding domestic brokerages and their overseas units from accepting new clients from the mainland for offshore trading, a move aimed at curbing capital outflows. Investor focus is now squarely on China\u2019s trade data for September, due on Friday. \u201cThe \u2018real money\u2019 by Central Huijin is of great significance to the stock market. It sent a strong signal of \u2018continuous investment\u2019 in the market. This will play an important and positive role in boosting investor confidence,\u201d said Yang Delong, chief economist at First Seafront Fund Management. Japan\u2019s Nikkei 225 Stock Index closed sharply higher today as investors continued to scoop up beaten-down stocks, with chip stocks taking the lead in the rally. Data from the Cabinet Office on Thursday revealed that Japan\u2019s core machinery orders declined for a second consecutive month in August, suggesting worries about a global economic slowdown and China\u2019s uncertain recovery might be dampening companies\u2019 willingness to make new investments. Meanwhile, Bank of Japan board member Asahi Noguchi reaffirmed the central bank\u2019s prevailing stance of \u201cpatient monetary easing\u201d until wage growth momentum is in place and for inflation to ease over the coming months. In corporate news, chip-related stocks climbed on Thursday after Samsung Electronics earnings indicated the industry\u2019s performance hit the bottom. As a result, Tokyo Electron Ltd rose nearly +3%, Advantest Corp climbed about +4%, and Renesas Electronics Corp gained more than +5%. The Nikkei Volatility, which takes into account the implied volatility of Nikkei 225 options, closed up +0.05% to 20.68. The Japanese September PPI stood at -0.3% m/m and +2.0% y/y, weaker than expectations of +0.1% m/m and +2.3% y/y. The Japanese August Core Machinery Orders came in at -0.5% m/m and -7.7% y/y, weaker than expectations of +0.4% m/m and -7.3% y/y. \u201cThe market was firm overall. Investors bought back stocks that fell in recent sell-offs. They realized that the fundamental for the Japanese economy has not changed,\u201d said Ikuo Mitsui, fund manager at Aizawa Securities. Pre-Market U.S. Stock Movers Genetron Holdings Ltd (GTH) surged about +17% in pre-market trading after entering into a definitive merger agreement with New Genetron and its unit, Genetron New. Dynatrace Holdings LLC (DT) rose over +1% in pre-market trading after DA Davidson upgraded the stock to Buy from Neutral. First Solar Inc (FSLR) climbed more than +3% in pre-market trading after Barclays upgraded the stock to Overweight from Equal Weight. Jack Henry & Associates Inc (JKHY) fell over -2% in pre-market trading after Goldman Sachs downgraded the stock to Sell from Neutral. Smartsheet Inc (SMAR) gained over +1% in pre-market trading after UBS initiated coverage of the stock with a Buy rating. Beyond Meat Inc (BYND) plunged more than -5% in pre-market trading after Mizuho downgraded the stock to Underperform from Neutral. You can see more pre-market stock movers here Today\u2019s U.S. Earnings Spotlight: Thursday - October 12th Fastenal (FAST), Delta Air Lines (DAL), Walgreens Boots (WBA), Domino\u2019s Pizza Inc (DPZ), Commercial Metals (CMC), Smart Global (SGH), Oil-Dri Of America (ODC), Comtech (CMTL), Byrna Technologies (BYRN). More Stock Market News from Barchart Stocks Settle Higher as Bond Yields Fall on Dovish Fed Comments 11 Steps to Take If You Get Laid Off or Lose Your Job 3 Breakout Small-Cap Stocks Outperforming the Market I Think You'll Like These 2 Five-Day Losers On the date of publication, Oleksandr Pylypenko did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. For more information please view the Barchart Disclosure Policy here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Co. Reveals Increase In Q3 Profit, Beats estimates (RTTNews) - Fastenal Co. (FAST) revealed earnings for its third quarter that increased from the same period last year and beat the Street estimates. The company's bottom line came in at $295.5 million, or $0.52 per share. This compares with $284.6 million, or $0.50 per share, in last year's third quarter. Analysts on average had expected the company to earn $0.50 per share, according to figures compiled by Thomson Reuters. Analysts' estimates typically exclude special items. The company's revenue for the quarter rose 2.8% to $1.85 billion from $1.80 billion last year. Fastenal Co. earnings at a glance (GAAP) : -Earnings (Q3): $295.5 Mln. vs. $284.6 Mln. last year. -EPS (Q3): $0.52 vs. $0.50 last year. -Analyst Estimate: $0.50 -Revenue (Q3): $1.85 Bln vs. $1.80 Bln last year. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal Q3 23 Earnings Conference Call At 10:00 AM ET (RTTNews) - Fastenal Co. (FAST) will host a conference call at 10:00 AM ET on Oct. 12, 2023, to discuss Q3 23 earnings results. To access the live webcast, log on to https://investor.fastenal.com/events-and-presentations/default.aspx The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""S&P 500 Movers: HRL, FAST In early trading on Thursday, shares of Fastenal topped the list of the day's best performing components of the S&P 500 index, trading up 5.1%. Year to date, Fastenal registers a 24.4% gain. And the worst performing S&P 500 component thus far on the day is Hormel Foods, trading down 6.8%. Hormel Foods is lower by about 25.9% looking at the year to date performance. Two other components making moves today are Lamb Weston Holdings, trading down 5.0%, and Dominos Pizza, trading up 3.1% on the day. VIDEO: S&P 500 Movers: HRL, FAST The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2023-10-13,60.71,60.9299,59.53,60.12,"[""Stifel Maintains Fastenal (FAST) Buy Recommendation Fintel reports that on October 13, 2023, Stifel maintained coverage of Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) with a Buy recommendation. Analyst Price Forecast Suggests 2.91% Downside As of October 5, 2023, the average one-year price target for Fastenal is 58.37. The forecasts range from a low of 50.50 to a high of $64.05. The average price target represents a decrease of 2.91% from its latest reported closing price of 60.12. See our leaderboard of companies with the largest price target upside. The projected annual revenue for Fastenal is 7,336MM, an increase of 0.72%. The projected annual non-GAAP EPS is 1.97. What is the Fund Sentiment? There are 1829 funds or institutions reporting positions in Fastenal. This is an increase of 51 owner(s) or 2.87% in the last quarter. Average portfolio weight of all funds dedicated to FAST is 0.32%, an increase of 1.54%. Total shares owned by institutions increased in the last three months by 0.17% to 495,900K shares. The put/call ratio of FAST is 1.00, indicating a bullish outlook. What are Other Shareholders Doing? Bank of New York Mellon holds 24,620K shares representing 4.31% ownership of the company. In it's prior filing, the firm reported owning 25,750K shares, representing a decrease of 4.59%. The firm increased its portfolio allocation in FAST by 0.35% over the last quarter. VTSMX - Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund Investor Shares holds 17,805K shares representing 3.12% ownership of the company. In it's prior filing, the firm reported owning 17,667K shares, representing an increase of 0.78%. The firm increased its portfolio allocation in FAST by 1.69% over the last quarter. Geode Capital Management holds 14,123K shares representing 2.47% ownership of the company. In it's prior filing, the firm reported owning 13,676K shares, representing an increase of 3.16%. The firm increased its portfolio allocation in FAST by 2.16% over the last quarter. VFINX - Vanguard 500 Index Fund Investor Shares holds 13,596K shares representing 2.38% ownership of the company. In it's prior filing, the firm reported owning 13,320K shares, representing an increase of 2.03%. The firm increased its portfolio allocation in FAST by 1.10% over the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management holds 13,408K shares representing 2.35% ownership of the company. In it's prior filing, the firm reported owning 11,333K shares, representing an increase of 15.48%. The firm increased its portfolio allocation in FAST by 25.12% over the last quarter. Fastenal Background Information (This description is provided by the company.) Fastenal helps customers simplify and realize product and process savings across their supply chain. It sells a broad oCering of products spanning more than nine major product lines - from fasteners and tools to safety and janitorial supplies. These products are eciently distributed to manufacturing facilities, job sites, and other customer locations through local service teams and point-of-use inventory solutions, including industrial vending technology and bin stock programs (Fastenal Managed Inventory or FMI\u00ae). Its distribution system centers on over 3,200 in-market locations (a combination of public branches and customer-speci c Onsite locations), primarily in North America but also in Asia, Europe, and Central and South America, each providing tailored inventory, exible service, and custom solutions to drive the unique goals of local customers. These in-market servicing locations are supported by Vfteen regional distribution centers, a captive logistics Deet, robust sourcing, quality and manufacturing resources, and multiple teams of industry specialists and support personnel - all working toward Fastenal's common goal of Growth Through Customer Service\u00ae. Fintel is one of the most comprehensive investing research platforms available to individual investors, traders, financial advisors, and small hedge funds. Our data covers the world, and includes fundamentals, analyst reports, ownership data and fund sentiment, options sentiment, insider trading, options flow, unusual options trades, and much more. Additionally, our exclusive stock picks are powered by advanced, backtested quantitative models for improved profits. Click to Learn More This story originally appeared on Fintel. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Are Retail-Wholesale Stocks Lagging Fastenal (FAST) This Year? The Retail-Wholesale group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Is Fastenal (FAST) one of those stocks right now? A quick glance at the company's year-to-date performance in comparison to the rest of the Retail-Wholesale sector should help us answer this question. Fastenal is one of 221 individual stocks in the Retail-Wholesale sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #5 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank gauges the strength of our 16 individual sector groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. The Zacks Rank emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find stocks with improving earnings outlooks. This system has a long record of success, and these stocks tend to be on track to beat the market over the next one to three months. Fastenal is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy). Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for FAST's full-year earnings has moved 0.7% higher. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger. Our latest available data shows that FAST has returned about 27.3% since the start of the calendar year. Meanwhile, stocks in the Retail-Wholesale group have gained about 13.2% on average. This shows that Fastenal is outperforming its peers so far this year. One other Retail-Wholesale stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is Shake Shack (SHAK). The stock is up 31.4% year-to-date. For Shake Shack, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 53.7% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Looking more specifically, Fastenal belongs to the Building Products - Retail industry, which includes 8 individual stocks and currently sits at #26 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has gained an average of 0.7% so far this year, meaning that FAST is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns. Shake Shack, however, belongs to the Retail - Restaurants industry. Currently, this 42-stock industry is ranked #79. The industry has moved -4% so far this year. Fastenal and Shake Shack could continue their solid performance, so investors interested in Retail-Wholesale stocks should continue to pay close attention to these stocks. Zacks Names \""Single Best Pick to Double\"" From thousands of stocks, 5 Zacks experts each have chosen their favorite to skyrocket +100% or more in months to come. From those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all. It\u2019s a little-known chemical company that\u2019s up 65% over last year, yet still dirt cheap. With unrelenting demand, soaring 2022 earnings estimates, and $1.5 billion for repurchasing shares, retail investors could jump in at any time. This company could rival or surpass other recent Zacks\u2019 Stocks Set to Double like Boston Beer Company which shot up +143.0% in little more than 9 months and NVIDIA which boomed +175.9% in one year. Free: See Our Top Stock and 4 Runners Up >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report Shake Shack, Inc. (SHAK) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Company News for Oct 13, 2023 Shares of Fastenal Company (FAST) soared 7.5% after the company reported third-quarter 2023 earnings of $0.52 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.51 per share. Commercial Metals Company\u2019s (CMC) shares plunged 9.6% after the company reported fourth-quarter fiscal 2023 earnings of $1.69 per share, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.84 per share. Shares of Victoria's Secret & Co. (VSCO) gained 2% after the company said that it expects to record lower losses in the third quarter than previously expected. Domino's Pizza, Inc.\u2019s (DPZ) shares declined 1.1% after the company reported third-quarter fiscal 2023 revenues of $1,027.4 million, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1,052 million. Zacks Names \""Single Best Pick to Double\"" From thousands of stocks, 5 Zacks experts each have chosen their favorite to skyrocket +100% or more in months to come. From those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all. It\u2019s credited with a \u201cwatershed medical breakthrough\u201d and is developing a bustling pipeline of other projects that could make a world of difference for patients suffering from diseases involving the liver, lungs, and blood. This is a timely investment that you can catch while it emerges from its bear market lows. It could rival or surpass other recent Stocks Set to Double like Boston Beer Company which shot up +143.0% in little more than 9 months and NVIDIA which boomed +175.9% in one year. Free: See Our Top Stock And 4 Runners Up Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report Domino's Pizza Inc (DPZ) : Free Stock Analysis Report Commercial Metals Company (CMC) : Free Stock Analysis Report Victoria's Secret & Co. (VSCO) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal (FAST) Crossed Above the 50-Day Moving Average: What That Means for Investors After reaching an important support level, Fastenal (FAST) could be a good stock pick from a technical perspective. FAST surpassed resistance at the 50-day moving average, suggesting a short-term bullish trend. One of the three major moving averages, the 50-day simple moving average is commonly used by traders and analysts to determine support or resistance levels for different types of securities. However, the 50-day is considered to be more important since it's the first marker of an up or down trend. FAST has rallied 9.9% over the past four weeks, and the company is a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) at the moment. This combination suggests FAST could be on the verge of another move higher. Once investors consider FAST's positive earnings estimate revisions, the bullish case only solidifies. No estimate has gone lower in the past two months for the current fiscal year, compared to 1 higher, and the consensus estimate has increased as well. Given this move in earnings estimate revisions and the positive technical factor, investors may want to keep their eye on FAST for more gains in the near future. Zacks Names \""Single Best Pick to Double\"" From thousands of stocks, 5 Zacks experts each have chosen their favorite to skyrocket +100% or more in months to come. From those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all. It\u2019s credited with a \u201cwatershed medical breakthrough\u201d and is developing a bustling pipeline of other projects that could make a world of difference for patients suffering from diseases involving the liver, lungs, and blood. This is a timely investment that you can catch while it emerges from its bear market lows. It could rival or surpass other recent Stocks Set to Double like Boston Beer Company which shot up +143.0% in little more than 9 months and NVIDIA which boomed +175.9% in one year. Free: See Our Top Stock And 4 Runners Up Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""FAST Crosses Above Average Analyst Target In recent trading, shares of Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) have crossed above the average analyst 12-month target price of $57.22, changing hands for $60.22/share. When a stock reaches the target an analyst has set, the analyst logically has two ways to react: downgrade on valuation, or, re-adjust their target price to a higher level. Analyst reaction may also depend on the fundamental business developments that may be responsible for driving the stock price higher \u2014 if things are looking up for the company, perhaps it is time for that target price to be raised. There are 9 different analyst targets within the Zacks coverage universe contributing to that average for Fastenal Co., but the average is just that \u2014 a mathematical average. There are analysts with lower targets than the average, including one looking for a price of $50.00. And then on the other side of the spectrum one analyst has a target as high as $61.00. The standard deviation is $3.767. But the whole reason to look at the average FAST price target in the first place is to tap into a \""wisdom of crowds\"" effort, putting together the contributions of all the individual minds who contributed to the ultimate number, as opposed to what just one particular expert believes. And so with FAST crossing above that average target price of $57.22/share, investors in FAST have been given a good signal to spend fresh time assessing the company and deciding for themselves: is $57.22 just one stop on the way to an even higher target, or has the valuation gotten stretched to the point where it is time to think about taking some chips off the table? Below is a table showing the current thinking of the analysts that cover Fastenal Co.: RECENT FAST ANALYST RATINGS BREAKDOWN \u00bb Current 1 Month Ago 2 Month Ago 3 Month Ago Strong buy ratings: 1 1 1 3 Buy ratings: 0 0 0 0 Hold ratings: 9 9 9 7 Sell ratings: 0 0 0 0 Strong sell ratings: 2 2 2 2 Average rating: 3.11 3.11 3.11 2.78 The average rating presented in the last row of the above table above is from 1 to 5 where 1 is Strong Buy and 5 is Strong Sell. This article used data provided by Zacks Investment Research via Quandl.com. Get the latest Zacks research report on FAST \u2014 FREE. 10 ETFs With Most Upside To Analyst Targets \u00bb Also see: \u0095 Institutional Holders of EMTY \u0095 TDSD Videos \u0095 Funds Holding SANW The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""S&P Futures Plunge as Investors Await U.S. Big Bank Earnings, U.S. Rates Stay in Focus December S&P 500 futures (ESZ23) are trending down -0.32% this morning after three major U.S. benchmark indices closed lower on Thursday as hotter-than-expected U.S. inflation data bolstered bets on Federal Reserve rate hikes while investors geared up for earnings from big U.S. banks. In Thursday\u2019s trading session, Delta Air Lines Inc (DAL) dropped over -2% after lowering the high end of its 2023 profit guidance due to increasing fuel prices and larger-than-expected aircraft maintenance costs. Also, Ford Motor Company (F) fell more than -2% after the United Auto Workers Union expanded its strike at the company\u2019s largest plant in Kentucky. In addition, Beyond Meat Inc (BYND) plunged over -5% after Mizuho Securities downgraded the stock to Underperform from Neutral. On the bullish side, Fastenal Company (FAST) climbed more than +7% and was the top percentage gainer on the benchmark S&P 500 after the industrial supplies company reported better-than-expected Q3 EPS. The Labor Department\u2019s report on Thursday showed consumer prices rose +0.4% m/m in September, higher than the consensus figure of +0.3% m/m. On an annual basis, headline inflation rose +3.7% in September, unchanged from August\u2019s reading. Economists had expected a growth of +3.6% y/y. At the same time, U.S. core CPI eased to +4.1% y/y in September from +4.3% y/y in August, the smallest increase in 2 years. In addition, the number of Americans filing for jobless claims the past week was unchanged at 209K, stronger than expectations of 210K. \u201cAs for how this will impact interest rates, at this point, \u2018higher-for-longer\u2019 may be more important than \u2018how high?\u2019 Whether or not the Fed opts for hikes, it\u2019s unlikely we\u2019ll see rates drop below where they are for as long as the inflation dragon proves difficult to slay,\u201d said Richard Flynn, managing director at Charles Schwab U.K. Meanwhile, U.S. rate futures have priced in a 9.7% probability of a 25 basis point rate increase at the next central bank meeting in November and a 30.5% chance of a 25 basis point rate hike at the December meeting. On the earnings front, big banks and financial-sector companies, including JPMorgan Chase (JPM), Wells Fargo (WFC), Citigroup (C), BlackRock (BLK), PNC Financial (PNC), along with health insurance giant UnitedHealth (UNH), are slated to release their quarterly results today. In other news, crude oil rose about +3% as tensions escalated in the Middle East, with Israel appearing to gear up for a ground incursion into Gaza. Today, all eyes are focused on the U.S. Michigan Consumer Sentiment preliminary reading in a couple of hours. Economists, on average, forecast that the Michigan consumer sentiment index will stand at 67.2 in October, compared to the previous value of 68.1. U.S. Export and Import Price Indexes for September will also be in focus today. Economists anticipate the export price index to be at +0.5% m/m and the import price index to stand at +0.5% m/m. In the bond markets, United States 10-year rates are at 4.646%, down -1.36%. The Euro Stoxx 50 futures are down -0.50% this morning as investors digested inflation data from several Eurozone economies, with concerns about the global economy amplified by lackluster inflation data from China. Healthcare and financial stocks dropped the most on Friday, while energy and mining stocks outperformed. Data on Friday showed that French annual inflation held steady in September, while the Spanish September annual inflation rate accelerated from August\u2019s reading. Separately, data published Friday by European Union statistics agency Eurostat showed that industrial output in the Eurozone rose more than expected month-on-month in August, although the overall output was more than 5% lower than the previous year. In corporate news, Sartorius Sted Bio (DIM.FP) plunged over -15% after the Franco-German lab supplies maker cut its annual forecast for sales and adjusted earnings margin. France\u2019s CPI, Spain\u2019s CPI, and Eurozone\u2019s Industrial Production data were released today. The French September CPI has been reported at -0.5% m/m and +4.9% y/y, in line with expectations. The Spanish September CPI stood at +0.2% m/m and +3.5% y/y, in line with expectations. Eurozone August Industrial Production arrived at +0.6% m/m and -5.1% y/y, compared to expectations of +0.1% m/m and -3.5% y/y. Asian stock markets today settled in the red. China\u2019s Shanghai Composite Index (SHCOMP) closed down -0.64%, and Japan\u2019s Nikkei 225 Stock Index (NIK) closed down -0.55%. China\u2019s Shanghai Composite today closed lower after the latest data highlighting persistent weaknesses in the country\u2019s economy added to the gloom. Official data showed on Friday that China\u2019s consumer inflation rate unexpectedly flatlined in September while factory-gate deflation continued, indicating that the economy\u2019s path to growth remains fragile and necessitates additional support. Separately, customs data showed on Friday that the country\u2019s exports and imports contracted at a slower rate for the second consecutive month in September. Meanwhile, Bloomberg News reported that China is contemplating forming a state-backed stabilization fund to bolster confidence in its $9.5 trillion stock market. Most sectors slid into the red on Friday, with consumer stocks leading the decline. Tech stocks traded in Hong Kong also slumped, with JD.com Inc plunging over -11% after multiple Wall Street brokerages cut the outlook for the e-commerce retailer. On the positive side, bank stocks outperformed, extending yesterday\u2019s gains after Beijing\u2019s state fund bought shares of the country\u2019s \u201cBig Four\u201d lenders. \u201cSeptember inflation data came out below consensus, suggesting a long way to go for the PBOC\u2019s fight against deflation. The government has announced hundreds of counter-cyclical measures to boost domestic demand. But consumer confidence remains weak,\u201d said Zhaopeng Xing, senior China strategist at Australia & New Zealand Banking Group Ltd. The Chinese September CPI has been reported at +0.2% m/m and 0.0% y/y, weaker than expectations of +0.3% m/m and +0.2% y/y. The Chinese September PPI was at -2.5% y/y, weaker than expectations of -2.4% y/y. The Chinese September Trade Balance arrived at $77.71B, stronger than expectations of $70.00B. The Chinese September Exports stood at -6.2% y/y, stronger than expectations of -7.6% y/y. The Chinese September Imports came in at -6.2% y/y, weaker than expectations of -6.0% y/y. Japan\u2019s Nikkei 225 Stock Index closed lower today, tracking Wall Street\u2019s declines overnight after hotter-than-expected U.S. inflation data fuelled bets for a more hawkish stance from the Federal Reserve. All sectors of the Nikkei 225 ended in the red, with real estate and financial stocks experiencing the largest declines. Meanwhile, a central bank quarterly survey showed on Friday that inflation expectations among Japanese households experienced a marginal increase in the three months to September. In corporate news, Seven & I Holdings Co Ltd plunged over -4% after the operator of the 7-Eleven convenience store chain in Japan released its financial results. On the positive side, Fast Retailing Co Ltd climbed more than +5% after the owner of the Uniqlo brand posted a strong earnings report. The Nikkei Volatility, which takes into account the implied volatility of Nikkei 225 options, closed up +1.40% to 20.97. Pre-Market U.S. Stock Movers Dollar General Corporation (DG) climbed over +7% in pre-market trading after the retailer announced that Todd Vasos, current Board member and former Chief Executive Officer, had been appointed CEO of the company. Netflix Inc (NFLX) dropped more than -1% in pre-market trading after Wolfe Research downgraded the stock to Peer Perform from Outperform. Comtech Telecommunications Corp (CMTL) surged about +20% in pre-market trading after the company reported upbeat Q4 results and divested Power Systems Technology product line for $40 million in cash. Belden Inc (BDC) plunged more than -14% in pre-market trading after cutting its Q3 revenue guidance amid softer-than-expected end-demand. Arcutis Biotherapeutics Inc (ARQT) slid over -5% in pre-market trading after Goldman Sachs downgraded the stock to Neutral from Buy. Fortinet Inc (FTNT) fell more than -2% in pre-market trading after Barclays downgraded the stock to Equal Weight from Overweight. Applied Materials Inc (AMAT) gained over +1% in pre-market trading after Needham upgraded the stock to Buy from Hold. You can see more pre-market stock movers here Today\u2019s U.S. Earnings Spotlight: Friday - October 13th UnitedHealth (UNH), JPMorgan (JPM), Wells Fargo&Co (WFC), BlackRock (BLK), Citigroup (C), PNC Financial (PNC). More Stock Market News from Barchart Stocks Finish Lower as Strong CPI and Weak Bond Auction Boosts Yields Down 45% From July Highs, Can Plug Power Stock Rebound? Coinbase and 2 More Overvalued Stocks to Avoid, Despite the Recent Pullback Middle East War: 3 Top-Rated Defense Stocks for Your Portfolio On the date of publication, Oleksandr Pylypenko did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. For more information please view the Barchart Disclosure Policy here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""S&P Futures Slip as Investors Cautiously Await U.S. Big Bank Earnings, U.S. Rates Stay in Focus December S&P 500 futures (ESZ23) are trending down -0.24% this morning after three major U.S. benchmark indices closed lower on Thursday as hotter-than-expected U.S. inflation data bolstered bets on Federal Reserve rate hikes while investors geared up for earnings from big U.S. banks. In Thursday\u2019s trading session, Delta Air Lines Inc (DAL) dropped over -2% after lowering the high end of its 2023 profit guidance due to increasing fuel prices and larger-than-expected aircraft maintenance costs. Also, Ford Motor Company (F) fell more than -2% after the United Auto Workers Union expanded its strike at the company\u2019s largest plant in Kentucky. In addition, Beyond Meat Inc (BYND) plunged over -5% after Mizuho Securities downgraded the stock to Underperform from Neutral. On the bullish side, Fastenal Company (FAST) climbed more than +7% and was the top percentage gainer on the benchmark S&P 500 after the industrial supplies company reported better-than-expected Q3 EPS. The Labor Department\u2019s report on Thursday showed consumer prices rose +0.4% m/m in September, higher than the consensus figure of +0.3% m/m. On an annual basis, headline inflation rose +3.7% in September, unchanged from August\u2019s reading. Economists had expected a growth of +3.6% y/y. At the same time, U.S. core CPI eased to +4.1% y/y in September from +4.3% y/y in August, the smallest increase in 2 years. In addition, the number of Americans filing for jobless claims the past week was unchanged at 209K, stronger than expectations of 210K. \u201cAs for how this will impact interest rates, at this point, \u2018higher-for-longer\u2019 may be more important than \u2018how high?\u2019 Whether or not the Fed opts for hikes, it\u2019s unlikely we\u2019ll see rates drop below where they are for as long as the inflation dragon proves difficult to slay,\u201d said Richard Flynn, managing director at Charles Schwab U.K. Meanwhile, U.S. rate futures have priced in a 9.7% probability of a 25 basis point rate increase at the next central bank meeting in November and a 30.5% chance of a 25 basis point rate hike at the December meeting. On the earnings front, big banks and financial-sector companies, including JPMorgan Chase (JPM), Wells Fargo (WFC), Citigroup (C), BlackRock (BLK), PNC Financial (PNC), along with health insurance giant UnitedHealth (UNH), are slated to release their quarterly results today. In other news, crude oil rose about +3% as tensions escalated in the Middle East, with Israel appearing to gear up for a ground incursion into Gaza. Today, all eyes are focused on the U.S. Michigan Consumer Sentiment preliminary reading in a couple of hours. Economists, on average, forecast that the Michigan consumer sentiment index will stand at 67.2 in October, compared to the previous value of 68.1. U.S. Export and Import Price Indexes for September will also be in focus today. Economists anticipate the export price index to be at +0.5% m/m and the import price index to stand at +0.5% m/m. In the bond markets, United States 10-year rates are at 4.646%, down -1.36%. The Euro Stoxx 50 futures are down -0.50% this morning as investors digested inflation data from several Eurozone economies, with concerns about the global economy amplified by lackluster inflation data from China. Healthcare and financial stocks dropped the most on Friday, while energy and mining stocks outperformed. Data on Friday showed that French annual inflation held steady in September, while the Spanish September annual inflation rate accelerated from August\u2019s reading. Separately, data published Friday by European Union statistics agency Eurostat showed that industrial output in the Eurozone rose more than expected month-on-month in August, although the overall output was more than 5% lower than the previous year. In corporate news, Sartorius Sted Bio (DIM.FP) plunged over -15% after the Franco-German lab supplies maker cut its annual forecast for sales and adjusted earnings margin. France\u2019s CPI, Spain\u2019s CPI, and Eurozone\u2019s Industrial Production data were released today. The French September CPI has been reported at -0.5% m/m and +4.9% y/y, in line with expectations. The Spanish September CPI stood at +0.2% m/m and +3.5% y/y, in line with expectations. Eurozone August Industrial Production arrived at +0.6% m/m and -5.1% y/y, compared to expectations of +0.1% m/m and -3.5% y/y. Asian stock markets today settled in the red. China\u2019s Shanghai Composite Index (SHCOMP) closed down -0.64%, and Japan\u2019s Nikkei 225 Stock Index (NIK) closed down -0.55%. China\u2019s Shanghai Composite today closed lower after the latest data highlighting persistent weaknesses in the country\u2019s economy added to the gloom. Official data showed on Friday that China\u2019s consumer inflation rate unexpectedly flatlined in September while factory-gate deflation continued, indicating that the economy\u2019s path to growth remains fragile and necessitates additional support. Separately, customs data showed on Friday that the country\u2019s exports and imports contracted at a slower rate for the second consecutive month in September. Meanwhile, Bloomberg News reported that China is contemplating forming a state-backed stabilization fund to bolster confidence in its $9.5 trillion stock market. Most sectors slid into the red on Friday, with consumer stocks leading the decline. Tech stocks traded in Hong Kong also slumped, with JD.com Inc plunging over -11% after multiple Wall Street brokerages cut the outlook for the e-commerce retailer. On the positive side, bank stocks outperformed, extending yesterday\u2019s gains after Beijing\u2019s state fund bought shares of the country\u2019s \u201cBig Four\u201d lenders. \u201cSeptember inflation data came out below consensus, suggesting a long way to go for the PBOC\u2019s fight against deflation. The government has announced hundreds of counter-cyclical measures to boost domestic demand. But consumer confidence remains weak,\u201d said Zhaopeng Xing, senior China strategist at Australia & New Zealand Banking Group Ltd. The Chinese September CPI has been reported at +0.2% m/m and 0.0% y/y, weaker than expectations of +0.3% m/m and +0.2% y/y. The Chinese September PPI was at -2.5% y/y, weaker than expectations of -2.4% y/y. The Chinese September Trade Balance arrived at $77.71B, stronger than expectations of $70.00B. The Chinese September Exports stood at -6.2% y/y, stronger than expectations of -7.6% y/y. The Chinese September Imports came in at -6.2% y/y, weaker than expectations of -6.0% y/y. Japan\u2019s Nikkei 225 Stock Index closed lower today, tracking Wall Street\u2019s declines overnight after hotter-than-expected U.S. inflation data fuelled bets for a more hawkish stance from the Federal Reserve. All sectors of the Nikkei 225 ended in the red, with real estate and financial stocks experiencing the largest declines. Meanwhile, a central bank quarterly survey showed on Friday that inflation expectations among Japanese households experienced a marginal increase in the three months to September. In corporate news, Seven & I Holdings Co Ltd plunged over -4% after the operator of the 7-Eleven convenience store chain in Japan released its financial results. On the positive side, Fast Retailing Co Ltd climbed more than +5% after the owner of the Uniqlo brand posted a strong earnings report. The Nikkei Volatility, which takes into account the implied volatility of Nikkei 225 options, closed up +1.40% to 20.97. Pre-Market U.S. Stock Movers Dollar General Corporation (DG) climbed over +7% in pre-market trading after the retailer announced that Todd Vasos, current Board member and former Chief Executive Officer, had been appointed CEO of the company. Netflix Inc (NFLX) dropped more than -1% in pre-market trading after Wolfe Research downgraded the stock to Peer Perform from Outperform. Comtech Telecommunications Corp (CMTL) surged about +20% in pre-market trading after the company reported upbeat Q4 results and divested Power Systems Technology product line for $40 million in cash. Belden Inc (BDC) plunged more than -14% in pre-market trading after cutting its Q3 revenue guidance amid softer-than-expected end-demand. Arcutis Biotherapeutics Inc (ARQT) slid over -5% in pre-market trading after Goldman Sachs downgraded the stock to Neutral from Buy. Fortinet Inc (FTNT) fell more than -2% in pre-market trading after Barclays downgraded the stock to Equal Weight from Overweight. Applied Materials Inc (AMAT) gained over +1% in pre-market trading after Needham upgraded the stock to Buy from Hold. You can see more pre-market stock movers here Today\u2019s U.S. Earnings Spotlight: Friday - October 13th UnitedHealth (UNH), JPMorgan (JPM), Wells Fargo&Co (WFC), BlackRock (BLK), Citigroup (C), PNC Financial (PNC). More Stock Market News from Barchart Stocks Finish Lower as Strong CPI and Weak Bond Auction Boosts Yields Down 45% From July Highs, Can Plug Power Stock Rebound? Coinbase and 2 More Overvalued Stocks to Avoid, Despite the Recent Pullback Middle East War: 3 Top-Rated Defense Stocks for Your Portfolio On the date of publication, Oleksandr Pylypenko did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. For more information please view the Barchart Disclosure Policy here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2023-10-16,60.37,60.665,59.39,59.88,"[""Fastenal (FAST) Hits 52-Week High on Higher Sales & Gross Margin Fastenal Company FAST crafts a new 52-week high of $60.93 on Oct 13, 2023. The stock pulled back to end the trading session at $60.12. Notably, Fastenal has gained 27% year to date (YTD), faring better than the Zacks Building Products - Retail industry\u2019s decline of 1.7% and Zacks Retail-Wholesale sector\u2019s 11.6% rise. The stock has also outperformed the Zacks S&P 500 composite\u2019s 14% gain. Ever since the company reported its third-quarter 2023 results, shares are up more than 7%, with earnings per share (EPS) beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate on better gross margins and September sales. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Key Takeaways The company reported EPS of 52 cents in the quarter, which beat the consensus mark by a penny and increased 4.1% from the year-ago period. Importantly, September sales were much better than the other two months of the quarter, improving 5% year over year. Daily sales grew 3.6% and 3.7% in August and July 2023, respectively, year over year. Again, surprisingly, the gross margin of 45.9% in the quarter expanded 40 basis points (bps) sequentially despite the fastener mix headwind. This upside was driven by a slightly less negative mix and slightly better-than-expected price-cost (as freight costs were lower than expected). Overall, pricing has returned to a more normalized level, which is expected to continue into 2024. Yet, management expects gross margin to come down in the fourth quarter from its 45.9% level in the third quarter as a result of seasonality (30 bps) and some moderation of price/cost. Meanwhile, on a year-to-date basis, Fastenal has converted 121% of its net earnings into operating cash flow, marking its highest performance in a decade, which is about 95%. Its operating cash has increased 69% during the same period. In the third quarter of 2023, Fastenal generated $388 million in operating cash, equivalent to 131% of its net income. Traditionally, the third quarter exhibits robust cash generation, but the current quarter's conversion rate surpassed historical norms. This uptick can be attributed to a reduced need for working capital as demand tapered off and improvements in inventory management. As a result of this robust cash flow, Fastenal's balance sheet remained notably conservative by the end of third-quarter 2023. The company's debt-to-total capital ratio concluded at 7%, a notable decline from 9.4% in the second quarter of 2023 and a substantial reduction from 14.9% in the third quarter of 2022. Another positive takeaway from the quarterly is its digital footprint expansion. The company\u2019s digital footprint increased to 57.1% of sales in the third quarter of 2023 from 49.5% of sales in the year-ago period. Digital footprint sales are expected to reach the 60% target in the next quarter. Overall, Fastenal\u2019s robust e-commerce business, prudent cash management, investment to increase Onsite locations and cost-control efforts are expected to drive growth. Zacks Rank Fastenal currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Other Stocks to Consider Some other top-ranked stocks in the Zacks Retail-Wholesale sector are: Abercrombie & Fitch Co. ANF sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). It has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 724.8%, on average. Shares of ANF have surged 163.6% YTD. You can see the complete list of today\u2019s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for ANF\u2019s 2024 sales and EPS implies increases of 10% and 1,644%, respectively, from the year-ago period\u2019s levels. Amazon.com, Inc. AMZN sports a Zacks Rank #1. It has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 41%, on average. Shares of AMZN have gained 54.6% YTD. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for AMZN\u2019s 2023 sales and EPS indicates 11.1% and 214.1% growth, respectively, from the year-ago period\u2019s levels. Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc. ARCO currently carries a Zacks Rank #2. It has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 35%, on average. The stock has gained 13.1% YTD. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Arcos Dorados\u2019 2023 sales and EPS suggests a rise of 19.2% and 13%, respectively, from the year-ago period\u2019s levels. Zacks Reveals ChatGPT \""Sleeper\"" Stock One little-known company is at the heart of an especially brilliant Artificial Intelligence sector. By 2030, the AI industry is predicted to have an internet and iPhone-scale economic impact of $15.7 Trillion. As a service to readers, Zacks is providing a bonus report that names and explains this explosive growth stock and 4 other \""must buys.\"" Plus more. Download Free ChatGPT Stock Report Right Now >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN) : Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report Abercrombie & Fitch Company (ANF) : Free Stock Analysis Report Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc. (ARCO) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Here's How Much a $1000 Investment in Fastenal Made 10 Years Ago Would Be Worth Today How much a stock's price changes over time is a significant driver for most investors. Not only can price performance impact your portfolio, but it can help you compare investment results across sectors and industries as well. FOMO, or the fear of missing out, also plays a role in investing, particularly with tech giants and popular consumer-facing stocks. What if you'd invested in Fastenal (FAST) ten years ago? It may not have been easy to hold on to FAST for all that time, but if you did, how much would your investment be worth today? Fastenal's Business In-Depth With that in mind, let's take a look at Fastenal's main business drivers. Based in Winona, MN, Fastenal Company is a national wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies. The company distributes its products through more than 3,200 company-owned stores, mostly located in North America. Fastenal derives sales from the fastener product line and the other product line. The fastener product line comprises two kinds of products, threaded fasteners and miscellaneous industrial and construction supplies and hardware. Threaded fasteners include products like bolts, nuts, screws, studs and related washers, while miscellaneous industrial and construction supplies and hardware include various pins and machinery keys, concrete anchors, metal framing systems, wire rope, strut, rivets and related accessories. Threaded fasteners are used in most manufactured products and building projects, and for the maintenance and repair of machines and structures. The other product line includes tools, cutting tools, material handling, janitorial, electrical, safety and welding supplies and many more. Fastenal mainly serves customers in the manufacturing and non-residential construction markets. In the manufacturing market, its customers include original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and maintenance and repair operations (MRO), while in the non-residential construction market, it serves general, electrical, plumbing, sheet metal and road contractors. Fastenal ended third-quarter 2023 with cash and cash equivalents of $297.5 million, up from $230.1 million at 2022-end. Solid cash flow enabled FAST to lower debt in the quarter. Total debt was $260 million at the end of third-quarter 2023, or 7% of total capital. This compares to $555 million, or 14.9% of total capital, in the year-ago period. Bottom Line While anyone can invest, building a lucrative investment portfolio takes research, patience, and a little bit of risk. If you had invested in Fastenal ten years ago, you're probably feeling pretty good about your investment today. According to our calculations, a $1000 investment made in October 2013 would be worth $2,541.53, or a 154.15% gain, as of October 16, 2023. Investors should keep in mind that this return excludes dividends but includes price appreciation. Compare this to the S&P 500's rally of 154.10% and gold's return of 44.75% over the same time frame. Looking ahead, analysts are expecting more upside for FAST. Fastenal reported third-quarter 2023 results, with earnings surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate but net sales missing the same. Both the top and bottom lines increased on a year-over-year basis. The upside was backed by daily sales growth, reasonable expense control and lower net interest expense. Also, growth at Onsite locations, with active sites increasing 13.5% in the reported quarter, added to the uptrend. Moreover, the company\u2019s cost-control initiatives and focus on FAST Solutions bode well. Shares of the company have outperformed its industry in the past year. However, higher occupancy-related expenses and stretched valuation are concerns. Earnings estimates for 2023 have remained unchanged in the past 30 days, limiting the stock's upside potential. Over the past four weeks, shares have rallied 8.87%, and there have been 4 higher earnings estimate revisions in the past two months for fiscal 2023 compared to none lower. The consensus estimate has moved up as well. Zacks Reveals ChatGPT \""Sleeper\"" Stock One little-known company is at the heart of an especially brilliant Artificial Intelligence sector. By 2030, the AI industry is predicted to have an internet and iPhone-scale economic impact of $15.7 Trillion. As a service to readers, Zacks is providing a bonus report that names and explains this explosive growth stock and 4 other \""must buys.\"" Plus more. Download Free ChatGPT Stock Report Right Now >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Beat the Market the Zacks Way: Novo Nordisk, MakeMyTrip, Fastenal in Focus Two of the three widely followed indexes closed last week with marginally higher, while one closed in the red. The S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 0.5% and 0.8%, respectively, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite lost 0.2%. For the S&P 500, it was a second straight weekly advance, while the Dow snapped two weeks of losses. The stock market continues to be in a turbulent mode, unable to make up its mind about the direction the economy is taking. While there was visible respite in investor sentiment after the release of the minutes from the Fed September meeting, which showed the central bank taking a dovish stance on policy tightening, higher-than-expected inflation numbers diluted the vibes somewhat. The bond yields also see-sawed through the week, with the 10-year treasury yield coming down from 16-year highs and the 2-year yield continuing to climb northward. The conflict raging in the Gaza strip kept the investors on tenterhooks while sharply dropping consumer sentiments ensured the week ended on a whimpering note. Investors continue to closely monitor how the oil prices react to the Israel-Palestine tussle and whether the higher-than-expected inflation changes the Fed\u2019s reading of the situation. Regardless of market conditions, we, here at Zacks, provide investors with unbiased guidance on how to beat the market. As usual, Zacks Research guided investors over the past three months with its time-tested methodologies. Given the prevailing market uncertainty, you may want to look at our feats to prepare better for your next action. Here are some of our key achievements: MakeMyTrip and Corcept Therapeutics Surge Following Zacks Rank Upgrade Shares of MakeMyTrip Limited MMYT have gained 15.8% (versus the S&P 500\u2019s 3.4% decrease) since it was upgraded to a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) on August 4. Another stock, Corcept Therapeutics Incorporated CORT, which was upgraded to a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) on August 3, has returned 10.2% (versus the S&P 500\u2019s 3.7% decrease) since then. Zacks Rank, our short-term rating system, has earnings estimate revisions at its core. Empirical research shows a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and near-term stock price movements. A hypothetical portfolio of Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stocks returned +12.02% this year (through September 4th) vs. +18.2% for the S&P 500 index and +7.6% for the equal-weight S&P 500 index. The portfolio of Zacks Rank #1 stocks is an equal-weight portfolio, while the S&P 500 index is a market-cap-weighted index that has been notably distorted by the strong recent performance of mega-cap stocks. We are not trying to cherry-pick here. But since this Zacks Model portfolio, consisting of Zacks Rank #1 stocks, is an equal-weight portfolio, the equal-weight S&P 500 index is the appropriate benchmark for comparison. Looked at this way, this portfolio has outperformed the index this year. The Zacks Model Portfolio - consisting of Zacks Rank #1 stocks \u2013 has outperformed the S&P index by more than 13 percentage points since 1988 (Through September 4th, 2023, the Zacks # 1 Rank stocks has generated an annualized return of +24.17% since 1988 vs. +10.82% for the S&P 500 index).You can see the complete list of today\u2019s Zacks Rank #1 stocks here >>> Check MakeMyTrip\u2019s historical EPS and Sales here>>> Check Corcept\u2019s historical EPS and Sales here>>> Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Zacks Recommendation Upgrades SP Plus and Parsons Higher Shares of SP Plus Corporation SP and Parsons Corporation PSN have advanced 33.1% (versus the S&P 500\u2019s 3.7% fall) and 6.7% (versus the S&P 500\u2019s 3.4% fall) since their Zacks Recommendation was upgraded to Outperform on August 3 and August 4, respectively. While the Zacks Rank is our short-term rating system that is most effective over the one- to three-month holding horizon, the Zacks Recommendation aims to predict performance over the next 6 to 12 months. However, just like the Zacks Rank, the foundation for the Zacks Recommendation is trends in earnings estimate revisions. The Zacks Recommendation classifies stocks into three groups \u2014 Outperform, Neutral and Underperform. While these recommendations are determined quantitatively, our analysts have the flexibility to override them for the 1100+ stocks they closely follow based on their better judgment of factors such as valuation, industry conditions and management effectiveness than the quantitative model. To access our research reports with Zacks Recommendations for the 1100+ stocks we cover, click here>>> Zacks Focus List Stocks Axon, Cheniere Energy Shoot Up Shares of Axon Enterprise, Inc. AXON, which belongs to the Zacks Focus List, have gained 19.7% over the past 12 weeks. The stock was added to the Focus List on June 3, 2020. Another Focus-List holding, Cheniere Energy, Inc. LNG, which was added to the portfolio on September 6, 2022, has returned 11.7% over the past 12 weeks. The S&P 500 has declined 3.9% over this period. The 50-stock Zacks Focus List model portfolio returned +22.3% in 2023 (through July 31st) vs. +20.6% for the S&P 500 index and +10.5% for the equal-weight S&P 500 index. In 2022, the portfolio produced -15.2% vs. the S&P 500 index\u2019s -17.96%. Since 2004, the Focus List portfolio has produced an annualized return of +11.27% through July 31st, 2023. This compares to a +9.65% annualized return for the S&P 500 index in the same time period. On a rolling one-, three- and five-year bases, the Zacks Focus List returned +21.76%, +16.33%, and +12.54% vs. +12.99%, +13.71% and +12.19% for the S&P 500 index, respectively. Unlock all of our powerful research, tools and analysis, including the Focus List, Zacks #1 Rank List, Equity Research Reports, Zacks Earnings ESP Filter, Premium Screener and more, as part of Zacks Premium. Gain full access now >> Zacks ECAP Stocks Novo Nordisk and Amgen Make Significant Gains Novo Nordisk A/S NVO, a component of our Earnings Certain Admiral Portfolio (ECAP), has jumped 23.3% over the past 12 weeks. Amgen Inc. AMGN has followed Novo Nordisk with 21% returns. ECAP, which consists of 30 concentrated, ultra-defensive, long-term Buy and Hold stocks, has returned +6.67% in 2023 (through June 30) versus +16.90% for the S&P 500 Index. The portfolio returned -4.7% in 2022 versus the S&P 500 Index\u2019s -17.96%. With little to no turnover and annual rebalance periodicity, the ECAP seeks to minimize capital loss by holding shares of companies whose earnings streams exhibit a proven 20+ year track record of surviving recessionary periods with minimal impact on aggregate earnings growth relative to the overall S&P 500. The ECAP and many other model portfolios are available as part of Zacks Advisor Tools, a cloud-based solution to access Zacks award-winning stock, mutual fund and ETF research. Click here to schedule a demo. Zacks ECDP Stocks Automatic Data Processing and Fastenal Outperform Peers Automatic Data Processing, Inc. ADP, which is part of our Earnings Certain Dividend Portfolio (ECDP), has returned 4.1% over the past 12 weeks. Another ECDP stock, Fastenal Company FAST, has climbed 3.4% over the same time frame. Of course, the inclination of investors toward quality dividend stocks to secure an income stream amid heightened market volatility contributed to this performance. Check Automatic Data Processing\u2019s dividend history here>>> Check Fastenal\u2019s dividend history here>>> With an extremely low Beta and a history of minimum earnings variability over the last 20+ years, this 25-stock portfolio helps significantly mitigate risk. ECDP has returned +0.18% in 2023 (through June 30) versus +16.90% for the S&P 500 Index. The portfolio returned -2.3% in 2022 versus -17.96% for the S&P 500 Index and -8.34% for the ProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF NOBL. Click here to access this portfolio on Zacks Advisor Tools. Zacks Top 10 Stocks \u2014 Celsius Delivers Solid Returns Celsius Holdings, Inc. CELH, from the Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2023, has gained 57.3% year to date, which compares to a 14.1% gain for the S&P 500 Index. The portfolio returned +16.16% through the end of July 2023 vs. +20.64% for the S&P 500 index and +10.73% for the equal-weighted version of the index. The portfolio returned -15.8% in 2022 vs. -18.1% for the S&P 500 index. Since 2012, the Top 10 portfolio has generated an annualized return of +22.78% vs. +13.65% for the S&P 500 index. Since the start of 2012 through July 31st, 2023, the Zacks Top 10 Stocks has produced a cumulative return of +977.47% vs. +340.35% cumulative return for the S&P 500 index. Zacks Reveals ChatGPT \""Sleeper\"" Stock One little-known company is at the heart of an especially brilliant Artificial Intelligence sector. By 2030, the AI industry is predicted to have an internet and iPhone-scale economic impact of $15.7 Trillion. As a service to readers, Zacks is providing a bonus report that names and explains this explosive growth stock and 4 other \""must buys.\"" Plus more. Download Free ChatGPT Stock Report Right Now >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (ADP) : Free Stock Analysis Report Novo Nordisk A/S (NVO) : Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report Amgen Inc. (AMGN) : Free Stock Analysis Report Cheniere Energy, Inc. (LNG) : Free Stock Analysis Report MakeMyTrip Limited (MMYT) : Free Stock Analysis Report Corcept Therapeutics Incorporated (CORT) : Free Stock Analysis Report SP Plus Corporation (SP) : Free Stock Analysis Report Axon Enterprise, Inc (AXON) : Free Stock Analysis Report ProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF (NOBL): ETF Research Reports Celsius Holdings Inc. (CELH) : Free Stock Analysis Report Parsons Corporation (PSN) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2023-10-17,59.83,60.08,59.35,60.06,"Why Fastenal (FAST) is a Top Momentum Stock for the Long-Term Taking full advantage of the stock market and investing with confidence are common goals for new and old investors, and Zacks Premium offers many different ways to do both. Featuring daily updates of the Zacks Rank and Zacks Industry Rank, full access to the Zacks #1 Rank List, Equity Research reports, and Premium stock screens, the research service can help you become a smarter, more self-assured investor. Zacks Premium also includes the Zacks Style Scores. What are the Zacks Style Scores? The Zacks Style Scores, developed alongside the Zacks Rank, are complementary indicators that rate stocks based on three widely-followed investing methodologies; they also help investors pick stocks with the best chances of beating the market over the next 30 days. Based on their value, growth, and momentum characteristics, each stock is assigned a rating of A, B, C, D, or F. The better the score, the better chance the stock will outperform; an A is better than a B, a B is better than a C, and so on. The Style Scores are broken down into four categories: Value Score For value investors, it's all about finding good stocks at good prices, and discovering which companies are trading under their true value before the broader market catches on. The Value Style Score utilizes ratios like P/E, PEG, Price/Sales, Price/Cash Flow, and a host of other multiples to help pick out the most attractive and discounted stocks. Growth Score While good value is important, growth investors are more focused on a company's financial strength and health, and its future outlook. The Growth Style Score takes projected and historic earnings, sales, and cash flow into account to uncover stocks that will see long-term, sustainable growth. Momentum Score Momentum traders and investors live by the saying ""the trend is your friend."" This investing style is all about taking advantage of upward or downward trends in a stock's price or earnings outlook. Employing factors like one-week price change and the monthly percentage change in earnings estimates, the Momentum Style Score can indicate favorable times to build a position in high-momentum stocks. VGM Score What if you like to use all three types of investing? The VGM Score is a combination of all Style Scores, making it one of the most comprehensive indicators to use with the Zacks Rank. It rates each stock on their combined weighted styles, which helps narrow down the companies with the most attractive value, best growth forecast, and most promising momentum. How Style Scores Work with the Zacks Rank The Zacks Rank is a proprietary stock-rating model that harnesses the power of earnings estimate revisions, or changes to a company's earnings expectations, to help investors build a successful portfolio. It's highly successful, with #1 (Strong Buy) stocks producing an unmatched +25.41% average annual return since 1988. That's more than double the S&P 500. But because of the large number of stocks we rate, there are over 200 companies with a Strong Buy rank, plus another 600 with a #2 (Buy) rank, on any given day. But it can feel overwhelming to pick the right stocks for you and your investing goals with over 800 top-rated stocks to choose from. That's where the Style Scores come in. To maximize your returns, you want to buy stocks with the highest probability of success. This means picking stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 or #2 that also have Style Scores of A or B. If you find yourself looking at stocks with a #3 (Hold) rank, make sure they have Scores of A or B as well to ensure as much upside potential as possible. Since the Scores were created to work together with the Zacks Rank, the direction of a stock's earnings estimate revisions should be a key factor when choosing which stocks to buy. For instance, a stock with a #4 (Sell) or #5 (Strong Sell) rating, even one that boasts Scores of A and B, still has a downward-trending earnings forecast, and a much greater likelihood its share price will decline as well. Thus, the more stocks you own with a #1 or #2 Rank and Scores of A or B, the better. Stock to Watch: Fastenal (FAST) Based in Winona, MN, Fastenal Company is a national wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies. The company distributes its products through more than 3,200 company-owned stores, mostly located in North America. FAST is a #2 (Buy) on the Zacks Rank, with a VGM Score of B. Momentum investors should take note of this Retail-Wholesale stock. FAST has a Momentum Style Score of A, and shares are up 9.1% over the past four weeks. Five analysts revised their earnings estimate upwards in the last 60 days for fiscal 2023. The Zacks Consensus Estimate has increased $0.02 to $2 per share. FAST boasts an average earnings surprise of 2.6%. With a solid Zacks Rank and top-tier Momentum and VGM Style Scores, FAST should be on investors' short list. Infrastructure Stock Boom to Sweep America A massive push to rebuild the crumbling U.S. infrastructure will soon be underway. It’s bipartisan, urgent, and inevitable. Trillions will be spent. Fortunes will be made. The only question is “Will you get into the right stocks early when their growth potential is greatest?” Zacks has released a Special Report to help you do just that, and today it’s free. Discover 5 special companies that look to gain the most from construction and repair to roads, bridges, and buildings, plus cargo hauling and energy transformation on an almost unimaginable scale. Download FREE: How To Profit From Trillions On Spending For Infrastructure >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-10-18,60.0,60.15,58.75,58.79,"Why Fastenal (FAST) is a Top Growth Stock for the Long-Term For new and old investors, taking full advantage of the stock market and investing with confidence are common goals. Zacks Premium provides lots of different ways to do both. The research service features daily updates of the Zacks Rank and Zacks Industry Rank, full access to the Zacks #1 Rank List, Equity Research reports, and Premium stock screens, all of which will help you become a smarter, more confident investor. Zacks Premium includes access to the Zacks Style Scores as well. What are the Zacks Style Scores? The Zacks Style Scores, developed alongside the Zacks Rank, are complementary indicators that rate stocks based on three widely-followed investing methodologies; they also help investors pick stocks with the best chances of beating the market over the next 30 days. Each stock is given an alphabetic rating of A, B, C, D or F based on their value, growth, and momentum qualities. With this system, an A is better than a B, a B is better than a C, and so on, meaning the better the score, the better chance the stock will outperform. The Style Scores are broken down into four categories: Value Score Finding good stocks at good prices, and discovering which companies are trading under their true value, are what value investors like to focus on. So, the Value Style Score takes into account ratios like P/E, PEG, Price/Sales, Price/Cash Flow, and a host of other multiples to highlight the most attractive and discounted stocks. Growth Score Growth investors are more concerned with a stock's future prospects, and the overall financial health and strength of a company. Thus, the Growth Style Score analyzes characteristics like projected and historic earnings, sales, and cash flow to find stocks that will see sustainable growth over time. Momentum Score Momentum investors, who live by the saying ""the trend is your friend,"" are most interested in taking advantage of upward or downward trends in a stock's price or earnings outlook. Utilizing one-week price change and the monthly percentage change in earnings estimates, among other factors, the Momentum Style Score can help determine favorable times to buy high-momentum stocks. VGM Score What if you like to use all three types of investing? The VGM Score is a combination of all Style Scores, making it one of the most comprehensive indicators to use with the Zacks Rank. It rates each stock on their combined weighted styles, which helps narrow down the companies with the most attractive value, best growth forecast, and most promising momentum. How Style Scores Work with the Zacks Rank The Zacks Rank is a proprietary stock-rating model that harnesses the power of earnings estimate revisions, or changes to a company's earnings expectations, to help investors build a successful portfolio. #1 (Strong Buy) stocks have produced an unmatched +25.41% average annual return since 1988, which is more than double the S&P 500's performance over the same time frame. However, the Zacks Rank examines a ton of stocks, and there can be more than 200 companies with a Strong Buy rank, and another 600 with a #2 (Buy) rank, on any given day. With more than 800 top-rated stocks to choose from, it can certainly feel overwhelming to pick the ones that are right for you and your investing journey. That's where the Style Scores come in. To have the best chance of big returns, you'll want to always consider stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 or #2 that also have Style Scores of A or B, which will give you the highest probability of success. If you're looking at stocks with a #3 (Hold) rank, it's important they have Scores of A or B as well to ensure as much upside potential as possible. Since the Scores were created to work together with the Zacks Rank, the direction of a stock's earnings estimate revisions should be a key factor when choosing which stocks to buy. A stock with a #4 (Sell) or #5 (Strong Sell) rating, for instance, even one with Scores of A and B, will still have a declining earnings forecast, and a greater chance its share price will fall too. Thus, the more stocks you own with a #1 or #2 Rank and Scores of A or B, the better. Stock to Watch: Fastenal (FAST) Based in Winona, MN, Fastenal Company is a national wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies. The company distributes its products through more than 3,200 company-owned stores, mostly located in North America. FAST is a #2 (Buy) on the Zacks Rank, with a VGM Score of B. Additionally, the company could be a top pick for growth investors. FAST has a Growth Style Score of A, forecasting year-over-year earnings growth of 5.8% for the current fiscal year. Six analysts revised their earnings estimate upwards in the last 60 days for fiscal 2023. The Zacks Consensus Estimate has increased $0.02 to $2 per share. FAST boasts an average earnings surprise of 2.6%. With a solid Zacks Rank and top-tier Growth and VGM Style Scores, FAST should be on investors' short list. Zacks Names #1 Semiconductor Stock It's only 1/9,000th the size of NVIDIA which skyrocketed more than +800% since we recommended it. NVIDIA is still strong, but our new top chip stock has much more room to boom. With strong earnings growth and an expanding customer base, it's positioned to feed the rampant demand for Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Internet of Things. Global semiconductor manufacturing is projected to explode from $452 billion in 2021 to $803 billion by 2028. See This Stock Now for Free >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-10-19,59.26,59.43,58.26,58.53,"The 7 Best Nasdaq Stocks To Buy Now: October 2023 InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips Nasdaq stocks generally equate to higher-growth, technology-dominated firms in the eyes of most investors. The index is generally more rate-sensitive than leading indexes like the Dow and the S&P 500. This growth has led to the rise of the best Nasdaq stocks to buy. In any case, the Nasdaq contains more than 3,300 publicly listed firms and is also a stock exchange and not only an index. Its counterpart, the New York Stock Exchange, includes less than 3,000 publicly listed firms. In 2023, Nasdaq-listed firms have grown exponentially. That growth has been primarily attributable to AI and a handful of leading firms that have contributed in an outsized manner to overall growth. So here are the best Nasdaq stocks worth investing in as we move closer to the end of 2023. Diamondback Energy (FANG) Source: shutterstock.com/Maxx-Studio Diamondback Energy (NASDAQ:FANG) is probably not the first stock you consider when discussing the Nasdaq. Generally, oil firms are more traditional and tend to be found on the NYSE. Nevertheless, Diamondback Energy is one of the best Nasdaq stocks. The reason investors should consider buying FANG shares is pretty straightforward. The company has a solid chance to reward shareholders when it releases third-quarter earnings on Nov. 7. This could happen due to the simple dynamics of its operations and its dividend. Diamondback Energy operations are concentrated in the Permian Basin of west Texas. WTI crude, from the area, has steadily risen in price during the 3rd quarter. That suggests that Diamondback Energy could provide strong results when it releases earnings a week into November. The firm pays a base plus variable dividend that will give extra returns for investors. The firm increased the base portion of that dividend when it released Q2 earnings. Fastenal (FAST) Source: Shutterstock Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) is another non-tech Nasdaq stock to buy this month. The company recently released strong earnings that are particularly important regarding recession fears. Fastenal operates 3,400 locations and sells products to an industrial base. That scope and broad exposure to the economic engine make it something of a recession correlate. The news is good: Fastenal just beat Wall Street’s expectations, and the earnings beat is very welcome in current turbulent markets. Fastenal also releases its earnings relatively early in the earnings cycle. Thao makes it a stock to watch as an early gauge for investor expectations each quarter. Sales are up 5.7% over the last nine months, and sales and earnings are a similar 5.6% during the same period. Fastenal sells primarily to a manufacturing and non-residential construction base. The growth figures send a tentative message that suggests cautious optimism for a continued recovery. The increase in earnings means that Fastenal is also one of the best Nasdaq stocks to buy. Applied Materials (AMAT) Source: Shutterstock Reliable tech stocks like Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) are in a solid position. When I say reliable, I mean that shares, including AMAT, pay dividends and are more stable than most other tech stocks, which generally lack dividends. That’s why Applied Materials stands out among other Nasdaq stocks that have grown more dangerous in late 2023. It’s fair to say that investors remain intensely interested in AI. Applied Materials offers secular exposure to AI and provides software and equipment for chip makers. However, it’s also fair to assert that the AI run-up has created real fear: Many firms are simply overpriced and won’t produce revenues commensurate with price increases over the last few months. Applied Materials is far more established than those kinds of AI firms and has secular trends in its favor. The chip sector will continue to demand software and equipment as the industry matures. Consider AMAT shares for that reason and because they provide a modest income. It’s definitely one of those best Nasdaq stocks. ASML (ASML) Source: William Potter / Shutterstock.com ASML (NASDA Q: ASML) is similar to Applied material regarding its catalysts. It has the same positives backing it as an investment: Secular growth, dividends, and relative stability. It also holds a relative monopoly over its niche. No other firm can produce the photolithography systems it does, which are used to make chips. The AI opportunity has just begun. What’s important to understand is that ASML’s revenues will likely contract in 2023. Not by much, but still, a contraction is likely. It has to do with rates, and that favors ASML moving forward. Rate increases are nearing the cycle peak, meaning lending will increase at some point soon. That’ll make it easier for chip firms to justify expenditures for ASML’s massive uncostly photolithography equipment. That thinking typifies that the opportunity in ASML shares will persist for years as AI takes off. Broadcom (AVGO) Source: Andrey Suslov/Shutterstock Broadcom (NASDAQ:AVGO) is the final semiconductor stock on this list. It is similar to the others here. It provides software to chipmakers. Further, AVGO shares are near their low price target currently. Investors with a year-long perspective will likely find that AVGO shares will work to their advantage. Earnings and revenues are expected to grow at healthy rates, es and percentages have a relatively low beta of 1.13. In other words, Broadcom shares are likely to preserve capital in the worst-case scenario while being more likely to grow overall. Broadcom recently signed a deal with Google (NASDAQ:GOOG, GOOGL) to strengthen generative AI cloud security. Broadcom’s Symantec arm will work to assess emerging threats about generative AI and enterprise. Demand for enterprise-level cybersecurity is bound to rise as more large companies add AI functionality. Those firms will be willing to shell out dollars for the added security, giving Broadcom future sales streams. DexCom (DXCM) Source: shutterstock.com/Champhei DexCom (NASDAQ:DXCM) sells diabetes monitoring equipment that has grown in demand, pushing the stock higher. In Q2, DexCom’s sales grew by 25%, reaching $871.3 million. It’s expected that DexCom will increase by 20% between 2023 and 2023, which is part of why its shares have so much upside built in. Let’s start with the defensive reasoning behind investing in DXCM shares currently. Healthcare stocks tend to do well in bear markets as a general rule. People with diabetes require constant glucose monitoring that persists no matter the economic headwinds. There are also significant growth catalysts for DexCom. One in three American adults could have diabetes by 2050, according to previous data, and the prevalence of diabetes is increasing. Those statistics are scary because of the health implications at large. That said, DexCom stands to benefit from the tree, and its shares should grow as a result. The company is well-funded and reported over $3.6 billion in liquid reserves at the end of Q2. Thus, investors should not be worried, not that DexCom produces losses anyway. Cisco Systems (CSCO) Source: Valeriya Zankovych / Shutterstock.com Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) will buy Splunk (NASDAQ:SPLK). The announcement has done little to Cisco’s stock but should add value to the firm overall. Adding Splunk is expected to add $4 billion in annual recurring revenue to Cisco Systems. Cisco also expects synergies to occur because of the deal. That is code speak for headcount reductions. In turn, investors should expect reduced expenses in the future for Cisco. The acquisition isn’t expected to harm Cisco Systems materially. Buybacks are an essential consideration for CSCO shareholders. The IT firm is not on the growth side of tech. Instead, it’s firmly entrenched in the stable and reliable side of tech that is less exciting but more prone to preserve capital. Its dividend is essential, and management must telegraph zero disruption to such programs to sell the acquisition to shareholders. If the deal can clear regulatory scrutiny, it should add to Cisco Systems meaningfully. On the date of publication, Alex Sirois did not have (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.com Publishing Guidelines. Alex Sirois is a freelance contributor to InvestorPlace whose personal stock investing style is focused on long-term, buy-and-hold, wealth-building stock picks. Having worked in several industries from e-commerce to translation to education and utilizing his MBA from George Washington University, he brings a diverse set of skills through which he filters his writing. More From InvestorPlace Musk’s “Project Omega” May Be Set to Mint New Millionaires. Here’s How to Get In. The #1 AI Investment Might Be This Company You’ve Never Heard Of The Rich Use This Income Secret (NOT Dividends) Far More Than Regular Investors The post The 7 Best Nasdaq Stocks To Buy Now: October 2023 appeared first on InvestorPlace. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-10-20,58.6,58.84,57.47,57.61,"Fastenal or Simpson Manufacturing: Which is the Better Buy? Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST) and Simpson Manufacturing (NYSE: SSD) are in similar businesses with a similar outlook for growth, but 1 is the better buy for investors today. While Fastenal is growing quicker and pays a higher yield, the trajectory for growth, dividends, and distribution growth at Simpson Manufacturing is far superior. Based on revenue, earnings, and growth, Fastenal is the winner; based on the outlook for distribution growth and capital appreciation, Simpson Manufacturing is a far better buy and will deliver far superior returns. Fastenal and Simpson Have Solid Business Fastenal and Simpson Manufacturing have many areas of overlap. Fastenal is far more diversified. Its DTC/vending model drives business and deepens penetration by providing a valuable service for manufacturers, builders, and industry. The company’s Onsite and vending products amount to a quartermaster service to which businesses can outsource their inventory management and distribution needs. Simpson Manufacturing is also diversified and diversifying. The company expanded its product lines to target manufacturing and automobile OEMs alongside the building industry. The company also leans into technology and provides SaaS for builders and homeowners. Regarding growth, the company is working on a new manufacturing facility in Tennessee and expansion in Europe. Results in 2023 have been solid for both companies. Both outperform on the bottom line, Simpson on the top and bottom line, producing low-single-digit growth. The outlook for next year is favorable and includes an acceleration of growth on the top and bottom lines for each. Fastenal is expected to grow at a slightly quicker 6% and 7% compared to 5% and 6% for Simpson, significant because Fastenal’s business is 4X as large as Simpson's, but that is not enough to overshadow Simpson's dividend outlook. Simpson Manufacturing has Value and Distribution Strength Fastenal is not a weak dividend. The company pays about 2.4% with shares near the 2023 high, but the valuation, payout ratio, and growth outlook pale compared to Simpson. Fastenal trades at a high 30X earnings partly because it pays nearly 70% of earnings in dividends. The company has increased the payout for 24 years and is about to be dubbed a Dividend Aristocrat, but investors should expect the pace of increases to slow, as seen in the analysts' coverage. Analysts rate Fastenal a Hold with a price target up from last year but flat since summer and aligned with current price action. On the other hand, Simpson is rated a Moderate Buy with a price target trending higher and 35% above the price action. Simpson Manufacturing trades at a deep discount to Fastenal, about 15X earnings, because it pays only 13% of earnings in dividends. The remainder is used to invest in growth and future cash flow to support the healthy dividend outlook. Simpson paused annual increases during the pandemic but has a solid record of increases before and after. Simpson’s distribution CAGR is much lower, about 5%, but the pace could be increased and sustained without damaging the company’s financial health. That would be a catalyst for higher share prices and a price-multiple expansion. The takeaway is that investors looking to capture dividend growth and capital growth over a long duration will be better served by Simpson. The Technical Outlook: Simpson Outperforms in 2023 Both stocks are up solid double-digits this year, but Simpson’s advance is double its competitor, about 50%, with shares near $130. The market is pulling back now but should find support soon, possibly near $130, and begin to consolidate at that level. The next catalyst is the Q3 results, due out in late October. A solid report could get SSD to the bottom sooner rather than later. FAST shares are already advancing following its report and foreshadowing bullish market action. The article ""Fastenal or Simpson Manufacturing: Which is the Better Buy?"" originally appeared on MarketBeat. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-10-23,57.72,58.02,57.33,57.38,"FVD, BAH, AOS, FAST: ETF Outflow Alert Looking today at week-over-week shares outstanding changes among the universe of ETFs covered at ETF Channel, one standout is the First Trust Value Line Dividend Index Fund (Symbol: FVD) where we have detected an approximate $60.4 million dollar outflow -- that's a 0.6% decrease week over week (from 283,940,884 to 282,290,884). Among the largest underlying components of FVD, in trading today Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corp. (Symbol: BAH) is up about 0.2%, Smith (A O) Corp (Symbol: AOS) is up about 0.6%, and Fastenal Co. (Symbol: FAST) is higher by about 0.3%. For a complete list of holdings, visit the FVD Holdings page » The chart below shows the one year price performance of FVD, versus its 200 day moving average: Looking at the chart above, FVD's low point in its 52 week range is $36.3173 per share, with $41.93 as the 52 week high point — that compares with a last trade of $36.57. Comparing the most recent share price to the 200 day moving average can also be a useful technical analysis technique -- learn more about the 200 day moving average ». Exchange traded funds (ETFs) trade just like stocks, but instead of ''shares'' investors are actually buying and selling ''units''. These ''units'' can be traded back and forth just like stocks, but can also be created or destroyed to accommodate investor demand. Each week we monitor the week-over-week change in shares outstanding data, to keep a lookout for those ETFs experiencing notable inflows (many new units created) or outflows (many old units destroyed). Creation of new units will mean the underlying holdings of the ETF need to be purchased, while destruction of units involves selling underlying holdings, so large flows can also impact the individual components held within ETFs. Click here to find out which 9 other ETFs experienced notable outflows » Also see: • SWKS Historical Stock Prices • PVH Stock Predictions • Institutional Holders of PEG The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-10-24,57.8,58.24,57.13,57.58,"Validea's Top Industrial Stocks Based On Warren Buffett - 10/24/2023 The following are the top rated Industrial stocks according to Validea's Patient Investor model based on the published strategy of Warren Buffett. This strategy seeks out firms with long-term, predictable profitability and low debt that trade at reasonable valuations. UNION PACIFIC CORP (UNP) is a large-cap growth stock in the Railroads industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Warren Buffett is 82% based on the firm’s underlying fundamentals and the stock’s valuation. A score of 80% or above typically indicates that the strategy has some interest in the stock and a score above 90% typically indicates strong interest. Company Description: Union Pacific Corporation is a railroad operating company in the United States. The Company operates through its principal operating company, Union Pacific Railroad Company (UPRR). It connects 23 states in the western two-thirds of the country and maintains coordinated schedules with other rail carriers to move freight to and from the Atlantic Coast, the Pacific Coast, the Southeast, the Southwest, Canada, and Mexico. Its Railroad's diversified business mix includes Bulk, Industrial, and Premium. Its Bulk shipments consist of grain and grain products, fertilizer, food and refrigerated, and coal and renewables. Its Industrial shipments consist of several categories, including construction, industrial chemicals, plastics, forest products, specialized products, metals and ores, petroleum, liquid petroleum gases (LPG), soda ash, and sand. Its Premium shipments include finished automobiles, automotive parts, and merchandise in intermodal containers, both domestic and international. The following table summarizes whether the stock meets each of this strategy's tests. Not all criteria in the below table receive equal weighting or are independent, but the table provides a brief overview of the strong and weak points of the security in the context of the strategy's criteria. EARNINGS PREDICTABILITY: PASS DEBT SERVICE: PASS RETURN ON EQUITY: PASS RETURN ON TOTAL CAPITAL: PASS FREE CASH FLOW: PASS USE OF RETAINED EARNINGS: PASS SHARE REPURCHASE: PASS INITIAL RATE OF RETURN: PASS EXPECTED RETURN: FAIL Detailed Analysis of UNION PACIFIC CORP UNP Guru Analysis UNP Fundamental Analysis LOCKHEED MARTIN CORP (LMT) is a large-cap growth stock in the Aerospace & Defense industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Warren Buffett is 82% based on the firm’s underlying fundamentals and the stock’s valuation. A score of 80% or above typically indicates that the strategy has some interest in the stock and a score above 90% typically indicates strong interest. Company Description: Lockheed Martin Corporation is a security and aerospace company. It operates through four segments. Aeronautics segment is engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, support and upgrade of military aircraft, including combat and air mobility aircraft, unmanned air vehicles and related technologies. Missiles and Fire Control segment provides air and missile defense systems; fire control systems; manned and unmanned ground vehicles, and energy management solutions. Rotary and Mission Systems segment provides design, manufacture, service and support for various military and commercial helicopters, surface ships, sea and land-based missile defense systems, radar systems, sea and air-based mission and combat systems, command and control mission solutions, cyber solutions, and simulation and training solutions. Space segment is engaged in the research and development, design, engineering and production of satellites, space transportation systems, strike and defensive systems. The following table summarizes whether the stock meets each of this strategy's tests. Not all criteria in the below table receive equal weighting or are independent, but the table provides a brief overview of the strong and weak points of the security in the context of the strategy's criteria. EARNINGS PREDICTABILITY: PASS DEBT SERVICE: PASS RETURN ON EQUITY: FAIL RETURN ON TOTAL CAPITAL: PASS FREE CASH FLOW: PASS USE OF RETAINED EARNINGS: PASS SHARE REPURCHASE: PASS INITIAL RATE OF RETURN: PASS EXPECTED RETURN: PASS Detailed Analysis of LOCKHEED MARTIN CORP LMT Guru Analysis LMT Fundamental Analysis FASTENAL CO (FAST) is a large-cap growth stock in the Misc. Fabricated Products industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Warren Buffett is 72% based on the firm’s underlying fundamentals and the stock’s valuation. A score of 80% or above typically indicates that the strategy has some interest in the stock and a score above 90% typically indicates strong interest. Company Description: Fastenal Company is engaged in the wholesale distribution of industrial and construction supplies. The Company is a distributor of threaded fasteners, bolts, nuts, screws, studs, and related washers, as well as miscellaneous supplies and hardware. Its customers are in the manufacturing and non-residential construction markets. The manufacturing market includes sales of products for both original equipment manufacturing (OEM), where its products are consumed in the final products of its customers, and manufacturing, repair, and operations (MRO), where its products are consumed to support the facilities and ongoing operations of its customers. The non-residential construction market includes general, electrical, plumbing, sheet metal and road contractors. Other users of its products include farmers, truckers, railroads, oil exploration companies, oil production and refinement companies, mining companies, federal, state, and local governmental entities, schools, and certain retail trades. The following table summarizes whether the stock meets each of this strategy's tests. Not all criteria in the below table receive equal weighting or are independent, but the table provides a brief overview of the strong and weak points of the security in the context of the strategy's criteria. EARNINGS PREDICTABILITY: PASS DEBT SERVICE: PASS RETURN ON EQUITY: PASS RETURN ON TOTAL CAPITAL: PASS FREE CASH FLOW: PASS USE OF RETAINED EARNINGS: PASS SHARE REPURCHASE: PASS INITIAL RATE OF RETURN: FAIL EXPECTED RETURN: FAIL Detailed Analysis of FASTENAL CO FAST Guru Analysis FAST Fundamental Analysis KFORCE INC. (KFRC) is a small-cap growth stock in the Business Services industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Warren Buffett is 72% based on the firm’s underlying fundamentals and the stock’s valuation. A score of 80% or above typically indicates that the strategy has some interest in the stock and a score above 90% typically indicates strong interest. Company Description: Kforce Inc. is a provider of technology and finance and accounting talent solutions to various companies. The Company operates through two segments: Technology and Finance and Accounting (FA). The Technology segment provides talent solutions by understanding its clients' requirements and matching their requirements in areas including, systems/applications architecture and development (mobility and/or Web), data management and analytics, business and artificial intelligence, machine learning, project and program management, and network architecture and security. The Company's FA segment provides talent solutions to its clients in areas, including consultants in traditional finance and accounting roles such as, financial, planning and analysis; business intelligence analysis; accounting; transactional accounting; business and cost analysis, and taxation and treasury. Its FA segment primarily provides services to the financial services, healthcare and manufacturing sectors. The following table summarizes whether the stock meets each of this strategy's tests. Not all criteria in the below table receive equal weighting or are independent, but the table provides a brief overview of the strong and weak points of the security in the context of the strategy's criteria. EARNINGS PREDICTABILITY: PASS DEBT SERVICE: PASS RETURN ON EQUITY: FAIL RETURN ON TOTAL CAPITAL: FAIL FREE CASH FLOW: PASS USE OF RETAINED EARNINGS: PASS SHARE REPURCHASE: PASS INITIAL RATE OF RETURN: PASS EXPECTED RETURN: PASS Detailed Analysis of KFORCE INC. KFRC Guru Analysis KFRC Fundamental Analysis NORDSON CORP (NDSN) is a large-cap growth stock in the Chemical Manufacturing industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Warren Buffett is 72% based on the firm’s underlying fundamentals and the stock’s valuation. A score of 80% or above typically indicates that the strategy has some interest in the stock and a score above 90% typically indicates strong interest. Company Description: Nordson Corporation is a precision technology company. The Company engineers, manufactures and markets differentiated products used for dispensing adhesives, coatings, sealants, biomaterials and other materials; for fluid management; for test and inspection; and for ultraviolet (UV) curing and plasma surface treatment. The Company's segments include the Industrial Precision Solutions (IPS) segment that delivers dispensing and processing technology to end markets. The IPS segment serves the industrial, agriculture, consumer durables and non-durables markets; Advanced Technology Solutions segment that integrates product technologies into the progressive stages of a customer's production processes, such as surface treatment, precisely controlled dispensing of material and pre- and post-dispense test and inspection to ensure quality, and Medical and Fluid Solutions segment, which offers fluid management solutions for medical, high-tech industrial and other diverse end markets. The following table summarizes whether the stock meets each of this strategy's tests. Not all criteria in the below table receive equal weighting or are independent, but the table provides a brief overview of the strong and weak points of the security in the context of the strategy's criteria. EARNINGS PREDICTABILITY: PASS DEBT SERVICE: PASS RETURN ON EQUITY: PASS RETURN ON TOTAL CAPITAL: FAIL FREE CASH FLOW: PASS USE OF RETAINED EARNINGS: PASS SHARE REPURCHASE: PASS INITIAL RATE OF RETURN: PASS EXPECTED RETURN: PASS Detailed Analysis of NORDSON CORP NDSN Guru Analysis NDSN Fundamental Analysis Warren Buffett Portfolio Top Warren Buffett Stocks About Warren Buffett: Warren Buffett is considered by many to be the greatest investor of all time. As the chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, Buffett has consistently outperformed the S&P 500 for decades, and in the process has become one of the world's richest men. (Forbes puts his net worth at $37 billion.) Despite his fortune, Buffett is known for living a modest lifestyle, by billionaire standards. His primary residence remains the gray stucco Nebraska home he purchased for $31,500 nearly 50 years ago, according to Forbes, and his folksy Midwestern manner and penchant for simple pleasures -- a cherry Coke, a good burger, and a good book are all near the top of the list -- have been well-documented. About Validea: Validea is aninvestment researchservice that follows the published strategies of investment legends. Validea offers both stock analysis and model portfolios based on gurus who have outperformed the market over the long-term, including Warren Buffett, Benjamin Graham, Peter Lynch and Martin Zweig. For more information about Validea, click here The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-10-25,57.1,57.215,56.41,57.08,
FAST,2023-10-26,57.14,57.99,57.01,57.24,
FAST,2023-10-27,57.06,58.145,57.06,57.61,
FAST,2023-10-30,57.93,58.5,57.56,58.23,"[""Are Retail-Wholesale Stocks Lagging Deckers Outdoor (DECK) This Year? The Retail-Wholesale group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Is Deckers (DECK) one of those stocks right now? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Retail-Wholesale peers, we might be able to answer that question. Deckers is one of 221 individual stocks in the Retail-Wholesale sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #9 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank considers 16 different groups, measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the sector to gauge the strength of each group. The Zacks Rank is a successful stock-picking model that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions. The system highlights a number of different stocks that could be poised to outperform the broader market over the next one to three months. Deckers is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy). Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for DECK's full-year earnings has moved 3.8% higher. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger. Based on the most recent data, DECK has returned 44.4% so far this year. Meanwhile, the Retail-Wholesale sector has returned an average of 9.7% on a year-to-date basis. This means that Deckers is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns. Another stock in the Retail-Wholesale sector, Fastenal (FAST), has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 21.8%. The consensus estimate for Fastenal's current year EPS has increased 1% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Looking more specifically, Deckers belongs to the Retail - Apparel and Shoes industry, which includes 43 individual stocks and currently sits at #148 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has gained an average of 1.5% so far this year, meaning that DECK is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns. Fastenal, however, belongs to the Building Products - Retail industry. Currently, this 8-stock industry is ranked #77. The industry has moved -5% so far this year. Going forward, investors interested in Retail-Wholesale stocks should continue to pay close attention to Deckers and Fastenal as they could maintain their solid performance. Zacks Names \""Single Best Pick to Double\"" From thousands of stocks, 5 Zacks experts each have chosen their favorite to skyrocket +100% or more in months to come. From those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all. It\u2019s credited with a \u201cwatershed medical breakthrough\u201d and is developing a bustling pipeline of other projects that could make a world of difference for patients suffering from diseases involving the liver, lungs, and blood. This is a timely investment that you can catch while it emerges from its bear market lows. It could rival or surpass other recent Stocks Set to Double like Boston Beer Company which shot up +143.0% in little more than 9 months and NVIDIA which boomed +175.9% in one year. Free: See Our Top Stock And 4 Runners Up Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Deckers Outdoor Corporation (DECK) : Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Fastenal (FAST) Crossed Above the 20-Day Moving Average: What That Means for Investors Fastenal (FAST) reached a significant support level, and could be a good pick for investors from a technical perspective. Recently, FAST broke through the 20-day moving average, which suggests a short-term bullish trend. The 20-day simple moving average is a popular trading tool. It provides a look back at a stock's price over a 20-day period, and is beneficial to short-term traders since it smooths out price fluctuations and provides more trend reversal signals than longer-term moving averages. Similar to other SMAs, if a stock's price moves above the 20-day, the trend is considered positive, while price falling below the moving average can signal a downward trend. FAST could be on the verge of another rally after moving 5.4% higher over the last four weeks. Plus, the company is currently a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) stock. The bullish case solidifies once investors consider FAST's positive earnings estimate revisions. No estimate has gone lower in the past two months for the current fiscal year, compared to 7 higher, while the consensus estimate has increased too. With a winning combination of earnings estimate revisions and hitting a key technical level, investors should keep their eye on FAST for more gains in the near future. Zacks Names \""Single Best Pick to Double\"" From thousands of stocks, 5 Zacks experts each have chosen their favorite to skyrocket +100% or more in months to come. From those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all. It\u2019s credited with a \u201cwatershed medical breakthrough\u201d and is developing a bustling pipeline of other projects that could make a world of difference for patients suffering from diseases involving the liver, lungs, and blood. This is a timely investment that you can catch while it emerges from its bear market lows. It could rival or surpass other recent Stocks Set to Double like Boston Beer Company which shot up +143.0% in little more than 9 months and NVIDIA which boomed +175.9% in one year. Free: See Our Top Stock And 4 Runners Up Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2023-10-31,58.18,58.925,58.15,58.34,
FAST,2023-11-01,58.48,59.14,58.04,58.91,
FAST,2023-11-02,59.1,60.335,59.1,59.86,"Here's Why Fastenal (FAST) is a Strong Momentum Stock Taking full advantage of the stock market and investing with confidence are common goals for new and old investors, and Zacks Premium offers many different ways to do both. Featuring daily updates of the Zacks Rank and Zacks Industry Rank, full access to the Zacks #1 Rank List, Equity Research reports, and Premium stock screens, the research service can help you become a smarter, more self-assured investor. It also includes access to the Zacks Style Scores. What are the Zacks Style Scores? The Zacks Style Scores, developed alongside the Zacks Rank, are complementary indicators that rate stocks based on three widely-followed investing methodologies; they also help investors pick stocks with the best chances of beating the market over the next 30 days. Each stock is assigned a rating of A, B, C, D, or F based on their value, growth, and momentum characteristics. Just like in school, an A is better than a B, a B is better than a C, and so on -- that means the better the score, the better chance the stock will outperform. The Style Scores are broken down into four categories: Value Score Finding good stocks at good prices, and discovering which companies are trading under their true value, are what value investors like to focus on. So, the Value Style Score takes into account ratios like P/E, PEG, Price/Sales, Price/Cash Flow, and a host of other multiples to highlight the most attractive and discounted stocks. Growth Score Growth investors are more concerned with a stock's future prospects, and the overall financial health and strength of a company. Thus, the Growth Style Score analyzes characteristics like projected and historic earnings, sales, and cash flow to find stocks that will see sustainable growth over time. Momentum Score Momentum trading is all about taking advantage of upward or downward trends in a stock's price or earnings outlook, and these investors live by the saying ""the trend is your friend."" The Momentum Style Score can pinpoint good times to build a position in a stock, using factors like one-week price change and the monthly percentage change in earnings estimates. VGM Score If you want a combination of all three Style Scores, then the VGM Score will be your friend. It rates each stock on their combined weighted styles, helping you find the companies with the most attractive value, best growth forecast, and most promising momentum. It's also one of the best indicators to use with the Zacks Rank. How Style Scores Work with the Zacks Rank The Zacks Rank is a proprietary stock-rating model that harnesses the power of earnings estimate revisions, or changes to a company's earnings expectations, to help investors build a successful portfolio. #1 (Strong Buy) stocks have produced an unmatched +25.41% average annual return since 1988, which is more than double the S&P 500's performance over the same time frame. However, the Zacks Rank examines a ton of stocks, and there can be more than 200 companies with a Strong Buy rank, and another 600 with a #2 (Buy) rank, on any given day. With more than 800 top-rated stocks to choose from, it can certainly feel overwhelming to pick the ones that are right for you and your investing journey. That's where the Style Scores come in. To maximize your returns, you want to buy stocks with the highest probability of success. This means picking stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 or #2 that also have Style Scores of A or B. If you find yourself looking at stocks with a #3 (Hold) rank, make sure they have Scores of A or B as well to ensure as much upside potential as possible. As mentioned above, the Scores are designed to work with the Zacks Rank, so any change to a company's earnings outlook should be a deciding factor when picking which stocks to buy. For instance, a stock with a #4 (Sell) or #5 (Strong Sell) rating, even one that boasts Scores of A and B, still has a downward-trending earnings forecast, and a much greater likelihood its share price will decline as well. Thus, the more stocks you own with a #1 or #2 Rank and Scores of A or B, the better. Stock to Watch: Fastenal (FAST) Based in Winona, MN, Fastenal Company is a national wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies. The company distributes its products through more than 3,200 company-owned stores, mostly located in North America. FAST is a #2 (Buy) on the Zacks Rank, with a VGM Score of B. Momentum investors should take note of this Retail-Wholesale stock. FAST has a Momentum Style Score of B, and shares are up 7.1% over the past four weeks. For fiscal 2023, seven analysts revised their earnings estimate upwards in the last 60 days, and the Zacks Consensus Estimate has increased $0.02 to $2 per share. FAST boasts an average earnings surprise of 2.6%. With a solid Zacks Rank and top-tier Momentum and VGM Style Scores, FAST should be on investors' short list. Zacks Names #1 Semiconductor Stock It's only 1/9,000th the size of NVIDIA which skyrocketed more than +800% since we recommended it. NVIDIA is still strong, but our new top chip stock has much more room to boom. With strong earnings growth and an expanding customer base, it's positioned to feed the rampant demand for Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Internet of Things. Global semiconductor manufacturing is projected to explode from $452 billion in 2021 to $803 billion by 2028. See This Stock Now for Free >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-11-03,60.28,60.4582,59.675,59.8,
FAST,2023-11-06,59.32,59.32,58.23,58.72,"Beat the Market Like Zacks: Hilton, Fabrinet, Micron in Focus All of the three widely followed indexes closed out last week with big gains. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite, the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 6.6%, 5.9% and 5.1%, respectively. For the S&P 500 and Nasdaq, it was their biggest weekly gain since November 2022. For the Dow, the gain surpassed a high last seen in late October of 2022. Stock prices soared on rising hopes that the Fed is finally done with its interest rate hikes to get inflation under control. The jobs report on Friday showed that employers hired fewer workers last month than was expected and added further optimism to investors’ expectations from the Fed. The weakening of the labor market and rising unemployment should deter the central bank from raising the federal funds rate any further. Treasury yields coming down for four straight sessions in the week starting Tuesday also helped. The market is currently immersed in the “bad news is good news” mood. Last week, stocks rose on indications that the economy may be slowing down. Regardless of market conditions, we, here at Zacks, provide investors with unbiased guidance on how to beat the market. As usual, Zacks Research guided investors over the past three months with its time-tested methodologies. Given the prevailing market uncertainty, you may want to look at our feats to prepare better for your next action. Here are some of our key achievements: Hilton and Greystone Housing Surge Following Zacks Rank Upgrade Shares of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. HLT have gained 4.7% (versus the S&P 500’s 3.2% decrease) since it was upgraded to a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) on August 30. Another stock, Greystone Housing Impact Investors LP GHI, which was upgraded to a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) on September 1, has returned 3.4% (versus the S&P 500’s 3.4% decrease) since then. Zacks Rank, our short-term rating system, has earnings estimate revisions at its core. Empirical research shows a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and near-term stock price movements. A hypothetical portfolio of Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stocks returned +12.02% this year (through September 4th) vs. +18.2% for the S&P 500 index and +7.6% for the equal-weight S&P 500 index. The portfolio of Zacks Rank #1 stocks is an equal-weight portfolio, while the S&P 500 index is a market-cap-weighted index that has been notably distorted by the strong recent performance of mega-cap stocks. We are not trying to cherry-pick here. But since this Zacks Model portfolio, consisting of Zacks Rank #1 stocks, is an equal-weight portfolio, the equal-weight S&P 500 index is the appropriate benchmark for comparison. Looked at this way, this portfolio has outperformed the index this year. The Zacks Model Portfolio - consisting of Zacks Rank #1 stocks – has outperformed the S&P index by more than 13 percentage points since 1988 (Through September 4th, 2023, the Zacks # 1 Rank stocks has generated an annualized return of +24.17% since 1988 vs. +10.82% for the S&P 500 index).You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks Rank #1 stocks here >>> Check Hilton’s historical EPS and Sales here>>> Check Greystone Housing’s historical EPS and Sales here>>> Zacks Recommendation Upgrades Vistra and ProAssurance Higher Shares of Vistra Corp. VST and ProAssurance Corporation PRA have advanced 15.4% (versus the S&P 500’s 1.8% fall) and 3.6% (versus the S&P 500’s 0.9% fall) since their Zacks Recommendation was upgraded to Outperform on August 24 and August 22, respectively. While the Zacks Rank is our short-term rating system that is most effective over the one- to three-month holding horizon, the Zacks Recommendation aims to predict performance over the next 6 to 12 months. However, just like the Zacks Rank, the foundation for the Zacks Recommendation is trends in earnings estimate revisions. The Zacks Recommendation classifies stocks into three groups — Outperform, Neutral and Underperform. While these recommendations are determined quantitatively, our analysts have the flexibility to override them for the 1100+ stocks they closely follow based on their better judgment of factors such as valuation, industry conditions and management effectiveness than the quantitative model. To access our research reports with Zacks Recommendations for the 1100+ stocks we cover, click here>>> Zacks Focus List Stocks Micron, Adobe Shoot Up Shares of Micron Technology, Inc. MU, which belongs to the Zacks Focus List, have gained 10.9% over the past 12 weeks. The stock was added to the Focus List on December 27, 2016. Another Focus-List holding, Adobe Inc. ADBE, which was added to the portfolio on March 13, 2020, has returned 9.3% over the past 12 weeks. The S&P 500 has declined 2.3% over this period. The 50-stock Zacks Focus List model portfolio returned +22.3% in 2023 (through July 31st) vs. +20.6% for the S&P 500 index and +10.5% for the equal-weight S&P 500 index. In 2022, the portfolio produced -15.2% vs. the S&P 500 index’s -17.96%. Since 2004, the Focus List portfolio has produced an annualized return of +11.27% through July 31st, 2023. This compares to a +9.65% annualized return for the S&P 500 index in the same time period. On a rolling one-, three- and five-year bases, the Zacks Focus List returned +21.76%, +16.33%, and +12.54% vs. +12.99%, +13.71% and +12.19% for the S&P 500 index, respectively. Unlock all of our powerful research, tools and analysis, including the Focus List, Zacks #1 Rank List, Equity Research Reports, Zacks Earnings ESP Filter, Premium Screener and more, as part of Zacks Premium. Gain full access now >> Zacks ECAP Stocks Fair Isaac and Check Point Software Make Significant Gains Fair Isaac Corporation FICO, a component of our Earnings Certain Admiral Portfolio (ECAP), has jumped 8.3% over the past 12 weeks. Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. CHKP has followed Fair Isaac with 5.3% returns. ECAP, which consists of 30 concentrated, ultra-defensive, long-term Buy and Hold stocks, has returned +6.67% in 2023 (through June 30) versus +16.90% for the S&P 500 Index. The portfolio returned -4.7% in 2022 versus the S&P 500 Index’s -17.96%. With little to no turnover and annual rebalance periodicity, the ECAP seeks to minimize capital loss by holding shares of companies whose earnings streams exhibit a proven 20+ year track record of surviving recessionary periods with minimal impact on aggregate earnings growth relative to the overall S&P 500. The ECAP and many other model portfolios are available as part of Zacks Advisor Tools, a cloud-based solution to access Zacks award-winning stock, mutual fund and ETF research. Click here to schedule a demo. Zacks ECDP Stocks Fastenal and American Tower Outperform Peers Fastenal Company FAST, which is part of our Earnings Certain Dividend Portfolio (ECDP), has returned 5.3% over the past 12 weeks. Another ECDP stock, American Tower Corporation AMT, has climbed 1.9% over the same time frame. Of course, the inclination of investors toward quality dividend stocks to secure an income stream amid heightened market volatility contributed to this performance. Check Fastenal’s dividend history here>>> Check American Tower’s dividend history here>>> With an extremely low Beta and a history of minimum earnings variability over the last 20+ years, this 25-stock portfolio helps significantly mitigate risk. ECDP has returned +0.18% in 2023 (through June 30) versus +16.90% for the S&P 500 Index. The portfolio returned -2.3% in 2022 versus -17.96% for the S&P 500 Index and -8.34% for the ProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF NOBL. Click here to access this portfolio on Zacks Advisor Tools. Zacks Top 10 Stocks — Fabrinet Delivers Solid Returns Fabrinet FN, from the Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2023, has gained 26.8% year to date, which compares to a 14.9% gain for the S&P 500 Index. The portfolio returned +16.16% through the end of July 2023 vs. +20.64% for the S&P 500 index and +10.73% for the equal-weighted version of the index. The portfolio returned -15.8% in 2022 vs. -18.1% for the S&P 500 index. Since 2012, the Top 10 portfolio has generated an annualized return of +22.78% vs. +13.65% for the S&P 500 index. Since the start of 2012 through July 31, 2023, the Zacks Top 10 Stocks have produced a cumulative return of +977.47% vs. +340.35% cumulative return for the S&P 500 index. Zacks Reveals ChatGPT ""Sleeper"" Stock One little-known company is at the heart of an especially brilliant Artificial Intelligence sector. By 2030, the AI industry is predicted to have an internet and iPhone-scale economic impact of $15.7 Trillion. As a service to readers, Zacks is providing a bonus report that names and explains this explosive growth stock and 4 other ""must buys."" Plus more. Download Free ChatGPT Stock Report Right Now >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report American Tower Corporation (AMT) : Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. (CHKP) : Free Stock Analysis Report Micron Technology, Inc. (MU) : Free Stock Analysis Report ProAssurance Corporation (PRA) : Free Stock Analysis Report Adobe Inc. (ADBE) : Free Stock Analysis Report Fair Isaac Corporation (FICO) : Free Stock Analysis Report Fabrinet (FN) : Free Stock Analysis Report Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (HLT) : Free Stock Analysis Report ProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF (NOBL): ETF Research Reports Vistra Corp. (VST) : Free Stock Analysis Report Greystone Housing Impact Investors LP (GHI) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-11-07,58.56,59.215,58.28,59.02,"FAST Quantitative Stock Analysis Below is Validea's guru fundamental report for FASTENAL CO (FAST). Of the 22 guru strategies we follow, FAST rates highest using our Multi-Factor Investor model based on the published strategy of Pim van Vliet. This multi-factor model seeks low volatility stocks that also have strong momentum and high net payout yields. FASTENAL CO (FAST) is a large-cap growth stock in the Misc. Fabricated Products industry. The rating using this strategy is 81% based on the firm’s underlying fundamentals and the stock’s valuation. A score of 80% or above typically indicates that the strategy has some interest in the stock and a score above 90% typically indicates strong interest. The following table summarizes whether the stock meets each of this strategy's tests. Not all criteria in the below table receive equal weighting or are independent, but the table provides a brief overview of the strong and weak points of the security in the context of the strategy's criteria. MARKET CAP: PASS STANDARD DEVIATION: PASS TWELVE MINUS ONE MOMENTUM: NEUTRAL NET PAYOUT YIELD: NEUTRAL FINAL RANK: FAIL Detailed Analysis of FASTENAL CO FAST Guru Analysis FAST Fundamental Analysis More Information on Pim van Vliet Pim van Vliet Portfolio About Pim van Vliet: In investing, you typically need to take more risk to get more return. There is one major exception to this in the factor investing world, though. Low volatility stocks have been proven to outperform their high volatility counterparts, and do so with less risk. Pim van Vliet is the head of Conservative Equities at Robeco Asset Management. His research into conservative factor investing led to the creation of this strategy and the publication of the book ""High Returns From Low Risk: A Remarkable Stock Market Paradox"". Van Vliet holds a PhD in Financial and Business Economics from Erasmus University Rotterdam. Additional Research Links Top NASDAQ 100 Stocks Factor-Based ETF Portfolios Harry Browne Permanent Portfolio Ray Dalio All Weather Portfolio High Shareholder Yield Stocks About Validea: Validea is aninvestment researchservice that follows the published strategies of investment legends. Validea offers both stock analysis and model portfolios based on gurus who have outperformed the market over the long-term, including Warren Buffett, Benjamin Graham, Peter Lynch and Martin Zweig. For more information about Validea, click here The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-11-08,59.28,59.6,59.0017,59.26,"If You Invested $1000 in Fastenal a Decade Ago, This is How Much It'd Be Worth Now For most investors, how much a stock's price changes over time is important. Not only can it impact your investment portfolio, but it can also help you compare investment results across sectors and industries. Another factor that can influence investors is FOMO, or the fear of missing out, especially with tech giants and popular consumer-facing stocks. What if you'd invested in Fastenal (FAST) ten years ago? It may not have been easy to hold on to FAST for all that time, but if you did, how much would your investment be worth today? Fastenal's Business In-Depth With that in mind, let's take a look at Fastenal's main business drivers. Based in Winona, MN, Fastenal Company is a national wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies. The company distributes its products through more than 3,200 company-owned stores, mostly located in North America. Fastenal derives sales from the fastener product line and the other product line. The fastener product line comprises two kinds of products, threaded fasteners and miscellaneous industrial and construction supplies and hardware. Threaded fasteners include products like bolts, nuts, screws, studs and related washers, while miscellaneous industrial and construction supplies and hardware include various pins and machinery keys, concrete anchors, metal framing systems, wire rope, strut, rivets and related accessories. Threaded fasteners are used in most manufactured products and building projects, and for the maintenance and repair of machines and structures. The other product line includes tools, cutting tools, material handling, janitorial, electrical, safety and welding supplies and many more. Fastenal mainly serves customers in the manufacturing and non-residential construction markets. In the manufacturing market, its customers include original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and maintenance and repair operations (MRO), while in the non-residential construction market, it serves general, electrical, plumbing, sheet metal and road contractors. Fastenal ended third-quarter 2023 with cash and cash equivalents of $297.5 million, up from $230.1 million at 2022-end. Solid cash flow enabled FAST to lower debt in the quarter. Total debt was $260 million at the end of third-quarter 2023, or 7% of total capital. This compares to $555 million, or 14.9% of total capital, in the year-ago period. Bottom Line Putting together a successful investment portfolio takes a combination of research, patience, and a little bit of risk. For Fastenal, if you bought shares a decade ago, you're likely feeling really good about your investment today. According to our calculations, a $1000 investment made in November 2013 would be worth $2,539.04, or a 153.90% gain, as of November 8, 2023. Investors should keep in mind that this return excludes dividends but includes price appreciation. Compare this to the S&P 500's rally of 150.60% and gold's return of 46.92% over the same time frame. Going forward, analysts are expecting more upside for FAST. Fastenal reported third-quarter 2023 results, with earnings surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate but net sales missing the same. Both the top and bottom lines increased on a year-over-year basis. The upside was backed by daily sales growth, reasonable expense control and lower net interest expense. Also, growth at Onsite locations, with active sites increasing 13.5% in the reported quarter, added to the uptrend. Moreover, the company’s cost-control initiatives and focus on FAST Solutions bode well. Shares of the company have outperformed its industry in the past year. However, higher occupancy-related expenses and stretched valuation are concerns. Earnings estimates for 2023 have remained unchanged in the past 30 days, limiting the stock's upside potential. The stock has jumped 5.68% over the past four weeks. Additionally, no earnings estimate has gone lower in the past two months, compared to 7 higher, for fiscal 2023; the consensus estimate has moved up as well. 5 Stocks Set to Double Each was handpicked by a Zacks expert as the #1 favorite stock to gain +100% or more in 2023. Previous recommendations have soared +143.0%, +175.9%, +498.3% and +673.0%. Most of the stocks in this report are flying under Wall Street radar, which provides a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor. Today, See These 5 Potential Home Runs >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-11-09,59.6,59.755,59.04,59.13,
FAST,2023-11-10,59.52,60.05,59.35,60.01,
FAST,2023-11-13,59.91,60.19,59.535,59.64,
FAST,2023-11-14,60.24,61.1,60.07,61.0,
FAST,2023-11-15,61.1,61.25,60.03,60.11,"Are Retail-Wholesale Stocks Lagging Deckers Outdoor (DECK) This Year? Investors interested in Retail-Wholesale stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Is Deckers (DECK) one of those stocks right now? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out. Deckers is one of 221 individual stocks in the Retail-Wholesale sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #7 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank includes 16 different groups and is listed in order from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors. The Zacks Rank is a successful stock-picking model that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions. The system highlights a number of different stocks that could be poised to outperform the broader market over the next one to three months. Deckers is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy). Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for DECK's full-year earnings has moved 4.4% higher. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend. Based on the latest available data, DECK has gained about 57.9% so far this year. At the same time, Retail-Wholesale stocks have gained an average of 19.8%. This means that Deckers is outperforming the sector as a whole this year. Fastenal (FAST) is another Retail-Wholesale stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year. Since the beginning of the year, the stock has returned 28.9%. The consensus estimate for Fastenal's current year EPS has increased 1.1% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Looking more specifically, Deckers belongs to the Retail - Apparel and Shoes industry, a group that includes 43 individual stocks and currently sits at #158 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has gained an average of 7.2% so far this year, meaning that DECK is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns. Fastenal, however, belongs to the Building Products - Retail industry. Currently, this 8-stock industry is ranked #185. The industry has moved +4.5% so far this year. Deckers and Fastenal could continue their solid performance, so investors interested in Retail-Wholesale stocks should continue to pay close attention to these stocks. 5 Stocks Set to Double Each was handpicked by a Zacks expert as the #1 favorite stock to gain +100% or more in 2023. Previous recommendations have soared +143.0%, +175.9%, +498.3% and +673.0%. Most of the stocks in this report are flying under Wall Street radar, which provides a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor. Today, See These 5 Potential Home Runs >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Deckers Outdoor Corporation (DECK) : Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-11-16,60.3909,60.855,60.22,60.66,
FAST,2023-11-17,60.88,60.95,60.54,60.75,
FAST,2023-11-20,60.7,61.075,60.31,60.92,"Beat the Market the Zacks Way: Uber, American Tower, Intuit in Focus All of the three widely followed indexes closed out last week with gains. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite, the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 2.4%, 2.2% and 1.9%, respectively, marking three straight weeks of gains. For the S&P 500 and the Dow, it was their longest weekly gaining streak since July. For the Nasdaq, it marked the longest winning streak since June. Thanks to the gradual decline in gasoline prices, the consumer price index numbers for October came in cooler than expected. This could convince the Fed that no further rate hikes are required. In recent weeks, investors are shrugging off hawkish comments coming in from Fed officials, believing that the economy may have reached the end of the rate-hike cycle. The consumer-side inflation numbers only fuel that sentiment further. Treasury yields have also been coming down from the 16-year highs seen a few weeks ago, boosting investor morale. On Friday, the U.S 10-Year Treasury Note yielded its lowest in about two months. Regardless of market conditions, we, here at Zacks, provide investors with unbiased guidance on how to beat the market. As usual, Zacks Research guided investors over the past three months with its time-tested methodologies. Given the prevailing market uncertainty, you may want to look at our feats to prepare better for your next action. Here are some of our key achievements: eGain and Ferguson Surge Following Zacks Rank Upgrade Shares of eGain Corporation EGAN have gained 13.9% (versus the S&P 500’s 1.3% increase) since it was upgraded to a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) on September 20. Another stock, Ferguson plc FERG, which was upgraded to a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) also on September 20, has returned 8.1% (versus the S&P 500’s 1.3% increase) since then. Zacks Rank, our short-term rating system, has earnings estimate revisions at its core. Empirical research shows a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and near-term stock price movements. A hypothetical portfolio of Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stocks returned +12.02% this year (through September 4th) vs. +18.2% for the S&P 500 index and +7.6% for the equal-weight S&P 500 index. The portfolio of Zacks Rank #1 stocks is an equal-weight portfolio, while the S&P 500 index is a market-cap-weighted index that has been notably distorted by the strong recent performance of mega-cap stocks. We are not trying to cherry-pick here. But since this Zacks Model portfolio, consisting of Zacks Rank #1 stocks, is an equal-weight portfolio, the equal-weight S&P 500 index is the appropriate benchmark for comparison. Looked at this way, this portfolio has outperformed the index this year. The Zacks Model Portfolio - consisting of Zacks Rank #1 stocks – has outperformed the S&P index by more than 13 percentage points since 1988 (Through September 4th, 2023, the Zacks # 1 Rank stocks has generated an annualized return of +24.17% since 1988 vs. +10.82% for the S&P 500 index).You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks Rank #1 stocks here >>> Check eGain’s historical EPS and Sales here>>> Check Ferguson’s historical EPS and Sales here>>> Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Zacks Recommendation Upgrades Installed Building Products and G-III Apparel Higher Shares of Installed Building Products, Inc. IBP and G-III Apparel Group, Ltd. GIII have advanced 15.8% (versus the S&P 500’s 4.3% rise) and 11.8% (versus the S&P 500’s 1% rise) since their Zacks Recommendation was upgraded to Outperform on September 25 and September 19, respectively. While the Zacks Rank is our short-term rating system that is most effective over the one- to three-month holding horizon, the Zacks Recommendation aims to predict performance over the next 6 to 12 months. However, just like the Zacks Rank, the foundation for the Zacks Recommendation is trends in earnings estimate revisions. The Zacks Recommendation classifies stocks into three groups — Outperform, Neutral and Underperform. While these recommendations are determined quantitatively, our analysts have the flexibility to override them for the 1100+ stocks they closely follow based on their better judgment of factors such as valuation, industry conditions and management effectiveness than the quantitative model. To access our research reports with Zacks Recommendations for the 1100+ stocks we cover, click here>>> Zacks Focus List Stocks Shopify, Uber Shoot Up Shares of Shopify Inc. SHOP, which belongs to the Zacks Focus List, have gained 23.2% over the past 12 weeks. The stock was added to the Focus List on September 6, 2022. Another Focus-List holding, Uber Technologies, Inc. UBER, which was added to the portfolio on August 16, 2019, has returned 21.8% over the past 12 weeks. The S&P 500 has advanced 3.2% over this period. The 50-stock Zacks Focus List model portfolio returned +22.3% in 2023 (through July 31st) vs. +20.6% for the S&P 500 index and +10.5% for the equal-weight S&P 500 index. In 2022, the portfolio produced -15.2% vs. the S&P 500 index’s -17.96%. Since 2004, the Focus List portfolio has produced an annualized return of +11.27% through July 31st, 2023. This compares to a +9.65% annualized return for the S&P 500 index in the same time period. On a rolling one-, three- and five-year bases, the Zacks Focus List returned +21.76%, +16.33%, and +12.54% vs. +12.99%, +13.71% and +12.19% for the S&P 500 index, respectively. Unlock all of our powerful research, tools and analysis, including the Focus List, Zacks #1 Rank List, Equity Research Reports, Zacks Earnings ESP Filter, Premium Screener and more, as part of Zacks Premium. Gain full access now >> Zacks ECAP Stocks Fair Isaac and Intuit Make Significant Gains Fair Isaac Corporation FICO, a component of our Earnings Certain Admiral Portfolio (ECAP), has jumped 23.1% over the past 12 weeks. Intuit Inc. INTU has followed Fair Isaac with 12.4% returns. ECAP, which consists of 30 concentrated, ultra-defensive, long-term Buy-and-Hold stocks, has returned +6.67% in 2023 (through June 30) versus +16.90% for the S&P 500 Index. The portfolio returned -4.7% in 2022 versus the S&P 500 Index’s -17.96%. With little to no turnover and annual rebalance periodicity, the ECAP seeks to minimize capital loss by holding shares of companies whose earnings streams exhibit a proven 20+ year track record of surviving recessionary periods with minimal impact on aggregate earnings growth relative to the overall S&P 500. The ECAP and many other model portfolios are available as part of Zacks Advisor Tools, a cloud-based solution to access Zacks award-winning stock, mutual fund and ETF research. Click here to schedule a demo. Zacks ECDP Stocks American Tower and Fastenal Outperform Peers American Tower Corporation AMT, which is part of our Earnings Certain Dividend Portfolio (ECDP), has returned 11.6% over the past 12 weeks. Another ECDP stock, Fastenal Company FAST, has climbed 7.6% over the same time frame. Of course, the inclination of investors toward quality dividend stocks to secure an income stream amid heightened market volatility contributed to this performance. Check American Tower’s dividend history here>>> Check Fastenal’s dividend history here>>> With an extremely low Beta and a history of minimum earnings variability over the last 20+ years, this 25-stock portfolio helps significantly mitigate risk. ECDP has returned +0.18% in 2023 (through June 30) versus +16.90% for the S&P 500 Index. The portfolio returned -2.3% in 2022 versus -17.96% for the S&P 500 Index and -8.34% for the ProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF NOBL. Click here to access this portfolio on Zacks Advisor Tools. Zacks Top 10 Stocks — Fabrinet Delivers Solid Returns Fabrinet FN, from the Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2023, has surged 33.5% year to date, which compares to a 19% gain for the S&P 500 Index. The portfolio returned +16.16% through the end of July 2023 vs. +20.64% for the S&P 500 index and +10.73% for the equal-weighted version of the index. The portfolio returned -15.8% in 2022 vs. -18.1% for the S&P 500 index. Since 2012, the Top 10 portfolio has generated an annualized return of +22.78% vs. +13.65% for the S&P 500 index. Since the start of 2012 through July 31, 2023, the Zacks Top 10 Stocks have produced a cumulative return of +977.47% vs. +340.35% cumulative return for the S&P 500 index. Zacks Names ""Single Best Pick to Double"" From thousands of stocks, 5 Zacks experts each have chosen their favorite to skyrocket +100% or more in months to come. From those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all. It’s credited with a “watershed medical breakthrough” and is developing a bustling pipeline of other projects that could make a world of difference for patients suffering from diseases involving the liver, lungs, and blood. This is a timely investment that you can catch while it emerges from its bear market lows. It could rival or surpass other recent Stocks Set to Double like Boston Beer Company which shot up +143.0% in little more than 9 months and NVIDIA which boomed +175.9% in one year. Free: See Our Top Stock And 4 Runners Up Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report American Tower Corporation (AMT) : Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report Intuit Inc. (INTU) : Free Stock Analysis Report G-III Apparel Group, LTD. (GIII) : Free Stock Analysis Report Fair Isaac Corporation (FICO) : Free Stock Analysis Report Fabrinet (FN) : Free Stock Analysis Report eGain Corporation (EGAN) : Free Stock Analysis Report Installed Building Products, Inc. (IBP) : Free Stock Analysis Report Shopify Inc. (SHOP) : Free Stock Analysis Report ProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF (NOBL): ETF Research Reports Uber Technologies, Inc. (UBER) : Free Stock Analysis Report Ferguson plc (FERG) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-11-21,60.98,61.02,60.645,60.7,"Why Fastenal (FAST) is a Top Momentum Stock for the Long-Term For new and old investors, taking full advantage of the stock market and investing with confidence are common goals. Zacks Premium provides lots of different ways to do both. Featuring daily updates of the Zacks Rank and Zacks Industry Rank, full access to the Zacks #1 Rank List, Equity Research reports, and Premium stock screens, the research service can help you become a smarter, more self-assured investor. Zacks Premium includes access to the Zacks Style Scores as well. What are the Zacks Style Scores? The Zacks Style Scores is a unique set of guidelines that rates stocks based on three popular investing types, and were developed as complementary indicators for the Zacks Rank. This combination helps investors choose securities with the highest chances of beating the market over the next 30 days. Each stock is given an alphabetic rating of A, B, C, D or F based on their value, growth, and momentum qualities. With this system, an A is better than a B, a B is better than a C, and so on, meaning the better the score, the better chance the stock will outperform. The Style Scores are broken down into four categories: Value Score Finding good stocks at good prices, and discovering which companies are trading under their true value, are what value investors like to focus on. So, the Value Style Score takes into account ratios like P/E, PEG, Price/Sales, Price/Cash Flow, and a host of other multiples to highlight the most attractive and discounted stocks. Growth Score Growth investors are more concerned with a stock's future prospects, and the overall financial health and strength of a company. Thus, the Growth Style Score analyzes characteristics like projected and historic earnings, sales, and cash flow to find stocks that will see sustainable growth over time. Momentum Score Momentum trading is all about taking advantage of upward or downward trends in a stock's price or earnings outlook, and these investors live by the saying ""the trend is your friend."" The Momentum Style Score can pinpoint good times to build a position in a stock, using factors like one-week price change and the monthly percentage change in earnings estimates. VGM Score What if you like to use all three types of investing? The VGM Score is a combination of all Style Scores, making it one of the most comprehensive indicators to use with the Zacks Rank. It rates each stock on their combined weighted styles, which helps narrow down the companies with the most attractive value, best growth forecast, and most promising momentum. How Style Scores Work with the Zacks Rank The Zacks Rank is a proprietary stock-rating model that harnesses the power of earnings estimate revisions, or changes to a company's earnings expectations, to help investors build a successful portfolio. #1 (Strong Buy) stocks have produced an unmatched +25.41% average annual return since 1988, which is more than double the S&P 500's performance over the same time frame. However, the Zacks Rank examines a ton of stocks, and there can be more than 200 companies with a Strong Buy rank, and another 600 with a #2 (Buy) rank, on any given day. This totals more than 800 top-rated stocks, and it can be overwhelming to try and pick the best stocks for you and your portfolio. That's where the Style Scores come in. To maximize your returns, you want to buy stocks with the highest probability of success. This means picking stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 or #2 that also have Style Scores of A or B. If you find yourself looking at stocks with a #3 (Hold) rank, make sure they have Scores of A or B as well to ensure as much upside potential as possible. The direction of a stock's earnings estimate revisions should always be a key factor when choosing which stocks to buy, since the Scores were created to work together with the Zacks Rank. Here's an example: a stock with a #4 (Sell) or #5 (Strong Sell) rating, even one with Style Scores of A and B, still has a downward-trending earnings outlook, and a bigger chance its share price will decrease too. Thus, the more stocks you own with a #1 or #2 Rank and Scores of A or B, the better. Stock to Watch: Fastenal (FAST) Based in Winona, MN, Fastenal Company is a national wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies. The company distributes its products through more than 3,200 company-owned stores, mostly located in North America. FAST is a #3 (Hold) on the Zacks Rank, with a VGM Score of B. Momentum investors should take note of this Retail-Wholesale stock. FAST has a Momentum Style Score of B, and shares are up 6.2% over the past four weeks. Eight analysts revised their earnings estimate upwards in the last 60 days for fiscal 2023. The Zacks Consensus Estimate has increased $0.02 to $2 per share. FAST boasts an average earnings surprise of 2.6%. With a solid Zacks Rank and top-tier Momentum and VGM Style Scores, FAST should be on investors' short list. Top 5 ChatGPT Stocks Revealed Zacks Senior Stock Strategist, Kevin Cook names 5 hand-picked stocks with sky-high growth potential in a brilliant sector of Artificial Intelligence. By 2030, the AI industry is predicted to have an internet and iPhone-scale economic impact of $15.7 Trillion. Today you can invest in the wave of the future, an automation that answers follow-up questions … admits mistakes … challenges incorrect premises … rejects inappropriate requests. As one of the selected companies puts it, “Automation frees people from the mundane so they can accomplish the miraculous.” Download Free ChatGPT Stock Report Right Now >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-11-22,60.88,61.02,60.555,60.87,
FAST,2023-11-24,60.95,61.17,60.8252,60.96,"Fastenal (FAST) Beats Stock Market Upswing: What Investors Need to Know In the latest market close, Fastenal (FAST) reached $60.96, with a +0.15% movement compared to the previous day. The stock outperformed the S&P 500, which registered a daily gain of 0.06%. On the other hand, the Dow registered a gain of 0.33%, and the technology-centric Nasdaq decreased by 0.11%. Coming into today, shares of the maker of industrial and construction fasteners had gained 6.34% in the past month. In that same time, the Retail-Wholesale sector gained 9.34%, while the S&P 500 gained 8.22%. The investment community will be paying close attention to the earnings performance of Fastenal in its upcoming release. In that report, analysts expect Fastenal to post earnings of $0.45 per share. This would mark year-over-year growth of 4.65%. In the meantime, our current consensus estimate forecasts the revenue to be $1.75 billion, indicating a 2.96% growth compared to the corresponding quarter of the prior year. In terms of the entire fiscal year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates predict earnings of $2 per share and a revenue of $7.33 billion, indicating changes of +5.82% and +5.06%, respectively, from the former year. Additionally, investors should keep an eye on any recent revisions to analyst forecasts for Fastenal. These recent revisions tend to reflect the evolving nature of short-term business trends. Hence, positive alterations in estimates signify analyst optimism regarding the company's business and profitability. Empirical research indicates that these revisions in estimates have a direct correlation with impending stock price performance. Investors can capitalize on this by using the Zacks Rank. This model considers these estimate changes and provides a simple, actionable rating system. The Zacks Rank system, which varies between #1 (Strong Buy) and #5 (Strong Sell), carries an impressive track record of exceeding expectations, confirmed by external audits, with stocks at #1 delivering an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the last 30 days, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 0.22% higher. Currently, Fastenal is carrying a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). In the context of valuation, Fastenal is at present trading with a Forward P/E ratio of 30.37. This denotes a premium relative to the industry's average Forward P/E of 11.2. Also, we should mention that FAST has a PEG ratio of 3.37. This popular metric is similar to the widely-known P/E ratio, with the difference being that the PEG ratio also takes into account the company's expected earnings growth rate. The average PEG ratio for the Building Products - Retail industry stood at 1.9 at the close of the market yesterday. The Building Products - Retail industry is part of the Retail-Wholesale sector. At present, this industry carries a Zacks Industry Rank of 209, placing it within the bottom 18% of over 250 industries. The strength of our individual industry groups is measured by the Zacks Industry Rank, which is calculated based on the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within these groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1. Be sure to use Zacks.com to monitor all these stock-influencing metrics, and more, throughout the forthcoming trading sessions. Zacks Names ""Single Best Pick to Double"" From thousands of stocks, 5 Zacks experts each have chosen their favorite to skyrocket +100% or more in months to come. From those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all. It’s a little-known chemical company that’s up 65% over last year, yet still dirt cheap. With unrelenting demand, soaring 2022 earnings estimates, and $1.5 billion for repurchasing shares, retail investors could jump in at any time. This company could rival or surpass other recent Zacks’ Stocks Set to Double like Boston Beer Company which shot up +143.0% in little more than 9 months and NVIDIA which boomed +175.9% in one year. Free: See Our Top Stock and 4 Runners Up >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-11-27,60.67,61.045,60.6,60.95,"Here's Why Fastenal (FAST) is a Strong Growth Stock Taking full advantage of the stock market and investing with confidence are common goals for new and old investors, and Zacks Premium offers many different ways to do both. Featuring daily updates of the Zacks Rank and Zacks Industry Rank, full access to the Zacks #1 Rank List, Equity Research reports, and Premium stock screens, the research service can help you become a smarter, more self-assured investor. It also includes access to the Zacks Style Scores. What are the Zacks Style Scores? The Zacks Style Scores, developed alongside the Zacks Rank, are complementary indicators that rate stocks based on three widely-followed investing methodologies; they also help investors pick stocks with the best chances of beating the market over the next 30 days. Each stock is given an alphabetic rating of A, B, C, D or F based on their value, growth, and momentum qualities. With this system, an A is better than a B, a B is better than a C, and so on, meaning the better the score, the better chance the stock will outperform. The Style Scores are broken down into four categories: Value Score For value investors, it's all about finding good stocks at good prices, and discovering which companies are trading under their true value before the broader market catches on. The Value Style Score utilizes ratios like P/E, PEG, Price/Sales, Price/Cash Flow, and a host of other multiples to help pick out the most attractive and discounted stocks. Growth Score Growth investors, on the other hand, are more concerned with a company's financial strength and health, and its future outlook. The Growth Style Score examines things like projected and historic earnings, sales, and cash flow to find stocks that will experience sustainable growth over time. Momentum Score Momentum trading is all about taking advantage of upward or downward trends in a stock's price or earnings outlook, and these investors live by the saying ""the trend is your friend."" The Momentum Style Score can pinpoint good times to build a position in a stock, using factors like one-week price change and the monthly percentage change in earnings estimates. VGM Score If you want a combination of all three Style Scores, then the VGM Score will be your friend. It rates each stock on their combined weighted styles, helping you find the companies with the most attractive value, best growth forecast, and most promising momentum. It's also one of the best indicators to use with the Zacks Rank. How Style Scores Work with the Zacks Rank A proprietary stock-rating model, the Zacks Rank utilizes the power of earnings estimate revisions, or changes to a company's earnings outlook, to help investors create a successful portfolio. Investors can count on the Zacks Rank's success, with #1 (Strong Buy) stocks producing an unmatched +25.41% average annual return since 1988, more than double the S&P 500's performance. But the model rates a large number of stocks, and there are over 200 companies with a Strong Buy rank, plus another 600 with a #2 (Buy) rank, on any given day. With more than 800 top-rated stocks to choose from, it can certainly feel overwhelming to pick the ones that are right for you and your investing journey. That's where the Style Scores come in. To have the best chance of big returns, you'll want to always consider stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 or #2 that also have Style Scores of A or B, which will give you the highest probability of success. If you're looking at stocks with a #3 (Hold) rank, it's important they have Scores of A or B as well to ensure as much upside potential as possible. Since the Scores were created to work together with the Zacks Rank, the direction of a stock's earnings estimate revisions should be a key factor when choosing which stocks to buy. For instance, a stock with a #4 (Sell) or #5 (Strong Sell) rating, even one that boasts Scores of A and B, still has a downward-trending earnings forecast, and a much greater likelihood its share price will decline as well. Thus, the more stocks you own with a #1 or #2 Rank and Scores of A or B, the better. Stock to Watch: Fastenal (FAST) Based in Winona, MN, Fastenal Company is a national wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies. The company distributes its products through more than 3,200 company-owned stores, mostly located in North America. FAST is a #3 (Hold) on the Zacks Rank, with a VGM Score of B. Additionally, the company could be a top pick for growth investors. FAST has a Growth Style Score of A, forecasting year-over-year earnings growth of 5.8% for the current fiscal year. For fiscal 2023, eight analysts revised their earnings estimate upwards in the last 60 days, and the Zacks Consensus Estimate has increased $0.02 to $2 per share. FAST boasts an average earnings surprise of 2.6%. With a solid Zacks Rank and top-tier Growth and VGM Style Scores, FAST should be on investors' short list. Zacks Names #1 Semiconductor Stock It's only 1/9,000th the size of NVIDIA which skyrocketed more than +800% since we recommended it. NVIDIA is still strong, but our new top chip stock has much more room to boom. With strong earnings growth and an expanding customer base, it's positioned to feed the rampant demand for Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Internet of Things. Global semiconductor manufacturing is projected to explode from $452 billion in 2021 to $803 billion by 2028. See This Stock Now for Free >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-11-28,60.83,60.965,59.83,59.9,
FAST,2023-11-29,60.13,60.4,59.465,59.64,
FAST,2023-11-30,59.985,60.17,59.49,59.97,"Fastenal (FAST) Surpasses Market Returns: Some Facts Worth Knowing The latest trading session saw Fastenal (FAST) ending at $59.97, denoting a +0.55% adjustment from its last day's close. The stock outpaced the S&P 500's daily gain of 0.38%. Elsewhere, the Dow gained 1.47%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq lost 0.23%. Heading into today, shares of the maker of industrial and construction fasteners had gained 1.24% over the past month, lagging the Retail-Wholesale sector's gain of 9.93% and the S&P 500's gain of 10.72% in that time. Investors will be eagerly watching for the performance of Fastenal in its upcoming earnings disclosure. The company is forecasted to report an EPS of $0.45, showcasing a 4.65% upward movement from the corresponding quarter of the prior year. Our most recent consensus estimate is calling for quarterly revenue of $1.75 billion, up 2.96% from the year-ago period. For the full year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates project earnings of $2 per share and a revenue of $7.33 billion, demonstrating changes of +5.82% and +5.06%, respectively, from the preceding year. Investors should also take note of any recent adjustments to analyst estimates for Fastenal. These recent revisions tend to reflect the evolving nature of short-term business trends. With this in mind, we can consider positive estimate revisions a sign of optimism about the company's business outlook. Empirical research indicates that these revisions in estimates have a direct correlation with impending stock price performance. To benefit from this, we have developed the Zacks Rank, a proprietary model which takes these estimate changes into account and provides an actionable rating system. Ranging from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), the Zacks Rank system has a proven, outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks returning an average of +25% annually since 1988. Within the past 30 days, our consensus EPS projection has moved 0.11% higher. Fastenal is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). In terms of valuation, Fastenal is presently being traded at a Forward P/E ratio of 29.75. This signifies a premium in comparison to the average Forward P/E of 10.86 for its industry. One should further note that FAST currently holds a PEG ratio of 3.31. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. The Building Products - Retail was holding an average PEG ratio of 1.89 at yesterday's closing price. The Building Products - Retail industry is part of the Retail-Wholesale sector. This industry currently has a Zacks Industry Rank of 210, which puts it in the bottom 17% of all 250+ industries. The Zacks Industry Rank is ordered from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1. Be sure to use Zacks.com to monitor all these stock-influencing metrics, and more, throughout the forthcoming trading sessions. Only $1 to See All Zacks' Buys and Sells We're not kidding. Several years ago, we shocked our members by offering them 30-day access to all our picks for the total sum of only $1. No obligation to spend another cent. Thousands have taken advantage of this opportunity. Thousands did not - they thought there must be a catch. Yes, we do have a reason. We want you to get acquainted with our portfolio services likeSurprise Trader, Stocks Under $10, Technology Innovators,and more. They've already closed 162 positions with double- and triple-digit gains in 2023 alone. See Stocks Now >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-12-01,59.78,60.83,59.78,60.82,"A Bull Market Is Coming: 3 Stocks to Buy Without Any Hesitation If you are looking at thestock market todayand believe that it is about to break out into a new bull market (the criteria calls for a 20% advance from a bear low as well as hitting a new all-time high), then you might want to tilt your portfolio toward growth. There are a lot of ways to do that, but here are three stocks that you should strongly consider: NextEra Energy (NYSE: NEE), Rockwell Automation (NYSE: ROK), and Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST). Here's why. 1. NextEra is more than a simple utility Buying NextEra Energy is really like buying two companies in one. The foundation for the business is the company's regulated utility operation (about 70% of the company). It is fairly boring, selling power largely in the state of Florida via Florida Power & Light. Being regulated, it has a monopoly in the areas it serves, but it has to get the rates it charges and its spending plans approved by the government. Slow and steady is the general path. On top of that business, NextEra is building a clean energy operation (about 30% of the company). It is already one of the largest providers of solar and wind power on the planet. This business has roughly 34 gigawatts of power today and management believes it will roughly double that by 2026. The long-term success of this approach shows up in the utility's dividend. Although the yield isn't huge at roughly 3.25%, the annual payment has been increased every year for 29 years. The annualized rate of increase over the past decade was about 10%, which is significant for a utility. If you are expecting a bright future, this foundational stock is one you'll want to watch closely. 2. Rockwell helps companies get more efficient Rockwell Automation's name is fairly descriptive of what it does -- helping companies incorporate automation technology into their operations. This is valuable in both good markets and bad ones and during periods of economic growth and contraction. The company has a long history of success behind it, highlighted by a streak of 14 consecutive annual dividend increases, with the dividend growing at roughly 9% per year over the past decade. The yield is roughly 1.8%. But the real story here today is that Rockwell Automation appears attractively priced. The industrial company's price-to-earnings, price-to-sales, and price-to-book value ratios are all below their five-year averages. Recessions can be hard, as companies pull back on capital spending. But when the spigots open back up, Rockwell Automation should be a huge beneficiary as companies look to reign in costs by using technology. Investors are likely to reward the stock when that happens. 3. Fastenal is integral to its customers The last name to consider is Fastenal, which sells fasteners and tools to industrial companies. It has been a very good business over time, with 24 years of annual dividend increases behind it. The average annual increase over the past decade was around 13.5%. The yield today is around 2.3%. There's two factors to like here. First, the yield is toward the high end of the stock's historical yield range. While it wouldn't be appropriate to say the stock is cheap, it does seem fairly valued. The second thing to appreciate is that Fastenal has been working to integrate itself into its customers' supply chains. That includes things like installing tool and part vending machines inside of a company's factory to, effectively, take over a company's parts supply chain system. It is hard to extract Fastenal once it is inside a company like that. What's impressive here, though, is that Fastenal doesn't take its importance for granted. For example, it increased its own inventory levels during the supply chain upheaval caused by the coronavirus pandemic. That depressed Fastenal's results, but ensured its customers could count on it. That's the type of company you want to own in good markets and bad ones. Three different types of stocks NextEra Energy is a utility with a growth focus that can provide a foundation for your portfolio. Rockwell Automation is currently out of favor with investors, but when Wall Street gets bullish again the company's focus on helping customers get more efficient will likely draw increasing attention. And Fastenal is increasingly integrated into its customers' businesses in a way that makes it difficult to replace -- it does well when they do well. If you are expecting a bull market, you should probably take a look at all three today. 10 stocks we like better than Rockwell Automation When our analyst team has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.* They just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Rockwell Automation wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of November 27, 2023 Reuben Gregg Brewer has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends NextEra Energy. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-12-04,60.44,61.04,60.32,60.97,"[""Validea Detailed Fundamental Analysis - FAST Below is Validea's guru fundamental report for FASTENAL CO (FAST). Of the 22 guru strategies we follow, FAST rates highest using our Multi-Factor Investor model based on the published strategy of Pim van Vliet. This multi-factor model seeks low volatility stocks that also have strong momentum and high net payout yields. FASTENAL CO (FAST) is a large-cap growth stock in the Misc. Fabricated Products industry. The rating using this strategy is 87% based on the firm\u2019s underlying fundamentals and the stock\u2019s valuation. A score of 80% or above typically indicates that the strategy has some interest in the stock and a score above 90% typically indicates strong interest. The following table summarizes whether the stock meets each of this strategy's tests. Not all criteria in the below table receive equal weighting or are independent, but the table provides a brief overview of the strong and weak points of the security in the context of the strategy's criteria. MARKET CAP: PASS STANDARD DEVIATION: PASS TWELVE MINUS ONE MOMENTUM: NEUTRAL NET PAYOUT YIELD: NEUTRAL FINAL RANK: FAIL Detailed Analysis of FASTENAL CO FAST Guru Analysis FAST Fundamental Analysis More Information on Pim van Vliet Pim van Vliet Portfolio About Pim van Vliet: In investing, you typically need to take more risk to get more return. There is one major exception to this in the factor investing world, though. Low volatility stocks have been proven to outperform their high volatility counterparts, and do so with less risk. Pim van Vliet is the head of Conservative Equities at Robeco Asset Management. His research into conservative factor investing led to the creation of this strategy and the publication of the book \""High Returns From Low Risk: A Remarkable Stock Market Paradox\"". Van Vliet holds a PhD in Financial and Business Economics from Erasmus University Rotterdam. Additional Research Links Top Large-Cap Growth Stocks Factor-Based Stock Portfolios Dividend Aristocrats 2023 High Insider Ownership Stocks Top S&P 500 Stocks About Validea: Validea is aninvestment researchservice that follows the published strategies of investment legends. Validea offers both stock analysis and model portfolios based on gurus who have outperformed the market over the long-term, including Warren Buffett, Benjamin Graham, Peter Lynch and Martin Zweig. For more information about Validea, click here The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Take the Zacks Approach to Beat the Market: Pinterest, Uber, Fastenal in Focus Last Friday, all of the three widely followed indexes closed a fifth straight winning week. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite, the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 0.4%, 0.8% and 2.4%, respectively. On Thursday, the markets closed out a winning November after three straight months of losses. Weak economic data and inflation slowing down over the last few weeks have raised hope among investors that the Fed might have finally concluded its rate-hike cycle. The Fed\u2019s favorite inflation metric, PCE, also showed signs of slowing down last week, and third-quarter GDP was revised upward to lift investor mood. Dovish comments coming in from top Fed officials have suggested that the central bank will be extremely cautious before raising rates any further. In fact, Fed Chair Jerome Powell said that the risk of raising interest rates at the current juncture is too much. Market participants are getting into a usual Santa rally and are currently expecting interest rates to go down as early as the first half of 2024. Regardless of market conditions, we, here at Zacks, provide investors with unbiased guidance on how to beat the market. As usual, Zacks Research guided investors over the past three months with its time-tested methodologies. Given the prevailing market uncertainty, you may want to look at our feats to prepare better for your next action. Here are some of our key achievements: Pinterest and United Bankshares Surge Following Zacks Rank Upgrade Shares of Pinterest, Inc. PINS have gained 28.7% (versus the S&P 500\u2019s 6.7% increase) since it was upgraded to a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) on October 3. Another stock, United Bankshares, Inc. UBSI, which was upgraded to a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) on October 2, has returned 25.2% (versus the S&P 500\u2019s 6.6% increase) since then. Zacks Rank, our short-term rating system, has earnings estimate revisions at its core. Empirical research shows a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and near-term stock price movements. A hypothetical portfolio of Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stocks returned +12.02% this year (through September 4th) vs. +18.2% for the S&P 500 index and +7.6% for the equal-weight S&P 500 index. The portfolio of Zacks Rank #1 stocks is an equal-weight portfolio, while the S&P 500 index is a market-cap-weighted index that has been notably distorted by the strong recent performance of mega-cap stocks. We are not trying to cherry-pick here. But since this Zacks Model portfolio, consisting of Zacks Rank #1 stocks, is an equal-weight portfolio, the equal-weight S&P 500 index is the appropriate benchmark for comparison. Looked at this way, this portfolio has outperformed the index this year. The Zacks Model Portfolio - consisting of Zacks Rank #1 stocks \u2013 has outperformed the S&P index by more than 13 percentage points since 1988 (Through September 4th, 2023, the Zacks # 1 Rank stocks has generated an annualized return of +24.17% since 1988 vs. +10.82% for the S&P 500 index).You can see the complete list of today\u2019s Zacks Rank #1 stocks here >>> Check Pinterest\u2019s historical EPS and Sales here>>> Check United Bankshares\u2019 historical EPS and Sales here>>> Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Zacks Recommendation Upgrades Installed Inter and XPO Higher Shares of Inter & Co, Inc. INTR and XPO, Inc. XPO have advanced 24.5% (versus the S&P 500\u2019s 6.6% rise) and 21.3% (versus the S&P 500\u2019s 7.4% rise) since their Zacks Recommendation was upgraded to Outperform on October 2 and October 6, respectively. While the Zacks Rank is our short-term rating system that is most effective over the one- to three-month holding horizon, the Zacks Recommendation aims to predict performance over the next 6 to 12 months. However, just like the Zacks Rank, the foundation for the Zacks Recommendation is trends in earnings estimate revisions. The Zacks Recommendation classifies stocks into three groups \u2014 Outperform, Neutral and Underperform. While these recommendations are determined quantitatively, our analysts have the flexibility to override them for the 1100+ stocks they closely follow based on their better judgment of factors such as valuation, industry conditions and management effectiveness than the quantitative model. To access our research reports with Zacks Recommendations for the 1100+ stocks we cover, click here>>> Zacks Focus List Stocks Block, Uber Shoot Up Shares of Block, Inc. SQ, which belongs to the Zacks Focus List, have gained 22.5% over the past 12 weeks. The stock was added to the Focus List on March 28, 2017. Another Focus-List holding, Uber Technologies, Inc. UBER, which was added to the portfolio on August 16, 2019, has returned 21.4% over the past 12 weeks. The S&P 500 has advanced 3.1% over this period. The 50-stock Zacks Focus List model portfolio returned +22.3% in 2023 (through July 31st) vs. +20.6% for the S&P 500 index and +10.5% for the equal-weight S&P 500 index. In 2022, the portfolio produced -15.2% vs. the S&P 500 index\u2019s -17.96%. Since 2004, the Focus List portfolio has produced an annualized return of +11.27% through July 31st, 2023. This compares to a +9.65% annualized return for the S&P 500 index in the same time period. On a rolling one-, three- and five-year bases, the Zacks Focus List returned +21.76%, +16.33%, and +12.54% vs. +12.99%, +13.71% and +12.19% for the S&P 500 index, respectively. Unlock all of our powerful research, tools and analysis, including the Focus List, Zacks #1 Rank List, Equity Research Reports, Zacks Earnings ESP Filter, Premium Screener and more, as part of Zacks Premium. Gain full access now >> Zacks ECAP Stocks Fair Isaac and Rollins Make Significant Gains Fair Isaac Corporation FICO, a component of our Earnings Certain Admiral Portfolio (ECAP), has jumped 25.3% over the past 12 weeks. Rollins, Inc. ROL has followed Fair Isaac with 13.3% returns. ECAP, which consists of 30 concentrated, ultra-defensive, long-term Buy-and-Hold stocks, has returned +6.67% in 2023 (through June 30) versus +16.90% for the S&P 500 Index. The portfolio returned -4.7% in 2022 versus the S&P 500 Index\u2019s -17.96%. With little to no turnover and annual rebalance periodicity, the ECAP seeks to minimize capital loss by holding shares of companies whose earnings streams exhibit a proven 20+ year track record of surviving recessionary periods with minimal impact on aggregate earnings growth relative to the overall S&P 500. The ECAP and many other model portfolios are available as part of Zacks Advisor Tools, a cloud-based solution to access Zacks award-winning stock, mutual fund and ETF research. Click here to schedule a demo. Zacks ECDP Stocks American Tower and Fastenal Outperform Peers American Tower Corporation AMT, which is part of our Earnings Certain Dividend Portfolio (ECDP), has returned 16.4% over the past 12 weeks. Another ECDP stock, Fastenal Company FAST, has climbed 11.6% over the same time frame. Of course, the inclination of investors toward quality dividend stocks to secure an income stream amid heightened market volatility contributed to this performance. Check American Tower\u2019s dividend history here>>> Check Fastenal\u2019s dividend history here>>> With an extremely low Beta and a history of minimum earnings variability over the last 20+ years, this 25-stock portfolio helps significantly mitigate risk. ECDP has returned +0.18% in 2023 (through June 30) versus +16.90% for the S&P 500 Index. The portfolio returned -2.3% in 2022 versus -17.96% for the S&P 500 Index and -8.34% for the ProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF NOBL. Click here to access this portfolio on Zacks Advisor Tools. Zacks Top 10 Stocks \u2014 Celsius Delivers Solid Returns Celsius Holdings, Inc. CELH, from the Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2023, has surged 49.9% year to date, which compares to a 21.3% gain for the S&P 500 Index. The portfolio returned +16.16% through the end of July 2023 vs. +20.64% for the S&P 500 index and +10.73% for the equal-weighted version of the index. The portfolio returned -15.8% in 2022 vs. -18.1% for the S&P 500 index. Since 2012, the Top 10 portfolio has generated an annualized return of +22.78% vs. +13.65% for the S&P 500 index. Since the start of 2012 through July 31, 2023, the Zacks Top 10 Stocks have produced a cumulative return of +977.47% vs. +340.35% cumulative return for the S&P 500 index. Zacks Names \""Single Best Pick to Double\"" From thousands of stocks, 5 Zacks experts each have chosen their favorite to skyrocket +100% or more in months to come. From those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all. It\u2019s credited with a \u201cwatershed medical breakthrough\u201d and is developing a bustling pipeline of other projects that could make a world of difference for patients suffering from diseases involving the liver, lungs, and blood. This is a timely investment that you can catch while it emerges from its bear market lows. It could rival or surpass other recent Stocks Set to Double like Boston Beer Company which shot up +143.0% in little more than 9 months and NVIDIA which boomed +175.9% in one year. Free: See Our Top Stock And 4 Runners Up Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report American Tower Corporation (AMT) : Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report Fair Isaac Corporation (FICO) : Free Stock Analysis Report Rollins, Inc. (ROL) : Free Stock Analysis Report United Bankshares, Inc. (UBSI) : Free Stock Analysis Report XPO, Inc. (XPO) : Free Stock Analysis Report Block, Inc. (SQ) : Free Stock Analysis Report ProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF (NOBL): ETF Research Reports Celsius Holdings Inc. (CELH) : Free Stock Analysis Report Pinterest, Inc. (PINS) : Free Stock Analysis Report Uber Technologies, Inc. (UBER) : Free Stock Analysis Report Inter & Co. Inc. (INTR) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2023-12-05,60.5,60.91,60.16,60.75,
FAST,2023-12-06,61.05,62.2,61.05,62.13,"5 Dividend Stocks That Recently Increased Their Payouts My favorite stocks to invest in are those that continuously increase their dividend. Merck & Co (NYSE: MRK) is one stock that I like a lot that has been growing its dividend at a solid clip for a number of years. In today's video, I will go through five dividend stocks that recently raised their dividends, one by as much as 25%. Check out this video to learn more, subscribe to the channel, and check out the special offer in the link below. *Stock prices used were end-of-day prices of Dec. 1, 2023. The video was published on Dec. 4, 2023. 10 stocks we like better than Merck When our analyst team has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.* They just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Merck wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of December 4, 2023 Mark Roussin, CPA has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Merck and Nike. The Motley Fool recommends McCormick and recommends the following options: long January 2025 $47.50 calls on Nike. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Mark Roussin is an affiliate of The Motley Fool and may be compensated for promoting its services. If you choose to subscribe through their link, they will earn some extra money that supports their channel. Their opinions remain their own and are unaffected by The Motley Fool. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-12-07,62.41,62.6,61.895,62.36,"Fastenal (FAST) Rises Yet Lags Behind Market: Some Facts Worth Knowing In the latest trading session, Fastenal (FAST) closed at $62.36, marking a +0.37% move from the previous day. The stock lagged the S&P 500's daily gain of 0.8%. Meanwhile, the Dow experienced a rise of 0.18%, and the technology-dominated Nasdaq saw an increase of 1.37%. The maker of industrial and construction fasteners's stock has climbed by 4.84% in the past month, exceeding the Retail-Wholesale sector's gain of 4.14% and the S&P 500's gain of 4.39%. The investment community will be paying close attention to the earnings performance of Fastenal in its upcoming release. The company is predicted to post an EPS of $0.45, indicating a 4.65% growth compared to the equivalent quarter last year. Simultaneously, our latest consensus estimate expects the revenue to be $1.75 billion, showing a 2.96% escalation compared to the year-ago quarter. In terms of the entire fiscal year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates predict earnings of $2 per share and a revenue of $7.33 billion, indicating changes of +5.82% and +5.06%, respectively, from the former year. Investors should also pay attention to any latest changes in analyst estimates for Fastenal. These recent revisions tend to reflect the evolving nature of short-term business trends. Therefore, positive revisions in estimates convey analysts' confidence in the company's business performance and profit potential. Research indicates that these estimate revisions are directly correlated with near-term share price momentum. Investors can capitalize on this by using the Zacks Rank. This model considers these estimate changes and provides a simple, actionable rating system. The Zacks Rank system, ranging from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), possesses a remarkable history of outdoing, externally audited, with #1 stocks returning an average annual gain of +25% since 1988. Over the past month, there's been no change in the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate. As of now, Fastenal holds a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). Valuation is also important, so investors should note that Fastenal has a Forward P/E ratio of 31 right now. This signifies a premium in comparison to the average Forward P/E of 11.05 for its industry. We can additionally observe that FAST currently boasts a PEG ratio of 3.44. The PEG ratio bears resemblance to the frequently used P/E ratio, but this parameter also includes the company's expected earnings growth trajectory. As of the close of trade yesterday, the Building Products - Retail industry held an average PEG ratio of 1.96. The Building Products - Retail industry is part of the Retail-Wholesale sector. At present, this industry carries a Zacks Industry Rank of 186, placing it within the bottom 27% of over 250 industries. The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our individual industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1. Keep in mind to rely on Zacks.com to watch all these stock-impacting metrics, and more, in the succeeding trading sessions. Only $1 to See All Zacks' Buys and Sells We're not kidding. Several years ago, we shocked our members by offering them 30-day access to all our picks for the total sum of only $1. No obligation to spend another cent. Thousands have taken advantage of this opportunity. Thousands did not - they thought there must be a catch. Yes, we do have a reason. We want you to get acquainted with our portfolio services likeSurprise Trader, Stocks Under $10, Technology Innovators,and more. They've already closed 162 positions with double- and triple-digit gains in 2023 alone. See Stocks Now >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-12-08,62.31,62.47,62.0,62.29,
FAST,2023-12-11,62.4,63.39,62.37,63.35,"4 Retail Building Products Stocks to Watch Amid Soft Industry Trends The Zacks Building Products – Retail industry has been witnessing broad-based pressure across the business, driven by softened consumer demand versus expectations, which is likely to impact the performances of the industry participants. Severe constraints related to inflation, a deflation in lumber prices, and product and transportation cost inflation are worrisome. However, the participants are likely to benefit from technology initiatives to bolster the e-commerce experience. Companies have been strengthening digital ecosystems, providing the best online assortments and bolstering omni-channel capabilities. Companies are also benefiting from accretive acquisitions, the focus on expanding supply-chain facilities and digital initiatives. Continued innovation, e-commerce expansion and strong demand are likely to benefit players like The Home Depot Inc. HD, Fastenal Company FAST, Builders FirstSource, Inc. BLDR and Beacon Roofing Supply BECN. About the Industry The Zacks Building Products – Retail industry mainly comprises U.S. home improvement retailers, manufacturers of industrial and construction materials, and distributors of wallboard and ceiling systems. Some industry participants offer products and services for home decoration, repair and remodeling, and in-home delivery and installation services. A few industry players provide construction products, ranging from cement or concrete foundation materials to roofing boards and shingles. The companies also sell lumber, insulation materials, drywall, plumbing fixtures, hard-surface flooring, and lawn and garden decor products. Some players deal in threaded fastener products, and manufactured and natural stone tiles. In addition to general consumers, the industry players cater to professional builders, sub-contractors, remodelers and retailers. 3 Trends Shaping the Future of Building Products - Retail Industry Elevated Costs: Inflationary pressures, particularly higher input costs, have been concerning for players in the home improvement industry. Such increased input costs are likely to put pressure on margins. A deflation in lumber prices is also expected to hurt the performance of participating companies. Some companies have provided conservative views for 2023 based on assumptions about lower consumer spending trends, normalized transactions and continued investments to capture market share. Many economists have projected flat real economic growth and consumer spending for 2023. The industry is expected to witness a gradual normalization in transactions as consumer spending has shifted from goods to services. Do-it-Yourself (DIY) and Pro Projects: Despite a slowdown in the spending trends, the demand for revamping interiors and repair-remodel represent opportunities for in the industry players. DIY projects for decorating and maintaining furniture and fixtures are being widely undertaken. Additionally, consumers are open to hiring professionals (“Pros”) to complete their home renovations, resulting in rising demand for Pro projects. Companies noted that Pro backlogs continue to be healthy and elevated. This is likely to aid companies in the home improvement space, with a focus on building Pro offerings. Digitization & Acquisitions in Focus: Retail Building Products industry participants have been witnessing a surge in online business transactions, owing to consumers’ growing digital dependency. The focus on virtual platforms to boost customer engagement has been rewarding for top-line growth of many industry players. Companies have, therefore, been strengthening their digital presence by expanding the availability of online assortments and bolstering omni-channel capabilities. Such prudent measures have been aiding industry participants to meet the accelerated demand. Companies are also ramping up their delivery operations to provide safe and swift services. The digital transaction boom should continue to drive the top lines of the key industry players. Acquisitions have been crucial parts of growth strategies of companies in the Retail Building Products industry. Some Players have been focusing on exploring acquisition options to expand extensively across vast geographic boundaries and improve organic revenues. Zacks Industry Rank Indicates Dull Prospects The Building Products – Retail industry is housed within the broader Zacks Retail-Wholesale sector. The industry currently carries a Zacks Industry Rank #206, which places it in the bottom 18% of more than 250 Zacks industries. The group’s Zacks Industry Rank, which is basically the average of the Zacks Rank of all the member stocks, indicates dull near-term prospects. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperforms the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1. The industry’s position in the bottom 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries is a result of a negative earnings outlook for the constituent companies in aggregate. Looking at the aggregate earnings estimate revisions, it appears that analysts are gradually losing confidence in this group’s earnings growth potential. Before we present a few stocks that you may want to consider for your portfolio, let’s look at the industry’s recent stock-market performance and the valuation picture. Industry Vs. Broader Market The Zacks Building Products – Retail industry has underperformed the broader Zacks Retail-Wholesale sector and the Zacks S&P 500 over the past year. The industry has risen 2.8% in the past year compared with the broader sector’s growth of 14.6% and the S&P 500’s rally of 15.2%. One-Year Price Performance Industry's Current Valuation On the basis of the forward 12-month price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio, which is the commonly used multiple for valuing Retail-Wholesale stocks, the industry is currently trading at 18.52X compared with the S&P 500’s 19.31X. Further, the sector’s forward-12-month P/E stands at 21.59X. Over the last five years, the industry traded as high as 23.43X and as low as 14.25X, with the median being 18.87X, as the chart below shows. Price-to-Earnings Ratio (Past 5 Years) 4 Building Products Stocks to Watch Beacon Roofing: The Herndon, VA-based company is the largest publicly traded distributor of residential and non-residential roofing materials and complementary building products in the United States and Canada. It has been gaining from several strategic initiatives undertaken to drive its long-term ambition of growing and enhancing customer experience; expanding the top line and the margin; and boosting value for customers, suppliers, employees and shareholders. The company is currently focused on its Ambition 2025 targets (announced on Feb 24, 2022), which emphasize operational excellence, above-market growth trajectory and accelerated stockholder value creation. Beacon Roofing remains focused on four key strategic initiatives — organic growth, digital, OTC (On-Time and Complete) and branch operating performance — which have been boosting sales and helping improve operating profitability. The company is focused on improving sales and the operating performance at exterior and interior branches, and intends to enhance the overall customer experience with increased scope and scale of business. Shares of the Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) company have rallied 37.2% in a year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current fiscal year’s sales and earnings indicates growth of 7.2% and 8.9%, respectively, from the year-ago quarter’s actuals. The consensus estimate for current fiscal-year earnings has moved up 0.8% in the past seven days. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Price and Consensus: BECN Home Depot: The Atlanta, GA-based company is the world’s largest home improvement specialty retailer, based on net sales. Home Depot has been benefiting from ongoing investments. Continued strength in the Pro and DIY categories, and its digital momentum have been the key drivers. The company’s interconnected retail strategy and underlying technology infrastructure have helped consistently boost web traffic for the past few quarters, aiding digital sales. Home Depot is witnessing significant benefits from the execution of its One Home Depot plan, which focuses on supply-chain expansion, technology investments and digital enhancements. The company has created the fastest, most efficient delivery network in home improvement through options like buy online pick up in store, buy online deliver from store and curbside pickup. The Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company has declined 0.5% in a year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for HD’s current fiscal-year sales and earnings indicates year-over-year declines of 3.2% and 9.8%, respectively. The consensus estimate for current fiscal-year earnings has moved down 2% in the past 30 days. Price and Consensus: HD Fastenal: The Winona, MN-based wholesale distributor of industrial and construction products has been benefiting from strong demand for manufacturing and construction equipment, as well as supplies. The company’s focus on virtual platforms to boost customer engagement is improving sales and driving growth. Cost-control strategies like automating warehouses, increasing delivery efficiency through its trucking network and selling more private-level products with higher margins are aiding FAST to improve efficiency, thereby increasing returns. Industrial vending is one of the primary growth drivers for Fastenal, and has the potential to significantly increase sales and profits. The Zacks Rank #3 company is striving to boost its onsite location portfolio, in which a mini-Fastenal shop is located in a customer’s facility. The FAST stock has risen 26.3% in a year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the company’s current fiscal-year sales and earnings indicates year-over-year growth of 5.1% and 5.8%, respectively. The consensus estimate for current fiscal-year earnings has been unchanged in the past 30 days. Price and Consensus: FAST Builders FirstSource: The Dallas, TX-based company manufactures and supplies building materials. The company has been benefiting from its focus on cost synergies, strategic acquisition, and robust demand from solid housing and repair and remodeling activities. Robust demand for single-family housing, R&R and other activities have been tailwinds for BLDR’s products and services. Builders FirstSource continues to focus on investing in innovations and enhancing digital solutions for its customers. Acquisitions are important for BLDR’s growth strategy to supplement its organic growth and expand extensively across vast geographic boundaries. The Zacks Rank #3 company has been active on the acquisition front, which is supporting its top line. It is also focusing on cost-management practices. The BLDR stock has risen 121% in a year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the company’s current fiscal-year sales and earnings indicates declines of 25.6% and 26.1%, respectively, from the prior-year period’s reported figures. The consensus estimate for current fiscal-year earnings has moved up 0.7% in the past 30 days. Price and Consensus: BLDR 4 Oil Stocks with Massive Upsides Global demand for oil is through the roof... and oil producers are struggling to keep up. So even though oil prices are well off their recent highs, you can expect big profits from the companies that supply the world with ""black gold."" Zacks Investment Research has just released an urgent special report to help you bank on this trend. In Oil Market on Fire, you'll discover 4 unexpected oil and gas stocks positioned for big gains in the coming weeks and months. You don't want to miss these recommendations. Download your free report now to see them. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report The Home Depot, Inc. (HD) : Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. (BECN) : Free Stock Analysis Report Builders FirstSource, Inc. (BLDR) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-12-12,63.52,63.93,63.369,63.88,"[""Here's Why Fastenal (FAST) Gained But Lagged the Market Today In the latest market close, Fastenal (FAST) reached $64.04, with a +0.25% movement compared to the previous day. The stock trailed the S&P 500, which registered a daily gain of 1.37%. Meanwhile, the Dow gained 1.4%, and the Nasdaq, a tech-heavy index, added 1.38%. Shares of the maker of industrial and construction fasteners witnessed a gain of 4.72% over the previous month, trailing the performance of the Retail-Wholesale sector with its gain of 5.12% and the S&P 500's gain of 5.37%. Investors will be eagerly watching for the performance of Fastenal in its upcoming earnings disclosure. The company is expected to report EPS of $0.45, up 4.65% from the prior-year quarter. Meanwhile, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenue is projecting net sales of $1.75 billion, up 3.12% from the year-ago period. For the full year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates project earnings of $2 per share and a revenue of $7.34 billion, demonstrating changes of +5.82% and +5.1%, respectively, from the preceding year. It is also important to note the recent changes to analyst estimates for Fastenal. These recent revisions tend to reflect the evolving nature of short-term business trends. As such, positive estimate revisions reflect analyst optimism about the company's business and profitability. Based on our research, we believe these estimate revisions are directly related to near-team stock moves. To take advantage of this, we've established the Zacks Rank, an exclusive model that considers these estimated changes and delivers an operational rating system. The Zacks Rank system, ranging from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), possesses a remarkable history of outdoing, externally audited, with #1 stocks returning an average annual gain of +25% since 1988. Over the past month, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has remained steady. Fastenal currently has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). Investors should also note Fastenal's current valuation metrics, including its Forward P/E ratio of 31.87. This represents a premium compared to its industry's average Forward P/E of 10.83. Also, we should mention that FAST has a PEG ratio of 3.54. This popular metric is similar to the widely-known P/E ratio, with the difference being that the PEG ratio also takes into account the company's expected earnings growth rate. The Building Products - Retail industry currently had an average PEG ratio of 1.97 as of yesterday's close. The Building Products - Retail industry is part of the Retail-Wholesale sector. This industry, currently bearing a Zacks Industry Rank of 91, finds itself in the top 37% echelons of all 250+ industries. The Zacks Industry Rank assesses the strength of our separate industry groups by calculating the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks contained within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1. You can find more information on all of these metrics, and much more, on Zacks.com. Infrastructure Stock Boom to Sweep America A massive push to rebuild the crumbling U.S. infrastructure will soon be underway. It\u2019s bipartisan, urgent, and inevitable. Trillions will be spent. Fortunes will be made. The only question is \u201cWill you get into the right stocks early when their growth potential is greatest?\u201d Zacks has released a Special Report to help you do just that, and today it\u2019s free. Discover 5 special companies that look to gain the most from construction and repair to roads, bridges, and buildings, plus cargo hauling and energy transformation on an almost unimaginable scale. Download FREE: How To Profit From Trillions On Spending For Infrastructure >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Why This 1 Growth Stock Could Be a Great Addition to Your Portfolio Taking full advantage of the stock market and investing with confidence are common goals for new and old investors, and Zacks Premium offers many different ways to do both. Featuring daily updates of the Zacks Rank and Zacks Industry Rank, full access to the Zacks #1 Rank List, Equity Research reports, and Premium stock screens, the research service can help you become a smarter, more self-assured investor. Zacks Premium also includes the Zacks Style Scores. What are the Zacks Style Scores? The Zacks Style Scores, developed alongside the Zacks Rank, are complementary indicators that rate stocks based on three widely-followed investing methodologies; they also help investors pick stocks with the best chances of beating the market over the next 30 days. Each stock is given an alphabetic rating of A, B, C, D or F based on their value, growth, and momentum qualities. With this system, an A is better than a B, a B is better than a C, and so on, meaning the better the score, the better chance the stock will outperform. The Style Scores are broken down into four categories: Value Score For value investors, it's all about finding good stocks at good prices, and discovering which companies are trading under their true value before the broader market catches on. The Value Style Score utilizes ratios like P/E, PEG, Price/Sales, Price/Cash Flow, and a host of other multiples to help pick out the most attractive and discounted stocks. Growth Score Growth investors are more concerned with a stock's future prospects, and the overall financial health and strength of a company. Thus, the Growth Style Score analyzes characteristics like projected and historic earnings, sales, and cash flow to find stocks that will see sustainable growth over time. Momentum Score Momentum trading is all about taking advantage of upward or downward trends in a stock's price or earnings outlook, and these investors live by the saying \""the trend is your friend.\"" The Momentum Style Score can pinpoint good times to build a position in a stock, using factors like one-week price change and the monthly percentage change in earnings estimates. VGM Score If you like to use all three kinds of investing, then the VGM Score is for you. It's a combination of all Style Scores, and is an important indicator to use with the Zacks Rank. The VGM Score rates each stock on their shared weighted styles, narrowing down the companies with the most attractive value, best growth forecast, and most promising momentum. How Style Scores Work with the Zacks Rank The Zacks Rank, which is a proprietary stock-rating model, employs earnings estimate revisions, or changes to a company's earnings expectations, to make building a winning portfolio easier. Investors can count on the Zacks Rank's success, with #1 (Strong Buy) stocks producing an unmatched +25.41% average annual return since 1988, more than double the S&P 500's performance. But the model rates a large number of stocks, and there are over 200 companies with a Strong Buy rank, plus another 600 with a #2 (Buy) rank, on any given day. This totals more than 800 top-rated stocks, and it can be overwhelming to try and pick the best stocks for you and your portfolio. That's where the Style Scores come in. To maximize your returns, you want to buy stocks with the highest probability of success. This means picking stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 or #2 that also have Style Scores of A or B. If you find yourself looking at stocks with a #3 (Hold) rank, make sure they have Scores of A or B as well to ensure as much upside potential as possible. Since the Scores were created to work together with the Zacks Rank, the direction of a stock's earnings estimate revisions should be a key factor when choosing which stocks to buy. For instance, a stock with a #4 (Sell) or #5 (Strong Sell) rating, even one that boasts Scores of A and B, still has a downward-trending earnings forecast, and a much greater likelihood its share price will decline as well. Thus, the more stocks you own with a #1 or #2 Rank and Scores of A or B, the better. Stock to Watch: Fastenal (FAST) Based in Winona, MN, Fastenal Company is a national wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies. The company distributes its products through more than 3,200 company-owned stores, mostly located in North America. FAST is a #3 (Hold) on the Zacks Rank, with a VGM Score of B. Additionally, the company could be a top pick for growth investors. FAST has a Growth Style Score of A, forecasting year-over-year earnings growth of 5.8% for the current fiscal year. Two analysts revised their earnings estimate higher in the last 60 days for fiscal 2023, while the Zacks Consensus Estimate has increased $0 to $2 per share. FAST also boasts an average earnings surprise of 2.6%. With a solid Zacks Rank and top-tier Growth and VGM Style Scores, FAST should be on investors' short list. Infrastructure Stock Boom to Sweep America A massive push to rebuild the crumbling U.S. infrastructure will soon be underway. It\u2019s bipartisan, urgent, and inevitable. Trillions will be spent. Fortunes will be made. The only question is \u201cWill you get into the right stocks early when their growth potential is greatest?\u201d Zacks has released a Special Report to help you do just that, and today it\u2019s free. Discover 5 special companies that look to gain the most from construction and repair to roads, bridges, and buildings, plus cargo hauling and energy transformation on an almost unimaginable scale. Download FREE: How To Profit From Trillions On Spending For Infrastructure >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."", ""Zacks Industry Outlook Highlights The Home Depot, Fastenal, Builders FirstSource and Beacon Roofing Supply For Immediate Release Chicago, IL \u2013 December 13, 2023 \u2013 Today, Zacks Equity Research discusses The Home Depot Inc. HD, Fastenal Co. FAST, Builders FirstSource, Inc. BLDR and Beacon Roofing Supply BECN. Industry: Building Products - Retail Link: https://www.zacks.com/commentary/2196586/4-retail-building-products-stocks-to-watch-amid-soft-industry-trends The Zacks Building Products \u2013 Retail industry has been witnessing broad-based pressure across the business, driven by softened consumer demand versus expectations, which is likely to impact the performances of the industry participants. Severe constraints related to inflation, a deflation in lumber prices, and product and transportation cost inflation are worrisome. However, the participants are likely to benefit from technology initiatives to bolster the e-commerce experience. Companies have been strengthening digital ecosystems, providing the best online assortments and bolstering omni-channel capabilities. Companies are also benefiting from accretive acquisitions, the focus on expanding supply-chain facilities and digital initiatives. Continued innovation, e-commerce expansion and strong demand are likely to benefit players like The Home Depot Inc.,Fastenal Co., Builders FirstSource, Inc. and Beacon Roofing Supply. About the Industry The Zacks Building Products \u2013 Retail industry mainly comprises U.S. home improvement retailers, manufacturers of industrial and construction materials, and distributors of wallboard and ceiling systems. Some industry participants offer products and services for home decoration, repair and remodeling, and in-home delivery and installation services. A few industry players provide construction products, ranging from cement or concrete foundation materials to roofing boards and shingles. The companies also sell lumber, insulation materials, drywall, plumbing fixtures, hard-surface flooring, and lawn and garden decor products. Some players deal in threaded fastener products, and manufactured and natural stone tiles. In addition to general consumers, the industry players cater to professional builders, sub-contractors, remodelers and retailers. 3 Trends Shaping the Future of Building Products - Retail Industry Elevated Costs: Inflationary pressures, particularly higher input costs, have been concerning for players in the home improvement industry. Such increased input costs are likely to put pressure on margins. A deflation in lumber prices is also expected to hurt the performance of participating companies. Some companies have provided conservative views for 2023 based on assumptions about lower consumer spending trends, normalized transactions and continued investments to capture market share. Many economists have projected flat real economic growth and consumer spending for 2023. The industry is expected to witness a gradual normalization in transactions as consumer spending has shifted from goods to services. Do-it-Yourself (DIY) and Pro Projects: Despite a slowdown in the spending trends, the demand for revamping interiors and repair-remodel represent opportunities for in the industry players. DIY projects for decorating and maintaining furniture and fixtures are being widely undertaken. Additionally, consumers are open to hiring professionals (\""Pros\"") to complete their home renovations, resulting in rising demand for Pro projects. Companies noted that Pro backlogs continue to be healthy and elevated. This is likely to aid companies in the home improvement space, with a focus on building Pro offerings. Digitization & Acquisitions in Focus: Retail Building Products industry participants have been witnessing a surge in online business transactions, owing to consumers' growing digital dependency. The focus on virtual platforms to boost customer engagement has been rewarding for top-line growth of many industry players. Companies have, therefore, been strengthening their digital presence by expanding the availability of online assortments and bolstering omni-channel capabilities. Such prudent measures have been aiding industry participants to meet the accelerated demand. Companies are also ramping up their delivery operations to provide safe and swift services. The digital transaction boom should continue to drive the top lines of the key industry players. Acquisitions have been crucial parts of growth strategies of companies in the Retail Building Products industry. Some Players have been focusing on exploring acquisition options to expand extensively across vast geographic boundaries and improve organic revenues. Zacks Industry Rank Indicates Dull Prospects The Building Products \u2013 Retail industry is housed within the broader Zacks Retail-Wholesale sector. The industry currently carries a Zacks Industry Rank #206, which places it in the bottom 18% of more than 250 Zacks industries. The group's Zacks Industry Rank, which is basically the average of the Zacks Rank of all the member stocks, indicates dull near-term prospects. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperforms the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1. The industry's position in the bottom 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries is a result of a negative earnings outlook for the constituent companies in aggregate. Looking at the aggregate earnings estimate revisions, it appears that analysts are gradually losing confidence in this group's earnings growth potential. Before we present a few stocks that you may want to consider for your portfolio, let's look at the industry's recent stock-market performance and the valuation picture. Industry Vs. Broader Market The Zacks Building Products \u2013 Retail industry has underperformed the broader Zacks Retail-Wholesale sector and the Zacks S&P 500 over the past year. The industry has risen 2.8% in the past year compared with the broader sector's growth of 14.6% and the S&P 500's rally of 15.2%. Industry's Current Valuation On the basis of the forward 12-month price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio, which is the commonly used multiple for valuing Retail-Wholesale stocks, the industry is currently trading at 18.52X compared with the S&P 500's 19.31X. Further, the sector's forward-12-month P/E stands at 21.59X. Over the last five years, the industry traded as high as 23.43X and as low as 14.25X, with the median being 18.87X. 4 Building Products Stocks to Watch Beacon Roofing: The Herndon, VA-based company is the largest publicly traded distributor of residential and non-residential roofing materials and complementary building products in the United States and Canada. It has been gaining from several strategic initiatives undertaken to drive its long-term ambition of growing and enhancing customer experience; expanding the top line and the margin; and boosting value for customers, suppliers, employees and shareholders. The company is currently focused on its Ambition 2025 targets (announced on Feb 24, 2022), which emphasize operational excellence, above-market growth trajectory and accelerated stockholder value creation. Beacon Roofing remains focused on four key strategic initiatives \u2014 organic growth, digital, OTC (On-Time and Complete) and branch operating performance \u2014 which have been boosting sales and helping improve operating profitability. The company is focused on improving sales and the operating performance at exterior and interior branches, and intends to enhance the overall customer experience with increased scope and scale of business. Shares of the Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) company have rallied 37.2% in a year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current fiscal year's sales and earnings indicates growth of 7.2% and 8.9%, respectively, from the year-ago quarter's actuals. The consensus estimate for current fiscal-year earnings has moved up 0.8% in the past seven days. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Home Depot: The Atlanta, GA-based company is the world's largest home improvement specialty retailer, based on net sales. Home Depot has been benefiting from ongoing investments. Continued strength in the Pro and DIY categories, and its digital momentum have been the key drivers. The company's interconnected retail strategy and underlying technology infrastructure have helped consistently boost web traffic for the past few quarters, aiding digital sales. Home Depot is witnessing significant benefits from the execution of its One Home Depot plan, which focuses on supply-chain expansion, technology investments and digital enhancements. The company has created the fastest, most efficient delivery network in home improvement through options like buy online pick up in store, buy online delivery from store and curbside pickup. The Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company has declined 0.5% in a year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for HD's current fiscal-year sales and earnings indicates year-over-year declines of 3.2% and 9.8%, respectively. The consensus estimate for current fiscal-year earnings has moved down 2% in the past 30 days. Fastenal: The Winona, MN-based wholesale distributor of industrial and construction products has been benefiting from strong demand for manufacturing and construction equipment, as well as supplies. The company's focus on virtual platforms to boost customer engagement is improving sales and driving growth. Cost-control strategies like automating warehouses, increasing delivery efficiency through its trucking network and selling more private-level products with higher margins are aiding FAST to improve efficiency, thereby increasing returns. Industrial vending is one of the primary growth drivers for Fastenal, and has the potential to significantly increase sales and profits. The Zacks Rank #3 company is striving to boost its onsite location portfolio, in which a mini-Fastenal shop is located in a customer's facility. The FAST stock has risen 26.3% in a year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the company's current fiscal-year sales and earnings indicates year-over-year growth of 5.1% and 5.8%, respectively. The consensus estimate for current fiscal-year earnings has been unchanged in the past 30 days. Builders FirstSource: The Dallas, TX-based company manufactures and supplies building materials. The company has been benefiting from its focus on cost synergies, strategic acquisition, and robust demand from solid housing and repair and remodeling activities. Robust demand for single-family housing, R&R and other activities have been tailwinds for BLDR's products and services. Builders FirstSource continues to focus on investing in innovations and enhancing digital solutions for its customers. Acquisitions are important for BLDR's growth strategy to supplement its organic growth and expand extensively across vast geographic boundaries. The Zacks Rank #3 company has been active on the acquisition front, which is supporting its top line. It is also focusing on cost-management practices. The BLDR stock has risen 121% in a year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the company's current fiscal-year sales and earnings indicates declines of 25.6% and 26.1%, respectively, from the prior-year period's reported figures. The consensus estimate for current fiscal-year earnings has moved up 0.7% in the past 30 days. Why Haven't You Looked at Zacks' Top Stocks? Since 2000, our top stock-picking strategies have blown away the S&P's +6.2 average gain per year. Amazingly, they soared with average gains of +46.4%, +49.5% and +55.2% per year. Today you can access their live picks without cost or obligation. See Stocks Free >> Join us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ZacksInvestmentResearch/ Zacks Investment Research is under common control with affiliated entities (including a broker-dealer and an investment adviser), which may engage in transactions involving the foregoing securities for the clients of such affiliates. Media Contact Zacks Investment Research 800-767-3771 ext. 9339 support@zacks.com https://www.zacks.com Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release. Infrastructure Stock Boom to Sweep America A massive push to rebuild the crumbling U.S. infrastructure will soon be underway. It\u2019s bipartisan, urgent, and inevitable. Trillions will be spent. Fortunes will be made. The only question is \u201cWill you get into the right stocks early when their growth potential is greatest?\u201d Zacks has released a Special Report to help you do just that, and today it\u2019s free. Discover 5 special companies that look to gain the most from construction and repair to roads, bridges, and buildings, plus cargo hauling and energy transformation on an almost unimaginable scale. Download FREE: How To Profit From Trillions On Spending For Infrastructure >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report The Home Depot, Inc. (HD) : Free Stock Analysis Report Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. (BECN) : Free Stock Analysis Report Builders FirstSource, Inc. (BLDR) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.""]"
FAST,2023-12-13,63.92,64.195,63.045,64.04,"Here's Why Fastenal (FAST) is a Strong Momentum Stock It doesn't matter your age or experience: taking full advantage of the stock market and investing with confidence are common goals for all investors. Luckily, Zacks Premium offers several different ways to do both. The popular research service can help you become a smarter, more self-assured investor, giving you access to daily updates of the Zacks Rank and Zacks Industry Rank, the Zacks #1 Rank List, Equity Research reports, and Premium stock screens. It also includes access to the Zacks Style Scores. What are the Zacks Style Scores? The Zacks Style Scores, developed alongside the Zacks Rank, are complementary indicators that rate stocks based on three widely-followed investing methodologies; they also help investors pick stocks with the best chances of beating the market over the next 30 days. Each stock is assigned a rating of A, B, C, D, or F based on their value, growth, and momentum characteristics. Just like in school, an A is better than a B, a B is better than a C, and so on -- that means the better the score, the better chance the stock will outperform. The Style Scores are broken down into four categories: Value Score Finding good stocks at good prices, and discovering which companies are trading under their true value, are what value investors like to focus on. So, the Value Style Score takes into account ratios like P/E, PEG, Price/Sales, Price/Cash Flow, and a host of other multiples to highlight the most attractive and discounted stocks. Growth Score While good value is important, growth investors are more focused on a company's financial strength and health, and its future outlook. The Growth Style Score takes projected and historic earnings, sales, and cash flow into account to uncover stocks that will see long-term, sustainable growth. Momentum Score Momentum trading is all about taking advantage of upward or downward trends in a stock's price or earnings outlook, and these investors live by the saying ""the trend is your friend."" The Momentum Style Score can pinpoint good times to build a position in a stock, using factors like one-week price change and the monthly percentage change in earnings estimates. VGM Score If you like to use all three kinds of investing, then the VGM Score is for you. It's a combination of all Style Scores, and is an important indicator to use with the Zacks Rank. The VGM Score rates each stock on their shared weighted styles, narrowing down the companies with the most attractive value, best growth forecast, and most promising momentum. How Style Scores Work with the Zacks Rank A proprietary stock-rating model, the Zacks Rank utilizes the power of earnings estimate revisions, or changes to a company's earnings outlook, to help investors create a successful portfolio. It's highly successful, with #1 (Strong Buy) stocks producing an unmatched +25.41% average annual return since 1988. That's more than double the S&P 500. But because of the large number of stocks we rate, there are over 200 companies with a Strong Buy rank, plus another 600 with a #2 (Buy) rank, on any given day. But it can feel overwhelming to pick the right stocks for you and your investing goals with over 800 top-rated stocks to choose from. That's where the Style Scores come in. To maximize your returns, you want to buy stocks with the highest probability of success. This means picking stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 or #2 that also have Style Scores of A or B. If you find yourself looking at stocks with a #3 (Hold) rank, make sure they have Scores of A or B as well to ensure as much upside potential as possible. The direction of a stock's earnings estimate revisions should always be a key factor when choosing which stocks to buy, since the Scores were created to work together with the Zacks Rank. Here's an example: a stock with a #4 (Sell) or #5 (Strong Sell) rating, even one with Style Scores of A and B, still has a downward-trending earnings outlook, and a bigger chance its share price will decrease too. Thus, the more stocks you own with a #1 or #2 Rank and Scores of A or B, the better. Stock to Watch: Fastenal (FAST) Based in Winona, MN, Fastenal Company is a national wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies. The company distributes its products through more than 3,200 company-owned stores, mostly located in North America. FAST is a #3 (Hold) on the Zacks Rank, with a VGM Score of B. Momentum investors should take note of this Retail-Wholesale stock. FAST has a Momentum Style Score of B, and shares are up 6.5% over the past four weeks. Two analysts revised their earnings estimate higher in the last 60 days for fiscal 2023, while the Zacks Consensus Estimate has increased $0 to $2 per share. FAST also boasts an average earnings surprise of 2.6%. With a solid Zacks Rank and top-tier Momentum and VGM Style Scores, FAST should be on investors' short list. The New Gold Rush: How Lithium Batteries Will Make Millionaires As the electric vehicle revolution expands, investors have a chance to target huge gains. Millions of lithium batteries are being made & demand is expected to increase 889%. Download the brand-new FREE report revealing 5 EV battery stocks set to soar. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc."
FAST,2023-12-14,63.63,64.285,63.02,64.23,
FAST,2023-12-15,64.19,64.265,63.61,64.16,
FAST,2023-12-18,64.53,64.73,64.1,64.63,
FAST,2023-12-19,64.69,65.03,64.465,64.69,
FAST,2023-12-20,64.76,65.335,64.53,64.64,
FAST,2023-12-21,65.05,65.415,64.84,65.09,
FAST,2023-12-22,65.35,65.575,65.19,65.34,
FAST,2023-12-26,65.57,65.66,65.295,65.45,
FAST,2023-12-27,65.64,65.66,65.255,65.34,
FAST,2023-12-28,65.39,65.39,64.8,64.84,
FAST,2023-12-29,64.8,65.1,64.485,64.77,
FAST,2024-01-02,64.2801,64.71,63.3,63.55,
FAST,2024-01-03,63.45,63.53,62.06,62.08,
FAST,2024-01-04,62.08,62.48,61.895,62.19,
FAST,2024-01-05,61.92,62.27,61.655,61.98,
FAST,2024-01-08,62.16,62.55,62.0,62.47,
FAST,2024-01-09,61.6,62.625,61.33,62.53,
FAST,2024-01-10,62.68,63.145,62.49,63.08,
FAST,2024-01-11,63.0,63.42,62.59,63.37,
FAST,2024-01-12,63.53,63.61,62.97,63.52,
FAST,2024-01-16,63.4,63.83,63.255,63.77,
FAST,2024-01-17,63.77,64.245,63.21,63.38,
FAST,2024-01-18,66.04,68.6881,65.4,67.93,
FAST,2024-01-19,68.08,69.51,67.8,69.34,
FAST,2024-01-22,69.6,69.94,68.64,69.91,
FAST,2024-01-23,70.02,70.095,68.89,69.51,
FAST,2024-01-24,69.86,69.99,68.62,68.84,
FAST,2024-01-25,69.16,69.57,68.675,69.21,
FAST,2024-01-26,69.07,69.2,68.275,68.4,
FAST,2024-01-29,68.11,68.62,67.59,68.6,
FAST,2024-01-30,68.34,69.145,68.23,69.11,
FAST,2024-01-31,68.56,69.06,67.91,68.23,
FAST,2024-02-01,68.55,69.84,67.96,69.84,
FAST,2024-02-02,69.93,70.95,69.74,70.65,
FAST,2024-02-05,70.52,70.71,69.32,69.46,
FAST,2024-02-06,69.46,69.725,68.965,69.48,
FAST,2024-02-07,70.09,70.335,69.39,69.46,
FAST,2024-02-08,69.49,69.71,69.0001,69.26,
FAST,2024-02-09,69.3,70.06,69.16,70.02,
FAST,2024-02-12,69.89,70.27,69.665,70.01,
FAST,2024-02-13,69.37,69.565,68.455,68.92,
FAST,2024-02-14,69.33,70.18,69.17,70.13,
FAST,2024-02-15,70.13,70.355,69.51,70.15,
FAST,2024-02-16,70.3,70.67,70.05,70.24,
FAST,2024-02-20,70.4,70.54,69.62,70.08,
FAST,2024-02-21,70.19,70.5,69.9,70.33,
FAST,2024-02-22,70.84,72.275,70.75,72.06,
FAST,2024-02-23,72.4,72.6,71.61,72.18,
FAST,2024-02-26,72.19,73.185,71.98,73.0,
FAST,2024-02-27,73.15,73.27,72.74,73.15,
FAST,2024-02-28,73.15,73.6,72.85,73.56,
FAST,2024-02-29,73.66,73.99,72.47,73.01,
FAST,2024-03-01,73.0,73.025,72.095,72.84,
FAST,2024-03-04,73.66,75.81,73.65,74.79,
FAST,2024-03-05,74.48,75.34,74.125,74.34,
FAST,2024-03-06,74.16,75.04,73.76,74.32,
FAST,2024-03-07,74.88,76.25,74.8,75.94,
FAST,2024-03-08,76.13,76.59,75.56,75.63,
FAST,2024-03-11,75.63,75.655,73.69,74.32,
FAST,2024-03-12,74.46,75.44,74.29,75.26,
FAST,2024-03-13,75.31,75.495,74.81,75.04,
FAST,2024-03-14,75.69,75.75,74.61,75.27,
FAST,2024-03-15,75.05,75.635,74.725,75.03,
FAST,2024-03-18,75.75,76.74,75.59,75.7,
FAST,2024-03-19,75.6,76.31,75.405,76.21,
FAST,2024-03-20,76.45,77.73,75.98,77.66,
FAST,2024-03-21,77.6,79.04,77.6,78.42,
FAST,2024-03-22,78.61,78.645,77.835,78.1,
FAST,2024-03-25,77.87,77.96,76.71,77.01,
FAST,2024-03-26,77.15,77.47,76.73,76.78,
FAST,2024-03-27,77.41,77.51,76.615,77.28,
FAST,2024-03-28,77.38,78.29,77.025,77.14,
FAST,2024-04-01,77.12,77.14,76.19,76.59,
FAST,2024-04-02,76.55,76.94,76.145,76.3,
FAST,2024-04-03,76.14,76.67,75.975,76.35,
FAST,2024-04-04,76.89,77.13,75.07,75.17,
FAST,2024-04-05,75.56,76.87,75.475,76.63,
FAST,2024-04-08,76.32,76.66,75.81,75.89,
FAST,2024-04-09,76.24,76.575,74.68,75.9,
FAST,2024-04-10,75.57,75.67,74.53,74.74,
FAST,2024-04-11,72.33,73.43,69.45,69.88,
FAST,2024-04-12,69.54,70.97,69.25,70.45,
FAST,2024-04-15,71.31,71.47,69.105,69.39,
FAST,2024-04-16,69.61,69.81,68.65,68.79,
FAST,2024-04-17,69.23,69.23,67.88,68.48,
FAST,2024-04-18,68.9,69.03,67.365,67.5,
FAST,2024-04-19,67.67,68.1,67.295,67.55,
FAST,2024-04-22,67.81,67.95,67.2,67.45,
FAST,2024-04-23,67.96,68.145,67.46,67.51,
FAST,2024-04-24,66.87,68.205,66.79,67.74,
FAST,2024-04-25,67.75,68.41,66.96,68.14,
FAST,2024-04-26,67.75,68.6,67.68,68.17,
FAST,2024-04-29,68.58,68.815,68.04,68.48,
FAST,2024-04-30,68.46,68.64,67.895,67.94,
FAST,2024-05-01,67.94,68.775,67.73,68.18,
FAST,2024-05-02,68.51,68.57,67.46,68.09,
FAST,2024-05-03,68.5,68.95,68.02,68.43,
FAST,2024-05-06,68.26,68.33,66.71,66.74,
FAST,2024-05-07,67.01,67.43,66.38,66.41,
FAST,2024-05-08,66.12,66.82,65.9163,66.78,
FAST,2024-05-09,67.04,67.79,66.81,67.62,
FAST,2024-05-10,67.7,68.025,67.54,67.88,
FAST,2024-05-13,68.0,68.2,67.07,67.36,
FAST,2024-05-14,67.42,67.79,67.06,67.23,
FAST,2024-05-15,67.23,67.77,66.79,66.98,
FAST,2024-05-16,66.93,67.02,66.231,66.81,
FAST,2024-05-17,66.62,66.99,65.95,66.42,
FAST,2024-05-20,66.42,66.72,66.26,66.66,
FAST,2024-05-21,66.41,66.66,65.9,66.31,
FAST,2024-05-22,66.19,66.87,66.13,66.66,
FAST,2024-05-23,66.8,66.9,65.52,65.8,
FAST,2024-05-24,65.92,66.27,65.49,66.02,
FAST,2024-05-28,65.78,65.92,64.61,64.76,
FAST,2024-05-29,64.17,64.68,63.86,64.45,
FAST,2024-05-30,64.65,64.89,64.13,64.86,
FAST,2024-05-31,64.92,66.02,64.34,65.98,
FAST,2024-06-03,65.91,66.02,63.79,64.31,
FAST,2024-06-04,64.08,64.87,63.87,64.34,
FAST,2024-06-05,64.42,65.3166,63.89,65.19,
FAST,2024-06-06,64.04,64.41,63.25,64.01,
FAST,2024-06-07,64.16,64.565,63.74,63.89,
FAST,2024-06-10,63.95,63.955,63.18,63.34,
FAST,2024-06-11,63.1,63.3,62.8,63.27,
FAST,2024-06-12,63.8,64.66,63.65,64.5,
FAST,2024-06-13,63.83,64.41,63.6,64.28,
FAST,2024-06-14,62.99,63.32,61.8724,63.05,
FAST,2024-06-17,63.04,64.56,62.8009,64.41,
FAST,2024-06-18,64.92,65.09,64.2,64.95,
FAST,2024-06-20,65.01,65.29,64.46,65.12,
FAST,2024-06-21,65.35,65.455,64.57,65.34,
FAST,2024-06-24,65.49,65.85,65.0,65.04,
FAST,2024-06-25,64.8,65.12,63.975,64.44,
FAST,2024-06-26,64.26,64.31,63.37,63.4,
FAST,2024-06-27,63.3,63.84,63.15,63.33,
FAST,2024-06-28,63.45,64.05,62.705,62.84,
FAST,2024-07-01,63.28,63.48,62.03,62.09,
FAST,2024-07-02,61.87,62.91,61.36,62.76,
FAST,2024-07-03,62.93,63.18,62.53,62.69,
FAST,2024-07-05,62.59,63.18,62.19,63.13,
FAST,2024-07-08,63.09,63.58,62.58,62.83,
FAST,2024-07-09,63.01,63.07,62.03,62.56,
FAST,2024-07-10,62.59,63.63,62.52,63.51,
FAST,2024-07-11,64.01,64.77,64.0,64.17,
FAST,2024-07-12,67.75,67.77,65.07,65.44,
FAST,2024-07-15,65.4,68.305,65.09,67.87,
FAST,2024-07-16,68.17,69.355,67.73,69.03,
FAST,2024-07-17,69.18,70.38,68.75,69.98,
FAST,2024-07-18,69.86,71.09,68.81,68.83,
FAST,2024-07-19,69.2,69.24,67.64,67.89,
FAST,2024-07-22,68.195,68.52,67.38,68.28,
FAST,2024-07-23,68.08,68.3942,67.83,67.9,
FAST,2024-07-24,67.655,68.11,67.2,67.31,
FAST,2024-07-25,67.5,69.58,67.4,69.06,
FAST,2024-07-26,68.81,70.72,68.81,70.375,
FAST,2024-07-29,70.71,70.99,70.15,70.79,
FAST,2024-07-30,70.99,71.26,70.24,70.89,
FAST,2024-07-31,71.58,71.72,70.52,70.75,
FAST,2024-08-01,70.45,71.12,66.46,67.43,
FAST,2024-08-02,67.41,67.58,66.26,67.28,
FAST,2024-08-05,67.215,67.81,65.39,66.4,
FAST,2024-08-06,65.6,67.22,65.5,65.54,
FAST,2024-08-07,65.85,66.61,64.905,64.98,
FAST,2024-08-08,65.36,66.6,65.275,66.17,
FAST,2024-08-09,65.89,66.78,65.4,66.39,
FAST,2024-08-12,66.56,66.56,65.565,65.71,
FAST,2024-08-13,65.76,66.52,65.215,66.38,
FAST,2024-08-14,66.51,66.65,65.89,66.27,
FAST,2024-08-15,67.01,67.41,66.57,66.63,
FAST,2024-08-16,66.68,67.76,66.62,67.45,
FAST,2024-08-19,67.63,67.67,66.31,66.55,
FAST,2024-08-20,66.59,67.04,66.15,66.9,
FAST,2024-08-21,66.96,68.43,66.79,68.15,
FAST,2024-08-22,67.72,68.375,67.14,67.51,
FAST,2024-08-23,67.79,68.65,67.74,68.1,
FAST,2024-08-26,68.42,68.62,67.73,67.91,
FAST,2024-08-27,67.7,67.89,67.47,67.68,
FAST,2024-08-28,67.58,68.07,67.22,67.41,
FAST,2024-08-29,67.59,68.21,66.72,67.5,
FAST,2024-08-30,67.8,68.4,67.14,68.28,
FAST,2024-09-03,68.06,68.19,66.77,67.11,
FAST,2024-09-04,66.98,67.135,65.35,65.53,
FAST,2024-09-05,65.36,65.37,64.086,65.19,
FAST,2024-09-06,65.12,66.47,65.12,65.91,
FAST,2024-09-09,65.99,68.47,65.99,68.1,
FAST,2024-09-10,68.32,68.77,67.92,68.67,
FAST,2024-09-11,67.89,69.33,66.86,69.2,
FAST,2024-09-12,69.43,69.995,68.8,69.82,
FAST,2024-09-13,69.56,70.11,69.35,69.82,
FAST,2024-09-16,70.34,70.405,69.76,70.09,
FAST,2024-09-17,70.09,71.03,69.47,70.59,
FAST,2024-09-18,70.97,71.58,70.41,70.48,
FAST,2024-09-19,71.85,71.99,70.72,71.38,
FAST,2024-09-20,71.03,71.03,70.15,70.76,
FAST,2024-09-23,71.04,71.97,70.75,71.83,
FAST,2024-09-24,71.8,72.105,71.45,71.81,
FAST,2024-09-25,72.16,72.37,70.65,70.71,
FAST,2024-09-26,71.51,72.49,71.03,71.66,
FAST,2024-09-27,71.81,72.36,71.43,71.52,
FAST,2024-09-30,71.33,71.51,70.795,71.42,
FAST,2024-10-01,71.23,71.74,70.06,71.09,
FAST,2024-10-02,70.92,71.49,70.55,71.38,
FAST,2024-10-03,70.76,71.055,70.36,70.72,
FAST,2024-10-04,71.37,71.37,69.41,70.18,
FAST,2024-10-07,69.86,70.66,69.71,70.01,
FAST,2024-10-08,70.01,70.44,69.67,70.18,
FAST,2024-10-09,69.875,70.68,69.37,70.61,
FAST,2024-10-10,70.48,70.785,69.89,69.98,
FAST,2024-10-11,73.8,77.23,71.26,76.82,
FAST,2024-10-14,76.94,77.215,75.41,76.69,
FAST,2024-10-15,77.14,77.535,75.9101,76.93,
FAST,2024-10-16,77.34,78.755,77.17,77.77,
FAST,2024-10-17,77.89,78.16,76.8,77.64,
FAST,2024-10-18,77.82,78.0,77.24,77.9,
FAST,2024-10-21,77.87,77.97,77.28,77.77,
FAST,2024-10-22,77.55,77.55,76.24,76.54,
FAST,2024-10-23,76.13,76.31,75.35,75.93,
FAST,2024-10-24,75.88,76.14,75.21,75.62,
FAST,2024-10-25,75.505,76.1799,75.32,75.85,
FAST,2024-10-28,76.59,76.88,76.0,76.68,
FAST,2024-10-29,76.54,77.85,75.67,77.64,
FAST,2024-10-30,77.4,78.41,77.19,78.34,
FAST,2024-10-31,78.48,78.71,77.485,78.17,
FAST,2024-11-01,77.69,78.5496,77.55,78.23,
FAST,2024-11-04,78.18,78.89,77.54,77.83,
FAST,2024-11-05,77.575,78.35,77.51,78.09,
FAST,2024-11-06,80.95,83.8,80.21,83.57,
FAST,2024-11-07,83.5,83.61,82.755,83.1,
FAST,2024-11-08,83.185,84.05,82.2,83.33,
FAST,2024-11-11,83.455,84.88,83.41,84.365,
FAST,2024-11-12,84.21,84.2899,83.185,83.51,
FAST,2024-11-13,83.35,84.33,83.04,83.65,
FAST,2024-11-14,83.49,83.79,82.06,82.16,
FAST,2024-11-15,82.02,82.22,81.51,81.85,
FAST,2024-11-18,82.185,82.95,81.71,81.8,
FAST,2024-11-19,80.852,81.88,80.852,81.59,
FAST,2024-11-20,81.05,81.93,80.77,81.82,
FAST,2024-11-21,82.29,82.79,81.69,82.36,
FAST,2024-11-22,82.91,83.31,82.785,83.08,
FAST,2024-11-25,83.36,84.25,83.22,83.75,
FAST,2024-11-26,83.62,84.23,82.88,84.1,
FAST,2024-11-27,84.45,84.5,83.49,83.71,
FAST,2024-11-29,84.0,84.13,83.36,83.56,
FAST,2024-12-02,84.05,84.1,82.59,82.67,
FAST,2024-12-03,83.0,83.23,82.255,82.81,
FAST,2024-12-04,82.5,82.75,81.92,82.16,
FAST,2024-12-05,82.7,82.71,81.68,81.76,
FAST,2024-12-06,81.95,82.09,80.82,81.05,
FAST,2024-12-09,81.45,81.5535,79.76,80.32,
FAST,2025-01-27,75.47,76.31,75.12,76.27,
FAST,2025-01-28,76.03,76.08,74.76,74.79,
FAST,2025-01-29,74.76,75.11,73.94,74.08,
FAST,2025-01-30,74.96,75.17,74.32,74.98,
FAST,2025-01-31,74.23,74.33,73.02,73.24,
FAST,2025-02-03,72.81,74.51,72.46,73.72,
FAST,2025-02-04,73.26,73.54,72.64,73.19,
FAST,2025-02-05,73.39,73.65,72.0694,73.54,
FAST,2025-02-06,73.44,74.705,73.035,74.65,
FAST,2025-02-07,74.99,75.0,73.77,73.84,
FAST,2025-02-10,74.38,74.63,73.62,73.72,
FAST,2025-02-11,73.445,74.592,73.15,74.33,
FAST,2025-02-12,73.35,73.93,72.906,73.68,
FAST,2025-02-13,73.73,74.97,73.66,74.79,
FAST,2025-02-14,74.85,75.23,74.57,74.78,
FAST,2025-02-18,75.28,75.34,74.15,74.81,
FAST,2025-02-19,74.77,75.825,74.41,75.57,
FAST,2025-02-20,75.64,75.87,74.52,75.14,
FAST,2025-02-21,75.02,75.15,73.88,74.78,
FAST,2025-02-24,75.0,76.05,74.74,74.8,
FAST,2025-02-25,74.88,75.31,74.18,74.601,
FAST,2025-02-26,74.59,75.02,73.82,73.89,
FAST,2025-02-27,73.77,74.82,73.69,74.09,
FAST,2025-02-28,74.56,76.14,74.22,75.73,
FAST,2025-03-03,76.02,76.87,74.255,74.36,
FAST,2025-03-04,74.65,75.33,73.69,74.23,
FAST,2025-03-05,74.14,74.94,73.23,74.49,
FAST,2025-03-06,76.06,78.07,75.3,77.83,
FAST,2025-03-07,77.45,80.33,77.45,80.0,
FAST,2025-03-10,80.818,82.14,79.46,79.805,
FAST,2025-03-11,79.695,80.11,77.31,77.335,
FAST,2025-03-12,77.14,77.42,75.78,75.99,
FAST,2025-03-13,75.72,75.99,73.57,73.69,
FAST,2025-03-14,74.4,75.36,73.4,75.24,
FAST,2025-03-17,75.23,76.38,75.23,76.07,
FAST,2025-03-18,75.82,76.325,75.48,76.09,
FAST,2025-03-19,76.16,76.81,75.8,76.46,
FAST,2025-03-20,75.5,76.42,75.27,75.51,
FAST,2025-03-21,75.32,75.349,74.36,74.73,
FAST,2025-03-24,75.63,77.03,75.38,76.94,
FAST,2025-03-25,76.86,77.67,76.78,77.09,
FAST,2025-03-26,77.17,78.115,76.96,77.09,
FAST,2025-03-27,77.265,77.85,76.715,77.73,
FAST,2025-03-28,77.94,78.134,75.865,76.17,
FAST,2025-03-31,76.06,77.82,75.885,77.55,
FAST,2025-04-01,77.25,77.69,76.437,77.61,
FAST,2025-04-02,76.87,78.17,76.58,78.01,
FAST,2025-04-03,78.06,78.9,77.35,78.01,
FAST,2025-04-04,77.95,77.95,74.355,74.42,"Block upgraded, Nvidia downgraded: Wall Street’s top analyst calls The most talked about and market moving research calls around Wall Street are now in one place. Here are today’s research calls that investors need to know, as compiled by The Fly. Discover outperforming stocks and invest smarter with Top Smart Score Stocks. Filter, analyze, and streamline your search for investment opportunities using Tipranks' Stock Screener. Top 5 Upgrades: Morgan Stanley upgraded Block (XYZ) to Overweight from Equal Weight with a price target of $67, up from $65. The firm sees a “compelling” valuation at current share levels and low expectations for reaccelerated Square Seller growth. Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded Zscaler (ZS) to Overweight from Neutral with a price target of $250, up from $220. Improved execution, “solid” near-term checks, and the expectation that accelerating billings, revenue growth, and margin expansion can support a re-rating of shares moving through fiscal 2025, the firm tells investors in a research note. Citi upgraded Ross Stores (ROST) to Buy from Neutral with an unchanged price target of $146. The firm expects Ross to benefit from the current environment and tariff disruptions, leading to better traffic, sales and margins. Citi upgraded TJX (TJX) to Buy from Neutral with a price target of $140, up from $128. Tariffs are likely to create “significant disruption” in the market, but the firm views off-price as “defensively positioned” in the near-term, and well positioned for continued growth in the long-term as other retailers “struggle and close stores.” Wolfe Research upgraded Fastenal (FAST) to Peer Perform from Underperform without a price target ahead of the Q1 report. The firm believes Fastenal’s consensus estimates “look reasonable.” Top 5 Downgrades: HSBC downgraded Nvidia (NVDA) to Hold from Buy with a price target of $120, down from $175. Nvidia’s share price is down 26% since its previous peak in January, notes the firm, which sees limited GPU pricing power going forward that caps earnings upside potential until opportunities evolve in robotics, autos and AI markets. BofA double downgraded Lyft (LYFT) to Underperform from Buy with a price target of $10.50, down from $17.50, citing what the firm views as “substantial AV risk,” especially Waymo’s (GOOGL) rapid expansion in San Francisco and Los Angeles and Lyft’s lack of scalable autonomous vehicle partnerships launching in the near-term. BofA downgraded RxSight (RXST) to Underperform from Buy with a price target of $22, down from $36, after the company pre-announced a 5% Q1 revenue miss and lowered 2025 revenue guidance by 12% at the midpoint. Citi downgraded RH (RH) to Neutral from Buy with a price target of $200, down from $437. President Trump’s reciprocal tariff announcement is worse than expected and “significantly changes” Citi’s view of the broadlines and hardlines sector. Citi downgraded Best Buy (BBY) to Neutral from Buy with a price target of $70, down from $93. Following President Trump’s reciprocal tariff announcement, the firm says its biggest concerns include rising recession risk probability and a slowdown in consumer spending. Top 5 Initiations: Susquehanna initiated coverage of SanDisk (SNDK) with a Positive rating and $70 price target following the company’s spinoff from Neutral-rated Western Digital (WDC).. Despite volatile macro trends and uncertainties associated with tariffs, the firm’s Positive rating reflects an “attractive valuation.” KeyBanc initiated coverage of Element Solutions (ESI) with an Overweight rating and $29 price target. The firm expects the company’s EBITDA growth to accelerate to high single-digits over the next three years, compared to the mid-single-digit range historically. Canaccord initiated coverage of Talkspace (TALK) with a Buy rating and $5 price target. The firm sees a “massive revenue runway” within the company’s base of covered lives. Janney Montgomery Scott initiated coverage of Equity Bancshares (EQBK) with a Neutral rating and $42 fair value estimate. The firm, which highlights the bank’s “sound fundamentals” and potential for strategic acquisitions, believes the shares should trade at a “modest premium to the peer group.” H.C. Wainwright initiated coverage of Kairos Pharma (KAPA) with a Buy rating and $12 price target. The company’s oncology pipeline “could unlock the immune system” to overcome cancer resistance in metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer and beyond, the firm says. Published first on TheFly – the ultimate source for real-time, market-moving breaking financial news. Try Now>> See today’s best-performing stocks on TipRanks >> Read More on XYZ: Disclaimer & DisclosureReport an Issue Block upgraded to Overweight from Equal Weight at Morgan Stanley Block price target lowered to $74 from $94 at Goldman Sachs Block price target lowered to $85 from $100 at Bernstein One in Four S&P 500 Firms Could Hold Bitcoin by 2030, Says Crypto Advisor Why Jack Dorsey Chopped Over 900 Block Employees"
FAST,2025-04-07,73.28,75.39,70.8218,72.2,
FAST,2025-04-08,73.05,75.08,70.61,71.2,
FAST,2025-04-09,70.75,76.67,70.75,76.43,
FAST,2025-04-10,75.455,77.245,73.25,75.79,
FAST,2025-04-11,75.3,81.31,74.75,80.64,
FAST,2025-04-14,80.66,81.885,79.96,81.3,
FAST,2025-04-15,81.49,82.42,81.1,81.65,
FAST,2025-04-16,81.575,81.81,79.85,80.45,
FAST,2025-04-17,81.345,82.06,80.66,81.59,
FAST,2025-04-21,81.06,81.4525,79.6669,80.29,
FAST,2025-04-22,81.33,81.84,80.535,81.44,"GATX (GATX) To Report Earnings Tomorrow: Here Is What To Expect Leasing services company GATX (NYSE:GATX) will be announcing earnings results tomorrow morning. Here’s what to look for. GATX beat analysts’ revenue expectations by 0.9% last quarter, reporting revenues of $413.5 million, up 12.2% year on year. It was a strong quarter for the company, with full-year EPS guidance exceeding analysts’ expectations. Is GATX a buy or sell going into earnings? Read our full analysis here, it’s free. This quarter, analysts are expecting GATX’s revenue to grow 9.8% year on year to $417.1 million, slowing from the 12.1% increase it recorded in the same quarter last year. Adjusted earnings are expected to come in at $2.09 per share. Analysts covering the company have generally reconfirmed their estimates over the last 30 days, suggesting they anticipate the business to stay the course heading into earnings. GATX has a history of exceeding Wall Street’s expectations, beating revenue estimates every single time over the past two years by 2% on average. Looking at GATX’s peers in the industrial distributors segment, some have already reported their Q1 results, giving us a hint as to what we can expect. Richardson Electronics delivered year-on-year revenue growth of 2.7%, missing analysts’ expectations by 1.7%, and Fastenal reported revenues up 3.4%, in line with consensus estimates. Richardson Electronics traded down 17.2% following the results while Fastenal was up 7.3%. Read our full analysis of Richardson Electronics’s results here and Fastenal’s results here. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, it should be obvious by now that generative AI is going to have a huge impact on how large corporations do business. We prefer a lesser-known (but still profitable) semiconductor stock benefiting from the rise of AI. Click here to access our free report on our favorite semiconductor growth story."
FAST,2025-04-23,82.21,82.4015,79.79,80.19,
FAST,2025-04-24,80.34,82.2,80.14,82.1,
FAST,2025-04-25,81.58,81.97,80.545,80.73,
FAST,2025-04-28,80.89,80.89,78.99,80.11,
FAST,2025-04-29,79.595,80.6396,79.36,80.28,
FAST,2025-04-30,80.13,81.24,78.955,80.97,"[""WESCO (WCC) Q1 Earnings: What To Expect Electrical supply company WESCO (NYSE:WCC) will be reporting earnings tomorrow before market open. Here\u2019s what to expect. WESCO beat analysts\u2019 revenue expectations by 1.5% last quarter, reporting revenues of $5.5 billion, flat year on year. It was a slower quarter for the company, with a miss of analysts\u2019 adjusted operating income estimates. Is WESCO a buy or sell going into earnings? Read our full analysis here, it\u2019s free. This quarter, analysts are expecting WESCO\u2019s revenue to decline 1.9% year on year to $5.25 billion, improving from the 3.1% decrease it recorded in the same quarter last year. Adjusted earnings are expected to come in at $2.32 per share. Analysts covering the company have generally reconfirmed their estimates over the last 30 days, suggesting they anticipate the business to stay the course heading into earnings. WESCO has missed Wall Street\u2019s revenue estimates three times over the last two years. Looking at WESCO\u2019s peers in the maintenance and repair distributors segment, some have already reported their Q1 results, giving us a hint as to what we can expect. Fastenal delivered year-on-year revenue growth of 3.4%, meeting analysts\u2019 expectations, and MSC Industrial reported a revenue decline of 4.7%, falling short of estimates by 0.8%. Fastenal traded up 7.3% following the results while MSC Industrial was down 10.3%. Read our full analysis of Fastenal\u2019s results here and MSC Industrial\u2019s results here. Investors in the maintenance and repair distributors segment have had fairly steady hands going into earnings, with share prices down 1.6% on average over the last month. WESCO is up 3.4% during the same time and is heading into earnings with an average analyst price target of $207.95 (compared to the current share price of $161.67). When a company has more cash than it knows what to do with, buying back its own shares can make a lot of sense\u2013as long as the price is right. Luckily, we\u2019ve found one, a low-priced stock that is gushing free cash flow AND buying back shares. Click here to claim your Special Free Report on a fallen angel growth story that is already recovering from a setback."", ""Distribution Solutions Earnings: What To Look For From DSGR Industrial and safety product distributor Distribution Solutions (NASDAQ:DSGR) will be reporting earnings tomorrow before market open. Here\u2019s what to expect. Distribution Solutions beat analysts\u2019 revenue expectations by 3.6% last quarter, reporting revenues of $480.5 million, up 18.6% year on year. It was a strong quarter for the company, with an impressive beat of analysts\u2019 EPS estimates. Is Distribution Solutions a buy or sell going into earnings? Read our full analysis here, it\u2019s free. This quarter, analysts are expecting Distribution Solutions\u2019s revenue to grow 19.5% year on year to $497.2 million, in line with the 19.5% increase it recorded in the same quarter last year. Adjusted earnings are expected to come in at $0.35 per share. Analysts covering the company have generally reconfirmed their estimates over the last 30 days, suggesting they anticipate the business to stay the course heading into earnings. Distribution Solutions has missed Wall Street\u2019s revenue estimates three times over the last two years. Looking at Distribution Solutions\u2019s peers in the maintenance and repair distributors segment, some have already reported their Q1 results, giving us a hint as to what we can expect. Fastenal delivered year-on-year revenue growth of 3.4%, meeting analysts\u2019 expectations, and MSC Industrial reported a revenue decline of 4.7%, falling short of estimates by 0.8%. Fastenal traded up 7.3% following the results while MSC Industrial was down 10.3%. Read our full analysis of Fastenal\u2019s results here and MSC Industrial\u2019s results here. Investors in the maintenance and repair distributors segment have had fairly steady hands going into earnings, with share prices down 1.6% on average over the last month. Distribution Solutions is down 6.5% during the same time and is heading into earnings with an average analyst price target of $43 (compared to the current share price of $26.31). Today\u2019s young investors likely haven\u2019t read the timeless lessons in Gorilla Game: Picking Winners In High Technology because it was written more than 20 years ago when Microsoft and Apple were first establishing their supremacy. But if we apply the same principles, then enterprise software stocks leveraging their own generative AI capabilities may well be the Gorillas of the future. So, in that spirit, we are excited to present our Special Free Report on a profitable, fast-growing enterprise software stock that is already riding the automation wave and looking to catch the generative AI next.""]"
FAST,2025-05-01,80.63,81.329,80.14,80.71,
FAST,2025-05-02,81.35,82.36,80.75,82.12,
FAST,2025-05-05,81.88,83.08,81.57,82.42,
FAST,2025-05-06,80.862,81.79,78.47,78.5,
FAST,2025-05-07,78.5,78.5,78.09,78.5,
FAST,2025-05-08,78.84,80.505,78.805,79.29,
FAST,2025-05-09,78.6,78.6,78.14,78.6,
FAST,2025-05-12,79.81,80.18,78.34,80.15,
FAST,2025-05-13,80.69,80.73,79.95,79.97,
FAST,2025-05-14,79.7,80.64,78.95,80.51,"Fastenal Company (FAST): Among Benjamin Graham Stocks for Defensive Investors We recently published a list of 10 Benjamin Graham Stocks for Defensive Investors. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Fastenal Company (NASDAQ:FAST) stands against other Benjamin Graham stocks for defensive investors. Markets in early 2025 are a bit like a moody spring—75 degrees one day, stormy the next. After a strong run in 2023 and 2024, the S&P 500 dropped over 5% year-to-date as investors digested a mix of policy uncertainties, uncertainty around interest rate cuts, and pockets of corporate underperformance. Many stocks are being re-priced as investors grow more selective, and earnings outlooks weaken. At the same time, the bond market is quietly signaling a shift. Treasury yields are still elevated, but there’s a growing sense that the Fed may be near the end of its hiking cycle. That has made Treasury and investment-grade bonds more attractive, especially compared to volatile equities. The market is in transition. Investors are moving from chasing momentum to seeking quality. Caution, realism, and discipline are back in style, and so are value stocks. Preparing for a potential recession is less about panic and more about applying timeless principles—many of which were championed by Benjamin Graham, the father of value investing. Graham taught that the key to long-term investment success lies in discipline, patience, and a deep understanding of value. In uncertain economic times, those lessons are more relevant than ever. Graham said in his book The Intelligent Investor: Rather than trying to time the market, investors should focus on building a portfolio grounded in quality and resilience. Graham favored companies with strong fundamentals, conservative balance sheets, and consistent earnings power—attributes that tend to shine when the economy slows. Dividend-paying stocks with a history of reliability also fit neatly into Graham’s framework, offering both income and a margin of safety. Graham said in The Intelligent Investor: Diversification, another core tenet of Graham’s philosophy, helps investors avoid overexposure to any one sector or asset class. Holding a variety of investments—equities, bonds, and even cash—can smooth returns and provide flexibility. Graham often emphasized the importance of keeping a cash reserve, not just for protection, but as a source of opportunity when market prices become irrationally low. Graham said, “The investor’s chief problem—and even his worst enemy—is likely to be himself.” Emotional discipline, especially during turbulent markets, is essential. By remaining rational, reassessing risk exposure, and maintaining a long-term mindset, investors can navigate recessionary periods with the confidence that volatility, like all market conditions, is temporary—and often presents some of the best chances to buy quality assets at a discount. We used the Classic Benjamin Graham Stock Screener by Graham Value to compile a list of the 10 Benjamin Graham stocks for defensive investors. We considered the top 20 stocks on our screen and picked the ones with the highest number of hedge fund investors, as of Q4 2024. The stocks are sorted in ascending order of hedge fund sentiment. At Insider Monkey we are obsessed with the stocks that hedge funds pile into. The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points (see more details here). Benjamin Graham Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 35 Fastenal Company (NASDAQ:FAST), founded in 1967, began by supplying threaded fasteners through local branches. Over time, it expanded into a global business-to-business distributor of industrial and construction supplies, offering nine major product lines. As of 2024, Fastenal operated 3,628 in-market locations across 25 countries, supported by 15 distribution centers and 23,702 employees. Its customer engagement is driven by branches, Onsite locations, vending and bin stock technologies, and eBusiness, with a focus on reducing customers’ procurement costs. In the first quarter of 2025, Fastenal Company (NASDAQ:FAST) reported a 3.5% year-over-year increase in net sales. This growth was attributed primarily to internal execution improvements, new customer acquisition, and expanding existing relationships, rather than broader market demand, which remains sluggish. Safety product sales rose nearly 10%, supported by strong performance in Fastenal Managed Inventory (FMI) and vending programs. Digital sales accounted for 61% of total revenue, up from 59% a year ago, with a target of 66–68% by October 2025. Fastenal raised its quarterly dividend from $0.43 to $0.44 per share, aiming to surpass $1 billion in dividend payouts for the year. Larger customer sites, particularly those spending over $10,000 monthly, grew by 7%, driven by high-performing Onsite locations. However, the company acknowledged ongoing underperformance in small customer segments, especially those spending under $2,000 per month, citing weaknesses in its e-commerce platform. Addressing these gaps remains the company’s key focus moving forward. Fastenal Company (NASDAQ:FAST) recognizes the need to improve its e-commerce strategy, especially to capture more of the random MRO (maintenance, repair, and operations) spend that can slip through even in strong customer relationships. Some departments within client organizations may still find it easier to purchase from other vendors online. Strengthening its e-commerce platform would allow Fastenal to better serve these segments and consolidate spending under its offerings. A robust digital presence is also seen as critical to enhancing performance across all customer types, including smaller accounts where Fastenal currently underperforms. Overall, FAST ranks 5th on our list of Benjamin Graham stocks for defensive investors. While we acknowledge the growth potential of FAST, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold great promise for delivering high returns and doing so within a shorter time frame. There is an AI stock that went up since the beginning of 2025, while popular AI stocks lost around 25%. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than FAST but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about this cheapest AI stock. READ NEXT: 20 Best AI Stocks To Buy Now and 30 Best Stocks to Buy Now According to Billionaires. Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey."
FAST,2025-05-15,80.53,81.97,80.19,81.88,"Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) shareholders have earned a 19% CAGR over the last five years When you buy shares in a company, it's worth keeping in mind the possibility that it could fail, and you could lose your money. But on the bright side, if you buy shares in a high quality company at the right price, you can gain well over 100%. Long term Fastenal Company (NASDAQ:FAST) shareholders would be well aware of this, since the stock is up 106% in five years. In the last week the share price is up 2.6%. With that in mind, it's worth seeing if the company's underlying fundamentals have been the driver of long term performance, or if there are some discrepancies. Trump has pledged to ""unleash"" American oil and gas and these 15 US stocks have developments that are poised to benefit. To quote Buffett, 'Ships will sail around the world but the Flat Earth Society will flourish. There will continue to be wide discrepancies between price and value in the marketplace...' One imperfect but simple way to consider how the market perception of a company has shifted is to compare the change in the earnings per share (EPS) with the share price movement. Over half a decade, Fastenal managed to grow its earnings per share at 7.6% a year. This EPS growth is slower than the share price growth of 16% per year, over the same period. So it's fair to assume the market has a higher opinion of the business than it did five years ago. And that's hardly shocking given the track record of growth. The image below shows how EPS has tracked over time (if you click on the image you can see greater detail). We're pleased to report that the CEO is remunerated more modestly than most CEOs at similarly capitalized companies. But while CEO remuneration is always worth checking, the really important question is whether the company can grow earnings going forward. Dive deeper into the earnings by checking this interactive graph of Fastenal's earnings, revenue and cash flow. As well as measuring the share price return, investors should also consider the total shareholder return (TSR). The TSR is a return calculation that accounts for the value of cash dividends (assuming that any dividend received was reinvested) and the calculated value of any discounted capital raisings and spin-offs. It's fair to say that the TSR gives a more complete picture for stocks that pay a dividend. We note that for Fastenal the TSR over the last 5 years was 135%, which is better than the share price return mentioned above. The dividends paid by the company have thusly boosted the total shareholder return. It's nice to see that Fastenal shareholders have received a total shareholder return of 23% over the last year. And that does include the dividend. Since the one-year TSR is better than the five-year TSR (the latter coming in at 19% per year), it would seem that the stock's performance has improved in recent times. Given the share price momentum remains strong, it might be worth taking a closer look at the stock, lest you miss an opportunity. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand Fastenal better, we need to consider many other factors. Consider risks, for instance. Every company has them, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for Fastenal you should know about. For those who like to find winning investments this free list of undervalued companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket. Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on American exchanges. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned."
FAST,2025-05-16,81.87,83.11,81.6,83.03,
FAST,2025-05-19,82.78,83.43,82.27,83.16,
FAST,2025-05-20,82.85,83.15,81.74,81.92,"Fastenal Insider Sold Shares Worth $1,349,068, According to a Recent SEC Filing John Lewis Soderberg, Senior Executive Vice President, IT, on May 16, 2025, sold 16,362 shares in Fa"
FAST,2025-05-21,81.43,82.4496,81.15,81.46,
FAST,2025-05-22,40.86,41.12,40.14,40.715,"[""Morgan Stanley Adjusts Fastenal Price Target to $38 From $76, Maintains Equal Weight Rating Fastenal Company (FAST) has an average rating of Hold and mean price target of $74.38, according to"", ""Wall Street's Newest Stock-Split Stock Has Arrived -- and Its Shares Have Rocketed Higher by 214,200% Since Its IPO Investors are gravitating to brand-name businesses conducting stock splits. Three prominent companies -- none of which is in the tech sector -- have announced historic stock splits in 2025. On May 22, the first of these game-changing stocks will begin trading at its split-adjusted price. 10 stocks we like better than Fastenal \u203a For more than two years, artificial intelligence (AI) is the trend that's captivated the attention of Wall Street and everyday investors. The potential for AI to add $15.7 trillion to the global economy by 2030, based on estimates from PwC, has been too tempting for investors to ignore. But artificial intelligence isn't the only trend responsible for pushing the Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500, and Nasdaq Composite to numerous record-closing highs. Excitement surrounding stock splits has also played an essential role in lifting the tide on Wall Street. A stock split is a tool publicly traded companies can lean on to superficially alter their share price and outstanding share count by the same magnitude. The \""superficial\"" aspect of stock splits pertains to them not having any impact on a company's market cap or its operating performance. Splits come in two varieties -- forward and reverse -- with the former overwhelmingly favored to the latter. Reverse splits, which are designed to increase a company's share price while simultaneously lowering its share count, are typically undertaken by struggling companies attempting to stave off delisting from a major stock exchange. In comparison, forward stock splits are almost always completed by businesses that are out-innovating and out-executing their competition. If a company has to reduce its share price to make it more nominally affordable for investors who lack access to fractional-share purchases through their broker, it must be doing something right. Forward splits are especially popular given the historic outperformance of the companies enacting them. Based on data from Bank of America Global Research, companies have averaged a 25.4% return in the 12 months following their forward split announcement since 1980. This more than doubles up the average return of the S&P 500 over the same 12-month timelines. In 2024, more than a dozen prominent businesses completed stock splits, only one of which was of the reverse variety. This includes AI juggernauts Nvidia and Broadcom, retail giant Walmart, and restaurant chain Chipotle Mexican Grill. Today, May 22, Wall Street's newest stock-split stock will take its place among the ranks. Admittedly, stock-split euphoria has gotten off to a bit of a slow start in 2025 when compared to last year. But whereas 2024 prominently featured tech stocks taking the plunge, this year has featured non-tech highfliers announcing or completing forward splits. The first brand-name business to announce a historic split in 2025 -- albeit not the company that's entering the stock-split ranks today -- is auto parts supplier O'Reilly Automotive (NASDAQ: ORLY). In mid-March, O'Reilly's board announced plans to conduct a 15-for-1 forward split, which is its largest ever, after the close of trading on June 9. This split will help lower O'Reilly's share price from almost $1,382 to close to $92 per share. O'Reilly Automotive is a company that's directly benefiting from the aging of vehicles on American roadways. A May 2024 report from S&P Global Mobility found the average age of cars and light trucks in the U.S. hit an all-time high of 12.6 years, which is up from 11.1 years in 2012. The longer drivers hold onto their vehicles, the more likely it is that O'Reilly will benefit from parts and accessory sales to mechanics and consumers. O'Reilly Automotive also has one of the most impressive share-repurchase programs on Wall Street. Since introducing its buyback program in 2011, almost $26 billion has been spent to repurchase more than 59% of the company's outstanding shares. Buyback programs of this scale can have a notably positive impact on earnings per share. The next prominent stock that made history by announcing a forward split is automated electronic brokerage firm Interactive Brokers Group (NASDAQ: IBKR). The 4-for-1 split announced on April 15, which will go into effect after trading wraps up on June 17, is the first forward split in the company's history. Interactive Brokers has thrived for years thanks to optimistic investor sentiment and lengthy bull markets. When Wall Street's major stock indexes are moving higher, it's normal for investors to put more money to work and to trade more often. Additionally, Interactive Brokers has enjoyed growth in virtually all of its key performance metrics over the last two years. Since emerging from the 2022 bear market, the number of accounts on Interactive Brokers, customer equity on the platform, margin loans outstanding, and daily average revenue trades -- total customer orders divided by the number of trading days in a period -- have all moved higher. But interestingly enough, the most recent brand-name company to announce its intent to split is the first to actually make it happen. For the ninth time in the last 37 years, wholesale industrial and construction supplies distributor Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST) is completing a split. The company's 2-for-1 split, which was announced on April 23, became official after the close of trading on May 21, with shares opening at their split-adjusted price today, May 22. Since Fastenal's initial public offering (IPO) in August 1987, its stock has risen by 130,700% without dividend payments and 214,200% including dividends. Splitting its stock every few years has become part of the corporate culture and is indicative of a company that's firing on all cylinders. One of the key catalysts behind Fastenal's outperformance is its inextricable ties to the health of the U.S. and global economy. Even though recessions are an inevitable part of the economic cycle, the average U.S. downturn since the end of World War II has lasted only 10 months. In comparison, the typical economic expansion has endured for about five years over the last eight decades. Demand for Fastenal's products should grow in lockstep with the U.S. and global economy. Furthermore, about 73% of Fastenal's first-quarter sales came from its contract segment. \""Contracts,\"" per the company, include \""national multi-site, local and regional, and government customers with significant revenue potential.\"" In simpler terms, Fastenal's contract sales are tied to customers it has long-standing relationships with. These close-knit ties have helped push sales higher even amid plenty of macroeconomic uncertainty. Fastenal's jaw-dropping 214,200% total return since its IPO is also a reflection of the company becoming more integrated in its customers supply chains. Fastenal's managed-inventory solutions, which include internet-connected vending devices (FASTVend) and bin stock-location monitoring (FASTBin), are used to learn about clients' purchasing habits and replenishing needs. Fastenal can help improve cost efficiencies for its customers while making itself irreplaceable to cyclically driven industrial companies. At nearly 35 times forward-year earnings, Fastenal is certainly priced as a company that'll continue to outpace its peers in the growth column. While it wouldn't be a surprise to see its stock take a breather after effectively doubling since October 2022, I wouldn't bet against future gains three or more years down the line. Before you buy stock in Fastenal, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now\u2026 and Fastenal wasn\u2019t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you\u2019d have $642,582!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you\u2019d have $829,879!* Now, it\u2019s worth noting Stock Advisor\u2019s total average return is 975% \u2014 a market-crushing outperformance compared to 172% for the S&P 500. Don\u2019t miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks \u00bb *Stock Advisor returns as of May 19, 2025 Bank of America is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. Sean Williams has positions in Bank of America. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Bank of America, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Interactive Brokers Group, Nvidia, and Walmart. The Motley Fool recommends Broadcom and recommends the following options: long January 2027 $175 calls on Interactive Brokers Group, short January 2027 $185 calls on Interactive Brokers Group, and short June 2025 $55 calls on Chipotle Mexican Grill. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Wall Street's Newest Stock-Split Stock Has Arrived -- and Its Shares Have Rocketed Higher by 214,200% Since Its IPO was originally published by The Motley Fool""]"
FAST,2025-05-23,40.2964,40.93,40.2964,40.65,"[""Fastenal Company's (NASDAQ:FAST) Has Had A Decent Run On The Stock market: Are Fundamentals In The Driver's Seat? Most readers would already know that Fastenal's (NASDAQ:FAST) stock increased by 8.9% over the past three months. We wonder if and what role the company's financials play in that price change as a company's long-term fundamentals usually dictate market outcomes. In this article, we decided to focus on Fastenal's ROE. Return on equity or ROE is an important factor to be considered by a shareholder because it tells them how effectively their capital is being reinvested. In simpler terms, it measures the profitability of a company in relation to shareholder's equity. AI is about to change healthcare. These 20 stocks are working on everything from early diagnostics to drug discovery. The best part - they are all under $10bn in marketcap - there is still time to get in early. The formula for return on equity is: Return on Equity = Net Profit (from continuing operations) \u00f7 Shareholders' Equity So, based on the above formula, the ROE for Fastenal is: 31% = US$1.2b \u00f7 US$3.7b (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2025). The 'return' refers to a company's earnings over the last year. One way to conceptualize this is that for each $1 of shareholders' capital it has, the company made $0.31 in profit. View our latest analysis for Fastenal So far, we've learned that ROE is a measure of a company's profitability. Depending on how much of these profits the company reinvests or \""retains\"", and how effectively it does so, we are then able to assess a company\u2019s earnings growth potential. Assuming all else is equal, companies that have both a higher return on equity and higher profit retention are usually the ones that have a higher growth rate when compared to companies that don't have the same features. To begin with, Fastenal has a pretty high ROE which is interesting. Secondly, even when compared to the industry average of 15% the company's ROE is quite impressive. Probably as a result of this, Fastenal was able to see a decent net income growth of 8.2% over the last five years. Next, on comparing with the industry net income growth, we found that Fastenal's reported growth was lower than the industry growth of 19% over the last few years, which is not something we like to see. Earnings growth is a huge factor in stock valuation. What investors need to determine next is if the expected earnings growth, or the lack of it, is already built into the share price. Doing so will help them establish if the stock's future looks promising or ominous. Is Fastenal fairly valued compared to other companies? These 3 valuation measures might help you decide. While Fastenal has a three-year median payout ratio of 68% (which means it retains 32% of profits), the company has still seen a fair bit of earnings growth in the past, meaning that its high payout ratio hasn't hampered its ability to grow. Additionally, Fastenal has paid dividends over a period of at least ten years which means that the company is pretty serious about sharing its profits with shareholders. Upon studying the latest analysts' consensus data, we found that the company is expected to keep paying out approximately 73% of its profits over the next three years. Accordingly, forecasts suggest that Fastenal's future ROE will be 35% which is again, similar to the current ROE. On the whole, we do feel that Fastenal has some positive attributes. Its earnings growth is decent, and the high ROE does contribute to that growth. However, investors could have benefitted even more from the high ROE, had the company been reinvesting more of its earnings. On studying current analyst estimates, we found that analysts expect the company to continue its recent growth streak. Are these analysts expectations based on the broad expectations for the industry, or on the company's fundamentals? Click here to be taken to our analyst's forecasts page for the company. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned."", ""1 Safe-and-Steady Stock with Exciting Potential and 2 to Turn Down Low-volatility stocks may offer stability, but that often comes at the cost of slower growth and the upside potential of more dynamic companies. Luckily for you, StockStory helps you navigate which companies are truly worth holding. That said, here is one low-volatility stock that could offer consistent gains and two stuck in limbo. Rolling One-Year Beta: 0.64 Founded in 1967, Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) provides industrial and construction supplies, including fasteners, tools, safety products, and many other product categories to businesses globally. Why Are We Hesitant About FAST? At $40.68 per share, Fastenal trades at 37x forward P/E. If you\u2019re considering FAST for your portfolio, see our FREE research report to learn more. Rolling One-Year Beta: 0.70 Credited with introducing the first variable-speed pool pump, Hayward (NYSE:HAYW) makes residential and commercial pool equipment and accessories. Why Should You Dump HAYW? Hayward\u2019s stock price of $13.74 implies a valuation ratio of 18.1x forward P/E. Check out our free in-depth research report to learn more about why HAYW doesn\u2019t pass our bar. Rolling One-Year Beta: 0.91 Having saved far more than a trillion gallons of water, Energy Recovery (NASDAQ:ERII) provides energy recovery devices to the water treatment, oil and gas, and chemical processing sectors. Why Are We Backing ERII? Energy Recovery is trading at $12.40 per share, or 15.2x forward P/E. Is now the right time to buy? See for yourself in our in-depth research report, it\u2019s free. The market surged in 2024 and reached record highs after Donald Trump\u2019s presidential victory in November, but questions about new economic policies are adding much uncertainty for 2025. While the crowd speculates what might happen next, we\u2019re homing in on the companies that can succeed regardless of the political or macroeconomic environment. Put yourself in the driver\u2019s seat and build a durable portfolio by checking out our Top 9 Market-Beating Stocks. This is a curated list of our High Quality stocks that have generated a market-beating return of 176% over the last five years. Stocks that made our list in 2020 include now familiar names such as Nvidia (+1,545% between March 2020 and March 2025) as well as under-the-radar businesses like the once-micro-cap company Tecnoglass (+1,754% five-year return). Find your next big winner with StockStory today for free."", ""Argus Research Adjusts Fastenal Price Target to $45 From $90 Fastenal (FAST) has an average rating of Hold and mean price target of $39.39, according to analysts"", ""Morgan Stanley Adjusts Fastenal Price Target to $40 From $38, Maintains Equal Weight Rating Fastenal (FAST) has an average rating of Hold and mean price target of $39.39, according to analysts""]"
FAST,2025-05-27,41.23,41.72,41.0,41.64,"[""Wall Street's Biggest Stock-Split Stock of 2025 Is All Systems Go 2 Weeks From Today Stock-split euphoria is beginning to bloom in 2025. Though Fastenal is the first brand-name company to announce and complete a forward split in 2025 -- it's Fastenal's ninth split in 37 years -- another mammoth split is on deck. A historic 15-for-1 forward split has been given the green light by shareholders to proceed after the close of trading on June 9. 10 stocks we like better than O'Reilly Automotive \u203a Nothing has captivated the attention of investors more over the last two years than the rise of artificial intelligence (AI). The potential for this game-changing technology to add $15.7 trillion to the global economy by 2030, based on estimates from PwC, suggests a broad swath of AI-hardware and applications companies are going to benefit. But it's far from the only trend that investors have flocked to. For instance, companies completing stock splits have consistently been a bright spot for the investing community. A stock split offers a way for public companies to cosmetically alter their share price and outstanding share count by the same factor. The \""cosmetic\"" aspect has to do with stock splits not changing a company's market cap or operating performance in any way. Splits themselves come in two forms, with investors gravitating to one far more than the other. Reverse splits, which are designed to increase a company's share price, are the less-popular of the two. Most companies undertaking reverse splits are doing so from a position of operating weakness and attempting to save their stock from delisting on a major U.S. stock exchange. In comparison, investors tend to welcome forward stock splits with open arms. This type of split is enacted to make a company's shares more nominally affordable for everyday investors who might not be able to purchase fractional shares through their broker. Public companies whose shares have soared to the point where a forward split becomes necessary are typically out-executing their peers and on the leading edge of the innovative curve within their respective industry. Last year, more than a dozen industry-leading businesses took the plunge and completed a forward split. Retail powerhouse Walmart kicked things off, with a quartet of AI kingpins following suit, including Nvidia, Broadcom, Super Micro Computer, and Lam Research. Although 2025 began a bit slower than last year, stock-split euphoria is beginning to bloom. With the first major forward stock split officially in the books, the biggest stock split of the year has been given the green light for two weeks from today. Before giving credence to what'll be the biggest stock-split stock of 2025, let's recognize the first prominent business to actually announce and complete a forward stock split this year: wholesale industrial and construction supplies giant Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST). Fastenal is no stranger to completing forward splits. The 2-for-1 split announced on April 23 and completed after the close of trading on May 21 was its ninth stock split in the last 37 years. Inclusive of dividends paid, Fastenal stock has a total return of more than 214,000% since its August 1987 initial public offering (IPO). Though Fastenal is cyclical and benefits from periods of economic growth lasting substantially longer than recessions, it's the company's ongoing innovation that's really helped it flourish. Fastenal's managed inventory solutions have helped it learn more about the supply chain needs of its on-site clients. Over time, it's become an integral part of many key supply chains. But Fastenal isn't the only big-name company that's announced a split this year. Automated electronic brokerage firm Interactive Brokers Group (NASDAQ: IBKR) announced its intent to conduct a 4-for-1 forward split on April 15, which was more than a week before Fastenal. This marks its first split -- set to take place after the close of trading on June 17 -- since the company went public in May 2007. Interactive Brokers is a big beneficiary of optimistic investor sentiment. Despite some recent stock market gyrations, the benchmark S&P 500 is still firmly in a bull market. With the exception of the 2022 bear market, which lasted less than a year, and the COVID-19 crash, which completed in five weeks, the bulls have been in firm control for much of the last 16 years. When the benchmark index is climbing, investors tend to be willing to invest more. Narrowing things down even further demonstrates how the current bull market, which began in October 2022, has been beneficial to Interactive Brokers Group. On a trailing-two-year basis, it's witnessed its customer count, customer equity on the platform, and customer margin loans all notably increase. Although Interactive Brokers' market cap of $87 billion (as of this writing) makes it the largest public company to conduct a split in 2025, it's not the biggest stock-split stock of the year. That honor belongs to auto parts supplier O'Reilly Automotive (NASDAQ: ORLY), which is set to complete a 15-for-1 forward split after the close of trading on June 9. Two weeks from today, on June 10, O'Reilly's stock will open at its split-adjusted price, which should be below $100 per share. Whereas Fastenal and Interactive Brokers simply announced they would be splitting their respective shares, O'Reilly Automotive put its mammoth stock-split measure up for vote at its annual shareholder meeting on May 15. Based on the voting results of its shareholder meeting, this historic split has been given the green light. Since going public in April 1993, shares of O'Reilly Automotive have driven to a scorching-hot cumulative return that's approaching 58,000%! For the sake of comparison, the S&P 500 has gained around 1,260% since O'Reilly's IPO. This undeniable outperformance for Wall Street's biggest stock-split stock of 2025 boils down to three competitive advantages. O'Reilly Automotive's macro advantage is that consumers are keeping their vehicles longer than ever before. A May 2024 analysis from S&P Global Mobility found the average age of cars and light trucks on U.S. roadways hit a new all-time high of 12.6 years. This is up from an average age of 11.1 years in 2012. With interest rates rising and new vehicles becoming pricier, O'Reilly should be relied on by drivers and mechanics to keep existing vehicles in good working order. On a more company-specific level, O'Reilly's hub-and-spoke distribution model has worked wonders. The company has 31 distribution centers to go along with nearly 400 hub stores. The hub-and-spoke distribution model ensures that over 153,000 stock keeping units (SKUs) can reach local storefronts the same-day or on an overnight basis. The final puzzle piece that helps explain why O'Reilly Automotive stock has been unstoppable is the company's phenomenal share repurchase program. Taking after rival AutoZone, which has repurchased around 90% of its outstanding shares, O'Reilly has spent just shy of $26 billion to buy back more than 59% of its outstanding shares since 2011. Businesses with steady or growing net income that regularly repurchase their stock can expect a boost to earnings per share. All the right boxes are checked for O'Reilly's to continue to outperform. Before you buy stock in O'Reilly Automotive, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now\u2026 and O'Reilly Automotive wasn\u2019t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you\u2019d have $639,271!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you\u2019d have $804,688!* Now, it\u2019s worth noting Stock Advisor\u2019s total average return is 957% \u2014 a market-crushing outperformance compared to 167% for the S&P 500. Don\u2019t miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks \u00bb *Stock Advisor returns as of May 19, 2025 Sean Williams has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Interactive Brokers Group, Lam Research, Nvidia, and Walmart. The Motley Fool recommends Broadcom and recommends the following options: long January 2027 $175 calls on Interactive Brokers Group and short January 2027 $185 calls on Interactive Brokers Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Wall Street's Biggest Stock-Split Stock of 2025 Is All Systems Go 2 Weeks From Today was originally published by The Motley Fool"", ""JPMorgan Adjusts Price Target on Fastenal to $38 From $72 Fastenal (FAST) has an average rating of hold and mean price target of $39.39, according to analysts""]"
FAST,2025-05-28,41.82,42.0,41.37,41.47,
FAST,2025-05-29,41.71,41.71,40.65,41.2,"[""Stephens Adjusts Price Target on Fastenal to $40 From $80, Maintains Equalweight Rating Fastenal (FAST) has an average rating of hold and mean price target of $39.61, according to analysts"", ""Are Retail-Wholesale Stocks Lagging Fastenal (FAST) This Year? The Retail-Wholesale group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Fastenal (FAST) is a stock that can certainly grab the attention of many investors, but do its recent returns compare favorably to the sector as a whole? A quick glance at the company's year-to-date performance in comparison to the rest of the Retail-Wholesale sector should help us answer this question. Fastenal is one of 207 companies in the Retail-Wholesale group. The Retail-Wholesale group currently sits at #9 within the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank considers 16 different groups, measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the sector to gauge the strength of each group. The Zacks Rank is a successful stock-picking model that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions. The system highlights a number of different stocks that could be poised to outperform the broader market over the next one to three months. Fastenal is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy). The Zacks Consensus Estimate for FAST's full-year earnings has moved 1.2% higher within the past quarter. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend. According to our latest data, FAST has moved about 15.3% on a year-to-date basis. In comparison, Retail-Wholesale companies have returned an average of 1.5%. This means that Fastenal is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns. Another Retail-Wholesale stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is Tecnoglass (TGLS). The stock has returned 9% year-to-date. For Tecnoglass, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 1.5% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). To break things down more, Fastenal belongs to the Building Products - Retail industry, a group that includes 5 individual companies and currently sits at #165 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have gained about 2.9% so far this year, so FAST is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns. Tecnoglass is also part of the same industry. Investors interested in the Retail-Wholesale sector may want to keep a close eye on Fastenal and Tecnoglass as they attempt to continue their solid performance. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report Tecnoglass Inc. (TGLS) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com). Zacks Investment Research""]"
FAST,2025-05-30,41.13,41.61,41.06,41.31,
FAST,2025-06-02,41.14,41.29,40.345,40.91,"Wall Street's Biggest Stock-Split Stock of 2025 -- a Company Whose Shares Have Gained 57,000% Since Its IPO -- Is a No-Brainer Buy in June Stock-split euphoria, along with the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), has played a key role in sending the Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500, and Nasdaq Composite to new heights. Though Fastenal is the only high-profile company to have announced and completed a stock split in 2025, it's not the most enticing stock-split stock to buy in June. The most attractive stock-split stock this month has repurchased nearly 60% of its outstanding shares since January 2011. 10 stocks we like better than O'Reilly Automotive › For the better part of the last three decades, investors have had a next-big-thing technology or innovation to captivate their attention, and their money. Over the last two-plus years, the evolution of artificial intelligence (AI) has been Wall Street's hottest trend. But it's not the only trend responsible for lifting the iconic Dow Jones Industrial Average, broad-based S&P 500, and growth stock-inspired Nasdaq Composite to new highs in 2024 (and early 2025 for the S&P 500). Investors have demonstrated a willingness to flock to public companies completing stock splits. A stock split is an event that allows a company to alter its share price and outstanding share count without having any effect on its market cap or underlying operating performance. Though splits are purely cosmetic, they can send quite the message. For instance, investors tend to shy away from businesses enacting reverse splits. This type of split is designed to increase a company's share price and correspondingly lower its share count by the same factor. Companies undertaking this type of split are often struggling and attempting to stave off a possible stock exchange delisting. On the other hand, investors flock to public companies completing forward splits. This variety of stock split makes shares more nominally affordable for everyday investors and/or employees who can't purchase fractional shares through their broker. Businesses that have to conduct a forward split to make their shares nominally cheaper typically have a knack for out-innovating their peers and continuously growing their operations. Last year, more than a dozen brand-name companies announced and completed a forward split, including two trillion-dollar AI juggernauts: Nvidia and Broadcom. In 2025, only three brand-name companies have announced and/or completed a forward split. But one of these three stocks -- which has gained approximately 57,000% since its initial public offering (IPO) in April 1993 -- makes for a no-brainer buy in June. While there have been countless reverse splits thus far in 2025, only one high-profile company has announced and completed its split: wholesale industrial and construction supplies giant Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST). On April 23, Fastenal's board approved a 2-for-1 forward split, which marked the ninth time in the last 37 years the company's stock would undergo a split. It became official after the close of trading on May 21, with Fastenal's share price nominally declining from around $82 per share to $41. The reason Fastenal has split its stock nine times since its IPO in August 1987 is because its shares have risen by close to 210,000%, including dividends paid (what's known as ""total return""). This vast outperformance is a function of Fastenal taking advantage of the nonlinearity of economic cycles, as well as the company fully integrating itself into its customers' supply chains. With regard to the former, Fastenal is a highly cyclical business that ebbs-and-flows with the health of the U.S. and global economy. Since the end of World War II in September 1945, the average U.S. recession has lasted around 10 months, while the typical period of expansion has endured for approximately five years. This welcome disparity increases demand for Fastenal's products over time. Fastenal's managed inventory solutions are also playing a critical role in its long-term success. The on-site placement of internet-connected vending machines (FASTVend) and its FASTBin inventory technology helps Fastenal better understand the supply chain and reordering needs of its customers. Though Fastenal's future remains bright and current investors should expect shares of the company to be higher three-to-five years from now, its forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 32 isn't inexpensive. This is why another stock-split stock makes for a better buy in June. The stock-split stock investors can confidently buy hand over fist in June, regardless of what near-term volatility may await Wall Street, is auto parts supplier O'Reilly Automotive (NASDAQ: ORLY). Even though O'Reilly isn't the largest public company by market cap to announce a stock split in 2025 -- that honor currently belongs to Interactive Brokers Group -- its 15-for-1 forward split is the biggest on the basis of magnitude among all forward splits this year. O'Reilly announced its intent to split back in mid-March, with shareholders giving it the green light to proceed at the company's annual meeting on May 15. Shares will retreat from more than $1,370 per share, as of this writing, to closer to $92 per share after the close of trading on June 9. What makes O'Reilly Automotive stock so special is that it has macroeconomic and company-specific factors working in its favor. On a broader scale, auto parts suppliers have benefited from consumers hanging onto their vehicles longer than ever before. A newly released report from S&P Global Mobility finds that the average age of cars and light trucks on U.S. roadways hit an all-time high of 12.8 years in 2024. That's up from an average age of 11.1 years in 2012. Working in tandem with the persistent aging of vehicles on American roadways is the fact that auto loan interest rates have spiked higher in recent years. The typical 60-month loan for a new car has jumped from sub-4% in late 2021 to between 7% and 8% over the last two years. The incentive is for owners to hang onto their vehicles longer, which is great news for auto parts suppliers like O'Reilly that provide parts and accessories to drivers and mechanics. But there's more to like than just macro factors that benefit all auto parts suppliers. For instance, O'Reilly's unique hub-and-spoke distribution model has been resonating with its customers. O'Reilly closed out 2024 with 31 distribution centers and almost 400 hub stores. These hubs can get more than 153,000 stock keeping units to local retail stores on a same-day or overnight basis. In addition, O'Reilly Automotive has one of the most-effective share-repurchase programs among publicly traded companies. Since its buyback program was initiated in January 2011, the company has spent north of $25.9 billion to repurchase 59.4% of its outstanding shares. Businesses with steady or growing net income that repurchase a substantial percentage of their outstanding shares tend to increase their earnings per share (EPS) and make their stock more fundamentally attractive to investors. With multiple tailwinds in its sails and its shares priced at a reasonable 27 times forward-year earnings, O'Reilly stock can head notably higher. Before you buy stock in O'Reilly Automotive, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and O'Reilly Automotive wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $651,049!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $828,224!* Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 979% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 171% for the S&P 500. Don’t miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of May 19, 2025 Sean Williams has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Interactive Brokers Group and Nvidia. The Motley Fool recommends Broadcom and recommends the following options: long January 2027 $175 calls on Interactive Brokers Group and short January 2027 $185 calls on Interactive Brokers Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Wall Street's Biggest Stock-Split Stock of 2025 -- a Company Whose Shares Have Gained 57,000% Since Its IPO -- Is a No-Brainer Buy in June was originally published by The Motley Fool"
FAST,2025-06-03,40.85,41.22,40.73,41.19,"[""Loop Capital Adjusts Price Target on Fastenal to $40 From $76, Maintains Hold Rating Fastenal (FAST) has an average rating of hold and mean price target of $39.83, according to analysts"", ""1 Surging Industrials Stock for Long-Term Investors and 2 to Steer Clear Of Each stock in this article is trading near its 52-week high. These elevated prices usually indicate some degree of investor confidence, business improvements, or favorable market conditions. While momentum can be a leading indicator, it has burned many investors as it doesn\u2019t always correlate with long-term success. All that said, here is one stock we think lives up to the hype and two that may correct. One-Month Return: -1% Founded in 1967, Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) provides industrial and construction supplies, including fasteners, tools, safety products, and many other product categories to businesses globally. Why Are We Wary of FAST? Fastenal is trading at $40.80 per share, or 37.2x forward P/E. Dive into our free research report to see why there are better opportunities than FAST. One-Month Return: +6.3% Originally founded to ship beer, GATX (NYSE:GATX) provides leasing and management services for railcars and other transportation assets globally. Why Does GATX Give Us Pause? GATX\u2019s stock price of $156.35 implies a valuation ratio of 17.3x forward P/E. To fully understand why you should be careful with GATX, check out our full research report (it\u2019s free). One-Month Return: +20.7% Providing body cameras and tasers for first responders, AXON (NASDAQ:AXON) develops technology solutions and weapons products for military, law enforcement, and civilians. Why Will AXON Beat the Market? At $750 per share, Axon trades at 127.4x forward P/E. Is now the time to initiate a position? Find out in our full research report, it\u2019s free. The market surged in 2024 and reached record highs after Donald Trump\u2019s presidential victory in November, but questions about new economic policies are adding much uncertainty for 2025. While the crowd speculates what might happen next, we\u2019re homing in on the companies that can succeed regardless of the political or macroeconomic environment. Put yourself in the driver\u2019s seat and build a durable portfolio by checking out our Top 5 Growth Stocks for this month. This is a curated list of our High Quality stocks that have generated a market-beating return of 183% over the last five years (as of March 31st 2025). Stocks that made our list in 2020 include now familiar names such as Nvidia (+1,545% between March 2020 and March 2025) as well as under-the-radar businesses like the once-micro-cap company Kadant (+351% five-year return). Find your next big winner with StockStory today for free.""]"
FAST,2025-06-04,41.11,41.54,40.63,40.88,
FAST,2025-06-05,41.1,41.41,40.81,41.34,"Baird Adjusts Price Target on Fastenal to $43 From $86 Fastenal Company (FAST) has an average rating of hold and mean price target of $39.83, according to"
FAST,2025-06-06,41.725,42.16,41.66,42.06,
FAST,2025-06-09,42.25,42.3,41.77,42.13,"[""As tech leads, which stocks have outperformed since April 8 rout? Tech is back in the driver\u2019s seat, with the sector reigniting the flames across the market indexes (^DJI, ^IXIC, ^GSPC) since their April 8 lows on the rollout of President Trump's \""Liberation Day\"" tariffs. Yahoo Finance markets and data editor Jared Blikre \u2014 who also hosts the Stocks In Translation podcast \u2014 breaks down the top gainers, from Nvidia's (NVDA) $1 trillion surge to surprise winners like Oracle (ORCL) and Seagate Technology (STX), to some of the biggest losers in that period. Twice a week, Stocks In Translation cuts through the market mayhem, noisy numbers and hyperbole to give you the information you need to make the right trade for your portfolio. You can find more episodes here, or watch on your favorite streaming service. To watch more expert insights and analysis on the latest market action, check out more Catalysts here."", ""Is It Too Late to Buy Fastenal Stock? Fastenal distributes fasteners and other essential supplies to thousands of manufacturers. The company has built a diversified revenue base that still has room to grow. However, the market has priced Fastenal at a premium, which complicates things for those considering buying shares. 10 stocks we like better than Fastenal \u203a Manufacturing is the basis of the global economy. Almost everything, from footwear to automobiles, is produced in factories. Within that landscape, Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST) has built a tremendous business. The company distributes fasteners, supplies, safety gear, and other products that almost every manufacturer needs but often overlooks. Decades of steady growth have made Fastenal a giant in the industry, and its shareholders quite wealthy. The company has paid and raised its dividend for 25 consecutive years, and returned over 13,000% since the mid-1990s. Shares are up 67% over the past three years alone. Can the stock continue to deliver, or is Fastenal approaching the end of its runway? Here is what you need to know. Supply chains are crucial to all manufacturers. But while most companies focus on the core materials they need to build their products, they often overlook the simple items that workers frequently need. Think nuts and bolts, safety goggles, and batteries. Fastenal has found immense success catering to this need. Fastenal is a leading distributor of industrial supplies, selling essential yet under-the-radar products to its customers. It focuses on technology to provide excellent service and nearly unbeatable convenience. For example, Fastenal installs vending machines at customer facilities, allowing workers to easily access what they need without interrupting their work. Fastenal will also open on-site stores at larger facilities and has a full-fledged e-commerce storefront. Continuous expansion has helped Fastenal continue to grow its top and bottom lines: Today, Fastenal has approximately 130,000 vending machines installed, up from 55,000 in 2015. It seems clear that Fastenal's business model is effective, so it's more a matter of how long the company can sustain its expansion. Most manufacturing sites are small, making vending machines a great solution. Fastenal's installed vending base grew by 12.2% from 2023 to 2024 and by 12.4% year over year in Q1 2025, so its growth momentum remains strong. Management estimates that its addressable market could support upward of 1.7 million units. Fastenal also works with national accounts, which often buy more but have more complex needs. The company signs contracts with these customers. In 2024, national accounts represented 63% of total sales. However, no single customer contributed more than 5% of Fastenal's sales last year, so there is little risk of painful fallout if any given customer were to leave. Such a diverse business enables Fastenal to continue paying and increasing its dividend. The company has raised its payout through both the 2007-2009 financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic, two of the worst scenarios for its industrial-focused customer base in decades. The dividend payout ratio is higher than you'd like to see in most industrial stocks, at 80% of earnings. However, Fastenal doesn't spend much on capital expenditures, and the business has zero net debt. Management has raised the dividend at an annualized rate of 12% over the past decade, and occasionally pays a special dividend. Fastenal's willingness to return cash to shareholders is a significant contributor to the stock's long-term results. Wall Street also seems to think that Fastenal will continue to sustain solid growth. Analysts estimate the company will grow earnings by an average of just over 10% annually over the long term. That doesn't mean the stock is without risks. Much of what Fastenal sells comes from non-U.S. sources, which means tariffs could weigh on the business if they persist. Additionally, Fastenal's business would be affected during a recession, as the company's manufacturing-driven customer base would likely slow. But while Fastenal's future appears bright, the stock's valuation already reflects that. The stock's success has pushed its price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio to 42, which is a bit high for a business with an expected 10% earnings growth rate. That values the stock at a PEG ratio of about 4.0, and I generally shy away from buying high-quality stocks above PEG ratios of 2.0 to 2.5. The risk of downside if something goes wrong becomes uncomfortably high as you start going beyond that. So it's not too late to be bullish on Fastenal, but investors would be wise to wait for a lower price before scooping up shares. Before you buy stock in Fastenal, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now\u2026 and Fastenal wasn\u2019t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you\u2019d have $669,517!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you\u2019d have $868,615!* Now, it\u2019s worth noting Stock Advisor\u2019s total average return is 792% \u2014 a market-crushing outperformance compared to 173% for the S&P 500. Don\u2019t miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks \u00bb *Stock Advisor returns as of June 2, 2025 Justin Pope has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Is It Too Late to Buy Fastenal Stock? was originally published by The Motley Fool""]"
FAST,2025-06-10,42.13,42.74,42.05,42.72,"Wall Street's Biggest Stock Split of the Year Has Arrived -- and This 57,000%-Gainer Can Head Significantly Higher Though stock splits come in two varieties -- forward and reverse -- investors gravitate to one far more than the other. Three high-profile companies have announced stock splits in 2025, with Fastenal being the first to conduct a forward split. The largest stock split of 2025 comes from a company that's firing on all cylinders thanks to macro and company-specific catalysts. 10 stocks we like better than O'Reilly Automotive › For more than two years, artificial intelligence (AI) has been the buzziest trend on Wall Street. The seemingly limitless ceiling associated with AI-driven software and systems has encouraged investors to pile into AI-fueled tech stocks. But artificial intelligence isn't the only trend that investors have gravitated to recently. Excitement surrounding stock splits in some of Wall Street's most-influential businesses is another reason the market's major stock indexes achieved all-time highs in either late 2024 or early 2025. A stock split is an event that allows a publicly traded company to superficially adjust its share price and outstanding share count by the same magnitude. The ""superficial"" aspect pertains to this action not impacting a company's market cap or underlying operating performance. Although splits come in two forms -- forward and reverse -- they're viewed quite differently by the investing public. Reverse splits are usually frowned upon by investors. This type of split, which is angled at increasing a company's share price, is almost always undertaken by struggling businesses that are attempting to avoid being delisted by a major U.S. stock exchange. Conversely, forward stock splits are fewer and far between, but typically adored by investors. A forward split lowers a company's share price to make it more nominally affordable for investors who lack access to fractional-share purchasing through their broker. If a company has to reduce its share price to make it easier for retail investors to purchase whole shares, it's clearly doing something right. Last year, more than a dozen leading businesses conducted a stock split, and all but one was of the forward variety. This included four prominent AI stocks, such as Nvidia, as well as a number of brand-name, consumer-facing businesses, like Chipotle Mexican Grill. In 2025, only three high-profile forward stock splits have been announced. However, the biggest of these stock splits is official as of today, June 10. One of the odd quirks about stock splits is that being the first to announce your intent to perform a split doesn't mean you'll be the first company to officially do so. Wholesale industrial and construction supplies company Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST) was the last of the aforementioned three high-profile companies to announce its intention to conduct a forward split this year. However, it was the first of the three to complete its action, with a 2-for-1 split occurring after trading came to a close on May 21. Fastenal splitting its stock is nothing new. In fact, it's become part of management's culture, with the May 21 forward split marking the ninth time in 37 years the company has made its shares more easily accessible to everyday investors. While Fastenal has continually delivered over the long run by cementing itself as a key player in industrial supply chains, as well as through its innovation, it's not exactly a cheap stock at the moment. It's also not the biggest stock-split stock of 2025. Prior to the opening bell on June 10, auto parts supplier O'Reilly Automotive (NASDAQ: ORLY) will have implemented a 15-for-1 forward split (the largest in the company's storied history). Instead of retail investors having to pony up $1,400 to purchase a single share of O'Reilly stock, it'll now cost a little over $90 per share. Though O'Reilly announced its intention to split in mid-March, its board presented the measure for vote at the company's annual shareholder meeting in mid-May. This differs from Fastenal, which didn't put its stock-split measure up for vote. Since its initial public offering (IPO) in 1993, shares of O'Reilly Automotive have vaulted higher by more than 57,000%! These gains didn't occur by accident, and by no means does this supercharged return mark a top for the company's stock. Rather, O'Reilly Automotive appears to be hitting its stride. One of the reasons shares have skyrocketed is because drivers are hanging onto their vehicles longer than ever before. In the latest annual report from S&P Global Mobility, a division of the well-known S&P Global, the average age of cars and light trucks on U.S. roadways increased to an all-time high of 12.8 years. This is up from an average age of 11.1 years in 2012. To add further context, the average interest rate for a 60-month auto loan for a new vehicle purchase has effectively doubled since late 2021. With the cost for a new vehicle rapidly rising, drivers and businesses are incented to hang onto what they already own. This is fantastic news for O'Reilly and its peers, which are being tasked with keeping aging vehicles running in tip-top condition. But there are company-specific variables at play, too. For instance, O'Reilly's hub-and-spoke distribution model is meeting the needs of drivers and mechanics across the country. The company's 31 distribution centers are surrounded by nearly 400 hub stores that can get more than 153,000 stock keeping units (SKUs) to customers on a same-day or overnight basis. This ensures that virtually all parts or accessories are within reach, as well as keeps customers and mechanics loyal to the brand. O'Reilly Automotive's board has also taken a page out of rival AutoZone's book and implemented one of Wall Street's leading share-repurchase programs. Since kicking off its buyback initiative in 2011, O'Reilly has spent more than $25.9 billion to retire approximately 59.4% of its outstanding shares. When a company is delivering record sales and profits year after year, a declining outstanding share count all but ensures that buybacks are boosting earnings per share. In other words, this aggressive repurchase program is making its stock more fundamentally attractive to value investors. While O'Reilly's forward price-to-earnings ratio of 27 is toward the higher end of its historic range, the persistent aging of America's vehicles, the nimbleness of the company's supply chain, and its ongoing buyback program, all suggest shares can head notably higher over the long run. Before you buy stock in O'Reilly Automotive, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and O'Reilly Automotive wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $669,517!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $868,615!* Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 792% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 173% for the S&P 500. Don’t miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of June 9, 2025 Sean Williams has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Chipotle Mexican Grill, Nvidia, and S&P Global. The Motley Fool recommends the following options: short June 2025 $55 calls on Chipotle Mexican Grill. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Wall Street's Biggest Stock Split of the Year Has Arrived -- and This 57,000%-Gainer Can Head Significantly Higher was originally published by The Motley Fool"
FAST,2025-06-11,42.54,42.75,42.24,42.65,"Select Billionaire Money Managers Are Selling a Stock-Split Stock That's Gained 214,000% Since Its IPO -- and They're Likely to Regret It Quarterly-filed Form 13Fs allow investors to track which stocks Wall Street's brightest asset managers have been buying and selling. Though investors often flock to companies conducting forward stock splits, a highflier that completed its latest split in May was pared down by two prominent billionaire money managers. This sensational stock-split stock has entrenched itself into the supply chains of leading industrial and construction companies. 10 stocks we like better than Fastenal › There's nothing more valuable on Wall Street than data -- and there's rarely a shortage of it for investors. Between earnings season, which is a six-week period each quarter where most S&P 500 companies report their operating results, and near-daily economic reports from the federal government, it's easy for investors to be overwhelmed by the sheer amount of data they can comb through. It's also possible to overlook something important. For instance, one of the most-telling data dumps of the entire quarter occurred less than four weeks ago, and it very well may have flown under the radar of most investors. May 15 was the deadline for institutional investors overseeing at least $100 million in assets under management to file Form 13F with the Securities and Exchange Commission. A 13F provides a concise snapshot of a fund's portfolio, which allows investors to see which stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), and select options Wall Street's smartest money managers purchased and sold in the latest quarter. Even though 13Fs are far from perfect -- e.g., since they're filed up to 45 calendar days following the end to a quarter, they can present stale data for active hedge funds -- they still offer a clear picture of which stocks and trends have the undivided attention of the market's best investors. While most of the focus during 13F-filing season is placed on which stocks billionaire Warren Buffett is buying and selling, he's not the only billionaire asset manager who can make waves with his capital. During the March-ended quarter, select billionaires surprisingly sold shares of a sensational stock-split stock that's rallied more than 214,000% (on a total return basis) since its initial public offering (IPO). A stock split is a tool publicly traded companies have at their disposal to make their shares more accessible to investors. However, stock splits are entirely cosmetic, with an adjustment to a company's share price and outstanding share count (by the same factor) not affecting its market cap or underlying operating performance. Stock splits can adjust a company's share price one of two ways: up (reverse split) or down (forward split). A reverse split is designed to increase a company's share price with a commensurate decrease in its outstanding share count. Most investors avoid this type of split because it's undertaken by struggling businesses whose stock is potentially in danger of being delisted from a major U.S. stock exchange. In comparison, a forward stock split is completed by businesses wanting to make their shares more accessible to investors who can't purchase fractional shares through their broker. Companies that need to reduce their share price to make it more nominally affordable for everyday investors are, more often than not, leading their respective industry in terms of innovation and operating execution. This is the type of split that billionaire money managers and everyday investors typically flock to. But as the latest round of 13F filings showed, even industry-leading businesses can get shown the door by billionaire fund managers. Since 2025 began, only three preeminent businesses have announced and/or completed a forward stock split. Auto parts supplier O'Reilly Automotive was the largest on the basis of magnitude (15-for-1), and Interactive Brokers Group is readying to complete its first-ever forward split (4-for-1) next week. But neither of these stock-split stocks holds a candle to wholesale industrial and construction supplies company Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST), which has delivered a return in excess of 214,000%, including dividends paid, since its initial public offering (IPO) in 1987. The 2-for-1 forward split Fastenal completed after the close of trading on May 21 marked the ninth time in just 37 years the company's board has green-lit a stock split. But before Fastenal officially announced that it would be splitting its stock for a ninth time, two billionaire fund managers were busy showing shares of the company to the door. Billionaire Cliff Asness of AQR Capital Management oversaw the disposition of a third of his fund's stake in Fastenal (about 519,000 shares), while Israel Englander of Millennium Management dumped almost three-quarters of his fund's stake (roughly 203,000 shares). Take note that Millennium hedges a lot of its common stock positions with put and call options, which is the case here. With Fastenal stock delivering a six-digit total return since 1987, simple profit-taking is one reason these fund managers may have willingly pressed the sell button. Asness and Englander oversee highly active funds that aren't shy about locking in profits. But there's also the possibility these billionaire investors were concerned about Fastenal's valuation. Fastenal's forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 35 represents a 16% premium to its average forward P/E multiple over the trailing-five-year period. While it's possible this premium valuation will hinder the upside of its stock in the near-term, these billionaires are likely to regret their selling activity for two very important reasons. On a macroeconomic basis, Fastenal is intricately tied to the health of the U.S. and global economy. Even though recessions are normal and inevitable aspects of the economic cycle, downturns tend to be short-lived and have averaged only 10 months since the end of World War II. With the typical period of economic growth lasting roughly five years since 1945, Fastenal's operations grow in lockstep with an expanding U.S. and global economy. What's arguably even more important is that Fastenal has deepened its ties with many of America's leading industrial and construction companies. Its various managed inventory solutions, which includes on-site internet-connected vending machines and bins that help keep track of inventory, help businesses save money while educating Fastenal about the supply chain needs of its top clients. The bulk of Fastenal's net sales come from businesses it has close-knit relationships with. This is not a stock-split stock I'd wager against being higher three-to-five years from now. Before you buy stock in Fastenal, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Fastenal wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $660,341!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $874,192!* Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 999% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 173% for the S&P 500. Don’t miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of June 9, 2025 Sean Williams has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Interactive Brokers Group. The Motley Fool recommends the following options: long January 2027 $175 calls on Interactive Brokers Group and short January 2027 $185 calls on Interactive Brokers Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Select Billionaire Money Managers Are Selling a Stock-Split Stock That's Gained 214,000% Since Its IPO -- and They're Likely to Regret It was originally published by The Motley Fool"
FAST,2025-06-12,42.495,43.1,42.27,42.86,
FAST,2025-06-13,42.57,42.95,42.08,42.17,"[""Fastenal Company's (NASDAQ:FAST) large institutional owners must be happy as stock continues to impress, up 3.7% over the past week Institutions' substantial holdings in Fastenal implies that they have significant influence over the company's share price 50% of the business is held by the top 20 shareholders Insiders have been selling lately Trump has pledged to \""unleash\"" American oil and gas and these 15 US stocks have developments that are poised to benefit. A look at the shareholders of Fastenal Company (NASDAQ:FAST) can tell us which group is most powerful. The group holding the most number of shares in the company, around 86% to be precise, is institutions. Put another way, the group faces the maximum upside potential (or downside risk). And as as result, institutional investors reaped the most rewards after the company's stock price gained 3.7% last week. One-year return to shareholders is currently 36% and last week\u2019s gain was the icing on the cake. Let's take a closer look to see what the different types of shareholders can tell us about Fastenal. View our latest analysis for Fastenal Institutions typically measure themselves against a benchmark when reporting to their own investors, so they often become more enthusiastic about a stock once it's included in a major index. We would expect most companies to have some institutions on the register, especially if they are growing. We can see that Fastenal does have institutional investors; and they hold a good portion of the company's stock. This can indicate that the company has a certain degree of credibility in the investment community. However, it is best to be wary of relying on the supposed validation that comes with institutional investors. They too, get it wrong sometimes. If multiple institutions change their view on a stock at the same time, you could see the share price drop fast. It's therefore worth looking at Fastenal's earnings history below. Of course, the future is what really matters. Institutional investors own over 50% of the company, so together than can probably strongly influence board decisions. Hedge funds don't have many shares in Fastenal. The Vanguard Group, Inc. is currently the largest shareholder, with 13% of shares outstanding. With 8.4% and 4.7% of the shares outstanding respectively, BlackRock, Inc. and State Street Global Advisors, Inc. are the second and third largest shareholders. After doing some more digging, we found that the top 20 have the combined ownership of 50% in the company, suggesting that no single shareholder has significant control over the company. While it makes sense to study institutional ownership data for a company, it also makes sense to study analyst sentiments to know which way the wind is blowing. There are plenty of analysts covering the stock, so it might be worth seeing what they are forecasting, too. While the precise definition of an insider can be subjective, almost everyone considers board members to be insiders. The company management answer to the board and the latter should represent the interests of shareholders. Notably, sometimes top-level managers are on the board themselves. Most consider insider ownership a positive because it can indicate the board is well aligned with other shareholders. However, on some occasions too much power is concentrated within this group. Our most recent data indicates that insiders own less than 1% of Fastenal Company. Being so large, we would not expect insiders to own a large proportion of the stock. Collectively, they own US$90m of stock. It is always good to see at least some insider ownership, but it might be worth checking if those insiders have been selling. The general public, who are usually individual investors, hold a 14% stake in Fastenal. While this group can't necessarily call the shots, it can certainly have a real influence on how the company is run. While it is well worth considering the different groups that own a company, there are other factors that are even more important. Consider for instance, the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 1 warning sign with Fastenal , and understanding them should be part of your investment process. But ultimately it is the future, not the past, that will determine how well the owners of this business will do. Therefore we think it advisable to take a look at this free report showing whether analysts are predicting a brighter future. NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the last twelve months, which refer to the 12-month period ending on the last date of the month the financial statement is dated. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned."", ""Stock-Split History Is Being Made Next Week by an Industry-Leading Company That's Gained 400% in Just Over 5 Years Investors have rallied around influential companies conducting splits. To date, two industrial titans -- one of which has risen more than 210,000% since its initial public offering -- have completed forward stock splits. Next week, a high-flying financial stock, whose key performance indicators are rocketing higher across the board, will become Wall Street's newest stock-split stock. 10 stocks we like better than Interactive Brokers Group \u203a For more than three decades, investors have almost always had a next-big-thing trend or innovation to hold their attention. It started with the advent and proliferation of the internet in the mid-1990s and was followed by genome decoding, business-to-business e-commerce, nanotechnology, 3D printing, blockchain technology, cannabis, and the metaverse. Today, artificial intelligence (AI) is captivating the attention and wallets of professional and everyday investors. But every so often, more than one big trend can exist at the same time. In addition to the evolution of AI, investors have been rallying around influential companies announcing stock splits. A stock split is a tool publicly traded companies can lean on to cosmetically alter their share price and outstanding share count by the same factor. These adjustments are considered cosmetic because they don't result in a change to a company's market cap or its underlying operating performance. Although stock splits can nominally adjust a company's share price in either direction, one is overwhelmingly preferred by the investing community. Reverse splits, which are designed to increase a company's share price while correspondingly reducing its outstanding share count, are often avoided by investors. The companies announcing and completing reverse splits are typically struggling and attempting to avoid delisting from a major U.S. stock exchange. On the other hand, investors are willingly lured by businesses conducting forward splits. This type of split lowers a company's share price to make it more nominally affordable for everyday investors and/or employees who aren't able to purchase fractional shares. Forward splits are typically completed by companies on the leading edge of the innovation curve within their respective industry. Furthermore, an analysis from Bank of America Global Research showed that, since 1980, companies enacting forward splits more than doubled the average return of the benchmark S&P 500 in the 12 months following their split announcement (25.4% vs. 11.9%). To date, two influential stock-split stocks have taken center stage. Next week, the Class of 2025 stock-split stocks will welcome a new member. Last year, more than a dozen high-profile businesses completed a split, with many of these companies being traced back to the tech sector. This included Nvidia's much-anticipated 10-for-1 split, as well as AI networking solutions specialist Broadcom's first-ever split (also 10-for-1). This year's stock-split theme is all about non-tech titans making their shares more accessible to everyday investors. Although it was the last of the three companies to announce its intent to split, wholesale industrial and construction supplies company Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST) became the first notable business to complete its forward split (2-for-1) after the close of trading on May 21. This marked its ninth split in the last 37 years. Shares of Fastenal have rocketed higher by well over 210,000% since its initial public offering in 1987 (including dividends) and are reflective of the company becoming increasingly tied to the supply chains of notable industrial and construction companies. Fastenal has been integrating its managed inventory solutions on-site to generate instant revenue, as well as gain a better understanding of the supply chain needs of its leading customers. Furthermore, Fastenal benefits from the nonlinearity of economic cycles. Though recessions are a normal and inevitable part of the economic cycle, they're historically short-lived. In comparison, the average economic expansion since the end of World War II has endured around five years. A cyclically tied company like Fastenal spends a disproportionate amount of time growing in lockstep with its biggest clients. The other big-time stock split that's been announced and completed is auto parts supplier O'Reilly Automotive (NASDAQ: ORLY). Following the approval of its forward split by shareholders in mid-May, O'Reilly completed its largest-ever split, 15-for-1, after the close of trading on June 9. One of the clear-cut catalysts for O'Reilly and its peers is the steady aging of cars and light trucks on American roadways. Whereas the average age of vehicles in the U.S. stood at 11.1 years in 2012, according to a report by S&P Global Mobility, it's increased to an all-time high of 12.8 years, as of 2025. With auto loan interest rates climbing and President Donald Trump's tariff and trade policy leading to confusion, O'Reilly Automotive should be relied on by drivers and mechanics to keep aging vehicles in tip-top running condition. A more company-specific reason O'Reilly Automotive stock has steadily climbed is its sensational share-repurchase program. Since initiating a buyback program in 2011, more than $25.9 billion has been spent to repurchase close to 60% of its outstanding shares. A company that regularly grows its net income and reduces its outstanding share count should enjoy a boost to its earnings per share. Wall Street's third high-profile, non-tech, industry-leading stock split of 2025 is right around the corner. Automated electronic brokerage firm Interactive Brokers Group (NASDAQ: IBKR) announced on April 24 that it would complete a 4-for-1 forward split following the close of trading on June 17. This split, which is historic in the sense that it's the first in the company's history, will reduce its share price from north of $205, as of this writing on June 10, to around $50 per share. Since the start of May 2020, which represents a period of just over five years, shares of Interactive Brokers have soared by 400%. This advance is a function of macro and company-specific factors working in its favor. The broad-based theme that helps Interactive Brokers succeed is long-lasting bull markets. Even though stock market corrections and periods of outsized volatility offer some of the best investment opportunities, customers at Interactive Brokers tend to be more willing to trade and hold additional equity on the platform when stocks are climbing. With the exception of the 2022 bear market, which endured less than a year, and the short-lived tariff-induced swoon in April 2025, the bulls have been running wild on Wall Street for the last five years. Interactive Brokers' site features have also hit home with its clients. The company's heavy reliance on technology and automation allows it to pay higher interest on cash balances, as well as charge lower margin fees, depending on the amount being borrowed. This combination of enduring bull markets and unique features has led to sweeping growth in virtually all of Interactive Brokers Group's key performance indicators (KPIs). Over the trailing-two-year period, ended March 31, 2025, the number of customer accounts has soared by 65% to 3.62 million, customer equity on the platform has risen by 67% to almost $574 billion, and daily average revenue trades -- total customer orders divided by the number of trading days in a period -- has jumped 72% to 3.52 million. In other words, when investors feel confident about the state of the stock market, they open accounts, trade more frequently, use margin more often, and keep more of their capital tied up with Interactive Brokers' platform. The only knock you'll find against owning Interactive Brokers' stock is that its forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 26 represents a 29% premium to its average forward P/E over the trailing-five-year period. Though this likely isn't a big deal for long-term investors, considering the company's KPIs keep heading in the right direction, it might limit upside for its shares in the coming quarters. Before you buy stock in Interactive Brokers Group, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now\u2026 and Interactive Brokers Group wasn\u2019t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you\u2019d have $657,871!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you\u2019d have $875,479!* Now, it\u2019s worth noting Stock Advisor\u2019s total average return is 998% \u2014 a market-crushing outperformance compared to 174% for the S&P 500. Don\u2019t miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks \u00bb *Stock Advisor returns as of June 9, 2025 Bank of America is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. Sean Williams has positions in Bank of America. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Bank of America, Interactive Brokers Group, and Nvidia. The Motley Fool recommends Broadcom and recommends the following options: long January 2027 $175 calls on Interactive Brokers Group and short January 2027 $185 calls on Interactive Brokers Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Stock-Split History Is Being Made Next Week by an Industry-Leading Company That's Gained 400% in Just Over 5 Years was originally published by The Motley Fool""]"
FAST,2025-06-16,42.45,42.68,42.07,42.24,
FAST,2025-06-17,42.09,42.295,41.35,41.55,
FAST,2025-06-18,41.66,41.74,41.07,41.48,"[""Wall Street's Newest Stock-Split Stock -- an $85 Billion Colossus That's Been Unstoppable for 3 Years -- Has Arrived Investors have been lured by some of Wall Street's most influential businesses conducting forward stock splits. Two industrial juggernauts -- Fastenal and O'Reilly Automotive -- kicked off stock-split euphoria in 2025. The newest stock-split stock is a company whose competitive advantages have helped all of its key performance indicators grow by double digits. 10 stocks we like better than Interactive Brokers Group \u203a For more than three decades, investors have pretty consistently had a next-big-thing technology or game-changing innovation to captivate their attention. Since late 2022, nothing has garnered more interest or capital from investors than the artificial intelligence (AI) revolution. But on rare occasion, more than one next-big-thing trend can coexist at the same time. In addition to the excitement surrounding the rise of AI, investors have flocked to influential businesses conducting stock splits in recent years. Think of a stock split as a tool on the proverbial belt of public companies that can be used to superficially alter share price and outstanding share count (by the same factor). These changes are cosmetic in the sense that adjusting a company's share price via split doesn't alter its market cap or have any impact on underlying operating performance. Stock splits can increase or decrease a pubic company's share price -- and there tends to be a big difference as to which variety of split investors prefer. Reverse stock splits, which increase a company's share price, are typically disliked by investors. The companies undertaking reverse splits are usually struggling and rely on reverse splits as a tool to avoid delisting from a major stock exchange. On the other end of the spectrum, the investment community gravitates to forward stock-split stocks, which are reducing their share price (and correspondingly increasing their outstanding share count) to make their stock more nominally affordable to investors who can't make fractional-share purchases with their broker. Public companies whose share price has soared to the point where a forward split becomes necessary are often out-executing their competition and leading in the innovation column. Whereas last year's theme was artificial intelligence stocks completing splits, the Class of 2025 stock-split stocks have all been influential non-tech businesses. Two of these highfliers have already completed their respective splits; and prior to trading commencing on June 18, the newest of three major stock splits will officially arrive. Although it was the last of the three premier companies to announce a forward split this year, wholesale industrial and construction supplies company Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST) was the first to officially complete a forward split. The 2-for-1 forward split that went into effect following the close of trading on May 21 marked the ninth time in 37 years the company's shares have been split. With its shares up well over 200,000% since its initial public offering in 1987 (including dividends), stock splits have become part of Fastenal's corporate culture. The beauty of Fastenal's operating model is that it's intricately tied to the health of the U.S. economy (i.e., it's cyclical). Even though downturns are a normal and inevitable aspect of the economic cycle, they're traditionally short-lived. The average U.S. recession since the end of World War II has lasted only 10 months, with no downturn surpassing 18 months in length. In comparison, the average economic expansion has endured for five years over the last eight decades, which has allowed demand for Fastenal's products and inventory solutions to grow in lockstep with its long list of clients. Fastenal's managed inventory solutions are also hitting home with its customers. The on-site placement of internet-connected industrial supply vending machines and inventory bins, among other solutions, can help its clients save money, as well as help Fastenal better understand the supply chain needs of its customers. The next preeminent stock split of 2025 was auto parts supplier O'Reilly Automotive (NASDAQ: ORLY), which completed its largest-ever forward split (15-for-1) following the close of trading on June 9. Though O'Reilly announced its intent to split more than a month before Fastenal, it put the measure to vote at its annual shareholder meeting in mid-May, which allowed Fastenal to beat it to the punch. O'Reilly Automotive's distribution network has played a key role in its success. When 2024 came to a close, the company had 31 distribution centers and close to 400 hub stores. This hub-and-spoke distribution model ensures that more than 153,000 stock keeping units (SKU) are within reach of outlying stores on a same-day or overnight basis. This allows the company to quickly meet the needs of everyday drivers and mechanics. Furthermore, O'Reilly Automotive has one of the best share-repurchase programs on Wall Street. Since commencing its buyback program in 2011, its board has authorized nearly $26 billion worth of repurchases, which has reduced its outstanding share count by more than 59%. These buybacks are having a demonstrably positive impact on O'Reilly's earnings per share and making its stock more fundamentally attractive to value seekers. However, O'Reilly Automotive's moment in the sun as the newest stock-split stock on Wall Street is fairly short-lived. Today, June 18, automated electronic brokerage company Interactive Brokers Group (NASDAQ: IBKR) will officially begin trading at its split-adjusted price, which accounts for its first-ever forward split (4-for-1). While O'Reilly Automotive holds the crown as the largest forward split since Chipotle Mexican Grill rattled off a 50-for-1 stock split last year, Interactive Brokers' $85 billion market cap is the largest among the Class of 2025 stock-split stocks. A significant chunk of this market cap comes from Interactive Brokers' unstoppable 271% rally over the trailing-three-year period (as of June 13, 2025). For brokerages, investor sentiment can play a big role. When investors feel more confident about the health of Wall Street, they're more likely to trade/invest more, as well as use margin loans. Just as the economic cycle isn't linear and works in Fastenal's favor, the disproportionate nature of boom-and-bust cycles on Wall Street have allowed Interactive Brokers Group to thrive. Based on data from the researchers at Bespoke Investment Group, the average S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) bear market since the start of the Great Depression has endured only 286 calendar days, or roughly 9.5 months. Meanwhile, the typical S&P 500 bull market has lasted for approximately 3.5 times as long (1,011 calendar days). Long-winded bull markets can provide a lift to all of Interactive Brokers' key performance indicators (KPIs). On a more company-specific basis, Interactive Brokers' aggressive investments in technology and automation have also played a tangible role in lifting its KPIs. The lower costs associated with automation mean it's able to pass along a higher interest rate to its customers on cash held in accounts. Likewise, it typically charges a lower margin loan rate than competing brokerage firms. Just as Walmart uses its low prices as a competitive advantage to draw consumers into its stores, Interactive Brokers is using its technology and automation as a competitive edge to bring in new accounts and improve the KPIs for existing accounts. On a year-over-year basis, ended March 31, all of the company's KPI's delivered double-digit improvement. In particular, customer accounts climbed by 32% to 3.62 million, equity on the platform grew 23% to $573.5 billion, margin loans jumped 24% to $63.7 billion, and daily active revenue trades (a measure of customer orders divided by total trading days in a period) rose by 50% to 3.52 million. The only meaningful headwind for Interactive Brokers at the moment is the stock market's historically pricey valuation. The S&P 500's Shiller price-to-earnings (P/E) Ratio -- also known as the cyclically adjusted P/E Ratio, or CAPE Ratio -- almost hit a multiple of 39 in December. Historically, a sustained reading above 30 has been an eventual precursor to a decline of 20% or greater in the S&P 500. With investor sentiment of paramount importance to Interactive Brokers, this represents a short-term threat to its stock. But with well-defined competitive advantages and rip-roaring growth for its KPIs, there's no reason to believe shares of Interactive Brokers won't head even higher over the long run. Before you buy stock in Interactive Brokers Group, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now\u2026 and Interactive Brokers Group wasn\u2019t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you\u2019d have $660,821!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you\u2019d have $886,880!* Now, it\u2019s worth noting Stock Advisor\u2019s total average return is 791% \u2014 a market-crushing outperformance compared to 174% for the S&P 500. Don\u2019t miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks \u00bb *Stock Advisor returns as of June 9, 2025 Sean Williams has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Chipotle Mexican Grill, Interactive Brokers Group, and Walmart. The Motley Fool recommends the following options: long January 2027 $175 calls on Interactive Brokers Group, short January 2027 $185 calls on Interactive Brokers Group, and short June 2025 $55 calls on Chipotle Mexican Grill. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Wall Street's Newest Stock-Split Stock -- an $85 Billion Colossus That's Been Unstoppable for 3 Years -- Has Arrived was originally published by The Motley Fool"", ""5 Insightful Analyst Questions From Fastenal\u2019s Q1 Earnings Call Fastenal\u2019s first quarter results were well received by the market, as the company delivered both revenue and non-GAAP profit in line with Wall Street expectations. Management attributed the positive outcome to strong internal execution, including expanded customer relationships and higher adoption of Fastenal Managed Inventory (FMI) solutions. CEO Dan Florness emphasized that, despite ongoing weakness in underlying industrial demand, Fastenal\u2019s growth was \u201cmostly self-help,\u201d reflecting successful sales initiatives and increased customer engagement. The quarter also featured a meaningful increase in device deployments, with FMI units growing 12.5%. Is now the time to buy FAST? Find out in our full research report (it\u2019s free). Revenue: $1.96 billion vs analyst estimates of $1.96 billion (3.4% year-on-year growth, in line) Adjusted EBITDA: $437.4 million vs analyst estimates of $438.4 million (22.3% margin, in line) Operating Margin: 20.1%, in line with the same quarter last year Sales Volumes rose 12.4% year on year (10.5% in the same quarter last year) Market Capitalization: $48.46 billion While we enjoy listening to the management's commentary, our favorite part of earnings calls are the analyst questions. Those are unscripted and can often highlight topics that management teams would rather avoid or topics where the answer is complicated. Here is what has caught our attention. David Manthey (Baird) asked if Fastenal\u2019s contracts can absorb abrupt tariff increases. CEO Dan Florness confirmed pricing flexibility, but stressed the importance of sourcing alternatives and transparency with customers. Stephen Volkmann (Jefferies) questioned how Fastenal manages the timing of substantial tariff-driven price increases. Florness and CFO Holden Lewis explained that direct sourcing and rapid inventory turnover help align cost and price changes for customers. Ryan Cook (Wolfe Research) inquired about trends in SG&A expenses and the outlook for cost leverage. Lewis said leveraging SG&A is possible if mid-single-digit growth continues, but variable compensation may rise with improved operating results. Tommy Moll (Stephens) sought details on recent pricing actions and the implementation cadence. Lewis and Florness noted staggered price increases, especially for fasteners affected by steel tariffs, with customer discussions driving timing. Chris Snyder (Morgan Stanley) asked about opportunities to shift fastener production from Asia to North America or Mexico. Florness explained that a lack of regional manufacturing scale and tariff policy uncertainty limit near-term reshoring feasibility. In upcoming quarters, our team will be closely tracking (1) the effectiveness and customer acceptance of additional tariff-driven pricing actions, (2) progress toward Fastenal\u2019s digital sales penetration targets and growth in FMI deployments, and (3) the company\u2019s success in managing inventory and supply chain adjustments amid ongoing trade policy uncertainty. Execution in e-commerce and large account expansion will also be important signals. Fastenal currently trades at $42.04, up from $37.87 just before the earnings. Is there an opportunity in the stock?The answer lies in our full research report (it\u2019s free). Market indices reached historic highs following Donald Trump\u2019s presidential victory in November 2024, but the outlook for 2025 is clouded by new trade policies that could impact business confidence and growth. While this has caused many investors to adopt a \""fearful\"" wait-and-see approach, we\u2019re leaning into our best ideas that can grow regardless of the political or macroeconomic climate. Take advantage of Mr. Market by checking out our Top 9 Market-Beating Stocks. This is a curated list of our High Quality stocks that have generated a market-beating return of 183% over the last five years (as of March 31st 2025). Stocks that made our list in 2020 include now familiar names such as Nvidia (+1,545% between March 2020 and March 2025) as well as under-the-radar businesses like the once-small-cap company Exlservice (+354% five-year return). Find your next big winner with StockStory today.""]"
FAST,2025-06-20,41.7,41.91,40.75,40.94,"2 Industrials Stocks Worth Investigating and 1 to Approach with Caution Industrials businesses quietly power the physical things we depend on, from cars and homes to e-commerce infrastructure. Unfortunately, this role also comes with a demand profile tethered to the ebbs and flows of the broader economy, and investors seem to be forecasting a downturn - over the past six months, the industry has pulled back by 2.4%. This drop was disappointing since the S&P 500 climbed 1.1%. The elite companies can churn out earnings growth under any circumstance, however, and our mission at StockStory is to help you find them. On that note, here are two industrials stocks boasting durable advantages and one best left ignored. Market Cap: $47.6 billion Founded in 1967, Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) provides industrial and construction supplies, including fasteners, tools, safety products, and many other product categories to businesses globally. Why Are We Wary of FAST? Fastenal’s stock price of $41.18 implies a valuation ratio of 37.7x forward P/E. If you’re considering FAST for your portfolio, see our FREE research report to learn more. Market Cap: $27.18 billion Operating under multiple brands like Orkin and HomeTeam Pest Defense, Rollins (NYSE:ROL) provides pest and wildlife control services to residential and commercial customers. Why Is ROL a Top Pick? Rollins is trading at $56.08 per share, or 48.8x forward P/E. Is now a good time to buy? See for yourself in our in-depth research report, it’s free. Market Cap: $6.85 billion Known for projects like the construction of Guantanamo Bay, KBR provides professional services and technologies, specializing in engineering, construction, and government services sectors. Why Are We Positive On KBR? At $52.78 per share, KBR trades at 13.7x forward P/E. Is now the right time to buy? Find out in our full research report, it’s free. The market surged in 2024 and reached record highs after Donald Trump’s presidential victory in November, but questions about new economic policies are adding much uncertainty for 2025. While the crowd speculates what might happen next, we’re homing in on the companies that can succeed regardless of the political or macroeconomic environment. Put yourself in the driver’s seat and build a durable portfolio by checking out our Top 9 Market-Beating Stocks. This is a curated list of our High Quality stocks that have generated a market-beating return of 183% over the last five years (as of March 31st 2025). Stocks that made our list in 2020 include now familiar names such as Nvidia (+1,545% between March 2020 and March 2025) as well as under-the-radar businesses like the once-small-cap company Exlservice (+354% five-year return). Find your next big winner with StockStory today for free. Find your next big winner with StockStory today. Find your next big winner with StockStory today"
FAST,2025-06-23,40.835,41.34,40.36,41.3,
FAST,2025-06-24,41.37,41.555,40.41,41.53,"[""2 High-Flying Stocks with Competitive Advantages and 1 to Keep Off Your Radar Expensive stocks typically earn their valuations through superior growth rates that other companies simply can\u2019t match. The flip side though is that these lofty expectations make them particularly susceptible to drawdowns when market sentiment shifts. Separating true intrinsic value from speculation isn\u2019t easy, especially during bull markets. That\u2019s where StockStory comes in - to help you find high-quality companies that will stand the test of time. Keeping that in mind, here are two high-flying stocks to hold for the long term and one where the price is not right. Forward P/E Ratio: 37.6x Founded in 1967, Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) provides industrial and construction supplies, including fasteners, tools, safety products, and many other product categories to businesses globally. Why Does FAST Give Us Pause? At $40.66 per share, Fastenal trades at 37.6x forward P/E. Read our free research report to see why you should think twice about including FAST in your portfolio, it\u2019s free. Forward P/E Ratio: 35.7x Playing on the secular trend of healthier living, Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) is a grocery store chain emphasizing natural and organic products. Why Is SFM Interesting? Sprouts\u2019s stock price of $174.31 implies a valuation ratio of 35.7x forward P/E. Is now the time to initiate a position? See for yourself in our in-depth research report, it\u2019s free. Forward P/E Ratio: 45.6x Founded in 2001, Construction Partners (NASDAQ:ROAD) is a civil infrastructure company that builds and maintains roads, highways, and other infrastructure projects. Why Will ROAD Beat the Market? Construction Partners is trading at $107.50 per share, or 45.6x forward P/E. Is now the right time to buy? Find out in our full research report, it\u2019s free. The market surged in 2024 and reached record highs after Donald Trump\u2019s presidential victory in November, but questions about new economic policies are adding much uncertainty for 2025. While the crowd speculates what might happen next, we\u2019re homing in on the companies that can succeed regardless of the political or macroeconomic environment. Put yourself in the driver\u2019s seat and build a durable portfolio by checking out our Top 5 Strong Momentum Stocks for this week. This is a curated list of our High Quality stocks that have generated a market-beating return of 183% over the last five years (as of March 31st 2025). Stocks that made our list in 2020 include now familiar names such as Nvidia (+1,545% between March 2020 and March 2025) as well as under-the-radar businesses like the once-small-cap company Comfort Systems (+782% five-year return). Find your next big winner with StockStory today for free. Find your next big winner with StockStory today. Find your next big winner with StockStory today"", ""Fastenal Company (FAST): A Bull Case Theory We came across a bullish thesis on Fastenal Company on FluentInQuality's Substack. In this article, we will summarize the bull\u2019s thesis on FAST. Fastenal Company's share was trading at $ 41.49 as of 19th June. FAST\u2019s trailing and forward P/E ratios were 41.49 and 38.02, respectively, according to Yahoo Finance. A close up of a specialized steel product that is being processed in a manufacturing plant. Fastenal is not your typical distributor\u2014it\u2019s an embedded, mission-critical component of industrial supply chains, operating as an automated, last-mile utility. The company\u2019s model revolves around being physically present where work happens, with over 1,200 branches, 1,500+ Onsite locations, and more than 100,000 vending machines installed directly in customer facilities. Its approach prioritizes recurring revenue over transactional sales, embedding itself in operations to become invisible yet indispensable. By automating the replenishment of fast-moving SKUs like fasteners, safety gear, and tools, Fastenal ensures high retention, long-term contracts, and minimal customer churn. Each refill not only improves customer satisfaction but also sharpens Fastenal\u2019s logistics and margins through real-time demand data and vendor-managed inventory. The business scales like software\u2014route density, high inventory turnover, and low working capital combine to create a steady cash machine. Fastenal doesn\u2019t need to reinvent itself to grow; it simply deepens its presence by expanding product categories and opening Onsite locations inside customer warehouses. Its pricing strategy focuses on lowering customers\u2019 total cost of ownership rather than competing on sticker price, further entrenching its value. Financially, it maintains a fortress balance sheet\u2014no debt-fueled expansion, no dilution, just high returns on capital, consistent dividend growth, and frequent special payouts. Though its 30x earnings multiple may deter value purists, the quality and consistency of its earnings would earn Buffett\u2019s admiration. Fastenal isn\u2019t flashy. It\u2019s built for permanence\u2014an unassuming yet dominant force that wins through execution, trust, and data-driven scale. For long-term investors, it offers a rare combination of predictability, durability, and expanding margins in a fragmented, cost-sensitive industry. Previously, we covered a bullish thesis on Watsco, Inc. (WSO) by FluentInQuality in March 2025, which highlighted its dominance in HVAC distribution and capital efficiency. The company's stock has depreciated by approximately 14% since our coverage, as the thesis didn\u2019t play out. FluentInQuality shares a similar conviction on Fastenal but emphasizes its embedded model and logistics-driven recurring revenue. Fastenal Company is not on our list of the 30 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds. As per our database, 39 hedge fund portfolios held FAST at the end of the first quarter, which was 35 in the previous quarter. While we acknowledge the risk and potential of FAST as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and have limited downside risk. If you are looking for an extremely cheap AI stock that is also a major beneficiary of Trump tariffs and onshoring, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: 8 Best Wide Moat Stocks to Buy Now and 30 Most Important AI Stocks According to BlackRock.""]"
FAST,2025-06-25,41.58,41.59,41.07,41.12,"Better Stock-Split Stock: Fastenal, O'Reilly Automotive, or Interactive Brokers? Fastenal is the easy pick for income investors among these three stock-split stocks. Value investors probably won't like any of these stocks, although Interactive Brokers has the lowest forward earnings multiple. Growth investors will likely prefer O'Reilly Automotive. 10 stocks we like better than O'Reilly Automotive › On the surface, Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST), O'Reilly Automotive (NASDAQ: ORLY), and Interactive Brokers Group (NASDAQ: IBKR) might seem to have practically nothing in common. Fastenal is a leader in the distribution of industrial and construction supplies, especially fasteners. O'Reilly operates a chain of after-market auto parts stores. Interactive Brokers runs a popular online brokerage. But these three stocks share at least one common denominator. They've each announced stock splits this year. Fastenal conducted a 2-for-1 stock split on May 22. O'Reilly had a 15-for-1 stock split on June 9. Interactive Brokers split its stock 4-for-1 on June 17. Which of these three stock-split stocks is the best pick for investors now? Here's how Fastenal, O'Reilly, and Interactive Brokers compare. O'Reilly Automotive leads the pack on some key financial metrics. The company generated revenue of $16.87 billion over the last 12 months, well above Fastenal's $7.61 billion and Interactive Brokers' $5.4 billion. Unsurprisingly, it also posted the greatest profits. But when it comes to profitability, based on net profit margin, the three stocks are neck-and-neck. Fastenal comes out slightly ahead, though, with a net profit margin of 15.1% versus O'Reilly's and Interactive Brokers' net profit margins of 14.1% and 14.7%, respectively. Interactive Brokers appears to claim the strongest balance sheet. Its cash position of nearly $89.7 billion is more than five times greater than its debt of $17.15 billion. Fastenal's and O'Reilly's debt loads are larger than their cash stockpiles. There's no contest between these three stock-split stocks on current growth. Interactive Brokers' revenue jumped 18.6% year over year in the first quarter of 2025, with earnings soaring 21.7%. The growth delivered by Fastenal and O'Reilly pales in comparison. Fastenal's net sales rose by 3.4% year over year in Q1. Its earnings edged only 0.3% higher. O'Reilly reported revenue growth of 4%, with earnings declining by 1.6%. What about future growth? O'Reilly comes out on top, at least according to analysts surveyed by LSEG. Wall Street projects the auto parts chain to deliver earnings growth of 12.5% next year, higher than the estimates of 9.8% earnings growth for Fastenal and 7.3% growth for Interactive Brokers. Which stock is valued most attractively depends on how far you look into the future. Interactive Brokers has the lowest trailing 12-month price-to-earnings ratio and forward P/E multiple (which looks ahead one year). However, O'Reilly boasts a lower price-to-earnings-to-growth (PEG) ratio (which is based on analysts' five-year earnings growth projections) than Fastenal. LSEG didn't provide a PEG ratio for Interactive Brokers. As we have already seen, though, analysts seem to think that O'Reilly will deliver stronger earnings growth going forward. It's an easy decision in crowning a dividend winner among these three stocks. Fastenal takes the prize with its forward dividend yield of 2.13%. The construction and industrial parts distributor has also increased its dividend for an impressive 27 consecutive years. Interactive Brokers' forward dividend yield is a puny 0.63%. The online brokerage has increased its dividend for only two years in a row. O'Reilly doesn't currently offer a dividend. Your investment style will dictate which of these stock-split stocks is the best choice for you. If you're an income investor, Fastenal is the easy pick. Value investors probably won't find any of these stocks very appealing. However, I view O'Reilly Automotive as the most attractively valued of the three. My opinion is based largely on O'Reilly's stronger growth prospects, which make it the best option for growth investors. Since O'Reilly wins in two areas, I also think it's the best overall pick. By the way, the stock splits for Fastenal, O'Reilly, and Interactive Brokers make no difference whatsoever in which stock to buy. All the splits do is make the respective share prices lower, but they don't impact the underlying businesses at all. Before you buy stock in O'Reilly Automotive, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and O'Reilly Automotive wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $676,023!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $883,692!* Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 793% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 173% for the S&P 500. Don’t miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of June 23, 2025 Keith Speights has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Interactive Brokers Group. The Motley Fool recommends the following options: long January 2027 $175 calls on Interactive Brokers Group and short January 2027 $185 calls on Interactive Brokers Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Better Stock-Split Stock: Fastenal, O'Reilly Automotive, or Interactive Brokers? was originally published by The Motley Fool"
FAST,2025-06-26,41.3,41.395,40.88,41.3,
FAST,2025-06-27,41.395,42.0,41.23,41.98,"[""Fastenal\u2019s Quarterly Earnings Preview: What You Need to Know Headquartered in Winona, Minnesota, Fastenal Company (FAST) is a prominent distributor of industrial and construction supplies, primarily catering to the manufacturing, construction, and maintenance sectors. With a market capitalization of $47.2 billion, the company provides a comprehensive portfolio of products, including fasteners, safety gear, tools, and electrical components, alongside value-added inventory management services. Fastenal is scheduled to release its second-quarter earnings before the market opens on Monday, July 14. Ahead of the event, analysts expect FAST to report a profit of $0.28 per share on a diluted basis, up 12% from $0.25 per share in the same quarter last year. The company has matched the consensus estimates in three of the last four quarters while missing the forecast on another occasion. Ditch Big Tech and Buy These 3 Popular Stocks in 2025 Instead Dear Nvidia Stock Fans, Watch This Event Today Closely Can Broadcom Stock Hit $400 in 2025? Markets move fast. Keep up by reading our FREE midday Barchart Brief newsletter for exclusive charts, analysis, and headlines. For the current year, analysts expect FAST to report EPS of $1.09, up 9% from $1 in fiscal 2024. Looking ahead, analysts expect its EPS to rise 9.2% annually to $1.19 in fiscal 2026. Over the past year, FAST has surged 30.3%, outperforming the S&P 500\u2019s ($SPX) 12.1% gains and the S&P 500 Industrial Sector SPDR\u2019s (XLI) 19.4% gains over the same time frame. On Apr. 11, Fastenal shares climbed 6.4% after the company reported its Q1 2025 results, with revenue reaching nearly $2 billion, slightly surpassing analyst estimates. Earnings stood at $0.52 per share, matching Wall Street expectations, supported by sustained momentum in large-scale, high-value contracts. Analysts\u2019 consensus opinion on FAST stock is cautious, with an overall \u201cHold\u201d rating. Out of 14 analysts covering the stock, three advise a \u201cStrong Buy\u201d rating, ten give a \u201cHold\u201d rating, and one recommends a \u201cStrong Sell.\u201d While FAST currently trades above its mean price target of $40.65, its Street-high target of $45 represents a potential upside of 9% from the current market prices. On the date of publication, Kritika Sarmah did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. This article was originally published on Barchart.com"", ""Fastenal Company Announces Conference Call to Review 2025 Second Quarter Earnings WINONA, Minn., June 26, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Fastenal Company (Nasdaq:FAST) ('Fastenal', 'we', 'our', or 'us') announced the date and time for its conference call to review 2025 second quarter results, as well as current operations. The conference call will be broadcast live over the Internet on Monday, July 14, 2025 at 9:00 a.m. central time. To access the call, please visit the following Web address: https://investor.fastenal.com/events.cfm Our conference call presentation (which includes information, supplemental to that contained in our earnings announcement, regarding results for the quarter) will be available at 6:00 a.m., central time, on the day of the conference call. To access the presentation, please visit the following Web address: https://investor.fastenal.com/releases.cfm An online archive of the webcast will be available within one hour of the conclusion of the call and will remain available until September 1, 2025. Participants must have a compatible device with speakers to listen to the online webcast. About Fastenal With more than 3,500 in-market locations spanning 25 countries, Fastenal supplies a broad offering of fasteners, safety products, metal cutting products, and other industrial supplies to customers engaged in manufacturing, construction, warehousing, wholesale, and state and local government. By investing in local experts and inventory, customer-facing technology, wide-ranging services, and best-in-class sourcing and logistics, we offer a unique combination of capabilities to help our customers reduce cost, risk, and scalability constraints in their global supply chains. This \""high-touch, high-tech\"" approach is reflected in our tagline, Where Industry Meets Innovation\u2122. Additional information regarding Fastenal is available on our website at www.fastenal.com. FAST-G View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250626014967/en/ Contacts Dray Schreiber Financial Reporting & Regulatory Compliance Manager 507.313.7324""]"
FAST,2025-06-30,41.93,42.13,41.79,42.0,
FAST,2025-07-01,42.04,43.13,41.75,42.87,
FAST,2025-07-02,42.715,42.8,42.235,42.67,
FAST,2025-07-03,42.76,43.21,42.625,43.13,"Morgan Stanley Adjusts Price Target on Fastenal to $43 From $40, Maintains Equalweight Rating Fastenal (FAST) has an average rating of hold and mean price target of $40.17, according to analysts"
FAST,2025-07-07,43.15,43.27,42.37,42.47,"Q1 Earnings Highlights: Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) Vs The Rest Of The Maintenance and Repair Distributors Stocks As the Q1 earnings season comes to a close, it’s time to take stock of this quarter’s best and worst performers in the maintenance and repair distributors industry, including Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) and its peers. Supply chain and inventory management are themes that grew in focus after COVID wreaked havoc on the global movement of raw materials and components. Maintenance and repair distributors that boast reliable selection and quickly deliver products to customers can benefit from this theme. While e-commerce hasn’t disrupted industrial distribution as much as consumer retail, it is still a real threat, forcing investment in omnichannel capabilities to serve customers everywhere. Additionally, maintenance and repair distributors are at the whim of economic cycles that impact the capital spending and construction projects that can juice demand. The 9 maintenance and repair distributors stocks we track reported a satisfactory Q1. As a group, revenues were in line with analysts’ consensus estimates. Luckily, maintenance and repair distributors stocks have performed well with share prices up 11.6% on average since the latest earnings results. Founded in 1967, Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) provides industrial and construction supplies, including fasteners, tools, safety products, and many other product categories to businesses globally. Fastenal reported revenues of $1.96 billion, up 3.4% year on year. This print was in line with analysts’ expectations, and overall, it was a strong quarter for the company with an impressive beat of analysts’ sales volume estimates and EPS in line with analysts’ estimates. Interestingly, the stock is up 13.9% since reporting and currently trades at $43.12. Is now the time to buy Fastenal? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free. Formerly known as Systemax, Global Industrial (NYSE:GIC) distributes industrial and commercial products to businesses and institutions. Global Industrial reported revenues of $321 million, flat year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 4.6%. The business had an incredible quarter with an impressive beat of analysts’ EPS estimates and a solid beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates. Global Industrial scored the biggest analyst estimates beat among its peers. The market seems happy with the results as the stock is up 27.7% since reporting. It currently trades at $28.28. Is now the time to buy Global Industrial? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free. Founded in 1952, Distribution Solutions (NASDAQ:DSGR) provides supply chain solutions and distributes industrial, safety, and maintenance products to various industries. Distribution Solutions reported revenues of $478 million, up 14.9% year on year, falling short of analysts’ expectations by 3.8%. It was a disappointing quarter as it posted a significant miss of analysts’ EBITDA and EPS estimates. Interestingly, the stock is up 11.7% since the results and currently trades at $29.11. Read our full analysis of Distribution Solutions’s results here. Founded as a supplier of motors, W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) provides maintenance, repair, and operating (MRO) supplies and services to businesses and institutions. W.W. Grainger reported revenues of $4.31 billion, up 1.7% year on year. This number was in line with analysts’ expectations. Zooming out, it was a satisfactory quarter as it also logged an impressive beat of analysts’ adjusted operating income estimates. The stock is up 2.7% since reporting and currently trades at $1,050. Read our full, actionable report on W.W. Grainger here, it’s free. Serving the pharmaceutical, industrial manufacturing, energy, and chemical process industries, Transcat (NASDAQ:TRNS) provides measurement instruments and supplies. Transcat reported revenues of $77.13 million, up 8.8% year on year. This result surpassed analysts’ expectations by 1%. Overall, it was a very strong quarter as it also logged an impressive beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates and a solid beat of analysts’ EPS estimates. The stock is up 10.9% since reporting and currently trades at $89.88. Read our full, actionable report on Transcat here, it’s free. The Fed’s interest rate hikes throughout 2022 and 2023 have successfully cooled post-pandemic inflation, bringing it closer to the 2% target. Inflationary pressures have eased without tipping the economy into a recession, suggesting a soft landing. This stability, paired with recent rate cuts (0.5% in September 2024 and 0.25% in November 2024), fueled a strong year for the stock market in 2024. The markets surged further after Donald Trump’s presidential victory in November, with major indices reaching record highs in the days following the election. Still, questions remain about the direction of economic policy, as potential tariffs and corporate tax changes add uncertainty for 2025. Want to invest in winners with rock-solid fundamentals? Check out our Top 6 Stocks and add them to your watchlist. These companies are poised for growth regardless of the political or macroeconomic climate."
FAST,2025-07-08,42.42,42.94,42.27,42.821,
FAST,2025-07-09,43.0,43.49,42.625,43.4,"[""Loop Capital Adjusts Price Target on Fastenal to $45 From $40, Maintains Hold Rating Fastenal (FAST) has an average rating of hold and mean price target of $40.72, according to analysts"", ""Here's What You Must Know Ahead of Fastenal's Q2 Earnings Release Fastenal Company FAST is scheduled to report its second-quarter 2025 results on July 14, before the opening bell. In the last reported quarter, Fastenal\u2019s earnings met the Zacks Consensus Estimate while the net sales topped the same by 0.5%. On a year-over-year basis, the top line rose 3.4% while the bottom line remained flat. Fastenal\u2019s earnings missed the consensus mark in one of the last four quarters and met on the other three occasions, with the average negative surprise being 1%. For the quarter to be reported, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings per share has remained unchanged over the past 60 days at 28 cents. The estimated figure indicates 12% year-over-year growth. Fastenal Company price-eps-surprise | Fastenal Company Quote The consensus mark for net sales is pegged at $2.06 billion, indicating a 7.6% increase from the year-ago reported figure of $1.92 billion. (Find the latest earnings estimates and surprises on Zacks Earnings Calendar.) Sales The top line of the company is expected to have gained from improved customer contract signing trends. The elevated trends are likely to have been fueled by its focus on improving its digital footprint and increased investments in sales resources. Moreover, a balanced mix of onsite and offsite services and market share gains across various product categories is expected to have added to the uptick. Despite challenging market conditions, Fastenal's positive attributes are anticipated to have driven its growth. If we go by the latest monthly sales report, May\u2019s average daily sales (ADS) grew 9.3% to $32.7 million, with the same increasing by 4.1% from April 2025. In terms of end markets in May 2025, Heavy Manufacturing and Other Manufacturing daily sales increased 8.6% and 12.8%, respectively, with Non-residential Construction growing 3.3%. In terms of product line, daily sales for Fasteners and Safety grew 8.9% and 10.4%, respectively. Other categories improved 9.2% in May 2025. During the same month, the daily sales growth of contract and non-contract customers was 12% and 4%, respectively, with daily sales through eBusiness growing 14%. Our model predicts Fastenal\u2019s average daily sales to be $31.7 million for the second quarter, indicating an increase of 6.1% from a year ago. Margins The bottom line of FAST is expected to have improved during the second quarter on the back of its active cost control efforts to counter cost inflation. The efforts include automating warehouses, increasing delivery efficiency through its trucking network and selling more private-label products with higher margins. The company is likely to have faced elevated occupancy and employee-related expenses alongside increases in several other cost categories like rental costs and utilities, hub investments and upgrades and incremental depreciation. However, the increased leverage from top-line growth and margin expansion initiatives is expected to more than offset these headwinds. We expect total operating expenses (as a percentage of net sales) to contract 60 basis points to 24.3% for the to-be-reported quarter. Our proven model conclusively predicts an earnings beat for Fastenal this time around. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat. Earnings ESP: The company has an Earnings ESP of +3.05%. You can uncover the best stocks before they\u2019re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter. Zacks Rank: Currently, FAST carries a Zacks Rank of 3. You can see the complete list of today\u2019s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Here are some other companies from the Industrial Products sector, which, according to our model, have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat in their respective quarters to be reported. Eos Energy Enterprises, Inc. EOSE has an Earnings ESP of +20.64% and a Zacks Rank of 2. Eos Energy\u2019s earnings missed the consensus mark in each of the last four quarters, with the average negative surprise being 254.5%. Earnings for the company\u2019s second quarter of 2025 are expected to grow 46.7% year over year. MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. MSM has an Earnings ESP of +4.77% and a Zacks Rank of 2. MSC Industrial\u2019s earnings topped the consensus mark in three of the last four quarters and missed on the remaining occasion, with the average surprise being 6%. Earnings for the company\u2019s fourth quarter of fiscal 2025 are expected to decline 6.8% year over year. Otis Worldwide Corporation OTIS has an Earnings ESP of +0.66% and a Zacks Rank of 2. Otis Worldwide\u2019s earnings topped the consensus mark in two of the last four quarters and missed on the other two occasions, with the average surprise being 0.2%. Earnings for the company\u2019s second quarter of 2025 are expected to tumble 3.8% year over year. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. (MSM) : Free Stock Analysis Report Otis Worldwide Corporation (OTIS) : Free Stock Analysis Report Eos Energy Enterprises, Inc. (EOSE) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com). Zacks Investment Research"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Q2 Earnings Preview: What You Should Know Beyond the Headline Estimates In its upcoming report, Fastenal (FAST) is predicted by Wall Street analysts to post quarterly earnings of $0.28 per share, reflecting an increase of 12% compared to the same period last year. Revenues are forecasted to be $2.06 billion, representing a year-over-year increase of 7.6%. Over the past 30 days, the consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has been adjusted upward by 1.2% to its current level. This demonstrates the covering analysts' collective reassessment of their initial projections during this period. Before a company reveals its earnings, it is vital to take into account any changes in earnings projections. These revisions play a pivotal role in predicting the possible reactions of investors toward the stock. Multiple empirical studies have consistently shown a strong association between trends in earnings estimates and the short-term price movements of a stock. While investors typically use consensus earnings and revenue estimates as indicators of quarterly business performance, exploring analysts' projections for specific key metrics can offer valuable insights. In light of this perspective, let's dive into the average estimates of certain Fastenal metrics that are commonly tracked and forecasted by Wall Street analysts. Analysts expect 'Business days' to come in at 64 days. The estimate compares to the year-ago value of 64 days. The consensus estimate for 'Daily sales' stands at $32.12 . The estimate is in contrast to the year-ago figure of $29.90 . Analysts' assessment points toward 'Weighted FASTBin/FASTVend signings (MEUs)' reaching 7,615 . Compared to the current estimate, the company reported 7,188 in the same quarter of the previous year. The consensus among analysts is that 'Number of branch locations' will reach 1,595 . The estimate compares to the year-ago value of 1,599 . Analysts forecast 'Weighted FASTBin/FASTVend installations (MEUs; end of period)' to reach 133,889 . Compared to the present estimate, the company reported 119,306 in the same quarter last year. View all Key Company Metrics for Fastenal here>>> Fastenal shares have witnessed a change of +0.3% in the past month, in contrast to the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +3.9% move. With a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), FAST is expected closely follow the overall market performance in the near term. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stocks here >>>> . Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com). Zacks Investment Research""]"
FAST,2025-07-10,43.4,44.0,43.3,43.56,"Fastenal Releases 2025 Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Report WINONA, Minn., July 09, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Fastenal Company (Nasdaq: FAST) ('Fastenal', 'we', 'our', or 'us') is proud to announce the publication of our 2025 ESG Report. The report, which covers the year ending December 31, 2024, was produced with reference to the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) standards and aligns with the ESG disclosure and reporting frameworks established by the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB, now part of the IFRS Foundation) and the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD). The report highlights Fastenal's ongoing foundational work to improve its ESG-related systems, processes, and reporting. It also tells a story of innovation – how our 24,000+ employees are using their talents and creativity to drive improvements in areas like sustainability, safety, cybersecurity, supply chain management, and customer solutions. Some highlights from the report include: Received a second consecutive silver medal from EcoVadis, indicating the quality of Fastenal's sustainability management system ranked in the top 15% of all companies rated by EcoVadis in 2024. Completed a double materiality assessment to further refine the most relevant ESG issues for Fastenal's business and stakeholders in preparation for the European Union Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD).(1) Invested in two leading carbon reporting and compliance solutions to better manage our carbon inventory and illuminate opportunities for innovation and improvement. Continued to achieve excellent workplace safety results, including a superior Experience Modification Rate (EMR). EMR is a widely accepted measure of an organization's health and safety risk determined by the National Council on Compensation Insurance. In 2024, Fastenal's EMR was 54% better than the average performance rate for its industry group. ""A central theme of our ESG reports has been simply telling our story and then preparing for what comes next,"" said Dan Florness, Fastenal's CEO. ""Our team has done a great job building systems designed to improve our accounting, reporting, planning, and execution. As a result, we believe we are well positioned to navigate the current regulatory environment and adapt for whatever lies ahead."" VIEW THE REPORT HERE: www.fastenal.com/fast/esg About Fastenal With more than 3,500 in-market locations spanning 25 countries, Fastenal supplies a broad offering of fasteners, safety products, metal cutting products, and other industrial supplies to customers engaged in manufacturing, construction, warehousing, wholesale, and state and local government. By investing in local experts and inventory, customer-facing technology, wide-ranging services, and best-in-class sourcing and logistics, we offer a unique combination of capabilities to help our customers reduce cost, risk, and scalability constraints in their global supply chains. This ""high-touch, high-tech"" approach is reflected in our tagline, Where Industry Meets Innovation™. Additional information regarding Fastenal is available on our website at www.fastenal.com. (1) In conducting this prioritization exercise as part of our effort to clarify our ESG priorities, vision, and strategy, we have made use of GRI and SASB guidance for 'materiality' assessments. This guidance for seeking stakeholder impact and determining priorities refers to 'material' topics to reflect the issues of importance to us and our stakeholders. Used in this context, these terms are distinct from, and should not be confused with, the terms 'material' and 'materiality' as defined by or construed in accordance with securities law or as used in the context of financial statements and reporting. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This release includes forward-looking statements, which are subject to risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements can be identified by the use of terminology such as anticipate, believe, should, estimate, expect, intend, may, will, plan, goal, project, hope, trend, target, opportunity, and similar words or expressions, or by references to typical outcomes. Fastenal's sustainability goals, projects, plans, pace, aspirations, commitments, and strategies are long-term and aspirational and by their nature include forward-looking statements. As such, no forward looking statement can be guaranteed and actual results may differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements due to a variety of factors, including those described in Fastenal's annual ESG Reports and filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date on which they are made. Fastenal undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements. FAST-G View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250709719420/en/ Contacts Dray Schreiber Financial Reporting & Regulatory Compliance Manager 507.313.7324"
FAST,2025-07-11,43.27,43.27,43.27,43.27,
FAST,2025-07-14,44.29,46.04,43.79,45.07,"Fastenal (FAST) Q2 Earnings and Revenues Top Estimates Fastenal (FAST) came out with quarterly earnings of $0.29 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.28 per share. This compares to earnings of $0.25 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items. This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of +3.57%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this maker of industrial and construction fasteners would post earnings of $0.26 per share when it actually produced earnings of $0.26, delivering no surprise. Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates just once. Fastenal, which belongs to the Zacks Industrial Services industry, posted revenues of $2.08 billion for the quarter ended June 2025, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 0.88%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $1.92 billion. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates two times over the last four quarters. The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call. Fastenal shares have added about 20.3% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 6.4%. While Fastenal has outperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock? There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately. Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions. Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for Fastenal was mixed. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to perform in line with the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. It will be interesting to see how estimates for the coming quarters and the current fiscal year change in the days ahead. The current consensus EPS estimate is $0.29 on $2.09 billion in revenues for the coming quarter and $1.09 on $8.12 billion in revenues for the current fiscal year. Investors should be mindful of the fact that the outlook for the industry can have a material impact on the performance of the stock as well. In terms of the Zacks Industry Rank, Industrial Services is currently in the top 13% of the 250 plus Zacks industries. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1. One other stock from the same industry, W.W. Grainger (GWW), is yet to report results for the quarter ended June 2025. The results are expected to be released on August 1. This seller of maintenance and other supplies is expected to post quarterly earnings of $10.00 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of +2.5%. The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has remained unchanged over the last 30 days. W.W. Grainger's revenues are expected to be $4.51 billion, up 4.7% from the year-ago quarter. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report W.W. Grainger, Inc. (GWW) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com). Zacks Investment Research"
FAST,2025-07-15,45.16,45.58,44.7,45.13,"[""Fastenal Rises as 2Q Net Sales Meet Estimates Fastenal posted earnings in line with estimates this morning. Analysts see the slightly better-than-expected June earnings as an encouraging sign amid tariff uncertainty. Fastinal CEO Daniel Forness says it is difficult to move manufacturing fully back to the United States and is seeing \""limited\"" signs its customers are shifting manufacturing back to the US."", ""JPMorgan Raises Price Target on Fastenal to $41 From $38, Maintains Neutral Rating Fastenal (FAST) has an average rating of hold and mean price target of $43.50, according to analysts"", ""Morgan Stanley Adjusts Fastenal Price Target to $45 From $43, Maintains Equal Weight Rating Fastenal Company (FAST) has an average rating of Hold and mean price target of $43.17, according to"", ""Fastenal Co (FAST) Q2 2025 Earnings Call Highlights: Record Revenue and Strong Digital Growth Revenue: Exceeded $2 billion for the first time, with an 8.6% increase in Q2 2025. Daily Sales Growth: Highest since early 2023, with a growth rate of 8.6%. Contract Customer Sales: Increased by 11%, representing 73.2% of total revenues. Operating Margin: Achieved 21%, up 80 basis points year-over-year. Gross Margin: 45.3%, up 20 basis points from the previous year. Earnings Per Share (EPS): $0.29, a 12.7% increase from the previous year. Operating Cash Flow: $279 million, representing 84.4% of net income. Inventory Growth: Increased by 14.7% to improve product availability and efficiency. Accounts Receivable: Up 9.9%, reflecting sales growth and deferred payments. FMI Technology Sales: Represented 44.1% of sales, with an 11% increase in installed devices. E-business Sales: Grew by 13.5%, surpassing 30% of total sales for the first time. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 7 Warning Signs with BOM:540595. Release Date: July 14, 2025 For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. Fastenal Co (NASDAQ:FAST) achieved over $2 billion in revenue for the first time in its history, marking a significant milestone. Sales in the second quarter increased by 8.6%, with the highest daily growth since early 2023. Contract customer sales increased by 11%, now representing 73.2% of revenues, up from 71.2% the previous year. The company saw a 30% year-over-year revenue increase in non-manufacturing sites generating $50,000 or more per month. E-business sales grew by 13.5%, surpassing 30% of total sales for the first time, indicating strong digital growth. Market conditions remain sluggish, with trade policy creating caution and uncertainty among customers. There was a decline in the number of accounts generating under $5,000, particularly those under $500, which could impact smaller customer segments. The FMI Technology adoption was softer than expected, with a slight decrease in new customer signings compared to previous years. Higher import duty fees and transportation costs negatively impacted gross margins. The company faces challenges in managing price costs due to ongoing tariff uncertainties, which could affect future profitability. Q: Could you discuss the evolution of profitability as relationships with customers generating $10,000 or more per month mature and grow? A: Daniel Florness, CEO: The contribution margins for customers generating $10,000 or more per month align closely with the historical company average. While gross margins can challenge the company number slightly, the SG&A leverage is much better due to the rationalization of our branch network and the shift to on-site and large customer services. This has led to a leaner operating expense structure, particularly in people and occupancy costs. Q: Does the inventory investment imply a higher mix of fasteners, and how does it impact margins? A: Daniel Florness, CEO: The inventory investment has been paying off in the first half of the year, providing an attractive return. The deeper inventory allows for better customer engagement and more efficient operations. As we move into the latter half of 2025 and into 2026, we plan to rationalize some of this inventory, which should improve returns further. Q: Should we expect flattish gross margins year over year in the second half, and how is deeper inventory of fasteners helping margins? A: Sheryl Lisowski, CFO: We expect our margin for 2025 to remain essentially flat with 2024. Daniel Florness, CEO: The deeper inventory of fasteners helps margins by allowing us to capture more MRO fastener business, which carries a better gross margin profile due to its spot buy nature. This also frees up labor, allowing us to leverage sales and improve mix. Q: What's your confidence level in achieving double-digit sales growth in the second half of 2025? A: Daniel Florness, CEO: We are confident in achieving double-digit sales growth for the rest of the year. The pipeline is strong across all categories, and the momentum from contract signings supports this outlook. Q: Can you provide more insight into the enhancements for fastenal.com and the opportunity to capture more spot buy needs? A: Daniel Florness, CEO: Enhancements to fastenal.com aim to improve the capture of spot buy needs, particularly from existing customers. We believe there's a significant opportunity to capture additional business from our 10,000-plus customers, as well as stabilize and grow our under 5,000 customer base. Enhancements include improved checkout processes, search functionality, and a clear strategy for e-commerce offerings. For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. This article first appeared on GuruFocus."", ""Rocket Lab price target, Fastenal outlook, Best Buy downgrade Yahoo Finance anchor Josh Lipton covers the top stock movers and stories in this Market Minute. Rocket Lab (RKLB) stock is gaining after Citi raised its price target to $50 from $33, citing expected revenue growth. Fastenal (FAST) posted second quarter net sales roughly in line with expectations, while projecting higher IT spending in 2025 due to project delays. Best Buy (BBY) stock is under pressure following a downgrade from Overweight to Neutral by Piper Sandler, which no longer sees near-term growth catalysts. Stay up to date on the latest market action, minute-by-minute, with Yahoo Finance's Market Minute."", ""Baird Adjusts Fastenal Company Price Target to $47 From $43, Maintains Neutral Rating Fastenal Company (FAST) has an average rating of Hold and mean price target of $43.17, according to"", ""Fastenal Q2 Earnings & Sales Beat Estimates, Stock Rises Fastenal Company\u2019s FAST second-quarter 2025 adjusted earnings and revenues came ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate and increased year over year. Second-quarter results reflect operational discipline, customer expansion and resilience despite broader macro sluggishness. FAST stock gained 3.3% after the earnings results on Friday. The company reported earnings per share (EPS) of 29 cents, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 28 cents and grew 12.7% from the year-ago level of 25 cents per share. Net sales rose 8.6% year over year to $2.08 billion, topping the consensus mark of $2.06 billion. Daily sales also climbed 8.6%, driven primarily by improved customer contract momentum and increased unit sales. Growth came despite a sluggish industrial environment, as larger contract customers and key manufacturing accounts continued to drive incremental gains. Foreign exchange rates positively impacted sales by 10 basis points (bps). Fastenal's unit sales rose in the quarter, driven by more customer sites spending more than $10K per month and modest growth in average sales per site. Product pricing also contributed positively, adding 140\u2013170 bps to net sales. Fastenal Company price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Fastenal Company Quote Daily sales of Fasteners (mainly used for industrial production and accounting for approximately 30.5% of net sales) increased 6.6% year over year. Sales of Safety Supplies (22.2%) grew 10.7% daily. Sales of the Other Product Lines (47.3%) also increased 9% year over year. On an end-market basis, the daily sales rate of Heavy Manufacturing (which accounted for approximately 42.9% of net sales) rose 7.5% year over year. The daily sales rate of Other Manufacturing (33%) grew 11% compared with the prior year. Furthermore, the daily sales of Non-Residential Construction grew 3% compared with the prior-year quarter, while the same for Other End-Markets grew 8.7% in the same time frame. Daily sales through weighted FMI devices grew 14.4% for the second quarter, representing 44.1% of net sales. In the quarter, daily sales through eProcurement rose 19.3%, while daily sales via eCommerce declined 4.2%. In the second quarter of 2025, Digital Footprint sales (which include FMI technology and non-FMI eBusiness) accounted for 61% of total sales, up from 59.4% in the year-ago period. The company's revised 2025 target for Digital Footprint penetration is 63%\u201364%, down from the prior goal of 66%\u201368%. The gross margin was 45.3% in the reported quarter, up 20 bps year over year. Our model predicted a gross margin of 44.9% for the quarter. This upside was due to increased fastener product availability, which resulted in higher sales and improved gross margin. Selling, general and administrative expenses \u2013 as a percentage of net sales \u2013 improved to 24.4% from 24.9% reported in the year-ago quarter. Our model predicted SG&A expenses to improve to 24.3%. Operating margin was 21% (higher than our projection of 20.6%), up from 20.2% a year ago. As of June 30, 2025, Fastenal had cash and cash equivalents of $237.8 million, down from $255.8 million as of Dec. 31, 2024. The long-term debt at the end of the second quarter of 2025 was $100 million, down from $125 million at 2024-end. During the quarter, FAST returned $252.5 million to its shareholders in the form of dividends. In the second quarter of 2025, net cash provided by operating activities totaled $278.6 million, up 8.1% from the year-ago period. Fastenal currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Here are some better-ranked stocks from the Zacks Industrial Products sector. MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. MSM currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today\u2019s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. The MSC stock has gained 21% year to date (YTD). The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 6%, on average. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for MSC\u2019s fiscal 2025 sales and EPS indicates a decline of 1.9% and 24.1%, respectively, from the year-ago period\u2019s levels. IperionX Limited IPX currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). IperionX stock has lost 4.4% YTD. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for IperionX\u2019s current year\u2019s bottom line is expected to improve to a loss of 2 cents per share compared with a 10-cent loss reported in the year-ago period. Siemens Aktiengesellschaft SIEGY currently carries a Zacks Rank #2. Siemens stock has gained 34.9% YTD. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Siemens\u2019 current year\u2019s sales and EPS indicates growth of 2.3% and 20.5%, respectively, from the year-ago period\u2019s levels. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. (MSM) : Free Stock Analysis Report Siemens AG (SIEGY) : Free Stock Analysis Report IperionX Limited Sponsored ADR (IPX) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com). Zacks Investment Research"", ""This Industrial Company\u2019s Earnings Are Good News for the Economy Sector bellwether Fastenal reported upbeat second-quarter earnings, and the strongest sales growth in years."", ""Stephens Adjusts Fastenal Price Target to $45 From $40, Maintains Equal Weight Rating Fastenal Company (FAST) has an average rating of Hold and mean price target of $43.17, according to"", ""Jefferies Adjusts Fastenal Price Target to $45 From $78, Maintains Hold Rating Fastenal Company (FAST) has an average rating of Hold and mean price target of $43.17, according to"", ""HSBC Adjusts Fastenal Price Target to $38 From $35 Fastenal Company (FAST) has an average rating of Hold and mean price target of $43.50, according to"", ""Company News for Jul 15, 2025 Shares of Fastenal Company (FAST) jumped 4.2% after the company reported second-quarter 2025 earnings of $0.29 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.28 per share. Coinbase Global, Inc.\u2019s (COIN) shares gained 1.8% after Bitcoin crossed $120,000 for the first time on Monday. Shares of Kenvue Inc. (KVUE) rose 2.3% after the company announced that its CEO, Thibaut Mongon, has stepped down. Riot Platforms, Inc.\u2019s (RIOT) shares increased 0.7% on the broader cryptocurrency rally after Bitcoin hit a new all-time high. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report Riot Platforms, Inc. (RIOT) : Free Stock Analysis Report Coinbase Global, Inc. (COIN) : Free Stock Analysis Report Kenvue Inc. (KVUE) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com). Zacks Investment Research"", ""These Stocks Are Moving the Most Today: Boeing, MicroStrategy, Waters, Autodesk, Ansys, Fastenal, Kenvue, and More Boeing shares rise as the accident of Air India flight 171 doesn\u2019t appear to have anything to do with aircraft design or manufacturing, while MicroStrategy and crypto-related stocks jump as Bitcoin sets a record high.""]"
FAST,2025-07-16,45.115,45.62,44.88,45.6,"[""Fastenal Second Quarter 2025 Earnings: EPS Beats Expectations Revenue: US$2.08b (up 8.6% from 2Q 2024). Net income: US$330.3m (up 13% from 2Q 2024). Profit margin: 16% (in line with 2Q 2024). EPS: US$0.29 (up from US$0.26 in 2Q 2024). We've found 21 US stocks that are forecast to pay a dividend yield of over 6% next year. See the full list for free. All figures shown in the chart above are for the trailing 12 month (TTM) period Revenue was in line with analyst estimates. Earnings per share (EPS) surpassed analyst estimates by 8.2%. Looking ahead, revenue is forecast to grow 7.6% p.a. on average during the next 3 years, compared to a 6.9% growth forecast for the Trade Distributors industry in the US. Performance of the American Trade Distributors industry. The company's shares are up 5.3% from a week ago. Before we wrap up, we've discovered 1 warning sign for Fastenal that you should be aware of. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned."", ""This Week's 2 Hottest Earnings Charts: Netflix and Cintas Second quarter earnings season is here. It kicked off this week with the big banks, including JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Citigroup and Bank of America. But there\u2019s more than just the big banks this week. A former member of the FANGMAN stocks is reporting and it\u2019s hot again. And important industrials are also reporting, like Fastenal. Earnings All Stars Are Rare It\u2019s not easy beating every quarter, or nearly every quarter, for 5 years. That still includes the early pandemic period in 2020 when the global economy was shut. It takes a lot of coordination between management and the analysts to achieve a perfect five-year track record. Communication must be clear so that everyone is on the same page. And then the companies must execute. Companies that can do it every quarter for 5 years are special indeed. Will these two red-hot companies beat again? This Week\u2019s 2 Hottest Earnings Charts: Netflix and Cintas 1. Netflix Inc. (NFLX) Netflix used to be one of the FANGMAN stocks but was kicked out of that group for Tesla. FANGMAN died, and then it became the Magnificent 7. Netflix\u2019s stock had stalled so it was no longer the \u201csure thing\u201d like some of the others. Maybe they should think about adding Netflix back in? Netflix has beat on earnings 5 quarters in a row and only has 2 misses since 2021. Shares have soared in 2025, adding 41.4% and hitting a new all-time high. Earnings are expected to rise 28.1% this year. Is it time to get back into Netflix? 2. Cintas Corp. (CTAS) Cintas is a large cap uniform company. On Thursday, it will report is fourth quarter 2025 results. Cintas is an earnings all-star. It has beat every quarter for the last 5 years. That\u2019s impressive. Additionally, shares of Cintas have hit new highs in the last year and are up 16.7% year-to-date. Over the last 5 years, Cintas is beating the return of Netflix with a return of 206.4% compared to Netflix\u2019s 140.9%. Not too shabby for a company that isn\u2019t tech. Cintas is expected to grow its earnings by 15.8% in fiscal 2025 and another 10.7% in fiscal 2026. Will Cintas beat again and keep its perfect earnings surprise record? Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Netflix, Inc. (NFLX) : Free Stock Analysis Report Cintas Corporation (CTAS) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com). Zacks Investment Research""]"
FAST,2025-07-17,45.7,45.9601,45.125,45.88,
FAST,2025-07-18,46.2,46.3,45.64,46.06,"Fastenal (FAST) Reliance on International Sales: What Investors Need to Know Have you evaluated the performance of Fastenal's (FAST) international operations for the quarter ending June 2025? Given the extensive global presence of this maker of industrial and construction fasteners, analyzing the patterns in international revenues is crucial for understanding its financial strength and potential for growth. In today's increasingly interconnected global economy, a company's ability to tap into international markets can be a pivotal factor in shaping its overall financial health and growth trajectory. For investors, understanding a company's reliance on overseas markets has become increasingly crucial, as it offers insights into the company's sustainability of earnings, ability to tap into diverse economic cycles and overall growth potential. Being present in foreign markets serves as protection against local economic declines and helps benefit from more rapidly expanding economies. Yet, such expansion also introduces challenges related to currency fluctuations, geopolitical uncertainties and varied market behaviors. While delving into FAST's performance for the past quarter, we observed some fascinating trends in the revenue from its foreign segments that are commonly modeled and observed by analysts on Wall Street. The company's total revenue for the quarter amounted to $2.08 billion, showing rise of 8.6%. We will now explore the breakdown of FAST's overseas revenue to assess the impact of its international operations. Of the total revenue, $66.1 million came from Other foreign countries during the last fiscal quarter, accounting for 3.18%. This represented a surprise of +5.53% as analysts had expected the region to contribute $62.64 million to the total revenue. In comparison, the region contributed $61.1 million, or 3.12%, and $58.2 million, or 3.04%, to total revenue in the previous and year-ago quarters, respectively. During the quarter, Canada and Mexico contributed $281.4 million in revenue, making up 13.53% of the total revenue. When compared to the consensus estimate of $281.7 million, this meant a surprise of -0.11%. Looking back, Canada and Mexico contributed $268.9 million, or 13.72%, in the previous quarter, and $263.9 million, or 13.77%, in the same quarter of the previous year. For the current fiscal quarter, it is anticipated by Wall Street analysts that Fastenal will report a total revenue of $2.11 billion, which reflects an increase of 10.7% from the same quarter in the previous year. The revenue contributions are expected to be 3% from Other foreign countries ($63.58 million) and 13.4% from Canada and Mexico ($283.05 million). For the full year, a total revenue of $8.18 billion is expected for the company, reflecting an increase of 8.4% from the year before. The revenues from Other foreign countries and Canada and Mexico are expected to make up 3.1% and 13.5% of this total, corresponding to $250.08 million and $1.11 billion respectively. Fastenal's reliance on international markets for revenues offers both opportunities and risks. Hence, keeping an eye on its international revenue trends could significantly help forecast the company's prospects. In an era of growing international interdependencies and escalating geopolitical disputes, Wall Street analysts are vigilant in tracking these trends for businesses with a global reach, in order to refine their predictions of earnings. It should be noted, however, that a multitude of other elements, such as a company's domestic position, also play a significant role in shaping the earnings forecasts. Here at Zacks, we put a great deal of emphasis on a company's changing earnings outlook, as empirical research has shown that's a powerful force driving a stock's near-term price performance. Quite naturally, the correlation is positive here -- an upward revision in earnings estimates drives the stock price higher. The Zacks Rank, our proprietary stock rating tool, comes with an externally validated impressive track record. It effectively utilizes shifts in earnings projections to act as a dependable barometer for forecasting short-term stock price trends. At the moment, Fastenal has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), signifying that its performance may align with the overall market trend in the upcoming period. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stocks here >>>> Over the past month, the stock has seen an increase of 10.6% in its value, whereas the Zacks S&P 500 composite has posted an increase of 5.4%. The Zacks Industrial Products sector, Fastenal's industry group, has ascended 8.3% over the identical span. In the past three months, there's been an increase of 11.8% in the company's stock price, against a rise of 19.7% in the S&P 500 index. The broader sector has increased by 23.5% during this interval. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com). Zacks Investment Research"
FAST,2025-07-21,46.03,46.53,45.88,46.02,"[""Market Digest: NVS, TFC, FAST, HBAN, NFLX, PWR, SCHW, ELV Earnings season ramps up this week, with several 'Mag7' names on the list. As well, Fed Chairman Powell will speak at a public event. Last week, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 0.2%, the S&P 500 gained 0.5%, and the Nasdaq popped 1.4%. So far this year, the Dow is up 4%, the S&P 500 has climbed 7%, and the Nasdaq boasts an 8% gain. The earnings calendar is packed this week, with more than 400 companies reporting. The list includes Verizon and Domino's Pizza on Monday; Coca-Cola, Philip Morris, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and General Motors on Tuesday; Alphabet, Tesla, and IBM on Wednesday; and Blackstone, Honeywell, and Intel on Thursday. It's early in reporting season (as only 12% of S&P 500 companies have reported), but the initial news has companies reporting an average of 7% EPS growth compared to the year-ago quarter. That is solid, but represents a slower pace than in the past few quarters. In the first quarter, growth was 14%, following a 17% growth in 4Q24 and 9% growth in 3Q24, according to LSEG. The economic calendar this week is light, with several housing indicators due. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell will give the keynote address on Tuesday morning at a bank conference in Washington, DC. Releases include Leading Economic Indicators on Monday, Existing Home Sales on Wednesday, New Home Sales on Thursday, and Durable Goods Orders on Friday. Turning to other data, the Atlanta Fed GDPNow measure forecasts 2.4% for 2Q, following a 0.5% in 1Q. The Cleveland Fed Inflation Nowcast forecasts a 2.7% rate for CPI in July, even with the June pace. Mortgage rates inched up for the second week in a row, with the average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage at 6.75%, according to FreddieMac. Gas prices were flat at an average of $3.13 per gallon for regular gas. The next Federal Reserve rate decision is on July 30, with odds at 5% for a cut, according to the CME FedWatch rate tool. After that, the next meeting is on September 17 and odds jump to 60% for a cut. Most economists still expect two rate cuts in 2025, each by 25 basis points (though odds declined following a bump up in inflation data last week). Taking a deeper dive into performance, U.S. stocks are lagging global stocks. A leading industrialized global stock market index, the EFA ETF, has surged 17.3% year to date, while the leading emerging market ETF EEM has gained 17.4%. U.S. growth stocks, with a year-to-date gain of 7.2% (ETF ticker IWF), have taken the lead over value stocks, which show an advance of 6.0% based on the value ETF (IWD). In other asset classes for the year to date, AGG bonds are up 1.2%; gold is up 29%; crude oil is down 7%; and Bitcoin is up 26%. The VIX Volatility Index is at 16, below its historical average of 20 and consistent with a bull market. Sector performance reveals a mixed picture halfway through 2025. The Industrial group leads all sectors with a 14% gain, followed by Financial (+11%) and Information Technology (+10%). Communication Services (+11%) and Utilities (+8%) are also outperforming the broader market. Defensive sectors like Consumer Staples (+6%) and Materials (+9%) cluster near the S&P 500's average return, while Consumer Discretionary (-3%) and Healthcare (-2%) remain in negative territory for the year. Real Estate (+1%) continues to struggle amid elevated interest rates."", ""Fastenal\u2019s Q2 Earnings Call: Our Top 5 Analyst Questions Fastenal\u2019s second quarter was marked by strong sales growth and a positive market reaction, driven by robust contract signings and ongoing gains in market share despite a sluggish industrial environment. Management credited the increase in contract customer sales and the success of recent organizational changes for the improved performance. President Jeff Watts highlighted that contract signings rose to 84 during the quarter, well ahead of recent trends, and now account for over 73% of total revenues. CEO Dan Florness noted, \u201cOur execution has dramatically changed and I feel like the organization is really aligned.\u201d Is now the time to buy FAST? Find out in our full research report (it\u2019s free). Revenue: $2.08 billion vs analyst estimates of $2.07 billion (8.6% year-on-year growth, 0.5% beat) Adjusted EPS: $0.29 vs analyst estimates of $0.27 (7.2% beat) Adjusted EBITDA: $481.2 million vs analyst estimates of $474.3 million (23.1% margin, 1.4% beat) Operating Margin: 21%, in line with the same quarter last year Sales Volumes rose 10.8% year on year, in line with the same quarter last year Market Capitalization: $52.86 billion While we enjoy listening to the management's commentary, our favorite part of earnings calls are the analyst questions. Those are unscripted and can often highlight topics that management teams would rather avoid or topics where the answer is complicated. Here is what has caught our attention. David Manthey (Baird) asked about the profitability of large customer segments. CEO Dan Florness explained that contribution margins for accounts over $10,000 monthly align closely with company averages, driven by SG&A leverage from servicing larger customers. Ryan Merkel (William Blair) questioned gross margin outlook and the impact of deeper fastener inventory. Florness clarified that increased inventory supports higher-margin, unplanned spot buys, while Lisowski said margins should remain essentially flat for the year. Tommy Moll (Stephens) inquired about the potential for e-commerce growth and fastenal.com enhancements. Florness described a significant opportunity to capture more spot-buy business from both large and small customers by improving the digital platform. Chris Dankert (Loop Capital Markets) sought an update on the customer solution consultant program. President Jeff Watts reported ongoing expansion of this team, citing its success in winning regional contracts and supporting growth among mid-sized customers. Chris Snyder (Morgan Stanley) pressed for clarity on pricing actions related to tariffs. Florness and other executives explained that phased pricing increases exited the quarter at 3%, with further adjustments likely as trade policy evolves. In the coming quarters, our analyst team will watch (1) the pace and effectiveness of Fastenal\u2019s digital and e-commerce rollout, especially the relaunch of fastenal.com, (2) the company\u2019s ability to sustain contract signings and double-digit sales growth amid macro uncertainty, and (3) the impact of tariff-related pricing actions on gross margins and customer retention. Leadership execution in managing supply chain costs and adapting to trade policy shifts will also be key areas of focus. Fastenal currently trades at $46.06, up from $43.29 just before the earnings. Is there an opportunity in the stock?The answer lies in our full research report (it\u2019s free). Donald Trump\u2019s April 2024 \""Liberation Day\"" tariffs sent markets into a tailspin, but stocks have since rebounded strongly, proving that knee-jerk reactions often create the best buying opportunities. The smart money is already positioning for the next leg up. Don\u2019t miss out on the recovery - check out our Top 5 Growth Stocks for this month. This is a curated list of our High Quality stocks that have generated a market-beating return of 183% over the last five years (as of March 31st 2025). Stocks that made our list in 2020 include now familiar names such as Nvidia (+1,545% between March 2020 and March 2025) as well as under-the-radar businesses like the once-micro-cap company Tecnoglass (+1,754% five-year return). Find your next big winner with StockStory today. StockStory is growing and hiring equity analyst and marketing roles. Are you a 0 to 1 builder passionate about the markets and AI? See the open roles here."", ""Argus Adjusts Price Target on Fastenal to $50 From $45 Fastenal (FAST) has an average rating of hold and mean price target of $44.78, according to analysts"", ""Analyst Report: Fastenal Co. Fastenal Co. sells industrial and construction supplies, including fasteners, at approximately 1,600 stores and 1,800 onsite locations, as well as through vending machines at customer locations and through e-commerce channels. Most of the company's customers are in the manufacturing and nonresidential construction markets. Headquartered in Winona, MN, the company has over 20,000 employees and its shares are a component of the S&P 500.""]"
FAST,2025-07-22,46.02,47.11,45.91,47.08,
FAST,2025-07-23,47.22,47.62,47.14,47.43,
FAST,2025-07-24,47.39,48.01,47.24,47.93,
FAST,2025-07-25,48.06,48.1,47.255,47.75,
FAST,2025-07-28,47.54,47.615,46.765,46.8,
FAST,2025-07-29,46.73,46.86,46.38,46.6,"Josh Brown Highlights His New Best Industrial Stock Pick in 2025 Fastenal Co (NASDAQ:FAST) is one of the Top 10 Stocks Wall Street is Buzzing About These Days. Josh Brown, CEO of Ritholtz Wealth Management, recently highlighted Fastenal Co (NASDAQ:FAST) as one of his best stock picks in the market. Here is how Brown explained his thesis about the stock: Photo by Ruben Sukatendel on Unsplash While we acknowledge the potential of FAST as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and have limited downside risk. If you are looking for an extremely cheap AI stock that is also a major beneficiary of Trump tariffs and onshoring, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: 30 Stocks That Should Double in 3 Years and 11 Hidden AI Stocks to Buy Right Now. Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey."
FAST,2025-07-30,46.57,46.875,46.06,46.41,"[""ASHTY vs. FAST: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option? Investors looking for stocks in the Industrial Services sector might want to consider either Ashtead Group PLC (ASHTY) or Fastenal (FAST). But which of these two stocks offers value investors a better bang for their buck right now? We'll need to take a closer look. Everyone has their own methods for finding great value opportunities, but our model includes pairing an impressive grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system with a strong Zacks Rank. The proven Zacks Rank emphasizes companies with positive estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight stocks with specific traits. Currently, Ashtead Group PLC has a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy), while Fastenal has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). The Zacks Rank favors stocks that have recently seen positive revisions to their earnings estimates, so investors should rest assured that ASHTY has an improving earnings outlook. But this is just one piece of the puzzle for value investors. Value investors also try to analyze a wide range of traditional figures and metrics to help determine whether a company is undervalued at its current share price levels. Our Value category highlights undervalued companies by looking at a variety of key metrics, including the popular P/E ratio, as well as the P/S ratio, earnings yield, cash flow per share, and a variety of other fundamentals that have been used by value investors for years. ASHTY currently has a forward P/E ratio of 15.49, while FAST has a forward P/E of 42.11. We also note that ASHTY has a PEG ratio of 1.55. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. FAST currently has a PEG ratio of 4.26. Another notable valuation metric for ASHTY is its P/B ratio of 3.86. Investors use the P/B ratio to look at a stock's market value versus its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. By comparison, FAST has a P/B of 14.05. Based on these metrics and many more, ASHTY holds a Value grade of B, while FAST has a Value grade of F. ASHTY sticks out from FAST in both our Zacks Rank and Style Scores models, so value investors will likely feel that ASHTY is the better option right now. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Ashtead Group PLC (ASHTY) : Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com). Zacks Investment Research"", ""Shareholders Are Optimistic That Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) Will Multiply In Value There are a few key trends to look for if we want to identify the next multi-bagger. Firstly, we'd want to identify a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and then alongside that, an ever-increasing base of capital employed. If you see this, it typically means it's a company with a great business model and plenty of profitable reinvestment opportunities. Ergo, when we looked at the ROCE trends at Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST), we liked what we saw. This technology could replace computers: discover the 20 stocks are working to make quantum computing a reality. If you haven't worked with ROCE before, it measures the 'return' (pre-tax profit) a company generates from capital employed in its business. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for Fastenal: Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) \u00f7 (Total Assets - Current Liabilities) 0.37 = US$1.6b \u00f7 (US$5.0b - US$820m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2025). Thus, Fastenal has an ROCE of 37%. In absolute terms that's a great return and it's even better than the Trade Distributors industry average of 11%. Check out our latest analysis for Fastenal Above you can see how the current ROCE for Fastenal compares to its prior returns on capital, but there's only so much you can tell from the past. If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free analyst report for Fastenal . In terms of Fastenal's history of ROCE, it's quite impressive. The company has consistently earned 37% for the last five years, and the capital employed within the business has risen 21% in that time. Now considering ROCE is an attractive 37%, this combination is actually pretty appealing because it means the business can consistently put money to work and generate these high returns. If these trends can continue, it wouldn't surprise us if the company became a multi-bagger. In the end, the company has proven it can reinvest it's capital at high rates of returns, which you'll remember is a trait of a multi-bagger. On top of that, the stock has rewarded shareholders with a remarkable 123% return to those who've held over the last five years. So while investors seem to be recognizing these promising trends, we still believe the stock deserves further research. One more thing, we've spotted 1 warning sign facing Fastenal that you might find interesting. If you want to search for more stocks that have been earning high returns, check out this free list of stocks with solid balance sheets that are also earning high returns on equity. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.""]"
FAST,2025-07-31,46.1,46.76,45.89,46.13,
FAST,2025-08-01,45.85,45.915,44.865,45.43,
FAST,2025-08-04,45.52,45.8,44.965,45.37,
FAST,2025-08-05,45.43,45.67,45.17,45.44,"[""1 Large-Cap Stock to Own for Decades and 2 We Question Large-cap stocks have the power to shape entire industries thanks to their size and widespread influence. With such vast footprints, however, finding new areas for growth is much harder than for smaller, more agile players. These trade-offs can cause headaches for even the most seasoned professionals, which is why we started StockStory - to help you find high-quality companies that can grow their earnings no matter what. That said, here is one large-cap stock whose competitive advantages creates flywheel effects and two whose existing offerings may be tapped out. Market Cap: $52.07 billion Founded in 1967, Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) provides industrial and construction supplies, including fasteners, tools, safety products, and many other product categories to businesses globally. Why Does FAST Worry Us? Fastenal\u2019s stock price of $45.38 implies a valuation ratio of 42.2x forward P/E. If you\u2019re considering FAST for your portfolio, see our FREE research report to learn more. Market Cap: $84.44 billion Responsible for the development of the first stealth bomber, Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) specializes in providing aerospace, defense, and security solutions for various industry applications. Why Do We Pass on NOC? At $591.79 per share, Northrop Grumman trades at 20.8x forward P/E. To fully understand why you should be careful with NOC, check out our full research report (it\u2019s free). Market Cap: $72.76 billion Founded by two grad students of Harvard Business School, Cloudflare (NYSE:NET) is a software-as-a-service platform that helps improve the security, reliability, and loading times of internet applications. Why Is NET a Top Pick? Cloudflare is trading at $209.17 per share, or 30.5x forward price-to-sales. Is now the time to initiate a position? Find out in our full research report, it\u2019s free. Trump\u2019s April 2025 tariff bombshell triggered a massive market selloff, but stocks have since staged an impressive recovery, leaving those who panic sold on the sidelines. Take advantage of the rebound by checking out our Top 6 Stocks for this week. This is a curated list of our High Quality stocks that have generated a market-beating return of 183% over the last five years (as of March 31st 2025). Stocks that made our list in 2020 include now familiar names such as Nvidia (+1,545% between March 2020 and March 2025) as well as under-the-radar businesses like the once-small-cap company Comfort Systems (+782% five-year return). Find your next big winner with StockStory today for free. StockStory is growing and hiring equity analyst and marketing roles. Are you a 0 to 1 builder passionate about the markets and AI? See the open roles here."", ""Fastenal (FAST) Upgraded to Buy: Here's Why Fastenal (FAST) could be a solid choice for investors given its recent upgrade to a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). An upward trend in earnings estimates -- one of the most powerful forces impacting stock prices -- has triggered this rating change. The sole determinant of the Zacks rating is a company's changing earnings picture. The Zacks Consensus Estimate -- the consensus of EPS estimates from the sell-side analysts covering the stock -- for the current and following years is tracked by the system. The power of a changing earnings picture in determining near-term stock price movements makes the Zacks rating system highly useful for individual investors, since it can be difficult to make decisions based on rating upgrades by Wall Street analysts. These are mostly driven by subjective factors that are hard to see and measure in real time. Therefore, the Zacks rating upgrade for Fastenal basically reflects positivity about its earnings outlook that could translate into buying pressure and an increase in its stock price. The change in a company's future earnings potential, as reflected in earnings estimate revisions, and the near-term price movement of its stock are proven to be strongly correlated. That's partly because of the influence of institutional investors that use earnings and earnings estimates for calculating the fair value of a company's shares. An increase or decrease in earnings estimates in their valuation models simply results in higher or lower fair value for a stock, and institutional investors typically buy or sell it. Their bulk investment action then leads to price movement for the stock. For Fastenal, rising earnings estimates and the consequent rating upgrade fundamentally mean an improvement in the company's underlying business. And investors' appreciation of this improving business trend should push the stock higher. As empirical research shows a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and near-term stock movements, tracking such revisions for making an investment decision could be truly rewarding. Here is where the tried-and-tested Zacks Rank stock-rating system plays an important role, as it effectively harnesses the power of earnings estimate revisions. The Zacks Rank stock-rating system, which uses four factors related to earnings estimates to classify stocks into five groups, ranging from Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) to Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell), has an impressive externally-audited track record, with Zacks Rank #1 stocks generating an average annual return of +25% since 1988. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here >>>> . This maker of industrial and construction fasteners is expected to earn $1.11 per share for the fiscal year ending December 2025, which represents no year-over-year change. Analysts have been steadily raising their estimates for Fastenal. Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the company has increased 2.3%. Unlike the overly optimistic Wall Street analysts whose rating systems tend to be weighted toward favorable recommendations, the Zacks rating system maintains an equal proportion of \""buy\"" and \""sell\"" ratings for its entire universe of more than 4,000 stocks at any point in time. Irrespective of market conditions, only the top 5% of the Zacks-covered stocks get a \""Strong Buy\"" rating and the next 15% get a \""Buy\"" rating. So, the placement of a stock in the top 20% of the Zacks-covered stocks indicates its superior earnings estimate revision feature, making it a solid candidate for producing market-beating returns in the near term. You can learn more about the Zacks Rank here >>> The upgrade of Fastenal to a Zacks Rank #2 positions it in the top 20% of the Zacks-covered stocks in terms of estimate revisions, implying that the stock might move higher in the near term. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com). Zacks Investment Research""]"
FAST,2025-08-06,45.735,46.895,45.695,46.78,
FAST,2025-08-07,47.38,47.53,46.67,47.499,"[""3 Reasons FAST is Risky and 1 Stock to Buy Instead Fastenal\u2019s 26.7% return over the past six months has outpaced the S&P 500 by 21.4%, and its stock price has climbed to $46.77 per share. This was partly due to its solid quarterly results, and the run-up might have investors contemplating their next move. Is there a buying opportunity in Fastenal, or does it present a risk to your portfolio? Get the full breakdown from our expert analysts, it\u2019s free. We\u2019re glad investors have benefited from the price increase, but we don't have much confidence in Fastenal. Here are three reasons why you should be careful with FAST and a stock we'd rather own. A company\u2019s long-term sales performance is one signal of its overall quality. Any business can put up a good quarter or two, but many enduring ones grow for years. Unfortunately, Fastenal\u2019s 7% annualized revenue growth over the last five years was mediocre. This was below our standard for the industrials sector. Analyzing the long-term change in earnings per share (EPS) shows whether a company's incremental sales were profitable \u2013 for example, revenue could be inflated through excessive spending on advertising and promotions. Fastenal\u2019s unimpressive 7.5% annual EPS growth over the last five years aligns with its revenue performance. This tells us it maintained its per-share profitability as it expanded. Free cash flow isn't a prominently featured metric in company financials and earnings releases, but we think it's telling because it accounts for all operating and capital expenses, making it tough to manipulate. Cash is king. As you can see below, Fastenal\u2019s margin dropped by 4.8 percentage points over the last five years. If its declines continue, it could signal increasing investment needs and capital intensity. Fastenal\u2019s free cash flow margin for the trailing 12 months was 11.3%. Fastenal isn\u2019t a terrible business, but it isn\u2019t one of our picks. With its shares topping the market in recent months, the stock trades at 43.5\u00d7 forward P/E (or $46.77 per share). At this valuation, there\u2019s a lot of good news priced in - we think other companies feature superior fundamentals at the moment. Let us point you toward our favorite semiconductor picks and shovels play. When Trump unveiled his aggressive tariff plan in April 2024, markets tanked as investors feared a full-blown trade war. But those who panicked and sold missed the subsequent rebound that\u2019s already erased most losses. Don\u2019t let fear keep you from great opportunities and take a look at Top 5 Growth Stocks for this month. This is a curated list of our High Quality stocks that have generated a market-beating return of 183% over the last five years (as of March 31st 2025). Stocks that made our list in 2020 include now familiar names such as Nvidia (+1,545% between March 2020 and March 2025) as well as under-the-radar businesses like the once-small-cap company Exlservice (+354% five-year return). Find your next big winner with StockStory today. StockStory is growing and hiring equity analyst and marketing roles. Are you a 0 to 1 builder passionate about the markets and AI? See the open roles here."", ""Baird Upgrades Fastenal to Outperform From Neutral, Adjusts Price Target to $55 From $47 Fastenal (FAST) has an average rating of hold and mean price target of $44.78, according to analysts"", ""Eli Lilly downgraded, Lyft upgraded: Wall Street's top analyst calls The most talked about and market moving research calls around Wall Street are now in one place. Here are today's research calls that investors need to know, as compiled by The Fly. Top Upgrades: Roth Capital upgraded Lyft (LYFT) to Buy from Neutral with a price target of $19, up from $16. The company's ridesharing performance indicators as well as EBITDA and free cash flow margins reached all-time highs, the firm tells investors in a research note. BofA upgraded CommScope (COMM) to Buy from Underperform with a price target of $20, up from $4, following its decision to sell CCS, its flagship segment, to Amphenol (APH). CommScope has been making progress with paying down debt over the past few quarters and the CCS sale is another step in the company's breakup, designed to eliminate the risk of default and expose the sum-of-parts value, the firm tells investors. Baird upgraded Fastenal (FAST) to Outperform from Neutral with a price target of $55, up from $47. The firm believes the market is underestimating the company's earnings power. Piper Sandler upgraded HubSpot (HUBS) to Overweight from Neutral with a price target of $675, up from $645. The company's Q2 report was \""better-than-feared\"" with a sales beat against a backdrop of negative investor sentiment, the firm tells investors in a research note. Stifel upgraded ESAB (ESAB) to Buy from Hold with an unchanged price target of $141. Stifel views the selloff as a \""compelling entry point\"" for a \""high quality compounder at a significant discount.\"" Top Downgrades: Leerink downgraded Eli Lilly (LLY) to Market Perform from Outperform with a price target of $715, down from $944. Following \""disappointing\"" initial results for orforglipron, the company's oral GLP-1, the firm is lowering its long-term projections and notes that its \""investment thesis has changed\"" as it no longer expects upward pressure on long-term consensus expectations. TD Cowen downgraded Fortinet (FTNT) to Hold from Buy with a price target of $105, down from $135, post the Q2 report. While the company's second half of 2025 billings guidance was raised by one point to 15% year-over-year, the current refresh cycle at 50% attainment creates uncertainty of core appliance growth once the cycle is complete in 4-6 quarters, the firm tells investors in a research note. Rosenblatt, KeyBanc and Piper Sandler also downgraded Fortinet to Neutral-equivalent ratings. Morgan Stanley downgraded Caterpillar (CAT) to Underweight from Equal Weight with a price target of $350, up from $283. While the quarter contained some clear positives, the negatives indicate a \""steady deterioration\"" in Caterpillar's fundamentals and skew the stock's risk to the downside, the firm tells investors in a research note. Citi downgraded Opendoor Technologies (OPEN) to Sell from Neutral with a price target of 70c, down from 80c. The firm cites its significantly reduced sales estimates, the 250% rally in the shares since July 1, and slowing home purchase and resell activity for the downgrade. Jefferies downgraded Six Flags (FUN) to Hold from Buy with a price target of $25, down from $41. The firm sees uncertainty following the company's Q2 miss due to prospects for a protracted leadership and strategy change. Top Initiations: Carvana (CVNA) was assumed at Morgan Stanley with an Overweight rating and a price target of $450, up from $290. The firm embeds greater acceleration in market share gains and \""gives credit for operating execution\"" with Carvana's management team \""delivering yet another strong operating result well ahead of expectations,\"" the firm tells investors. Sagimet Biosciences (SGMT) was assumed at H.C. Wainwright with a Buy rating and $29 price target. The company has a potential best-in-class fatty acid synthase inhibitor platform with \""multiple shots on goal\"" across a number of diseases, including near-term clinical catalysts in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis and dermatology, the firm tells investors in a research note.""]"
FAST,2025-08-08,47.47,48.38,47.303,47.99,
FAST,2025-08-11,48.1,48.21,47.235,47.865,
FAST,2025-08-12,48.01,48.54,47.58,48.45,"[""Fastenal Insider Sold Shares Worth $1,662,421, According to a Recent SEC Filing John Lewis Soderberg, Senior Executive Vice President of Information Technology, on August 08, 2025,"", ""Fastenal Insider Sold Shares Worth $2,341,202, According to a Recent SEC Filing Jeffery Michael Watts, President and Chief Sales Officer, on August 08, 2025, sold 48,724 shares in"", ""Fastenal Company's (NASDAQ:FAST) Stock Has Seen Strong Momentum: Does That Call For Deeper Study Of Its Financial Prospects? Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) has had a great run on the share market with its stock up by a significant 19% over the last three months. We wonder if and what role the company's financials play in that price change as a company's long-term fundamentals usually dictate market outcomes. In this article, we decided to focus on Fastenal's ROE. Return on equity or ROE is an important factor to be considered by a shareholder because it tells them how effectively their capital is being reinvested. In other words, it is a profitability ratio which measures the rate of return on the capital provided by the company's shareholders. Trump has pledged to \""unleash\"" American oil and gas and these 15 US stocks have developments that are poised to benefit. The formula for ROE is: Return on Equity = Net Profit (from continuing operations) \u00f7 Shareholders' Equity So, based on the above formula, the ROE for Fastenal is: 31% = US$1.2b \u00f7 US$3.8b (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2025). The 'return' is the income the business earned over the last year. One way to conceptualize this is that for each $1 of shareholders' capital it has, the company made $0.31 in profit. See our latest analysis for Fastenal We have already established that ROE serves as an efficient profit-generating gauge for a company's future earnings. We now need to evaluate how much profit the company reinvests or \""retains\"" for future growth which then gives us an idea about the growth potential of the company. Generally speaking, other things being equal, firms with a high return on equity and profit retention, have a higher growth rate than firms that don\u2019t share these attributes. To begin with, Fastenal has a pretty high ROE which is interesting. Second, a comparison with the average ROE reported by the industry of 14% also doesn't go unnoticed by us. This probably laid the groundwork for Fastenal's moderate 7.7% net income growth seen over the past five years. As a next step, we compared Fastenal's net income growth with the industry and were disappointed to see that the company's growth is lower than the industry average growth of 17% in the same period. Earnings growth is an important metric to consider when valuing a stock. It\u2019s important for an investor to know whether the market has priced in the company's expected earnings growth (or decline). Doing so will help them establish if the stock's future looks promising or ominous. If you're wondering about Fastenal's's valuation, check out this gauge of its price-to-earnings ratio, as compared to its industry. While Fastenal has a three-year median payout ratio of 69% (which means it retains 31% of profits), the company has still seen a fair bit of earnings growth in the past, meaning that its high payout ratio hasn't hampered its ability to grow. Moreover, Fastenal is determined to keep sharing its profits with shareholders which we infer from its long history of paying a dividend for at least ten years. Our latest analyst data shows that the future payout ratio of the company over the next three years is expected to be approximately 78%. As a result, Fastenal's ROE is not expected to change by much either, which we inferred from the analyst estimate of 36% for future ROE. Overall, we feel that Fastenal certainly does have some positive factors to consider. The company has grown its earnings moderately as previously discussed. Still, the high ROE could have been even more beneficial to investors had the company been reinvesting more of its profits. As highlighted earlier, the current reinvestment rate appears to be quite low. On studying current analyst estimates, we found that analysts expect the company to continue its recent growth streak. To know more about the company's future earnings growth forecasts take a look at this free report on analyst forecasts for the company to find out more. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.""]"
FAST,2025-08-13,48.43,49.26,48.365,49.21,"[""Investors Playing More Defense Even as Stocks Climb to New Highs (Bloomberg) -- The caution flags have been waving for weeks: The record run in US stocks is masking trouble beneath the surface. Now, signs are emerging that investors have started to heed the warnings. Most Read from Bloomberg Sunseeking Germans Face Swiss Backlash Over Alpine Holiday Congestion To Head Off Severe Storm Surges, Nova Scotia Invests in \u2018Living Shorelines\u2019 New York Warns of $34 Billion Budget Hole, Biggest Since 2009 Crisis Five Years After Black Lives Matter, Brussels\u2019 Colonial Statues Remain For Homeless Cyclists, Bikes Bring an Escape From the Streets A Goldman Sachs Group Inc. basket of S&P 500 companies with the strongest balance sheets just posted the best week since early April relative to a basket of firms with weaker finances. The cash-rich companies, including the likes of Fastenal Co., Palantir Technologies Inc. and West Pharmaceutical Services Inc., have gained for three straight weeks, the longest run since Donald Trump\u2019s initial tariff announcement sent markets into a tailspin. The rotation lets traders who are growing anxious about the market\u2019s three-month surge stay invested while trimming some exposure to more vulnerable companies. Buying shares of firms that have the financial wherewithal to withstand a slowing economy and the threat of margin compression from tariffs could limit downside exposure if the S&P 500\u2019s run begins to falter. \u201cWe\u2019ve been sensing that investors, while riding the rally higher, they\u2019re getting nervous,\u201d said Brian Jacobsen, chief economist at Annex Wealth Management. \u201cA little caution is warranted\u201d in the current market, he said. The S&P 500 has surged 29% since a low on April 8, closing at a record on Tuesday. Much of the rally owes to artificial intelligence euphoria that\u2019s powered Nvidia Corp. and Microsoft Corp. to multi-trillion dollar valuations. Solid corporate earnings bolstered optimism that Trump\u2019s chaotic trade policies haven\u2019t caused the damage expected. But most of the profit growth was clustered in tech and tech-adjacent sectors, papering over weakness among purveyors of consumer products and makers of industrial equipment. As a consequence, Citigroup Inc. strategists noted \u201cearly\u201d signs of a rebound in value factors from July into early August as investors sought companies whose shares were underpriced relative to financial fundamentals. That has meant losses for profitless tech companies and other speculative plays. Higher quality, defensive names have \u201cheld their own,\u201d said Colin Cieszynski, portfolio manager and chief market strategist at SIA Wealth Management. Telecommunication companies, utilities and insurance firms have performed well, along with the tech behemoths, he said. Other strong defensive performers include tobacco producer Philip Morris International Inc., which is up 40% in 2025. Strategists and analysts have been warning for weeks that the rally is top heavy \u2014 the Magnificent 7 tech stocks account for virtually all of the run since April. Breadth, defined as the number of stocks advancing versus those declining, has deteriorated. An S&P 500 index that strips out market value biases has fallen 10 of the 13 sessions through Monday, while the cap-weighted index has gained on nearly half of those days. There\u2019s also some worry that the current bull market is past its prime, having lasted longer than previous median ages. \u201cThe bull has been reaching old age with the conditions right for a bear to get started,\u201d Ned Davis Research Chief Global Investment Strategist Tim Hayes wrote in an Aug. 7 note. Still, investors have continued to pour money into the market, not wanting to miss out. BofA Securities said Tuesday that all major client groups were buyers of US stocks for the second straight week, which also saw the \u201cbiggest single stock inflows in two years,\u201d with inflows in both defensive and cyclical sectors. That relative selectiveness looks prudent in light of the seasonal setup. The S&P 500 has dropped an average of 1.5% in September over the past 25 years \u2014 the worst performance of any month. Still, the hesitancy to ditch stocks is supported by the consensus view among Wall Street strategists. The notoriously bullish cohort has been encouraging traders to buy dips, suggesting a longer term bullish view. \u201cWith many strategists expecting volatility in the months ahead, and yet recommending that dips should be bought, it\u2019s hard to envision a very large pullback absent an actual recession,\u201d said Chris Zaccarelli, chief investment officer for Northlight Asset Management. --With assistance from Natalia Kniazhevich. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek Bessent on Tariffs, Deficits and Embracing Trump\u2019s Economic Plan Why It\u2019s Actually a Good Time to Buy a House, According to a Zillow Economist Dubai\u2019s Housing Boom Is Stoking Fears of Another Crash The Social Media Trend Machine Is Spitting Out Weirder and Weirder Results A $340 Million New York Office Makeover Is Converting Boardrooms to Bedrooms \u00a92025 Bloomberg L.P."", ""Fastenal Stock: Is Wall Street Bullish or Bearish? With a market cap of $54.9 billion, Fastenal Company (FAST) is a leading wholesale distributor of industrial and construction supplies across the United States, Canada, Mexico, and internationally. The company offers a wide range of products, including fasteners, tools, safety equipment, and other supplies, serving industries from manufacturing and construction to government and energy. Shares of the Winona, Minnesota-based company have outperformed the broader market over the past 52 weeks. FAST stock has surged 46.4% over this time frame, while the broader S&P 500 Index ($SPX) has rallied 20.3%. Moreover, shares of Fastenal are up 33.7% on a YTD basis, compared to SPX\u2019s 9.3% gain. This High-Yield (7%) Dividend Stock Is Down Significantly in 2025. Should You Buy the Dip? Dear CoreWeave Stock Fans, Mark Your Calendars for August 14 Tesla Is Axing Its Dojo Supercomputer Plans. What Does That Mean for TSLA Stock Here? Our exclusive Barchart Brief newsletter is your FREE midday guide to what's moving stocks, sectors, and investor sentiment - delivered right when you need the info most. Subscribe today! Focusing more closely, the nuts and bolts maker stock has outpaced the Industrial Select Sector SPDR Fund\u2019s (XLI) 22.8% return over the past 52 weeks. Shares of Fastenal climbed 4.2% on Jul. 14 after the company reported Q2 2025 EPS of $0.29 and revenue of $2.1 billion, exceeding the forecasts. The beat was driven by higher demand for safety supplies, with non-fastener product sales rising 9.5%, even as the fastener segment lagged amid sluggish industrial production. Additionally, more customers crossed the $10,000-per-month spending threshold, signaling stronger underlying demand. For the fiscal year ending in December 2025, analysts expect FAST\u2019s EPS to grow 11% year-over-year to $1.11. The company's earnings surprise history is mixed. It met or beat the consensus estimates in three of the last four quarters while missing on another occasion. Among the 14 analysts covering the stock, the consensus rating is a \u201cModerate Buy.\u201d That\u2019s based on four \u201cStrong Buy\u201d ratings, nine \u201cHolds,\u201d and one \u201cStrong Sell.\u201d On Jul. 15, Loop Capital raised its price target on Fastenal to $47 while maintaining a \u201cHold\u201d rating. As of writing, the stock is trading above the mean price target of $45.90. The Street-high price target of $55 implies a potential upside of 14.3% from the current price levels. On the date of publication, Sohini Mondal did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. This article was originally published on Barchart.com"", ""Fastenal (FAST) Up 7.4% Since Last Earnings Report: Can It Continue? It has been about a month since the last earnings report for Fastenal (FAST). Shares have added about 7.4% in that time frame, outperforming the S&P 500. Will the recent positive trend continue leading up to its next earnings release, or is Fastenal due for a pullback? Before we dive into how investors and analysts have reacted as of late, let's take a quick look at the latest earnings report in order to get a better handle on the important drivers. Fastenal\u2019s second-quarter 2025 adjusted earnings and revenues came ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate and increased year over year. Second-quarter results reflect operational discipline, customer expansion and resilience despite broader macro sluggishness. The company reported earnings per share (EPS) of 29 cents, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 28 cents and grew 12.7% from the year-ago level of 25 cents per share. Net sales rose 8.6% year over year to $2.08 billion, topping the consensus mark of $2.06 billion. Daily sales also climbed 8.6%, driven primarily by improved customer contract momentum and increased unit sales. Growth came despite a sluggish industrial environment, as larger contract customers and key manufacturing accounts continued to drive incremental gains. Foreign exchange rates positively impacted sales by 10 basis points (bps). Fastenal's unit sales rose in the quarter, driven by more customer sites spending more than $10K per month and modest growth in average sales per site. Product pricing also contributed positively, adding 140\u2013170 bps to net sales. Daily sales of Fasteners (mainly used for industrial production and accounting for approximately 30.5% of net sales) increased 6.6% year over year. Sales of Safety Supplies (22.2%) grew 10.7% daily. Sales of the Other Product Lines (47.3%) also increased 9% year over year. On an end-market basis, the daily sales rate of Heavy Manufacturing (which accounted for approximately 42.9% of net sales) rose 7.5% year over year. The daily sales rate of Other Manufacturing (33%) grew 11% compared with the prior year. Furthermore, the daily sales of Non-Residential Construction grew 3% compared with the prior-year quarter, while the same for Other End-Markets grew 8.7% in the same time frame. Daily sales through weighted FMI devices grew 14.4% for the second quarter, representing 44.1% of net sales. In the quarter, daily sales through eProcurement rose 19.3%, while daily sales via eCommerce declined 4.2%. In the second quarter of 2025, Digital Footprint sales (which include FMI technology and non-FMI eBusiness) accounted for 61% of total sales, up from 59.4% in the year-ago period. The company's revised 2025 target for Digital Footprint penetration is 63%\u201364%, down from the prior goal of 66-68%. The gross margin was 45.3% in the reported quarter, up 20 bps year over year. This upside was due to increased fastener product availability, which resulted in higher sales and improved gross margin. Selling, general and administrative expenses \u2013 as a percentage of net sales \u2013 improved to 24.4% from 24.9% reported in the year-ago quarter. Operating margin was 21% (higher than our projection of 20.6%), up from 20.2% a year ago. As of June 30, 2025, Fastenal had cash and cash equivalents of $237.8 million, down from $255.8 million as of Dec. 31, 2024. The long-term debt at the end of the second quarter of 2025 was $100 million, down from $125 million at 2024-end. During the quarter, Fastenal returned $252.5 million to its shareholders in the form of dividends. In the second quarter of 2025, net cash provided by operating activities totaled $278.6 million, up 8.1% from the year-ago period. In the past month, investors have witnessed a upward trend in estimates review. At this time, Fastenal has a average Growth Score of C, though it is lagging a lot on the Momentum Score front with an F. Following the exact same course, the stock was allocated a grade of F on the value side, putting it in the bottom 20% quintile for this investment strategy. Overall, the stock has an aggregate VGM Score of F. If you aren't focused on one strategy, this score is the one you should be interested in. Estimates have been trending upward for the stock, and the magnitude of these revisions looks promising. It comes with little surprise Fastenal has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). We expect an above average return from the stock in the next few months. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com). Zacks Investment Research"", ""Is This \""Boring\"" Stock-Split Stock Worth Buying in 2025? Fastenal sells the fasteners used to hold industrial products together. The company makes extensive use of technology to ensure that its customers have the bits and pieces they need in a timely fashion. Although Fastenal's business model could be considered \""boring\"", the stock has been a growth machine for decades. 10 stocks we like better than Fastenal \u203a Over roughly the last 30 years, Fastenal's (NASDAQ: FAST) share price has risen by a massive 7,300%. For comparison, the S&P 500 index (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) rose \""only\"" 1,300% or so over the same span. What's interesting here is that Fastenal's business is, at its core, not very exciting. And yet this \""boring\"" company has managed to be a huge growth machine. But is it worth buying after its latest stock split? Wall Street loves things that involve technology, healthcare, and anything modern and complex. That's fine, but sometimes \""boring\"" businesses can be even more interesting and Fastenal is a great example. This industrial company makes fasteners and other hardware items that get used by manufacturers to hold their products together. It's a nuts and bolts company, which is both a pun and an apt description of the business. So why has Fastenal managed to capture the attention of Wall Street? The answer is consistent and rapid growth on both the top- and bottom-lines of the income statement. The shares have advanced so rapidly that Fastenal has had nine stock splits since 1988. That 1988 date is interesting because the stock only came public in 1987, highlighting that it has been a growth story since day one. The most recent stock split happened in May of 2025. So the question for investors is whether or not Fastenal is still worth buying after the latest split and while the stock price is near all-time highs. For starters, Fastenal is a much larger company today than when it first came public. That may seem like an obvious statement, but with a market cap of around $54 billion it requires a lot more to move the needle on the revenue and earnings fronts than it did some 30 years ago. So even if Fastenal remains a fast growing business it probably won't be able to put up the same kind of growth numbers in the future as it has in the past. That said, a big part of Fastenal's growth has long been bolt-on acquisitions. This isn't likely to change in the future. And while it needs either larger or more deals to support growth today, it has the size to take on larger and more frequent deals. It also has the institutional knowledge accrued over decades to both identify good acquisition candidates and integrate them quickly. So there's no reason to believe that this facet of Fastenal's business approach is going to stop being effective. The next big part of Fastenal's story is technology. Not so much in the products it supplies to its customers, but in how it supplies them. It has evolved into a logistics powerhouse, making sure that its customers have the parts they need when they need them and how they need them. There's a lot going on with the logistics piece, but being so much larger today gives the company the wherewithal to invest in technology that smaller peers can't. And the technology behind Fastenal's business means that new acquisitions can quickly and easily be brought up to speed once they are in the fold. Again, there's no reason to believe that Fastenal's business approach to technology is going to change. The one problem that investors have to come to grips with is valuation. The company's price-to-sales and price-to-earnings ratios are both well above their five-year averages. And the stock is near its all-time highs. Clearly, Wall Street is very aware of how attractive a business Fastenal has been. But here's the interesting thing, the stock has a habit of going through material weak patches. Twenty five percent, or higher, drawdowns are fairly common for the stock. If you are patient, you can keep this growth machine on your wish list and wait to buy it during one of the fairly normal share price pullbacks. With such an impressive and consistent history of growth, it is hard to suggest that buying Fastenal today would be a mistake. However, it is still an expensive stock. You'll need to go in thinking in decades and not days if you buy it at current valuations. Most investors will probably be happier if they wait for a drawdown before buying. But if that's the path you take, make sure you plan ahead to buy this stock because buying during a drawdown will mean stepping in while everyone else is selling. That can be difficult if you don't set your mind to it ahead of time. Before you buy stock in Fastenal, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now\u2026 and Fastenal wasn\u2019t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you\u2019d have $653,427!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you\u2019d have $1,119,863!* Now, it\u2019s worth noting Stock Advisor\u2019s total average return is 1,060% \u2014 a market-crushing outperformance compared to 182% for the S&P 500. Don\u2019t miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks \u00bb *Stock Advisor returns as of August 11, 2025 Reuben Gregg Brewer has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Is This \""Boring\"" Stock-Split Stock Worth Buying in 2025? was originally published by The Motley Fool"", ""Winners And Losers Of Q2: Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) Vs The Rest Of The Maintenance and Repair Distributors Stocks As the Q2 earnings season wraps, let\u2019s dig into this quarter\u2019s best and worst performers in the maintenance and repair distributors industry, including Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) and its peers. Supply chain and inventory management are themes that grew in focus after COVID wreaked havoc on the global movement of raw materials and components. Maintenance and repair distributors that boast reliable selection and quickly deliver products to customers can benefit from this theme. While e-commerce hasn\u2019t disrupted industrial distribution as much as consumer retail, it is still a real threat, forcing investment in omnichannel capabilities to serve customers everywhere. Additionally, maintenance and repair distributors are at the whim of economic cycles that impact the capital spending and construction projects that can juice demand. The 9 maintenance and repair distributors stocks we track reported a very strong Q2. As a group, revenues beat analysts\u2019 consensus estimates by 2%. Thankfully, share prices of the companies have been resilient as they are up 10% on average since the latest earnings results. Founded in 1967, Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) provides industrial and construction supplies, including fasteners, tools, safety products, and many other product categories to businesses globally. Fastenal reported revenues of $2.08 billion, up 8.6% year on year. This print exceeded analysts\u2019 expectations by 0.5%. Overall, it was a very strong quarter for the company with a solid beat of analysts\u2019 sales volume estimates and a decent beat of analysts\u2019 adjusted operating income estimates. Interestingly, the stock is up 10.9% since reporting and currently trades at $48.01. Is now the time to buy Fastenal? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it\u2019s free. Serving the pharmaceutical, industrial manufacturing, energy, and chemical process industries, Transcat (NASDAQ:TRNS) provides measurement instruments and supplies. Transcat reported revenues of $76.42 million, up 14.6% year on year, outperforming analysts\u2019 expectations by 5.7%. The business had an incredible quarter with a beat of analysts\u2019 EPS estimates and an impressive beat of analysts\u2019 EBITDA estimates. Transcat achieved the biggest analyst estimates beat among its peers. The market seems happy with the results as the stock is up 5.9% since reporting. It currently trades at $83.04. Is now the time to buy Transcat? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it\u2019s free. Founded as a supplier of motors, W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) provides maintenance, repair, and operating (MRO) supplies and services to businesses and institutions. W.W. Grainger reported revenues of $4.55 billion, up 5.6% year on year, exceeding analysts\u2019 expectations by 0.6%. Still, it was a slower quarter as it posted full-year EPS guidance slightly missing analysts\u2019 expectations and a miss of analysts\u2019 EPS estimates. As expected, the stock is down 7.5% since the results and currently trades at $962. Read our full analysis of W.W. Grainger\u2019s results here. With roots dating back to 1959 and a strategic focus on extending the life of transportation assets, VSE Corporation (NASDAQ:VSEC) provides aftermarket parts distribution and maintenance, repair, and overhaul services for aircraft and vehicle fleets in commercial and government markets. VSE Corporation reported revenues of $272.1 million, up 41.1% year on year. This print topped analysts\u2019 expectations by 3.4%. It was an incredible quarter as it also logged a beat of analysts\u2019 EPS estimates and an impressive beat of analysts\u2019 EBITDA estimates. VSE Corporation pulled off the fastest revenue growth among its peers. The stock is up 17.4% since reporting and currently trades at $165.94. Read our full, actionable report on VSE Corporation here, it\u2019s free. Formerly known as Systemax, Global Industrial (NYSE:GIC) distributes industrial and commercial products to businesses and institutions. Global Industrial reported revenues of $358.9 million, up 3.2% year on year. This number beat analysts\u2019 expectations by 2%. Overall, it was a stunning quarter as it also recorded a beat of analysts\u2019 EPS estimates and a solid beat of analysts\u2019 EBITDA estimates. The stock is up 30.5% since reporting and currently trades at $35.39. Read our full, actionable report on Global Industrial here, it\u2019s free. Thanks to the Fed\u2019s rate hikes in 2022 and 2023, inflation has been on a steady path downward, easing back toward that 2% sweet spot. Fortunately (miraculously to some), all this tightening didn\u2019t send the economy tumbling into a recession, so here we are, cautiously celebrating a soft landing. The cherry on top? Recent rate cuts (half a point in September 2024, a quarter in November) have propped up markets, especially after Trump\u2019s November win lit a fire under major indices and sent them to all-time highs. However, there\u2019s still plenty to ponder \u2014 tariffs, corporate tax cuts, and what 2025 might hold for the economy. Want to invest in winners with rock-solid fundamentals? Check out our Top 5 Growth Stocks and add them to your watchlist. These companies are poised for growth regardless of the political or macroeconomic climate. StockStory is growing and hiring equity analyst and marketing roles. Are you a 0 to 1 builder passionate about the markets and AI? See the open roles here."", ""Wall Street Is Warming to These 6 Industrial Stocks. They Don\u2019t Depend on Nvidia or AI. Industrial stocks have shot higher in 2025, powered by AI and commercial aerospace. Analysts are warming to some other stocks in the sector that don\u2019t depend on either theme.""]"
FAST,2025-08-14,49.14,49.23,48.68,48.69,"Investors Playing More Defense Even as Stocks Climb to New Highs You can find original article here Wealthmanagement. Subscribe to our free daily Wealthmanagement newsletter. (Bloomberg) -- The caution flags have been waving for weeks: The record run in US stocks is masking trouble beneath the surface. Now, signs are emerging that investors have started to heed the warnings. A Goldman Sachs Group Inc. basket of S&P 500 companies with the strongest balance sheets just posted the best week since early April relative to a basket of firms with weaker finances. The cash-rich companies, including the likes of Fastenal Co., Palantir Technologies Inc. and West Pharmaceutical Services Inc., have gained for three straight weeks, the longest run since Donald Trump’s initial tariff announcement sent markets into a tailspin.  The rotation lets traders who are growing anxious about the market’s three-month surge stay invested while trimming some exposure to more vulnerable companies. Buying shares of firms that have the financial wherewithal to withstand a slowing economy and the threat of margin compression from tariffs could limit downside exposure if the S&P 500’s run begins to falter. “We’ve been sensing that investors, while riding the rally higher, they’re getting nervous,” said Brian Jacobsen, chief economist at Annex Wealth Management. “A little caution is warranted” in the current market, he said. The S&P 500 has surged 29% since a low on April 8, closing at a record on Tuesday. Much of the rally owes to artificial intelligence euphoria that’s powered Nvidia Corp. and Microsoft Corp. to multi-trillion dollar valuations. Solid corporate earnings bolstered optimism that Trump’s chaotic trade policies haven’t caused the damage expected. But most of the profit growth was clustered in tech and tech-adjacent sectors, papering over weakness among purveyors of consumer products and makers of industrial equipment. As a consequence, Citigroup Inc. strategists noted “early” signs of a rebound in value factors from July into early August as investors sought companies whose shares were underpriced relative to financial fundamentals. That has meant losses for profitless tech companies and other speculative plays. Higher quality, defensive names have “held their own,” said Colin Cieszynski, portfolio manager and chief market strategist at SIA Wealth Management. Telecommunication companies, utilities and insurance firms have performed well, along with the tech behemoths, he said. Other strong defensive performers include tobacco producer Philip Morris International Inc., which is up 40% in 2025. Strategists and analysts have been warning for weeks that the rally is top heavy — the Magnificent 7 tech stocks account for virtually all of the run since April. Breadth, defined as the number of stocks advancing versus those declining, has deteriorated. An S&P 500 index that strips out market value biases has fallen 10 of the 13 sessions through Monday, while the cap-weighted index has gained on nearly half of those days.  There’s also some worry that the current bull market is past its prime, having lasted longer than previous median ages.  “The bull has been reaching old age with the conditions right for a bear to get started,” Ned Davis Research Chief Global Investment Strategist Tim Hayes wrote in an Aug. 7 note. Still, investors have continued to pour money into the market, not wanting to miss out. BofA Securities said Tuesday that all major client groups were buyers of US stocks for the second straight week, which also saw the “biggest single stock inflows in two years,” with inflows in both defensive and cyclical sectors.  That relative selectiveness looks prudent in light of the seasonal setup. The S&P 500 has dropped an average of 1.5% in September over the past 25 years — the worst performance of any month. Still, the hesitancy to ditch stocks is supported by the consensus view among Wall Street strategists. The notoriously bullish cohort has been encouraging traders to buy dips, suggesting a longer term bullish view.  “With many strategists expecting volatility in the months ahead, and yet recommending that dips should be bought, it’s hard to envision a very large pullback absent an actual recession,” said Chris Zaccarelli, chief investment officer for Northlight Asset Management."
FAST,2025-08-15,49.08,49.2,48.535,48.88,"1 Mooning Stock to Target This Week and 2 Facing Headwinds The stocks in this article are all trading near their 52-week highs. This strength often reflects positive developments such as new product launches, favorable industry trends, or improved financial performance. However, not all companies with momentum are long-term winners, and many investors have lost money by following short-term trends. Keeping that in mind, here is one stock with lasting competitive advantages and two that may correct. One-Month Return: +7.9% Founded in 1967, Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) provides industrial and construction supplies, including fasteners, tools, safety products, and many other product categories to businesses globally. Why Do We Think Twice About FAST? Fastenal is trading at $48.69 per share, or 45.3x forward P/E. To fully understand why you should be careful with FAST, check out our full research report (it’s free). One-Month Return: +9.7% Recognizable by its iconic stag logo that dates back to 1810, The Hartford (NYSE:HIG) provides property and casualty insurance, group benefits, and investment products to individuals and businesses across the United States. Why Does HIG Fall Short? Hartford’s stock price of $131.34 implies a valuation ratio of 2.1x forward P/B. Check out our free in-depth research report to learn more about why HIG doesn’t pass our bar. One-Month Return: +22.2% Started by Peter Thiel after seeing US defence agencies struggle in the aftermath of the 2001 terrorist attacks, Palantir (NYSE:PLTR) offers software as a service platform that helps government agencies and large enterprises use data to make better decisions. Why Will PLTR Outperform? At $181.54 per share, Palantir trades at 94.9x forward price-to-sales. Is now the right time to buy? See for yourself in our in-depth research report, it’s free. When Trump unveiled his aggressive tariff plan in April 2025, markets tanked as investors feared a full-blown trade war. But those who panicked and sold missed the subsequent rebound that’s already erased most losses. Don’t let fear keep you from great opportunities and take a look at Top 6 Stocks for this week. This is a curated list of our High Quality stocks that have generated a market-beating return of 183% over the last five years (as of March 31st 2025). Stocks that made our list in 2020 include now familiar names such as Nvidia (+1,545% between March 2020 and March 2025) as well as under-the-radar businesses like the once-small-cap company Exlservice (+354% five-year return). Find your next big winner with StockStory today for free. Find your next big winner with StockStory today. Find your next big winner with StockStory today StockStory is growing and hiring equity analyst and marketing roles. Are you a 0 to 1 builder passionate about the markets and AI? See the open roles here."
FAST,2025-08-18,48.835,49.19,48.54,49.11,"[""Beat the Market the Zacks Way: CBRE, Acadian, Fastenal in Focus Last Friday, the three most widely followed benchmark indexes closed the week on a winning note. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite gained 1.7%, 0.9% and 0.8%, respectively. Markets were buoyed by growing investor optimism that the Fed will deliver an interest rate cut as early as September, driven by signs of easing inflation and weakening labor conditions. The Dow in particular benefited from a one-day surge, hitting its first intraday record high of 2025. Easing fears over Middle East supply disruptions and reduced concerns about fresh U.S. sanctions on Russian oil helped steady commodity markets. Economic data released through the week delivered mixed signals. Cooling consumer inflation encouraged hopes for an impending Fed rate cut, while a surprise spike in July\u2019s producer prices rattled expectations, tempering enthusiasm. Strong retail sales and manufacturing gains were offset by weakening consumer sentiment and higher inflation expectations, creating a nuanced backdrop that drove market gains but left investors eagerly awaiting Powell's Jackson Hole speech. Regardless of market conditions, we, here at Zacks, provide investors with unbiased guidance on how to beat the market. As usual, Zacks Research guided investors over the past three months with its time-tested methodologies. Given the prevailing market uncertainty, you may want to look at our feats to prepare better for your next action. Here are some of our key achievements: Shares of Acadian Asset Management Inc. AAMI have gained 49.6% (versus the S&P 500\u2019s 8% increase) since it was upgraded to a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) on June 20. Another stock, RF Industries, Ltd. RFIL, which was also upgraded to a Zacks Rank #1 on June 20, has returned 40.3% since then. A hypothetical portfolio of Zacks Rank # 1 (Strong Buy) stocks returned +3.39% in 2025 (through July 7th) vs. +5.19% for the S&P 500 index and +3.63% for the equal-weight version of the index. This portfolio returned +22.4% in 2024, vs. +28% for the S&P 500 index and +19.9% for the equal-weight version of the S&P 500 index. This hypothetical portfolio returned +20.65% in 2023 vs. +24.83% for the S&P 500 index and +15% for the equal-weight S&P 500 index. The Zacks Model Portfolio - consisting of Zacks Rank #1 stocks \u2013 has outperformed the S&P index by more than 12 percentage points since 1988 (through June 2nd, 2025, the Zacks # 1 Rank stocks generated an annualized average return of +23.5% vs. +11% for the S&P 500 index). You can see the complete list of today\u2019s Zacks Rank #1 stocks here >>> Check Acadian\u2019s historical EPS and Sales here>>> Check RF Industries\u2019 historical EPS and Sales here>>> Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Shares of Garrett Motion Inc. GTX and Dorian LPG Ltd. LPG have surged 29.4% and 18.8% (versus the S&P 500\u2019s 6% rise), respectively, since their Zacks Recommendation was upgraded to Outperform on June 26. While the Zacks Rank is our short-term rating system that is most effective over the one- to three-month holding horizon, the Zacks Recommendation aims to predict performance over the next 6 to 12 months. However, just like the Zacks Rank, the foundation for the Zacks Recommendation is trends in earnings estimate revisions. The Zacks Recommendation classifies stocks into three groups \u2014 Outperform, Neutral and Underperform. While these recommendations are determined quantitatively, our analysts have the flexibility to override them for the 1100+ stocks they closely follow based on their better judgment of factors such as valuation, industry conditions and management effectiveness than the quantitative model. To access our research reports with Zacks Recommendations for the 1100+ stocks we cover, click here>>> Shares of Palantir Technologies Inc. PLTR, which belongs to the Zacks Focus List, have gained 36.8% over the past 12 weeks. The stock was added to the Focus List on March 26, 2024. Another Focus-List holding, CBRE Group, Inc. CBRE, which was added to the portfolio on March 13, 2017, has returned 20.8% over the past 12 weeks. The S&P 500 has advanced 8.3% over this period. The 50-stock Focus List portfolio returned 8.84% in 2025 (through June 30th, 2025) vs. +6.21% for the S&P 500 index and +4.82% for the equal-weight version of the index. The Zacks Focus List portfolio returned +18.41% in 2024 vs. +25.04% for the S&P 500 index and +13% for the equal-weight S&P 500 index. The portfolio had returned +29.54% in 2023 vs. +26.28% for the S&P 500 index and +13.61% for the equal-weight S&P 500 index. In 2022, the portfolio returned -15.2% vs. the S&P 500 index\u2019s -17.96%. The portfolio leads the broader market over the preceding one, three, five and \u2018since 2004\u2019 periods. These annualized return comparisons are: +22.27% for the Focus List vs. +15.18% for the index over the one-year period, +22.61% vs. +19.71% over the 3-year period, +17.79% vs. +16.64% over the 5-year period, and +11.85% vs. +11.44% since 2004. Since 2004, the Focus List portfolio has produced an annualized return of +11.60% (through the end of May 2025). This compares to a +10.22% annualized return for the S&P 500 index and +9.41% for the equal-weight version of the index in the same time period. Unlock all of our powerful research, tools and analysis, including the Focus List, Zacks #1 Rank List, Equity Research Reports, Zacks Earnings ESP Filter, Premium Screener and more, as part of Zacks Premium. Gain full access now >> Oracle Corporation ORCL, a component of our Earnings Certain Admiral Portfolio (ECAP), has jumped 54.7% over the past 12 weeks. Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. TMO has followed Oracle with 18.7% returns. The Zacks Earnings Certain Admiral Portfolio (ECAP), which consists of 30 concentrated, ultra-defensive, long-term Buy-and-Hold stocks, returned +3.20% in the first quarter of 2025 vs. the S&P 500 index\u2019s -4.30% decline (SPY ETF). For the year 2024, the portfolio returned +16.26% vs. +24.89% for the S&P 500 index (SPY ETF). In 2023, the portfolio returned +12.17% vs. +26.28% for the S&P 500 index. The portfolio returned -4.7% in 2022 vs. the S&P 500 index\u2019s -17.96%. With little to no turnover and annual rebalance periodicity, ECAP seeks to minimize capital loss by holding shares of companies whose earnings streams exhibit a proven 20+ year track record of surviving recessionary periods with minimal impact on aggregate earnings growth relative to the overall S&P 500. The ECAP and many other model portfolios are available as part of Zacks Advisor Tools, a cloud-based solution to access Zacks award-winning stock, mutual fund and ETF research. Click here to schedule a demo. Fastenal Company FAST, which is part of our Earnings Certain Dividend Portfolio (ECDP), has returned 17.7% over the past 12 weeks. Another ECDP stock, Tractor Supply Company TSCO, has climbed 14.2% over the same time frame. Of course, the inclination of investors toward quality dividend stocks to secure an income stream amid heightened market volatility contributed to this performance. Check Fastenal\u2019s dividend history here>>> Check Tractor Supply\u2019s dividend history here>>> With an extremely low beta and a history of minimum earnings variability over the last 20+ years, this 25-stock portfolio helps significantly mitigate risk. The Zacks Earnings Certain Dividend Portfolio (ECDP) returned -3.17% in 2025 Q2 vs. the S&P 500 index\u2019s +10.94% gain and the Dividend Aristocrats ETF\u2019s (NOBL) -0.09% return. Year-to-date (through June 30th), the portfolio returned +2.38% vs. +2.18% gain for the Dividend Aristocrat ETF. For the full-year 2024, the portfolio returned +6.95% vs. +24.89% for the S&P 500 index and +6.72% for NOBL. The portfolio returned -0.9% in 2023 vs. +26.28% for the S&P 500 index and +8.11% for NOBL. The portfolio returned -2.3% in 2022 vs. -17.96% for the S&P 500 index and -8.34% for NOBL Click here to access this portfolio on Zacks Advisor Tools. MasTec, Inc. MTZ, from the Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2025, has jumped 30.6% year to date compared with the S&P 500 Index\u2019s 9.9% increase. The Top 10 portfolio returned +11.8% this year (through the end of June 2025) vs. +6.2% for the S&P 500 index and +4.8% for the equal-weight version of the index. The Top 10 portfolio returned +62.98% in 2024, vs. +25.04% for the S&P 500 index and +13% for the equal-weight version of the index. The portfolio had returned +25.15% in 2023 vs. +26.28% for the S&P 500 index. Since 2012, the Top 10 portfolio has produced a cumulative return of +2,246.8% through the end of June 2025 vs. +502.3% for the S&P 500 index and +373.4% for the equal-weight version of the index. The portfolio has produced an average return of +26.3% in the period 2012 through June 30, 2025, vs. +14.3% for the S&P 500 index and +12.2% for the equal-weight version of the index. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (TMO) : Free Stock Analysis Report Tractor Supply Company (TSCO) : Free Stock Analysis Report Oracle Corporation (ORCL) : Free Stock Analysis Report MasTec, Inc. (MTZ) : Free Stock Analysis Report Dorian LPG Ltd. (LPG) : Free Stock Analysis Report RF Industries, Ltd. (RFIL) : Free Stock Analysis Report CBRE Group, Inc. (CBRE) : Free Stock Analysis Report Garrett Motion Inc. (GTX) : Free Stock Analysis Report Palantir Technologies Inc. (PLTR) : Free Stock Analysis Report Acadian Asset Management Inc. (AAMI) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com). Zacks Investment Research"", ""Weekly Stock Grader Analysis: Upgrades & Downgrades on Top Blue-Chip Stocks During these busy times, it pays to stay on top of the latest profit opportunities. And today\u2019s blog post should be a great place to start. After taking a close look at the latest data on institutional buying pressure and each company\u2019s fundamental health, I decided to revise my Stock Grader recommendations for 97 big blue chips. Chances are that you have at least one of these stocks in your portfolio, so you may want to give this list a skim and act accordingly. To stay on top of my latest stock ratings, plug your holdings into Stock Grader, my proprietary stock screening tool. But, you must be a subscriber to one of my premium services. Or, if you are a member of one of my premium services, you can go here to get started. Sincerely, InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips Louis Navellier Editor, Market 360 The post Weekly Stock\u00c2 Grader\u00c2 Analysis: Upgrades & Downgrades on Top Blue-Chip Stocks appeared first on InvestorPlace.""]"
FAST,2025-08-19,49.1,49.94,49.06,49.9,"Fastenal Insider Sold Shares Worth $333,012, According to a Recent SEC Filing William Joseph Drazkowski, Executive Vice President, Sales, on August 15, 2025, sold 6,842 shares in"
FAST,2025-08-20,49.971,50.06,49.26,49.54,
FAST,2025-08-21,49.36,49.74,48.82,49.14,"SIEGY vs. FAST: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option? Investors interested in stocks from the Industrial Services sector have probably already heard of Siemens AG (SIEGY) and Fastenal (FAST). But which of these two stocks presents investors with the better value opportunity right now? Let's take a closer look. There are plenty of strategies for discovering value stocks, but we have found that pairing a strong Zacks Rank with an impressive grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system produces the best returns. The proven Zacks Rank puts an emphasis on earnings estimates and estimate revisions, while our Style Scores work to identify stocks with specific traits. Siemens AG and Fastenal are sporting Zacks Ranks of #2 (Buy) and #3 (Hold), respectively, right now. This means that SIEGY's earnings estimate revision activity has been more impressive, so investors should feel comfortable with its improving analyst outlook. But this is only part of the picture for value investors. Value investors also tend to look at a number of traditional, tried-and-true figures to help them find stocks that they believe are undervalued at their current share price levels. Our Value category highlights undervalued companies by looking at a variety of key metrics, including the popular P/E ratio, as well as the P/S ratio, earnings yield, cash flow per share, and a variety of other fundamentals that have been used by value investors for years. SIEGY currently has a forward P/E ratio of 20.31, while FAST has a forward P/E of 44.63. We also note that SIEGY has a PEG ratio of 2.54. This figure is similar to the commonly-used P/E ratio, with the PEG ratio also factoring in a company's expected earnings growth rate. FAST currently has a PEG ratio of 4.51. Another notable valuation metric for SIEGY is its P/B ratio of 3.16. The P/B is a method of comparing a stock's market value to its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. By comparison, FAST has a P/B of 14.93. These are just a few of the metrics contributing to SIEGY's Value grade of B and FAST's Value grade of D. SIEGY sticks out from FAST in both our Zacks Rank and Style Scores models, so value investors will likely feel that SIEGY is the better option right now. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Siemens AG (SIEGY) : Free Stock Analysis Report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com). Zacks Investment Research"
FAST,2025-08-22,49.455,50.6,49.33,50.39,"Are Industrial Products Stocks Lagging Fastenal (FAST) This Year? Investors interested in Industrial Products stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Is Fastenal (FAST) one of those stocks right now? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out. Fastenal is a member of our Industrial Products group, which includes 189 different companies and currently sits at #3 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank gauges the strength of our 16 individual sector groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. The Zacks Rank is a proven system that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions, highlighting a variety of stocks that are displaying the right characteristics to beat the market over the next one to three months. Fastenal is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy). Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for FAST's full-year earnings has moved 2.4% higher. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger. Based on the latest available data, FAST has gained about 36.7% so far this year. Meanwhile, stocks in the Industrial Products group have gained about 5.7% on average. As we can see, Fastenal is performing better than its sector in the calendar year. Another Industrial Products stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is Gorman-Rupp (GRC). The stock has returned 8.7% year-to-date. Over the past three months, Gorman-Rupp's consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 2.5%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Looking more specifically, Fastenal belongs to the Industrial Services industry, which includes 18 individual stocks and currently sits at #45 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have gained about 9.4% so far this year, so FAST is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns. Gorman-Rupp, however, belongs to the Manufacturing - General Industrial industry. Currently, this 41-stock industry is ranked #48. The industry has moved +5.9% so far this year. Going forward, investors interested in Industrial Products stocks should continue to pay close attention to Fastenal and Gorman-Rupp as they could maintain their solid performance. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report Gorman-Rupp Company (The) (GRC) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com). Zacks Investment Research"
FAST,2025-08-25,50.02,50.63,50.02,50.279,
FAST,2025-08-26,50.08,50.4299,49.5,49.96,
FAST,2025-08-27,49.91,50.27,49.59,50.2,"What Does Fastenal Company's (NASDAQ:FAST) Share Price Indicate? Today we're going to take a look at the well-established Fastenal Company (NASDAQ:FAST). The company's stock led the NASDAQGS gainers with a relatively large price hike in the past couple of weeks. The company's trading levels have reached its high for the past year, following the recent bounce in the share price. With many analysts covering the large-cap stock, we may expect any price-sensitive announcements have already been factored into the stock’s share price. However, what if the stock is still a bargain? Today we will analyse the most recent data on Fastenal’s outlook and valuation to see if the opportunity still exists. This technology could replace computers: discover the 20 stocks are working to make quantum computing a reality. Fastenal appears to be expensive according to our price multiple model, which makes a comparison between the company's price-to-earnings ratio and the industry average. In this instance, we’ve used the price-to-earnings (PE) ratio given that there is not enough information to reliably forecast the stock’s cash flows. We find that Fastenal’s ratio of 48.22x is above its peer average of 23.59x, which suggests the stock is trading at a higher price compared to the Trade Distributors industry. In addition to this, it seems like Fastenal’s share price is quite stable, which could mean two things: firstly, it may take the share price a while to fall back down to an attractive buying range, and secondly, there may be less chances to buy low in the future once it reaches that value. This is because the stock is less volatile than the wider market given its low beta. Check out our latest analysis for Fastenal Future outlook is an important aspect when you’re looking at buying a stock, especially if you are an investor looking for growth in your portfolio. Although value investors would argue that it’s the intrinsic value relative to the price that matter the most, a more compelling investment thesis would be high growth potential at a cheap price. With profit expected to grow by 33% over the next couple of years, the future seems bright for Fastenal. It looks like higher cash flow is on the cards for the stock, which should feed into a higher share valuation. Are you a shareholder? FAST’s optimistic future growth appears to have been factored into the current share price, with shares trading above industry price multiples. However, this brings up another question – is now the right time to sell? If you believe FAST should trade below its current price, selling high and buying it back up again when its price falls towards the industry PE ratio can be profitable. But before you make this decision, take a look at whether its fundamentals have changed. Are you a potential investor? If you’ve been keeping an eye on FAST for a while, now may not be the best time to enter into the stock. The price has surpassed its industry peers, which means it is likely that there is no more upside from mispricing. However, the positive outlook is encouraging for FAST, which means it’s worth diving deeper into other factors in order to take advantage of the next price drop. In light of this, if you'd like to do more analysis on the company, it's vital to be informed of the risks involved. For example - Fastenal has 1 warning sign we think you should be aware of. If you are no longer interested in Fastenal, you can use our free platform to see our list of over 50 other stocks with a high growth potential. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned."
FAST,2025-08-28,50.26,50.32,49.84,50.18,
FAST,2025-08-29,50.255,50.47,49.355,49.66,"Are You Looking for a Top Momentum Pick? Why Fastenal (FAST) is a Great Choice Momentum investing is all about the idea of following a stock's recent trend, which can be in either direction. In the ""long context,"" investors will essentially be ""buying high, but hoping to sell even higher."" And for investors following this methodology, taking advantage of trends in a stock's price is key; once a stock establishes a course, it is more than likely to continue moving in that direction. The goal is that once a stock heads down a fixed path, it will lead to timely and profitable trades. Even though momentum is a popular stock characteristic, it can be tough to define. Debate surrounding which are the best and worst metrics to focus on is lengthy, but the Zacks Momentum Style Score, part of the Zacks Style Scores, helps address this issue for us. Below, we take a look at Fastenal (FAST), which currently has a Momentum Style Score of B. We also discuss some of the main drivers of the Momentum Style Score, like price change and earnings estimate revisions. It's also important to note that Style Scores work as a complement to the Zacks Rank, our stock rating system that has an impressive track record of outperformance. Fastenal currently has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy). Our research shows that stocks rated Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and #2 (Buy) and Style Scores of ""A or B"" outperform the market over the following one-month period. You can see the current list of Zacks #1 Rank Stocks here >>> In order to see if FAST is a promising momentum pick, let's examine some Momentum Style elements to see if this maker of industrial and construction fasteners holds up. Looking at a stock's short-term price activity is a great way to gauge if it has momentum, since this can reflect both the current interest in a stock and if buyers or sellers have the upper hand at the moment. It's also helpful to compare a security to its industry; this can show investors the best companies in a particular area. For FAST, shares are up 3.09% over the past week while the Zacks Industrial Services industry is up 3.51% over the same time period. Shares are looking quite well from a longer time frame too, as the monthly price change of 8.17% compares favorably with the industry's 4.43% performance as well. While any stock can see its price increase, it takes a real winner to consistently beat the market. That is why looking at longer term price metrics -- such as performance over the past three months or year -- can be useful as well. Shares of Fastenal have increased 22.8% over the past quarter, and have gained 48.94% in the last year. In comparison, the S&P 500 has only moved 9.72% and 16.49%, respectively. Investors should also take note of FAST's average 20-day trading volume. Volume is a useful item in many ways, and the 20-day average establishes a good price-to-volume baseline; a rising stock with above average volume is generally a bullish sign, whereas a declining stock on above average volume is typically bearish. Right now FAST is averaging 5,864,943 shares for the last 20 days.. The Zacks Momentum Style Score also takes into account trends in estimate revisions, in addition to price changes. Please note that estimate revision trends remain at the core of Zacks Rank as well. A nice path here can help show promise, and we have recently been seeing that with FAST. Over the past two months, 8 earnings estimates moved higher compared to none lower for the full year. These revisions helped boost FAST's consensus estimate, increasing from $1.09 to $1.11 in the past 60 days. Looking at the next fiscal year, 8 estimates have moved upwards while there have been no downward revisions in the same time period. Taking into account all of these elements, it should come as no surprise that FAST is a #2 (Buy) stock with a Momentum Score of B. If you've been searching for a fresh pick that's set to rise in the near-term, make sure to keep Fastenal on your short list. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com). Zacks Investment Research"
FAST,2025-09-02,49.34,49.61,48.85,49.19,"1 Safe-and-Steady Stock to Consider Right Now and 2 We Question A stock with low volatility can be reassuring, but it doesn’t always mean strong long-term performance. Investors who prioritize stability may miss out on higher-reward opportunities elsewhere. Luckily for you, StockStory helps you navigate which companies are truly worth holding. That said, here is one low-volatility stock providing safe-and-steady growth and two that may not deliver the returns you need. Rolling One-Year Beta: 0.71 Founded in 1967, Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) provides industrial and construction supplies, including fasteners, tools, safety products, and many other product categories to businesses globally. Why Do We Think Twice About FAST? Fastenal is trading at $50 per share, or 46.2x forward P/E. Check out our free in-depth research report to learn more about why FAST doesn’t pass our bar. Rolling One-Year Beta: 0.73 With roots dating back to 2003 and a focus on the stability of multifamily housing, Arbor Realty Trust (NYSE:ABR) is a specialized lender that provides financing solutions for multifamily and commercial real estate while also originating and servicing government-backed mortgage loans. Why Should You Dump ABR? Arbor Realty Trust’s stock price of $11.84 implies a valuation ratio of 1x forward P/B. Dive into our free research report to see why there are better opportunities than ABR. Rolling One-Year Beta: 0.45 Founded in 1967 and operating through more than 50 specialized insurance units across the globe, W. R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB) underwrites commercial insurance and reinsurance through specialized subsidiaries serving industries from healthcare to construction to transportation. Why Should WRB Be on Your Watchlist? At $72.15 per share, W. R. Berkley trades at 2.8x forward P/B. Is now the time to initiate a position? See for yourself in our comprehensive research report, it’s free. Donald Trump’s April 2025 ""Liberation Day"" tariffs sent markets into a tailspin, but stocks have since rebounded strongly, proving that knee-jerk reactions often create the best buying opportunities. The smart money is already positioning for the next leg up. Don’t miss out on the recovery - check out our Top 6 Stocks for this week. This is a curated list of our High Quality stocks that have generated a market-beating return of 183% over the last five years (as of March 31st 2025). Stocks that made our list in 2020 include now familiar names such as Nvidia (+1,545% between March 2020 and March 2025) as well as under-the-radar businesses like the once-micro-cap company Tecnoglass (+1,754% five-year return). Find your next big winner with StockStory today for free. Find your next big winner with StockStory today. Find your next big winner with StockStory today StockStory is growing and hiring equity analyst and marketing roles. Are you a 0 to 1 builder passionate about the markets and AI? See the open roles here."
FAST,2025-09-03,49.19,49.715,49.0708,49.53,"[""EVI Industries Climbs 64% in 6 Months: Should You Buy the Stock? EVI Industries, Inc. EVI shares have surged 64.3% in the past six months, significantly outpacing the industry's 11.3% growth. The company has outperformed other industry players, including Fastenal Company FAST and ClearSign Technologies Corporation CLIR. Shares of FAST posted an increase of 33.5%, while CLIR\u2019s shares declined 25.6% in the same time frame. EVI benefits from strategic acquisitions, strong cash flow, expanded credit capacity, diversified customer base, and steady demand in the commercial laundry sector. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research EVI Industries, headquartered in Miami, FL, is a value-added distributor offering commercial laundry equipment and related services. The company provides planning, design, installation, maintenance, and repair services to a broad customer base, including government, healthcare, hospitality, and industrial sectors across the United States, Canada, the Caribbean and Latin America. Since 2015, it has followed a \u201cbuy-and-build\u201d strategy, acquiring complementary businesses and promoting growth through shared expertise, expanded offerings, and stock-based incentives. EVI operates under a single business segment, serving an extensive network of customers with a wide product range and support services. EVI Industries is benefiting from a combination of strategic momentum and operational discipline that continues to strengthen its market position. The company's \u201cbuy-and-build\u201d strategy has led to a series of value-accretive acquisitions, including Girbau North America and ASN Laundry Group, each adding to its geographic reach, customer base, and service capabilities. These acquisitions are not merely additive but transformative, enabling deeper market penetration and the preservation of entrepreneurial cultures. By retaining local leadership and empowering teams with autonomy, EVI fosters growth that is both scalable and sustainable. The company\u2019s financial performance reflects this upward trajectory. Revenues for the nine months ended March 31, 2025, increased to $279.9 million from $263.4 million a year earlier, while net income rose by over 50%, reaching $5.4 million. These improvements were supported by a favorable shift in product mix and efficiencies in operations. Margins held steady despite the inclusion of larger industrial jobs, which typically yield lower gross margins. Recent acquisitions also played a material role in boosting top-line and bottom-line growth, validating EVI\u2019s approach to strategic expansion and operational integration. In addition to top-line growth, the company has enhanced its financial flexibility. The recent amendment to its credit agreement extended maturity to 2030 and expanded borrowing capacity to $200 million, including a $50 million accordion feature. This increased liquidity enables EVI to continue pursuing high-quality acquisitions without compromising its capital structure. With strong cash flow from operations, the company is well-capitalized to support ongoing investments in infrastructure, technology and workforce expansion. EVI Industries benefits from steady demand in the commercial laundry sector, driven by institutional, industrial, and government customers that require ongoing replacement, maintenance, and expansion of equipment. The company\u2019s diversified customer base insulates it from dependence on a single segment and provides recurring revenue opportunities through parts, accessories, and technical services. This stability allows EVI to maintain growth momentum, even when individual end-markets face cyclical pressures. EVI Industries faces challenges, including elevated selling, general and administrative (SG&A) costs, driven by rent, technology, and acquisition-related spending, which are eroding operating leverage and pressuring margins. The company also risks falling behind in digital transformation as competitors adopt tech-enabled, sustainable service models. Additionally, environmental compliance remains a concern, with potential reputational risks from a lack of transparency on eco-friendly initiatives, all of which could affect competitiveness and future growth. The company is cheaply priced compared with the industry average. Currently, EVI is trading at 1.01X trailing 12-month EV/sales value, below the industry\u2019s average of 7.8X. The metric also remains lower than the company\u2019s peers, including Fastenal (7.31X) and ClearSign Technologies (6.13X), suggesting an opportunity for potential investors. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research EVI Industries\u2019 revenue growth is fueled by strategic acquisitions, operational efficiencies, and steady demand in the commercial laundry sector. Improved margins and a 50% rise in net income highlight effective cost control. A $200 million expanded credit facility and strong cash flow enhance financial flexibility, while its buy-and-build model and service diversification support long-term scalability. Despite rising SG&A costs and environmental compliance concerns, EVI remains well-positioned for continued growth. Strong fundamentals coupled with EVI\u2019s undervaluation present a lucrative opportunity for investors to add the stock to their portfolio. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST) : Free Stock Analysis Report ClearSign Technologies Corporation (CLIR) : Free Stock Analysis Report EVI Industries, Inc. (EVI): Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com). Zacks Investment Research"", ""Fastenal Debuts High-Tech Distribution Center in Magna, Utah WINONA, Minn., September 02, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Fastenal Company (Nasdaq: FAST), a leader in industrial distribution and supply chain solutions, has begun operating in its newly-built distribution center in Magna, Utah, just outside the Salt Lake City metro area. Equipped with cutting-edge technology to streamline product intake, order picking, and shipping sortation, the 298,000 square-foot facility is designed to enhance operational efficiency and customer service throughout the region. Previously, Fastenal rented several buildings in the Salt Lake City area to run its regional operations (known internally as 'UHUB'). Those teams are now working together in a state-of-the-art facility custom-built for Fastenal's processes. (Click here to take a video tour of the teams and technology in action.) \""There's a lot of pride in the new UHUB,\"" said Mike Humphries, Fastenal's regional operations manager. \""The technology, the ergonomics, the brightness and organization of the workspace \u2013 it all helps our employees do their jobs safely and efficiently.\"" The distribution center provides warehousing and logistics services to support Fastenal branches and customers across a vast swath of western North America \u2013 from as far east as Gillette, Wyoming to as far west as Boise, Idaho, stretching all the way from Alberta, Canada to Sonora, Mexico. According to Will Roedeske, Fastenal's vice president of distribution, the combination of space, stocking density, and process automation raises the bar for inventory capacity and picking speed. \""We can stock more products to meet our customers' needs, and we can get our trucks on the road earlier in the evening,\"" said Roedeske. \""We believe it will translate to even higher service levels and a broader servicing range.\"" UHUB is one of 17 Fastenal distribution centers, including two in Canada, two in Europe, and one in Mexico (which recently relocated to a new facility in Monterrey, Nuevo Le\u00f3n). Together, they serve as the logistics hubs of Fastenal's customer-centric service model, which centers on providing experts and inventory close to (and often within) customer facilities via a global network of branches and site-specific business units. Fastenal's investment in UHUB comes on the heels of a similar upgrade to its distribution operations in Lacey, Washington (KHUB). These strategically positioned facilities are seen as keys to Fastenal's continued growth in the Western U.S. With this in mind, the land purchased for UHUB has enough space to potentially double the building's footprint to roughly 600,000 square feet. \""World-class distribution is at the heart of everything we do for our customers,\"" said Fastenal's CEO, Dan Florness. \""We're excited about this facility's ability to support our business today and for years into the future.\"" About Fastenal With approximately 1,600 branch locations spanning 25 countries, Fastenal supplies a broad offering of fasteners, safety products, metal cutting products, and other industrial supplies to customers engaged in manufacturing, construction, warehousing, wholesale, and state and local government. By investing in local experts and inventory, customer-facing technology, wide-ranging services, and best-in-class sourcing and logistics, we offer a unique combination of capabilities to help our customers reduce cost, risk, and scalability constraints in their global supply chains. This \""high-touch, high-tech\"" approach is reflected in our tagline, Where Industry Meets Innovation\u2122. Additional information regarding Fastenal is available on our website at www.fastenal.com. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This release includes forward-looking statements, which are subject to risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements can be identified by the use of terminology such as anticipate, believe, should, estimate, expect, intend, may, will, plan, goal, project, hope, trend, target, opportunity, and similar words or expressions, or by references to typical outcomes. Fastenal's operational goals, projects, plans, pace, aspirations, commitments, and strategies are long-term and aspirational and by their nature include forward-looking statements. As such, no forward looking statement can be guaranteed and actual results may differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements due to a variety of factors, including those described in Fastenal's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date on which they are made. Fastenal undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements. FAST-G View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250902007481/en/ Contacts Media Contact: Jennifer Harnisch Marketing Strategist 507.453.8259 Investor Contact: Dray Schreiber Financial Reporting & Regulatory Compliance Manager 507.313.7324""]"
FAST,2025-09-04,49.52,50.31,49.16,50.27,"JPMorgan Adjusts Price Target on Fastenal to $46 From $41, Maintains Neutral Rating Fastenal (FAST) has an average rating of hold and mean price target of $46.22, according to analysts"
FAST,2025-09-05,49.095,49.36,47.375,47.99,"Baird Adjusts Fastenal Price Target to $53 From $55 Fastenal Company (FAST) has an average rating of Hold and mean price target of $46.22, according to"
FAST,2025-09-08,48.1,48.35,47.675,48.19,
FAST,2025-09-09,47.88,47.989,47.08,47.9,
FAST,2025-09-10,47.85,48.3,47.6501,47.97,
FAST,2025-09-11,47.905,48.385,46.59,47.33,
FAST,2025-09-12,47.05,47.585,46.94,47.45,
FAST,2025-09-15,47.45,47.99,47.29,47.76,
FAST,2025-09-16,47.74,47.93,46.725,47.25,
FAST,2025-09-17,47.44,47.755,46.99,47.12,
FAST,2025-09-18,47.22,47.785,46.82,47.19,
FAST,2025-09-19,47.21,47.76,46.64,47.55,
FAST,2025-09-22,47.55,47.61,47.025,47.12,
FAST,2025-09-23,47.4386,48.0693,47.13,47.99,
FAST,2025-09-24,48.01,48.355,47.5,47.529,
FAST,2025-09-25,47.6,48.01,47.42,47.85,
FAST,2025-09-26,47.92,48.77,47.79,48.7,
FAST,2025-09-29,48.89,49.3,48.55,48.87,
FAST,2025-09-30,48.79,49.11,48.68,49.04,
FAST,2025-10-01,48.66,49.085,47.56,47.72,
FAST,2025-10-02,47.34,48.22,46.66,48.17,
FAST,2025-10-03,48.045,48.435,47.83,47.88,
FAST,2025-10-06,47.82,48.425,47.58,47.78,
FAST,2025-10-07,47.73,48.005,47.125,47.45,
FAST,2025-10-08,47.4,47.71,47.01,47.55,
FAST,2025-10-09,47.53,47.63,46.57,46.71,
FAST,2025-10-10,47.06,47.69,45.7,45.78,
FAST,2025-10-13,43.595,44.45,42.32,42.33,
FAST,2025-10-14,41.92,43.485,41.46,42.74,
FAST,2025-10-15,42.77,42.77,41.88,42.25,
FAST,2025-10-16,42.355,42.38,41.6,41.96,
FAST,2025-10-17,41.9,42.56,41.78,42.46,
FAST,2025-10-20,42.57,43.03,42.46,42.99,
FAST,2025-10-21,43.04,43.5,42.88,43.32,
FAST,2025-10-22,43.105,43.46,42.5,42.6,
FAST,2025-10-23,42.83,43.24,42.52,42.99,
FAST,2025-10-24,43.17,43.28,42.72,42.87,
FAST,2025-10-27,43.02,43.11,42.385,42.53,
FAST,2025-10-28,42.12,42.35,41.61,41.63,
FAST,2025-10-29,41.3,41.49,40.76,41.09,
FAST,2025-10-30,41.11,41.6269,40.9,41.53,
FAST,2025-10-31,41.48,41.75,40.99,41.14,
FAST,2025-11-03,41.16,41.28,40.715,41.03,
FAST,2025-11-04,41.18,41.42,40.76,41.3,
FAST,2025-11-05,41.21,41.98,41.01,41.68,
FAST,2025-11-06,41.61,41.87,40.655,40.77,
FAST,2025-11-07,40.8,41.19,40.45,40.85,
FAST,2025-11-10,40.925,41.48,40.64,41.34,
FAST,2025-11-11,41.38,41.495,41.15,41.26,
FAST,2025-11-12,41.0,41.1,40.52,40.97,
FAST,2025-11-13,40.76,41.245,40.62,40.75,
FAST,2025-11-14,40.74,41.0,40.415,40.45,
FAST,2025-11-17,40.44,40.64,39.54,39.7,
FAST,2025-11-18,39.75,40.1,39.44,39.94,
FAST,2025-11-19,39.92,40.04,39.47,39.56,
FAST,2025-11-20,39.82,40.05,39.025,39.145,
FAST,2025-11-21,39.37,40.2082,38.9703,39.91,
FAST,2025-11-24,39.72,39.91,39.38,39.59,
FAST,2025-11-25,39.79,40.155,39.4,40.09,
FAST,2025-11-26,40.08,40.445,39.92,40.3,
FAST,2025-11-28,40.34,40.51,40.23,40.4,
FAST,2025-12-01,40.03,40.7,40.0,40.15,
FAST,2025-12-02,40.29,40.58,39.805,40.47,
FAST,2025-12-03,40.45,41.31,40.35,41.229,
FAST,2025-12-04,41.81,42.17,41.57,41.75,
FAST,2025-12-05,41.625,41.98,41.38,41.5,
FAST,2025-12-08,41.43,41.495,40.74,40.805,
FAST,2025-12-09,40.74,40.895,40.305,40.34,
FAST,2025-12-10,40.18,41.05,40.04,40.93,
FAST,2025-12-11,41.11,41.84,40.9725,41.75,
FAST,2025-12-12,42.11,42.17,41.72,42.01,
FAST,2025-12-15,42.69,43.19,42.32,42.58,
FAST,2025-12-16,42.77,42.77,42.1,42.315,
FAST,2025-12-17,42.12,42.285,41.52,41.86,
FAST,2025-12-18,41.87,42.4,41.74,42.32,
FAST,2025-12-19,42.52,42.53,42.08,42.35,
FAST,2025-12-22,41.93,42.31,41.37,41.75,
FAST,2025-12-23,41.75,41.865,41.675,41.72,
FAST,2025-12-24,41.63,41.94,41.55,41.83,
FAST,2025-12-26,41.9,41.9111,41.4001,41.56,
FAST,2025-12-29,41.58,41.74,41.27,41.29,
FAST,2025-12-30,41.15,41.19,40.84,40.87,
FAST,2025-12-31,40.79,40.86,40.08,40.13,
FAST,2026-01-02,40.26,40.69,39.86,40.44,
FAST,2026-01-05,40.44,41.5,40.33,41.15,
FAST,2026-01-06,40.89,41.8,40.75,41.52,
FAST,2026-01-07,41.24,41.26,40.26,40.6,
FAST,2026-01-08,40.42,42.21,40.2501,41.8,
FAST,2026-01-09,41.79,42.38,41.7,41.98,
FAST,2026-01-12,41.85,42.26,41.56,41.7,
FAST,2026-01-13,41.77,42.52,41.485,42.42,
FAST,2026-01-14,42.53,42.625,41.83,42.42,
FAST,2026-01-15,42.75,43.63,41.22,43.53,
FAST,2026-01-16,43.37,44.02,43.23,43.74,
FAST,2026-01-20,41.95,42.8,41.26,42.62,
FAST,2026-01-21,42.695,44.815,42.55,44.61,
FAST,2026-01-22,44.825,44.95,44.165,44.78,
FAST,2026-01-23,44.74,44.91,43.84,43.885,
FAST,2026-01-26,43.67,44.06,43.39,43.73,
FAST,2026-01-27,43.57,44.01,43.39,43.95,
FAST,2026-01-28,43.85,44.1,43.42,43.605,
FAST,2026-01-29,43.49,44.13,43.075,43.32,
FAST,2026-01-30,43.11,43.39,42.74,43.36,
FAST,2026-02-02,43.25,44.89,42.76,44.81,
FAST,2026-02-03,44.73,46.51,44.73,46.36,
FAST,2026-02-04,46.4732,48.445,46.4732,48.28,
FAST,2026-02-05,47.915,48.08,46.7503,47.33,
FAST,2026-02-06,47.9,48.235,47.4,47.71,
FAST,2026-02-09,47.72,47.72,46.3975,46.52,
FAST,2026-02-10,46.55,46.85,46.36,46.67,
FAST,2026-02-11,46.96,47.54,46.46,47.03,
FAST,2026-02-12,47.35,47.83,45.441,45.54,
FAST,2026-02-13,45.705,46.54,45.03,46.41,
FAST,2026-02-17,46.365,46.470289,45.65,45.69,
FAST,2026-02-18,45.61,46.12,45.29,45.97,
FAST,2026-02-19,45.84,46.38,45.715,46.22,